UMPHREY’S MCGEE COMING TO FIRE UP LA MARCH 13th

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March in LA usually means lots of great jam bands coming to town. The rest of the country has been under a blanket of frost for months, and it’s as if it dawns on everyone at once…hey, there’s a whole other side of the country that isn’t freezing, lets go there and play. Umphrey’s Mcgee is one of these bands that figured this out, and the Indiana/Chicago based prog rock jam behemoth makes their annual pilgrimage to the Wiltern Theater again this March 13th. Welcome back boys!!!        

2019 was a little different. Umph actually made two So Cal appearances, their typical March show at the Wiltern, but they also came back in August to the House of Blues in Anaheim to coincide with their High Sierra Festival appearance. That show in Anaheim was a Jake Cinninger (lead guitar/god) showcase, including a mind blowing Syncopated Strangers>Ocean Billy. I left that show marveling that here’s a band 20+ years into their existence, and they still throw down consistently every show.

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Kris Myers (Drums, Umphrey’s McGee)

Although originally formed at Notre Dame University in the 1990’s, both Kris Myers (drums) and Joel Cummins (keys) have called LA home at one point. There’s definitely some added fire to these local shows. Kris is a madman on the drums, and they usually uncork him on vocals once or twice a show. It’s hard to fathom how great a singer he is, while still playing drums. He unleashed Hot For Teacher by Van Halen last year in Anaheim, and it doesn’t seem fair that the same person can sing and play drums to that song at the same time. Kris is a one of a kind talent, not to be missed.

Speaking of insane, one of a kind talents, Jake Cinninger is mesmerizing with a guitar in his hands. There isn’t an Umph show I leave where I’m not dumbfounded by what he does. It isn’t the flowing blues jam that a lot of us jam heads are used to. He’s technical, precise, and completely shreds. Sometimes I expect to see sparks coming off the guitar neck. Brendan Bayliss (lead vocals/guitar) is no slouch on guitar either. And in any other band he’d be the one getting the praise, but it’s hard understandable playing next to Jake.  With Ryan Stasik on bass and Andy Farag on percussion rounding out the backline, you can tell this is a band that has played together for 1000s of shows.

As if Umph wasn’t enough, Buffalo based quartet Aqueous is opening. I caught these guys last year with Big Something at the Bootleg Theater. The hype is legit. There’s a reason you see these guys playing every jam festival all over the country. Quoting their bio: ‘Rock and Roll, pop-laden melodies and hooks, hip hop inspired grooves and massive, anthemic choruses, Aqueous’s sound is explosive, fresh, and undeniably their own. Citing influences as wide ranging as Steely Dan to Tame Impala, Queens of the Stone Age to Kendrick Lamar, the band’s sound is a nod to their open-minded approach as songwriters and musicians.’

OK, DO WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION LA JAMILY?…because the next bit of info is where March 13th becomes not just another normal Jam night in LA. Because Spin Cycle Presents is teaming up with Redhouse Productions to throw down one of the coolest after shows LA has seen in a long long time. YOU READY? I’m not sure how many details we can give out yet…but…

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Joel Cummins, Venice Local and UM Keyboardist, will be one of many featured guests at the Official Umphrey’s McGee LateNight SuperJam.

After the Umphrey’s show at The Wiltern, head to The Mint for the official after show. The Creature Collective kicks off the evening while UM is finishing up things at the Wiltern…then things get wild. The evening will include sets by Marcus Rezak’s Gateway to the Galaxy and CITIZUN plus A LATE NIGHT SUPERJAM featuring: Joel Cummins and Kris Myers (Umphrey’s McGee), Jason Hann (The String Cheese Incident), John Norwood Fisher (Fishbone), Angelo Moore (Fishbone), Antwaun Stanley (Vulfpeck), Eric Moore (Suicidal Tendencies) Marcus Rezak (Shred is Dead, Gateway to the Galaxy) Jesse Clayton (Citizun)…and who knows who else will show up. The firepower coming off that small stage is going to melt the walls down. YOU THINK THAT’S IT ??? Nope.

Can’t really mention what’s going happen after that, but let’s just say, the night isn’t going to end when it usually does, and LA is going to grow up and act like a real city. Don’t miss this night, seriously, it doesn’t happen like this often. More info to come…

Joshua Cumming

Spin Cycle Presents (editorial)

Dead In The Dome 3.0 Infrared Roses (Night Two Only)

I wasn’t sure what to expect heading to the third iteration of Dead in The Dome at the Wisedome LA. The first two were a blast, and the venue is the most unique you can find in LA. Over the last year the Wisdome has been hosting regular Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon shows, Jimi Hendrix, Funk night with Bootsy Collins, and Dumpstaphunk for NYE. The promoters are trying to bring some fantastic music regularly to LA, and it has been impressive to say the least.

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But, this night was going to be different. The first Dead in Dome 1.0 had George Porter, Steve Kimock, Eric Krasno and company. Dead in Dome 2.0 was JGB with Melvin Seals and Steve Kimock. And both presented straightforward, rockin Grateful Dead music. This installment was George Porter and Steve Kimock again (both returning from playing Japan with Voodoo Dead), but also had original Dead organist and keyboardist Tom Constanten, Bob Bralove (keys), Papa Mali (vocals/guitar), Wally Ingram (Drums), and Scott Page (sax), and their mission was to recreate the 1991 Grateful Dead album Infrared Roses. This album was produced by Bob Bralove and stitched together some off the Dead’s best live performances of Space. Space being the section of music following Drums in a Dead show that has the whole band perform open ended, ‘spacey,’ jams that really fall into more of a jazz inspired sound at times.

OK, enough back ground. Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of Space. I’m not really well versed in jazz and at times I find myself not enjoying the Space portion of shows. With that caveat, I was excited to experience this show, and hopefully change my perspective about Space.

The Wisdome was awesome as always. There were a few vendors, and a Vegan food stand. It’s a mini Shakedown Street with a bunch of bars. There were also some great art exhibits in the various domes, the Android Jones display is worth checking out. In the main dome before the music was an artist performing. Not sure why this was happening in the main dome, because it ended up going long. Then they had to arrange the chairs. After a brief sound check that sounded amazing from outside they opened the dome and the crowd filed in.

After an introduction of the band the music started at 9:50. The band sounded fantastic. Kimock and Porter had obviously found a good grove together in Japan, and the opening jam was very spacey and had the whole band really take it a bit far out. I was starting to think they were actually doing the Infrared Roses set first, but just as that thought occurred GPJ dropped a familiar bass line and the whole band rolled into Sugaree. I should have noted earlier that the shows were also billed as a Rose and Love themed show due to Valentine’s Day, so Sugaree was a logical choice. GPJ took the vocal lead. Recently, when Robert Hunter passed, George thanked Robert for writing such a beautiful song and how honored he was to have sung it all these years.

As George was singing to the crowd to SHAKE IT, SHAKE IT SUGAREE in his signature gravely voice (its like Tom Waits singing the dead, ha ha), the band was finding their groove. Kimock playing his signature acoustic guitar (someone has to explain to me how he gets that electric tone from that thing, its wicked) got the crowd going with a pretty fierce solo and the show was rolling. Next up was Big Railroad Blues, not quite the love song I was expecting, and Papa Mali handled vocals. But the highlight of this song was Tom Constanten. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the 75-year-old member of the Grateful Dead…but wow. He unleashed a solo during Big Railroad Blues that was ripping. He was the highlight of the night for sure, but unfortunately it seemed as though he wasn’t utilized as much as I had wished. The band fired off Bertha after that and Kimock again showed the crowd why he was one of Jerry’s favorite guitarists, scorching a solo and getting the vibe of the show moving a bit more.

The other real surprising musical highlight was Scott Page on saxophone. A touring member of Supertramp and Toto in the 1980’s, Page was asked by David Gilmour in 1986 to join the newest version of Pink Floyd. Scott is an insane saxophonist. I’ve seen him sit in with Gov't Mule in the past and he always brings an awesome layer of music to the shows.

Tonight was no different. At times it was Scott who kept the band together. When some of the songs wandered a bit, he would come blazing in on a sax riff and get everyone lined up again. Especially during Infrared Roses, where his musicianship really shined (more on that later). Much like a famous Eyes of the World of the past (looking at you Branford), the version tonight was a real sax highlight. With some dazzling visuals being displayed above on the dome ceiling, the band jammed an extended Eyes, with some amazing rhythm playing by Kimock while Page ripped sax solos over it. It was definitely one of the musical highlights of the night. The set ended with the always upbeat Deal that had the crowd on their feet. And the first set ended exactly an hour after it started.

After a 25-minute set break the crowd settled in for the Infrared Roses set. I found myself on one of the couches for the first time in my three visits to the dome, and I must say it’s quite an awesome way to experience the music and visuals. The couch, the dome, the visuals were absolutely perfect for this presentation of Space. It was WAY better than I expected. That’s not to say there weren’t parts that weren’t challenging as a listener, but there was much more rhythm and grooves, and much less open space and abstract sound than I expected. Every time it seemed to get a little disjointed, GPJ would find a bass groove and get the train back on track.

Scott page was the other real driving force during the Infrared set. Much like GPJ, when it seemed a bit chaotic, Scott would find a beautiful sax run to fill in the ‘space.’ Or at times he would kind of grab the jam and make it something of his own. Each member of the band had moments to shine. Again for a few brief moments Tom Constanten really killed it on the keys. There were two times during Infrared that he really let loose and it was impressive. The defining moment of the night for me personally was seeing TC play and how outstanding he really was.

It would be useless for me to break down every measure of the Infrared Set, but I’ll post a link to night one where someone more qualified than I has. Some other notes on the set was an outstanding moment by Bob Bralove on keyboards that really stood out. Bob was the musical director behind the original Infrared Roses album, and he served as the same role for these shows. George Porter Jar also had just a heart stopping extended bass solo that was blissful and powerful at the same time. The sound of his bass in that dome is a beautiful relationship.

And finally, the real backbone of the whole night was Wally Ingram on drums. Holy crap! I’m not really familiar with his work prior to tonight. I knew he toured with Bob and Phil on their duo tour in 2018, but he held parts of the Infrared Set together alone. His improvisational work during the set was outstanding. He continued to find creative sounds and ways to stay connected to the band and the jams. At times it was easy to get lost in the sound, and then you could find home base again focusing on the drums. He may not have been the most noticeable musician of the night, but like most great drummers, he held together what could have been a very easily discombobulated set.

The set lasted an hour, after which George noted they were short on time. On night one they played a four set encore, but tonight because of time restrictions the band played New Speedway Boogie>Other One Jam. Then wrapped up with George singing Black Muddy River with giant visuals of waterfalls and rolling rivers projected above on the dome. One quick note, although because of the later start due to the art show prior to the music (hope the remedy that before next time), the band scratched Smokestack Lightning, They Love Each Other, and I Know You Rider from the encore. I will say the brief Other One jam was out of this world. It seemed as it was Kimock’s decision to play it after discussing it with George, and Kimock used his guitar to ‘sing’ the lyrics to the Other One. It was a unique way to do The Other One. And the tone and sound coming from Kimock’s rig fired things up. It seemed like Kimock saved a lot during the show, but for this brief jam he really let loose.

Another great night in LA for Dead fans. The opportunity to see a legend like George Porter Jr and an original member of the Grateful Dead, Tom Constanten, play Dead music with stunning visuals over head (I forgot to mention, every time I go to the dome the visuals get better and better. The visuals paired with the Infrared Set made for awesome eye candy)…it’s not going to happen very often. The Infrared Set had never been done before and may never be presented like this again. It was done with great class, and delivered better than I had expected. Thanks Wisedome!!! Can’t wait to hear about the next one!!!

Joshua Cumming

PINK TALKING FISH returns to the Teragram Ballroom - Feb 1st!

There are so many things to say about this band. Where to start?? Well, the obvious, they are a fusion band that plays Phish, Talking Heads, and Pink Floyd. At least that’s how they started, what they’ve evolved into is a super charged version of all three bands, with insane transitions, and surprise covers of all sorts of genres. 

If you’re from the east coast PTF has been an institution of the Jam Scene for many years. Hosting countless after shows of Phish concerts all around the east coast, most recently in NYC during Phish’s annual NYE run at MSG. While they don’t play the west coast as frequently, recently the group has made an effort to spread their unique jam style to the Pacific Coast. They’re also scheduled to play in April at Skull and Roses in Ventura, along some of the best Dead inspired bands in the world.

Back to this Saturday Feb 1st at Teragram. A recent lineup change last year has vaulted this band into another stratosphere, especially their Phish songs. The band replaced guitarist Dave Brunyak, with Cal Kehoe. Cal, has an impressive connection to Phish. He has collaborated and played with Tom Marshall (Trey’s writing partner) in a band called “The Amfibian All Stars.” Cal is a wizard, and his addition has made the Phish songs standout. He’s also been selected to play the Official VIP Pre show of various Phish concerts as a solo artist, where he loops multiple sounds to create amazing covers (catch it if you get a chance). He channels Trey’s technique while adding his on style.  I caught this new PTF lineup last March at the Teragram, and I was melted away. He’s added such a dynamic to the band, and the Phish tunes just explode.

Eric Gould holds it down on Bass and lead vocals, while Richard James plays keyboards and also shares lead vocal duties. Zack Burwick is on drums, and you can tell the three of these guys have played 100’s of shows together. Ripping jams, crazy transitions, interweaving songs you didn’t even know could be woven together. I guess they’re a “cover” band by definition, but they make the songs their own. Check them out LA, you tell me…does Pink Floyd’s ‘On The Run’ fit perfectly into the middle of Phish’s YEM?

Does a segue of Run Like Hell (Floyd)>Making Flippy Floppy(Heads)>Piper(Phish)>Run Like Hell sound like fun???

Or how about their idea of a Mike’s Groove… Mike’s Song(Phish)>Have A Cigar(Floyd)>Once In A Lifetime(Heads)>Weekapaug Groove(Phish)

This Saturday at Teragram. 9PM. Don’t miss it!

Opening Act: The Alligators. To my knowledge The Alligators are the only local Grateful Dead cover band that focuses on Pigpen era Dead music, and it’s as amazing as it sounds. Do you enjoy blues music? Do you like ripping harmonica? Do you enjoy whiskey? Then this is the band for you. Saw them after Dead and Co. at the Hollywood Bowl last year. Their energy is off the charts. Their frontman Pete “Pen” Carona is a whirlwind, giving an over the top performance, that has to be seen to describe. Words truly don’t do it justice. Enjoy!

GHOST LIGHT returns to the Teragram Ballroom - Nov 23!

GHOST LIGHT IS BACK…FINALLY!!!! I was lucky to catch their second show ever at The Mint March 21 2018, and have been obsessed ever since. This is their first show back in the area, and the last year has seen them grow into a staple force on the jam festival scene with tours across the country and back.

Look, I’m an admitted Tom Hamilton fan; there isn’t much music he creates that I don’t love. Brothers Past, American Babies, and of course JRAD. The best part of Ghost Light is that he’s taken all the best elements from those bands and created something new and refreshing.

 The other fantastic part about Ghost Light is the presence of women in the band. It’s just rare in the jam band scene to see bands that have even a little female influence, with Ghost Light the balance is amazing. Holly Bowling had already established her self as a supremely talented pianist, composing brilliant renditions of Grateful Dead and Phish music. After many years of solo touring, Holly and Tom jammed together on Jam Cruise in October 2017, it was special. They crushed Eyes of the World (video on Youtube), and they knew it. And that’s where the idea of Ghost Light came from.

Raina Mullen was a member of Tom Hamilton’s former band American Babies. She reminds me of Joni Mitchell, looks delicate but is an impactful force. The power that comes out of her voice can be quite startling. Tom and Raina share vocal duties, sometimes harmonizing and other times each taking a lead. Raina also plays rhythm guitar. It would take a long time to explain the writing process that Tom and Raina went thru to create Ghost Light’s debut album Best Kept Secrets, but as Tom has stated in interviews, “lots of LSD, lots of coffee…”

Scotty Zwang, the Philadelphia drumming legend is behind the kit. Former drummer of RAQ and Dopapod, his ability to change on a dime and drive the jams really helps keep the jams focused. He recently wrote a profile for Modern Drummer’s On the Beat section. He goes in depth about how creating the album with Ghost Light was unlike any process he had done before. And the results are fantastic.

Much like Jrad, Ghost Light interweaves cover songs from Radiohead, Dylan, Derek and the Dominoes, The Kinks (their version of Living On a Thin Line is mind boggling),Three Dog Night, The Shins, Rolling Stones (amazing version of Sway), Neil Young (For the Turnstile), Leonard Cohen (Everybody Knows), David Bowie (Lazurus… who covers Lazarus???!!!),Tears for Fears…I mean, there isn’t a genre or an artist that would surprise me to hear in a tease or a cover. Can you tell I like this band?

Ghost Light release sound boards of their shows on archive.org. Check them out.

Ghost Light is at the Teragram in Los Angeles Nov 23. And at the Wonderfront Festival Nov 24th in San Diego.

Dead in the Dome 2.0 Review! (Night 1 at Wisdome LA)

Well, what a weekend in Downtown LA. For those of us that were there, there isn’t much more to stay, but for those who missed…just don’t miss the next one ok?

Night one was fantastic. What a cool venue. A really chill atmosphere right in the middle of the Arts District Downtown LA. Wisdome has everything. Food Trucks, booze, lots of open outdoor areas, and some of the largest cleanest port o’ johns I’ve seen (seriously). OK let’s get to the music.

Melvin Seals and JGB took the stage right at 9pm. And the proceeded to tear thru the next 80 minutes of classic JGB tunes with a little Grateful Dead sprinkled in. They began with How Sweet It Is, and by the time they started Cats Under Stars next, the place was rocking. The overhead projections were eye melting and the perfect compliment to the music. If you haven’t experienced it, it’s quite remarkable. You find yourself going between the music and the visuals overhead. It’s fun to explore the dome, and hear the differences in sound depending on the location. After the show Melvin and the rest of the band said that it was the best visuals they had seen in a very long time (and these guys play almost every night all over the country).

Steve Kimock really shined during the first set. He has another band with Melvin Seals called Zero, and you could see early how comfortable they were playing off each other, with Kimock really pushing Seals at times.

The first set ‘After Midnight>Eleanor Rigby>After Midnight’ was the highlight. Very reminiscent of the legendary Kean College JGB show in Feb 28th 1980 (worth finding the official release). They ended the first set with an intense ‘Cumberland Blues,’ not a typical JGB tune but they did the classic Dead song justice. Not to be overlooked was DJ Logic. Someone turned to me during the set and noted the added texture the DJ’s scratching was adding to the music. He also had a standout ‘solo’ during the set. After a long first set, everyone was ready to catch their breathe for the second set.

Second set got way more psychedelic than a traditional JGB show. And with the atmosphere in the Dome, that was a perfect choice. Although ‘Aint No Bread In The Breadbox’ was on the written setlist to open the set, they skipped and played a reggae cover ‘Johnny Too Bad.’ The Slickers song from The Harder They Come soundtrack was played a handful of times by JGB in 1994/95. John Kadelick really started to drive the show at this point. If Steve was the star of the first set, John was pulling the share of the jams the second set. Just unleashing blistering solos while pouring his soul into the vocals. It was quite the senses overload, in all the right ways.

After a beautifully poignant Sisters and Brothers (‘this world is not our own, we are only passing thru’), they closed the set with Deal. Now we’ve all heard Deal before, but this was a face peeler. Melvin, Steve, and John brining the jam to insane heights, and John nailing it shut with a perfect solo, really closing the night out on an incredible high.

It was one of those Grateful Dead nights in LA that people will remember and talk about for a long time. The crowd was fantastic, the energy was great, and the music stood out among it all. I have a good feeling these Dead in the Dome shows will become a regular occurrence.

 Set 1:

How Sweet It IsCats Under Stars

Wonderful World (Sam Cooke)

Run For The Roses

After Midnight>Eleanor Rigby>After Midnight

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Get Out My Life Woman

Cumberland Blues

Set 2:

Johnny Too Bad

Knockin On Heavens Door

Expressway

Mission In The Rain

Tore Up

Sisters and Brothers

Deal