The Z3

General Admission Standing Room Only

THE Z3

Tim Palmieri is one of the most impressive guitarists on the national music scene today. Playing with his bands Kung Fu and The Breakfast alongside artists such as moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Tea Leaf Green, and Phish’s Mike Gordon, the New Haven native has amassed a loyal following of obsessive fans who keep tabs on just about every note. While prominent in the jam scene for his aggressive and improvisational guitar style, Palmieri has grown equally comfortable behind an acoustic guitar and tours tirelessly as a solo performer. His acoustic showcases are peppered with a mix of thoughtful originals, classic covers and unexpected rarities, each of which he makes his own through a distinctive style of rhythmic looping. At the same time, Palmieri refuses to get too comfortable as a performer and thrives on challenging himself in new ways. He has covered the entire Beatles catalogue in alphabetical order and knows a shocking number of FZ tunes among so many others. His current main project, Kung Fu, has been hailed as a modern super group.

Beau Sasser hit the music scene at a young age, traversing the snowy highways of Colorado for both All-State high school band gigs and shows with legends like John Denver and Jimmy Ibbotson of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In the mid-90s Sasser headed east for a stint at Berklee College of Music and soon found himself back on the highways with the successful jamband Uncle Sammy. Around the year 2000 Sasser began performing almost exclusively on the Hammond Organ. In addition to his tenure as Melvin Sparks’ preferred organist Sasser leads his own trio whose residency at Bishop’s Lounge in Northampton, MA is now in its fifth year, performed for several years in the trio of Soulive’s Alan Evans, and freelances like crazy. Touring throughout the United States and internationally, Beau has performed with with Maceo Parker (James Brown), Warren Haynes(Allman Brothers), Alan Evans (Soulive), Nikki Glaspie (Beyonce), Michael Feingold (Erykah Badu), Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa) and jazz greats Fareed Haque and Melvin Sparks.

Born in the suburban cultural vacuum of CT, Bill Carbone managed to graduate from his initial fascination with the dramatic plinkings of Rush and Yes to a broader palette of loves. Recently he’s played jazz and boogaloo with guitarist Melvin Sparks, funk with organist Beau Sasser’s trio, jam-rock with Max Creek and Zach Deputy, original quirky jazz-type music with the sax 4tet plus bass and drums Dead Cat Bounce, and reggae and experimental dub music with his own group Buru Style and various vocalists such as Makengo (Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars), Ajahni, Toussaint Liberator, Shasha Marley and others. As a percussionist he’s tickled the Billboard charts with ROIR recording artists 10 ft Ganja Plant, graced several John Brown’s Body tracks and also recorded with the founding members of Jamaica’s legendary Soul Syndicate Band. Carbone is currently a PhD candidate in ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, where he also teaches drums and steel pan while pecking away at a dissertation about gender and the Hammond Organ soul-jazz scene of the 1960s-70s. His writing has been featured in Wax Poetics, Modern Drummer, and in his bi-weekly New Haven Advocate column. He also teaches courses in ethnomusicology and world music at Central Connecticut State University.

Links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify

KIMONO DRAGGIN

After a decade of radio silence, three old friends decided to pick up their instruments and make music together again. While outside, an ongoing pandemic, rising social injustice and endless political brawling have occupied the world writ large. A required shift from art to activism…or even an individual’s departure from society has dealt a gigantic blow to live music’s midsection. Agoraphobic audiences and empty venues have left musicians with fewer outlets for their craft. So, when Kimono Draggin’ decided to reform amidst the sociopolitical heat of 2020, it posed several crucial questions. Is the timing right for a comeback? Are they still relevant? Can the world be a better place with them? Well, maybe. But there is one imperative question which may still cling to the mind of the listener…who is Kimono Draggin’?

If you ask them directly, they will simply explain that she is an 800+ year old martial arts master who exists on the astral plane and advises their band on how to save the world. But the band’s closest friends and fans (a.k.a. Draggin’s) would probably just say that they are 3 weird dudes who play crazy music. But, again, who really is Kimono Draggin’? Such a simple inquiry, yet, one which requires the context of time to accompany it. You must, instead, ask who they are during the specific year, month or day in question. Otherwise, the contrasting answers from various listeners will only disorient you further. And even after compiling all of the collective answers, you still could not truly understand Kimono Draggin’ unless you have witnessed their performance firsthand.

On stage, Joe Nolan scratches feverishly at his guitar while drawing listeners away from their mundane musings and into an auditory journey through the sown fragments of his own psyche. Chief devotees, Joshua Hatton and Chris Swirski drive the progression of Nolan’s vision through a layered foundation of chest-pounding rhythm. Verse after subliminal verse, their melodies leave you bewildered, but with a heightened appreciation for chaos. It’s loud…it’s fast…and it’s crass, but the undeniable calling from deep within beckons you for more of it.

Throughout the early 21st century, the eccentric prog-punk trio posed as crime-fighters, unruly gang members, rejects from outer space, a mob syndicate, and…even in the nude. Ironically, they seem to craft their music in a similar manner; a stream of cacophonous chords and bouncing tempos which appear to have been harmonious from the moment of their inception. The band’s worst fear is to be pigeon-holed into a genre. They counteract this sentiment by confidently dancing across a thin wire between artistic intention and a complete identity crisis.

Is Kimono Draggin’ the embodiment of a musical cult? Not likely. But let us assume the band is fueled by a greater intention than the devil may care aura emitting from their presence. While possibly not cultists, one can clearly see the trio’s motivation to put us under their spell. And they will do it regardless of who is listening because they don’t know any other way.

Links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram