Tim Palmieri Comes Home To College Street

New Haven-based musician Tim Palmieri​’s upcoming show with Lotus — at College Street Music Hall on Feb. 19 — is another step in his long career as a nationally touring guitarist, but also a chance to return an Elm City stage. ​“I’m 42 years old and I’ve been gigging since I was 13,” Palmieri said. ​“Band after band, gig after gig — and now I’ve been able to join Lotus.”

Palmieri, who describes himself as ​“born in New Haven, raised in East Haven, and currently residing in New Haven,” started performing as a teenager on ​“town greens and boardwalks, talent shows and showcases,” he said. ​“Not being able to be a musician was never an option. I found my calling and stuck with it. I played bars when I was underage. My dad would have to be there. That would be my upbringing.”

In 1998 he formed Psychedelic Breakfast (now called just The Breakfast), named after a Pink Floyd song, with Adrian Tramontano on drums, Ron Spears on bass, and Jordan Giangreco on keys. The band’s first gig was at a dorm on the campus of UMass-Amherst, where none of them were students; a friend booked them anyway. Self-releasing an album the next year, the group hit the jam band circuit, toured for most of 2000 and 2001, and kept playing, releasing five more albums. ​“Living on the road is not for everyone,” Palmieri said. It was ​“a lot of records, a lot of managers, a lot of agents, publicists, trailers, girlfriends, vans, wives. We gave it a good 10 years before we said we weren’t going to push nationally.” But the band still exists today, performing at an outdoor show in the summer of 2020.

In 2012 Palmieri formed Kung Fu with Robert Somerville on tenor sax, Beau Sasser on keys, Chris DeAngelis on bass, and and Tramontano again on drums and percussion. Its first gigs were at Stella Blues on Crown Street; the group had a ​“Monday night residency for a year or two before we took off,” Palmieri said. From there Kung Fu toured clubs and festivals relentlessly while also never forgetting to swing through New Haven to play packed shows at Toad’s. Along the way, Palmieri recalled a Kung Fu gig for a Bernie Sanders fundraiser in which he got to play with Jon Fishman (of Phish) on drums and Oteil Burbridge (of Dead & Company) on bass, another gig where he played with bassist Vic Wooten, and another with guitar Jon Herington, of Steely Dan. He even got to play a show with Bernard Purdie for a show of Steely Dan’s music at Toad’s. ​“Dreams come true,” Palmieri said. 

He also recalled ​“the weirdest sit-in I ever had — it was an honor to play with Steve Perkins of Jane’s Addiction, and Tony Franklin on bass, and then Steve brought his friend Robert.” 

“‘Do you mind if Robert sings a song?’” Palmieri recalled Perkins asking. “‘And he got up there and rapped.’” Perkins’s friend turned out to be Vanilla Ice.

“Wild times, fun times,” Palmieri said. ​“It’s the beauty of music, the seizing of the moment, being in the right place at the right time.”

At the same time, for the past 18 years, when Palmieri was off tour he played solo acoustic gigs at BAR — first on Tuesdays, then Wednesdays — and other places in southern Connecticut. ​“Solo acoustic gigs ended up paying the bills so I could tour,” Palmieri said. In addition, he got ​“play all my favorites for people.”

“This just happened to be my outlet, or my path if you will,” Palmieri said. ​“Touring and gigging is where my heart is.” 

Both touring and gigging, of course, got a lot more complicated with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. ​“When it happened at first it was like, ​‘we’re not sure if it’s going to be a week or a month,’” Palmieri recalled. He became an early adopter of streaming. ​“With each stream I started improving everything, from the video shot to the gear I was using. Before I knew it, people were paying attention. All the music lovers took to the internet.”

He began doing streaming events regularly through his social media outlets. ​“We called it Blursday because every day blurred into the next,” he said. With the money he made from streaming, he was able to keep his head above water. ​“I’m pretty lucky that my solo acoustic life prepared me for streaming,” he said. ​“I feel grateful because I know a lot of my music brethren weren’t able to do the same.”

Blursday is now a more sophisticated affair, for as long as it lasts. ​“I’m doing a unique experience where I’m mashing up songs and TV and video games and getting weird, interacting with the people,” Palmieri said. ​“All the friends I’ve made now get to hang out in a digital space. I’ve gathered all the miscreants and troublemakers in one room, so it’s a lot of fun.”

But Palmieri is eager to return to the live stage as the guitarist for Lotus, which features Jesse Miller on bass and synths, Luke Miller on guitar and keys, Mike Greenfield on drums, and Chuck Morris on percussion. ​“My bands have toured with them over the years. I consider all of us in the same graduating class in the jam band world,” Palmieri said. ​“They’re steeped in house music, drum ​‘n’ bass. They’re explored different styles of music throughout their career.” When former guitarist Mike Rempel departed the band, ​“I made the list of people to audition for them,” Palmieri said. He got the job in early 2020. ​“Then obviously everything was put on hold.”

They started playing again in 2021, with a first show in mid-September. ​“It took a lot of preparation. There’s a lot of tunes to learn, a lot of pedals to buy,” Palmieri said. ​“They’ve built a sound for 20 years and I wanted to respect that. Then we can move forward together.”

Part of this has to do with Lotus’s vast repertoire. ​“I’m about 80-plus songs in and another 40 or 50 to get,” Palmieri said. ​“The more we gig, the better it’s going to be.” But with stages opening up around the country and the band back to touring, Lotus ​“has new life in it now. They’re taking to me and I’m taking to them, and I’m looking forward to being a positive energy for the band long into their career, and take it to new heights with them.” 

But Palmieri still doesn’t forget where he came from — and where he lives now. ​“I’m looking forward to doing my hometown throwdown with them,” he said.

Lotus performs at College Street Music Hall on Feb. 19; visit its website for tickets and more information. Visit Tim Palmieri’s website for listings of everything he’s up to.