It Was A Blast: Hear Mike Gordon, Joe Russo, Robert Walter & Nick Bockrath Play All Improv Shows In Brooklyn

Drummer Joe Russo brought the third installment of his “This Is Gonna Be A Blast” concert series to The Sultan Room in Brooklyn on Tuesday with a lineup of Phish bassist Mike Gordon, keyboardist Robert Walter and guitarist Nick Bockrath. Audio has surfaced of both the early and late shows of “This Is Gonna Be A Blast Vol. 3.”

The connections between the musicians are myriad. Gordon has been a long time collaborator with Russo, performing with the Benevento/Russo Duo along with keyboardist Marco Benevento in the mid-2000s. A collab that, with the addition of Phish guitarist , became GRAB.

Russo played with Robert Walter in the latter’s 20th Street Congress while Walter had recently played keys in Gordon’s solo band until getting a gig with Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters. Back in 2018, Cage The Elephant guitarist Nick Bockrath sat-in with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead in New Orleans.

Russo, Gordon, Walter and Bockrath’s early show on Tuesday at The Sultan Room was more aggressive, ranging from cacophonous sound-making to Mile Davis Bitches Brew era jazz fusion. The late show was vibey, with an emphasis on grooves and soundscapes.

Listen to Mike Gordon, Joe Russo, Robert Walter and Nick Bockrath’s all improv shows below:

Early Show

Late Show

Russo’s “This Is Gonna Be A Blast Vol. 4” with a lineup of Medeski Martin & Wood keyboardist John Medeski and Wilco guitarist Nels Cline is set for The Sultan Room on February 20. The trio will perform early and late shows with 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. start times respectively. Purchase tickets below.