NYS Music 20​14

Category: Buffalo

  • The New Mastersounds Kick Off Tour in Buffalo Next Week

    Eddie Roberts of The New Mastersounds
    Eddie Roberts of The New Mastersounds

    Over the years, music has become more accessible than it’s ever been. With internet radio sites, 160GB iPods, satellite radio, YouTube, and every other outlet, the amount of choices out there are near limitless. Listening to music in your headphones and in the car are one thing though, while actually experiencing the collective force of a live show is far different. Even with how accessible music is, shows are still something that unfortunately can’t be everywhere, all the time. We’ve yet to figure out the whole geographical boundary thing, outside of live streaming, which is ultimately a better-than-nothing alternative. The further a band is from you, the lower the chance you will see them. It’s still just as dead simple as that. Thankfully for one band, that is all about to change. This Fall, The New Mastersounds, a band whose roots in Leeds, England has limited their Stateside exposure, are making their rounds with a first-time stop in MANY Upstate cities with three nights in Brooklyn (9/11-9/13) and closing Catskill Chill (9/7), the band will be making first time trips to Buffalo (9/3), Rochester (10/7), Saratoga Springs (11/8), and Syracuse (11/9).

    The New Mastersounds are riding on the heels of their latest album Therapy, which was released back in March. While they will surely play a few off of the album, the depth of their catalog should bring out some longstanding favorites and a few surprises. The show in Buffalo will be the tour kickoff and is being held at one of Buffalo’s best venues in The Tralf. On the same stage where Lettuce played earlier in the year, the British funksters will bring their jazz-spiked flavor out for all to hear, and finally see. The anticipation around the city for fans is getting stirred into a frenzy with less than a week before the show. The band is known for their blending of old school tone and approach with pure energy. Their music’s simple mission is the passing of kinetic energy, whether through dance, foot tapping, or a neck-jarring head nod. There’s just no way to shake that.

    With the Catskill Chill Music Festival looming, the Wednesday night show is the perfect setup for anyone who is looking to get a sneak peek of what they’ll be in for down in Hancock. What you won’t find at The Chill though, and coming to Buffalo for only their fourth show, is West Coast-natives Orgone. The band calls Portland, Oregon home and, again, with the geographical divide, the band has not made it over on this side of the country as much as fans would like. With the funk scene thankfully growing stronger in every city, this band can now make a worthwhile trip to help spread their word.

    The combination that was put together by ECE Presents for this show is worthy of an applause. And while we’ll get the jazz side of funk from The New Mastersounds, Orgone plays on the soul side of funk’s fence. Regardless of style, both bands have been around a while and surely will not disappoint the expected packed house at The Tralf.

    The New Mastersounds

    Grab your tickets now to these shows throughout New York State:

    |  Buffalo  |  Hancock (Catskill Chill)  |  Brooklyn (9/11, 9/12, 9/13 Early, 9/13 Late)  |

    |  Rochester  |  Saratoga Springs  |  Syracuse  |

  • Zac Brown Band Serves Up Much More than Chicken Fried

    While most people may know the Zac Brown Band as those country guys that sing about fried chicken and a cold beer on a Friday night, I can assure you there is a whole lot more on this band’s menu. Upstate New York fans in Darien Center and Saratoga Springs had the opportunity to hear country, rock, blues, bluegrass, metal, and island music in the same evening. Six different bands didn’t play, just one. Well, two if you count the spectacular opener, Sturgill Simpson, who is in a category all to himself.

    Sturgill Simpson started the evening off with no introduction and no high-production stage setup. It was just Sturgill, his band, and their immense talent. That alone was enough to fill the stage. While he may have sung a cheating song in pure old country fashion to start the evening, die-hard country fans were met with great music and some non-traditional country topics as the set progressed. Simpson looked like he walked off the set of Welcome Back Kotter, wearing a non-country uniform consisting of a 3/4 sleeve baseball jersey, think 1970′s. In fact, everything about him screamed the ’70s – his attire, his musical style, and even his haircut. It was reminiscent of listening to AM radio in my mom’s kitchen – tapping my feet while eating my Farina Cream of Wheat and grabbing my bagged lunch before running off to school. However, with lyrics like “There’s a gateway in our mind that leads somewhere out there beyond this plane, Where reptile aliens made of light cut you open and pull out all your pain” and “Every morning when I rise I look in the mirror and despise, The sight of everything and all that I’ve become.” This is definitely not my mama’s country music. Perhaps more like listening to a modern-day metaphysical outlaw – a splendid mix of Kris or Willie’s ability to write and Merle or Waylon’s soulful badassery that spews out in the music. Sturgill didn’t speak a whole lot on stage, but when he did, he commented that “this (SPAC) is a really cool venue, man” and that Upstate “is a really beautiful place.” A nice realization to others that New York is much more than skyscrapers and taxi cabs.

    The Zac Brown Band could possibly be country music’s best live band. Their music pulls you in, though after hearing it, you might choose to jump right in on your own. It was no surprise that the eight-piece band brought a huge sound, featuring three guitars (Zac plays along while singing with his rich, melodic tones), fiddle, bass, keys, drums and additional percussion. The multi-part harmonies supplied by the rest of the band gave emphasis to choruses, as if the 17,000 in attendance singing along to every song weren’t enough.

    Upbeat fiddlin’, sweet guitar pickin’, twangy singin’ all went together to make some soulful, redneck rock. From that to Mediterranean feel, island music, the band seemed to do it all. It didn’t matter what type of tune ZBB played, the crowd stayed on their feet and danced the summer night away. The first set included a brief intermission while the stage crew switched over to the acoustic set. During that time, the entire band didn’t leave the stage. Instead, they shot, flung, slingshot and tossed about a hundred t-shirts into the eager crowd.

    The acoustic portion included six of the band members playing various stringed instruments, including Clay Cook on mandolin and John Driskell Hopkins on the uke. The harmonies were out of this world and throughout SPAC, couples embraced and swayed side to side as the lyrics plead “don’t give up on me”. The acoustic set also included James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” and Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”, but someone forgot to include the piano. Before the set ended, he brought a young boy to the stage, and after a brief introduction, nonchalantly added, “Derek, let me introduce you to your new friend” and handed him a signed guitar.

    The second set started with a storm, hail and lightning on a shim covering the entire front of the stage. As the music started up, lights began to shine on the musicians behind the shim. “Let it rain, let it pour” being sung as the shim rose, yet the storm continued behind the band. During the brief ten-minute set break, Zac found the time to change into a top hat and dressed all in black. Shortly into the set, an unexpected cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” had Hopkins wailing out the lead vocals. The country crowd let their hair down and put their horns up high as they sang as loud and proud as they did for Zac’s owns songs. Toward the end of the second set, Zac Brown Band busted out Marshall Tucker’s iconic “Can’t You See”.

    During “Colder Weather”, Zac spent the whole song shaking hands and offering up fist bumps to the front couple rows in the pit. A sincere smile came across his face as he gazed up over the appreciating audience. You could see the reciprocated appreciation in his eyes.

    The first song of the encore, “Day of the Dead”, had the entire band in glow-in-the-dark skeleton outfits. The four-song encore also included Charlie Daniel’s “Devil Went Down to Georgia”, and it took until the last song of the show for fans to hear “Chicken Fried”. It may have been the most popular dish on the menu, but the variation throughout the evening couldn’t help but make you feel both full and satisfied.

  • Keith Urban At Darien Lake

    Keith Urban is a little bit country, a little bit pop, and a whole lot of heart, loves being on stage and it showed in his concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.  It was more than just a performance for the audience to witness; Urban made them a part of the show.  In one example, he brought a young girl up to take a “selfie” on stage. Later, Urban brought contest winner Jordan Hokaj of Lancaster onto the stage to sing a duet with him on the song, “We Were Us”.  The crowd was clearly thrilled to have some of their own sharing the stage with the talented Urban. When he wasn’t wooing the crowd, Urban was performing hits that the crowd was eager to sing along with.  “Cop Car” and other songs from his recent album Fuse got just as much love from the audience as did some of his older songs like,  “Without You” and “You Look Good in My Shirt”.  Packed full of excitement and talent, Urban showed he has the recipe to keep his fans coming back for more.

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    Setlist:  Love’s Poster Child, Sweet Thing, Somewhere In My Car, Only You Can Love Me This Way, Long Hot Summer, Even the Stars Fall 4 U, We Were Us, Kiss a Girl, Used to the Pain, Good Thing, I Told You So, Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me, Stupid Boy, Little Bit of Everything, Something Like That (Tim McGraw cover), Days Go By, Without You, You Look Good in My Shirt, Cop Car, You Gonna Fly, Put You in a Song

    Encore:  Making Memories of Us, Better Life, Somebody Like You

  • Allen Toussaint & Preservation Hall Jazz Band Bring Dixieland to New York

    Allen Toussaint and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band will be teaming up for a joint tour of the United States this fall and the Northeast is getting a full docket of shows. The tour promises to see plenty of interaction between the acts, with each band sitting in with one another throughout the show. Ben Jaffe, the Preservation Hall band leader released a statment for the tour saying “After all these years of playing together in New Orleans and coming to the same festivals here and there around the world, it is amazing that we never hit the road as a package before. It was almost as if we’ve always just assumed it had already happened, and then one day it was like ‘Oh yeah, WE need to do this thing’ and the Oh Yeah! Tour was born.”

    Allen Toussaint and Preservation Hall

    “I’ve been playing with the guys in Preservation Hall around New Orleans since the 1960’s, so I’m really excited to finally get out on the road and perform together with them every night on a tour,” said Mr. Toussaint, “we’re going to have a lot of fun, and so will the audience.”

    The first show of note will occur on Oct. 15 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo. This will be closely followed by a stop at MASS MoCA on Oct. 23 and SUNY Purchase’s Pepsico Theatre on Oct. 24. The tour then goes to Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on Nov. 1.

  • The Revivalists Perform an Intimate Show at Buffalo’s Waiting Room

    It seems no matter if The Revivalists play a huge music festival or an intimate small club show they seem to really give it their all. Tuesday, August 12 was no different as the New Orleans band played with as much conviction as if they were playing in front of thousands upon thousands of music lovers at The Waiting Room in downtown Buffalo.

    Revivalistsflow-16

    Opening the show was Buffalo’s own Funktional Flow. The band bridged funk, reggae and all around jamming together and hitting you in the face with a powerful recipe this foursome is really taking it to the next level. Playing a few new songs in the set was also entertaining and giving Camp Flow, which is what the fan base has started to adopt as their nickname something to long for. A new album is on the doorstep and with the potential this band has, the sky is the limit. Funktional Flow continues with spots at The Purple Pig Festival, Catskill Chill and Night Lights Music Festivals, keeping them fairly busy and they would have it no other way.

    Revivalistsflow-40

    Thomas Wynn & The Believers followed Flow’s explosive set with an American Rock infused sound that turned the decibel rating in the small club to overdrive. The band itself was solid and makes sense that they were named Orlando’s top Rock n Roll band four years in a row.

    Revivalistsflow-54

    It may have been a Tuesday night but it soon seemed like a weekend night as soon as David Shaw (vocals, guitar) and The Revivalists started to really get going. Shaw asked the crowd to move right up close and the spaced out room became very intimate in no time. One thing you will find in many Revivalists shows is Shaw enjoys to be part of the crowd, often jumping into the crowd and mingling with his fans. Shaw has so much soul in his voice and his actions at times really speaks largely to what this band has become. He is backed by some solid musicians and his band has just as much fun on the stage that Shaw seems to have off stage.  The seven piece band played their hearts out and it may have been a smaller show in the grand scheme of things but they sure didn’t give that impression to the Buffalo fans.

    Setlist: All in The Family, When I’m Able, Stand Up, Concrete, Keep Going, Catching Fireflies, Two Ton, Not Turn Away, Navigate Below, It Was a Sin, Soulfight, Fade Away, Souls To Loud

  • Playonbrother Did Just That and Beyond at Larkin Square in Buffalo

    Despite a small setback and some unusual weather for the time of year, Alan Evans’ Playonbrother had the mixed crowd that attended their show in Buffalo on August 13th packed in tight and listening intently. Alan is a Buffalonian, born and raised, but this was the first time playing Larkin Square, and with the combination of the opening band and some enthusiastic fans, the homecoming couldn’t have went any better.

    Larkin Square is easily one of the newest gems in Buffalo. The mere revitalization  and beautification of area was astounding, proving that the city is on the verge of turning the corner. The venue, which opened up in 2012, had so many great things going for it that it’s hard to list them all. Two pickle ball courts with equipment provided, free parking, numerous food trucks on site, a beautiful covered area for the stage and music, and an all-around good atmosphere for congregating; this is how you host a concert and all venues in the area need to take note.

    The night got started when the Forealists took the stage, and if you couldn’t tell by the name, they didn’t just come to warm up the crowd. With special guest/semi-official member Nelson Rivera on saxophone for the night, the band came out strong and immediately grabbed those wandering around the venue and drew them in. You can mark my “Favorite Up and Coming Band from Buffalo” on my ballot right now as the ensemble had a perfect mix of raw talent and control over each and every song. The band laid smooth melodies on top of an ever-pressing rhythm that was propelled by the combination of drummer Deshawn Jackson and bassist Zuri Appleby. The band’s sound was sprawled across multiple genres without being watered down. A Snarky Puppy-esque vibe is all that’s needed to describe what they’re capable of. The band shined on some of their faster-paced songs and had the crowd moving right away. It wouldn’t be surprising if this band one day took off; they just need the right visibility. Knowing that, we worked with our good friends at WNYmedia Network who captured some of their set from last Wednesday for our loyal readers. With a new album due out this Fall, check back at soon for our interview with the talented Zuri Appleby.

    After the Forealists finished up, the crowd needed a collective breather to digest what they just heard and prepare for what was on deck. Alan Evans, Danny Mayer, and the newest member, Kris Yunker took the stage behind their respective instruments. The venue was packed, but that didn’t stop people from finding ways to fill in the cracks as the everyone seemed eager to welcome home one of their own. Playonbrother started things off with a song I had yet to hear live. “Tammi”, also the name of the band’s Tiger that sits on stage during their set, came out with a fierce, rhythmic onslaught. If it was any indication of the direction of the new album, you’re going to want to make sure you grab it as soon as it drops. The band paused for a four count before launching right into “Who Dares Knock at my Door”. The newest member Kris Yunker took his first solo with a tone that was muddied and modulated through various effects, creating a spacey feel, rich in the stench of funk that the band is known to dabble in. From new to old, Yunker slipped in without anyone knowing he was only twenty or so shows into his POB tenure.

    With the band locking in, the outdoor setting began to rear its head and provide some challenges. It started with the wind creating some noise on Alan Evans’ microphone. That was just a harbinger though as shortly thereafter, his mic completely dropped out on their song “Easy Meat”. It’s impossible to say for sure, but the band seemed to angrily throw themselves into the solo section, taking every note out on their respective instruments. You can’t always prepare for the elements, but the band played on without missing a beat. Their entire set weaved like a car in the thick Buffalo snow, touching on deep grooves before sailing smoothly out of them. Unlike a car though, the band was in tight control, driven by the rhythmic steering of Buffalo’s own Alan Evans.

    Leaving the set list on an off-the-cuff whim, Playonbrother took on a Jimi Hendrix cover in “Ain’t No Telling”. The deviation was akin to a quarterback calling the perfect audible. It was on that song that the band turned a corner, syncing up on an undeniable rhythm that transcended the entire crowd.

    The venue mid-set resembled a mini-festival with people dancing freely, kids playing catch, and hula hoopers spinning circles in the grass to the music that blanketed the entire area. More venues need to take this approach to shows as it created a spirit and environment that went hand in hand with the music. If adds a “Best New Venue” category to its end of the year writers poll, you know where my vote will lie.

    Guitarist Danny Mayer was the nexus between Alan and Kris the entire night, standing in the middle of the stage and using his experience with both to lead the way. There was no denying the effect he had on the crowd either. The guitarist made some easy side money as a fan felt compelled enough to rush the stage and start throwing singles during his blistering solo on “Buffalo”. Post-show, Danny mentioned to me that it was the first time that had ever happened to him. What’s there to say? Buffalo flat-out appreciates a man with a talent.

    As their set ended, the crowd beckoned for another showing, and to the surprise of many, both Playonbrother and Forealists joined the stage together, being dubbed as either the Foreal Playonbrother Superjam or the simpler Playonrealists. Either way, pupils were dilating at the expectation of what was about to start. Phones were up in the air recording the members setting up, not wanting to miss the start of jam. There wasn’t even enough room on stage for everyone and Forealists drummer Deshawn Jackson ended up setting up on the side of the stage, directly on the floor. Once everyone was set, the nine piece band dove into the Cream hit “Sunshine of Your Love”. The absolute climax of the night came blasting through the brass in the hands of Nelson Rivera. He cut through the other eight members on stage ripping a solo that exuded his feeling, the crowds collective spirit, and the night as a whole. It might have been a cold night in August, but there was no stopping the positive energy that this show thrust upon all who gathered. It was a great night to be a Buffalonian.

  • Aqueous Announce 2014 Fall Tour and Album Release Party

    AQ-PRESSPICBuffalo’s Aqueous just announced their 2014 Fall tour schedule and, even with losing long-time drummer Nick Sonricker, the band refuses to take their foot off of the proverbial pedal. Locked and loaded with the newest member, Ryan Nogle, the band made a solid showing at The Peach Music Festival this past weekend with a sizeable crowd that latched on to the band’s infectious sound. With summer still not exactly over, the band will head to moe.down next weekend for a prime slot and two sets on Sunday night opposite of moe..

    Getting back to the announcement, the band will embark on a heavy rotation throughout the Northeast on tour this Fall, touching down in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania among other states. The band will travel as far south though as North Carolina and as far west as Indiana, ultimately wrapping up at Nectar’s in Vermont. Along the way, Aqueous will be joined by their friends in The Mantras, The McLovin’s, and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. Knowing that the band has a great relationship with each, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we saw some fun guest sit-ins.

    If the tour itself doesn’t have you excited, the band will be debuting their newest album on October 25th in their hometown of Buffalo at Iron Works and will be joined by The Mantras. With their last album being almost two years old, this has been long-overdue and overly anticipated by fans.

    Check out the dates below and make sure to mark one down on your calendar as the new lineup has the band full of energy and ready to bring it to your hometown.

    AQ fall

  • Alan Evans Playonbrother Ready for Free Show in Buffalo

    Alan Evans might be a seasoned vet in the Buffalo music scene and beyond, but with a new member recently brought into Playonbrother, there’s a freshness and excitement that has been propelling the band as of late. Just over a month ago now, longtime keyboard and organ player Beau Sasser left the group and was replaced by a new, yet familiar, face in Kris Yunker.

    alan evans buffaloTo backup, Alan originally met Danny Mayer, Playonbrother’s guitarist, when Danny’s On The Spot Trio went to record at Alan’s studio. The keyboardist for the group was none other than Kris Yunker, so when Alan had to begin looking for Beau’s replacement, he didn’t have to look very far.

    The energy within the rejuvenated band is at an all-time high with Kris adding an element of musical excitement. The band has always been a creative powerhouse, churning out two studio albums in their short existence, but they are visibly feeling it now with the latest addition. Just four shows in to Kris’ Playonbrother career, the band made a stop at Evergroove Studios in Colorado while on tour back on July 14. What was initially setup as a free, live webcast eventually turned into the first recording of the new arrangement.

    Listening to the show live, you could already hear the chemistry and potential the new lineup has. The album opens with two Playonbrother classics in “Who Dare Knock” and “Drop Hop.” It understandably takes those two songs for Kris to get his feet underneath him, but as the band dives into the new material on the remaining tracks, it’s clear to see what the newest member brings to the table. As a side note, the new music heard on this live cut will be part of their latest album that is set for release at the end of September. All and all, if you want to get a taste for this new lineup, you can listen or buy the EP here, or check out the video at the bottom of the article of the studio session itself.

    alan evans buffaloIf reading that get’s you excited, the band is set to play a free show in Alan Evans’ hometown of Buffalo, NY tomorrow, Wednesday, August 13 at Larkin Square. Being that it’s been over a month since the lineup change and having around twenty shows under their belt, Playonbrother is bringing a highly anticipated set back to where it all started for Alan. As for any show in his hometown, Al always seems to bring something extra on those nights, so make sure to head to Larkin and catch what the new lineup has in store for us.

    Opening the night will be Buffalo’s own, the Forealists. This is a band you’ll want to make sure to arrive early and check out. They feature one of the top up and coming musicians in the Buffalo music scene in bassist Zuri Appleby. Her ability on the instrument far surpasses what you might expect a local musician to be capable of. Her talent alone should put whatever project she is involved in on everyone’s radar, and that is on top of the other talented members of the band. What is extra special about the Larkin Square shows as well is the collaboration between the opening and headlining acts that closes each show. We saw local music critic Jeff Miers and his band mix it up with Aqueous just a few weeks ago and now there are high expectations, at least from me, to see what Wednesday’s collaboration will churn out. As the title states, the show is free, so there is no excuse why you shouldn’t stop down and check out two incredible acts tomorrow night. The show has an early start at 5pm, so don’t be late!

    Also to note, Playonbrother will be hitting a few other dates throughout Upstate New York in case you can’t catch their show in Buffalo.  Check them out at the following shows:

    8/14: Funk ‘n Waffles in Syracuse, NY
    8/16: Mazzstock in Marlboro, NY
    8/17: Newbury Life Food & Music Festival in Buffalo, NY (FREE EVENT)
    8/23: Bella Terra Festival in Stephentown, NY
    9/5: Catskill Chill Music Festival in Hancock, NY
    9/23: The Oncenter in Syracuse, NY**
    9/25: Auditorium Theatre in Rochester, NY**
    **in support of Tedeschi Trucks Band

  • Mayhem Festival Comes to Darien Lake

    The Rockstar Mayhem Festival always brings the biggest names in metal music to the masses and this year at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Western NY, everyone was fully prepared for the event. Mayhem Festival is one of those festivals that I try to attend every year because the atmosphere is meant for all the misfits. The fan base represented, elderly couples in band shirts to a five-year old on her dad’s shoulders rocking out to music.

    A lot of excellent, head banging bands filled the stages of Mayhem Festival; but the stage that caught a lot of attention was the Coldcock American Herbal Whiskey Stage. The two bands that I personally thought stood out the most were Mushroomhead and Miss May I. Mushroomhead fans waited and cheered when their stage was being set up. Without having any idea of what to expect, the band came out wearing gory masks and the sound they made was a mixture of metal, industrial and even a bit of rap influenced. Fans looked intrigued. Water covered the drums on stage and as the drumsticks hit each drum, water flew in the air to each beat. The vibe they gave on stage was rather ‘Slipknot’ like and I later found out that Slipknot and Mushroomhead fans had a feud for years about who copied the whole mask look;  regardless of the masks the band put on an energetic, horror metal show.

    A much younger crowd approached the stage as Miss May I was announced, as soon as the band took the stage I thought “Oh great. Here we go another screaming band.” But something about them was different from any other metal core band. They interacted very much with the crowd and their songs were catchy, yet meaningful. The lead singer, Levi Benton had very deep growls and screams but when he talked to the crowd his voice was very soft and sweet. He asked the crowd if anyone is currently in the military and many cheered and Benton announced to the crowd to buy them a drink. He dedicated a song called “Hero With No Name” to the troops from their new album Rise Of The Lion. The band ended their set with Benton going into the crowd to be closer with fans and said that he will be at their merchandise tent after the show to talk and take pictures with fans. Within minutes after the band left the stage, fans rushed to the tent and Benton was more than happy to greet fans. I even walked out of their tent area with a signed CD because I was so impressed by their performance and their dedication to fans.

    Finally, the moment that everyone was waiting for. Security was allowing people to find their seats for the main acts of the evening. I was thrilled to see KoRn and Avenged Sevenfold but I waited anxiously in my seat as two other bands were set to perform before the headliners. Trivium was the first band to take the stage and they brought everything they had. The band got the crowd going with frontman, Matt Heafy telling everyone to stand up and that Canada was the best show they had the other night. If you are from New York that would make anyone stand up and scream louder. Trivium played a total of seven songs including their singles ‘Through Blood and Dirt and Bone’ and ‘In Waves’. Even after the band left the stage, the crowd wanted more and so did I.

    I was already pumped with adrenaline after watching Trivium take the stage and I watched as the crew was setting up for the next act, Asking Alexandria. Two huge light up A’s were put up as red curtains also drapped the stage. The excitement level of the crowd was rising as the lead singer made his way on stage dressed in a white suit jacket with a scarf and jeans. Everyone stood up and cheered and the band went into their first song of the set, ‘Don’t Pray For Me’ their 2013 single from their album From Death To Destiny. I was not too impressed by the band’s performance as the singer Danny Worsnop casually walked around on stage and would go off on little rants about if the crowd did not like the band then they could drink more and forget about them. But to the fans that waited to see them, the band played all the songs that the crowd wanted to hear, ‘Moving on’ and ‘The Death of Me’. But other than that the band’s performance was nothing special.

    Finally, the performances everyone was waiting for. Korn unleashed the madness as they came out with a booming performance. . I was impressed at the professionalism of Jonathan Davis while the band opened up with ‘Falling Away From Me’ and Davis’s microphone was not working and he continued to sing and did not cause a scene until he received a new microphone and went straight into the chorus. Reginald Arvizu hypnotized the crowd with his neon green strings on his bass. After the band went into a few more of their hits. Davis brought out his bag pipes and the crowd roared with excitement as the band went into ‘Shoots and Ladders’. They also ended the show with ‘Coming Undone’, ‘Here To Stay’ and ‘Never Never’. But then the crowds favorite were played, ‘Freak On The Leash’ and ‘Blind’ and then as the band ended the show, they brought out their kids on stage and the kids head banged and threw guitar picks to the audience. Korn definitely will spread metal music to generations to come and they continued to show that the band still had the same level of passion that they had when they first came out in the music world.

    As Korn left the stage, a black curtain dropped along the stage and the Avenged Sevenfold symbol was shown on the front. My excitement was building and I knew Avenged Sevenfold always put on a mind-blowing show after seeing them twice. The lights dimmed once more and the curtain raised as the stage showed a massive skeleton sitting in a throne with a crown, obviously dedicated to the band’s Hail To The King album. The audience erupted as flames came out from the stage and the band opened up with ‘Shepherds Of Fire.’ Lead singer, Matt Shadows took the time to say how the stage was not very personal with the fans and he asked security to bring fans on to the stage and he made a promise that the band would not throw fire at them. The right side of the stage filled with fans as they jumped and screamed to the songs while every once in a while Shadows and guitar player, Synyster Gates would give high fives to the fans that were lucky enough to come up on stage. Avenged Sevenfold played well-known songs like ‘Nightmare’, ‘Bat Country’, ‘Almost Easy’ and then the song ‘So Far Away.’ Shadows took the time explaining the meaning behind ‘So Far Away’. In 2009, the band’s long time drummer, Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan passed away. The song ‘ was dedicated to Sullivan and fans held up lighters and their phones during the song as a memorial for the drummer. The band left the stage after their song ‘This Means War’ but the fans wanted more. The fans banged their hands on the back of the seats and started chanting ‘A7X!’ and I doubt was part of that also. Moments later, the band came out for a two song encore with one of their first ever singles, ‘Unholy Confessions’ and then ended with the kinda disturbing song, ‘A Little Piece Of Heaven’ which Shadows describing the song as ‘A song about love, death and sex in the afterlife.’ It was a huge crowd pleasure and the song almost resembles a play with commentary throughout the song and a story to go along with it.

    The crowd left the venue with sore necks, loss of voice and maybe a few bruises. But everyone could be seen with smiles on their faces and cheering. Korn and Avenged Sevenfold definitely brought back how metal and rock music should be and pleased every metal head in upstate New York.

    Also check out our coverage of the Saratoga Springs Mayhem Festival here.

  • The Waiting Room Welcomes The Revivalists to Buffalo

    Tuesday, August 12 will be pretty busy downtown, especially at The Waiting Room in Buffalo. The Revivalists come to town and over the past few years have played a lot of shows along the way. The band who hails from New Orleans has really been turning heads as of late with constant air play and festival appearances. The seven piece band will surely get your blood flowing with lead man, David Shaw’s heart filled lyrics and the conviction in his voice. The band will be visiting just days before their appearance at The Peach Music Festival, giving everyone in Buffalo a sample of what they will bring to the very talked about Peach.

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    Opening the show alongside The Revivalists will be Thomas Wynn & The Believers and Buffalo’s own Funktional Flow. Thomas Wynn & The Believers coming from the deep south in Orlando, Fla. are sponsored by Gibson Guitars. The six piece band has been named Orlando’s ‘Top Rock Band’ four years in a row; and with influences from the all time greats – Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and countless others, it’s no surprise they are so well liked.

    Funktional Flow also set to perform is no stranger to the Buffalo, NY music crowd. Playing for anyone and everybody they will bring their funky sound and jam with the best of them. Flow is coming off a very productive summer season with a big time showing at this year’s Buffalove Music Festival where they were the talk of the festival alongside Buffalo’s Aqueous. I would plan on getting to the Waiting Room plenty early to get a taste of the opening bands as they will definitely get you amped up for The Revivalists.

    Tickets for The Revivalists in Buffalo can be purchased through The Waiting Room for$15 and the doors open 8PM.