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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