Our favorite dynamic duo, Carla Danca (words) and Jeremy Gordon (images) headed to Moogfest on Monday night and filed this report…

This past Monday night in New York City, high above the Hammerstein Ballroom, an intimate celebration for took place. Now, while many of us are not aware of the back story or the influence of MOOG, if you check out the credits of many of your favorite artists you’ll probably find a MOOG synthesizer listed right by the top. It was a night filled with music to remember the late founder Bob Moog and his inventions which have furthered the sound of music and fueled the imaginations of countless musicians.

The night started with The Machine, a Pink Floyd tribute band giving us an intro of some of the sounds that can come out of this amazing instrument. Producing the signature dark, stormy and at times moodiness associated with many Floyd songs they got the night rolling with a great rendition of Shine on You Crazy Diamond.

When Prison Shank (Aron Magner, Joe Russo, Jamie Shields and Ryan Stasik) took the stage however, a whole new sound, mood and demeanor took over the stage including a surprise full set sit in by Jake Cinninger. While technically this was Prison Shank’s first night on stage together you could tell by the easy nods and signals being shot across the stage that these guys are far from strangers.

READ ON for more of Jeremy’s photos and Carla’s thoughts from Moogfest…

While band members were joking backstage about the often incestuous relationship between the Disco Biscuits, The New Deal, Umphrey’s and the Duo, the fans didn’t seem to mind a bit. Each of the artist’s styles seem to effortless blend together, with Joe Russo’s signature drumming holding it all to a tight groove.

Next up was the honored man of the night, Bernie Worrell, accompanied by the Eric McFadden Trio. Bernie, who was given the Bob Moog Award for his groundbreaking use of the synthesizer in the areas of Funk, R&B and Rock and Roll, wasn’t about to let any of the youngsters show him up on his night. After presenting the award, Paul Shaffer joined the band on stage for a audience participation filled version of P-Funk’s Flashlight that would’ve made Bob Moog proud.

Finally, it was Umphrey’s turn to take the stage in the posh Manhattan Ballroom. With his brand new custom Moog guitar firmly in hand, Jake Cinninger showed off the next evolution of the company and possibly rock and roll. The short set served as just a tasty warm up for the band’s three night run at the Blender Theatre at Gramercy.

With the disco ball spinning (courtesy of moe. lighing guru Jeff Waful) and Kris Myers’ new L.E.D.-tipped drum sticks, UM unleashed a six song set of crowd pleasing jams. While the Chicago-based sextet did end the night without an encore, as they were already over curfew, they did finish with a great cover of Genesis’ Abacab that included a sit in by Jamie Shields as he and Joel Cummins battled back and forth on the keys that left the faithful smiling into the night.

Setlists -

The Machine:
One of These Days tease > Shine On You Crazy Diamond (V – VII) > Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun

Prison Shank:
Improv, Improv > Improv

Eric McFadden Trio w/ Bernie Worrell:
Flashlight and three other songs

Umphrey’s McGee:
Great American, Push the Pig, Hurt Bird Bath, End of the Road > Syncopated Strangers, Abacab^

^ – w/ Jamie Shields

Jeremy Gordon

Jeremy Gordon is a photographer, registered architect, and current Jersey City resident. Beginning in a small bar in Teaneck, he started photographing local bands and eventually built up to such legendary artists as, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Etta James, Furthur, Phish, and Snoop Dogg. Jeremy has stated that live music photography at its best, is about capturing the split second of sweat and emotions shared between an artist and their audience and that the honor of standing in front of the creators of Rock and Roll and 20,000 of their loyal fans is one of the greatest thrills in the world. Jeremy can be contacted at gordonjer@gmail.com

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