09/22/07 Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra/Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey @ Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY

While the headliner here had been garnering press for the novel concept of transcribing Icelandic pixie Bjork's music for a big band, the draw for me was the severely underrated JFJO.

04/27/07 Disco Biscuits (TractorBeam) @ Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY

Set 1: Strobelights and Martinis1 > Pygmy Twylyte > Morph Dusseldorf > Spaga > Crickets > Sweating Bullets, Munchkin Invasion > The Great Abyss > Astronaut > Munchkin Invasion > Astronaut
1with "Cyclone" fake-out

This under-the-radar gig announced just several days prior and billed under a pseudonym, saw The Disco Biscuits eschewing vocals, never their strong suit, for an all instrumental set.

Not having seen the Biscuits in a couple years at that point, I rediscovered their trancefusion sound, fell in love and haven't looked back since.

04/20/07 Zero @ Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY

Steve Kimock, Greg Anton, Martin Fierro, Melvin Seals, Liam Hanrahan, Donna Jean Godchaux, John Morgan Kimock
Set 1: Anorexia, Catalina, Pits Of Thunder, Merle's Boogie, Big Love, Home On The Range
Set 2: Cole's Law > Tangled Hangers, Chance In A Million, Franklin's Tower1, Golden Road
1 with Geoffery Menin on keyboards

This 4/20 celebration featured Bay Area guitarist and Grateful Dead associate Steve Kimock's band, which included several other Dead family members, but played only a couple Dead songs.

04/04/07 Page McConnell @ Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY

This gig fell at just about the midway point between Phish's summer 2004 finale and their spring 2009 return.

Before the show, I stealthily watched a filmed interview from a staircase. It was hard to believe that this was the same man whom I had last seen perform in front of a crowd numbering in the tens of thousands.

The performance itself drew heavily from the album release it was geared to promote. Highlights included "Beauty of a Broken Heart" and "Maid Marian," both of which would eventually find themselves in Phish 3.0 setlists.

The encore, and lone Phish song of the night, was my first time hearing "Strange Design," which has become one of my favorite tunes.

03/30/07 La Coka Nostra/The Lordz @ Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY

I don't think I stuck around at this lengthy hip hop showcase long enough to catch House of Pain offshoot, La Coka Nostra.

I did catch a set by old school hip hop/punk hybrid The Lordz of Brooklyn.

This was my first time at the venue, a repurposed and recently renovated movie theatre that was still a work in progress on the day of the show.