Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"... for the most part everyoneseemed to be unable to help tapping their feet and the dance floor was often full... irresistably funky, sexy performance with great vocals." - the Leader (SUNY Fredonia, NY)
"Thought are clearly an intelligent band, with an emphasis on lyrics, complex, poetic and dramatic." - wburg.com
"...someone handed us a flyer that announced a band called Thought playing original music for cool people at the Montage Grille for free. We left and checked them out. Original is right. THis young band did not sound like anyone else in the world. They were thoroughly enjoyable . Fresh all the way. Check them out." - rochesterbeat.com
(taken from an interview with Mike Gordon of Phish)
3. your personal favorite on-stage moment/show of 2004
*final phish set at Alpine valley, june (loved)
* with band "Thought" in buffalo, sept. (was a tiny bar; felt good, great drummer and bass trumpeter - ropeadope.com
"The band is well rounded with two alto saxes, bass trumpet, bass guitar, guitar, and drums.... The crowd was big, the music was live and loud and the people were dancing." - Campus Times (Rochester)
A Good Time on the Cheap- Jennifer Sara Page
Upon moving to Manhattan to attend Columbia, I was so excited to finally live the nightlife I had always dreamed of. I couldn’t wait to see live music, soak in the jazz scene, and spend the night dancing to intoxicating rhythms and original beats. Then I got here and reality set in. I realized that I’d have to pay an arm and a leg just to get in the door, not to mention the two-drink minimum most venues shove down your throat. Two drink minimums were not a problem back when I worked full time. But now that I am a student, money is tight, and so is my budget for nightlife. I cringed at the thought of not taking in New York’s bevy of sumptuous offerings because I couldn’t afford a cab and admission. And sulked when I realized that the admission to Blue Note was more than what I could afford to spend for a week of groceries! Were the few nights not spent in the library studying going to be spent in front of the TV watching American Idol on Tivo? While this was perfectly fine back home, it felt wrong in a city as exciting as New York City. “There has to be a way for me to be entertained without emptying my bank account”, I thought as I paced my tiny apartment trying to quell my cabin fever.
Luckily I found a solution. Through friends that were already living in the city, I met a score of highly skilled musicians that are out there playing for pretty close to free. Here are people who went through four years of school, just like all of us, and have graduated only to find a lukewarm appreciation for live music in a city that practically invented it. With all of us starving students craving some real entertainment, it seems a shame that these musicians, who spent many years mastering their art, are not more well known. And it’s not for lack of talent. Back in their hometown of Buffalo, they pack bars and other venues with no problem. But here in the hustle and bustle of a big city it’s hard to spread the word.
The Band is named Thought and the venue is called Rose Live Music in Williamsburg. The cover is free (occasionally they charge a five dollar cover), and the drinks are inexpensive. Translation: you can get drunk for twenty bucks. Especially if you try the unusually potent sangria! On one Friday night, I enjoyed the best Cosmopolitan I’ve had in New York, heard some electrifying music, danced the night away, and left the bar asking myself one question: Why is it that people will give their first born for Justin Timberlake tickets, but won’t hop on the subway to Brooklyn to see some amazing, dance friendly, original live music? Considering the fact that New York is filled with broke under grads just trying to have a good time you would think original unsigned bands wouldn’t have a problem bringing in the crowds. “Where are the people who support live music?” I thought. Probably at home broke and drinking cheap beer like I would be if I were not dancing the night away.
When you go to Rose live music, you are not compromising entertainment value for cost. In fact it’s quite the opposite. For example, Thought is a high energy, extremely original band that truly enjoy what they do. Their collective pleasure spills out into the audience creating an electrifying atmosphere filled with good vibes. Fronted by a salient duo that is incredibly enthralling, they emit poetic and inspiring lyrics in a syncopated, bi-octave tone. And when I say inspiring, I don’t mean “do well in life” inspiring. I mean get up off your chair and have a good time—inspiring.
Mike Williams (AKA Miwi La Lupa) is the leader of this groove-creating machine. With all of the narcissistic front men leaning on their microphones with a “ look at me aren’t I cool?” attitude flooding rock clubs and overshadowing their music, Mike William’s happy go lucky spirit, and contagious smile is a refreshing tonic to a week of brain twisting studying. But it is his bass trumpet playing that is truly a treat to enjoy. There are no words to describe Miwi’s talent as a trumpet player. But what I can say is that when Mike Gordon of Phish stopped in to a gig they played in Buffalo and graced the stage for a couple of songs, he told Glide—an online magazine—that one of his three best personal onstage moments of 2004 was playing with Thought and that Mike was a great trumpet player. MiWi is the epitome of up and coming talent that should not be missed.
Accompanying MiWi is Lynn Ligammari on alto saxophone. While her falsetto back up vocals compliment Mike’s warm timber, it’s her saxophone playing interwoven with Mike’s bass trumpet that earmarks Thought’s original sound. There’s one word that describes this woman: passionate. And it translates into Thought’s overall charm and scintillating presence. Tucked behind Mike and Lynne are the power trio of Tim Allen on lead guitar, PJ Boeckel on Bass guitar and Jared Schonig on drums. The expertise of these three solid musicians is quite a tight package that churns o - Columbia Spectator
Discography
"Thought EP"
"In Dumbo"
new single "Nobody"
"Live at Galapagos- St. Patrick's Day '07"
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Thought was born in Buffalo, New York, in 2000. Originally the band had a keyboard but no saxes, and the emphasis was more on improvising, jamming and the instrumental side of the band. There were always songs with vocals, but Thought's early gigs were at bars where they always had to play two long sets, which let them be exploratory with their earlier tunes. After the first year, the keyboard was replaced by two alto saxophones. This completely changed the band's style, sound, and presentation. Their music started to feel leaner, and less oblique. Their songs started to gain a clearer focus, with an emphasis on storytelling and the newly-cemented male/female vocal presence. One of Thought's signatures started to develop in the bands arrangements, which combine the infectious rhythmic elements of pop-music and sophisticated melodicism attained from many years of listening and learning.
They had a long-standing residency at a popular bar in Buffalo; this was where they debuted their songs, and developed their distinct style over the next four years. They never quite knew how to define their genre, so they called it "multiple-personality music". In the early days, Thought played everything from country-bluegrass to breakbeat dance music, to psychedelic hard rock. They prided themselves with being open to all types of influences, and trying to write music without the boundries of genre. They developed a very loyal following in Buffalo and Rochester and exhausted almost all the clubs in those two cities. (They even had a streak of 5 New Years Eve concerts in a row at the same club!) After 5 years of being in Western New York, the band decided to move to New York City, closing the first chapter of the band. Thought has been in NYC for two years now, playing many shows throughout the 5 boroughs while gaining a whole new fanbase. They also are part of a large community of musicians and artists in Brooklyn who are constantly collaborating with each other.
Time has tempered their songwriting skills, and given them the ability to lift an audience from their chairs to the dance floor. Now there is a group consistency that can only be developed from a long time playing together. Thought's new music is very much based on the same original ideas of blending styles and influences, but there is a depth and maturity to their work that suprises everyone who finds out their ages. Thought is currently booked for club dates in Charleston, SC, Asheville, NC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Utica, NY, and Buffalo besides holding a monthly residency in NYC.
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