Rochester rarely sees a bluegrass show, let alone a sold out bluegrass show. The April 23rd Devil Makes Three show at the Zeppa Auditorium was a welcomed oddity to that norm but they did wrong right. A 9 PM arrival to a show almost usually results in a few people at the bar, enjoying a drink before the party starts. Count this show as an oddity in that realm too then – the house was packed and pensively listening to the opening band, Joe Fletcher & the Wrong Reasons, an Americana band from Providence, RI with a bluesy sound.
The Devil Makes Three hit the stage strong with “Stranger, a song off the new album” I’m a Stranger Here. They wasted no time with playing house favorites when they slid smoothly into, “Beneath The Piano > Bullet” – the energy level was building with each song. With a look around the room, most knew every word to these songs, which played to the feel of the night, a room full of friends. The setlist was a fantastic combination of new songs and well-known songs from all their albums. Some of the highlights for this girl were, “Old Number 7” and “Gracefully Face Down” and by the sounds of it, I wasn’t the only one there whom had memorized nearly every word to every song. Most notably though, I was thrilled to hear upright bassist Lucia Turino sing a swanky tune. She rarely sings and seeing her play that bass and sing was a definite treat.
Quite possibly the greatest oddity of the night was the “bluegrass moshpit” that ensued and consumed every person anywhere near the stage. Maybe it was the fast paced “Do Right Wrong > Black Irish” that created the frenzy, or possibly it was the energy of the sold out room on another chilly Upstate, NY night, either way the moshpit was a new experience for this gal. A friend advised I take it all in and enjoy, “because it puts hair on your chest,” he said. But I digress, I prefer not to be tackled whilst dancing my heart out.
If this show was any indication of the things to come for this band, I will say that they are on their way up and already have a strong fan base in just about every city they play. Look for The Devil Makes Three this summer at festivals across the country.
UMBowl is nothing short of a smart idea for live music, unparalleled in complexity, audience engagement and the resulting musical odyssey. In the past, I have listened to these shows days after, while fans were abuzz about the experience, and I thought they were interesting, but I didn’t get the hype. Up until last week, I would never have considered flying or driving to Chicago for UMBowl, where the previous four were held, but after being able to drive just over two hours south to take in my first UMBowl, it is undoubtedly not my last. I will happily follow UMBowl wherever it goes – this is a premiere live music experience where the band meets the fans halfway and puts on nothing short of a stellar show, pushing the boundaries of art in musical performance.
Waiting Room
Aqueous, from North Tonawanda, continue to get bigger and better with every show they play. They not only know how to play music, they can effortlessly transition from song to song. They opened the show right out of the gate with “Gordon’s Mule > Complex” and would roll from song to song with ease, giving the fans no time to take a break. The strongest part of the band is just how well each other feeds off of each other. Mike Gantzer and Dave Loss both are able to mix their guitar sounds together and at the same time respect each others playing where it doesn’t drown one another out. Dopapod’s Rob Compa joined the band on stage during “Strange Times” bringing three different guitars together. The real backbone for this group is Nick Sonricker and Evan McPhaden who both provide the perfect beats and bass to let Gantzer and Loss explore their respected guitar fret boards, providing the listener a musical journey to wherever they want to take them. The end of their set brought such great energy to the floor with a cover of Deep Purple’s “Highway Star”, with Mister F’s Scott Hannay on keyboard . One of Aqueous’ strongest assets is bringing a cover to their show and making it their own. Aqueous is not only becoming one of Buffalo’s greatest musical gems they are turning into one of the must see bands on tour right now.
