So the setting for the Epic Fest was outdoors on the massive grounds of Sharkeys B&G with a huge festival stage built with accompanying live sound system. It was a surreal setting. An old cabin cruiser boat sat near the stage with a gaping hole in the bow. Next to it were hundreds of empty childrens school chairs, just set out in the field in all forms of random positions. Quite strange. I have some photos somewhere. Epic Fest is mostly a Prog Festival, with some great bands, one whose name I can’t recall, were playing Zappa music, and they sounded great. Leonardo presented the debut of the PAKT t-shirt on this gig. It was good to be here.

This mid-December 2021 run by PAKT (Percy Jones, Alex Skolnick, Kenny Grohowski, Tim Motzer) was only our second tour together amongst the crazy schedules of all the members. Although a short tour, we all had a blast, and somewhere in there we recorded a studio album in the Catskills too. We traveled in two cars and took in some amazing landscapes amidst great conversation. Some epic shows come to mind like Buffalo, Cleveland, and Rochester but the final show at The Turning Point had a special beautiful vibe, and I felt we hit a lot of fresh new musical territory.

We travelled from Indianapolis in a torrential downpour for the better part of our drive to Columbus, Ohio for our last-minute show at Double Happiness. This booking was a late addition to our Midwest tour. We had no information about this venue, just going in with an open mind.

February 18th at Nublu in New York City was a night to remember. It was a tribute to beloved bass legend Percy Jones, who was being honored that night, and played in two bands: The Bootstrappers with drummer Don McKenzie and guitarist Elliott Sharp, and PAKT (Percy, Alex, Kenny, Tim).

Eleven months before this July-22-2021 performance - on August-15-2020, the very first PAKT performance - playing masked and distanced to a dimly lit empty venue in the midst of the pre-vaccine pandemic era - had a surreal quality that informed the music. Now here we were about to make our our debut to a live audience at Daryl’s House in Pawling, once again playing completely and spontaneously improvised music.

The Kennett Flash Rooftop Series was our second concert on our first mini tour as PAKT. After an incredible first show at Daryl’s House in Pawling, NY, our 4-hour drive from the Catskills is delayed by a semi-tractor flipped on its side slowing traffic to a snail’s pace on I-95 South around Newark Airport. But we eventually make it for setup and soundcheck. It is beautiful weather for our first outdoor show on the rooftop of a downtown parking garage in Kennett Square. We are in great hands with a wonderful sound crew, so all is in a good place prior to showtime.

Full download and 2CD contains 6 studio (CD1) and 5 live tracks. (CD2). Music on Disk One was recorded by Scott Petito at NRS Recording Studio, Catskill Village, NY, December 17, 2021. Audio Editing by Tim Motzer. Mixed and mastered by Brian Boland at Intercoastal Studio. Music on Disk Two was recorded live. Track One was recorded live by Steven Suppartis at the Tralf Mussic Hall, Buffalo, NY, December 15, 2021. Mixed and mastered by Markus Reuter. Tracks Two, Three and Four were recorded live at NuBlu, New York City, NY, February 18, 2023. Mixed and mastered by Brian Boland at Intercoastal Studio. Track Five was recorded live at Solar Myth, Philadelphia, PA, February 19, 2023. Recorded and mixed by Beau Gordon. Mastered by Brian Boland at Intercoastal Studio.