NYS Music 20​13

Tag: Conehead Buddha

  • Conehead Buddha and Funktapuss Lay it on Thick in Buffalo

    Funktapuss-ConeheadBuddhaA little cold weather and snow has never gotten in the way of a Buffalonian’s plans. On Saturday, November 23rd, the city experienced the first bitter cold temperatures of the year, but that didn’t stop the funk fanatics of the Queen City. Conehead Buddha and Funktapuss were in town and Nietzsche’s was packed with eager fans that fought the elements just to check these two out.

    With Conehead headlining the show, Funktapuss kicked things off with their soulful/bluesy style of funk. The five-piece from Cape Cod opened their set with a new song titled, “Unmistaken Reality.” While it started off like a slow rolling funk current, it really opened up as Ryan Tivey took the night’s first solo on sax and got the crowd buzzing. The end of the song had a heavy feel to it, similar to Lettuce’s brand of funk, and will keep me Googling the song name waiting for its official release. The band kept the pace after that, but really hit their stride on an old school/new school, back to back, funk history lesson. The guys took on a classic, covering Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground”. Lead singer Latez Crawley’s voice shined with a couple of fans drawing comparisons to James Brown. From there, they went into a cover of the Lettuce song, “Do It Like You Do”, showcasing the bands tight control of rhythm and wrapping up the history lesson.

    As the set progressed, the band played songs off of their self-titled album as well as some other fitting covers. Brian Vanderbeek’s virtuosic bass opening to “Shakey Ground” was Wooten-esque and only reinforced why this guy should be known worldwide for what he can do with his instrument. It would be an insult to say he’s one of the best up and coming bassists as his skills are on par with all of the top names we’re familiar with. The band kept the funk pumping all night, only stopping briefly in between songs to really pack their set. Besides the opener, the group played two other new songs, “February” and “Soul Specific”. The three new songs as a whole were delivered with rhythmic precision and illustrated how Funktapuss is continuing to evolve their sound. Whereas their first album rode the soulful side of funk, the new album might see them kicking things up a gear as the three newbies on Saturday were simply incessant. To cap off their set, the group threw in one last cover, Tower of Power’s “What Is Hip”. This is a staple of theirs and the group absolutely nails it every time. Brian Vanderbeek’s heavy bass on the closer really drove the set home and had the entire crowd dancing to the throwback. With the band still relatively new, there was a resounding buzz in the crowd preceding the performance, wondering who these guys were and where they came from. This band is due to break out anytime now, and with every show it seems they’re gaining more and more momentum.

    Setlist: Unmistaken Reality > I Got to Groove > I Know > Higher Ground > Do It Like You Do > Lesson > Shakey Ground > Threadin’ the Needle > The Truth > Go If You’re Gone > February > Night Life > Soul Specific > What Is Hip

    Conehead Buddha took the stage next to keep the crowd moving. There was a lot of anticipation for these guys, which wasn’t surprising though as their blend of influences results in a feel-good vibe that anyone could dance to. The appropriately titled, “Aint No Better Way,” was the perfect way to start off the set. The high energy of the song immediately had people smiling and grooving around the dance floor, setting the tone for the remainder of the night. The stage was just as packed as the dance floor with the eight-piece band settling in to Nietzsche’s cozy stage. As the Latin rhythms carried in “Cielo Drive,” more and more of the crowd began to join in, coaxed from the outskirts of the club. The show was in full swing now and it seemed like Conehead had full control over its momentum. Mid-set approached and the band slowed things down with “Fly on Your Bedroom Wall.” The reggae feel was the perfect break to all of the energy that preceded it. The highlight of the night though, was during their song “Rockets,” as guitarist Justin Cross came out of nowhere and electrified the crowd. Up to that point, he was just blending in and contributing to the great feel, knowing all along he was going to blind side everyone in attendance. The solo lasted almost four minutes and showcased his chops while proving he had the control to hide it up until that point. For any musician, it’s a skill to know when to take the lead, but even more of one to show restraint. His surprise attack easily topped the night and left the crowd begging for more. These guys have been around the block a few times and tricks like this only reinforce that. They closed the night with an encore of “Safety in Numbers”, leaving all sweating and looking forward to the cold air. The walk back to the car was a welcomed one and definitely not requiring the jacket in tow.

    Setlist: Aint No Better Way > Mind the Question > Cielo Drive > Forget Me Not > Fly on Your Bedroom Wall > Crumbs > My Way > Wear You Down > Rockets > Vinnie > My Side of the Story > Present Perfect > Shades of Green

    Encore: Safety in Numbers

  • moe. Rocks The Palace Theatre & Rings In The New Year With Special Guests

    Albany’s Palace Theatre welcomes rock band moe. for a two night New Year’s Eve run! Eastbound Jesus, a northern rock band from Greenwich, New York, will accompany them on December 30th, and the talented horn section of 90’s jam band Conehead Buddha will join them on stage for a full set on the 31st.

    moe.nye

    The members of Conehead Buddha are long-time friends of moe. and joined them at their festival in Turin, NY this past August. This band has been around since the 90’s, when ska became popular in the U.S. For anyone who does not know them, their album Rockets is well known among ska fans, putting them in the same realm as Sublime musically. After taking a small break from touring, this band has found their second wind, and has again been taking crowds in the North East on a ride. No set list necessary, this band “feels out the scene” and plays a show that is well-suited for almost any kind of crowd. The horn section consists of Shaun Bazylewicz on trombone, Terry Lynch on trumpet, Shannon Lynch on saxophone and flute. These musicians have an upbeat, talented style that allows them to sit in successfully with bands over a multitude of genres.

    New Year’s Eve with moe. is sure to be a lively, rockin’ way to spend the New Year. Check out the energy in our state’s capital and celebrate the New Year with the talents of New York’s finest. Come get down with the moe.rons!

  • A Mix of Old School and New, Funktapuss Brings a Fresh Take on Funk to Buffalo

    Funk has been evolving since the mid-60’s and has seen several iterations gain widespread popularity over its history. The genre’s rhythmic focus and ability to make people dance have been common denominators though since its inception. Fast forward to today, and while funk may not be as prevalent and popular as it once was, new bands are emerging who are helping to revive its infectious groove for the next generation of listeners.

    IMG_8011

    Widely known in their home turf of Cape Cod, Funktapuss is one of those up and coming bands that are beginning to make a name for themselves. For being relatively unknown, the five piece surprises most new listeners with their high level of talent and experience. Bassist Brian Vanderbeek was mentored by Victor Wooten, who is known as one of the best bassists in the world. Beek says, “I have been down to study with Vic three or four times since 2005. He holds camps outside of Nashville and has been a huge influence on me since I can remember. I also do regular Skype lessons with Vic’s second bass player, Anthony Wellington.” The talent doesn’t just end there as keyboard/sax player Ryan Tivey and drummer Chris Santos are both graduates of the Berklee College of Music, one of the most prestigious music colleges in the world. The three went to high school together as well and share a sixteen-year musical connection that directly translates to their tightly executed sound. Rounding out the five piece is guitarist Tom Davis and singer Latez Crawley, who add a bluesy, soulful touch to the overall funky sound. The band’s unmistakable drive has them typically playing up to seven gigs a week when they’re not touring. It’s that experience paired with their deep understanding of music that allows them to satisfy any crowd. They can simultaneously pull off something technical and intricate while still keeping a crowd dancing to their feel-good sound.

    The band currently has a self-titled first release out which was recorded about a year ago. The album features seven songs that require little intervention as it’s one of those you end up listening to from start to finish. The opening song immediately gets your feet moving and doesn’t let up until it ends with the anthemic “Live, Love, Be Funky”. The balance they strike is calculated down to the beat with each member knowing when to compliment and when to lead. If you’re able to close your eyes and pick out what they’re individually playing, you’ll stumble upon treats like Beek’s bass runs and Chris Santos’ ability to accent an easy beat with difficult, but tasteful, rhythmic patterns. You can hear a wide array of historic influences in their sound from Stevie Wonder and James Brown to Prince and Bill Withers. The ties to those influences doesn’t just end at their sound either, as Victor Wooten was the inspiration for the band’s name. The album cover for Victor Wooten’s album, Soul Circus, is titled Funktapuss and the band was given the okay from the bassist himself to use it.

    Saturday, November 23rd, Funktapuss is joining forces with seasoned jammers Conehead Buddha for a show at Nietzsche’s in Buffalo. Opening the night is a local collaboration of musicians known as Ben Whelan Your Mom and the Reach Arounds. Conehead Buddha has their roots in Albany and was part of the 90’s jam scene that was thriving in New York State at the time. After a long hiatus, the band has recently gotten back together and picking up where they left off. The intimate venue will be the perfect atmosphere to get down and dance to a night packed with good music.

    As of late, Funktapuss has hit an inspired peak and is riding that momentum towards a new album slated for release in early 2014. Guitarist Tom Davis talks about how it’s been progressing, saying, “It’s been a very productive time for us creatively. Every time we get together, we end up writing a song and there’s just a lot of ideas floating around.” Their hard work and proven ability makes the next evolution of Funktapuss a highly anticipated release going into the new year. Also in 2014, the band is planning on touring more extensively than they ever have as well as jumping on the festival circuit. This next year might be new ground for the budding band, but catch them now before their veteran sound provides a catalyst to new success.

  • Another Happy Weekend in moe.ville

    Now in its fourteenth consecutive year, the moe.down music festival has comfortably settled back into its original home at Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin, NY. Once again, moe.ville will be alive as fans get down to a dozen bands, including hosts moe.

    For the past few years, moe. has been experimenting with new formulas; the attempted change in location (Gelston Castle in Mohawk, NY) for #11 & #12 was a major disappointment to most, but the weekend change from Labor Day weekend to mid-August seems to be accepted by the majority. This year was their first attempt at a VIP upgrade ticket option, which offered a fenced-off section a few hundred feet back from the stage and off to the side, containing its own beer tent, porta-potties, and covered seating area. It also allowed for earlier entry to the site on Thursday, including a pre-festival show and moe. soundcheck, while general campers were still forced to stay in line with their car until the next morning.

    moe.ville
    Photo by Krest Winchester

    Thursday night into Friday was gloomy and drizzling rain. This is not unfamiliar territory for the dedicated, experienced moe.ron; on Labor Day weekend in years past it was not unusual to have oppressively high 90s heat, pouring rain, or even snow. As usual, the crowd in line Thursday night showed their excitement for the festival by partying all night long, sometimes alongside the nicer of the two groups of security hired for the weekend. Gates opened around 8:30 am Friday morning, and everyone scurried to their favorite campsites with tarps to hold their spot while taking the multiple trips required to cart their weekend’s worth of belongings from the parking lot. Music didn’t start Friday until 4:30 pm, allowing plenty of time for set up and even a nap. The weather gods were in sync with moe. this year, and the rain stopped just before Pennyshine, Al Schnier’s wife Diane’s new project, took the stage. Del McCoury’s band followed on the main stage, dressed to impress wearing three piece suits and showing the crowd how it’s done. Eastbound Jesus gave a great two set moe.down debut and featured the tunes getting some well deserved attention in Upstate NY.

    moe.ville
    Photo by Krest Winchester

    As moe. took the main stage for their first set of the weekend, the lights hit it off magically with the mountain air dew, making a sick show on the ski hill behind. As a tribute to Jerry Garcia on the anniversary of his death, moe. played “Casey Jones” to a crowd singing along in appreciation and reverence. Later on in the evening, to tip another hat to the bearded legend, “Deal” was met with more hoots, hollers and dancing.

    Anyone who checked out Steve Kimock Band’s late night set Friday agreed it was one of the top performances of the weekend. The band was on fire. Bernie Worell, the keyboardist from Parliament Funkadelic and the Talking Heads, ripped it apart. After a funkalicious “Come Together” cover and later a “Burning Down the House”, the crowd left the stage sweaty and glowing.

    moe.ville
    Photo by Krest Winchester

    Another perfect day Saturday brought two solid sets by a fan favorite from Upstate NY’s past, Conehead Buddha. By now it was very clear how much moe.down, its moe.rons, and its performers have grown, as kids of all ages with huge headphones populated not only the audience but also the stage. Terry Lynch’s adorable toddler Felix joined his dad for most of the first set, staring at the dancing crowd with a shaker in his hand.

    Later during moe.’s set, the three horns from Conehead returned to play a spooky and yet rockin’ “Plane Crash.” Also welcomed to the stage that night was Chris Michetti (Conspirator, Raq) for “Godzilla.” Their second set’s “Recreational Chemistry,” “Akimbo,” and “Meat” with dueling solos from Vinnie and Rob was arguably the best of the weekend, and after the customary announcements of birthdays, engagements and landmark show celebrations, the encore was in tribute to the late JJ Cale who passed away two weeks prior, and also to Mikey Houser who passed away 11 years ago that night, with a song Widespread Panic also often covered, “Traveling Light”.

    moe.ville
    Photo by Krest Winchester

    With a third day of awesome sun and mountain breeze, many fans took advantage of the chair lifts for an even higher experience. Others staked out front row territory for the two sets of Raq on the side stage. Raq has received a huge response from their comeback shows in recent months, and this weekend was no different. Keyboardist Todd Stoops, with his normally worn tRAQ suit jacket draped on his keyboard stand, joked with the crowd, announcing that Sam Levey (owner of Westcott Theatre in Syracuse) had ruined his ensemble. (Sam, as well as friend Kyle Shay of KRock Jam Sessions, have been doing some ‘Stoops tour’ in matching tRAQ suit outfits in the front row.) Be assured, these Stoops fans are great guys and normally dig the ladies. It was like the whole crowd was one big group joking and busting on each other like old friends.

    In years past, Sunday was the last chance for a mayoral candidate to petition the voting crowd with their qualifications for election as the Mayor of moe.ville, a title which has never carried any weight except some drunken notoriety the Sunday of the next year’s festival and very few “I’m kind of a big deal” points with the other ‘.rons. In prior years there were often bribes of free bacon, shots of liquor out of a cow costume’s teat, and chuckle-worthy posters on every porta-potty door and tent pole. There was noticeably less petitioning than usual, possibly because there hasn’t been an actual person winning the mayoral race in years. Cows, buttscratchers, squirrels humping Utica Club beer cans and ‘Tits & Whiskey’ have been some of the most current moe.ville political figures. This year Rex and Lloyd lost to “Ditch” – Ditch being a well-known location in “Turwookistan” camping area where the sketchiest of sketchy happens til dawn or later. And the mayor relinquishing their title from moe.down 13? That would be Gold Bond. The powder.

    moe.ville
    Photo by Krest Winchester

    Stanley Jordan Trio was a huge hit for the weekend. A band with mind-blowing chops, Stanley can play his guitar like a piano and then seamlessly go into jazz comp chords with one hand while soloing keys with his other. This didn’t stop with Stanley Jordan himself, as his drummer then busted out one handed solos on keys while playing his drum kit with other hand. This talent on top of diversity of playing Mozart in the same set as Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl”, was something you walk away from still wrapping your head around what you saw.

    That wasn’t the last the weekend would see of this Trio, for as moe. began their two sets, Stanley was welcomed back to the stage for “Yodelittle” -> “Meat” (finishing with force the “Meat” from the day before.) And again Stanley was up on stage to close out Sunday’s encore of “Rebubula” and “Happy Hour Hero,” this time with his drummer as well, before the customary fireworks ended the music for the weekend just after 11 pm. In a world full of terrible twists and tragic turns, moe.ville continues to be a solid staple for family fans of any age. Never a disappointment. Let’s hope that Mayor Ditch doesn’t do us dirty next year.

  • The Monk, Conehead Buddha, and Turkuaz at The Westcott Theater – February 28th

    For those of you who aren’t quite familiar with The Westcott scene, it isn’t very often that a crowd musters up for the opening act The Monk at 8 o’clock sharp on a Thursday night. But then again, there was hardly anything prosaic about these smiling folks twirking their way through funk tunes.

    The Monk
    Maple Hill – Westcott Theater

    Though the bass-slapping groove and the smooth saxophone was more than enough to keep the crowd going, a sharply dressed lead singer appears on stage for the third song and brings the jam session to a whole new level with his velvety vocals.  “He wasn’t even in the band until a week before the show”, explains saxophonist James Corbett. “He literally just walked in and tailored his own songs to fit the band”.  As if the band wasn’t lovable enough on stage, they make a mutual admiration society in person. “It’s really Charlie who’s the hero of the band”, adds Corbett. “He literally picked up the guitar for the first time in London and started writing these amazing songs within a week”. Between the flawless guitar and drum trade-offs, I was left to notice only one pattern in their set: all of the songs were incredible.

    I could not, however, say the same for the awkwardly stiff, eight-membered Conehead Buddha whose pitch-perfect harmonies were soon outweighed by the band’s questionable aesthetic and outfits (sorry, but save the nighttime shades for Kanye).  I don’t know if it were the extravagant trumpets or bad mixing that tipped me off, but the bottom line is, their cold indifference slowed down the night.

    Thankfully, Turkuaz showed up at The Westcott right on time to save the show. With their colorful jumpsuits, the larger-than-life jam band brought to stage the sexual appeal of The Free Design, making the audience feel like a part of the family. Needless to say, Geneva Williams and Sami Garrett’s dance moves were cutesy enough to make you want to quit life and join a girl band.

    All in all, there was a warm, fuzzwah quality about the whole night that made you fall in love with funk music all over again.