NYS Music 20​14

Tag: Rochester

  • ABORTED Coming to Rochester, Albany in March

    Belgian death metal veterans ABORTED are hitting the bricks in support of their upcoming release, The Necrotic Manifesto, launching an international tour on February 22.

    ABORTED named Rochester and Albany among the cities they will pass through during their upcoming international tour. (Photo Credit: Aborted/Century Media Records)
    ABORTED named Rochester and Albany among the cities they will pass through during their upcoming international tour. (Photo Credit: Aborted/Century Media Records)

    The tour takes them through upstate New York, with stops in Rochester on March 30th, at the Montage Music Hall, and a stop in Albany the following day at Bogie’s.

    The Necrotic Manifesto will released on April 29th by Century Media Records, and will be the band’s eighth full-length studio album.  It will feature Jacob Hansen as producer, who is also known for his work with Volbeat, Heaven Shall Burn and Mercenary.

    “I can’t believe we did it to be honest.”, stated front-man Sven de Caluwé, through his label’s press release. “We had a little over three months from start to master on this record– everyone really gave 300% on this record, and it was an absolute pleasure to work with Jacob once again, who really pulled the best out of all our asses.

    “I can say in all honesty that ‘The Necrotic Manifesto’ is without a doubt the strongest record ABORTED has done thus far and could not be more proud of everyone involved in the project, stated de Caluwé.  He continued to describe the CD as the band’s “most brutal,” and “technical” record from the band, in their nearly 20 years of recording.

    Phlegethon, of Wormed, and Vincent Bennett, of The Acacia Strain, provide cameoi appearances on the CD with their vocals.

    The album artwork was done by Par Olofsson (Pathology, Immolation, Immortal).”

    Below is a track listing for the upcoming CD, along with announced tour dates.

    The Necrotic Manifesto track-listing:

    1. Six Feet Of Foreplay

    2. The Extirpation Agenda

    3. Necrotic Manifesto

    4. An Enumeration Of Cadavers

    5. Your Entitlement Means Nothing

    6. The Davidian Deceit

    7. Coffin Upon Coffin

    8. Chronicles Of Detruncation

    9. Sade & Libertine Lunacy

    10. Die Verzweiflung

    11. Excremental Veracity

    12. Purity Of Perversion

    13. Of Dead Skin & Decay

    14. Cenobites

    In support of The Necrotic Manifesto, ABORTED will tour North America together with Kataklysm in March/April 2014. The band will then return to Europe in May for a handful of release shows before heading into the festival season. See below for all upcoming tour dates.

     ABORTED tour dates:

    Feb. 22 –          BlastFest – Bergen (Norway)

    Mar. 27 –          Empire – Springfield, VA (United States)

    Mar. 28 –          Sounds Asylum – Middletown, NY (United States)

    Mar. 29 –          The Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA (United States)

    Mar. 30 –         Montage Music Hall – Rochester, NY (United States)

    Mar. 31 –         Bogie’s – Albany, NY (United States)

    Apr. 1 –             Middle-East – Cambridge, MA (United States)

    Apr. 2 –             Palace Theater – Stafford Springs, CT (United States)

    Apr. 3 –             St. Vitus – Brooklyn, NY (United States)

    Apr. 4 –             Club Soda – Montreal, QC (Canada) *

    Apr. 5 –             El Mocambo – Toronto, ON (Canada) *

    Apr. 6 –             The Foundry – Lakewood, OH (United States) *

    Apr. 7 –             High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI (United States) *

    Apr. 8 –             Zoo Cabaret – Winnipeg, MB (Canada) *

    Apr. 9 –             The Exchange – Regina, SK (Canada) *

    Apr. 10 –           Pawn Shop – Edmonton, AB (Canada) *

    Apr. 11 –           Republik – Calgary, AB (Canada) *

    Apr. 12 –           Columbo Lodge – Kamloops, BC (Canada) *

    Apr. 13 –           Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver, BC (Canada) *

    Apr. 14 –           Studio Seven – Seattle, WA (United States) *

    Apr. 15 –           Jub Jubs – Reno, NV (United States) *

    Apr. 16 –           DNA Lounge – San Francisco, CA (United States) *

    Apr. 17 –           Ramona Mainstage – Ramona, CA (United States) *

    Apr. 18 –           Mirror Image – Anaheim, CA (United States) *

    Apr. 19 –           Joe’s Grotto – Phoenix, AZ (United States) *

    Apr. 20 –           Tricky Falls – El Paso, TX (United States) *

    Apr. 21 –           Marquis Theatre – Denver, CO (United States) *
    Apr. 22 –           Riot Room – Kansas City, MO (United States) *

    Apr. 23 –           Reggie’s – Chicago, IL (United States) *

    Apr. 30 –           Magasin 4 – Brussels (Belgium)

    May 1 –             Steinbruch Theater – Darmstadt (Germany) ***The Necrotic Manifesto release show w/ GORGUTS, MISERY INDEX***

    May 2 –             Neurotic Deathfest – Tilburg (The Netherlands)

    July 18 –           Boarstream Festival – Mulfingen (Germany)

    July 19 –           Grindtastic Open Air – Mittelsinn (Germany)

    July 21 –           Metal Days – Tolmin (Slovenia)

    Aug. 1 –            Xtreme Fest – Albi (France)

    Aug. 8 –            Party San Open Air – Schlotheim (Germany)

    Aug. 10 –          Bloodstock – Walton on Trent (United Kingdom)
    Aug. 14 –          Summer Breeze – Dinkelsbuhl (Germany)

    Aug. 23 –          Kaltenbach Festival – Spital am Semmering (Austria)

    *=with KATAKLYSM

    ABORTED online:

    http://www.goremageddon.be/

    https://www.facebook.com/Abortedofficial

  • The Black Lillies are Coming to Rochester’s Abilene Bar & Lounge

    the-black-lillies-at-liberty-community-center-seated-by-deone-jahnke

    Black Lillies front man Cruz Contreras is no stranger to the music business and the Black Lillies are not his first musical endeavor. Having lent his name to two previous bands that held notable success – Contreras continues that success and more with this electrifying bluegrass outfit. The Black Lillies have grown from a group of friends sitting around a campfire to one of the hardest working independent bands in the industry.

    If you missed their barn burner this past Summer at the Rochester Jazz Festival, this is your chance to see what you missed – if you were one of the foot-stomping attendees to that dance party, you know what to do! Come and enjoy the Appalachian sounds of Knoxville, Tennessee at Abilene in Rochester, NY on March 3rd. Show starts at 8:30PM and tickets are $12 and this is an all ages show.

    Eschewing record labels, they’ve still managed to conquer the Billboard Top 200 charts (Runaway Freeway Blues debuted at #43), put three tracks in Country Music Television’s top 12 requested videos, and film a nationally broadcast commercial for Twizzlers. They’ve been featured on numerous television specials and played festivals as widespread as Bonnaroo, Rochester Jazz Festival, MerleFest, and CMA Fan Fair.  Despite trafficking in a richer, more authentic brand of country and Americana than what gets played on mainstream country radio, they’ve still been invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry more than twenty times – a record for an independent act.

    The Band:  front-man Cruz Contreras, harmony vocalist Trisha Gene Brady, multi-instrumentalist Tom Pryor, bass player Robert Richards and drummer Bowman Townsend.

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  • Influenced, an Artist’s Review: Umphrey’s ROCKchester

    For this Umphrey’s review we invited Aqueous‘s Mike Gantzer to sit in as guest reporter and cover one of his and Aqueous’s big influences.  

    In the Fall of 2007, I’d been strongly advised by my fellow band mate Evan McPhaden, (who’d been strongly advised by some guy he worked with) to check out a band I’d never heard of. They were playing on a Monday night at the Harro East Ballroom in Rochester, NY. I decided to go based on the pretense that this band “melts faces” and mostly that it was an excuse to see live music on a Monday night instead of doing schoolwork. Six years and 20 some odd shows later, its pretty safe to say that my face really hasn’t been the same, and it’s all Umphrey’s McGee’s fault.

    Something resonated with Aqueous when we first started seeing Umphrey’s. They did what we wanted to do: they grooved, they shredded, they listened to each other. The interplay between every member of that band is out of control, and that set an intense pace for us when we were defining our sound. Specifically for me, the aggressive but dynamic guitar approach was perfect, and I loved how Jake Cinninger and Brendan Bayliss worked as a unit. They sort of re-affirmed my belief that the best way for a band to function is to have every member completely cognizant of the others in the group, and to build every song or jam as one whole; a foundation that we have built our entire band around. Beyond the music, their general structure was fresh and innovative, and it always seems like they’re pushing the jam scene into new territories. (UM bowl, The Headphones and Snocones program, their music education program sUMmer school, etc…)

    It was only fitting that I found myself at the Harro East Ballroom seeing Umphrey’s McGee destroying the place in the very same fashion they had when I began my journey with them all those years ago (albeit with a significant upgrade to Jefferson Waful’s light rig, and probably double the amount of people in attendance). Although the Harro East isn’t the best room acoustically speaking, the band was still totally dialed in, and every nuance could be heard from the right spot in the venue.

    Umphrey’s McGee has mastered the art of the setlist, which in a way is like mastering the art of musical contrast. Given that their catalog is extensive and their musical prowess spans and draws from several genres, Umphrey’s has managed to consistently write setlists that showcase so many sides of the band, and they move seamlessly between those sides with mind-blowing segues and some of the tightest on-the-dime transitions you can imagine. This night was no exception, they seemed to have struck a perfect balance between three notable and specifically Umphrey’s-esque themes: prog, groove, and dance.

    Opening the show with a super aggressive “Padgett’s Profile” right into a burning “2×2”, it was clear that they weren’t taking any prisoners this Sunday night. After the incredible composed section that sounds something like Mozart with the distortion on 11, they opened the song up into a beautiful and patient but ever-building jam. This show in particular saw a lot more psychedelic moments than I’d seen Umphrey’s get into before, which culminated in several chill-inducing moments when songs finally peaked, and that tone was set early on with this particular rendition of “2×2”.

    The set continued on with a standard but excellent version of “Anchor Drops”. Short and sweet, this showcased super solid three part vocal harmonies, and some great and tasteful playing/phrasing by Cinninger. Moving into Safety In Numbers territory, a “Nemo>Sweetness>Nemo sandwich saw one of the most uplifting and triumphant peaks of the first set, and the final lyrics of “Nemo” always resonate deeply with me: “As many times as we’ve been there and back again, Now I don’t care if I’ll be no one in the end.”

    I was psyched to see the band touching on older material from the Local Band Does OK era, as they started up the super prog-y and air-guitar worthy “Water”. This particular composition is adventurous and intense; seguing through many driving peaks and valleys, and the band nailed this version, an impressive task with so many changes. The set came to a screaming close with the deep, slouchy groove “Smell the Mitten”. The guitar harmonies on this song are super playful and fun, and the groove built into a driving/dance-y jam that centered around Joel Cummins’ keyboard leads. There was some specific interplay between drummer Kris Myers and bassist Ryan Stasik that was really pushing the jam, and the song and set came to an epic end with a huge sounding riff. After proclaiming, “Thank you, we’re Joel Cummins and the Twitter Junkies”, the band exited the stage as Supertramp came on over the PA system.

    Excitement mounted as the band took the stage for the second set with the fan-favorite “Jajunk”, and nearly everyone in the place was air-guitaring along, myself included. As the band came away from the composed intro, this section saw a distinctive interplay between Bayliss and Cinninger in the form of a guitar line that served as the theme of that jam. Again, Umphrey’s pulled back the reigns and opted for some brief psychedelia before jumping into the Steely Dan-esque “Comma Later”. Another Joel-led jam found the band entranced in a deep dance groove. Percussionist Andy Farag’s role in coloring the music with tasteful and necessary additions really stood out here. As the jam came to a close, they built it into the instrumental “Space Funk Booty”, a dirty groove based on diminished chords and solid rock riffing, which came to a decently concise close. Bayliss commented on the crowd’s enthusiasm for a Sunday night, before kicking into a newer tune “Glide”. Stasik’s slap work served as the groundwork for a super funky, falsetto vocal-based dance machine of a tune, and the entire crowd responded by dancing even harder than before.

    Moving again into the Local Band Does OK catalog, the band jumped right into “Prowler>”2nd Self”, just as it is on the aforementioned album. “Prowler” featured a super quick tease of Van Halen’s “Unchained” by Cinninger, and both Cummins and Bayliss shined in this section, with beautiful, peaking solos. It’s worth mentioning again how they nailed these songs to a tee; especially given how many intense changes the songs have built into their respective structures.  As Umphrey’s started to draw the set to a close, they pulled out a “Dump City” on the crowd, and this might have been the highlight of the show. It jumped between a sly groove and some super heavy guitar riffs, and two things specifically stood out here. Initially, Jake took some super clean leads that were pretty shocking, very Jeff Beck-esque and tasteful. Secondly, the jam culminated in the ongoing theme of space and psychedelic jamming in the form of a super strange build out of a Myers/Farag solo that launched straight into the atmosphere. It was an odd mix of metal and space, and you could even see the band being surprised by what was happening. Out of nowhere, they pulled it back into “Dump City”, and it came to a raucous close. Bayliss noted that it got “Weird, almost like the Twilight Zone”, and the band appropriately closed the set with the 1982 classic rock hit “Twilight Zone” by Golden Earring, sung by Cinninger.

    Returning to the stage for the encore, they dropped into the shuffle beat/reggae influenced “Thin Air”, an interesting and fun choice, and promptly moved into a shifting section between a Latin samba feel with Bayliss leads, and a jazz feel with Cinninger leads. This built into a soaring duel guitar jam that ended with the classical “In the Hall of the Mountain King”, only to return to “JaJunk Part Two”. Cinninger proceeded to destroy everyone in the building with fiery leads, and the show came to an epic and final ending as the band thanked the crowd and walked off.

    This show achieved what every Umphrey’s McGee show achieves for me; I left feeling incredibly inspired. There’s a strong correlation between any member of Aqueous seeing an Umphrey’s show and new material forming quickly from us thereafter, and that has been a consistent pattern since we all first saw them, fittingly in this same venue. Face: successfully melted.

    Setlist
    Set 1: Padgett’s Profile, 2×2, Anchor Drops, Nemo -> Sweetness[1] > Nemo, Water, Smell the Mitten
    Set 2: JaJunk, Comma Later > Space Funk Booty, Glide, Prowler > 2nd Self, Dump City, Twilight Zone
    Encore: Thin Air > JaJunk

  • The David Mayfield Parade at Abilene in Rochester, NY

    To say that one has “seen” a David Mayfield Parade show is an understatement. The experience can best be described as an event that you were a part of when the Parade came to your town. The charisma that emanates from Mayfield’s heart and soul, the music that he creates and the interactions he shares with the crowd are a spectacular occasion.

    The David Mayfield ParadeThis night the venue was full and the music was hot! Highlights were hearing originals like, “Love Will Only Break Your Heart” – in true Mayfield fashion songs about love were followed by strong fiddle and bass filled dance songs, and dancing on the bar and the chairs and flat-out on the floor.

    Banter among band members is common place at live shows but banter WITH the audience is what you get from Mayfield. Saturday’s show at Abilene Bar & Lounge in Rochester, NY was no exception to the carnival side-show antics that make this band who they are and sets them apart from the others.  Mayfield was in the midst of performing his sexual prowess where he fit the entire mic into his mouth while batting his eyes and flirting with the crowd – a female fan yelled out, “I love you David!” to which Mayfield replied, “I thought I told you to wait outside”. The small crowd at the intimate one room venue erupted with roars of laughter at the well-played banter.

    Another moment shared between the crowd and Mayfield was set inside a circle of fans as Mayfield serenaded us with his acoustic guitar – sharing these intimate interactive moments with music and the artist is what music lovers hope for with shows like this.

    The setting is small, especially in the winter when the back deck is closed off but the intimacy that can be reached between bands and patrons can not be found in any other venue in this city. Abilene has become Rochester’s secret garden for music, whether it’s as the Americana stage at Jazz Fest or the little bar with the blue grassy – rockabilly bands in the cold of winter. This venue is perfect just the way it is and I look forward to seeing shows here in the future.

    • The David Mayfield Parade
    • The David Mayfield Parade
    • The David Mayfield Parade

  • Steve Martin Returns to the Rochester Jazz Festival This June – Tickets On Sale Tomorrow!

    SteveMartinandtheSteepCanyonRangersfeatEdieBrickell

    XRIJF announced the return of Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers to the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre for the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival 13th Edition, which will be held June 20-28. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 7 at 10:00 a.m. at rochesterjazz.com. Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers last performed in Rochester at the XRIJF in 2012 in two sold-out shows.

    Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell will perform on Saturday, June 21. Tickets are $105 boxes/$95 orchestra/$80 mezzanine and loge/$65 balcony plus $8 per ticket service charge/facility fee. All performances will be at 8:00 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.

    Check out ‘s 2013 XRIJF coverage – Peter Frampton’s Guitar Circus and Willie Nelson & Family

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  • We Can Dance If We Want To: Lotus at Water Street Music Hall

    Despite several non-heady forces: A red hot Syracuse basketball team playing,  sub-zero wind chills, and a liquor license-less venue; Rochesterians turned out en masse for the electro-jam instrumentals of Philly based Lotus. Touring heavily behind their latest critically acclaimed release Monks, fans came from far and near to catch this rare Upstate performance of Lotus at Water Street Music Hall. Local DJ favorite Papi Chulo opened the night with his skillful genre hopping house infused DJ set that got everyone limbered up for the headliner.

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    Water Street, as many know, has been struggling to get their new liquor license for many months, and many shows have been canceled, rescheduled or moved. Despite the lack of delicious hops, this show was expertly staffed and it was a relief to see a packed show again in Rochester’s most history filled venue. Note to New York State: These unbelievably long, senseless bureaucratic delays for a simple license continue to cripple small businesses struggling to profit and stay open. Reboot this system and let’s get New York’s small entrepreneurs back on top!

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    By the time Lotus took the stage Water Street was elbow to hoop girl from front to back with a large contingency spilling upward into the balcony for some dancing room. Their sound, while definitely in the EDM genre, sticks mostly to old school influences with healthy doses of funk and hip-hoppy beats mixed within melodic keyboard battles and a dual-ax core. Beyond some occasional voice effects by guitarist Luke Miller, the songs are all instrumental, yet hold a distinct memorable vocal character to them that transcends many similar bands in the genre. No UntzUntzUntzDROP here, this is hypnotic organic dance music filled with timeless melodies.  Unfortunately Lotus has no more shows scheduled in NY currently, but keep an eye on their tour page, as they’ll be back and you won’t want to miss it.

    Check out and purchase Lotus’s Monks  here

    Setlist:
    Set 1: Bellwether, Ashcon, Neon Tubes, Opo, Wooly Mammoth, Bubonic Tonic ->Tip Of the Tongue
    Set 2: Debris, Golden Ghost -> Livingston Storm, Different Dream, Behind Midwest Storefronts, IACTMN ->Wax
    Encore: Cain & Abel, Hammerstrike

  • Umphstate: An Interview with Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee

    The hype from all of the New Year’s runs has finally died down and right on its heels come the first announcements of the festival season. Sandwiched right in between though, and largely overlooked, is the winter tour where bands often times debut new material and dig deep for old fan favorites. Umphrey’s McGee tour has begun and the band is set to blaze a trail right through the heart of Upstate New York, all within the first week of February. The band will make stops in Clifton Park, Syracuse, and Rochester among many other dates across the U.S. The Chicago-natives recently finished a two-night standalone set at the famous Beacon Theater in New York City which has only led to more anticipation for these upcoming dates.

    Writer Jeremiah Shea had a chance to interview with keyboardist Joel Cummins about the upcoming tour and their new album that is due to come out in the coming months.

    joel cummins interviewJeremiah Shea: What are your thoughts on the recent two-night run at The Beacon Theater?
    Joel Cummins: It was a pretty awesome weekend. Being able to play the Beacon last year and then doing two nights this year really let us soak it in a little more. The Beacon is one of the greatest venues in the country, if not the world. There’s been so many great shows there and amazing performances that when you play there, you really feel like you have to step up and not just bring your A game, but your A+ game. You have to wow people in New York.

    JS: Last year in January you guys played Buffalo and Syracuse on back to back nights before making a stop at The Beacon Theater; this year you’re hitting Clifton Park, Syracuse, and Rochester.  Is there a reason you show Upstate New York so much love?
    JC: A lot of it has to do with two things: where people are and how far you can travel between cities. Logistically, our typical limit is about 450 miles before you make touring increasingly more expensive. Coincidentally, there are a lot of good places in New York to play between Buffalo, Rochester, Ithaca, Syracuse, Utica, and Albany. There are a lot of good mid-size cities that we’ve been trying to build over the years. Since we played Buffalo in the Fall, it made sense for us to come to Rochester this time. We played the Harro East Ballroom one other time and had a great time there, so we’re psyched to come back. We haven’t played the F Shed in Syracuse before, so that’ll be a really fun night and we’re pumped to have Kung Fu out with us on that one.

    JS: Are you guys doing anything special on this run of shows to celebrate the band’s 16th birthday?
    JC: Every show is a special night to be honest; you know how we do it.  We try to mix it up and play as many different things as possible.  We have this website called All Things Umphrey’s where everything is in a database that we’ve played in the past.  We can use that to go back and see what we’ve played and haven’t played in an area and continue to shred as much of the catalog as we can to keep it fresh for people.  Once somebody has seen 8-10 shows, they start to hone in on what they haven’t seen yet; every city is different.  We’ll go in and see that we haven’t played “Booth Love” or “Hurt Bird Bath” at a particular place in four years.  It’s a really helpful tool for us to keep mixing things up.  This is our typical biggest tour of the year between January and April and we try to hit every corner of the US.  Our new album will be coming out in the first half of 2014, probably sometime in May, so this will kind of be the warm-up for that.  My guess is that one or two of the songs that didn’t make the new album will probably get played on this winter tour.

    JS: You made some mentions of the new album on your Twitter account.  What’s on tap and is there anything you can share?
    JC: Ya know, not too much at this point as we’re trying to keep it under wraps right now.  I can tell you that we started by recording 16 tunes, 7 of which were brand new and 9 of which we’ve played live before. I think we’re going to end up with probably 10 or 11 tunes on the new album with some bonus material. There’s at least 5 new tracks on the album, I’d say, that we haven’t played live previously. I think that’s always exciting for the fans when you can kind of inject the set list with some brand new stuff for people. We also have a couple of newer ones that we’ve been playing pretty consistently for the past couple of years and a couple of classic Umphrey’s McGee tunes that we previously haven’t been able to hit perfectly with the studio takes. We finally got a couple of these where we really feel like we nailed the essence of the song and they fit the overall vibe of the new album which is definitely heading in a more hard rock direction; there are tons of great guitar riffs on this album.

    JS: Does the band’s approach vary nightly depending on the venue or city?  If so, how?
    JC: It’s different every night and we mix up who writes the set list. On a typical day, we make a list of songs in the morning and people can add or subtract things depending on what they’re feeling. By the afternoon, somebody will pick it up and try to make a set list out of everything that’s been suggested. I think that really keeps it fresh, especially when you have different people writing the set list who think about it and approach it differently. We’ll typically try to always do a mix of newer and older material so that it’s fresh for everyone.

    JS: How do you guys interject teasers into your songs live?  Are they planned or discovered during your set?
    JC: Most of the time if we’re teasing something, it’s happening in the moment. It’s very rare that it’s something that’s planned. I think one of the things that we all thrive on is that stuff in the moment where nobody’s really sure what’s going to happen, but you kind of try to pick up a song. That actually happened at The Beacon. We started teasing the Eminem song “Lose Yourself” and then it ended up kind of morphing into “Kashmir”. That was an example from this weekend where we ended up hitting a cool little patch of teases there, but it was certainly not planned.

    JS: What do you like about touring compared to the festival circuit in the summer?
    JC: I feel like when we do our own shows, we’re playing to our people; everybody who’s there is there for us. That’s always a really special thing when you can do these tours and really feel the excitement from the fan base. That’s the fun thing about the beginning of the year. With the festivals now, it’s such a great time getting to see so many of our friends all around the country. That’s kind of the highlight of the summer festival season whenever we get to do that. That’s also the time when we try to convert some new fans, so we definitely approach the shows a little bit differently. We’ll still try to throw in a few rarities or things that you might not expect to see us play at a festival, but when we play for the hardcore fans, I’d say that these winter tours definitely have the biggest variety of our catalog that you’ll see. I looked on All Things Umphrey’s the other day and in 2013 we played 329 different songs, so there really is a lot of room for variety. It’s really nice at this point to have that catalog selection where we can play so many different things.

    JS: Does Jefferson Waful have any new tricks up his sleeve this year?
    JC: He does! He’s actually in the process of transitioning from the grandMA console, which we’ve been using, to the grandMA2. I’m not totally sure if he’s going to have it up yet for these shows as it’s probably about a month-long process to make that transition and learn everything that needs to be learned. That is definitely new though and in the works for 2014, so it’s only going to promise to make the production and light show that much stronger. We’re always tweaking our light show and playing different things out depending on what the venues allow. This most recent run at The Beacon we definitely had our biggest light rig that we’ve ever brought to New York. We’re definitely trending in that direction of bigger and better, which is a nice way to trend. We’ve been really lucky with Jefferson that he’s such a passionate, driven, and really great artist behind the light console. There are plenty of moments during the night when the fans get excited about the music, but you know you have somebody who has a really great eye for art and a way to connect that to music when the lighting designer can elicit cheers from the crowd.

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  • BML and Babayaga Storm the Bug Jar in Rochester

    There’s something exciting about looking at equipment on an otherwise empty stage, waiting to be used. As soon as audience members rounded the corner into the backroom at Bug Jar on Friday, January 17th, they were greeted with BabaYaga’s tasteful, bare-bones set up: a Marshall head atop two 12 inch speakers on the left, Orange amp and Gibson Les Paul to the right, drum kit front and center.

    The sound BabaYaga gets out of this set up is my favorite part about the band: warm vintage tones, cranked to the max. Todd Dentico threw down huge bass energy with sturdy notes that popped every time. Dave Fein’s guitar licks were steady and tastefully distorted, and his solos were like climbing a ladder, occasionally breaking a rung just to mix things up. As for Adam Banachi’s vocals, the screaming wasn’t muddy or jarring, but instead blended nicely with instruments for a tight, powerful sound. Adam’s vocals and stage presence could be the perfect metaphor for BabaYaga: a grimace, not a front.

    BML took the stage next, just before midnight, to a diverse audience of old timers, college kids from the bar, metal die-hards and even a few cops. Cutting right to the chase: as soon these three guys take the stage they transform into a well-oiled rock-and-roll machine. Tight, on point, and unassuming, BML lets their sound speak for itself. Transitions are subtle but happen quickly; in a matter of seconds BML can discretely move into a new phrase and have audiences getting down to a new lick or tempo, without knowing how they got there. Since Friday’s show was a release party for the band’s new album, That There Dog’s A Chicken, the set featured a bunch of new songs with a few classics sprinkled in for flavor. Coincidentally, two of my favorite tunes came after the following phrases: “We’re gonna play an old one…” and, “This song should be interesting…we haven’t played it in a while”. This preference by no means discredits BML’s new stuff—which is detailed, contrasting and well executed—but is instead a testament to their history. These guys have been around for just under ten years now, and they command respect on stage without relying on gimmicks or familiarity. From start to finish, BML challenges themselves and the audience through complex scales and transitions at a super-fast space, hitting and fleeing high points and drops in the blink of an eye.

    Two things are for sure after Friday Night: Genesee Bock is back with a vengeance, and, in the hands of BabaYaga and BML, heavy rock-and-roll is alive and well in Rochester, New York.

  • Featured Band: Cry To the Blind

    Walt Disney did it. William Shakespeare did too. It’s taking the metal of another one’s work, and spinning it into your own gold.  It’s the alchemy of the creative mind.  It’s declaring the statement, “I can take your idea, and make it better.”  Cry to the Blind, a five-piece heavy rock band out of Rochester, NY, declared such a statement last month after walking into Oblivion Studios to record an already established hit.  One month and more than 90,000 YouTube views later, the band has itself, what a growing contingent of fans and followers think, is gold.

    “The past month or so has been pretty weird,” said Jon Lamanna, the band’s lead singer.   Back in December, the band loaded up a studio video of their recording of Miley Cyrus’ mega-hit, Wrecking Ball.  The reception to their hard rock version has been nothing short of exceptional, first leading to play time on local radio stations, and precipitating to national attention on Nikki Sixx’s syndicated show, and now satellite radio.  It wasn’t long before they obtained mechanical rights from the copyright owner to allow them to perform and sell their version of the song.

    “The energy and the excitement level at our shows, and online, are at a level I’ve never seen before.  People just seem like they really believe in us now.”

    It’s really inspiring to see.”

    Rochester's Cry to the Blind is basking in the glow of newly found attention. (Photo Credit: CTTB/Facebook)
    Rochester’s Cry to the Blind is basking in the glow of newly found attention. (Photo Credit: CTTB/Facebook)

    The band has released three CDs independently since 2009.  They are a heavy, modern rock band, who market themselves as a “therapeutic release” for their fans.  They like to promote a “positive spin on the negative energy that surrounds us every day,” as stated on their Facebook page.

    Jon explained that the inspiration to record the song came from a simple turn of his car’s radio dial, as he started his commute to work one November morning.

    “The first time I heard the song, I thought it would make a great rock song. We’ve never done a cover. [This was] just a random idea.  I texted Jesse (Maty), our guitar player, and said, ‘hey, have you heard that Miley Cyrus song “Wrecking Ball?  I think it would be awesome as a rock song.’  He was like, ‘yeah, why not? Let’s give it a shot.’  He wasn’t into it as much as I was.  But, when I polled the other guys in the band, they were really excited about it. ..  As soon as we started rehearsing it, it sounded phenomenal.”

    They changed up the second verse to make it rhythmic and heavy, which was (the band’s drummer), Jay Talarico’s idea.  Together with Ryan Mcfaul on guitars and Kory Maclauchlan on bass, Jon said, “I think that’s what makes the song stand out.”

    Since Cyrus released the song last August, Wrecking Ball has topped the pop charts in 13 different countries, including the United States.  There have been a number of different cover versions released, including that from Rumer Willis, the 25-year-old daughter of actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.

    Today, up to 40 radio stations, including Sirius Octane, is playing their song, and the positive feedback just keeps building.  Jon said that the band has yet to be signed by a label; however, he says people who they’ve spoken to in the past, are coming back to talk.

    “[We’re] pretty confident that things are going to continue to snowball in a good direction for us.”

    Cry to the Blind play next at The Montage Music Hall in Rochester, NY on Saturday, February 15.

    You can view their breakthrough video here: http://youtu.be/diL0I17RlCk

    For more information, visit them on their Facebook  or their website at www.Crytotheblind.com.

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  • An Upstate look at Rochester’s AFR

    There’s a rumbling coming from Western New York as of late; or so it seems from the perspective of the editor’s desk here at Upstate Metal, as we’ve had our eyes forcibly opened ala Clockwork Orange to the music scene out of Rochester, New York.

    The epicenter is discernablly originated from underneath whichever stage AFR plays.  The heavy metal group phones out from the 585 Area Code, and in the short time since they formed in April of 2012, they’ve fostered a following with an enormous fan base – geographically speaking.

    AFR comes off as an eclectic sounding band, listing a broad focus of infuences that range from Dream Theatre to Lamb of God.  Signed by Buffalo’s Dead Trash Mob records, the boys like to describe their sound as, “if Pantera and Lamb Of God had a baby.”

    Upstate Metal recently had the opportunity of communicating with the band’s bassist, Todd Church.  Church is the neophyte of the band, stepping on board with AFR last October.  As with many local rockers, Church has a day job to pay the bills.  Only, as you’ll quickly learn, his day job is almost as interesting as his nighttime persona.  We talk to him about that, and more, plus what fans should expect from the band in the next few months.

    Hallisey: You joined the band in October of last year, right? Tell me a little bit about how you joined the crew, and what kind of struggles do you have being with a band that’s already struck out on its own before you came along?

    Church: Actually the band was advertising on Craig’s list back in the summer of 2013 and during that time I went to see one of their shows to check them out and was really impressed with the show and the music. After the show, I met up with the guys and hit it off pretty good. The transition from me learning the songs and doing my first show was literally two weeks when the lead singer Alan called me up and asked me to play that coming weekend show at the Montage Music Hall in Rochester, NY. Sometime in September. Surprisingly it went really well with the short time I had to learn their set list.

    Hallisey: You’re a chemist, scientist? Is being a musician your alter ego?

    Church: Definitely, I’m an Environmental Scientist these days; listening to a little Lamb of God or Pantera while working away! It’s always been kind of a joke in just about all the bands I’ve been in over the years. I would tell people I’m a scientist and everyone would be like, yeah right!

    Hallisey: I don’t assume you’re cooking meth in an RV out in the New Mexico desert, am I right?

    Church: Laughs. No! I’m pretty much tied to a computer these days. I currently work as a consultant providing chemistry/biology technical support to project teams and field sampling teams globally.

    Hallisey: Is rock and roll a dream or a pastime for you? Do you see professional aspirations conflicting with your music?

    Church: I never did or will quit the dream! I’ve been a musician most of my life starting in my elementary band playing the trombone. I’ve played in metal bands for long time. At one point in my life toured with my metal band throughout Michigan whom is still together but under different name now. Fortunately my job is pretty demanding but also flexible as well so seems to work out good. It would definitely be an easy decision on which way to go if the opportunity and money was right!

    Hallisey: Speaking of music, how involved are you in the song writing?

    Church: I’m at a point now with AFR that I am contributing to the music writing process with our upcoming EP that we have been working on. Each of us encourage each other to help with the writing process so it’s actually a fun and rewarding process.

    Hallisey: Where do you draw your inspiration from?

    Church: As with most musicians and artists alike, inspiration comes from the soul. We all have a history whether good or bad, and being able to convey it to the music is incredibly fulfilling.

    Hallisey: Who are your idols, and what characteristics do you try to take from them into your own play?

    Church: I have been a huge fan of music in general as long as I can remember listening to my parents old Motown and classic rock records growing up. After being introduced to Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath, I knew that is what I wanted to do! Throughout the years, I would have to say Steve Harris from Iron Maiden as well as Cliff Burton, Jason Newsted and Robert Trujillo were also huge influences on me as well. Robert is a madman to watch play!

    Hallisey: I often hear musicians today speak of being involved in a battle to revitalize rock and roll. How do you feel being a part of such a scene where pop culture seems to have left it behind?

    Church: I definitely have witnessed that over the years. Not only with music but even dealing with venues/clubs who have completely changed their lineup due to low attendance with the Rock culture and changing over to country music in hopes to draw more crowds. I’m not sure if that has changed today, but believe the metal/rock scene is just as strong today. I’ve always been involved with original bands and finding venues and getting large crowds to come see you has always been challenging.

    We have been blessed with great venues and fans across upstate New York and don’t really feel that there is a battle at all and that there is always a place for metal.

    Hallisey: What do you bring to the table for the band, that makes this band shine?

    Church: When I first saw AFR play live, I felt a connection with the music and vibe instantly. I’d like to think I bring a prominent and heavy but unique sound quality that I believe will compliment what is already a powerful sound.

    Hallisey: What does the band bring to the table for metal, to help metal make a comeback?

    Church: Since I’ve been in upstate NY I have seen a lot of great cover and original bands. I think AFR stands out from the crowd with the some familiarity of the their sound but yet uniqueness which I see draws listeners interested from the first note until the last. Its been a great experience this far and looking forward to the future of this band.

    Hallisey: You guys are working on a new EP, how far along are you with that?

    Church: Yeah, we have been working really hard on our new upcoming EP since late November early December and pretty excited about. We have a few songs that are completed now but we wanted to spend the time to give our fans more than just a single release or two. It’s definitely going to have a new heavy feel but keep true to our roots.

    Hallisey: When can we expect a release?

    Church: Our first EP, A Hero to Villains, which was released in 2012 under the Buffalo, NY record label Dead Trash Mob Records, has had a really good response and we’re expecting to release our new upcoming EP late spring/early summer 2014.

    Hallisey: A radio show in Germany knows about you guys. How does that happen, and does that obligate you guys to cover a David Hasselhoff tune or two?

    Church: Well, if we end up touring Germany, we will be sure to call our ride “K.I.T.T.”!  Laughs.

    Today, it’s almost endless on how or where to advertise at a touch of a button. You can find out music on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Facebook, Reverbnation and more. One of the best ways is always by word of mouth and the social networking apps like Facebook but of course, you still have to have a descent product so people do pass along. Its been great how our fan base has been growing and spreading to new fans worldwide, including Germany, in such a short amount of time.

    For more band info, you can find us here:

    www.facebook.com/AFRmetalrochester

    www.reverbnation.com/artist/afrmetalrochester

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    AFR comprises of Alan Rohr (Vocals), Ledwing Hernandez (Guitars), Zach Sweedler (Guitars), Todd Church (Bass), and Brandon Lewis (Drums). (Photo Credit: Courtesy of AFR)