Pedestrian, fuzzyy @ Light & Sound Design in New York, NY
Will Shore led his 10 piece orchestra through jazz and funk-inflected improvisations via conduction, an interactive method of conducting in which the players have an equal role in guiding the direction of their playing. Will led his band via an intricate series of hand movements, occasionally moving his baton rapidly left and right triggering the band to suddenly stop and start. I was honored to provide the soundtrack before and after the performance. Interestingly, the tempo of my opening set matched that of the performance - maybe I had some sort of influence? Played D’Angelo as my closer (RIP) and shared a slow dance with Amanda.
Bergsonist & Greg Zifcak Present Sounds @ LS&D in New York, NY
Selwa jumped from traditional Moroccan music, to field recordings, experimental noise, and back again. Greg Z played a harsh, yet warm and consonant ambient set which made use of the quadraphonic system. We ate tamales and arroz con leche. I washed dishes.
Max in the world & Kroba @ Mansions in New York
Somehow Kroba manages to make an hour long sax solo sound dynamic and not one bit overbearing or grating. Max provided a subtly shifting bed of deep house beats.
Deltron 3030 @ Webster Hall in New York, NY
The most white men over 40 I’ve seen rapping simultaneously (including me). Kid Koala was transcendent. Automator had giant synths behind him but didn’t do anything with him. Del was playful with his flow with and seemingly had no interest in recreating his performance on the album. So cool that Kid Koala brought the young, extremely talented lealani on tour. Have never seen someone work an MPC like that. They were definitely the highlight of the night.
Sober Songs: The Musical @ Theater Row in New York, NY
A musical about being in AA starring my good friend Henry. Some truly heart wrenching ballads in this one alongside - "where are they now", in particular, sung be a female sponsee eulogizing all her sponsors who had left the program.
Time Wharp, Arian Shafiee (Live Ensemble), datadata @ Light & Sound Design in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
dara and friends in the best lil DIY space in the city. Arian's improvised set provided some of the most haunting guitar tones i've ever had the privilege of hearing.
Laaraji @ Stone Circle Theater in New York, NY
Transcendent and Euphoric. Will always remember the otherworldly effects on his zither and his orange sneakers and water bottle.
Dope Jams Open Air Festival @ Locust Grove in Oak Hill, NY
Beloved Brooklyn Institution set up camp upstate and constructed a veritable adult playground. Turtle Bugg, as usual, delivered one of the more memorable dancefloor experiences in the daytime.
Solar System No.6 - Abby Echiverri, Fuzzyy, A Tripp @ Highland Park in Queens, NY
Abby weaved us through two hours of wonky, funky, eclectic slow jams. Aaron played a blissfully chaotic live hardware set. My first live set as "fuzzyy"
Jude / Coolant / Pinkie Normal @ Trans Pecos in Ridgewood, NY
Jude, River, et al were so tight. High quality American rock and roll.
Cosmic Country Showcase @ Judson & Moore in Chicago, Il
Charming, queer variety show with covers of country classics and originals. The resident band's keyboardist and drummer were a cute couple and did a beautiful rendition of "With the missus and me" by Randy Newman. The highlight for me was Hawk (who plays as "Hawk and the Talons" - an awesome band name) who transfixed the audience with their version of Charles Bradley's "I'm going through changes". Thanks to my friend Sarah for the recc.
datadata @ Jupiter Disco in New York, NY
dara always brings the bangers. fun dancin with amanda, river, sam, and friends