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Pearl Jam Electrifies Buffalo With Career Spanning Performance

Pearl Jam has always been known as an amazing live act going back to when they first started 23 years ago. On Saturday Oct 12, it was clear that nothing has changed, as they brought the same wild energy to the second night of the Pearl Jam 2013 tour to Buffalo, NY behind the great new album Lightning Bolt.

Coming on at 8:20 without an opener, the band started with a great trio of songs. “Pendulum” off the new album, “Low Light” and “Sometimes.” It was the fourth song of the show, “Corduroy”, that really got the building shaking, something that would happen several times throughout the evening. The band had a great light show that dazzled the crowd the entire night and the first time it was really put into use was during the title track to the new album Lightning Bolt. The hard rocking tunes continued with “Mind Your Manners” and “Do The Evolution.” This run of four songs were absolute barn- burners and the crowd ate up every second of it, singing loudly and throwing their hands up in the air. Pearl Jam fans are some of the most vocal during a show and they showed up in Buffalo loud and clear.

The band then got together to discuss the next song and it seemed for once that they were not following a specific setlist, which is very unusual. The next highlight came during “Sirens”, a new ballad off off Lightning Bolt that shone just as bright in person as it does on the album. “Comatose” kept the energy high and it seemed Eddie was pleased with how everything was going and proceeded to tell the crowd a story of how the next song “I Got Id” was thought up with Neil Young during the Mirror Ball sessions. Eddie is a great storyteller and hearing how Neil asked him for a song and all he could muster up was “I got nothing man, I got shit,” to which Neil said “well there you go, song title Ed.” The set ended with two hard rocking numbers, “State of Love and Trust” and “Porch”, two of their oldest songs that were a perfect cap to an amazing set of music. These two songs got the crowd so riled up that there were some crowd surfers being passed over everyone, something I’m sure the band has not seen since its earlier days.

The first encore began with the band sitting down playing semi-acoustically. When the band does this it is a treat for the fans, for they do it so flawlessly. Pearl Jam has really embraced their acoustic side over the years and the three song mini-set was perfect. After they finished “Future Days”, Eddie said “We are going to play to the small city now”, and the whole band went to the back of the stage and played “Elderly Woman Behind the Small Counter in a Small Town.” This was a rarity for the back of the audience as they were able to see the whole band, playing right to them and not seeing the back of their heads, which they had done for most of the night up until that point. The rest of the encore was straight rock and roll with “Rats”, “Got Some”, and an absolutely scorching “Rearviewmirror.” During the song it looked as though Mike McCready was going to blow his guitar up he was playing so fast.

Coming back for the second encore, the band dug into Vs. and Ten tracks “Go” and “Alive”, respectively. Both are tremendous crowd pleasers and a great way to cap an amazing show. The lights came on, but Eddie and the band weren’t ready to leave and they went into “Baba O’Riley.” The Who cover was played with tons of energy and smiles could be seen throughout the building. To end the night they chose the great song “Indifference.” Even the tune is slower than most, it was a beautiful way to end a very high energy show. Pearl Jam may be an older band these days, but their energy has not waned a bit.

Setlist: Pendulum, Low Light, Sometimes, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Do the Evolution, Immortality, My Father’s Son, Even Flow, Swallowed Whole, Sirens, Once, Comatose, I Got Id, Infallible, Present Tense, State of Love and Trust, Porch

Encore: Off He Goes, Yellow Moon, Future Days, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Rats, Got Some, Rearviewmirror

Encore 2: Go, Alive, Baba O’Riley, Indifference

October 21, 2013
Buckcherry boots bassist

Buckcherry has divorced from bassist Jimmy Ashurst, and it was confirmed in separate statements this weekend.

“With heavy hearts and with great difficulty, we have decided to part ways with our longtime bandmate Jimmy Ashurst,” stated the band. “This was not an easy decision, nor was it a rash decision made in haste. It’s not our desire to air dirty laundry or inner band circumstances that brought about this result. Every band has its issues, and while we have gone to great lengths to minimize them and work through them, this band has had its own issues like any other.”

Ashurst, in short, says that’s crap.

“Over a month ago now the band collectively decided that they would prefer to proceed without me,” he said. “If you’re looking for a reason you’ll need to ask them, since the one they gave me of my being ‘unhappy’ and of them ‘doing-me-a -favor-to-release-me-from-this-torment’ isn’t really resounding with the ‘Ring of Truth’.”

Buckcheery started off from Los Angeles, California in 1995. Ashurst joined the band in 2005, when the band reformed after a brief hiatus.

October 20, 2013
New York City’s Historic Roseland Ballroom To Close in April 2014

One of the joys of being from Upstate New York is having New York City just a stone’s throw away. There is next to nothing as spectacular as seeing a performance live in a city as vast and full of energy as Manhattan. The wide array of venues, both small and large, have hosted some of the biggest names in the world. The Roseland Ballroom is one of those venues and is set to close in April of 2014.

The West 52nd street venue has been home to a plethora of different musical and non musical performances throughout the years. The venue was originally opened as a dance hall until it was torn down and relocated to its current location, which was originally intended as an ice skating and roller skating rink. The hall held great amounts of character in its architecture and decor making it a colorful and quirky addition to the long list of historical venues in Manhattan.

The venue has hosted all types of events from Hillary Clinton’s birthday party, to annual gay circuit parties, movie premiers, and every type of musical performance in between. The venue is also known as the backdrop to many of David Letterman’s outside skits, as his studio is directly next door.

Roseland Ballroom is owned by Larry Ginsberg and booked by Live Nation, and in terms of capacity and location it is extremely ideal. According to Billboard Magazine the competition that is brought by AEG’s Best Buy Theater at about 2,500, the 3,500-capacity Hammerstein Ballroom, Bowery Presents’ Terminal 5 at 3,000 cap and the 2,800-cap Beacon Theatre, operated by Madison Square Garden is most likely not the reasoning behind shutting down the venue, but instead most likely attributed to property value.

There is still yet to be an official announcement and it is still entirely unclear as to why the ballroom will close it’s doors come April, but it will certainly be sad to see a place with so much history, character and potential go.

October 19, 2013
SOULFLY Invades the Lost Horizon

Syracuse Goes Back to the Primitive as SOULFLY Invades the Lost Horizon for the 2^nd Time in 2 Years.”

On Sunday, October 13 at the Lost Horizon in Syracuse got the treat of having Soulfly, who is coming off a brand new album Savages (which is a great album, better than the previous two in my opinion). With a whole new line-up featuring Max Cavalera, Marc Rizzo, (who is also in Cavalera Conspiracy), Prong’s Tony Campos, and new comer Zyon Cavalera, Max’s son on drums. Openers Havok kickstarted the show with a very thrashy and political set to get the 200 plus crowd going. Great set. Everyone should check out Havok if they haven’t already.

Soulfly opened their set “Bloodshed” and “Cannibal Holocaust” which are the first two tracks off of “Savages” which really set the spark. Max seemed more energetic and looked healthier than the last time Soulfly and Cavalera Conspiracy came to the Lost. Soulfly then went into the set with some of the classics from the earlier Soulfly years with hits such as “Prophecy,” “Seek N Strike,” (my favorite) and “Back to the Primitive.”

We were treated to more songs off “Savages” as Tony Campos took lead vocal midway through the set for “El Comegente.” Anyone who is a fan of Tony with his work in Prong and Static X probably lost their shit during that song.

Then we got to what I thought was the best part of the show. Soulfly then focused their set with some old school Sepultura with songs and medleys such as “Refuse Resist,” “Territory,” “Nailbomb,” “Arise,” and “Dead Embryonic Cells” (my personal favorite) which had the moshpits going hard.

Tony Campos took lead vocals again for “Plata O Plomo” off the “Enslaved” album. Soulfly then closed out the set with “Masters of Savagery,” “Rise of the Fallen,” and wrapped it up with Sepultura’s “Roots.”

Max and the gang came back for an encore of 2 of Soulfly’s earliest hits “Jumpdafuck up” and “Eye for an Eye.” Total of a 20 song set (including a number of medleys)

Personally I would say Soulfly put on a fantastic show, although it is clear Max is well past his prime and can’t dish out the kind of energy he used to during the early years of Soulfly and Sepultura. However, it was still a kickass show. Some may say that Soulfly should do full songs in their set instead of setlist consisting of a lot of medleys. It was awesome to see Tony Campos presence on stage and I think Zyon will stick around in Soulfly for while. I would imagine Soulfly will return to the CNY area with a year or two. However Max Cavalera has a new band on the way, along with a new Cavalera Conspiracy album with his brother Igor. Time will tell.

October 19, 2013
Preview: Thriller A Metal Tribute To Michael Jackson
Cleopatra Records is set to release a rather interesting compilation cd on Oct. 22, 2013. Thriller: A Metal Tribute To Michael Jackson, with artists past and present on this project, I am really hoping that this is going to be a really good cover album and not a bust. I guess it all depends on the musical arrangements for each track for success, and I can’t wait to see what these artists come up with.

Although it’s labeled as “Thriller,” it is not a cover of the “Thriller” album itself, but rather many of MJ’s hits are covered instead. In fact, 13 songs are covered on the disc. I wish the Three Days Grace’s cover of “Give In To Me” made it on the cd and rounded it out at 14 tracks.

Nonpoint’s Elias Soriano is on the track “Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground).” Chris Jericho of Fozzy does a version of “Dirty Diana.” Asking Alexandria’s Donny Worsnop and Mr. Big’s Billy Sheehan are one the track “Man In The Mirror,” and the cd would not be complete without the Alien Ant Farm cover of “Smooth Criminal.”

Track Listing for Thriller : A Metal Tribute
1. Thriller – Chuck Billy ( Testament )
2. Man In The Mirror – Danny Worsnop ( Asking Alexandria) Billy Sheehan ( Mr. Big)
3. The Way You Make Me Feel – Angelo Moore (Fishbone) Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake) Rudy Sarzo (Queensryche)
4. Black Or White – Lajon Witherspoon (Sevendust) Bruce Kulick (ex-Kiss) Tony Franklin (The Firm)
5. Beat It – Pirya Panda (Diemonds) Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guns N’ Roses)
6. Billy Jean – Corey Glover (Living Colour) Phil Campbell (Moterhead)
7. Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) – Elias Soriano ( Nonpoint)
8. Rock With You – Doug Pinnick (King’s X)
9. Dirty Diana – Chris Jericho (Fozzy)
10. Bad – Paul Dianno (ex-Iron Maiden) Craig Goldy (Dio)
11. They Don’t Care About Us – Icarus Witch
12. Never Can Say Goodbye – Lonnie Jordan (War)
13. Smooth Criminal – Alien Ant Farm
October 18, 2013
Meet Your NYS Music Staff: Writer Gauraa Shekhar

Gauraa Shekhar was born in Delhi, India, but grew up on the fringe of Bollywood in Mumbai.

She spent her early years accompanying her father to television studios, reading comic books wrapped in dust-jackets of historical biographies. She has since, admittedly, been inclined to slight musical pretensions, not sure whether she likes Bob Dylan because of his music or because of his status as major poet loved by university professors and music writers.

She moved to Jakarta, Indonesia when she was eight years old, where she drummed in several pop-punk cover bands to drown her parents’ love for Bollywood hits and Springsteen songs. Her stint as musician ended in her first year of college, shortly after she sang in a Hunky Dory cover band, which she joined solely because the bassist looked like the guy from Seether.

Gauraa’s all-time, top 5 artists are Steely Dan, Elvis Costello, The Cure, Liz Phair and Big Star, but she will always have a ventricle reserved for Good Charlotte and My Chemical Romance. Her impossible musical bucket list includes Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith and other songwriters who, as Nick Hornby once wrote, “have ever had an inkling of what Jesus felt on a bad day.”

She joined NYS Music a wide eyed freshman, her first month at Syracuse University, while studying in the Bandier Program for the Music and Entertainment Industries. Though she interned for several artist management firms, PR agencies, music publishing houses and record labels, she still considers her Valentine’s day themed interview with Aaron Carter for NYSMusic the highlight of her collegiate career. She currently divides her time between New York and Mumbai. She has released her first book, Notes. Pick up a copy here.

October 18, 2013
Busy Dave Grohl getting recognized

Dave Grohl’s involvement with Swedish rockers, Ghost, was the butt of one April Fool’s prank earlier in the year, but his contributions to the Rock & Roll world may finally be rewarded with a prestigious accolade come next May.

A young Grohl as a member of Nirvana.

Wednesday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named Nirvana among a field of 16 nominees for the induction Class of 2014. Grohl was drummer for Nirvana from 1990 to 1994 (and not a mere doppleganger, as some on the Internet have observed).

“Interesting,” Grohl told Rolling Stone. “Well, hopefully they make us wait as long as Rush did.”

The field of nominees include – Nirvana, Linda Ronstadt, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, The Replacements, YES, Link Wray and The Zombies, KISS, LL Cool J, N.W.A., Cat Stevens, Deep Purple, The Meters, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and Chic.

Grohl stepped into the limelight in 1990 as part of the three-piece grunge band from Seattle. The video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” served as the proverbial trumpet blast that ushered in the grunge movement to mainstream television on MTV.

The band would ultimately disband when Kurt Cobain died four years later. Grohl, however, has remained busy. He continues to perform under Foo Fighters, a band he founded initially as a solo project. Since 1994, Foo Fighters has released eight studio albums.

Despite the huge impact Nirvana left upon the music industry (selling approximately 70 million albums as of date), Grohl’s personal resume is perhaps more impressive. He has become ever-present. Outside of Foo Fighters, Grohl has an impressive resume that includes collaborative work with Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Slash, and Iggy Pop, and Queens of the Stone Ages. He is also a man of many hats, who has taken on the duties of drummer, singer, song writer, film director and guitarist.

Last week, Ghost revealed that Grohl produced their upcoming EP, “If You Have Ghosts.” In past months, his involvement with Ghost has been speculated to go beyond that of producer.

Ghost is (in)famous for performing under shadow, of speak. The front man dons ceremonial garb akin to a Catholic cardinal., and is supported by an act dressed in dark, hooded robes, who refer to themselves collectively as “nameless ghouls.”

Ghost, in concert (Photo by: Jim Gilbert)

This past April, it was reported that Grohl admitted to being one of the nameless ghouls. With the news release reported as of April 1^st, the news was quickly debunked as a hoax; however, search engines have an uncanny ability to breath life in such things.

“If You Have Ghosts,” is scheduled for a November release.

Nirvana received a nomination for induction in it’s first year of eligibility – 20 years after the death of Cobain. The induction ceremony will be broadcast in May 2014 on HBO.

Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, continues to fight the Hall of Fame over mementos of her late husband. She reportedly slammed the Hall for their induction class back in 2000, and demanded the return of items of which she claims ownership. “I hope that no one I know is ever inducted into your idiotic ‘Hall of Fame,’” she is reported to have stated in a telegram.

Rush, the legendary rockers from Canada, were inducted into the Hall of Fame only last year, only after several years of clamoring from fans.

October 18, 2013
‘A PhanArt Poster and Pin Exhibition: Atlantic City’ Announces Lineup for November 2nd Art Show

PhanArt Exhibitions have become a part of Phish Tour for so many Phans. These shows have become a collective way of sharing their love for the Vermont foursome, outside of sharing in the groove at live shows. If you’re looking for something creative and fun to do while in Atlantic City for the Halloween Run we suggest you stop by this exhibit and support the art of Phish by Phans.

Taking place November 2nd, from 12pm-5pm at Caesar’s Atlantic City in the Tiberius/Spartacus/Romulus rooms, featuring the best Phish inspired art, including limite edition art made specifically for the show. Admission to the event is FREE. This unique art show, developed and produced by Pete Mason, will be held on the final day of Phish’s Fall Tour, ending that night at Boardwalk Hall.

The artists announced for A PhanArt Poster and Pin Exhibition: Atlantic City represent a wide array of artists from among the Phish art community. Longtime Phish artists Ryan Kerrigan, Isadora Bullock, Michael Boyer, Jiggs, Jeff Nesbit and Pompeii Prints are all familiar names with fans from past poster art shows. Each will have a large portfolio of current and past concert poster art to exhibit from a wide range of musical acts. Erin Cadigan, an artist from Woodstock, NY, will be featuring her art, posters and clothing line THREE.

Joining the show for the first time is Setlist Tees, a line of shirts created by Ryan Stanley that feature fan-requested setlists with unique designs for each show. Pin makers and artists Matthew Jurcic of 10 Minute Tube Designs, Adam Davidoff of Phishcoins, Jack Firestone of Party Time Pins, Noah Phence, Adrian Sharpe of stuPINdous Creations, Ant Pharms Tour Pins and Designs, Cactus Bomb Designs/Tweezburger, Pin me Down, Brian Zuckerberg and Stuphph & Things will all feature their ever-popular pin series and designs, as well as other items made specifically for the Atlantic City shows.

The second round of artists slated to exhibit at Caesars on November 2^nd include poster artist Bruce Horan, photographer Mike Geller who will be on hand exhibiting his concert photography, while the art of Ian Millard and art from Like Minded Productions will be available for sale. Pin makers include Phanbadge, Terra-Pins and Gowy Gear, as well as MYFE. Designs, who will be releasing brand new limited edition pieces as well as rare, sold out items.

Throughout the event, Show of Life will be streaming live the first ever Phantiques Road Show! Fans are encouraged to bring their collectible art to be reviewed by a panel of expert curators who will be on site for appraisal. Fans are encouraged to participate in a silent auction in person at the show or live from couch tour, making for an interactive feature to “A PhanArt Poster and Pin Exhibition: Atlantic City.”

Non-profits include The Mockingbird Foundation, which has given grants for music education totaling more than $700,000 over the past 15 years, and PhanArt, a book and website created as a way to showcase the art made by Phish fans, raising money for The Mockingbird Foundation through donations from artists and fans, totaling over $11,000 since 2009.

Phish Art shows have been held since 2003 with great success. Unique posters, pins, shirts, stickers and much more are made for Phish shows, making “A PhanArt Poster and Pin Exhibition: Atlantic City” a must-attend event during Phish tour. Produced by Pete Mason, founder of PhanArt and author of PhanArt: The Art of the Fans of Phish, the art exhibition represents a continued effort to promote and exhibit original and unique concert art from a wide variety of artists. The eclectic artists featured at this event show the broad scope of Phish related art and capture the inspiration of the band in their art. Phish’s creative fan base makes amazing art inspired by the band, their music and the locales they play.

In keeping with the great tradition and success of past poster shows, “A PhanArt Poster and Pin Exhibition: Atlantic City” will offer free entry to all patrons and tubes available for purchase. Charitable donations from the event will be made to The Mockingbird Foundation, as well as a wide array of artists featuring posters to fit any budget. More artists will be announced in mid-October, as well as special edition works only available at the show, which will be available for viewing shortly thereafter at www.phanart.net.

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October 18, 2013
Chris Trapper at Syracuse Jazz Central, October 11th

Every once in awhile you see a show that just evokes blithesome emotion within you. Chris Trapper’s performances accomplish just this for his audiences. Embarking on his fall tour, Chris Trapper made a stop to Jazz Central, located at 441 East Washington Street in Syracuse, to share his talents with the Central New York region before heading out to numerous major cities such as NYC, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Minneapolis, Chicago, Madison, and Duluth.

Jazz Central

Opening for Chris was multi-talented newcomer Ariel Strasser. Ariel, a singer and songwriter hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota had the opportunity to grow up in a musical family. Her love of music extended to become her focus at Boston Conservatory where she concentrated on musical songwriting. Her talent in songwriting was apparent immediately as she began to belt out songs soon to be released on her new album Crooked Line. This petite young lady with such a strong voice and melodic sound, blew the audience away. She is one artist to keep tabs as on, as her career unfolds. Give a listen to her debut CD.

Ariel Strasser

Chris Trapper, a member of the band The Push Stars, has quite the resume of musical talent. As a teenager, Chris, like many of us do, used music as a creative outlet. Chris picked up a guitar at the age of 13 and taught himself how to play. In addition to being self taught, he also began his career at this time as a talented songwriter. Chris is humble and doesn’t like to pat himself on the back for his talent in songwriting, but he deserves these accolades as many of us have heard his songs throughout the years in a number of films and television. In 2008 his song “This Time” was featured in the film August Rush and was nominated for a Grammy. His songwriting ability has been featured in other movies such The Devil Wears Prada, There’s Something About Mary, Say It Isn’t So, and Gun Shy. In the event you don’t catch films very often, you can always catch his music on television shows such as All My Children, Malcolm In the Middle, ER, Rescue Me, or television movies such as The Elevator Girl, to just name a few. His songs have been performed by the likes of such acts as The Great Big Sea, Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, and Antigone Rising.

Chris Trapper

His live show is, however, much more than just a performance. He develops a relationship with the audience and he shares his songs not only by performing them, but also by narrating the message behind the music. This ability of storytelling and humor he shares gives you an ownership in the song you may never have had by just listening to it on your own. Examples that come to mind are the comical story of the frat house party he arrived late to in which he was the only sober being in the house at the time was the basis of the song “Drunk Is Better Than Dead”, or the song “Skin”, which tells how easy it is to write songs about falling in love, but a real accomplishment of staying in love is what it’s all about . Yes, we all adapt music to fit whatever situation it may pertain to us, but by sharing his innermost thoughts on the songs allowed the audience to embrace his songwriting skills on an entirely different level by getting to know him better.

Chris Trapper

By the end of the night, the audience joined in the final number “Keg On My Coffin” as though they were all celebrating his life till the end. For a peak into what you are in store for at a Chris Trapper performance please check out his site and see Chris in action with his audience performing “Keg On My Coffin”.

As Chris narrates throughout the show, one story he told resonated within. He claimed to wonder and envy what it feels like to achieve “Bliss”. Bliss being defined as complete happiness within one self and ones life. I believe the audience achieved this “Bliss” throughout the night. Chris’s achievement is sharing his love of songwriting and music with each and everyone he comes in contact with demonstrates this perfectly. This my friend is a gift, and in this is Bliss.

October 17, 2013
5th Annual Aura Music & Arts Festival Announces Pre-Party

AURA Music & Arts Festival has announced their first official onsite pre-party in their five year history. Kicking things off on Thursday, February 13^th, fans are invited to get settled in at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP) a night early and enjoy music from three of Florida’s finest bands in the scene – The Heavy Pets, Greenhouse Lounge and The Funky Nuggets. Tickets are available for $30 and include camping, music and all fees.

The official festival, taking place February 14^th – 16^th, 2014 features Lotus, Papadosio, Conspirator, Zoogma, The Werks, Marco Benevento, Mike Dillon Band, Kung Fu, Dopapod, The Heavy Pets, Superhuman Happiness, Brock Butler, Jimkata and more. A limited number of tickets are still available now for $125 but prices will increase soon.

Since its humble beginnings in Brooksville, FL, AURA has become one of the premiere multi-day boutique music events in the Southeast US, attracting fans from around the country. Now comfortably at home at the famed SOSMP, AURA comes to life in the midst of 800 acres of Spanish moss-draped oak and cypress trees along the Suwannee River and utilizes one of the most beautiful natural amphitheaters in the country only made more awe-inspiring by AURA’s attention to sound and lighting production. As always, AURA 5 will feature live painters, an interactive arts village, craft and food vendors, yoga & meditation, and inspiring transformational workshops.

Stay tuned for additional details and artist announcements. To join the wait list for cabins, golf cart rentals and RV hook-ups, please contact SOSMP at 386.364.1683.

Initial AURA 5 Artist Line-Up: Lotus (two nights) • Papadosio (two nights) • Conspirator • Zoogma • The Werks (two nights) • Marco Benevento • Mike Dillon Band • Kung Fu (two nights) • Dopapod (two nights) • The Heavy Pets • Superhuman Happiness • Start Making Sense: A Tribute to The Talking Heads • COPE • Juno What?! • Twiddle • Jimkata • Brock Butler • The Resolvers • Pigeons Playing Ping Pong • Polyester Pimpstrap

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October 17, 2013