Nanola is the place to be this weekend when Phish phans are looking for music to warm up or keep the party going late. A short drive down Rt. 9 will get you to the Phish After-Party hotspot.

Located at 2639 Rt. 9 in Ballston Spa, NY 12020, the Niche SPAC Phish After-Party at Nanola starts their set on Sunday at 11 pm.

In anticipation of their upcoming SPAC Phish After-Party at Nanola on Sunday, July 27, the Niche hosted a live chat on YouTube during the video premiere of their full two-hour set from the Sterling Stage Folkfest on May 24.

Unapologetically unconventional, the Niche bends musical boundaries with composed progressive rock and frenetic improvised jams, mixing curated covers and comic relief. Led by stapler-wielding keyboardist Willy O’Riley and drummer Jay Schreiber, along with Todd Nestor on bass, the Niche has joined forces with old friend Rob Compa as their new guitarist, celebrating 25 years as a band.

Promising to get weird leading up to the Sterling Stage Kampitheater festival, the Niche explored new territory within the pines. With songs pondering the existence of slugs, self-love, farts, oversaturated tunafish, kangaroos and closet monsters as well as a saga of songs about a stapler flushed down a toilet who then sought a vengeful reign of terror in the sewers and beyond, offbeat fun is an ordinary existence for the quintet from Rochester.

Standout songs from this set include the opening ambient jam into “Rise of the Borgs,” a fun “Luther” jam that segued to an aggressive “Too Much Mayonnaise in the Tuna,” an O’Riley solo on “Modesty,” and the breakdown jam from “Offer”, among others. Compa seemed exceptionally comfortable singing Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar” before unleashing a signature shredded solo in the encore. Songs are chaptered for your convenience.

Hilltop kicks off the weekend on Friday, July 25 and Saturday, July 26 for both pre- and post-Phish parties before the Niche ties a bow on Phish 2025 Summer Tour festivities with a Sunday bottomless nightcap of exploratory jamming sure to go well into the wee hours of morning.

Advance tickets can be purchased here. Control for smilers, however, still cannot be bought.

Will there be any surprise guest appearances? Maybe so, maybe not. Never miss a Sunday show!