Umphrey’s McGee
Not just your typical cap to a four-night run, Umphrey’s McGee also happened to be celebrating its birthday. On the 26th anniversary of their first ever performance, the six power jammers took to the stage, eager to celebrate. The group walked out to the forceful and uplifting tones of “Nipple Trix” as they took their stations and began to improvise in classic Umph-fashion. A quick turn into “Phil’s Farm” brought smiles to the crowds’ faces as the band sprinted through the plucky lyrics and heavy guitar licks. The song quickly broke out into six minutes of funk-down before returning into the ending riff under the guiding hand of Joel Cummins’s sweet Sunday organ action. A fierce solo from lead guitarist Brendan Bayliss followed a sharp close left everybody titillated and excited for more.
Octave Cat
Octave Cat took the stage at the Brooklyn Bowl on a late August night, displaying highly developed synthetic precision and good old fashioned percussive sensitivity. The members took the floor: Eli Winderman on the bongos, piano, and mono synthesizer; Jesse Miller on bass and modular synthesizer; and Charlie Patierno drumming away on the ones, twos, threes, fours, and mores. Combining balanced synth tones with bouncing bass lines and a tight backbeat, the stage quickly gave way to a dance floor on a tight run through “The Epicurean.” The masterful Moog solos, the punctuated Prodigy pinpoints, and the sweeping bass set an exploratory, colorful tone for the night.
NxWorries
The park was hot and the vibe was high as the sun set and the beat conductor warmed up. As Knxwledge took to the sticks in the cockpit of his DJ booth, the anticipation was high within the crowd, everyone eager for takeoff. A worthy pilot, the producer was calm, cool, and collected, and clearly ready to take us up to cruising altitude atop the giant lightboard where his station rested.
Westerman
A warm, clear Brooklyn night welcomed Will Westerman back to the Music Hall of Williamsburg, the 12th stop on an ambitious 20-city US tour. After three years outside of the US, the impassioned singer/songwriter was bubbling to share what he had been working on. Two full length albums, a bag full of successful singles, and countless hours of thoughtful, deliberate songwriting lay in wait, ready to be unleashed upon an eager New York crowd.
