PEAK CD Release Show With Spacegram & Polyvamp

Based around the guitar playing and songwriting of Jeremy Hilliard, the band first came together in mid- 2016. By that Fall they played an inaugural, now-infamous residency at American Beauty in New York City and then road-tested many of the songs on an extended northeast tour. One thing that became apparent right away was that there was going to be an exploratory spirit to their live shows and that the songs are, on one level, springboards for extended improvisation as well as vehicles for dance-floor workouts. Inspired by rock, funk, and jazz artists such as The Band, The Talking Heads, Phish, The Grateful Dead, James Brown, Fela Kuti, Miles Davis, Grant Green and countless others, the goal, in their own words, is to “not know where we’re going” because that feeling of excitement and adventure translates to the audience. Front and center in the mix is Hilliard’s guitar, which is unmistakable in tone. He lists as early inspirations BB King and Jimi Hendrix, and using that as a jumping off point he brings jazz concepts to tell longer, more complex sonic stories.

Jeremy is no newcomer to the scene. He established his songwriting voice as a bandleader and lead guitarist for the band Turbine, with whom he made 4 studio albums and toured nationally for many years, including regular appearances on the some of the country’s biggest stages such as Bonnaroo Music Festival, Telluride Music Festival, Gathering of the Vibes, Moedown, and many others. For his new group, he searched far and wide to find the perfect complement to his sound and finally found it in the great gospel organist Otis Williams. Williams is a master of his instrument from a very young age, as well as a musical Swiss Army knife. He is able to incorporate synths, vocals, samples, really any sound under the sun. Coming from the Bronx, the birthplace of hip hop, beat making and dance music are second nature to him. He also plays with a totally unorthodox harmonic approach that will make any listener sit up and take notice. Holding this all together, and the driving pulse of the band, is the bass playing of Eric Thachuk. The new band was lucky enough to meet him when he first moved to New York from Toronto where he worked as a top studio and touring musician. He somehow always knows exactly the right note to play to hold down the fort for all the harmonic and rhythmic interplay, and his elegant choices as an improviser give the music a sophisticated form. He is also a multi-talented musician, programming all the electronic drums on the bands’ debut album. The newest member of the group is John Venezia on drums who is an up-and-coming killer on the kit. He recently finished at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts and although you don’t know it yet you need to see him live. After spending their first summer jamming, and then going out and getting 50 shows under their belt, the band knew that they wanted a full-length studio album to define their sound, and it would be all about the songs. So in early 2017 they hunkered down in Dave Brandwein’s (Turkuaz) Galaxy Smith Studios in Brooklyn to finish writing and record what would become their debut album, Electric Bouquet.

As far as the music, their sound is a modern blend of progressive funk and rock, in a variety of moods. The band write and jams with a language informed by elements of neo-soul and electro-funk as well as traditional forms. Hilliard has always been interested in how timeless songs are created, listing as some of his favorites Dylan, Hunter/ Garcia, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Talking Heads, and Bob Marley to name a few. Hilliard studied the techniques of storytelling, character, and the use of American folklore. He also sought out great modern songwriters like Conor Oberst, Jack White, Ryan Adams, and Thom Yorke. It was through combining all these elements that his own voice emerged.

The other side of the coin is the live show, where the songs become springboards for improvisation. Inspired by Miles Davis, James Brown, Fela Kuti, Phish, The Grateful Dead, John Coltrane and countless others, the goal, in the words of the band, is to "not know where we are going" because that feeling of excitement and adventure translates to the audience. Front and center in the mix is Hilliard's guitar which is unmistakable in tone. He lists as early inspirations BB King and Jimi Hendrix, and on top of that sonic base he brings jazz concepts to create longer, more complex improvisations that can dig into an extended groove or venture into outer space exploration. These concepts are presented in a package of cutting-edge modern dance sounds and grooves.

The group formed around the core rhythm section of Dale Paddyfote (drums) and Eric Thachuk (bass). Paddyfote provides the pulse of the group, as well as adding his amazing singing voice to the rich vocal harmonies. Thachuk, new to NY via Boston and Toronto, lays down the foundation for the ongoing dance party and is an elegant


The idea for “Polyvamp” emerged following one of the group’s first jam sessions in late 2014. Each jam took a unique shape through improvisation based on deep foundational grooves and vamps. As the band explored these vamps and gave them an extended opportunity to blossom into unique musical creations, each jam led to more ideas, rhythms and sounds – and live, spontaneous composition of new songs in the moment.

As a full six piece band, the band has played the city’s top music venues including: American Beauty, Drom, Knitting Factory, The Hall at MP, and Arlene’s Grocery, sharing the stage with national and regional talent including members of Lettuce, Kung Fu, Turkuaz, Trey Anastasio Band, Swift Technique, DeadPhish Orchestra, Teddy Midnight, Formula 5, Sprocket, Space Bacon, Chromatropic, Tweed and Flux Capacitor. Polyvamp performed at NYC’s renowned CMJ Music Festival in October of 2015.

From its new studio in East Harlem, Polyvamp continues to create and explore new “vamps” for its live show experience and the enjoyment of fans who love high energy musical adventures.


Spacegram is an indie alternative rock band from Brooklyn. Formed in fall 2016, the band cites Phish, Tame Impala, Wilco, Radiohead, Lettuce and the Grateful Dead as a few of its primary influences and has begun to attract a loyal following in NYC due to its energetic, improvisational live performances. Spacegram has been playing the local rock club circuit in NYC, having been invited to play larger venues and residencies in recent months, and expects to release its debut album later in 2017.