Category: Regions

Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance Announces 2014 Lineup – Dickie Betts, Anders Osborne, Donna The Buffalo and Many More!

One of the longest running annual music festivals in the country announced the artist lineup for their 2014 installment Thursday and lucky for NYS Music readers; that festival is centrally nestled in Upstate New York.

Celebrating their 24^th festival this year, Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance unveiled the artists who will be gracing the multiple stages at the Trumansburg Fairgrounds July 17-20.

Spawned as a brainchild from Grassroots host band, Donna The Buffalo, the 2014 Grassroots lineup has some notable national acts coming to the Finger Lakes. In addition to multiple sets from the aforementioned Donna the Buffalo, other Upstate artists include The Horseflies, John Brown’s Body, Sim Redmond Band and Jimkata, just to name a few.

However, some of the headlining artists should also assist the box office with ticket sales. (Not that Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance has ever had an issue attracting music lovers.)

“We’re very excited about the lineup,” Festival co-founder and Donna the Buffalo front man Jeb Puryea told on Thursday following the artist lineup. “This year, we’re pretty happy about having Dickey Betts & Great Southern coming. I mean, that’s pretty awesome. We’re also pumped to have Lake Street Dive coming this year. They’re an awesome band, who is real up and coming, so we’re lucky to have them coming by this year.”

Lending to the down-home vibe, no one artist really ever outshines the others 80+ artists each year at Grassroots, but Puryear was quick to mention that Lake Street Dive, who recently donned the March issue of Rolling Stone was heralded by the publication with “This Year’s Best New Band” tag.

“I am also personally excited to have Anders Osborne coming by this year,” Puryear added.

Other notable acts include regulars Preston Frank and His Family Zydeco Band, Keith Frank and Soileau Zydeco, Danay Suarez, Driftwood, Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad, Jim Lauderdale, Big Mean Sound Machine, Black Castle, The Speckers, Afrobeta, Joe Driscoll and Sekou Kouyate and Keith Secola and His Wild Band of Indians.

Ranging from Americana to alt-country, roots/reggae to afrobeat and bluegrass to jam, Grassroots continues to provide festival goers with one of the most eclectic lineups in the country, let alone Upstate New York. Many also still contend the no-hassle, on-festival grounds camping with local foods and drink are some of the most affordable and hospitable atmosphere one can still find amongst music festivals.

For a complete list of artists visiting Trumansburg in July, visit www.grassrootsfest.org or @GrassrootsFest on twitter.

Four-day festival passes are currently on sale for $115 or at the gate for $130.

May 2, 2014
Dopapod, Aqueous and Mister F Put On One Heck Of A Show Saturday, April 26th

Waiting Room in Buffalo has been booking great show after show this year, and is becoming one of the places to be for live music. The event that they hosted last Saturday night was just short of spectacular. It provided the perfect combination of an up and coming band with Mister F, a band that is one step away from exploding on the jam scene in Aqueous, and a band that continues to close out shows, making you want more, in Dopapod.

Walking into the venue you heard to start the night was the guitar playing from Andrew Chamberlaine of Mister F, who kept you looking for more and the dexterity in his fingers as his soloing became mind altering, hooking you into their set. Where Chamberlaine was the center of the attention, Scott Hannay (keys, guitar, bass) was the heart and soul of the group. His smile and charisma throughout the set brought everyone onto the stage and got the crowd amped up for the night, the perfect situation for the opening band.

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.

There is so much love between Aqueous and Dopapod and it shone brightly when Rob Compa came on stage sporting an Aqueous button on his guitar strap. Compa has such a humble approach to his guitar and in mere minutes his improvisational skills turn up the heat in any room. Luke Stratton’s lights were exceptionally well done, often providing the perfect backdrop to the show. They seemed to accompany Compa’s guitar playing perfectly and even taking his extensive solos to another level. Eli Winderman (keys) and Rob Compa (guitar) pair so well together, feeding off each other and giving each other some ideas of where to go next. Chuck Jones (bass) and Scotty Zwang (drums) provide the perfect time table for Compa and Winderman to improvise throughout the night. Highlighted especially by “Eight Years Ended” as well as an impressive run with “Donkey Kong Theme > Present Ghosts > My Elephant Vs. Your Elephant”. Dopapod continues to be a force to reckon with. There is no wonder they have been invited to some of the biggest festivals and their talent to take music from one point to another is incredible.

Aqueous Setlist: Gordon’s Mule > Complex, The Median > Staring into the Sun > Kitty Chaser (Explosions), Strange Times*** > Complex II, Highway Star^$
** w/ Rob Compa from Dopapod
^ Aqueous debut, Deep Purple cover
$ with Scott Hannay from Mister F

Dopapod Setlist: Bluetooth, Flipped, King Harvest*, Like A Ball, 8 Years Ended, Donkey Kong Theme > Present Ghosts > My Elephant Vs. Your Elephant, Picture in Picture^
*The Band cover; for Rob’s dad
^with Scott Hannay from Mister F on keys

May 2, 2014
Is Cry to the Blind on the cusp?

If you haven’t seen Cry to the Blind by the end of this year, you haven’t been trying.

“Shows are coming in like crazy!” said band manager, Tommy “The Don” Casserino. Announcements have been reporting out with a fury over the past few weeks.

Last week it was announced they will be opening for Framing Hanley for one show in Watertown, NY on May 15th at Exhibition Hall. Wednesday, CTTB was named to 95X‘s XFest for Saturday, June 21st in Syracuse, NY. Adelita’s Way heads the playbill. And, yesterday, the East End Music Festival listed them among nine different acts to play on Friday, June 13th in the band’s hometown of Rochester, NY.

After the 95X Fest announcement, Casserino said, “Without the 95x Crew there would be no local support for the bands.”

Casserino also revealed that Rock Rage Radio approached the band for a possible tour.

“Cry to the Blind is a band that gives you 110% of what they do,” said Casserino. “My hats off to Radio Contraband for pushing ‘Wrecking Ball,’ and opening doors for the band.”

Last December, the band released a cover of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” taking the No. 1 pop single and making into a hard rock track of their own. The accompanying YouTube video went viral, earning them enough attention to gain play time on Sirius Octane.

Now, the boys will take to the stage with Framing Hanley as one of the concert’s opening acts in Watertown. Framing Hanley is a legitimate Top 10 talent that has been out of the circuit for a few years. This tour is in support of their latest album The Sum of Who We Are, which is their first release since severing ties with Silent Majority and signing with Imagen Records.

The band had filmed a video for a new release “Unbroken” in partnership with Imagen Records back in March. Casserino said the video is to be released soon.

Cry to the Blind is not signed with any record labels as of yet, but the pairing up with Imagen appears to be something worth keeping an eye on for the near future.

May 2, 2014
Black Label Society, Down, Devil You Know, Butcher Babies lead Revolver Golden Gods Tour, Rocking Upstate Concert Hall Monday, May 5th

Supporting the release of the well received new album Catacombs of the Black Vatican, Black Label Society returns to Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park for the first time in over a decade with Revolver Golden Gods Tour. Black Label Society returns with a new lineup with Zakk Wylde leading the way along with new drummer Jeff Fabb, (ex In This Moment) and new guitarist Dario Lorina (Lizzy Borden) and long time bassist John DeServio.

New Orleans metal supergroup Down take the co-headlining slot in support of their upcoming EP Down IV Part II. Longtime guitarist Kirk Windstein left Down to focus on Crowbar fulltime and was replaced by their guitar tech Pat Bruders. This would mark the first time in five years Down invaded Upstate Concert Hall.

In a radio interview conducted back in February, Joe D of 95X, (WAQX) spoke with Zakk Wylde he confirmed that there may be a Pantera jam with Down’s Phil Anselmo on this tour. Check out the interview here.

Devil You Know, which features former Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones, makes their Upstate New York debut on this tour. Devil You Know is supporting their debut album The Beauty of Destruction which is out now. Butcher Babies are slated to open the show in support of their debut album Goliath which was released last summer.

Doors will open at 6:30PM and show starts at 7:30PM. This show is expected to sell out so pick up your tickets here.

May 1, 2014
Getting Lucid in Vermont at Nectar’s

Lucid has a brand new drummer and they want to introduce him to the crowd at Nectar’s in Burlington, VT.

Chris “Hollywood” English is in the fold, and the show this Saturday, May 3rd will mark the band’s first visit since he came on board.

The show kicks off at 9 pm, and is for those 21 and up only. Admission is $5.00. Joining Lucid will be Goosepimp Orchestra and FiKus.

Lucid by Bryan Lasky

Lucid earned the title of New York State’s #1 band in our March Madness voting contest, beating out an initial field of 64 bands.

Hollywood just joined the Popular group out of Plattsburgh. He started his career as the drummer for the legendary Buddy Guy, was most recently with AudioInflux

FiKus, is a jam band out of North Jersey, with an eclectic sound that combines progressive melodies with infectious grooves, electronic beats, and edgy vocals.

FiKus by Bryan Lasky

Goosepimp Orchestra is best described by the press release we just received. Their sound is, “the form of funk that dissolves the barriers between artist and audience. The energy plotted through space race like arrangements, channeled by geeks who became stage freaks, and absorbed into every opened mind via third eyes is a condensed and charismatic force from the center of the Earth and the beginning of time.”

Heavy.

If you have the ability, make haste and get thee there.

May 1, 2014
Rochester Announces 2014 Party in the Park Lineup

The City of Rochester has announced the Party in the Park lineup for 2014 and it is a doozy! This year’s events will take place back at Manhattan Square Park, where it originated.

June kicks off with The Wailers and Lucinda Williams. Bluegrass fans will get a treat in July with Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth and Trampled by Turtles on the roster. Deadheads and rockers get August with the always excellent Dark Star Orchestra and the lords of the “Peaches”: Presidents of the U.S.A.

The entire 2014 Party in the Park lineup:

6/19 The Wailers

6/26 Lucinda Williams

7/3 Drive By Truckers

7/10 Yonder Mountain String Band and Railroad Earth

7/17 Trampled By Turtles, Dirty Dozen Brass Band

7/24 Lucero, The Baseball Project

7/31 Dickey Betts and Great Southern, Dumpstaphunk

8/7 Dark Star Orchestra

8/14 Presidents of the USA, The Slide Brothers

Note: August wraps up PITP with 2 fantastic shows, get all the deets here!

April 30, 2014
University at Buffalo’s Center for the Arts Hat Trick – Rozzi Crane, Parachute & Gavin DeGraw

How could the crowd at University at Buffalo’s Center for the Arts not go wild with this line up? With Rozzi Crane, Parachute, and Gavin DeGraw, the audience was bound to see them shoot and score on each of these acts.

Rozzi Crane opened the evening in total darkness as she belted out the notes to her first song. The strong and emotive voice made the audience sit up and take notice immediately. As the spotlight came on and her silhouette was outlined, each member of the audience sat there agape. This huge voice and soulful sustenance of a jazz great was in the body of this petit young lady. One would expect to see the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, or Etta James up there; instead, the voice that resonated this sound came from Miss Rozzi Crane. As I sat shooting photos, I could hear those around me saying , “Who is that?!” A star was born that evening to the audience in Buffalo. She continued with an ease as though she had been in front of an audience her whole life. Her level of comfort on the stage and with the crowd demonstrated that the stage was her home away from home. As her set ended, she invited everyone out to her merchandise area to do a meet and greet. Either getting there too early or too late, I didn’t get the chance to speak to her directly, but I did talk to one of her crew members. As she mentioned during her show a connection with Adam Levine, I asked about the details of how she was discovered. He shared how Adam Levine of Maroon 5 heard her through a Youtube video that had been shared with him through a mutual friend and immediately signed her to his new label. Touring with Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson in 2013 was only the beginning to this amazing young lady’s journey. She definitely has a “Voice” to listen for big things in the future. One word to describe Rozzi, soulful.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTauDOWKD-s]

Next up was Parachute. The band is a group of five musicians who have known each other and played together since high school and college. To me, they are one of the most talented, versatile, and best kept secrets around today. Members, Will Anderson (vocals, guitar, piano), Johnny Stubblefield (drums), Alex Hargrave (bass), Kit French (saxophones, keyboards, vocals), and Nate McFarland (guitar, vocals) have a knack of creating the most relevant songs.

This five-piece truly are a group of amazing musicians, however, I believe it’s their songwriting skills that sets them apart from everyone else. They have the ability to connect with their listeners on a different level. They have the ability to take real life events, add a score of music that is amazingly perfect for the feel of the song, and share it in a way only they can. When I tell you their crowd loves them, they literally rushed the stage the minute they came on. And what makes this even more special was the way the group embraced them, by slapping hands along the stage, going out into the audience to sing, and brining the audience up on stage to dance with them during their cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark” number.

Parachute – “Dancing In The Dark”

These guys love what they do and it’s apparent to those that love what they do. One word to describe Parachute, consummate.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXqYw_II6Pc]

Setting the bar for the evening so high with his two amazing opening acts, only Gavin DeGraw could come out and rock the audience into even more of a frenzy than they already were. There’s just something about Gavin DeGraw that I can’t put my finger on that makes this man legendary. Is it his humility at being able to share his passion with the audience? Is it his remarkable sexy voice that draws one in? Or could it be his bewitching smile and sense of humor that mesmerizes you? It’s probably the combination of all of these traits, along with his amazing talent and will to share his passion in music, that makes him a super star. Gavin has the ability to come out and perform for an audience like he’s singing just to you. Covering many shows over the years, this was my second opportunity to see Gavin perform. The audience of fans consisted of a smorgasbord of individuals from all walks of life and age groups. This demonstration of variety clearly shows how legendary he has become being able to entice so many.

Gavin DeGraw @ University at Buffalo Center for the Arts

Touring this year for his fifth album Make A Move, Gavin performed numbers from the album like “Leading Man,” “Best I Ever Had,” and the album’s cover song “Make A Move.” In addition to that, he played some older favorites and new music recently written together with his band, Billy Norris (Musical Director, guitar, and background vocals), Ian O’Neill (drums and background vocals), James Cruz (bass), and David Maemone (keyboards).

The crowd’s new favorite though was clearly his song “Finest Hour,” co-written with Ryan Tedder. He also performed a killer cover of Adele’s “Rumor”, but it was his cover of his musical inspiration, Billy Joel’s “She’s Always A Woman/Where You Are,” that brought the crowd to their feet. Performing alongside Billy Joel recently at Madison Square Garden, Gavin described how the pivotal moment was a dream come true as Billy Joel was the catalyst for his decision to become a performer after seeing him at a show during the 90’s. His journey was not an easy one without bumps in the road, however Gavin overcame many obstacles to achieve his dream and is truly an inspiration to all that have followed his career. As he performed “More Than Anyone” a ballad from his first album Chariot, it only took one verse for the crowd to take over and sing the song for Gavin.

Gavin DeGraw @ University at Buffalo Center for the Arts

I can’t image how that makes a performer feel when the audience loves your music so much, they will serenade you. One word to describe Gavin DeGraw, sincere.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eryloGiIhUU]

It was truly a pleasure covering this show as a reporter and photographer as one feeds off of the energy in the crowd. The energy of this crowd was off-the-charts-crazy with love and admiration for all of these artists. This definitely was a hat trick for the University at Buffalo’s Center for the Arts and the fans that attended. One word for the show, outstanding.

April 29, 2014
Governors Ball 2014 Announces Afterparties

Governors Ball who announced their lineup in January 2014 have unveiled a batch of shows surrounding the entire weekend of festivities.

On Thursday June 5th there are two concerts happening to help kick the weekend off. At Brooklyn Bowl Kurt Vile and The Violators will be gracing the stage, while over at Westway Tourist will be starting the weekend off. On Friday Washed Out will be taking on the crowd at Brooklyn Bowl starting at 11:30 PM. Saturday has the most announced shows so far with four concerts happening all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. On Sunday there are two shows announced so far with Diarrhea Planet heading to Glasslands while Damon Albarn will be heading to the intimate Irving Plaza. More after shows are going to be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets for all pf these shows go on a special pre-sale April 29th 10 AM with the code “govballnyc.” If you miss out on that, a public sale will happen on Friday May 2nd. Tickets for Governors Ball are on sale now on their website.

April 29, 2014
David Wax Museum to play Four Shows This Week in Upstate

David Wax Museum heads to the Upstate and NYC area this week, bringing with him a fusion of traditional Mexican folk with American roots and indie rock to create a Mexo-Americana sound. Reminiscent of Los Lobos and Calexico, David Waz and Suz Slezak combine Latin rhythms, infectious melodies, and call-and-response hollering that was hailed by TIME Magazine for “virtuosic musical skill and virtuous harmonies”, building a reputation among concertgoers all over the U.S, Canada, Europe and China.

With the release of Knock Knock Get Up (September 2012), David Wax Museum has reached a level of cross-cultural integration and musical fluency that allows them to speak heartfelt poetry with a tongue that is wholly their own.

Catch them at The Haunt in Ithaca on April 30th, Babeville in Buffalo May 1st, Kirkland Art Center in Clinton May 2nd and Towne Crier Cafe in Beacon on May 3rd

April 29, 2014
The Revivalists Blow the Roof Off The Sinclair in Boston

The Revivalists are a mixed-genre band of 7 members that have been touring since 2007 with 75% less hype than they deserve. The meek crowd that surrounded me, casually chatting and chasing beers, had no clue what they were in for. With Zack Feinberg tearing it up on guitar, Rob Ingraham switching from bass to alto and tenor sax, George Gekas holding an intricate bass line, Andrew Campanelli keeping the tempo changes steady on drums, Michael Girardot slamming the keys and trumpet, Ed Williams getting rowdy with his pedal steel guitar, and of course, Dave Shaw killing vocals and guitar, the sound was barely contained by The Sinclair.

The Revivalists_6

The Heavy Pets opened the show, a perfect band of eclectic genres and heavy sound to rip up the stage in preparation for The Revivalists. Their funk-rock, jam band roots livened up the casual state of The Sinclair and immediately got bodies moving. They are surely ones to watch – touring all the way from Florida is just the start for this energetic bunch.

The Revivalists_40

When Dave Shaw hit the stage, the energy level changed immediately and drastically. Within the first song, “Masquerade” from their most recent album, Shaw was already inches from the audience. He sat on speakers to intimately sing sweet melodies, then jumping across the stage to his band members, he growled into the mic as Girardot bent over his pedal steel guitar in bliss. The band moved swiftly through song after song from City of Sound, easing their way back to their first album, Vital Signs. They threw in easy groove songs like “Not Turn Away” and “Souls Too Loud,” and then turned it down with the easy-going “Appreciate Me II,” still holding the anxious energy with Shaw’s leap down into the crowd as he rocked out with his new fans. They ended the set making a newly-wed couple’s dream come true with their country-based song “Soulfight” before entering into one of the best songs in their repertoire, “Criminal.” Shaw continued to create an earthquake on stage, showing no depletion in stamina, while Ingraham pumped his saxophone in the air to amp things up even further and Feinberg tore through solo after solo of pure perfection with his guitar. Shaw ended the song crying into his condenser mic, head between knees, as he watched people shout with hands in the air like wild animals.

The Revivalists_28

The crowd pleaded for their return with chanting and screaming and The Revivalists arrived with a vengeance. They pulled out “Whipping Post” by the Allman Brothers and slowed down the beat so dramatically at parts that our bodies were crumbling at each chord and our souls were melting at the desperate howl in Shaw’s crooning voice. With Ingraham shrieking into his sax and Feinberg shredding apart his guitar, the audience head-banged as one entity. The biggest surprise was that the roof of The Sinclair was still in tact.

The Revivalists_21

No matter what song The Revivalists pulled out of their pocket, they made each one after even stronger, heavier, groovier, and funkier. They played with reggae beats and rocked the house with soulful reinventions. Every person in there was consumed by the music and, after a short break to catch their breaths, ready for a second, third and fourth dose of The Revivalists. The band is like an addiction because when they have revived you once, you’re bound to crave a revival again soon.

Setlist: Masquerade, When I’m Able, When I Die, Not Turn Away, Stand Up, Concrete, Pretty Photograph, Souls Too Loud, BTBD, Appreciate Me II, Fireflies, Soulfight, Criminal

Encore: Whipping Post

April 29, 2014