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.
Lockport, NY group Pants and the Family has recently released their debut recording Lost In the Wash. They will be celebrating the CD’s release with a record release party at the Tuscarora Inn in Lockport, NY on March 21, 2014. The trio is made up of members Bronchi Ducat (Drums, Break Pad, I pod, Smokes), ChuChi LaFace (Synthesizer, Disco Ball, Running Commentary) and Boris Smellengood (Bass Guitar, Pedal Noises, Singing). The group describes themselves as ‘electrocarnival punk’ which is an apt appraisal. The music is sparse with the concentration centered on the comedic lyrics and vocals. Stripped down, yet cosmic arrangements featuring drums, rhythmic bass pulses, samples and simplistic synthesized accompaniment allow the music to take on a comedic and eclectic edge.
Running the gamut from acapella to psych, rock to punk and the undefinable, Pants and the Family ring out your mind with this record. The album sometimes sounds like an inside joke between friends, causing the humor to get lost under the premise of it feeling like it was developed for a small and certain group of people. But, for the intrepid listener who has the musical time to dive the thick musical soup developed by the sixteen tracks, they can expect to have an interesting time as well as some laughs. Think New Wave meets Weird Al via a group of Talking Heads fans on acid.
The majority of the songs feature humorous thematic premises. The songs do seem a bit cold in their production, sometimes keeping you at arm’s length, never inviting you in, which is unfortunate, because if I knew what the band wanted me to take serious and what to laugh at, the recording would be a greater success. Regardless, their fearless musical attempts make the listener unable to turn away, always in anticipation of what the hell is coming next! The vocals are an acquired taste, they undulate between very humorous and cringe worthy, if the vocals do make you grimace at any point, the lyrical content keeps things light. See, ‘Hey Bartender’ for examples of this view on the vocal gymnastics.
The sonic introductions on many of the tracks are the recordings highlights. The soundscapes beginning ‘Lil Dancer’ and ‘Better Get On the Horse’ are creative and well thought out scene setting musical moments. It’s obvious that the band is made up of capable musicians that do not take themselves too seriously, and that are just looking to disseminate a good laugh through their tunes. For a listening experience filled with chuckles and lots of ‘What the’s?’, do not look any further than Pants and the Family’s debut release, Lost In the Wash. A refreshing collection of music that will make you rummage through the pockets of a range of aural emotions.
James Taylor announces five additional shows to the US summer tour, including one in Upstate New York, with a July date in Buffalo, NY at the First Niagara Center. The five additional shows will be in the months of July and August.
Additional dates
7/13 Bangor, ME – Cross Insurance Center
7/29 Buffalo, NY – First Niagara Center
8/6 Memphis, TN- Mud Island Amphitheatre
8/8 Little Rock, AR- Verizon Arena
8/9 Oklahoma City, OK- Chesapeake Energy Arena
The tour will start on May 30th in Portland, OR and will finish on August 9th in Oklahoma City, OK and tickets can be purchased through JamesTaylor.com on March 11th at 10am.
Buffalo seems to be going through a revival as of late with new buildings going up downtown and old ones being restored all around the city. One in particular has made some big news this week and that is the reopening of one of Buffalo’s most beloved venues, Showplace Theater.
Showplace Theater was originally opened up in the early 20th century as a movie theater before becoming a concert venue in the mid 90’s. There’s a good amount of history in the movie theater alone, but as a concert venue, it was a hotbed for many popular touring bands before closing its doors in 2008. The venue saw such national acts as Gov’t Mule and New Found Glory while also playing host to local favorites Cannibal Corpse, Snapcase, and Every Time I Die.
A shot of the venue from 1997
The deeply historical building sat vacant for quite some time before the current owner, Joe Breidenstein, came along and decided to put his time, energy, and resources into this Buffalo landmark. The building has been completely renovated from fresh coats of paint and new light fixtures to the rebuilding of the stage and adding a screen to serve as a backdrop for upcoming shows.
The first event is slated for next Monday (March 17th) and will be a St Patrick’s Day party called IRISH FOR A DAY. Rather than jumping in without looking, Breidenstein purposely setup a lower-key opener to get his feet wet. The inaugural show pulls together various local acts in Breckenwood, Crashfuse, Cosmic Shakedown and Sleepy Hahas to kick things off.
It’s exciting to see the revival of a venue I’ve personally spent countless hours in. With the throw-away-what’s-broken attitude that is so prevalent nowadays, it’s refreshing to see someone working to bring back a piece of Buffalo’s history from both an architectural and musical standpoint.
It might only be a short drive separating Buffalo from its northern neighbor Toronto, but that has proven to be a great enough divide for Protest the Hero. The Canadian metal act’s last visit was back in 2009, but thankfully that all changed with the kickoff to their 2014 North American tour happening right in the Queen City.
The night started out as any night in Buffalo would during our long winter stretch: discouragingly cold. And just as that’s an expectation, so too is the community’s passion for music. Without disappointment, The Waiting Room was packed with metal enthusiasts who were eager to see the eclectic mix of bands. Opening the night were up-and-comers Intervals and Night Verses. Both bands are relatively new to the scene and have only been around for a few years now, but neither disappointed.
The Safety Fire was the third band on and, at this point, the crowd was dialed in and beginning to get into the show. The band started their set with an audio clip of the Chemical Plant Zone in Sonic 2 which drew a resounding response from the crowd. As the clip finished, they dove right into their first song “Red Hatchet” off of their most recent release Mouth of Swords. The song had an underlying similarity in tone to the Sonic intro which made for a seamless transition into their set. The UK-based band has only been across the pond a few times to tour, with their first actually being in support of Protest the Hero back in 2012. With their understandably low exposure to U.S. audiences, the five-piece squeezed everything out of their set and really left everything out on the stage. Their guitarists Derya ‘Dez’ Nagle and Joaquin Ardiles employ custom, Telecaster-esque Wirebird guitars which gives their harmonized runs a sharp and unique tone. The third song “Huge Hammers” got the biggest crowd response and is one of the band’s most popular songs. With hands raised, the crowd echoed the beat and created a unified feeling with the music. As their set wrapped up, the band put their remaining energy into the last song, running circles around the stage on the anthemic “Glass Crush.”
Up next was Battlecross whose raw, thrash metal sound gave the crowd even more reason to move. Their modern take on a classic metal genre was energized by the thunderous double bass attack of Shannon Lucas who’s their temporary drummer on this tour. Lucas has played with the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder and All That Remains to name a few and is their current fill-in while they look to permanently fill the void left by the departure of longtime drummer Michael Keger last year. You wouldn’t have known the difference though as the band literally didn’t miss a beat all night.
Battlecross guitarist Tony Asta (left) and bassist Don Slater (right)
Battlecross ripped through their set, focusing on their new album War of Will for the majority of the content for show. Their speed an aggression was balanced out by runs of beautiful melody via guitarists Tony Asta and Hiran Deraniyagala. Calling Detroit home, the band fully embodies the Motor City’s drive and blue-collar mentality. With their set coming to a close, the band pulled from their 2011 release Pursuit of Honor in “Kaleb” and “Push Pull Destroy.” The throwback sent the crowd into a frenzy and lead singer Kyle “Gumby” Gunther only antagonized them more with his in-your-face attitude. These guys will be back in Buffalo in May in support of Killswitch Engage, so don’t miss another chance to catch their incredible live show.
The long-awaited return of Protest the Hero was finally over as the buzz in the crowd began to build for the imminent start to their show. Although it had been five years and two album releases since their last visit, the crowd was more than willing to forgive and forget as that was all about to change. The band took to the stage to a loud and warm welcoming. Since their last visit, the band lost longtime drummer Moe Carlson who has now been permanently replaced by the still unrecognized Mike Ieradi. Also new to the group was temporary bassist, Cameron McLellan. Arif Mirabdolbaghi is still with the band, but was forced to skip the tour due to scheduling issues with another endeavor.
Protest the Hero guitarist Luke Hoskin
The band kicked off their set with “Hair-Trigger” from 2011’s Scurrilous. The crowd was already amped up for this performance, but the song’s bridge was an early highlight in the show with a heavy push to get closer to the band. Protest the Hero seemed to be in mid-tour form with a rhythmically-tight execution of their difficult, math metal sound. The soaring melodies of Tim Millar and Luke Hoskin were met throughout the night by Rody’s equally expansive vocals.
The band took on the new album in a few instances, but none more effectively than the combination of “Clarity” and “A Life Embossed,” played back to back early on in the set. It was admittedly the band’s first performance of “Clarity” which went off without a hitch. The energy throughout the set continuously built as they progressed and touched upon each of their four releases. As expected, the band displayed their impeccable proficiency on their instruments on each and every song, rarely taking the instrumental easy road.
The wait was worth it in the end as the crowd appreciated the opportunity to catch one of metal’s most talented groups. All and all, the show was a great kickoff to the tour and I would highly recommend catching them towards the tail end when they make a stop in Rochester on April 4th.
Protest the Hero Set List:
Hair-Trigger, Underbite, Sequoia Throne, Clarity, A Life Embossed, Bury the Hatchet, Mist, Sex Tapes, The Dissentience, Blindfolds Aside, Bloodmeat, C’est la Vie
Editor’s Note: Photo Credit Thomas Sgori/UpstateMetal Staff
Floodwood takes the stage on Saturday, March 8th at The Waiting Room in downtown Buffalo. Floodwood, who call Upstate New York home is one of the region’s hottest bluegrass bands to date. Comprised from of Al Schnier (guitar) and Vinnie Amico (drums) and Woodenspoon’s Jason Barady (mandolin), Nick Piccininni (fiddle, banjo) and Zachary Fleitz (bass), the band really knows how to jam. Floodwood has been constantly touring when moe. is not and has been playing all over including some of the biggest festivals over the past few years.
Big Leg Emma will be opening the show, an American roots rock band from Western, NY. Big Leg Emma is known to get everyone up and moving with their dance vibe which is driven from traditional folk, bluegrass and country.
Funktional Flow, a local funky jam band will be special guest as well and we encourage everyone to make sure they get there early enough to catch them, as they are one of the freshest and up and coming bands in the Western, NY area.
Tickets for Floodwood can be purchased through the Waiting Room. $15- $18. Doors 8pm
Western NY is in for a treat as the ivory wizard Marco Benevento brings his extensive spring touring through Upstate, then Rochester and Buffalo. Joining him again are David Dreiwitz (Bass/Ween) and Andy Borger (Drums/Tom Waits Band etc). Benevento is well known for innovative shows with mixed setlists, audience interaction (Want to play the piano for a dollar?), and virtuoso instrumentation.
The tour stops first at The Montage Music Hall in Rochester NY on May 15th. The Montage has gone through some recent renovations including upgraded sound and lights and has the local music community abuzz with their new jam heavy venue schedule. Tour continues May 16th at Buffalo’s historic Allentown music home, Nietzsche’s. Ticket prices and support acts to be announced.
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
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.
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.
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