NYS Music 20​14

Category: Western NY

  • JD McPherson Rocks Rochester at Abilene

    Roots rocker JD McPherson treated Rochester to two nights of foot stomping tunes.  Playing the second of two sold out shows at Abilene Bar & Lounge, McPherson takes things back to the roots of rock and roll.  Backed by a band brimming with raw talent, McPherson wooed the enthusiastic crowd with songs like, “Fire Bug”, “Dimes For Nickels” and “North Side Gal”.

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    Abilene was busting at the seams with adoring Rockabilly fans holding records to be signed and singing along to every song. Special guest Sean Rowe joined the band singing and playing guitar and bringing the already thrilled crowd even more excitement. JD McPherson’s fierce blend of rock and roll and blues had the crowd bouncing from start to finish. McPherson closed both nights with “Wolf Teeth” to the crowds delight.

  • Artpark Announces First Group of Artists for Summer 2014 Lineup

    With the summer season approaching, the anticipation for nights spent outside listening to live music is rising almost as quickly as the temperatures.  One of Buffalo’s most eagerly awaited is the announcement of Artpark Tuesday and Wednesday concert series for 2014.  As of this week, the wait is finally over as the folks at Artpark made an initial announcement, revealing five shows for the upcoming season.

    The five shows, listed below, are already a great start that will be added to throughout the Spring.  Tickets for these Artpark events will go on sale on Friday, March 28, 2014 at 10am through the Artpark box office and Tickets.com.  Where else can you catch a band like Widespread Panic for next to nothing and with a gorgeous view to boot?

    First Niagara presents Tuesdays in the Park lineup: 
    June 10 (Opening Night) – Daryl Hall & John Oates – tickets are $12
    June 17 – Widespread Panic – tickets are $7
    July 8 – Boston – tickets are $12

    Coors Light Wednesdays lineup (both tickets are $11): 
    June 18 – Arctic Monkeys w/s/g White Denim
    July 9 – Sublime with Rome

  • KISS and Def Leppard Rocking Across the Country This Summer

    KISS and Def Leppard announced a summer tour that will span 42 cities throughout the United States, this summer. The tour will be hitting Upstate, NY for two shows – August 5th at Saratoga Performing Arts Center and the second being on August 13th at Darien Lake Peforming Arts Center.

    KISS is entering their 40th year in the music industry and they’re looking to celebrate it the entire year, including being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Although KISS has had many lineup changes throughout the years, Def Leppard has had pretty much the same lineup since the early 80’s.

    This tour is also supporting the military with an exclusive presale and discounted tickets for those who have served the country. More information on that can be found at here. Tickets go on sale starting Friday March 21st.

    Kiss Def Leppard 2014 Tour

  • XRIJF Announces Final Lineup for the 2014 Jazz Fest

    After the initial announcement of this year’s XRIJF headliners, Earth, Wind and Fire & Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell being announced earlier this year – the final lineup has now been announced for the 2014 Rochester Jazz Festival.

    The final lineup comes after the news of a second show not only being added by promoters but also selling out within minutes,  to the Steve Martin and Steep Canyon Rangers event at the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre on June 21st. Also sold-out for this years festival is headliner Earth, Wind and Fire, who will perform at the Kodak Hall Theatre on June 27th.

    Highlights from this morning’s announcement include- Brooklyn Based, funk-a-licious, Soulive J.D. Wilkes and the Dirt Daubers at the Abilene Roots & Americana Stage, where they recently had a packed house for their show earlier this year. Brooklyn based Snarky Puppy will be playing the Harro East Ballroom, and the MOHO Collective will perform at the Inn on Broadway. Also added to this year’s list of headliners is Jazz sensation, Buddy Guy.

    The full lineup can be downloaded on the XRIJF website and please stay tuned to Music Guide for all your news and live coverage of this years 9 day Jazz festival.

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  • It’s Time for March Madness!

    Welcome to March Madness! This is our first year in creating this tournament-style competition between artists and bands that originated in Upstate New York and we think with Upstate New York’s history of incredible musicians, we have the potential for an interesting style of March Madness to share with you all.

    For starters, there are four regions, made up of the four parts to Upstate NY – Western NY, Central NY, Southern Tier and Eastern NY. We broke them up by Area Codes – West Region covers 716 and 585, Central Region covers all of 315, South Region includes 845 and 607, while East Region is 100% 518, stretching all the way to Canada.

    We chose these bands based on their historical presence in Upstate NY, their origins in Upstate, popularity, a selection of many genres (but no cover bands, sorry), focusing on who comes to mind in each of these four regions. We ranked them based on the best known band/artist from each region, 1 through 16.

    Did we miss some? Let us know! There were some bands that didn’t make the cut, and some we might have overlooked in this process.

    Voting will begin on March 17th at Noon with the first round, which ends on March 20th. Round 2 will start the 21st, with more announcements as each round progresses.  Stay tuned to our Facebook page and .com for details and to see who advanced to the next round!

    – Pete Mason, Managing Editor,

    A note to moe. fans – we know they started out in Buffalo and then developed a larger following while in Albany, but have had 14 (soon 15) moe.downs in 315 – we split the difference to place them there.

    Update 3/19 7pm: Due to an OVERWHELMING response to our Upstate March Madness, voting for Round 1 has been closed. The vote totals have been counted and we will share the winners of Round 1 tomorrow afternoon, with a complete bracket of all the teams.

    The response has been greater than we expected, with THOUSANDS of votes cast by fans and bands. There are some upsets, a few Cinderallas to look out for and key Round 2 matchups to which to look forward to.

    Stay tuned for Round 2 of Upstate March Madness!!

    Update 3/21 12pm: Vote in Round 2 here!

    518 East Region

    1 Ominous Seapods
    2 Blotto
    3 Skinless
    4 Peter Prince
    5 Phantogram
    6 Conehead Buddha
    7 Stellar Young
    8 Eastbound Jesus
    9 Wild Adriatic
    10 Stigmata
    11 Titanics
    12 Restless Streets
    13 Mister F/Timbre Coup
    14 Digital Dharma
    15 Formula 5
    16 Lucid

    315 Central Region

    1 Ronnie James Dio
    2 Blue Oyster Cult
    3 moe.
    4 Joe Bonamassa
    5 Joanne Shenandoah
    6 Martin Sexton
    7 Tony Trischka
    8 Ra Ra Riot
    9 Gym Class Heroes
    10 Sophistafunk
    11 Floodwood
    12 Dexter Grove
    13 Los Blancos
    14 House on a Spring
    15 Joe Driscoll
    16 Birdseed Bandits

    716/585 West Region

    1 Goo Goo Dolls
    2 Rick James
    3 Ani Difranco
    4 Cannibal Corpse
    5 Dr. Dirty (John Valby)
    6 Neal and Alan Evan (Soulive)
    7 Snapcase
    8 Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad
    9 Thunderbody
    10 Buddhahood
    11 Spyro Gyra
    12 Aqueous
    13 Big Leg Emma
    14 Manhattan Project
    15 Funktional Flow
    16 Smackdab

    607/845 South Region

    1 Pete Seeger
    2 Donna the Buffalo
    3 John Brown’s Body
    4 Perfect Thyroid
    5 Sim Redmond Band
    6 Big Mean Sound Machine
    7 Jimkata
    8 Driftwood
    9 Solaris
    10 Yolk
    11 Wingnut
    12 3
    13 Revision
    14 Spectacular Average Boys
    15 Notorious String Dusters
    16 Professor Louie and the Crowmatix

  • 716/585 West Region: Vote in the First Round of March Madness!

    Upstateology Breakdown: The Western New York region runs deep with talent. There are Grammy winners, trend-setters, up-and-comers, and unique artists up and down the list. Headlining the region is Buffalo’s most well-known export in the Goo Goo Dolls. Nipping right on their heels though is the Superfreak himself, Rick James, the social voice of Ani DiFranco, and death metallers Cannibal Corpse. The next group is just as widely diversified featuring John Valby, aka Dr. Dirty, who’s satirical and obscene approach to music places him far off the beaten path. Brothers Neal and Alan Evans grew up in Buffalo and launched their careers making up 2/3 of the band Soulive. At present, Alan also plays in the Alan Evans Trio and Neal in Lettuce. Snapcase is a hardcore band who are relatively unknown yet have influenced so many of their successors. Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad rounds out the nationally known acts with their roots reggae sound. The second half of the bands demonstrate a strong case for an upset no matter which matchup you look at. From Thunderbody and Buddhahood’s strong fan bases to Aqueous and Smackdab who both received nods in ‘s Best Of’s this past year, every matchup is going to be very interesting with the future region winner still a complete mystery. No matter what happens, this region will surely produce a contender in ‘s March Madness! – Jeremiah Shea

    All 8 polls for the bracket are listed below – make sure you vote for each!

    See the full field of 64 bands and artists!

    1 Goo Goo Dolls v 16 Smackdab
    2 Rick James v 15 Funktional Flow
    3 Ani DiFranco v 14 The Manhattan Project
    4 Cannibal Corpse v 13 Big Leg Emma
    5 Dr. Dirty (John Valby) v 12 Aqueous
    6 Neal and Alan Evans (Soulive) v 11 Spyro Gyra
    7 Snapcase v 10 Buddhahood
    8 Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad v 9 Thunderbody

    Polls are now closed! Stay tuned for Round 2 matchups coming Friday, March 21st!

  • 607/845 South Region: Vote in the First Round of March Madness!

    The 607/845 region of New York is filled with talent and a few big name musicians, both new and old. Starting off the list at number one is a legend, the late Pete Seeger. Since the 1940’s Seeger has been a musician, activist, pioneer of American Folk Music, making him our top seed. Spots 3 and 5 are home to the area’s hottest Americana/Reggae bands, John Brown’s Body and Sim Redmond Band, whose popularity has grown immensely in the festival scene and across the country. An interesting match-up to look out for is between No. 6 Big Mean Sound Machine and No. 11 Wingnut. These groups are known for the unique sounds they have created, from Big Mean’s complex Latin and dub to Wingnut’s unstoppable funk. With a considerable amount of clout in the local music scene, these bands should prove to be an exciting pairing. Lastly, Jimkata must be mentioned for their rapidly growing fan base and rigorous tour schedule. This electronic/jam quartet has really made a name for itself in the past three years, playing Gathering of the Vibes, Summer Camp and opening this year’s Snowball in Colorado. – Zach Luckin

    All 8 polls for the bracket are listed below – make sure you vote for each!

    See the full field of 64 bands and artists!

    607/845 South Region

    1 Pete Seeger v 16 Professor Louie and the Crowmatix
    2 Donna the Buffalo v 15 Notorious String Busters
    3 John Brown’s Body v 14 Spectacular Average Boys
    4 Perfect Thyroid v 13 Revision
    5 Sim Redmond Band v 12 3
    6 Big Mean Sound Machine v 11 Wingnut
    7 Jimkata v 10 Yolk
    8 Driftwood v 9 SOLARiS

    Polls are now closed! Stay tuned for Round 2 matchups coming Friday, March 21st!

  • Backstreet Boys are Back and Coming to Upstate NY This Summer

    To the jubilation of 35-year-old tweenage girls across NY, Live Nation announced today that the reformed Backstreet Boys will be coming back to Darien Lake June 18th. After a slew of sold out shows and incredible fan demand in 2013 the Boys decided to extend their tour into 2014. All original members are featured, which, love them or hate them, is a rare deed for any group whose career spans 20+ years. 35-year-old tweenage boys will also be happy to know their former late night fantasy girl Avril Lavigne will be opening. Tickets go on sale Friday March 21st at 10AM. Don’t delay, this tour’s bound to be filled with sell outs.

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    Backstreet Boys are Back

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  • Skrillex Bringing The Mothership Tour to New York in June

    Skrillex is bringing “The Mothership Tour” to New York for three dates in June. The New York leg starts at The CMAC Peforming Arts Center in Canandaigua on June 2nd, and the next evening at  The Washington Avenue Armory in Albany.

    On June 7th, Skrillex will wrap up his New York leg at Governor’s Ball Music Festival in New York City. Performing at these shows alongside Skrillex will be DJ Snake, What So Not, and Milo and Otis.

    Skrillex’s shows are always a party with blaring lights, lots of dancing, and concert goers leaving with nothing but smiles on their faces. Tickets go on sale for Albany and Canandaigua on Friday March 14th at 10AM. Governor’s Ball Tickets are available now.

    Here is a behind the scenes look at what to expect from the tour.

    Skrillex 2014 tour

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  • Upstate Metal is Merging with UpstateLIVE

    It is rare to find a music fan who devotes their time to only one type of music. When speaking with the musicians that you read about on our websites, you will find a huge diversity of bands that had influenced their love for music.

    And, that is the basis behind our most recent change.

    Upstate Live is excited to announce its merger with Upstate Metal. Each has focused on the same mission – to promote live music and the local talent here in the Empire State.

    Through the years, we have come to recognize the best way to follow through with this mission statement of ours would be to combine our efforts.  Music fanatics appreciate a wide spectrum of sound that carries them through different genres.  As these tastes mature and musicians continue to push the envelope on the characteristics that define their given category, it has become difficult to discern where one genre ends and another one begins.

    In the coming weeks, regular readers of may notice a few new names.  With the merger, we welcome within the talented writers and photographers that helped earn success for Upstate Metal.  This talented group of writers, photographers and editors will only enhance our ability to spread great music across the state to bring you the coverage you have already come to expect from us.

    In addition, you should expect to see a new look to our website very soon.  It is not all about aesthetics. We promise this will help all of our readers to navigate clearly by region, genre, and news category.