The Carnivores Tour will kick off on August 8th in West Palm Beach, Florida and close out in Concord, Ca on September 19th. The tour will be co-headlined by Linkin Park and 30 Seconds To Mars . AFI will be joining the tour as special guest. The tour will be making stops in Wantagh, NY on Tuesday, August 19th and at Darien Lake on Thursday, Aug 21st.
Linkin Park, an American rock band from California will be co-headlining with 30 Seconds To Mars, who is fronted by Jared Leto, who just received an Oscar for his performance in the movie Dallas Buyers Club. The bands have never toured together, making it a great to catch them for the first time.
Tickets can be purchased through Live Nation starting on March 7th.
Carnivores Tour 2014 8/8 West Palm Beach, FL – Cruzan Amphitheatr
8/9 Tampa, FL – George M. Steinbrenner
8/12 Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
8/13 Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
8/15 Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center
8/16 Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
8/18 Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
8/19 Wantagh, NY – Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
8/21 Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
8/23 Montreal, QC – Parc Jean-Drapeau
8/24 Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
8/26 St Paul, MN – Minnesota State Fair
8/27 Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
8/29 Tinley Park, IL – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8/30 Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
9/5 The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
9/6 Dallas, TX – Gexa Energy Pavilion
9/8 Englewood, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
9/10 Phoenix, AZ – US Airways Center
9/11 Irvine, CA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater *
9/13 Quincy, WA – The Gorge Amphitheatre
9/15 Los Angeles, CA – The Hollywood Bowl *
9/16 Chula Vista, CA – Sleep Train Amphitheatre
9/18 Wheatland, CA – Sleep Train Amphitheatre
9/19 Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion
Modest Mouse will be making a stop at Brewery Ommegang in the historic Cooperstown, NY on Saturday May 24th. The Brewery Ommegang is nestled in the beautiful town of Cooperstown and with the legendary Major League Baseball Hall Of Fame, making it a very attractive show for visiting fans.
Modest Mouse will be joined by Brand New. There will be on-site camping available and the concert will take place on the field behind the brewery. The brewery which has hosted many top acts like The Black Crowes and Grace Potter And The Nocturnals in the past are no strangers to great music.
Tickets will go on sale on Friday, March 7th at 10am and can be purchased through Dan Smalls Presents or through Brewery Ommegang.
Lucid swung by The Hollow on February 22nd and turned the venue into a dance floor. Openers Way Down, a local three-piece jazz rock band, started the show with a mix of covers and originals to the crowd’s delight. A fun take on Ween’s “Roses Are Free” had more of a Phish vibe to it than Ween, much to the crowd’s enjoyment. All three members are fantastic on their instruments, showing high skill levels on all of the songs, but vocals could use some improvement. Don’t let that stop you from seeing them though, as their musicianship is fantastic.
Lucid barely fit the whole band on the small stage of The Hollow and broke out the funk right away. Jaime Armstrong’s saxophone and Lowell Wurster’s percussion-work continuously pushed the band throughout the night. The songs came at a blazing pace, seamlessly never stopping. They introduced a new drummer in Chris English, and even though it was his first show, he did a fantastic job of keeping things interesting behind the kit. They played late into the night with nothing but smiles on stage and throughout the crowd. Make sure to catch Lucid out on tour as they regularly play throughout Upstate New York.
After nearly 20 years of being plugged in, Mississippi rockers 3 Doors Down decided to go unplugged and get back in touch with their roots. Setting up the stage similar to a basement and going nearly acoustic, 3 Doors Down has taken their stripped down version on the road delighting fans across the country. Their stop in Verona, New York at Turning Stone Casino was no exception. A packed house of over 1000 fans came out to see the band perform their hits and a couple of very well received covers. The boys from Mississippi got their country on when they played Garth Brook’s classic, “The Dance”. However, this metal head appreciated their take on Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” during the encore.
In light of the original bassist’s recent legal issues, the band parted ways earlier this week with Todd Harrell. Rest assured, young Justin Biltonen can hold his own. His acoustic bass sounded good and the young women in the audience seemed to take a liking to the newest member of 3DD.
Setlist: Father’s Son, Let Me Be Myself, Be Like That, Landing in London. The Dance, When You’re Young, Let Me Go, Pages. Away From the Sun, It’s Not My Time. Duck and Run, Loser, Kryptonite
Encore: Nothing Else Matters, Here Without You, When I’m Gone
On Tuesday, February 25th, three bands all sharing pretty interesting names: A Great Big Pile of Leaves, The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, and Into It. Over It, performed at Waiting Room in Buffalo, NY. Opening for their tour was a local band based only a couple hours out of Buffalo called Taking Meds, who started off with a tight and powerful set.
The quartet admitted that this was their biggest show yet since they started playing together but that didn’t seem to worry them as they brought their explosive tunes into the Waiting Room. The lead guitarist, Ben Kotin could definitely shred, bringing in various metal influences into the group’s set along with drummer Matt Battle and bassist Steel Wolf. Frontman/guitarist Skylar Sarkis displayed an adequate screaming ability, adding to the energy and emotions of the songs.
A Great Big Pile of Leaves took to the stage shortly after, kicking things off with their newest single “Snack Attack,” which is off their 2013 album You’re Always On My Mind. The band’s live sound was so similar to their recorded sound that if it wasn’t being heard twenty times louder it would probably be a little difficult to tell the difference between the two, which is a really good thing considering how well-recorded they sound. After the grand first tune, A Great Big Pile of Leaves broke into “Alligator Bop”, probably their best-known song, which gives a great expression and feeling of weekend adventures as a teenager. Of note was their lead guitar which could have been a little quieter to fit in with the overall sound of the band, but other than that A Great Big Pile of Leaves brought a solid and entertaining performance.
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, for the sake of brevity will be referred to as The World Is… They definitely played the most interesting songs compared to the other bands, featuring spoken word. However it was difficult to hear what was being said much of the time and the fact that there are eight members creating a large and expansive sound probably didn’t help. Altogether their show maybe could have been a little stronger but Buffalo is tough in the winter so maybe it was just a seasonal thing.
Roughly around 10 pm Into It. Over It. (a band lead by Evan Weiss, who writes all the songs) came on. He’s put out a lot of music over the years and has a big and committed following. Evan told the crowd that he’s actually friends with members of Taking Meds, which is pretty cool to see a band that’s just starting out having a connection with one that’s been around for some time now.
Altogether the night was a solid showcase of four bands all connected and clearly in support of each other as musicians and as friends.
Although the debate over whether or not God exists has raged for centuries, watching Animals As Leaders’ guitarist Tosin Abasi can make audiences believe the Big Man is walking amongst them.
Boombox
The boys headlined a show that promised an assortment of different types of music for concert revelers at Upstate Concert Hall on March 1st. Mixed genre shows are a foreign concept. They’re not yet popular in America with few big ticket shows giving credence to metal, jazz, and electronic dance at one event. This idea, however, is regular in European festivals.
Abasi, Javier Reyes (guitar) and Matt Garska (drums) could be considered among the best musicians in the world. Their headlining slot saw some of their easily recognizable stamps, such as “Tempting Time,” “Point to Point,” and “CAFO.” Their unwavering ability to stay true to their original sound – which has evolved with every release – is remarkable. By the time Weightless came out, Navene Koperweis (the Faceless, Navene K) had jumped on drums and gave the second effort more depth of field than the first album.
But for this album – and tour – Animals as Leaders are utilizing the talents of Matt Garska, whose ability to command each obscure song might leave the most hardened music enthusiasts wide – mouthed. While Garska mastered every older song, the band also played three newer songs, “Tooth and Claw,” “Lippincott,” and “Cascade,” which showcased both Reyes and Garska more than before.
Animals as Leaders experimentation from the start of the set to the end easily impressed both hard fans and those who had never heard the band play before. In hearing the newer songs especially, it was clear that the band will not grow tired.
After their set, the band took time to speak with fans about their instruments — they play eight strings and sometimes use oddly – shaped guitars that look they have just been cut from a tree — their style, as they don’t have a bass player, musical sense, and other matters, including Abasi’s obscure fashion sense.
However, Animals as Leaders were not the only defining force on this show. After the Burial, Navene K, and Chon supported the bill and got the attention they deserved as well.
Take for example Chon, who are essentially a (mostly instrumental) jazz quartet on crack. Although the audience was comprised of a few devoted fans, but it seemed that most people hadn’t heard them before that night. Many people might theorize that instrumental music, such as Scale the Summit, is hard to relate to because it has no actual message for listeners to be devoted to. By the end of the set, Chon was given the legendary “One More Song!” chant (they were not allowed because of set constraint).
Although Chon may just be getting their foot in the door, their use of clean guitar tones, jazz and fusion, and downright strange melodies will take them places. Although they might not be “metal” by classic terms, they have our stamp of approval – not to mention the hundreds they impressed at Upstate Concert Hall.
Chon’s music was not the most obscure. The night took a strange turn as soon as former Animals as Leaders drummer Navene K took the stage. His slot comprised of his current electronic project, in which he is the only member.
Although the audience kept an open mind to the electronic beats, one could tell that the mosh pit – type crowd did not really know how to respond to the beats and sounds. Navene K played on a strange drum set, but with the melodies he had written, one could easily tell that he is certainly a positive force for the metal community. He thanked the crowd for keeping an open mind by the end of the set. “I didn’t expect to be taking this on tour,” he said.
Inclusive with the light show, sound, and everything else, the presence of After the Burial was larger than life. The band was received in a profound enthusiasm. It was a typical metal show: circle pit, mosh, wall of death, and crowd surfing. They came out as silhouettes, stood as giants, and played each song with the incredible fierceness.
The band played some of their famous numbers, including a behind – the – back guitar performance of “Berzerker” by Justin Lowe. Additionally, they played songs off of their latest record, Wolves Within. Rarely faltering, drummer Dan Carle provided a prominent beat to every note the band played.
After the Burial’s defining moments were those in which the audience was commanded by their presence on stage. Although it may have seemed dangerous at times, they earned fans new and hardened the loyalties of their followers. Each band brought something different to the table to create a one of a kind experience. Although this type of show is not common, promoters certainly made the right choice in placing these four bands together.
One of Frank Zappa’s classic albums, Roxy & Elsewhere, was on display for a packed house on Tuesday, February 25th at The Egg in Albany. Dweezil Zappa noted after “The Torture Never Stops” that the album is “40 years old and it’s still from the future”, a bold statement and reflection on Frank’s influence that has hardly ceased since his untimely death in 1993. Tonight, it would be a look at the past and a glance into the future of Zappa’s music through the lens of the band that is keeping the sound alive and fresh for the next generations.
Leading off Roxy with “Penguin in Bondage”, baritone Ben Thomas channeled Frank’s voice greater than expected – it was almost spooky how much he sounded like him. “Pygmy Twylyte” was almost too short but provided an aire of familiarity for some of the uninitiated audience members who are familiar only with certain covers provided by Zappa’s jamband descendants. During “Dummy Up”, there was a fair amount of “Albany-style twerking” between Thomas and saxophonist/flutist Scheila Gonzalez, who rolled up and mimed smoking a high school diploma. Chris Norton played daredevil during “Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?”, standing on his swivel chair and juggling, with moderate success. He returned to playing the xylophone parts of the song on his keys, doubling as a percussionist, a role he shared with drummer Ryan Brown.
The horror movie inspired “Cheepnis” had Dweezil a little chatty while “More Trouble Everyday” received a standing ovation from the crowd. Prior to “Be-Bop Tango”, Dweezil remarked “If this is The Egg… then the stage must be the yolk”, and delved into the long exploration that to the untrained ear would be considered a musical mess when it was easily the highlight of the night. “Tango”, from which Phish’s “Reba” could have been conceived in the dorms at UVM, was accompanied by Thomas dancing while playing trombone, with Dweezil noting about this jazz, “It’s not dead, just very smooth.” And with that, the album was complete and anything else that was to come was gravy.
The rest of the show had varying tempos, a few familiar hits (“Baby Snakes”, “Florentine Pogen”) and found deeper, longer compositions, specifically “The Black Page” (#1 & #2) as well as the stand alone, stripped down trio performing “Apostrophe”, and Peter Jones coming out for the vocals on “Debra Kadabra”. By the time the band came out for the encore, fans knew to expect even more familiarity in fan favorites that were nowhere to be found in the main set. “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” and “Cosmik Debris” segued into each other, eliciting huge applause from the crowd. Dweezil then went democratic and asked the fans to vote on the last song of the evening, with the two most popular choices being “Whipping Post” and “Muffin Man”. Naturally, the original, “Muffin Man”, took top honors and closed out the night with great fanfare and a buzz in the crowd as they slowly departed into the Swyer Theater lobby. Frank Zappa may be dead, but his legacy and music will never fade away with son Dweezil heading up Zappa Plays Zappa.
Setlist: The Torture Never Stops, {Roxy & Elsewhere} Penguin in Bondage, Pygmy Twylyte, Dummy Up, Village of the Sun, Echidna’s Arf (Of You), Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing? Cheepnis, Song of Orange County, More Trouble Everyday, Be-Bop Tango {Roxy and Elsewhere} I’m So Cute, Baby Snakes, Teenage Wind > Teenage Prostitute, Apostrophe, Debra Kadabra > The Black Page #1 > The Black Page #2 > Florentine Pogen
Encore: Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow > Cosmik Debris, Muffin Man
Upcoming bluegrass stompers and folk artists, The Brummy Brothers played a special gig in Albany on February 14. It might have been the collective whole, grasping at that bubble of love that Valentine’s Day captures but the vocal harmonies pulled especially tight on the heartstrings, bass and guitar strings too. Kicking the evening off with “Cruisin,” a lovely melodic display of the harmonization and getting right to the point, “Music fills the air”, making it evident that The Brummy Brothers are serious musicians ready to be known by a wider fan base.
These banjo playing, bass beating, gee-tar slappers and singers have taken on some pretty big endeavors recently. The old adage, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” holds true and while The Brummy Brothers know a lot, the network of musical friends has helped them push forward in recording their first studio album. Over the course of two years, The Brummy’s have toured the Northeast incessantly, getting their music out and forging a reputation. They recently went behind the scenes and recorded their first album, aptly titled On Our Way. After witnessing their stage prowess in Albany, they are very clearly “on [their] way,” if not already there. Evidenced by their work with fiddler and producer, Timothy Carbone, The Brummy’s proclaimed the recording was a “musical boot camp!”
Andrew Morris (guitar) and Russell Gottlieb (banjo) and brothers Dave (stand up bass) and Eric Brumberg (mandolin) are currently fundraising, offering album presales and special packages through a grassroots campaign on Indiegogo. The Brummy Brothers tour locations across the Northeast beginning March 11.
Les Claypool may be focusing on his project Duo de Twang at the moment, but come June he will return to the road with Primus. The five date tour sees two stops in New York in June, with the first night being an “evening with” show that takes place at The Capitol Theatre in Portchester on June 24, 2014.
Then on June 27th, Primus will be joined by The Dean Ween Group at The Summer State at Tags in Big Flats. Les and Dean recently started their own reality show that is based around fishing, so it’s no surprise that the two are joining up to tour together.
The Capitol Theatre show goes on sale Friday March 7th at Noon, while The Summer State at Tags show goes on sale Friday March 7th at 10 AM. Both shows are on presale right now through Primus.
The Devil Makes Three is a folk-rockabilly-bluegrassy trio originating from nearby Brattleboro, VT – they will be traveling through Rochester, NY on their upcoming Spring Tour.
The group of friends left the East Coast and headed West to California, where they became, The Devil Makes Three in 2001 and have spent the last decade building a fan base from coast to coast. The trio has graced the stages of festivals such as – Delfest, Bonnaroo, and Austin City Limits. They are a force to be reckoned with without a doubt.
The band will play Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, NY with Joe Fletcher & the Wrong Reasons on April 23, the doors open at 7:30PM, this show is at 8PM, Ages 16+ tickets are $15 and can be purchased HERE.
A Great Big Pile of Leaves
The Capitol Theatre show goes on sale Friday March 7th at Noon, while The Summer State at Tags show goes on sale Friday March 7th at 10 AM. Both shows are on presale right now through 