It's jam band weekend here in Albany NY as Phish takes over the MVP arena for three straight nights. What a perfect time to pregame for a music-filled weekend with these Colorado based bands. A bunch of us here at Sea of Tranquility were blown away with Squeaky Feet's latest release Cause For Alarm, so there was no way I would miss this show.

When I heard this super group had formed specifically to tour the music of 80’s King Crimson, saying I was thrilled would be an understatement. Things on paper don’t always turn out as you’d expect, but before you read any further, my expectations were exceeded on this night. Wow! I was transfixed from the moment the band hit the stage, absorbing the sound while my eyes would not leave the stage. The band hit the stage running as Adrian Belew blows that whistle and the band launches into Neurotica. I breathe a sigh of relief as the intro of “Neal, Jack and Me� rang out, probably my favorite Crimson song from that era, and I finally get to hear it live. The band proceeded to run through those three albums and I felt the energy level continue to rise throughout the night. This band has chemistry; the joy displayed by both the band and fans was undeniable. Steve Vai was definitely a presence on this evening, standing off to Adrian Belew’s right; he proceeded to nail his parts, and thankfully added his own character to the music. Danny Carey was terrific, and the drum sound that evening was spectacular, kudos to the sound crew. The first set came to a close with "Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part III)" and the band took a short break.

I believe this was the 7th Dweezil Zappa show I have seen, and as usual, he and his incredible band did not disappoint. Dweezil was the last concert I saw prior to the Covid shutdown in March of 2020, and I have been waiting for that next opportunity. Let me say this, if you love or even have the slightest interest in Frank Zappa’s music, this show is a must see. I remember I begged my sister to go with me after seeing him the first time, and she resisted, but I bought a ticket and did my best to convince her to go. She has gone to every show with me since, he and his band are that good, and entertaining.

Blackberry Smoke pulled into Albany NY with their mix of Southern Rock, Hard Rock, and Country all wrapped up in one ripping package. The band is out on the road supporting their latest release “Be Right Here� and wasted no time getting down to business.

Romeo's Daughter in ultra rare acoustic gig less than fifteen minutes from my home? Capital idea. This was my first (and certainly not last) visit to the beautiful intimate venue nestled in Pendle in the north west of England. When I say intimate I really mean it and the sold out downstairs area had no more than eighty punters who were treated to a superb run through the band's excellent back catalogue.

It was a night all about second chances for Al DiMeola. Closing in on 50 years in the music business and a recent health scare had Al in a reflective mood this past Saturday night in Hudson Falls NY. The packed venue listened intently as Al spoke of his heart attack last fall, and how that inspired him to bring his 70’s classics back out again. That inspiration also carried over into his writing, as he has a double CD set for a July release

Angra's Cycles of Pain was voted by our readers as the Best Album of 2023! Coming in second place was Uriah Heep's Chaos& Colour, and third place was Rival Sons with Darkfighter. Congrats to Angra for the win! Thanks to everyone who voted, and we'll see you all later in 2024 to do this all over again.

Pete and the SoT Crew

A spry 76 year old Ian Anderson pulled into town with his band to present the Seven Decades tour. Damn, Seven Decades, if that doesn’t make you feel old, I’m not sure what will. This was the last night of the US tour, and it appeared to be a sold out show. The Palace is a beautiful venue, and it has hosted many legends in its many years of existence. Just prior to the start of the show, Mr. Anderson made an announcement to ask the crowd to put their phones away, and enjoy the show. He promised that during the encore, you could take all the video and pictures you wanted, and the crowd from what I could see respected his request.

June 24th & 25th 2023 was a special weekend in Saratoga NY, as SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) hosted the 46th annual Jazz Festival that has been a staple since 1978. It is the fifth longest consecutive running jazz festival in North America. Two full days of music on two stages, with the main amphitheater hosting the larger acts, and a small stage on the lawn hosts some fine artists as well. The festival has a storied history, having hosted the likes of Chick Corea, George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Miles Davis to name just a few.

One has to scratch their head and wonder why it can take so to take a chance on an artist. I’ve been familiar with both Snarky Puppy and Mark Lettieri for some time, but other than watching a few YouTube clips; I owned nothing by the Mark Lettieri Group. Let’s just say this past Thursday night changed everything. Lettieri and his trio played close to a two hour set of funky, rocking, tight and intricate music that was nothing short of exhilarating. I was well aware of what a great guitarist Mark is, but the songs are so good. His trio consisted of bassist Wes Stephenson (The Funky Knuckles) and Jason “JT� Thomas (Snarky Puppy) on drums.

It’s been 4 long years since Riverside graced Scottish soil and a lot has changed during that time. One thing that has remained steadfast however is that this four-piece are the premier Polish progressive rock act out there and neither are they shy in proving that fact. With a new album in the shape of ID.Entity to show off, this outfit weren’t here to simply celebrate their long heritage and that was reflected in a set split evenly 50/50 with old songs and new. Sea of Tranquility’s Steven Reid had his ID checked at the door of the Glasgow Garage.

It’s heartening to know in these days where ticket agencies seem to have borrowed their business models from the touts we used to despise, that it’s still possible to fork out less than £30 and revel in a top class evening of progressive metal. Sea of Tranquility’s Steven Reid was treated to some of the best sounds the genre has to offer as Haken, Between The Buried And Me and Cryptodira enthralled a packed Glasgow Garage.

Legendary Moody Blues bassist John Lodge treated fans to two hour long sets Tuesday Night at Cohoes Music Hall. Set 1 consisted of Moody Blues classics such as “Isn’t Life Strange�, “Gemini Dream�, and “I’m Just A Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)� among others for the capacity crowd. This intimate venue is a great place to see a show, not a bad seat in the house. Lodge tackled the lead vocals through the first set, and although he’s not the singer that Justin Hayward is, he did an admirable job. At 77 years old, let’s give him credit for going out and performing for his fans. Lodge interacted with the crowd often, and his 10,000 Light Years Band were more than capable in recreating these classics.

For the first time in almost 10 years the Steve Morse Band is back on the road with a short 5 date east coast tour. Now that Steve’s tenure with Deep Purple is over, we can all hope to see and hear more of Steve Morse in the coming years.

Their most recent album may well have been released a year ago but Frost* have clearly arrived at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall with one thing on their mind - namely to promote 2021’s excellent Day And Age. Well, I say that they only had one thought to the fore, but in truth there were another two itches the four-piece were desperate to scratch, those being to thoroughly entertain the near sell out crowd and to have a great time while doing so. Sea of Tranquility’s Steven Reid was only too pleased to get his prog thoroughly rocked.

I was stopped a few times before and after this astoundingly excellent gig by the Cats and there was only one real question people wanted to discuss: Why aren't Cats in Space playing much bigger venues? It's a great question. Is it because of the name as some posited? Is it because the band are of the older persuasion? Is it because of the lack of mainstream media support? Is it because their target audience is reluctant to venture out these days? Whatever the reason is there's absolutely no doubt that Cats in Space are one of the very best bands on the circuit right now.

Chicago based fusion band Kick the Cat made a stop in Albany NY at the newly renovated Lark Hall for their second show of the tour on Friday night. It's not often these days that I discover a band that I love, but also get to see them live. The quartet came ready to play and tore into a number of tracks from their 2021 release "Gurgle".