Category: Buffalo

Railroad Earth returns to The Town Ballroom with a New Album and New Jams

Railroad Earth wasted no time plunging into a night full of new and old songs to a solid crowd at The Town Ballroom on Wednesday, February 12th. Fans talked of how great the last show was and expected the same and tonight’s show turned out to be just as good.

Have Gun, Will Travel opened the show with a very Rock and roll feel which got the early crowd’s blood flowing. Have Gun, Will Travel is a band that is from Brandeton, Florida and their sound is very authentic with touches of Americana, folk, and rock. Their high energy clearly got everyone moving and was a perfect start to what was going to be an incredible evening.

Railroad Earth came out to thunderous applause that has welcomed them many times in the Buffalo area. The group from Stillwater, New Jersey belted into “Black Elk Speaks” getting the crowd’s energy level up. Todd Sheaffer (vocals, guitar) led them through the first set with “Chains” and closed out the set with “Just So”.The second set began with one of their newest singles of their brand new album Last Of The Outlaws, “Chasin A Rainbow” and is accompanied by some catchy fiddling by the very talented Tim Carbone, who sliced through the crowd and picked them up over and over throughout the song as well as other times throughout the night.

John Skehan (mandolin, bouzouki, piano) and Andy Goessling (banjo, guitar, dobro) traded several solos throughout the night with Carbone, with their progressive jams making every song interesting and fun. Goessling is truly talented, switching to a number of instruments throughout the night and making each instrument different and unique at the same time. Andrew Altman (bass) the newest member of the band added a lot of youth and creativity throughout the night playing both the stand up bass as well as the electric bass. Sheaffer didn’t say much and with his bass vocals and occasional guitar solo didn’t need to, it was displayed on his very humble smile as he would survey the crowd, he was living in the moment. Closing the set with fan favorites “The Jupiter & The 119 > Cuckoo Medley” reminded how good the group was playing with each other, as each member took on a progressive solo. The encore closed out the evening with “Monkey”, another catchy song off their newest album. RRE has been gaining a lot of speed over the last few years and is one of the tightest groups of well rounded musicians that can produce greatness at any point of the show; they did it several times in Buffalo and it won’t be the last time.

Set 1: Black Elk Speaks, Untitled #12, Walk Beside Me, Chains, Little Bit-o Me, Daddy-o, Just So You Know, Bread And Water

Set 2: Chasin A Rainbow, Dandelion Wine, Saddle Of The Sun, One The Sun Gets In Your Blood, Colorado, Walls Of Time, Hangtown Ball, Goat, Jupiter & The 119>Cuckoo Medley

Encore: Monkey

Have Gun, Will Travel

Railroad Earth

February 22, 2014
Buffalo and Aqueous…A Love Affair

It has been unbearably cold in Buffalo this winter. Last Wednesday, Aqueous and The Mantras brought setlists that centered around the theme of “Love” and things were more Kate Upton inside of Nietzsche’s than the Roseanne Barr we have been experiencing outside of it. After an excellent first residency, could Aqueous build upon the great foundation they laid down the first week? The Mantras gave them a running start by pumping up a much larger crowd and Aqueous was certainly up to the task.

The Mantras are an excellent six-piece band from Greensboro, North Carolina that had the place rocking from the moment they hit the stage. The Mantras’ set featured excellent originals as well as welcome renditions of Umphreys McGee’s “Hurt Bird Bath” and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”. With their progressive rock sound that somehow doesn’t deny their southern roots, The Mantras connected with the Buffalo crowd. It is safe to say that when The Mantras finished their set, Nietzsche’s was buzzing with excitement.

The theme of the second Aqueous residency show was the broad theme of “Love.” Aqueous chose a gutsy opener of Haddaway’s “What is Love” that quickly segued in and out of the hard-hitting Aqueous original, “Eon Don”. The “Eon Don” segments of this back and forth sandwich provided some new territory for the usual straightforward rocker. After it finished, the crowd was primed for the fan favorite “Origami.”

“Origami” would show the crowd that it was business time during “love night.” From the dream-like intro, this “Origami” was one for the books. Taking their time and exploring new paths in the intro allowed the drop into the composed section of “Origami” to take flight. When it hit, the place exploded and many heads were sent banging. The jam would come firing out with high energy before almost grinding to a halt. Changing pace and varying the intensity of sound are two weapons that Aqueous has solidified into their jamming arsenal. Following the halt, Nick Sonricker (drums) would provide an upbeat rhythm that the band slowly built on. Not rushing into a peak allowed the band to find a gorgeous soaring groove. The second jam would center around a minimalist playing of the “Origami” theme before it became Godzilla eating every piece of origami ever created.

The second nod to the night’s theme would be The Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” that brought the lightheartedness back after the hard-hitting “Origami”.

After the short cover, Aqueous would be right back on the heavy improv, crafting a 24-minute version of “All-In”, which has done the exact of opposite of what I have done after hitting 5’9”… grow. “All-In” has come from humble beginnings to become a jam monster. The last couple of performances seem to have set the bar higher and higher each time out. When Aqueous dove into another minimalist jam, they began infusing hints of reggae and funk. Had Darth Vader been in attendance, he would have said, “The groove is strong with this one.” The patience that the band displayed set up the final annihilation. The slow groove transformed into a Mike Gantzer (guitar, vocals) and David Loss (guitar, vocals, keyboards) shred fest, that reached peaking heights that few jams fail to find. After a short return to the “All-In” theme, Evan McPhaden (bass) lead the band back down into the groove. Loss moved to the keyboards and the dance party continued. This “All-In” was the clear highlight through the halfway mark of the Aqueous Nietzsche’s residency.

After 24 minutes of “All-In” fire, Aqueous smartly decided to take things down a notch, and revert back to the Love theme. With Keith Allen (guitar) and Julian Sizemore (keyboards) from The Mantras joining Aqueous on stage, Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” would be the centerpiece of this love affair. Loss would have the task of the legendary Gaye vocals. While he sounded nothing like Marvin Gaye, Loss sang with everything he had and owned the stage, making it a fun rendition. The real star was Allen, playing a gorgeous-sounding slide guitar that perfectly rang out through the bass groove.

Aqueous chose to place its newest song “20/20” after “Let’s Get It On”. Reaching the 12-minute mark in only its second performance, “20/20” continues the trend of Aqueous songs that have big open-ended sections for jamming.

The set would conclude with “Marty”, an instrumental take on “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston, and “The Median”. The band had placed a net full of red balloons on the ceiling prior to the beginning of the show. During the line in “Marty”, “red balloons are falling from the sky” they were released and served as party favors during the closing trifecta.

After a set that thrilled the crowd, the encore would not disappoint. James Taylor’s “How Sweet It Is” would be the last Love cover before seguing into “Pictures” and a reprise of “What is Love”, which segued back and forth multiple times. It felt as if the two had became one song and finished the night on yet another highlight.

Mixing smart and unpredictable covers, Aqueous engaged the roughly 200 people in attendance for two and a half hours. This Aqueous set gave everyone a chance to sing along and have some fun, yet provided some serious improvisational music. Missing either of the next two Nietzsches show would be a big mistake.

Of note, the band was dressed in shirts and ties, except for Evan who was shirtless except for a bowtie. That is all I have to say about that but I am told that the ladies loved it.

Setlist: What is Love>Eon Don>What is Love>Eon Don>Origami>Wouldn’t it be Nice>All In>Let’s Get it On>20/20>Marty>I Will Always Love You>The Median>Marty

Encore: How Sweet it Is>Pictures>What is Love

Remaining Aqueous at Nietzsche’s Show Dates:

2/19 with The Broccoli Samurai (Willy Wonka Theme)
2/26 with Big Something (Mystery Guest Theme)

February 19, 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
Tim Reynolds and TR3 Rock The Tralf

The Tralf was packed with loyal Dave Matthews Band followers everywhere and you could hear the banter all around the venue. It was a chance for the loyal fan base to catch longtime DMB collaborator and more recent a regular member of the group in action, TR3.

Tim Britt opened up things with his acoustic guitar and a microphone. Britt is heavily influenced by Dave Matthews and it could be seen throughout his act, particularly in his heavy rhythm guitar playing. Britt is also somewhat of a one man band as he creates sounds and loops them while playing over them in a very similar style to Keller Williams. His cover of Gorillaz “Feel Good Inc.” is amazing to listen to but yet even more amazing to watch him go through the setup of the song with his loop pedals. It’s no reason Tim was awarded Best Solo artist for two years in a row in Buffalo. Britt was joined on stage with Steve Amuso (guitar) and Rocco Amuso (Saxaphone) from the band Of The Cuff.

Tim Britt Setlist: Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve , Planes, Two Times Sick, Feel Good Inc., Up In The Air, Old Friend, Breakdown, The Days

There may have been a lot of DMB fans in attendance trying to get a glimpse of Tim Reynolds (guitar, vocals) but they didn’t expect to be amazed in such a way. TR3 has so much different elements in their show that it is truly amazing to see how three people command one stage. Reynolds is such a great guitar player and has the ability to play so many genres and make it look effortless. TR3 started the night off with a classical acoustic instrumental called “Lonely Woman” and soon after weaved through the night with jazz, funk and rock songs. Reynolds is really a master of the guitar, yet very humbling at the same time. It was very apparent Reynolds was having such a good time on stage with the group as well as the audience with the smiles throughout the night. Mick Vaughn (bass, vocals) and Dan Martier (drums, vocals) are very solid backing up Reynolds as most trios do. Vaughn was a true crowd-pleaser with some of the funkiest dance moves seen on a bassist in sometime. “Cave Man” proved to be an interesting instrumental that was played in the dark as the band whore only lights on their heads to look like eyes in a cave. TR3 even showed how well they can play other songs and make it their own, covering “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull really got the entire crowd going and really fueled the finish of the show.

TR3 Setlist : Lonely Woman, New Solutions, See You In Your Dreams, Non-Violent Approach, Evathing I Believe, Highway, Sweet Spot, Missle Comin At Ya, Kool, All Over The Place, Running From People, Caveman, Victory Express, Lips Like Sugar, Dracula, Showbiz Kids, ICU, Industrial Complex, Aqualung, Mercury Direct
Encore: In The Zone

Tim Britt and Friends

Tim Reynolds and TR3

February 18, 2014
Rusted Root to Rock Iron Works on Tuesday February 18th

Rusted Root will be visiting the Buffalo area Tuesday night at the newly opened Iron Works in downtown Buffalo. Rusted Root has been touring for over 20 years and they know how to put on a great show, combining acoustic rock, world styled music and heavy international influenced percussion section.

The band hails from Pittsburgh and is led by Michael Glabicki (vocals, guitar), I was fortunate enough to catch up with Michael before he started the seven-stop tour which includes three shows in New York, You can purchase tickets through Iron Works. Tickets are $22.50 in advance and $25 day of show. Doors open at 7 pm.

Thomas Sgroi: Michael, I wanted to touch base with you regarding your upcoming tour, looks like their will be seven stops, starting tomorrow, I was wondering how the band is doing, any current projects or anything in the pipeline for Rusted Root?

Michael Glabicki: Well were getting ready to start a new record, it’s just in the writing stage right now and pretty much have 20 songs put aside and we’re going to start breaking them out in sound check, and get some arrangements going and you know that’s how we start our record. We will try to get them in live into the show as quick as possible and see how fans react to them and see their reaction to the arrangement.

TS: Now you guys come up to Buffalo quite a bit. Is there something that keeps you coming back? Do we show support hopefully (laughs)?

MG: Yeah, it feels sorta like home to us you know. The fans are fantastic for us, in how they let loose and we have a lot of fun their.

TS: Yeah, I got turned onto you guys when you came to Blue Heron Music Festival, and more recently at The Peach Music Festival and really had a great time.

MG: Oh yeah, that was fun, that was a good one.

TS: I guess personally, what do you do when not touring?

MG: Just hanging out with family really, and my dog, that’s really a great time for me (laughs).

TS: What kind of dog do you have?

MG: We have a black lab mix.

TS: Cool, we just got a dog in June, I know how that is (laughs). So we are new to the whole thing, always an adventure.

TS: You’ve band a band for 20 plus years now, how has the music changed since you started?

MG: I think its gotten a little more matured, it’s gotten in a lot of ways more dynamic and a bit more emotional across the spectrum, we just find new avenues as we go and picked basically new doorways into other dimensions and emotions and connect them up in different ways and make them more and more legit. For us, that’s the goal, keep withstanding and growing in the universe.

TS: Is there anything you wanted to share with the fans or anything else on your mind?

MG: Well, we’re still supporting the last record

TS: The Movement?

MG: Yeah, and you know it’s picking up, the fans are really enjoying it and the critics love the record, which is always nice, that never happened before (laughs).

TS: That does make it easier (laughs)

MG: Yeah and the fans showing up and knowing all the words is great.

TS: That’s basically it, I look forward to catching up with you all on Tuesday night.

MG: Great, Looking forward to it.

So, there you have it. Try and make it out to the show to catch Michael and the rest of the band, they may even slip some new tunes in and see what kind of reaction they get. It should be a stellar show.

February 16, 2014
Donna The Buffalo Never Seem to Disappoint in Buffalo

You know that feeling that is produced when your friends and family are around you? The feeling of comfort and just pure positive vibes filling the room? This is how Donna The Buffalo, hailing from Trumansburg, NY, made the crowd feel on Saturday, February 8th at The Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo. It’s as if you’re at a backyard party hosted by the special people in your life. There was no opener on this night but they didn’t need one because DTB filled the entire nigh, getting fans up and moving with their 27 song set.

DTB started off the night with one of their most recognizable tunes in their catalog with “In This Life”. Jeb Puryear (guitar, vocals) with the very catchy intro and Tara Nevins (fiddle, accordion, guitar,vocals) accompanied with the equally snappy accordion intro got the entire crowd moving.

One of Donna the Buffalo’s traits is not having a setlist before the show and feeding off what the crowd is interested in hearing. Several times Puryear and Dave McCracken (Keys) took notes from fans asking for certain songs and special birthday announcements. The ability to give the fans the ultimate experience and home type feeling is what DTB is all about. Kyle Spark (Bass) and Mark Raudabaugh (drums) rounded out the band and provided a very solid background to the sound that is DTB, one that is rustic and very authentic.

“40 Days and 40 Nights” is such a uplifting and excitable song from the moment Puryear strums the very recognizable intro. Closing the set with “No Place Like The Right Time” was a highlight of the night, one of the bands top singles and fan favorites to date. There truly is something magically between Puryear and Nevins and it shined bright with their first encore song, “There Must Be”. Nevins fiddle cuts through the crowd and the hearts of everyone and includes Nevins and Puryear on stage . The night was capped off by a growing single, “Working on That” off their most recent album, Tonight, Tomorrow and Yesterday and put the finishing touches on what was a great night filled with friends and concert family.

Donna The Buffalo has some time to rest after three straight shows, and will be heading to The Virgina Key Grassroots Festival on February 21-22. Catch DTB when they headline The Great Blue Heron Music Festival on July 5-7 in Sherman, NY

Setlist: In This Life, Temporary Misery,Tonight Tomorrow and Yesterday, One Day at a Time, Everyday, Love and Gasoline, These Are Better Days, I Just Don’t Wanna Be Lonely > Cornbread, I Love My Tribe, I Can Fly, Forty Days and Forty Nights, Broken Record, Ms. Parsley, Ancient Arms, In the Shade, No Sad Songs, Heaven on the Earth, What Money Cannot Buy, Deeds of a Few, Funkyside, Love Time, No Place Like the Right Time

Encore: There Must Be, Chocolate 3-Step (Yeah You Right) > Gimme Just a Little Time, Working on That

February 14, 2014
Greensky Bluegrass Entertains The Town Ballroom on a Winter-Laced Wednesday

Fans of all music genres convened at The Town Ballroom on Wednesday, February 5 for Greensky Bluegrass. It was a heck of a storm all day long in the Buffalo area, however, it didn’t keep the die hard music lovers away.

Tumbleweed Wanderers opened the night off and came out strong despite nearly missing out on the opportunity because their van had broken down. They got the crowd ready for the nights headliner and gained a solid reaction from there on stage flare to their great sound. The Tumbleweed Wanders, hailing from a much warmer climate in Northern California mentioned the cold on a few occasions.

Headliner Greensky Bluegrass may be a bluegrass band but have hints of all sorts of genres and know how to get a crowd involved. Greensky’s uncanny ability to get the crowd moving with uplifting jams also featured one of the best light shows to date for the bluegrass scene. The quintet from Michigan is led by all members at any given time. Dave Bruzza (guitar), Anders Beck (dobro), Mike Devol (upright bass), Mike Bont (banjo) and Paul Hoffman (mandolin) all know how to step up and take charge, as was apparent throughout the night. If you had looked through the crowd it was apparent fans were really having a good time. The band wasted no time and jumped right into it, showing that they were ready to play right out of the gate. There was plenty of banter throughout the night, saying how cool it was to play in Buffalo despite the weather. In true Greensky Bluegrass tradition, they took a song and really made it their own with their rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” into brilliant bluegrass.

The Tumbleweed Wanderers

Greensky Bluegrass

February 11, 2014
Decades Night Becomes Dancing Night: Aqueous at Nietzsche’s, February 5th

In over 30 years of live music at Nietzsche’s Buffalo, no band has ever been granted a residency, until Wednesday February 5th, 2014 when Aqueous secured a month long gig at Nietzsche’s where they will play themed shows every single Wednesday night with various opening bands. Wednesday was “Decades Night,” so both Aqueous and Baltimore based Pigeons Playing Ping Pong (PPPP) brought some celebratory cover songs to the party.

Pigeons started the night off strong with their excellent brand of funk/improv. Coming out hot with the perfectly named “Upfunk”, PPPP got the crowd grooving from the first note. Both “Decades Night” covers of Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride,” and Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” were well adjusted to the band’s style and fit perfectly in their set. Pigeons did a great job injecting the crowd with energy and setting the stage wonderfully for Aqueous.

Selling out Nietzsche’s has become old hat for Aqueous. Tonight was a difficult night for people to make it out to Nietzsche’s. With a storm that dropped 10 inches of snow and a late Wednesday night gig, Aqueous was still able to bring in a crowd of around 150. Those brave 150 would leave the two hour set happy, appreciative, and tired from dancing.

Aqueous opened the run with the newly penned “Complex ii” that has seen some growth already during its short life. The first Decades Night themed cover would appear after just one song. Aqueous closed “Complex ii” and immediately released The Doors “Break on Through” (60’s); the energy in the building would never slow from that point. Two more Aqueous originals with some exploratory jamming would set things up for the 70’s decade cover. The Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” gave the Nietzsche’s crowd a chance to show off their disco moves that they have watched their parents do at weddings.

Once again two more Aqueous originals followed, including an excellent “Aldehyde.” Next it was time for the 80’s decade cover. Covering a-ha’s “Take On Me” was an excellent choice and the clear highlight up until this point of the show. However, this was no laughing matter. The crowd was in a frenzy grabbing each other, singing the cheesy lyrics and basking in the fun.

Aqueous followed next with their original tune “Skyway” before seguing into the last cover of the night. The 90’s cover of Britney Spears “Baby One More Time” came out of nowhere. If you had that as your office pool choice for the 90’s decade, please provide visual evidence. Unfortunately, Britney was not around to shake it for us, but guitarist Dave Loss handled things like a pro. Luckily for us, Dave decided not go the sexy teenage schoolgirl route, instead he helped turn the cover into a funky take on the teeny-bopper classic. The crowd ate it up, everything was weird and perfect at the same time. An outstanding jam concluded “Baby One More Time” before the band returned to “Skyway” which finished up the set.

The encore choice of the rarely played “Dig It Good” capped the night while staying true to the jamming spirit of Aqueous’ core. Smiles, laughter, and happiness were certainly the dominant emotions of the crowd as the exited Nietzsche’s. Just a reminder, this was only the first of the four residency shows. See you next Wednesday for the “Love” themed set and opening band from North Carolina, The Mantras.

Aqueous Residency Remaining Dates at Nietzsche’s:
Wednesday, February 12 with The Mantras
Wednesday, February 19 with Broccoli Samurai
Wednesday, February 26 with Big Something

Setlist: Complex ii>Break On Through (Doors), Dave’s Song>Gordon’s Mule, Stayin Alive (Bee Gees)>Kitty Chaser, Aldehyde>Take On Me (a-ha), Skyway>One More Time (Britney Spears)>Skyway

Encore: Dig It Good

February 11, 2014
Jay-Z Brings Heat to Buffalo’s First Niagara Center

Jay-Z has made a reputation as one of the greatest living rappers, and his Magna Carta tour continues to prove just that. Opening with, “U Don’t Know”, Jay-Z started his performance at Buffalo’s First Niagara Center with an energy that promised to keep the packed house on it’s feet. Backed by a four-piece outfit that featured renowned DJ Timbaland, drums, guitar and keys, Jay-Z dropped rhyme after rhyme spanning his nearly 20 year career.

The crowd rapped along to favorites like “99 Problems”and “Big Pimpin” while Jay-Z never broke his stride. His calls out to the audience to “Put your diamonds in the air”, were met with enthusiastic hands held high into the sky each time. Even when the pace slowed briefly for an interlude by Timbaland the momentum wasn’t lost. “Jigga My Nigga”, picked the crowd right back up and carried them through with more hits until Jay-Z took his time to thank the audience. Fresh off his 19th Grammy win, Jigga said no matter how many albums or awards he has, the best feeling is being on stage and performing, promising the audience he’d “Never get jaded”. Picking individuals out of the crowd, he spent nearly ten minutes chatting and making his thank you heartfelt and personal before going into the encore. Pointing to one girl in the crowd he said, “You know every lyric to every song, I appreciate you”. Picking another man out he said, “You were rocking with me all night, I appreciate you”. Jay-Z is leaving his mark as one of the great entertainers of his time, and continues to visibly enjoy every second of it.

Setlist: Higher Intro, U Don’t Know, Crown, On to the Next One, Holy Grail, Fuckwithmeyouknowigotit, Beach is Better, Drunk in Love (Beyonce Cover), 99 Problems, Picasso Baby, Dead Presidents II, Pound Cake (Drake cover), No Church in the Wild (Jay Z & Kanye West cover), Somewhereinamerica, Big Pimpin’, Timbaland Interlude, Jigga My Nigga, Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99), Dirt Off Your Shoulder, I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me), Niggas in Paris (Jay Z & Kanye West cover), Tom Ford, Public Service Announcement, Clique (Kanye West, Jay Z & Big Sean cover), Run This Town

Encore: Encore, Empire State of Mind, Izzo, Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem), Young Forever (Nelson Mandela Tribute)

February 10, 2014
Tim Reynolds and TR3 to Rock the Tralf Music Hall

The legendary talented guitar virtuso Tim Reynolds will be bringing his band TR3 on stage Monday, February 10th at The Tralf Music Hall. Tim Reynolds, well known for his collaboration with Dave Matthews, will be joined on stage with Mick Vaughn (bass/vocals) and Dan Martier (drums/vocals). TR3 fuses different genres of music together producing a unique show not to miss.

Tim Britt, a Buffalo based artist, will be opening for TR3. He has been awarded the best original solo artist nightlife music award for two years in a row. Tim is a very talented musician who plays the acoustic guitar and has a Dave Matthews sound quality. Tim most recently opened for Boyd Tinsley from The Dave Matthews Band. You will want to make sure you get to the show early to catch his set.

Tickets for Tim Reynolds and TR3 at the Tralf Music Hall can be purchased through The Tralf Music Hall $18 or $22 day of show

February 7, 2014