It was a stellar evening of exploratory jams, rock-’n’-roll anthems, and sing-along covers as Albany’s Glass Pony brought their psychedelic groove circus to New Paltz on November 7.
With the vibrant college town still decked out in its lingering “Boo-Paltz” Halloween décor of plastic ghosts, paper bats, and pumpkins whose faces were melting ever so slightly in the warm bar lights, the only thing scarier at The Lemon Squeeze this Friday night was the sheer level of musical talent radiating off the stage.
Even before the lights dimmed, the room felt electrically charged, like every molecule had quietly agreed to dance as Glass Pony set course to take us on a journey far beyond our mortal understanding.
Originally formed in 2017, Glass Pony has spent the last few years perfecting a blend of improvisational jams, original tunes and hypnotic grooves. They call it “psychedelic rock,” but it’s so much more than that. Imagine The Grateful Dead’s exploratory jams meeting the precision of Phish mixed in with the raw, heart-pounding energy of Oasis. Consisting of Eddie Hotaling on guitar and vocals, Greg Pittz on lead guitar, Chanda Dewey on drums and vocals, and Jeff Picarazzi on bass, the band creates a seamless fusion of sounds that stretch the fabric of space-time itself.
Presiding over the festivities as always were Beebah and Twinkie, the band’s small pupa-like mascots, perched centerstage like benevolent cosmic larvae guiding the night’s journey. I swear I saw them nod in approval a couple times during the headiest peaks.
The first set started innocently enough with “Greenhorn Blues” and “Bootstraw,” but soon enough, we were hurtling into the unknown with the sprawling 28-minute masterpiece that was “Bottom of the Ocean” -> “Lunar Flare.” It was a continuous, uninterrupted jam, like watching stars explode into nebulae before collapsing back into black holes. Greg Pittz’s stellar tone and guitar work was like a thread of light leading us through it all as the music shifted, morphed, and mutated through sonic landscapes I never knew existed. Following it up with a Phishy-version of the popular “Walk Away” by The James Gang, frontman Eddie Hotaling spontaneously decided to do just that. Leaving the stage, guitar in hand, he wove through the crowd, connecting with every person he passed. It felt like we were all part of the same swirling cosmic thing, and his good-natured energy was pulling us all together. When he returned to the stage, it was like a new animal had emerged in a crescendo that lifted the crowd to new heights. And that “Down With Disease” tease to cap it off? Pure magic.
After a friendly reminder that it was the one and only Jeff Picarazzi on bass, a pair of newer songs came next. Ebbing and flowing between celestial post-rock dreamscapes on “Somewhere to Go,” a track that wrapped me in its warm, hypnotic embrace, and “Madison Ave,” a nod to their Albany roots, the band would land on “Origami Soul” from their most recent Washed Away album, before transitioning into a set closing, 15-minute version of “Bolly Golly,” one of Glass Pony’s oldest songs. First released on their 2019 debut album, it felt like it could have come from any moment in the universe. It was chaotic and beautiful, like watching the dawn break across a distant planet. I can’t say I fully understood it, but I didn’t need to. I just surrendered to the wave.
When the second set began, it was as if the vibes had been turned up to eleven. Greg Pittz, debuting his new amp, led us into “Burn It All Down,” which transformed into a perfectly spaced-out version of “Doppler” that had Chanda Dewey’s vocals echoing in the distance, like whispers from a far-off galaxy. After dedicating a humorous cover of The Presidents of the United States of America’s “Kitty” to Jax, the sound guys beloved cat who sadly passed away 8 months ago to the day, Glass Pony stretched out “Carnival of Babylon” into something unrecognizable, before jumping into “Check It Again,” one of the stand-out tracks from their 2022 Nowhere Daydream album. Each song felt like it could go anywhere, like a road that diverged in multiple directions, and I just let the music take me where it wanted.
But it wasn’t until they tore into The Who’s “Eminence Front” that the true power of Glass Pony’s musicianship hit me in full force. The 15-minute rendition was so fluid, weaving through multiple Phish teases of “The Moma Dance,” and “Simple,” plus “Once in a Lifetime” by Talking Heads, and even a segment from their own “Grover’s Mill 1938,” it was like watching a band transcend genres, eras, and realities. And just when I thought the journey was over, they capped it all with a cover of Cream’s “Strange Brew,” sending us into the night with the perfect cosmic wink. Once again, in case you missed it, that’s Jeff Picarazzi on bass.
It’s been a milestone year for Glass Pony, who have been venturing out of the Capital Region more and more frequently to help spread their name. With 2026 right around the corner, things are only looking bigger and brighter. Just tapped as the official pre-party band at The Hollow on December 27th ahead of Moe.’s performance at The Palace Theatre in Albany, Glass Pony has also been announced as direct support for The Allman Betts Band during their city-wide New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Saratoga Springs. Featuring Devon Allman and Duane Betts (the sons of founding Allman Brothers Band members Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts) carrying on their father’s legacies, Glass Pony is scheduled to take the main stage at the City Center just after the fireworks wrap. Surely exposing them to thousands of new eyes and ears and to the inevitable conclusion of what we here at NYS Music have already known for years: Glass Pony is the groove and the groove is now.
Glass Pony | November 7, 2025 | The Lemon Squeeze | New Paltz, NY
Set 1: Greenhorn Blues, Bootstraw, Bottom of the Ocean^% -> Lunar Flare^$ -> Walk Away^^, Somewhere To Go, Madison Ave, Origami Soul > Bolly Golly
Set 2: Burn it All Down^ -> Doppler, Kitty* > Carnival of Babylon^ -> Check It Again^ -> Lunar Flare, Eminence Front**, Strange Brew
^ – Unfinished
^^ – Down With Disease tease (Phish)
% – Grover’s Mill 1938 tease
%% – Tweezer Reprise tease
* – for Jax
** – Moma Dance teases (Phish), Simple teases (Phish), Once In a Lifetime quotes (Talking Heads), Grover’s Mill 1938 tease .
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