Author: Jeremiah Shea

Hearing Aide: Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe’s “New Ammo”

There will always be the time when a piece of music speaks to you or even jumps out and grabs you by surprise. Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe‘s New Ammo completely blindsided me. I made the mistake of starting passively – only listening while I worked. It would only make sense though, that you really have to focus in before you can fully realize the vastness of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. The new album was released just a couple of weeks ago and features some of the most diverse playing from the band to date. Between the touches of funk, jazz, blues, and reggae, you hear their unique sound throughout each of the thirteen tracks.

The album starts with the combination of two songs driven by prominent riffs yet different in their approach. The first song “Grenadiers” crawls in with a darker sound, while the reggae-inspired “Three Trials of Strength” has a warmth to the track. The two provide a contrasting calibration, preparing you to take on the rest of the album. As you progress through each song, it becomes apparent that this is a heavier side of Mr. Denson. While the album still has that wide variety of influences that we’re used to, this release just has a little more edge than what we’ve seen in the past.

The title track is where the album begins to establish itself with a firm groove and plenty of room for Karl Denson to stretch his legs on the sax. The first solo runs just over a minute, yet finds the time to express so much in the short amount of time. Newly added guitarist DJ Williams takes the baton in full stride and lights it up before a drum solo that fully demonstrates how much the band came to play on this album.

Scattered throughout the album are a few covers, including their spin on the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” the Cold War Kids’ “Hang Me Up To Dry,” and the Beastie Boys’ “Sure Shot.” While not particularly inventive with any of the tracks, they still fit in nicely with the rest of the songs on the album.

Overall, the album sounded great with far too many highlights to individually call out; this could easily wind up being a top album when 2014 wraps up. Without spoiling anything further, one final must-listen is the song “Odysseus.” This ten and a half minute marathon requires your full attention with the volume cranked for the full experience. The layers within this masterpiece are simply beautiful and it really shows what this band is capable of.

Key Tracks: New Ammo, Malgorium, Odysseus

Check out the cover of the Beastie Boys “Sure Shot” below and pickup the new album on iTunes.

February 20, 2014
Bringing Back the Funk: An Interview with Jesus Coomes of Lettuce

Similar to Restless Leg Syndrome and sharing the acronym, a Raging Lettuce Show will cause an irresistible and uncontrollable urge to move your body. Funk might typically be an exercise in rhythmic synchronicity, but the way Lettuce does it conjures up words like relentless, entrancing, potent, and completely intoxicating. Their sound is composed of seven members whose sole purpose is to contribute to this runaway funk train that’s been taking down anyone in their way. The band is currently wrapping up their winter tour, but not before a stop in Buffalo, NY at The Tralf on Friday, February 21st. Their most recent album Fly has only built upon what’s made them so good: commanding beats, catchy melody lines, and stripped of anything that doesn’t add to the overall groove. Writer Jeremiah Shea got the chance to talk with Lettuce bassist Jesus Coomes about the band, a new album, and funk’s recent rise in popularity.

Jeremiah Shea: How did you get your nickname?

Jesus Coomes: I got that nickname from working in L.A. with DJ Quik. I was really devout with my lifestyle, my beard was long, my hair was long, and he just started calling me Jesus. After that, it caught on and everyone started calling me that.

JS: How did the band name come about?

JC: The name just kind of dawned on us. We were playing out at a lot of places and when we went to parties, we’d say to the band: “Let us play.”

JS: Explain the importance of the overall sound and feel of the band versus highlighting one particular member.

JC: Rather than having one person being the guy that’s standing out, we like to keep the perspective where the sound of all of us together is much more important than the sound of any us separately. We play our part in the band and when everyone plays their part and we’re vibin’ off each other, that’s what creates really good feel. It’s really just keeping the overall sound of the band being paramount to any individual.

JS: Lettuce came on the scene in the early 90’s, but didn’t record Outta Here until 2002. Why is that and what developed during that time period?

JC: Because recording an album is expensive! That’s one way of looking at it. Also, we formed in 1992, but didn’t really start playing a lot until 1994-1995. I think it’s good for a band to play the material live first before you go record it. By the time we went to record, we had played it so many times that we were able to record quickly. Instead of going into the studio and figuring out what you want to do, we could play as a band basically and get it almost all done live. We had to play out a lot of shows first before we could have something really great to record. I think that’s why it took from 1992 until 2000 to get that going; we were basically playing for a while.

JS: How does the band balance the band’s responsibilities alongside all of the side projects that everyone is involved in?

JC: It’s all about priorities. When you give your life to music, you always have a couple of things that are really important to you. We all have those things that we’re involved in, but we keep Lettuce high-up on that priority list. I think the amount of fun that we get to have when we play in Lettuce makes it easy. We’re also all good friends and keep in contact all the time. When all you do is music, you SHOULD have a couple of things that you’re working on I think. It’s not as hard as it might sound; when I’m not touring with Lettuce, I just go super hard in L.A. and write. You want to stay busy. We like to play music, so if there’s a day when we’re not playing music, we’re freaking out! It also keeps us fresh – when I haven’t played a Lettuce show in a while, it makes me really excited to play one.

JS: There’s a lot of overlapping members within Royal Family Record’s various bands; is it possible we get to see a full Royal Family Tour in the future?

JC: Oh yeah – you never know what we’re going to do; that’s for sure.

JS: You can hear funk’s influences in a lot of genres these days, but it seems like there has been a rise of bands lately that just play a pure form of funk – bands like Lettuce, Kung Fu, Orgone, Dumpstaphunk, etc. Why do you think that is?

JC: I want to be completely egotistical and say it’s because we’ve been playing funk! Lettuce has been going around playing funk at all of these festivals for so long that somebody must have heard us. You know, I really don’t know why though, but I’m happy about it. I think it’s just a lot easier these days to just get your ear on some dope shit! You used to have to search out that music, but now it’s a lot more accessible and easy to find.

JS: How does Lettuce continue to evolve while still staying true to funk’s original roots?

JC: I mean, for me personally, the key is to not be bound by a genre. When you think of a genre, they’re all creations of some dude who probably didn’t play music. It’s just a way to try to say this band sounds like that band, and that’s bullshit! We keep that genre stuff out of our minds and just worry about playing good music.

JS: Can we look forward to another Lettuce album in the near future? It’s been two years since Fly came out.

JC: We’re going to be working on it. We did two songs in the studio and we’re going to release those, but I can’t speak on that. We have stuff that’s already recorded and the album is in the works.

JS: What’s the best part about playing in Lettuce?

JC: It’s such a blessing to get to play music and be in a band that people enjoy; it’s honestly a dream come true. There’s nothing better in my life than having people appreciate what we do. It’s so dope!

February 19, 2014
The Gathering at Chaffee’s Announces 2014 Lineup

The Gathering at Chaffee’s has announced the 2014 lineup for their annual festival held in Girard, PA. The two-day event will take place July 25th-26th and feature some major regional acts.

Now in its 34th year, the festival has grown with the help of Rubber Tramp Live from a backyard party to an all-out festival featuring some must-see bands. Announced today at noon, the 2014 lineup will include Aqueous, Spiritual Rez, Eric Brewer & Friends, Jimkata, Funktapuss, Conehead Buddha, Broccoli Samurai, BIG Something, Falling Hollywood, Triage Unit, GNOSIS, The LEC, This American Song, Trohoske/Grey Trio, and Chasing Moira split between Friday and Saturday.

With “Last Call” tickets only being $50, there really aren’t that many other festivals offering this caliber of talent for such a low-cost. Take our advice and check out this hidden gem of a festival that sits just outside of New York’s borders.

February 17, 2014
Hearing Aide: Smackdab’s “II”

A genre is nothing more than an attempt to categorize and liken one band’s sound to another. Regardless of what you want to label Jamestown’s Smackdab, their music will certainly get you moving. The band is made up of Jon-Marc Johnson on vocals, Matthew Baxter on guitar, Mark Cooper on keyboard, Ryan Ecklund on bass, and Daniel Witherspoon on drums. On their latest release II, the band incorporates influences of funk, soul, R&B, blues, and jam into their own unique sound that is garnering them more and more attention.

The opening song, “1st & Main” gets you warmed up, but it’s on “Gotychu” where the band really digs in for the first time. The clean, bluesy notes by guitarist Matthew Baxter around the three-minute mark are accentuated by the band, but letting his tone lead the way. Coming out of his solo, there’s a swelling, yet beautiful harmony of sounds that carry you through to the coda.

Immediately following is another early gem in “Shuteye.” The intro of this song has an incredible presence with a haunting melody that lingers throughout the entire song. This is the longest track on the album at just over eight minutes, yet flies by with so many great parts. The closing of the song that starts at 6:41 is one of the highlights of the entire album. The syncopation of all of the instruments is a rhythmic rush and Jon Marc’s vocals leave you constantly rewinding to listen one more time. The band has this great habit of nearly losing themselves in a deep groove before pulling out and transitioning into another section.

My favorite song on the album though is “Leave Me Alone.” The sixth track slowly builds in tension before exploding into a keyboard solo that transcends the entire album. Cooper’s interplay combined with Witherspoon and Ecklund’s tight, rhythmic phrasing is so funky and heavy that it might cause a few facial contortions. If this band can learn to harness that exact energy, watch out!

The closing track “Keep On” begins on the back of Smackdab’s talented drummer, Daniel Witherspoon. The little riff that makes its appearance shortly thereafter strikes a humbling chord. The song is led by a catchy hook and accentuated with Jon-Marc’s uplifting lyrics. After a second time through the chorus, the band transitions to a maraca-driven beat that begins the five-minute jam that closes the album. It’s easy to see why this album was named a staff favorite of 2013 when you add up all of the highlights it provides.

Key Tracks: Shuteye, Leave Me Alone, Keep On

February 10, 2014
Umphstate: An Interview with Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee

The hype from all of the New Year’s runs has finally died down and right on its heels come the first announcements of the festival season. Sandwiched right in between though, and largely overlooked, is the winter tour where bands often times debut new material and dig deep for old fan favorites. Umphrey’s McGee tour has begun and the band is set to blaze a trail right through the heart of Upstate New York, all within the first week of February. The band will make stops in Clifton Park, Syracuse, and Rochester among many other dates across the U.S. The Chicago-natives recently finished a two-night standalone set at the famous Beacon Theater in New York City which has only led to more anticipation for these upcoming dates.

Writer Jeremiah Shea had a chance to interview with keyboardist Joel Cummins about the upcoming tour and their new album that is due to come out in the coming months.

Jeremiah Shea: What are your thoughts on the recent two-night run at The Beacon Theater?
Joel Cummins: It was a pretty awesome weekend. Being able to play the Beacon last year and then doing two nights this year really let us soak it in a little more. The Beacon is one of the greatest venues in the country, if not the world. There’s been so many great shows there and amazing performances that when you play there, you really feel like you have to step up and not just bring your A game, but your A+ game. You have to wow people in New York.

JS: Last year in January you guys played Buffalo and Syracuse on back to back nights before making a stop at The Beacon Theater; this year you’re hitting Clifton Park, Syracuse, and Rochester. Is there a reason you show Upstate New York so much love?
JC: A lot of it has to do with two things: where people are and how far you can travel between cities. Logistically, our typical limit is about 450 miles before you make touring increasingly more expensive. Coincidentally, there are a lot of good places in New York to play between Buffalo, Rochester, Ithaca, Syracuse, Utica, and Albany. There are a lot of good mid-size cities that we’ve been trying to build over the years. Since we played Buffalo in the Fall, it made sense for us to come to Rochester this time. We played the Harro East Ballroom one other time and had a great time there, so we’re psyched to come back. We haven’t played the F Shed in Syracuse before, so that’ll be a really fun night and we’re pumped to have Kung Fu out with us on that one.

JS: Are you guys doing anything special on this run of shows to celebrate the band’s 16th birthday?
JC: Every show is a special night to be honest; you know how we do it. We try to mix it up and play as many different things as possible. We have this website called All Things Umphrey’s where everything is in a database that we’ve played in the past. We can use that to go back and see what we’ve played and haven’t played in an area and continue to shred as much of the catalog as we can to keep it fresh for people. Once somebody has seen 8-10 shows, they start to hone in on what they haven’t seen yet; every city is different. We’ll go in and see that we haven’t played “Booth Love” or “Hurt Bird Bath” at a particular place in four years. It’s a really helpful tool for us to keep mixing things up. This is our typical biggest tour of the year between January and April and we try to hit every corner of the US. Our new album will be coming out in the first half of 2014, probably sometime in May, so this will kind of be the warm-up for that. My guess is that one or two of the songs that didn’t make the new album will probably get played on this winter tour.

JS: You made some mentions of the new album on your Twitter account. What’s on tap and is there anything you can share?
JC: Ya know, not too much at this point as we’re trying to keep it under wraps right now. I can tell you that we started by recording 16 tunes, 7 of which were brand new and 9 of which we’ve played live before. I think we’re going to end up with probably 10 or 11 tunes on the new album with some bonus material. There’s at least 5 new tracks on the album, I’d say, that we haven’t played live previously. I think that’s always exciting for the fans when you can kind of inject the set list with some brand new stuff for people. We also have a couple of newer ones that we’ve been playing pretty consistently for the past couple of years and a couple of classic Umphrey’s McGee tunes that we previously haven’t been able to hit perfectly with the studio takes. We finally got a couple of these where we really feel like we nailed the essence of the song and they fit the overall vibe of the new album which is definitely heading in a more hard rock direction; there are tons of great guitar riffs on this album.

JS: Does the band’s approach vary nightly depending on the venue or city? If so, how?
JC: It’s different every night and we mix up who writes the set list. On a typical day, we make a list of songs in the morning and people can add or subtract things depending on what they’re feeling. By the afternoon, somebody will pick it up and try to make a set list out of everything that’s been suggested. I think that really keeps it fresh, especially when you have different people writing the set list who think about it and approach it differently. We’ll typically try to always do a mix of newer and older material so that it’s fresh for everyone.

JS: How do you guys interject teasers into your songs live? Are they planned or discovered during your set?
JC: Most of the time if we’re teasing something, it’s happening in the moment. It’s very rare that it’s something that’s planned. I think one of the things that we all thrive on is that stuff in the moment where nobody’s really sure what’s going to happen, but you kind of try to pick up a song. That actually happened at The Beacon. We started teasing the Eminem song “Lose Yourself” and then it ended up kind of morphing into “Kashmir”. That was an example from this weekend where we ended up hitting a cool little patch of teases there, but it was certainly not planned.

JS: What do you like about touring compared to the festival circuit in the summer?
JC: I feel like when we do our own shows, we’re playing to our people; everybody who’s there is there for us. That’s always a really special thing when you can do these tours and really feel the excitement from the fan base. That’s the fun thing about the beginning of the year. With the festivals now, it’s such a great time getting to see so many of our friends all around the country. That’s kind of the highlight of the summer festival season whenever we get to do that. That’s also the time when we try to convert some new fans, so we definitely approach the shows a little bit differently. We’ll still try to throw in a few rarities or things that you might not expect to see us play at a festival, but when we play for the hardcore fans, I’d say that these winter tours definitely have the biggest variety of our catalog that you’ll see. I looked on All Things Umphrey’s the other day and in 2013 we played 329 different songs, so there really is a lot of room for variety. It’s really nice at this point to have that catalog selection where we can play so many different things.

JS: Does Jefferson Waful have any new tricks up his sleeve this year?
JC: He does! He’s actually in the process of transitioning from the grandMA console, which we’ve been using, to the grandMA2. I’m not totally sure if he’s going to have it up yet for these shows as it’s probably about a month-long process to make that transition and learn everything that needs to be learned. That is definitely new though and in the works for 2014, so it’s only going to promise to make the production and light show that much stronger. We’re always tweaking our light show and playing different things out depending on what the venues allow. This most recent run at The Beacon we definitely had our biggest light rig that we’ve ever brought to New York. We’re definitely trending in that direction of bigger and better, which is a nice way to trend. We’ve been really lucky with Jefferson that he’s such a passionate, driven, and really great artist behind the light console. There are plenty of moments during the night when the fans get excited about the music, but you know you have somebody who has a really great eye for art and a way to connect that to music when the lighting designer can elicit cheers from the crowd.

February 3, 2014
Local Limelight: Buffalo’s Aqueous

Buffalo’s Aqueous is:

Mike Gantzer: Guitar, Vocals
Dave Loss: Guitar, Keys, Vocals
Evan McPhaden: Bass
Nick Sonricker: Drums, Vocals

Mike, Dave, Evan, and Nick make up Aqueous, the four piece prog machine out of Buffalo, NY that is rapidly becoming known up and down the East coast. The band played over 125 shows in 2013 resulting in a tighter bond evident throughout their playing. It’s difficult to sum up their sound concisely though as they can quickly shift from one genre to the next effortlessly. To give you an idea, the guys have covered everyone from Elton John to Notorious B.I.G. and The Beatles to Metallica. Even still, there’s something very distinct about their sound mixing rock, prog phrasing, and a heavy focus on groove. Their attention to both structure and free-form improv leaves their shows wrapped in intrigue. If you really want to know what they’re all about, as cliché as it may be, you have to catch their live show.

The band recently released Live Nugs Volume 4 at the beginning of the year. Consisting of five live cuts of original songs from their fall tour, the album puts their current chops on display and is a perfect marker for growth through the Live Nug series. gave a glowing review of the album, claiming the tracks to be the “headiest to date.” Additionally, the band is set to do their first ever residency at Buffalo’s Nietzsche’s in February. On each of the four Wednesday’s of the month, Aqueous will be joined by a special guest and feature a different theme. The four bands playing in support are Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, The Mantras, Broccoli Samurai, and Big Something. Aqueous is even offering a pass for the whole month allowing you entry into each of the four shows for only $20. If you’re unable to make one of their hometown shows, don’t fret. Their spring 2014 schedule was just announced, and it looks as though it’ll be relatively easy to catch these guys if you’re anywhere in the Northeast.

What type of fan is Aqueous for?

Dave Loss: Honestly, Aqueous is for fans of music. Yes we do a lot of improv when we play live and are influenced by many of the major jam bands like Umphrey’s and Phish, but beyond that we all like many different types and styles of music and are always determined to keep things interesting and avoid being too repetitive. Oh and we always focus on keeping the groove. We are big on groove!

Mike Gantzer: I agree with Dave here. We try to put into one of our shows the things that move us most when we see shows; energy, interaction, occasional theatrics, and general fun. We certainly have a sound, but we believe that music should push and pull, and contrast is a beautiful thing. Mixing rock with reggae, funk with hip hop, metal with bluegrass etc. It’s wonderful as musicians to delve into different sounds and styles, and even better to see people react to that contrast.

Where do you think you’ll be in five years?

Dave Loss: Popular enough to where I don’t need a Facebook anymore and can strictly use Twitter……but seriously I would love to be at a point where I could play venues like the Town Ballroom here in Buffalo all over the country. Maybe even on a European tour! But really if I could make a living off playing and recording music, that would be a dream come true.

Mike Gantzer: Personally, my goal for the band is to play in Japan and do a European tour within the next five years, and make it to the West coast. We’re all grateful for the level of support we’ve been shown, and I think our priority is to keep building on that momentum and write and tour as much as possible.

Evan McPhaden: In the next five years I’d like to be able to tour more extensively, reaching the West coast would be amazing. Playing some of my favorite venues where I’ve seen bands that I love like the Town Ballroom. Ideally, if I could survive from playing music that would be all I need. Lastly, in the next five years I’d like to find a golden ticket and meet Willy Wonka.

Keep up on everything Aqueous via their Website, Facebook, Twitter, and SoundCloud pages.

January 28, 2014
Hearing Aide: Aqueous ‘Live Nugs Volume 4’

Upon burning through all 73 minutes of the latest Live Nugs, there’s no doubt that these tracks are truly the headiest to date from Buffalo’s Aqueous. The Live Nugs series has been an avenue for the band to release a small but jam-packed collection of live original songs that are hand-picked from recent shows. Live Nugs Volume 4 was released on New Year’s Eve as the band played their 128th and final show of 2013 at The Crooked I in Erie, PA. The album consists of five tracks that were recorded during the band’s Fall tour and include selections from The Crooked I, The Shaskeen in Manchester, NH and The Saloon in Charlotte, NC. The time spent on the road has clearly paid off as the compilation is the tightest they’ve sounded and features some deep jams.

The album fades in with “Strange Times” from The Crooked I, beginning just as one of their shows might. A staple in their live sets, the song delivers immediately with the first jam. Employing the use of various effects, guitarists Mike Gantzer and David Loss build a spacey soundscape before pushing a heavy swell that has come to define their live shows. As it dies out, bassist Evan McPhaden fights a staccato guitar attack with some slap and pop of his own. Evans bass work throughout the album in general seems to provide a solid foundation for both guitarists to build on. His ability to accent and add to the overall rhythm that Nick Sonricker lays down on drums is a direct result of the countless hours they’ve played together now. The more you listen to this band, the more you realize why they’re winning over fans as quick as they are. Their sound is uniquely their own and they’re clearly not afraid to embrace it.

The opening jam to “All In” is raw and reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine’s musical energy. After a minute and a half of forceful riffing, the song is reeled in by a sly guitar riff. The band manipulates the tempo of their songs so well and can completely pull the rug out from underneath you at the drop of a hat. Right around the 4:20 mark, the band runs into a thick patch of haze when the music progresses into a slow jam driven by Sonricker’s steady beat. As they carry it right through the next few minutes of the song, we hear Loss in the front of the mix on keyboard. The backing chords he provides under Gantzer’s captivating guitar solo is exactly why these two fit so well together; they’re always playing in perfect complement to one another. Gantzer’s solo starts around the twelve and a half-minute mark and is easily my favorite of the album. The two minutes are colored beautifully with a driving attack that somehow pushes faster and harder after the first minute in. The song’s final two minutes are wrapped up with a heavy, progressive rock style riffing that blazes forward in a flurry of notes before being stopped dead in its tracks.

Gantzer’s true potential though is fully realized and experienced on “Complex.” He first takes lead over a mulling rhythm around six minutes in, pulling notes that send you soaring. He almost let’s go of the wheel completely, but pulls back for one last build up. As the song gets closer to the end, the overlapping tones combine for a rich texture and push the anticipation to the limit for the best ending on the album. The final three minutes of the song are blissfully perfect and almost make you lose yourself enough to feel like you’re hearing it live. We’ll all be paying quite a bit more to see these guys in the future if they keep finding these types of grooves to tear apart.

This album, both collectively and on the individual song level, showcases an incredible vision that the guys in Aqueous have grown to embrace. They might’ve had to make some sacrifices to be out on the road as much as they were, but it’s really paid off as you can hear how much they’ve matured as musicians since the previous Live Nugs. This year is sure to be a fruitful one as they continue to build on the momentum they established last year. The band was the top pick of Upstate’s Best Bands on the Rise in 2013 for a reason, and they’ll only continue that ascent with the drive that has gotten them where they are today. As the last notes ring out, I’m left with a feeling that maybe one day we’ll look back on this album as a major turning point in the band’s history. Only time will tell.

Key Tracks: All In, Complex

Buy the new album now at the Aqueous Bandcamp page.

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January 14, 2014
Buffalove Music Festival Announces Second Wave of 2014 Artists

Buffalove Music Festival 2014 made its second artist announcement yesterday with eight new additions to the already stellar initial lineup that was announced in November 2013. Now in its second iteration, the festival is looking to build upon the successes of their first year and once again provide a showcase for some pretty heavy-hitting regional talent.

This week’s reveal included smackdab, Lazlo Hollyfeld, Luanjie, Broccoli Samurai, The Little Mountain Band, Aqueous, Imperial Brown, and Groove Force. The full lineup to date includes sixteen incredible bands, half of which are returning vets, who are collectively looking to top last year’s unforgettable weekend.

One particular highlight from last year was Aqueous performing Pink Floyd’s “Shine on You Crazy Diamond.” It was recognized by NYS Music staff this past year as one of the Best Jams of 2013.

The 2014 Buffalove Music Festival will take place at the same location, Willow Creek Winery in Silver Creek, on June 19th-21st. If you think the lineup is already worth it, just wait! The third and final artist announcement will be on Valentine’s Day at Nietzsche’s in Buffalo – organizers are promising the biggest name has yet to be revealed.

January 12, 2014