On Wednesday January 15, Tapers Choice returned to New York, leading the charge celebrating 50 years of the iconic Relix magazine. A sold out show that featured A-Listers of the Jam Band scene and beyond, the evenings billing seemed extremely promising.
Tapers Choice, from Los Angeles, consists of Dave Harrington on Guitar, Alex Bleeker on Bass, Zach Tenorio-Miller on Keys, and Chris Tompson (Vampire Weekend) on Drums.
It became clear why the tight quartet from California was trusted with this huge responsibility, impressive enough to pull off the show given the historic wild fires set upon their area, but the evening they curated was nothing short of outstanding. The first half of the evening featured sit-ins with an excellent horn section consisting of Stuart Bogie, Jordan Mclean, Lynn Ligammari, and Dave Smith.
Jake Brownstein from Eggy joined the stage along with Karina Rykman, and Erik Slick. Set 2 started off strong featuring Joe Russo’s Almost Dead members Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton. Other notable sit ins featured Ryan Miller and Robert Walter.
With the bar already set high, Mikaela Davis, accompanied by her harp, graced the stage with Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten. They embarked on classic dead tunes like “Mountains of the Moon” and “Dark Star”, with Will Epstein beautifully accompanying on Soprano Sax. Continuing the theme of leveling up with the guest sit ins, Mike Gordon of Phish joined the stage. It was clear how happy the bassist from Vermont was to be there and the audience made sure to reciprocate the feeling. This was followed by a throwback to his GRAB days with the song “Susskind Hotel”.
Several key individuals involved in Relix made appearances, but none bigger than Peter Shapiro. Anytime he makes an appearance, you know you’re a part of a special evening. Before the encore, the legendary producer thanked the audience for their attendance and reflected on the history of Relix.
In the shadow of an uncertain political future, he reassured the audience that their favorite venue and magazine isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He sang the praises of the Brooklyn Bowl staff, past and present, many of whom were in attendance. The band took the stage again with Gordon, delvering a righteous “Possum.” To conclude the evening, the whole cast of guests rejoined the stage for a version of “Shining Star” by The Manhattans. As fans filtered out, DJ Logic keep the party going in the DJ booth into the late evening. Here’s to 50 more years of Relix Magazine.

Relix 50th Anniversary – Brooklyn Bowl, Williamsburg
Set1: Running From the Rain, Above the Timberline, Pinot Botticelli, Darkness on the Edge of Midtown, The Dave Test, Lick The Toad, Hook
Set 2: Ain’t Wastin Time No More, Close Encounters, Running From The Run, Ophelia, Mountains of the Moon, Dark Star, Doner Wrap, Susskind Hotel, Exit Wound, Darkness on the Face of the Earth, Coconut
Encore: Possum, Shining Star


































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