When .38 Special performed at Turning Stone’s Showroom on November 14, I remembered what made them great when their songs aired on the radio in the 1980’s. Their heartfelt lyrics powered by strong vocals on top of plain-old, good-quality Southern style rock is pretty much the definition of .38 Special. No surprises there – they lived up to expectations.
What was surprising was the energy that went into their performance. .38 Special was formed the same year I was born. So, when I see performers who were in their peak when I was an infant, I’m pretty impressed when they rock it out. These guys took very few breaks all night, and the music may have stopped two or three times at most during their set. The sound simply rolled, Southern style, from one song to another.
The other impressive thing was that these guys were happy on stage. More than once I saw a look of ecstasy on Don Barnes’ face during a particularly intense guitar riff. All the members of the band seemed to enjoy themselves; they offered genuine smiles to each other while performing and attempted sincere connections with the crowd. It was clear that the members of .38 Special were at home, at peace, and totally content on stage.
Although they are currently (and likely permanently) performing without founding member Donnie Van Zant, I still felt that their music was very much together: the band worked well off each other. True to Southern Rock, the lack of competing instruments and vocals makes everything just flow together.
As usual, the Showroom’s classy atmosphere allowed for great seating with a good view of the stage. This venue can handle a wide variety of performances, and while I love dramatic performances, what was refreshing about .38 Special was that their show was all about the music. I suppose that is what has kept this group together for 40 years.
Blues Traveler brought an energetic and phenomenal show to Upstate Concert Hall on November 21, 2013. Blues Traveler has come back with a vengence, tossing away their reputation as a 90’s pop band and truly exploring their capabilities within their jams through each facet of their ensemble.
John Popper has always brought a fresh and eccentric level of talent that extends the complexities of each song far beyond any 90’s pop band ever could. The band opened with an absolutely mind blowing take on the Charlie Daniels’ Band’s original “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” John Popper mimicked the explosive fiddle solos with his collection of harmonicas which he played furiously along with the rest of the band.
The band played off of each other all night, slipping into more folky, slow jams and moving back into full on rock and roll solos carried by guitar. At one point they busted into a rendition of Sublime’s “What I Got” which had the packed venue singing and dancing with the classic tune. Of course the night was also filled with Blues Traveler’s classics such as “But Anyway,” “Hook” and “Run Around” all of which were almost perfectly performed and had the crowd dancing and singing along to every word. “But Anyway” held a mind-blowing drum solo that showed that the capabilities of Blues Traveler as a band were expansive. From start to finish, Blues Traveler kept the energy high and the crowd dancing. Upstate New York is definitely looking forward to the return of this timeless and talented band.
Syracuse was the last stop on Pop Evil’s most recent tour, which ended on Sunday, November 24.
95X turned the band’s final show into an all-day event that began with a private acoustic performance and finished with Pop Evil’s grand finale after a four-band rock show.
Pop Evil’s lead, Leigh Kakaty, and guitarist, Nick Fuelling, arrived at Revolutions (Destiny USA) to meet, greet, and perform for a small group of lucky contest winners. 95X awarded 10 winners (plus their guests) the opportunity to watch Kakaty and Fuelling perform a couple acoustic songs. The quiet performance of “Torn to Pieces” and “Monster You Made” were enhanced by some light commentary. Leigh explained that he wrote “Torn to Pieces” after the death of his father. It was not intended to become a Pop Evil song, but according to Kakaty, the band was so supportive of it that they included it on their newest album, Onyx, and are now regularly performing it. Kakaty encouraged the small group to sing along to “Monster You Made”, from the 2010 album, War of Angels, sharing that it’s “amazing to see fans singing your songs back to you.”
Kakaty and Fuelling accepted some questions from the group before food was served — and, given that it was football Sunday — most of the talk turned to sports. Kakaty referred to Sundays at home as “Michigan blue-collar brutality” because Detroit Lions fans have had to repeatedly endure constant losses.
After Kakaty and Fuelling left the stage they socialized and had photos taken with the guests. The private affair culminated with a bowling match between the band members and the ultimate contest winner.
After bowling, we sat down with Joshua “Chachi Riot” Marunde, Pop Evil’s energetic drummer, he is reminiscent of the famous Muppet drummer, Animal. Marunde has contributed a lot to the band’s stage presence and attraction. It was Chachi’s “insane” drumming that kept my focus on the band at Rock on the Range back in May (2013). Unlike many other drummers, Chachi is not content sitting in the background. He is actively involved in the entire performance. He prefers to stand while drumming and only sits when he has to use his feet to work. He hammers his head as forcefully as he beats the drums, makes gestures, and (even though he doesn’t have a mic) sings along to every song. His madness is intoxicating and while all the members of Pop Evil are energetic performers, Chachi is a RIOT to watch. Needless to say, I was eager to meet him. In addition to being very down to earth, he is also very articulate and super motivated. He shared with us that the band is a very tight unit, working really hard to “make it” in the rock ‘n roll scene. Their hard work is paying off though; when “Trenches” hit #1 on the Rock Charts in June (2013) while they were touring in Nebraska, the band tour manager, Chris Iteen, suggested the band take an uncharacteristic break and celebrate with a night of karaoke. Upstate Metal asked about Pop Evil’s future and Chachi was about bursting at the seams because of their 2014 plans, but couldn’t share (yet). Instead, he encouraged us to keep a close eye out for an upcoming announcement.
<Since the interview last week we found out the big news is an upcoming tour with Stone Sour.>
After leaving Chachi and the rest of Pop Evil to get ready for their show, we went to The Westcott Theater near Syracuse University. Built in 1919 as a cinema, The Westcott was retrofitted into a live music venue in 2008. The small venue hosted four bands, starting with local band, Pacinello , followed by The Letter Black, then Eve To Adam and finally Black Oxygen before Pop Evil took the stage around 10:30.
Despite the “late” hour on a snowy Sunday, the crowd was pumped up and ready to take in the Pop Evil experience. The fans who had been spread throughout the venue crunched in to the stage to get a closer look when PopEvil opened with “Deal with the Devil”, currently playing on Sirius’s Octane and local rock stations like 95X. I loved their clean and simple stage set, which allowed us to focus on the performers (I especially loved that that drum kit was elevated to get a better view of Chachi Riot’s raving performance). Next up on the set list was the song that sold me in Ohio, “Hero”, then 12 more songs before they rejuvenated the group with a partial cover of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”.
You might have expected after a long tour for the band to drag a little. Not Pop Evil. They gave the same energy and quality to the couple hundred at the Westcott in late November as they did to tens of thousands at Rock on the Range in May. The band has often said that their songs are meant to send a message to their fans; one of inspiration. Many of their songs deal with loss, failure and (here’s the message) working hard to overcome adversity. Their final song, “Trenches”, speaks to just that, and Pop Evil gave it everything they had. The band left the stage expressing gratitude to 95X for supporting them, and to the fans for being a part of the tour’s last show.
After their short 10 day break, Pop Evil will pick up the pace once again with at least 11 shows scheduled in the Midwest in December.
Set List: Deal with the Devil, Hero, Flawed, Somebody Like You, 100 in a 55, Torn to Pieces, Goodbye My Friend, Sick Sense, Boss’s Daughter, Divide, Behind Closed Doors, Monster You Made, Last Man Standing, partial cover of Eye of the Tiger, and Trenches
It’s been 36 years since Lita Ford and Cherie Currie recorded new music together as members of the legendary all-female rock band, the Runaways.
Two of the most influential women in Rock and Roll have reunited in 2013 for a special holiday song. Ford has partnered up with her former Runaways band mate for what is sure to be a new Christmas Classic. The song “Rock This Christmas Down” was released today on iTunes.
“I thought the world could use a new Christmas song,” said Ford. “The song was Written by Mitch Perry, my guitarist and Michael Dan Ehmig, my lyricist, along with Marty O’Brien on bass, and Rodger Carter on drums. We so rocked it!”
While plans had gone underway for the song, Ford admits that she was not fully aware of the details of the reunion.
“What I didn’t know is that I’d be singing it as a duet with my long lost sister, CHERIE CURRIE,” she said. “I am blessed to have her back in my life, and what an appropriate time and song to rehash an old friendship. CHRISTMAS!!!
“Currie hopped a plane from Chicago to L.A., and drove straight to the studio and threw down her vocal track on this rocking song! Needless to say, it was magic and history in the making. We were left with such a smoking track for everyone to hear, every Christmas, every year! Let’s ROCK THIS CHRISTMAS DOWN!!!””
Currie is equally as excited about the song’s release, but moreso about being reunited with Ford.
“I have dreamed, literally, of seeing Lita again for over three decades,” she said. “Even after all that time I still thought of her often. The Runaways was something that was always left unfinished to me. Especially when it came to Lita, but I only knew her as a child. What floored me more than the unbelievable gift of working with her again was the woman she had become. She is the bravest, kindest, strongest, most loving human being I have met.
“Lita asking me to be a part of this amazing song and a part of her astonishing life has filled that void, that hole I had in my heart that maybe we both shared. It is now filled with love, support and admiration for a dear and wonderful friend whom I am so proud to say is LITA FORD.”
Currie believes that, despite all the years, the new song captures the essence of their band which also included Joan Jett.
“Rock This Christmas Down” has the flare of our Runaways legacy,” she said. “But its pure Lita. It rocks like only she can. We took a dim, negative and unfinished past and turned it into a positive future. It doesn’t get any better than that. I know this will be the best Christmas I have had in decades. Thank you sister!”
When Turning Stone announced that Pat Benatar was going to be in the Showroom in November, it was a guaranteed sold-out show. The nearly yearly run through Upstate New York brought out droves of short-haired pixie cut women reliving their rebellious younger years through the musician that gave them the power to tell the world that collectively, “We Belong”.
Pat Benatar and her husband (and business partner) for nearly 35 years, Neil “Spider” Giraldo, rocked the showroom despite being very sick. Pat took short breaks to head toward the back of the stage to get a drink or clear her throat. In the spotlight though you could barely tell that the legend was under the weather. She gave it her all and the crowd was more than pleased.
When Neil and Pat invited the crowd to ask questions, it gave Pat an opportunity to rest her voice as Spider answered most of the questions. From there she belted out some of her biggest hits, “We Belong” and the anti-child abuse anthem “Hell is for Children”. With being sick, the crowd seemed surprised and so pleased that Pat did the whole set and didn’t cut anything short. Amazing energy and a promise to return next year for a special 35th Anniversary tour – who could ask for anything more?
Setlist: All Fired Up, Invincible, So Sincere, If You Think You Know How to Love Me (Smokie cover), River of Love, Promises in the Dark, Q&A, We Belong, Hell Is for Children, You Better Run, Hit Me with Your Best Shot, Love Is a Battlefield, Everybody Lay Down, Let’s Stay Together, Heartbreaker / Ring of Fire
Listening to Lucky33 is like a day at the California beach. Sun shining, the salty sea breeze hitting you in the face, bombing down the concrete half-pipe and your hair whipping behind you. Lucky33 is a four-piece punk band that hails from central New York, calling both Syracuse and Oswego home. They advertise a blend of old-school punk with an indie feel to create “our distinct sound.” Upstate Metal’s own Steve Strader recently had the honor of chatting with the band’s bassist, Jared “Red”.
So how long have you cats been around?
“After a few line up changes, L33 as it is today has been together since April of 2011.”
Any side projects or past projects?
“Duff (lead guitarist) does all kinds of acoustic covers and posts them on YouTube and Facebook. One of his most popular ones is a Drake song. (Laughs). I’ve played in a bunch of bands. I’m much older than the other guys in the band. I started out in the ska/punk band Ill Nature, then the funkcore band Lost Soul Division in the ’90s and early 2000s. After that, I played in the metal band Adiel and most recently – before L33 – Damaged In Transit. While I was in DIT, I met Dustin while playing a show together at the Lost Horizon. He was in The Black Lockets. I eventually joined TBL while still in DIT, while they looked for a full time bass player. Shortly after that, Dustin left the Lockets and I left DIT. Dustin, Duff and Kyle all went to school together. They had started Lucky33 and I joined shortly after that.
So what band is your favorite?
“By far mine is L33, and I know the other guys agree! I’ve never been in a band with guys like this! We have great chemistry and energy. We get along great and we’re best buds outside of the band. The song writing is very easy and comes quick. Usually Duff writes something on the acoustic and brings it to us and we go from there. That kid can write a catchy song! After playing for over 15 years, I’m enjoying playing more than I ever have.”
How’s the pro-bono new logo coming along?
“(Laughs.) We got a few people making some. I was only half serious, [I did it} more to get people conversing with us.”
How’s the Guitar Center “Get Out of the Garage” contest coming along?
“It ended a while back, did it to get more exposure basically.”
If L33 were to be sponsored by a guitar company who would it be?
“Gibson, hands down.”
Anything coming out of the L33 compound we should be looking forward to?
“We’re going to start recording a full length [album] this winter, so keep a look out for that! Hopefully some merch, once the logo is done. We’re gonna hit up the guys in SRT to do the shirts. Tons of shows for the New Year, I’d like to do a split EP with our bro’s in High Dive Horse.”
Any last words?
“You rock Stevo! Thanks for the interview and the support. See you in January for the Entropy show.”
For more information on the band, go visit their Facebook account.
Blue Stream Productions (BSP) an Upstate New York based artist management agency, has announced a partnership with Nietzsche’s located at 248 Allen St. in Buffalo, NY.
BSP will start promoting and presenting a few shows a month at the hallowed musical venue that has hosted thousands of top notch shows over the past 30 years. BSP president/founder Josh Holtzman will be handling the bookings and plans to bring tons of great music and up and coming talent to the Western, NY region.
Nietzche’s is open daily from 12 Noon – 4AM with live music every night. Parking is limited to the street, but taking public transit to the venue is a breeze.
will keep you informed of these shows as they are announced. Blue Stream’s artist roster currently includes Buffalo’s Aqueous and Rochester’s Ocupanther.
Keyboardist Marco Benevento has been a creative force for quite some time. From playing with Joe Russo in “The Duo” to playing with Mike Gordon, Trey Anastasio, and Russo in GRAB, and sitting in with many legends over the years, Marco is no stranger to impressing audiences with his signature sound. Playing his Hammond B3 and Wurlitzer electric piano, he has made a name for himself as one of the best keyboardists around today. This tour he is changing it up though and using a 63 key acoustic piano and a Synth to make endless loops that are sure to wow the crowd. His latest release Tigerface has been getting rave reviews throughout the year as he has been touring non-stop behind it. I had a chance to Interview with Marco Benevento about the upcoming Albany show as well as other topics:
Bryan Lasky: Looking back on the year as a whole, it seems like you have played everywhere under the sun. Do you have a favorite moment from a festival or a show?
Marco Benevento: Pickathon was a great festival out in Oregon just outside of Portland. There was a wide varitey of music. In the same weekend I saw Feist, Andrew Bird, some band that led a huge square dance and a great band that played some old 70’s soul music. And our band wound up in the new Pixies video because the film maker loved our set!
BL: What has it meant to your music to be able to play with Dave Dreiwitz and Andy Borger for a long time now? Has it changed your writing process? Is it more collaborative?
MB: We really just have a band vibe now. The live show is unstoppable right now too. I feel like we can throw curve balls left and right at each other and wind up with some nice surprises in our show. I’ve been doing the all of the songwriting, but everyone chimes in with there own unique taste and approach to the songs.
BL: You also played with many other artists and groups, such as The M & M’s at Equifunk, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD), Bustle in your Hedgerow a number of time celebrating the 10th anniversary of playing together, and various other projects. How does working with all of these other musicians shape your current work?
MB: It’s just nice to have variety. It’s also nice to dive into specific bands and learn a lot of their music. Because of JRAD I now know about 20 or more Dead tunes and because of Bustle I know about 40 Zep tunes and with all of the Levon tributes I know about 40 Band tunes too! It’s important to learn those timeless tunes and to find out what the formula is that makes it timeless!
BL: Lately it seems you’ve been incorporating more lyrics into your songs. What made you go into that direction?
MB: Good question….I have no idea! Although, I can say that it feels like a very natural progression for me. It started with syllable singing to some of the melodies that I wrote. “This Is How It Goes” from TigerFace was a tune that really brought it out I think. At first my wife, myself and some friends sang and recorded the melody to “This Is How It Goes,” then months later I thought I should have one person sing it and Kal (Traver, of Rubblebucket) came to mind because I’ve always loved the sound of her voice. After actually hearing my tune with a vocalist singing the melody instead of the piano playing the melody I feel like a new door opened.
BL: Have you, Andy, and Dave been recording as a band? Can we expect a release in the coming year?
MB: We are recording in March with an incredible engineer and musician named Richard Swift. He’s now the keyboardist in The Shins and has recorded and collaborated with some incredible musicians that have been inspiring me lately such as Dan Auerbach and Foxygen. Hopefully we’ll have a new record out in the Fall of 2014.
BL: At Red Square in Albany this past June, you said you love the room and would like to do a month residency there at some point. Any news on that front?
MB: Yes!!! The news is that we’re going to do it!!!!!!!! We’re going to take a vote at our gig (on Dec. 7th) and see which month wins!!!
BL: Scott Metzger is opening for you with WOLF! on December 7. What can you tell the fans about them
MB: Incredibly tasteful!!!!!!!!!! I love touring with those guys I feel like it’s a great musical pairing for the night.
This Saturday night is sure to be a great show. Get there in time to see Scott Metzger with WOLF! and then be ready to dance early into the morning with Marco. Tickets available now at Redsquare.
What do you get when you mix glam, sex, blonde bombshell Maria Brink, and perfect choreography with a drum beat that alters your heartbeat, screaming guitars, and voices full of power? You get heavy metal that’s not only awesome to listen to but one hell of a performance.
On November 10th, the Best Buy Theater near Times Square welcomed a couple thousand metal-heads for The Hellpop Tour. The venue, originally the Astor Plaza movie theater, was designed to easily move people. The only lines that existed were those that were formed by the fans waiting for the doors to open – once inside, getting drinks, visiting the restroom, and even checking out merch were super easy. Oh, and it had some pretty classy features, like the glass chandeliers – check them out if you go.
All Hail the Yeti stepped on stage first, offering intense and loud vocals, synchronized head banging, and drums that seemed to take control of my heartbeat. Up next was Kyng — although the vocals were harsh in the beginning, they sounded great in the end and the crowd was really impressed when they sincerely thanked their family for their support. Motionless in White was up next; this group, as always, drew tons of fans with their Gothic image and great sound. In addition to all three bands fitting perfectly into the typical heavy metal persona, they all noted, with surprise, how QUIET the NYC crowd was.
That all changed once In This Moment appeared on stage – as it should have. The music was awesome; on top of the totally synced metal, the vocals were powerful, and the lyrics were pretty commanding too. Unlike the three bands before them, In This Moment, is NOT your typical metal band. Their show is all about their lead, Maria Brink, and her very theatrical production. It is REALLY hard see/hear past the performance though. When you have two sexy dancers writhing next to the super hot Brink for 75 minutes, you do not want to focus on anything else.
The crowd loved the set list; most songs came from the last two albums, A Star Crossed Wasteland and Blood. But they were just as excited when the band performed their “old school” stuff from 2006. The Nine Inch Nails cover of “Closer” was pretty perfect. Seems appropriate to pair this song, which is all about raw animal sex, with the heavy metal band that is totally playing on the female sexy. I only wonder why Brink kept the “Closer” lyrics PG-13? Why say “I wanna LOVE you like an animal” when “fuck” is used pretty loosely the rest of the night? That aside, it was a great cover.
In This Moment finished their captivating performance with “Whore”, then “Blood” for their encore. After that, the 2,000 metal heads “quietly” (and without waiting in line) made their way above ground to the Times Square lights.
Rochester New York’s Ocupanther has had a big year. Between their critically acclaimed spring 2013 release Progressor and multiple appearances with some major league artists, including Marco Benevento, Schleigho, The Grandmothers of Invention, Jimkata, Twiddle and more, the band is gaining some well deserved traction in the music loving community.
They will bring this buzz and their own unique brand of progressive filthy funk psychedelia to the Dub Land Underground for a free two set hometown show. December 6th, 18+ 10PM FREE (surcharge for under 21). Mark your calenders now, this show is not to be missed!
