Taper’s Choice served as the house band for Relix Magazine‘s 50th birthday party on Wednesday evening at New York’s Brooklyn Bowl. Working in concert with the Relix team, the band raised the stakes of its Brooklyn Bowl headlining debut with guest appearances by members of Phish, the Grateful Dead, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Dr. Dog, Guster, Eggy, and more—”Friends & Casual Acquaintances,” as they were collectively billed, though the band stopped short of noting which guests comprised which category.
Introducing the band and the occasion, Relix co-editor-in-chief Mike Greenhaus told the crowd, “We’re going to touch on the entire history of Relix musically … and we’re gonna celebrate the fact that we’ve been a community now for half a century.”
The indie-prog-jam project featuring guitarist Dave Harrington (DARKSIDE), bassist Alex Bleeker (Real Estate), drummer Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend), and keyboardist Zach Tenorio-Miller (Arc Iris) was a clever choice to celebrate 50 years of a jam band magazine that began as a Grateful Dead tape-trading newsletter. Moniker aside, the group’s textured improvisation and similarly ethereal originals often evoked subtle hints of Dead DNA on Wednesday evening, even when they consciously colored outside those well-established lines.
The cast of characters expanded and contracted throughout two sets, with a Grateful Dead DJ set serving as the soundtrack to setbreak. During the first frame, a four-piece horn section—Stuart Bogie and Lynn Ligammari on saxophone, Jordan McLean on trumpet, and Dave “Smoota” Smith on trombone, per JamBase—joined in on gloomy prog-jazz cut “Dave Test”, then called in Eggy guitarist Jake Brownstein to help propel the Steely Dan-on-acid ambiance of “Lick the Toad”. To round out the set, Dr. Dog drummer Eric Slick (on lead vocals and guitar) and bassist Karina Rykman joined Taper’s Choice, Brownstein, and the horns for a nod to Brooklyn Bowl precursor Wetlands via Blues Traveler‘s “Hook”.
Relix co-editor-in-chief Dean Budnick gave the opening remarks for set two. “One thing that I appreciated really, really quickly is that we’re all entwined,” he said of his experience with the publication. “Whether you’re searching for the sound, sharing in the groove, hitting the note, or aspiring to any of those things, there’s just a majesty in doing that together.”
Set two started with a red-hot run through the Allman Brothers Band’s “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” featuring the horns, organist Robert Walter, and guitarist/lead vocalist Scott Metzger (Joe Russo’s Almost Dead). One JRAD guitarist became two as Metzger’s counterpart Tom Hamilton joined in to shift the vibe from Southern rock to ambient texture on “Close Encounters”, then helped raise the energy once again with a cover of The Band’s “Ophelia” as Scott made his exit.
Taper’s Choice, Tom Hamilton — “Ophelia” (The Band) — 1/15/25
The music of the Dead was bound to factor into the Relix 50th anniversary festivities, and that moment came next as Tom Constanten, who played keys for the Grateful Dead from 1968–1970, took a seat next to Tenorio-Miller. “It’s just about as much of an honor as anyone on this stage can imagine to get to play with this gentleman tonight,” Bleeker said, making sure the audience felt the significance of the moment. With Constanten providing tender cosmic guidance on keys and Mikaela Davis adding emotive texture on harp, the group worked through a soft but powerful segment comprised of a Davis-sung “Mountains of the Moon” and a nebulous “Dark Star” featuring Will Epstein on soprano sax.
After returning to the core Taper’s Choice quartet for the impeccably titled “Doner Wrap”—highlighted by a slick, melodic solo from Harrington—Phish bassist Mike Gordon and his frequent keyboardist Robert Walter took the stage with the band. While he struggled with his rig to start, playing “raw” on his own “Susskind Hotel” sans sonic accoutrements, the bassist’s full complement of sounds was in effect by the time he moved into another rarity from his deep catalog, “Exit Wound”, with help from Mikaela Davis on harp. As Gordon noted, he and Davis were originally slated for different parts of the show, but he had never played with her and wanted to fix that tonight. Even after stashing her harp following “Exit Wound”, Davis stuck around to pair her voice with Gordon’s on a rendition of Willie Nelson’s “Darkness on the Face of the Earth”. Ryan Miller, the singer of Guster fame, finally hopped in alongside them for a lively, island take on Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut” featuring to cap the set.
Following a few more sincere thank yous and reflections from Relix publisher and Brooklyn Bowl owner Peter Shapiro, Taper’s Choice returned to the stage with the night’s full complement of “Friends & Casual Acquaintances”—and even more musicians who happened to be around—for a collaborative encore of Phish’s “Possum” and The Manhattans’ “Shining Star”.
Taper’s Choice, Mike Gordon, Robert Walter — “Possum” (Phish) — 1/15/25
Despite its celebratory tone, the evening was unavoidably weighted by the ongoing wildfires in Southern California. The show’s webcast on streaming platform nugs raised money for MusiCares’ ongoing efforts to aid musicians and music professionals impacted by the crisis. Pangs of loss and uncertainty were never far from anyones mind at Brooklyn Bowl on Wednesday, whether they were onstage or in the packed house.
On Thursday morning, before addressing the prior night’s landmark event, Taper’s Choice had to acknowledge that lingering reality. In a post on social media, the band announced that it was canceling the rest of its scheduled weekend run, originally due to continue through Saturday in Kingston, NY (1/16), Philadelphia, PA (1/17), and Washington, D.C. (1/18).
“We worked hard to make the Brooklyn show happen, but due to the fires, we are not able to spend any more time away from our families in Los Angeles during this strange and difficult time,” the band wrote. “Last night was so special to us for so many reasons – getting to play music we love for people we love after a difficult week was cathartic – thank you.”
That confluence of celebration, cooperation, and catharsis evokes another “c” word, the same one that defined the Relix 50th anniversary show from its opening remarks: community. Through the good and the bad, enduring relationships and new friends, the promise of community makes it all worthwhile.
Cheers to 50 years of Relix and friends and casual acquaintances and community, and here’s to 50 more.
Scroll down to view the annotated setlist, watch a full video of the performance via nugs, and check out photos from the night via Ken Spielman and Marc Millman.
Setlist: Taper’s Choice | Relix 50th Anniversary Show | Brooklyn Bowl | Brooklyn, NY | 1/15/25
Set One: Running From the Rain, Above the Timberline, Pinot Botticelli, Darkness on the Edge of Midtown, The Dave Test [1], Lick the Toad [2], Hook (Blues Traveler) [3]
Set Two: Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More (Allman Brothers Band) [4], Close Encounters [5], Ophelia (The Band) [6], Mountains of the Moon (Grateful Dead) [7] -> Dark Star (Grateful Dead) [8], Doner Wrap, Susskind Hotel (Mike Gordon) [9], Exit Wound (Mike Gordon) [10], Darkness on the Face of the Earth (Willie Nelson) [11], Coconut (Harry Nilsson) [12]
Encore: Possum (Phish) [13], Shining Star (The Manhattans) [13]
[1] with horns
[2] with horns, Jake Brownstein (guitar)
[3] with horns, Eric Slick (guitar, vocals), Jake Brownstein (guitar), Karina Rykman (bass)
[4] with horns, Scott Metzger (guitar, vocals), Robert Walter (organ)
[5] with horns, Scott Metzger (guitar), Tom Hamilton (guitar)
[6] with horns, Tom Hamilton (guitar, vocals)
[7] with Tom Constanten (keys), Mikaela Davis (harp, vocals)
[8] with Tom Constanten (keys), Mikaela Davis (harp), Will Epstein (soprano saxophone)
[9] with Mike Gordon (bass, vocals), Robert Walter (organ)
[10] with Mike Gordon (bass, vocals), Robert Walter (organ), Mikaela Davis (harp)
[11] with Mike Gordon (bass, vocals), Robert Walter (organ), Mikaela Davis (vocals), Eric Slick (percussion)
[12] with horns, Ryan Miller (lead vocals), Mike Gordon (bass, backing vocals), Robert Walter (organ)
[13] with everyone
Notes: The show served as the 50th anniversary party for Relix Magazine. Setlist is possibly incomplete. Horn section featured Stuart Bogie and Lynn Ligammari on saxophone, Jordan McLean on trumpet, and Dave “Smoota” Smith.
Taper’s Choice w/ Friends & Casual Acquaintances – Relix 50th Anniversary Show – Brooklyn Bowl – 1/15/25 – Full Video [Pro-Shot]
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