Check out my new song “The Frame” also collection of songs ep “Catapult” drops 10/10/2025 http://linktr.ee/MisterMorning  

This past Friday night (9/26) found myself fortunate enough to check out local, soon-to-be legends Reality Check Experiment for their 61st Zapp Test. The Zapp test are free shows in “Brewery Town” Philadelphia (“Brewery Town” btw is another noobie made up neighborhood name to make it sound appealing to the gentrifiers – the neighborhood is traditionally called Eastern State Penn / Girard College or just West Girard).  The good news is Reality Check are fully local bros – they...

This past Friday night (9/26) found myself fortunate enough to check out local, soon-to-be legends Reality Check Experiment for their 61st Zapp Test. The Zapp test are free shows in “Brewery Town” Philadelphia (“Brewery Town” btw is another noobie made up neighborhood name to make it sound appealing to the gentrifiers – the neighborhood is traditionally called Eastern State Penn / Girard College or just West Girard).  The good news is Reality Check are fully local bros – they aren’t gentrifyers but originaters. Their roots go back generations in the neighborhood, which explains partially how this Reality Check Experiment band has with the past year plus in Philadelphia created a vibe that harkens back to the days when underground shows were abundant in the city.  In honor of  the really “good old days” check out this 2 set marathon show by the Dead at the Philadelphia Spectrum from Sept 21, 1972 – 53 years and a few days ago – clocking in at a little over 4 hours.  It’s a Sound Board recording mastered and transferred by legendary Head and Taper Charlie Miller, so the quality is pristine.

https://archive.org/details/gd1972-09-21.150281.sbd.miller.flac1644

I recall the Dead not only because Reality Check plays some excellent covers of the Dead:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vxWoYIFJ2Ko

These young guns have created a vibe in a converted furniture store that calls back to the days of the merry pranksters, which appeals to old a new hippies alike.  The old heads like me get down on some excellent Phish, Dead, and Pink Floyd covers. They also put a Sprinkle of Gizzard, dash of Zappa, two scoops Of jam, pinch of jazz, tablespoon of disco, served on a Bluto Blutarski sized plate with food fight to boot. Originals, extended jams, mixed in with covers that run the gamut from Ween to Wild Cherry.  The almost weekly Zapp Tests are Animal House meets Acid Test – in 2025 no less when you thought such things were no longer possible. Between building from the ground up a music venue and curated thematic weekly shows that will be remembered for the ages, they also find time to travel up and down the east coast, recently having entertained thousands of Phish fans post-SPAC – somehow managing to keep a bunch of wooks spun out in the aftermath of Tweezerverse entertained with their diverse skill sets.

This past Friday night, after another impressive Zapp Test 61 (right around 42 minutes into the stream is a really nice jazz interlude that shows the depth of this band’s musical pond) …

Can You Pass The Zapp Test? 61.0

… I tried something a little different, cornering the band’s bassist Matt Pantos, and haranguing him for an interview – to discuss with me how the band not only (1) created their own scene but (2) turned it into a verifiable SCENESBERRY.  Rather than my trying to describe the band, its influences, growth, and creation of a musical community, instead hear it from one of the architects directly:

Geezy on the SCENESBERRY (No. 1) with Matt Pantos – Bass Master of @realitycheckexp

As I often eavesdrop into other conversations during set breaks, I overheard what I believe to be the father of Josh Victor – vocalist and guitarist – stating how he had taken his son to see Phish at the Mann 10 years ago, and Josh expressed to him – Trey is amazing. I want to be like Trey. You could hear the wholesome pride and love in the father’s voice, when he expressed “Now he’s playing Phish after parties to hundreds of people.”

I also discovered, in my Mary Eavesdroppins, that Reality Check Experiment – this Saturday October 4, 2025 – is playing an Oktoberfest in Cantonsville, MD (Western Suburbs of Baltimore). They are playing Ween’s timeless classic – Chocolate and Cheese (front to back). Their set is 2:30 to 4:00.  Also joining Reality Check Experiment at this excellent 12 acre outdoor Oktoberfest themed venue – are Neighbor featuring new addition Rob Compa of Dopapod fame …

https://www.instagram.com/p/DPJ3jDVETqm/?igsh=bHBtbjhyM2Y0eGpn

as well as Seven Teller (Baltimore’s local funk fusion spectacle about to blow up under the creative lead of mad scientist Sam Cochran), and headliners Dogs in Pile. Dogs will bring it like they always do but particularly given the location – as their fan base tends to travel whenever the Dogs are within a few hours of home in Asbury Park – they will play a great show so as not to disappoint (then never do) but especially not when friends and family are present.  Show is at the Vortex at CAA Park starting at 1 PM – http://www.musiccitymd.org – tickets $30 in advance and $40 at the door.

@realitycheckexp @DogsInAPile @neighbortunes @seventeller Cantonsville MD Vortex – Sat 10-4

Also on Saturday – Oct 4 – we have jam next gen legends Goose in Philadelphia at the Mann.

An Evening With Goose Tickets Oct 04, 2025 Philadelphia, PA | Ticketmaster

Goose recently released its new album Everything Must Go in April, and judging by the fact that Apple Music has a long paragraph about it using descriptions like “taxonomical classification” and “irrepressible 80’s funk pop” it’s obvious that Goose has the eyes of Big Musical Corporate America upon it. I don’t mean this in a bad way (not completely at least) but more to show that Goose has in fact Made It. Then in their best Gizzard impression – Goose releases another album in August dubbed “Chain Yer Dragon.” This one is clearly less commercially impressive because all Apple Music has to say about “Chain Yer [D]” is this “The Connecticut band fuses jammy improv with tight rock grooves.” Guess that means Apple’s analysts predict this one will get less streams. It does play as less of a single unit than “Everything Must Go” but it still has the same smooth marmalade sound reminiscent of Jackson Browne or a smooth Glenn Fry – Eagles vibe but with Phish-inspired live extended jams that makes Goose so loved and so enjoyable live.  Given that I want to get my 8 yr old daughter into Jam music, but Phish may be a bit too intense without prior exposure – I’m thinking Goose should be a solid choice here. Smooth, not hardcore, young band, polished, and poppy – perfect for an 8 year girl old I’m trying to groom into a jam fan, so she can be my DD in 10 years…yes…yes…Goose…the obvious choice. I’ll withhold bringing the Deemster pen I was passing around at the last Goose show I went to – Peachfest ’23 (alas the last one before ticketmaster killed it). Want that Phish fan to stop trashing Goose for being smooth adult contemporary listening? Bring your deems pen and suddenly Goose becomes a pathway for transcendental polyrhythmic hypnosis. Chubes wrote a great run down of that Peach ’23 btw. Great sets by Little Bird and Psychodelics. So sad Peach was killed by evil corporate America and their favorite festival serial killer – Ticketmaster.   Goose tickets are $57 for lawn. I miss 15 years ago when lawn tickets were half that. Today that seems about reasonable as the going rate for a high production – high value show.

If you want to check out Chubes’ review of Peach – here it is – an oldie but a goodie. With excellent photos to boot.

Peach Music Festival 2023 (Photos + Review) – Extra Chill

 

 

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I love to see these young guys carry the torch.

Wish i could hop right up there with them.

Goose with Jim James in Louisville! This video kicks ass, would love to see them do more of this

Goose has My Morning Jacket and more for their El Gonzo Festival in 2026

Wouldn’t be surprised to see more collaborations and perhaps even a full tour together at some point

A bit fucked this is my first post here especially after scrolling by a Brett Nash appreciation post, but Tin Roof’s annual Halloween Cover Show is coming around Oct 26th for those who would like to submit and have 15 minutes of fun! Check the details in the screenshots and I’ll post the submission email here on Sunday! Thanks! Love, Brett  

Stoked to say that i’ve got tickets to Phish NYE in section 101 right behind the soundboard.

Snagged a four night pass in the lotto

I’ll be there with @marleyfacedboy and @harry and more

Haven’t seen Phish since Mondegreen, so i’m really looking foward to this new years run!

thank you for sharing this here! hope the show is a massive success

One of the most important values I have in the Charleston music scene is maintaining a space for women and queer artists. As a human that checks both of these boxes, I have been working since Maraluso entered the scene to make sure the environment we curate leaves room for these people to work comfortably in a male-dominated space, including myself. I am incredibly grateful for the people I have met and connected with that have acknowledged and worked with me on that.

So, it is safe to say...

One of the most important values I have in the Charleston music scene is maintaining a space for women and queer artists. As a human that checks both of these boxes, I have been working since Maraluso entered the scene to make sure the environment we curate leaves room for these people to work comfortably in a male-dominated space, including myself. I am incredibly grateful for the people I have met and connected with that have acknowledged and worked with me on that.

So, it is safe to say that when Maraluso plays on an all femme-fronted bill, it is important to me to promote that!

We’re joining forces with Mina Roth and Lilly Hartle this Saturday to present a kickass show at The Royal American. I am thankful for the deep comraderie I share with these ladies that the Charleston scene has provided almost naturally. Lilly and Mina are incredible songwriters and frontwomen. I am honored to work with them on this show. I am honored that Maraluso will be headlining for the first time at this venue that means so much to us as a group!

Downbeat at 9:30 starting with Lilly Hartle & Co. $10. 21+. We’ll be playing some new tunes. Be there or be square.

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I’m out here working on all of this stuff

the calendar will be back up and running soon and so will the festival wire

over the past couple of years i have learned so much, and even over the past year alone

the systems i built even a few months ago are nothing compared to what i’m creating now

except i did burn a lot of it down in the process, and really stopped writing articles.

but that is okay. because this platform is about to change significantly.

to anybody who is reading this, if you...

I’m out here working on all of this stuff

the calendar will be back up and running soon and so will the festival wire

over the past couple of years i have learned so much, and even over the past year alone

the systems i built even a few months ago are nothing compared to what i’m creating now

except i did burn a lot of it down in the process, and really stopped writing articles.

but that is okay. because this platform is about to change significantly.

to anybody who is reading this, if you are worried that i’m no longer focused on Extra Chill, i really am. i’m just behind the scenes doing the best i can to keep everything rolling

i know this is more of a rant than an informative post. but trust me, extra chill is on its way

if i had money right now i would hire developers to help me scale the platform the way i’m envisioning. but since i dont have any money, i’m here building it myself

i feel a little shitty about the fact that my calendar has been busted for two months, but the new system i’m building is going to make up for that, so it doesnt matter.

i’ve worked on this website for so long, over 10 years. i will take this time to create the platform i’m envisioning.

i’ll never give up on extra chill

i know i could make this forum pop more if i posted on it more, but i havent had the time

thanks to anyone who is following along

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I added Substack, Venmo, and Github icons to this.

@jollymonster

I also removed the “Featured Link” advanced setting as it was overly complex and not the right approach.

I may add that back in later.

i’ve also created lots of documentation for this system and published it on my personal website:

https://chubes.net/docs/plugins/extra-chill-artist-platform

Still a work in progress all the time, but many things are coming together here.

Things were broken around here for a few days, as I had been rebuilding the artist platform from the inside out. I made the forum homepage much simpler, and gave the Artist Platform its own homepage

In the process, i busted the whole platform in terms of the link pages and artist profiles. But everything is now fixed, and the groundwork has been set for the next phase of development.

I will continue to polish a few more elements, and make the forum a lot less confusing over time. This has been...

Things were broken around here for a few days, as I had been rebuilding the artist platform from the inside out. I made the forum homepage much simpler, and gave the Artist Platform its own homepage

In the process, i busted the whole platform in terms of the link pages and artist profiles. But everything is now fixed, and the groundwork has been set for the next phase of development.

I will continue to polish a few more elements, and make the forum a lot less confusing over time. This has been an ongoing learning experience for me over the past year and a half.

One thing i’ve noticed latey, as i’ve gotten more into the coding side of things, is that i’ve let the music journalism and writing side of Extra Chill slip a bit. I haven’t sent out a newsletter since May, when i launched the artist platform.

That’s alright. It’s not ideal, but it’s okay. I’ve been busy, because i really need money. I’m trying to make this site a whole lot more useful to attract a much wider audience.

I am going to do this mostly through automation, but there will be other elements to this as well.

Upgrading the calendar will be a huge part of this. More on that soon, as it is the next thing on my list, as part of the build for my new Data Machine plugin.

Oh, and P.S. – Extra Chill is now open source 🙂

That means anyone who wants to get into WordPress development is welcome to contribute to the project. Check us out on Github here: https://github.com/Extra-Chill

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Yo! thanks for hopping in baby!!!!

pre-saved it

I recently discovered that there is a horse in Australia named Extra Chill: https://www.racing.com/horses/extra-chill#

The horse was born of two other horses, Churchill and Extra Virgin.

As of my writing this the horse is 4 years old, and recently started racing on the Australian circuit

I love this discovery and wanted to share it with the people of Extra Chill.

Hey Extra Chill Community!  We’re Wilmot and our debut EP is dropping this Friday.  We’ll be playing a show at the Royal American to celebrate, should be an awesome time(:  If you want to help the little guys out – presave our EP here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/wilmot/daydream-2

it’s been another while since i posted here. But this log keeps expanding over time.

Next in line is the events calendar getting a total overhaul. This is going to be powered by my custom WordPress plugin, Data Machine. The calendar is going to list events from all major markets in the most easy to filter way i can possibly come up with.

The Data Machine plugin also powers the festival wire.

Data Machine will also help me establish email campaigns to attract more users to this place over time.

it’s been another while since i posted here. But this log keeps expanding over time.

Next in line is the events calendar getting a total overhaul. This is going to be powered by my custom WordPress plugin, Data Machine. The calendar is going to list events from all major markets in the most easy to filter way i can possibly come up with.

The Data Machine plugin also powers the festival wire.

Data Machine will also help me establish email campaigns to attract more users to this place over time.

That’s what i’ve been working on behind the scenes, if anybody wondered where i’ve been focused.

This forum needs a decent amount of work to get back on track. I need to start posting here more often and overall get back into music journalism.

The final thing i wanted to mention was the extra chill app, which is coming soon. It will be a single-location touchpoint that allows interaction with the entire ecosystem. In the process, i am going to re-think the way that this website is organized.

My buddy mentioned trying to implement a twitter-like system where it becomes a lot easier to spew content. i think that could work by allowing users to post replies to their own profile. and then surfacing these replies on the recent page

and on the recent page, instead of showing the grid of topics, i will show the latest replies to all topics all put together

this site has been my passion project for a long time. I will not give up on it any time soon. I’m just not really interested in doing so many music writeups like i used to. I’m interested in platform-building, and writing when i have something to actually say.

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