With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.
Today we highlight: Marco Benevento
Tonight at 9pm Est the piano wizard Marco Benevento will be playing a live streamed show:
The chameleon like keyboard player Marco Benevento is releasing a self recorded, self produced, last name self titled album where he plays all of the instruments.
With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure. Also you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.
The piano player is doing a solo piano session tonight from Woodstock. Tune in and support the artist. RtBE reviewed Marco's recent album for Glide and have always been a fan of his work.
To get in the mood for tonight's set, here is a live tune from Benevento and friends:
Keyboardist Marco Benevento has released a new single "Winter Rose".
You can grab/stream/buy the single from the vendor of your choice.
Check it out right here and be sure to catch Benevento on tour at the dates below.
Marco Benevento Tour Dates:
February 25 - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall February 26 - Washington, DC - Union Stage April 7 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair April 8 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground April 9 - Fairfield, CT - Stage One June 26 - Rothbury, MI - Electric Forest Festival July 1 - Scranton, PA - Peach Music Festival July 3 - Quincy, CA - High Sierra Music Festival
We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.
Today we highlight: Marco Benevento - Live From Relix Studios
On an absolutely perfect late summer Friday night, the Brooklyn based Joe Russo's Almost Dead crossed the East River to play the first of two sold out shows at Pier 17. The pristine venue is the best outdoor concert space in NYC as it delivers stunning views and excellent sound.
Opening up their three night stand over Martin Luther King Weekend, Joe Russo's Almost Dead welcomed the sold out crowd to the majestic Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY. The band, Joe Russo on drums, bassist Dave Dreiwitz, keyboardist Marco Benevento, Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton Jr. guitars have a rabid following in the NYC area as people lined up hours ahead of time to get into the venue.
From Benevento himself in regards to this night of music up in Burlington, VT on April 4th 2015:
"This was great night! We'd been touring the record (Swift) for about seven months so the energy was high onstage. Plus, it was Signal Kitchen's Masquerade Ball show, so everyone in the audience was wearing masks and looking freaky,” remembers Benevento. "Our friend even came up on stage and danced for an extended 'Limbs Of A Pine.' Oh, and it was a full moon, oh geez, yes, you can hear it all here. We tested out two new tunes that will be on our upcoming record and we wound up, on a whim, segueing 'RISD' and 'Let's Spend The Night Together' (the Bowie version) at the end of the show. That even surprised us while we were playing through it!"
The last time we talked about MB here we highlighted his duet set with Stanton Moore, the more we hear and see him playing the keys the more we dig him and his easy style. Grab the album and check out the man in some video and album previews below:
What has become tradition now, Joe Russo's Almost Dead set up shop for post Jazz Fest shows in New Orleans and give the music loving fans another outlet for Grateful Dead (and more) inspired music. This year the locale was the gorgeous Fillmore which was just under sold out for Friday night's set of tunes.
Once againJoe Russo's Almost Dead returned to play New Orleans during the annual Jazz Festival, setting up shop two nights in the luxurious Fillmore downtown. On the first night, Friday May 2nd, the house was almost completely full as Festival goers and JRAD fans survived a few torrential rain showers just before show time, to catch the band get down.
The first of three consecutive sold out shows over MLK weekend from Joe Russo's Almost Dead kicked off with fans filling in the venue on Friday night January 11th, as the group strolled onto one of their favorite stages to play, The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY.
JRAD are, Russo on drums, bassist Dave Dreiwitz, keyboardist Marco Benevento, Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton on guitar and vocals, and they wasted no time, diving into the high intensity interplay that has won them a legion of fans. The opening jamming coalesced into a version of Bob Dylan's classic, "Tangled Up In Blue" as Hamilton sung the lead while smiling and dancing as the outfit got loose behind him.
One of the best played songs of the evening arrived next as the band dove deep into "Cumberland Blues". Benevento and Russo traded runs building up the energy, before spelunking the proverbial Mine with eerie musical lines. The excavation commenced around Hamilton and Metzger's glorious guitar crescendos bringing us all back to the surface as the band expertly toyed with sonic peaks and valleys. The following version of "Passenger" continued the majestic, upbeat playing as the slide guitar from Hamilton soared, while Russo and Dreiwitz used mega force to push the song to rock heights.
After that burning three song opener the band finally took a pause and things mellowed with a lounge/jazz take on "New Speedway Boogie" which wandered aimlessly after some nice piano work from Marco. This group works much better with up beat tempos as opposed to space-like freestyle, but things improved as the band found their way into a soaring version of "Estimated Prophet" before closing the first set with a jubilant take on "Loose Lucy" which featured teases of The Beatles "Day Tripper" and Otis Redding's "Tramp".
The second set opened with a Russo led version of "Uncle John's Band" that ebbed and flowed in revved up JRAD style, while "Saint of Circumstance" was a beast. It seems the band always gives a bit extra to these 80's Dead tunes as they slammed to start, stretched out with focus and gravity before huge piano and guitar work to close; a great version of this song.
"Help on the Way" found the crowd exploding as electro keys and especially deep bass from Dreiwitz anchored things. The band delivered an almost heavy metal version of the instrumental "Slipknot!" that used wah-wah and massive energy before the major surprise of the night as the group dropped into a cover of the Screaming Trees hit, "Nearly Lost You" that proved to be a singalong to the 40-50 somethings in the crowd.
A return to the country fried rock saw "Big River" get a very bubbling jam going, powered by the slamming drums of Russo whose energy never waned on the night. "Bird Song" took a long cosmic-spacey route to get going, building and morphing into a fun, ramshackle take on The Rolling Stones "Shattered" to close the excellent show. The group encored with a sedated "Ripple" as satiated fans exited into the Westchester night, concluding a fun evening of tunes as many got ready for nights two and three of this run.
The weather was stifling hot, NYC was in the midst of summer heat wave on Thursday night July 27th as Joe Russo's Almost Dead played a hometown show on the rooftop of Pier 17. Arriving as the sun was setting, but the heat was still sticking around, band leader Joe Russo commented that we all should drink a lot of water, because it was going to be a hot one.
He was correct on a few levels as the band, Russo on drums, bassist Dave Dreiwitz, keyboardist Marco Benevento, Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton on guitar and vocals, came out on fire to begin the night of music. For those unfamiliar with JRAD, the group plays mostly Grateful Dead music in varying arraignments, with great energy and passion.
They opened this night in mid-set form with a wandering jam that quickly took on the attributes of "Playin' In The Band" as the group applied this framework and ran with it. After the vocals of the song, the musicians spaced out with jazz vibes even more, before a large crescendo and a nice exit into a barroom like version of "Mississippi Half-Step" easily floated along in soothing fashion.
The group displayed some inspiring musical transitions throughout the evening and none was more impressive than their switch from "Mississippi Half-Step" into "The Music Never Stopped". Hamilton and Metzger climbed scales and Russo followed with pounding drums as "The Music Never Stopped" exploded, pumping forward before a mid-song spacey break and another huge build; a highlight version all around.
The group kept the swirling sweaty cauldron of tunes moving, as Russo kept the pace banging for an upbeat "Bertha" that found Benevento doing work on the baby grand. The band finally took a breather after delivering an opening forty five minutes of straight goodness. It was brief though as a deep Bob Dylan cut, "Tell Me, Momma", pushed out dueling, scratchy guitar work in roadhouse blues manner. The dynamite first set wrapped up with the unique pairing of "Scarlett Begonias > Touch of Grey" which featured another excellent transition from the group and high energy all around.
The second set was not as fiery as the first, the heat seemed to have zapped the band. The crowd also was certainly drained as the night air brought no relief from the heat while the packed in, sold-out crowd, left little space for air to flow.
That said, JRAD still gave it a go, opening with the blues of "Hard To Handle" which never truly took off. Better was the laid back fluidity of "Here Comes Sunshine" which was mellow before kicking up the energy half way through and moving into the focal point of the set, a huge "Throwing Stones". Russo set the tone with heavy drumming as the band shifted and soared through various jams, prog like and pulsing at times, all out rocking at others; the song was a beast feeling influenced by The Who's "Eminence Front" at times, filtered through a Phish lens.
Both the flowing "Wharf Rat" and game "Truckin'" (complete with all out ending) were noble efforts but things seemed a bit wandering with the heat and humidity still present. However, business picked up again for "St. Stephen" as everyone was energized around the massive bass work from Dreiwitz. The fan favorite got speedy, spacey, and gnarly throughout the excellent version that contained a bluesy jam, all lead by the ferocious drumming of the bands leader.
JRAD then got it's trippiest as they slowly rolled out their take on Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamonds" with guest Stuart Bogie joining and dominating the song on saxophone as the music was fluid and soaring. More was planned, but mere seconds into "Not Fade Away" the venue abruptly ended the show because there was dangerous lightning and storms in the area as Pier 17 was quickly cleared as fans left via emergency staircases.
While some may have been disappointed at the quick wrap up, nothing can take away from the dynamic interpretations of JRAD as they manage to up the ante on the Dead's classic catalog, allowing new generations and old Heads to enjoy reworkings of their favorite tunes. Pier 17's show was just another excellent outing in this exciting bands lifespan.
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Joe Russo's Almost Dead!
The Capital Theatre in Port Chester, NY was a popular stomping ground throughout the 70's and 80's for musicians with a sprinkling during the early 90's tossed in. It was refurbished by Peter Shapiro and opened again in 2012 with a Bob Dylan concert to re-christen the venue to rock and roll once again.
RtBE has caught some great shows since the venue reopened and will be going to more in the near future. This month the focus for Full Show Friday's will be on some of the dynamite shows throughout the "Cap's" history.
We are closing the month with a beast of a show, the full night of Joe Russo's Almost Dead from earlier this year up at the Cap. Not much to say as anytime JRAD play it is an amazing night of music, updating Grateful Dead tunes with palpable energy, sprinkling in a few other songs and jamming out with the best of them. (It is a good weeks for fans of the Dead here at RtBE check out our Rose Grove Band live review as well)
Full set list with almost too much info below. Enjoy:
Set One (9:04PM - 10:27PM):
01. Jam -> 02. Brown Eyed Women -> 03. Jack Straw > 04. Jam -> 05. The Wheel @ -> 06. Estimated Prophet -> 07. The Other One # > 08. Shakedown St $ -> 09. Here Comes Sunshine Jam
Set Two (11:08PM - 12:39AM): 01. Rosa Lee Mcfall % (TH) 02. Throwing Stones ^ 03. Atlantic City & -> 04. Slipknot! * -> 05. Franklin’s Tower > 06. Slipknot! * -> 07. Help On The Way -> 08. Slipknot! + -> 09. Feel Like A Stranger @@ > 10. Jam -> 11. Let It Grow Encore: 12. Touch of Grey
@ - With “Girl From Ipanema” (music by AntĂ´nio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes. English lyrics by Norman Gimbel) and “Dear Prudence” (The Beatles) teases (MB) # - With a Purple Haze Tease (SM) & a variation (a really fast variation) on a Love Supreme (John Coltrane) jam (Band) $ - With a Brown Eyed Women Tease (SM), and The Wheel, China Cat Sunflower and Here Comes Sunshine Teases (TH) % - First Time Played by Almost Dead, Charlie Monroe cover ^ - By Request for Joe’s sister on her birthday, with a Brown Eyed Women Tease and a Cats Under the Stars Tease (TH) & - Not played since Ogden Theater, Denver, CO 2017.04.28, a gap of 29 shows / 8.5 ish months * - Short snippets... + - Full Song @@ - With a “Your Kiss Is On My List” (Hall & Oates) Tease (MB/Band) (I think. Will try to confirm when I speak with MB)
Pre Show Music: Cap Funk Mix Set Break Music: The In Sound From Way Out (Beastie Boys) Post Show Music: Life During Wartime (Talking Heads) Poster: Colortest
Joe Russo - Drums, Vocals Tom Hamilton - Guitar, Vocals Scott Metzger - Guitar, Vocals Marco Benevento - Keyboards, Vocals Dave Dreiwitz - Bass
Show #136 Night One of Three SOLD OUT ~ THANK YOU!
The solo Black Crowe teamed up a few friends (some new, some old) for this individual release, his 3rd such effort. Solo disks from establish artists can be a tricky thing, sometimes people take on alter egos to slip into something totally different marking a 180 degree turn from their bread and butter or sometimes the artist just wants to put out more music then fellow band members are ready for. The Ceaseless Sight falls squarely into the second category; it is hard to hear these songs and not think, what would this sound like as a Black Crowes record?
Roots rock with a flourish of the blues, folk and soul appear on all the songs as Rich takes center stage. Robinson has become much more confident in his singing/lyrics and that is evident throughout, however their are times where he still pushes the music towards the forefront and lowers the vocals. Opener "I Know You" is a stuttering blues jaunt in the vein of The Rolling Stones or The Band with various sections that don't always flow so smoothly into each other while "I Remember" does things more direct and successfully.
The album was written with drummer Joe Magistro who Robinson has worked with before but it is the newcomers who inject some of the disk highlights. Keyboardist Marco Benevento is a joy to listen to as he shines throughout but particularly during the piano break on "One Road Hill". Amy Helm also adds beautiful harmonies to "The Giving Key" while Robinson's own six strings take over for the Allman Brother influenced "In Comes The Night".
The Black Crowes seem to go on hiatus every other year and the brothers Robinson have been notorious for their blow ups and internal band politics. While The Ceaseless Sight is a solid release it is hard to not wonder how brother Chris would attack a song like "The Unfortunate Show", with its strutting Stones-like vibe, or the funky "Inside". Even without the rest of the team Robinson has crafted a disk Crowe fans will enjoy because it is basically a Black Crowes disk minus a few parts.
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Support the artist here, you can stream the album for a limited time at Rolling Stone here, buy the album here, and peep some video below:
With summer wrapping up and fall about to start in the Big Apple, Joe Russo's Almost Dead played the first show of a two night stand on Friday September 6th to a sold out crowd at one of the best NYC venues, Pier 17.
We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's.
These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so
enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every
which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still
playing)...This week...Joe Russo's Almost Dead!
We have discussed this group of players before here, but the full group of Joe Russo (drums), Marco Benevento (Keys) Dave Dreiwitz (bass) Tom Hamilton (guitar) Scott Metzger (Guitar) are an adept bunch of players who breath life and energy into the Grateful Dead's catalog. JRAD don't hold the music sacred, they know it is living and breathing, amping up the pace when needed and delving into the bands enormous back catalog.
It is simply the best "Dead" related playing we have heard since the days of the Phil Lesh Quintet. Yes, that includes this summer and any project the original members have been a part of.
This show can't get any fresher as it comes from last Friday night at Brooklyn Bowl. We were seeing the TTB on the upper west side, so it is great to hear/see/experience this show from across the river. Our personal highlights from this one are the killer "Standing On The Moon> Wheel" combo and the pairing of our favorite Springsteen song "Atlantic City" with "I Know You Rider". This is a hell of show, pro shot, pro sound.
Full set list below, Enjoy:
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