Warren Haynes has been a busy man this year.  Not only has he performed all over the festival circuit this past summer, but he recently released his third solo album, Ashes and Dust.  Last night at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, he introduced his inviting musical experience, full of bluegrass and Americana. The backdrop of the stage had a rock wall appearance, and the colors were ever-changing.  

ChessBoxer, who later joined Haynes’ on stage, opened the evening.  This folk group from Nashville, TN brought the audience on a musical adventure with their crisp bluegrass sound. This three man band featured Matt Menefee on banjo, Royal Masat on upright bass, and Ross Holmes on fiddle.  They wandered around tones filled with heavy fiddle picking to heavier grooves which pounded out energy that touched deep into your soul.  They were a musical appetizer that got the audience into the bluegrass/folk theme of the evening.  

ChessBoxer’s ‘Apollo’ EP Is Bluegrass At Its Most Righteous

Chris Stapleton, former member of the Grammy nominated bluegrass group, The SteelDrivers, took the stage next.  His deep, soulful voice took the audience on a ride of emotions.  He wound around alt-country tones to a touch of blues and into a country beat throughout his set. His guitar was like a glass of aged whiskey in his hands, as he took his time on slower beats but made it well worth the wait to enjoy. He would then barrel into solid chunks of rock and lay down the energy like nobody’s business. Blood, sweat and tears went into every note throughout his set.  If you haven’t seen Stapleton perform live, run right out and catch his next show.  You will not be disappointed.

Warren Haynes and the Ashes & Dust Band, featuring Jeff Sipe (of Leftover Salmon) and ChessBoxer, took the stage and opened up with an Allman Brothers favorite, “Blue Sky”. The opener took a step out of the Allman’s realm for a moment and threw in a nice mix of banjo, along with fiddle, that took over the meat of the song and carried the energy.  The fiddle rosin was getting a good workout throughout the evening, as the strings danced up a storm.  The energy was then tossed over to Haynes’ to carry the dance before the fiddle and guitar played in sync before bringing the song to a close.  It was a high energy start to the set.  

The set was packed with varied tones, from the touch of Spanish flair “Patchwork Quilt”, to a slide guitar heavy “One More Cup of Coffee” to a bluegrass “Is It Me or You”. “Coal Tattoo” was a full on immersion in bluegrass love, with the banjo, mandolin, fiddle and upright bass jamming out mid-song. “Instrumental Illness” had jazzy undertones, as each performer danced around the rhythms and showed off their individual talents, followed by a drum solo by Sipe.  The encore included Stapleton joining on stage during “In The Pines”.  The evening closed with a high energy rendition of the Allman Brothers classic, “Jessica”.

The music hit all genres during the evening, with a touch of jazz, soulful bluegrass and high energy solos.  Haynes took a step out of his usual role and really changed things up with the evenings performance.  Individual musicians also busted it out solo and provided nuggets of musical treats.  The fiddle and bass created a swirling sensation of psychedelic energy with just these two bluegrass instruments, in tandem with the guitars and electric banjo.  Overall, the evenings performances were a musical delight by taking the audience out of the urban setting and sending them into the throws of an Appalachia jam session.

Upcoming tour dates can be found on the Warren Haynes website, and his full setlist can be seen below:

Setlist: Warren Haynes and the Ashes & Dust Band at the Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY – 10/1/15

Blue Sky, Patchwork Quilt, One More Cup Of Coffee, Is It Me Or You, Company Man, Dusk Till Dawn, Coal Tattoo, You Ain’t Going Nowhere, Stranded In Self-Pity, Ophelia, Skin It Back >No Celebration > Instrumental Illness (with Hottentot tease) > Drums > Spots Of Time (Norwegian Wood tease)

Encore: In The Pines (with Chris Stapleton), Jessica

Photography by Sam Shinault, written by Sarah Bourque