One of the most popular musical events in Western New York is the annual Windstream Party in the Park 2015 series in Rochester. The concerts moved back to the picturesque Manhattan Square Park last year – saving people from the infamous “Party in the Parking Lot” downtown.
Tickets are a wallet friendly $5. Party Packs (for the general public) are available for $35 for tickets to all 9 shows and access to an express entry line – available at the Blue Cross Arena box office. Food trucks, local beer selections, and vendors will be on site every week. Regional bands will be featured on the lower Genesee Brewery “bowl” stage while the headlining acts will play on the ESL main stage in the field next to the skating rink.
Things kick off this year with Buffalo’s own moe. coming to town June 18. Jazz legend Taj Mahal comes in on June 25 George Clinton will funk up the place on July 9. Another Buffalo act – Aqueous – will open for the legendary Victor Wooten on July 30. Hometown heroes Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad will close things out on Aug 13. Some top notch regional acts such as Subsoil and Uptown Groove will debut on the big stage as well.
The Genesee Brewery stage in the lower bowl area will feature some of Rochester’s best up and coming acts such as Danielle Ponder, Mochester, and Personal Blend.
PITP is held every Thursday from June 18 to Aug. 13 5-10PM. All ages. Parking available at several nearby garages and the Strong National Museum of Play. Check the website for more info.
UPDATE: Due to health reasons Taj Mahal had to bow out of this years festivities, replacing him will be Boston’s funkiest band Lettuce!
PARTY IN THE PARK MAIN STAGE 2015
June 18
ESL Main Stage: moe. w/ Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
Genesee Brewery Stage: Violet Mary
June 25
ESL Main Stage: Lettuce w/ Spirit Family Reunion & Uptown Groove
Genesee Brewery Stage: Dang! wsg/ Stay the Plow
July 2
ESL Main Stage: Fastball w/ Zac Brown Tribute Band & Jumbo Shrimp
Genesee Brewery Stage: Something Else
July 9
ESL Main Stage: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic w/ Subsoil
Genesee Brewery Stage: Danielle Ponder & the Tomorrow People
July 16
ESL Main Stage: Get the Led Out – The Led Zeppelin Experience w/ Cosco Gladstone and Cosco
Genesee Brewery Stage: Personal Blend
July 23
ESL Main Stage: Jonny Lang w/ The Coup DeVilles & Matthew Correy
Genesee Brewery Stage: Anonymous Willpower
July 30
ESL Main Stage: Victor Wooten w/ Aqueous & Amanda Lee Peers
Genesee Brewery Stage: Tre Son
Aug 6
ESL Main Stage: Dylan Scott w/ The Lacs & Flint Creek
Genesee Brewery Stage: Kid Kurry
Aug 13
ESL Main Stage: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad w/ Driftwood & Noble Vibes
Genesee Brewery Stage: Mochester
New Jersey’s Screaming Females may have started as a punk rock band, but they currently are just a rock band.
But not “just”, they have distilled the mere essence of rock, consumed it, and ooze it out of their every being. The rhythm section powers through every tune like their lives depend on it, which I suppose they do in a way. Abbate’s bass work is melodic yet driving. Dougherty’s drumming is not needlessly flashy, but tight and controlled with just the right bounce. Paternoster’s guitar work is nothing short of phenomenal. The riffs. Oh my god the riffs. These are riffs that cannot possibly be written. They already exist somewhere to be discovered, and she has discovered them, somehow, somewhere. Guitars exist so these can be played. Her solos explode from her guitar seemingly effortlessly. Her singing feels a little forced, but in the best possible way. It’s like she is creating a voice that is not her own, simply because it is the perfect voice to accompany the music.
“First and foremost we want to make the show as good as it can be.”—Marissa Paternoster, guitar and lead vocals
“The reason for us to go on tour is to go play music.”—Jarrett Dougherty, drums
“If you’re going to be in a band you should want to play shows, right? I mean what the hell is the point if you’re not going to play?”—Michael Abbate, bass (Quotes taken from Noisey’s recent tour documentary)
Midway through their hourlong set Saturday night at the Bug Jar, a ragged and sweaty man collapsed against the wall next to me, hunched over with his arm on his head. I thought he might collapse, or perhaps be messed up on too much drugs. After asking if he was ok, he looked up at me, smiled, and assured me he was just exhausted. He caught his breath, and seconds later jumped back into the maddening mass of people. The club was acting as one organism, pulsating in and out, back and forth, bodies knocking against each other with reckless abandon. When you left the show that night, you had the sweat of a dozen other people dripping off your skin. The line between the stage and the crowd was blurred, the audience regularly pushing past the edge of the stage. Paternoster took a couple of solos leaning out while the crowd supported her, once in a full-out crowd surf. And Abbate, at once point, called up a friend from the audience, quickly taught him the bass line, handed over his guitar, and then ran out into the crowd to see how it was on the other side, jumping around and screaming, like a fan of his own band. Later he exuberantly lead us in the post set encore chant. The band was having as much fun as the audience, our energies were equalized, the entire room was one.
Screaming Females yearn to put on the best possible show every night. On this night, I can confirm, they damn well succeeded.
New England has unexpectedly become a hotbed of the new folk scene that has emerged in the past decade. At first glance it felt like it was just a perceived and inflated importance caused by the Newport Folk Fest favoring regional bands in their undercard selections. Perhaps that has had some influence. but at this point it does seem much bigger than just the work of one festival. One of the latest bands to emerge on the scene is Boston’s The Ballroom Thieves, with Martin Earley on guitar, Devin Mauch on percussion and Calin Peters on cello. They came to Rochester’s Abilene Bar and Lounge just ahead of the release of their debut full-length, A Wolf in the Doorway, out on April 21.
As they took the stage the crowd was loud, chatty and hardly aware the band had begun. Opening with “Storms,” a pleasant plucked guitar with just Earley’s voice which could hardly pierce through the noisy din. But as Mauch and Peters’ vocals layered in beautifully, one by one the offending noises dropped out and the crowd nudged in closer. The vocals built to a climax with some punctuated stomping, and just like that the Thieves had stolen the bar for themselves.
Right away Earley had proven he could carry a performance himself if need be, nailing his vocals and showcasing some quality guitar work. But this was a band of three. As they moved next into “Wild Woman,” a banging country rocker off their upcoming album, the other two were able to showcase more fully their contributions. Mauch’s set-up was customized and somewhat unusual. Just a tom, snare, cymbal and a djembe laid on the floor that acted as a de facto bass drum. Add to that a string of jingle bells that was wrapped around his thigh. Using sticks, brushes and various sized mallets, he was able to manufacture the perfect amount of noise to fit each tune. His resulting hypnotic seated dance was at times just as entertaining as the rhythms produced.
Earley picked up his electric guitar for the deep Delta blues of “Oars to the Sea.” But it wasn’t the guitar that would shine. Unexpectedly, Peters stepped up with as bluesy a solo you will hear on a cello. Throughout the evening her cello work proved to be the secret weapon. Either with her solos which could mimic a guitar’s wail, carrying the songs melody or filling in the gaps with plucks and bows, the cello grabbed my attention as much as anything. Later in the set she would show off more of her talents, singing a lilting lead on a song she co-wrote with Earley, “Bury Me Smiling”. (video below)
So it begins with Earley’s guitar work. Then sprinkle on the unique rhythms from Mauch and engaging cello work from Peters. Layer upon that what might be this bands strongest attribute, their soaring 3-part harmonies. Working all together to perform the music they’ve written, a varied collection of rockers, ballads, hymnals, barroom blues and on, all hewing Americana. The new songs noticeably stood out as especially strong throughout the set. I expect A Wolf in the Doorway will be turning some heads in the coming weeks and months and year. It is such a treat to be able to see a young band’s evolution occurring in real-time on the stage.
Usually you long for the days when you could still see a band with a small intimate crowd before they “made it.” But The Ballroom Thieves played beyond the walls of the small neighborhood bar. The sound reached up and out and yearned to be heard somewhere bigger, with better acoustics, more people, more energy, more everything. I’m looking forward to when they make it, which might not be too far off, and might even be up on that Newport stage.
If there is always a lesson to be learned, then the one imparted to those in attendance at the Flour City Station in Rochester last Thursday night was simply: Lyrics are overrated.Two rising young bands – Consider the Source Ocular Panther – owned the stage on that night. Neither sang a single word. And yet, epic tales were told, vivid images imagined…
The night started with local stalwarts Ocular Panther. Formerly a trio, they debuted their newly minted quartet, adding drummer Jimmy Grillo, formerly of Roots Collider, to existing guitarists Colin Jones and Mike Pantano, and bassist Jason Gilly. Considering the complexity of their compositions, with long instrumental passages, shifting time signatures, and the heavily improvised nature of their music, it was not an easy role to jump into. A hiccup or two would be expected. But not on this night, and not for Jimmy Grillo. Having a live drummer, especially one of Grillo’s capability, created an entirely new dynamic for the band. The sound advanced beyond just electronic dance grooves, becoming less predictable and more nuanced. The electronic drum sounds still showed up here and there, but acted more as a spice and not a driving force. Jones was more freed up to concentrate on guitar, and both he and Pantano were equally impressive on rhythm and explosive leads. As good as they sounded, it seems they’ll only be improving in the coming shows as Grillo continues to grow more comfortable in the band. And those in Rochester will have plenty of opportunities to check Ocular Panther out in the coming weeks as they are on a bunch of upcoming bills.
The stage was set then for NYC’s Consider the Source. The individual parts of which defied comprehension. Gabriel Martin on fretless double-neck guitar could coax an incredible catalog of sounds out of his instrument. Some by effects pedals (of which he was surrounded by a rather large floor full) which turned his guitar into everything from a sitar to a clarinet. Some of it was just in the technique, which ranged from straight metal-esque raging to slinky sliding Middle Eastern melodies. At one point he utilized a trombone effect, which was particularly interesting as he played it like a slide. John Ferrara played bass like a lead instrument, melodic and beautiful and technically brilliant. Rarely content to sit back in a simple groove, his fingers were in constant motion, pulling and kneading the music into extraordinary and unusual spaces. Jeff Mann’s drumming style was that of a perpetual solo. Like Ferrara, rarely settling into a rhythm, just constant motion, constant changes, but still holding it all together.
It was soloing in triplicate. But the real magic was the intersection of all three. Their music intertwined ancient Middle Eastern and Indian influences with jazz, rock and metal into a quasi-futuristic blend that represented a land and a culture that don’t yet exist. This was particularly evident in their latest venture, Put Another Rock in That Bag, a multi-part composition released last year on their World War Trio EP. And their interpretation of Radiohead’s Paranoid Android was likewise not of this world.
After over three hours of intense instrumental jams, the crowd cheered not just for one more song, but for one more set. Yep… lyrics are definitely overrated. Lesson learned.
Every year thousands upon thousands of people flood Highland Park in Rochester to enjoy the annual Lilac Festival 2015. Featuring a full hillside of blooming lilacs and other spring flowers, two weekends of craft vending, and a whole week of the city’s finest high brow and low brow food (Thanks Tahous!) – the biggest draw is ultimately the stellar musical lineup the city offers to music loving denizens for free. And wow – kudos to the organizers as this years lineup is jam-packed with talent.
Festival producer Jeff Springut of the Springut group on this years festivities:
“It’s always a delight to plan the musical lineup for the Rochester Lilac Festival, it’s a wide-open canvas, a free stage that goes from 10:30 in the morning until 8:30 in the evening. It’s a pleasure to have this opportunity to bring in some of the best touring musicians in the country.”
Running the gambit from the 70’s cowboy rock of The Outlaws, the funk-tastic Mingo Fishtrap and Dr Dog to jam favorites Blues Traveler and Rusted Root – this year will leave no music fan unfulfilled.
As always local bands get the focus most afternoons with Rochester’s own Thunderbody, Buddhahood, and Extended Family in the mix. The festival runs May 8-17 and admission is free. Check out the full lineup and day by day schedule below.
2015 Lilac Festival Lineup
5/8 Outlaws, Tommy Brunett, The Blind Owls
5/9 Zac Brown Tribute Band, Pokey LaFarge, Guthrie Brown and the Family Tree, The Blind Owls
5/10 The Psychedelic Furs, The Blind Owls, Deborah Magone, Kat Wright and the Indomitable Soul Band
5/11 Dr. Dog, Adam Ezra Group, Extended Family
5/12 Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, Cracker, Buddhahood
5/13 Blues Traveler, Davina and the Vagabonds
5/14 Rusted Root, Nobel Vibes
5/15 Mingo Fishtrap, Thunder Body
5/16 Charlie Musselwhite, Joe Beard
5/17 Ana Popovic, Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People, The Prickers, The Blind Spots, The Blind Owl Band
Detailed Day by Day Schedule – Sahlen’s Stage
Friday, May 8
10:30 am Cosgrove 7th Grade Chorus
11:30 am Passion For Purple Event
12:30 pm TBA
1:00 pm TBA
4:00 pm The Blind Owls
5:30 pm Tommy Brunett
7:00 pm The Outlaws
Saturday, May 9
12:30 pm Cool Club with the Lipker Sisters
1:30 pm Natalie B
2:30 pm The Blind Owls
4:00 pm Guthrie Brown and the Family Tree
5:30 pm Pokey LaFarge
7:00 pm ZBTB: Zac Brown Tribute Band
Sunday, May 10
10:30 am Fred Vine
11:30 am Fat City
12:30 pm Anonymous Willpower
2:30 pm Kat Wright & The Indomitable Soul Band
4:00 pm Deborah Magone
5:30 pm The Blind Owls
7:00 pm The Psychedelic Furs
Monday, May 11
10:30 am Webster Montessori School Chorus
11:00 am Gates Chili Middle School Jazz Band
12:00 pm Bishop Kearney High School: Murder of Crows
1:00 pm Twelve Corners Middle School Jazz Band
4:00 pm Extended Family
5:30 pm Adam Ezra Group
7:00pm Dr. Dog
Tuesday, May 12
10:30 am St. Joseph’s Elementary School Band
11:00 am Holley Elementary Chorus & Band
12:00 pm School 22
1:00 pm Leroy Central School District Bands
4:00 pm The Buddhahood
5:30 pm Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds
7:00 pm Cracker
Wednesday, May 13
10:30 am Paul Road Elementary School Band
11:00 am Richard Mann Elementary 5th Grade Band
12:00 pm NRCS Select Choir and Wind Ensemble
1:00 pm Twelve Corners Middle School Jazz Band & Select Choir
4:00 pm TBA
5:30 pm Davina and the Vagabonds
7:00 pm Blues Traveler
Thursday, May 14
10:30 am Pal-Mac Select Ensembles
11:30 am Indian Landing Singers
12:15 pm School #19
1:00 pm Northstar Christian Academy
4:00 pm Noble Vibes
5:30 pm TBA
7:00 pm Rusted Root
Friday, May 15
10:30am – 3:00pm Rochester City School District “Bloomin Arts”
4:00pm Sirsy
5:30pm Thunder Body
7:00pm Mingo Fishtrap
Saturday, May 16
10:30 am Clayton Band & Choir
11:30 am Big Mike & The Motivators
12:30 pm TBA
2:00 pm Shine
3:30 pm Prime Time Funk
5:00 pm Joe Beard
7:00 pm Charlie Musselwhite
Sunday, May 17
11:30 am TBA
12:30 pm The Blind Owl Band
2:30 pm The Blind Spots
4:00 pm The Prickers
5:30 pm Danielle Ponder & The Tomorrow People
7:00 pm Ana Popovic
The Script is a band that will be timeless to me forever. We all have one. Perhaps because they were our first live show, perhaps they were our first crush, or perhaps they made music that moved us when we needed it most. Whatever the backstory, we each have that one band, that one artist that holds a special meaning to us. We may even have more than one, but no matter where we are, we know when they come to town we must see them and when we hear them on the radio, we must crank it up. The Script is that band for me. They hold a special place in my heart as they were the band that forever changed my life and my direction of photography.
The Script – Great NY State Fair 2011
Popular in their native Ireland and nearby UK, The Script hit American charts in 2010 with their single “Breakeven” and as they exploded on to the scene here, their American following began to amass. It was the summer of 2011 when I heard that they would be playing The Great NY State Fair. As a freelance photographer at the time, I wanted to see if I could get a photo pass for the day to cover the two free shows at Chevy Court. So with camera in hand and my nicest smile in the bag, off I went to try and secure one. I had heard a song or two from each band, and thought it would be really cool to add these photos to my portfolio of bands that I knew would one day be huge. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of a journey that has led me to where I am today.
The Script – NY State Fair 2011
Thanks to a few kind souls that day, I lucked out and was granted a photo pass for the afternoon show to cover Hot Chelle Rae. In fact, little did I know that this day would be the beginning of my five seconds of fame as well. As I shot photos of the meet and greet, the Hot Chelle Rae team was also shooting footage for a new video they were creating for their next single, “I Like It Like That.” Included in that video was the footage from Syracuse and okay, it was more like one half of a second at 2:46/.47 that I was spotted in the frame, but hey, I’m in it! #superstar. As the day proceeded I hoped that management would allow me to stay on and photograph the evening show. As I began to leave the back stage area, a crew member for The Script, told me to hang on and thanks to him, I was allowed to shoot the first three songs for the evening show with The Script. I had shot other shows locally, of other bands, but this was different. This was a band that was international. This was a band that I just knew would be something larger than this moment.
As I positioned myself in the pit area, I knew I only had the first three songs to shoot so I hunkered down in my best angle to capture the moment when it began, when the band takes the stage and when the crowd erupts. The stage was darkened to complete blackness as the music began. As the intro to “You Won’t Feel A Thing” began all you heard was guitar, then some percussion was added, and then bass and back ground vocals were added. The upbeat tempo kept speeding up like a race nearing the finish line when all of a sudden it kicked into overdrive and spotlight bursts open and Danny bursts onto the stage as he exploded into the song. It was at this very moment that my life changed. To this day, there has been no other intro music that has ever given me that rush of adrenaline. To this day, every time I hear this song, it brings me back to that very moment in time and that high I felt. I can clearly say, that was the very moment I fell in love with band photography, and from that moment since, I have thrown my heart and soul into it like no other passion I have ever experienced.
Since that the initial day, I have happily sat back and watched this trio of Irish musicians grow their fan base, their catalog of albums, and expand their musical creativity to shine like the stars I knew they were. With four albums now under their belt and numerous tours, working along side some of today’s biggest stars, it was apparent that others also saw their talent and knew they were in the presence of great musicians. A pinnacle of their career had to be in 2009 when they opened for Sir Paul McCartney at New York’s Citi Field. I can only image how they felt having that opportunity to speak with Sir Paul about music, discuss their collective journeys, and garner advice from a legendary star. If that wasn’t enough, it was shortly after that that they had the chance to open for U2 in their hometown of Dublin as well. Since my initial show, it seemed as though The Script had continued to tour non-stop. Danny participated in the UK’s version of The Voice, and like a snowball rolling down hill, they never slowed down throughout the entire time. Keeping an eye on tour dates for areas in and around the surrounding states and New York, I just kept missing them. Whether my schedule conflicted, I couldn’t secure credentials, or they were not available to our area, I patiently waited knowing one day they would come back, or I would be able to travel to one of their shows. It was a happy day when I found out that they would be coming to the Main Street Armory in Rochester. It would be full circle for me to once again enjoy the show with the band that helped me fall in love with band photography.
Opening the evening was local musician Amanda Peers. Amanda’s set began the evening by rocking out the crowd with her strong soulful sound. A native to Rochester, Amanda was seen as part of Gwen Stephanie’s team on the seventh season of The Voice. Working with artists such as The Spin Doctors and Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, Amanda’s melodic sound was the perfect preface to begin the evening and get this eager audience primed for the following acts.
Amanda Peers – Main Street Armory, Rochester NY
Next up was Oh Honey. Oh Honey, named specifically after an episode on How I Met Your Mother, burst onto the scene in 2013, and since have been opening for artists such as The Fray, James Blunt, and American Authors. Their unique indie rock sound draws you in and hooks and before you know it. Their single “Be Okay” has been covered by the Glee cast, and has been featured in the ABC show Selfie, a Chili’s commercial, and commercial for The Hundred Foot Journey. Their first studio album is eagerly awaited by fans for release in spring of 2015. Their addictive sound and energetic performance is a certain indicator that they have a special quality and we will be seeing more of them in the near future.
Oh Honey – Main Street Armory, Rochester NY
The next act was one I had been waiting to shoot for a long time to mark off my bucket list. Discovering him through digital radio, Mat Kearney’s music was definitely part of my every day playlist. When Mat Kearney took the stage it was a wonderful surprise to learn that Mat’s family is originally from Rochester (Irondequoit). His grandfather and father, had quite the interesting and sordid past. It was fun to learn the details of what seemed to be a made for tv journey, was in actuality, his real life story. The story and journey begins with Mat’s grandfather running a gambling ring out of a fake cigar shop until being put out business by the mob, to his father following Pink Floyd through Europe, to living in Hawaii where he met Mat’s mother as they worked together as a ship hand and mermaid, to becoming a law abiding citizen and lawyer raising a family. Joking around in an interview once, Mat once said “you can’t make this stuff up”. It’s these first hand experiences that Mat has lived through that have helped propel his musical writing style. His heartfelt songs come from life, from feelings, and it’s this music that caught my ear, and piqued my curiosity about this musician. Not setting out to become a musician, it wasn’t long after arriving in Nashville that he just knew this was where he needed to stay and what he needed to do with his life. Now eight years and five albums later, Mat Kearney has established himself in the music business as a top notch songwriter and performer. Touring with greats such as John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, Train, Owl City, and Brad Paisley, Mat has found his calling,. In 2007 VH1 labeled him as one of their “You Oughta Know” artists, and this I wholeheartedly agree with this designation. He definitely is someone I would suggest you listen to, as his quiet laidback style of music, has longevity and he will be around forever.
Mat Kearney – Main Street Armory, Rochester, NY
As the crowd eagerly awaited The Script to take the stage, I fretted, would it not live up to my memory of them? Had I taken a moment and placed it in a category that cannot be usurped? As they began their set with “Paint The Town Green” from their new album No Sound Without Silence, their entrance was grand!!! The one thing I love about these guys, is their lighting is top notch. As a photographer, it makes for the best photos having the subjects backlit. I also love their stage setup. With Danny O’Donoghue on lead vocals, keyboard, and guitar, he’s right front and center. Well at least while he’s standing still that is. He’s one of those musicians that truly plays to his audience. He has no problem getting out in the crowd with his audience several times throughout his shows and he’s very energetic. With Mark Sheehan on lead guitar and vocals, he plays both sides of the stage, and I have to say that man can shredd! One of my favorite things about their stage setup is where Glen Power who plays drums and backing vocals is situated. His drum kit is set side stage with the front facing inward so that the audience, and photographers, have a great vantage of him while he plays. Also touring again with the lads is Benjamin Sergeant who plays bass guitar and backing vocals. Was glad to see him there this time again, and new this time around was Rodney Alejandro on keyboards. These two accompanying musicians, although set back, are still accessible visually for everyone to see. Excellent placement guys. As the years passed by, and as I cover more shows throughout the state, I noticed that this was not the norm for both placement and lighting. So when I come across a band that has these features, I’m very thankful for making my job easier. Now add in that these guys can really write, sing, and perform, it makes for one hell of a show. Playing both new songs such as “Superheroes”, “The Energy Never Dies”, and “No Good In Goodbye”, and favorites such as “Breakeven”, “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”, and “For The First Time”, the show flew by as the audience fed off of them, and they the audience. As they left the stage, I thought to myself, they lived up to the hype in my head. Then it happened…the stage was dark, the guitar began, the percussion was added, and then bass and back ground vocals began as Danny once again began and the lights went up. I was there again. I was standing side stage watching where my love began, with the song that began it. They did it. They surpassed my memories and made new ones, as the band that began it all for me. Thanks Danny, Mark, Glen, Benjamin, and Rodney for beginning my journey down this road of music journalism. It’s been the greatest journey, and the road lays in front of me for so many more adventures. Hope to see you again along the way.
One of the most memorable and critically acclaimed albums of last year was The War on Drugs’ Lost in the Dream. The Philly PA based band has quickly become an underground favorite – drawing huge audiences and festival spots with little to no radio support. New York will get some “Drugs” this spring with two stops – June 7 at The Governor’s Ball festival on Randall’s Island in NYC and June 8 at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester.
Ticket’s for both are on sale already – $260 for a three day pass to Governor’s Ball and $22 for Water Street. Get them while they last! Check out the whole tour and listen to Lost in the Dream below.
War on Drugs Spring/Summer 2015
03/27/15 Philadelphia, PA at Tower Theater
03/28/15 Norfolk, VA at The NorVA
03/29/15 Richmond, VA at The National
03/31/15 Knoxville, TN at Bijou Theater
04/01/15 Chattanooga, TN at Track 29
04/02/15 Athens, GA at Georgia Theatre
04/03/15 Birmingham, AL at Iron City
04/04/15 Memphis, TN at Minglewood Hall
04/05/15 Tulsa, OK at Cain’s Ballroom
04/07/15 Albuquerque, NM at The Historic El Rey Theater
04/08/15 El Paso, TX at Tricky Falls
04/09/15 Phoenix, AZ at The Pressroom
04/11/15 Indio, California at Coachella
04/14/15 Ventura, California at Ventura Theater
04/15/15 Pioneertown, California at Pappy & Harriet’s SOLD OUT
04/18/15 Indio, California at Coachella
05/21/15 Portland, OR at Crystal Ballroom
05/22/15 – 05/25/15 George, WA at Sasquatch Music Festival
05/24/15 Vancouver, BC at Vogue Theatre
06/06/15 – 06/07/15 Toronto at Field Trip Music & Arts
06/07/15 New York, New York at Governor’s Ball
06/08/15 Rochester, NY at Water Street Music Hall
06/09/15 Pittsburgh, PA at Stage AE
06/10/15 Covington, KY at The Madison Theater
06/11/15 – 06/14/15 Manchester, TN at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
06/12/15 Indianapolis, IN at Vogue
06/15/15 Tampa, FL at The Ritz
06/16/15 Miami Beach, FL at The Fillmore at Jackie Gleason
06/17/15 Orlando, FL at The Beacham Theatre
06/18/15 Charlotte, NC at Amos’ Southend
06/20/15 Washington DC at 9:30 Club
06/25/15 – 06/28/15 Werchter Festival Park at Rock Werchter
06/26/15 St Gallen at Open Air
06/28/15 De Groene Heuvels at Down the Rabbit Hole
07/01/15 – 07/04/15 Roskilde at Roskilde
07/02/15 – 07/05/15 Barcelona at Vida Festival
08/11/15 – 08/15/15 Oslo at Oya
08/13/15 – 08/15/15 Gothenburg at Way Out West
08/14/15 – 08/16/15 Helsinki at Flow Festival
09/04/15 – 09/06/15 Laois at Electric Picnic
09/06/15 Wiltshire at End Of The Road
A few months back the band nicknamed as Ocupanther reverted to their full name Ocular Panther and started touring as a three piece with multi-instrumentalist Collin Jones handling guitar and keys. The all instrumental electro-prog-space-funk band has been gathering larger and larger crowds regionally and writing tons of new material. NYSMusic is elated to offer fans the first look at “Obtuse Snoot” from Ocu’s 2014 release Data Stretching. Ocupanther is the aforementioned Jones, Jason Gilly on Bass, and Mikey Pantano on guitar.
Ocu fans will also be psyched to know the band has expanded their lineup to include the mega-talented Jimmy Grillo on the skins. Grillo played for years on the NY scene in the now defunct Roots Collider and will debut as drummer March 26 at Flour City Station in Rochester with NYC’s hottest also-instrumental trio – Consider the Source. Grillo is also currently in The Younger Gang. Obtuse Snoot.
Thursday March 5, St. Vincent takes the stage at a sold out show at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, NY. This is one out of only two stops in upstate New York during this tour. St. Vincent just won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album. Congratulations to her for the award on the self titled album.
St. Vincent is multi talented singer songwriter with an established reputation. Her distinctive electric sound intrigued David Byrne, of the Talking Heads, leading to a great collaborative album back in 2012. It is nice to see and hard to believe that tickets were originally on sale for 25 dollars. Even though Water Street is sold out try to pick up some tickets. Do not miss out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY-WAu_SqWs
Doors at 7pm show starts at 8pm.
St. Vincent’s next stop in New York state is Clifton Park on March 7.
Aqueous – a four-piece out of Buffalo – has been making waves recently in the ever crowded and continually diversifying jam band circuit. Those waves hit my ears finally on a frigid night at the Flour City Station in Rochester.
Flying out of the gates with a beautifully soaring slide guitar, and some heavy driving beats on Don’t Do It, Aqueous grabbed hold of the waiting audience and buckled them in for rocking ride late into the night. The rock assault was fairly relentless, each song flowed seamlessly together with hardly a let-up. But even for the uninitiated like myself, the switches were well-marked and never left you lost or disoriented. This speaks both to the quality of the songwriting, and the pointed-ness of the jamming. It didn’t veer off into aimless noodling, chugging always ahead.
My internal running commentary was devoid of the usual thoughts on the talents of the individual musicians – not that there wasn’t plenty of it to notice. It was also devoid of the usual they-sound-like-this-band comparisons. Aqueous is that rare band that blends it’s myriad influences into a wholly unique sound, while also blending its individual components into a singular force.
They seem to be caught squarely at a juncture of heavy groove and heavy rock. Perhaps best exemplified in their exploratory vehicle Origami, which lulls you with a quasi-reggae groove, before blasting you away with a heavy rocking assault, and back and forth it went from there. And the heaviness kept rearing its head throughout the set, culminating in a climactic set closing cover of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” that had the band and crowd alike banging heads and saluting the altar of rock with devil’s fingers. Impressive through and through.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong – another band quickly on the rise – was also on the evening’s jam-heavy bill. On the surface, a pretty standard funk outfit, they cracked open each song to reveal a glowing improvisational interior featuring the phenomenal guitar work of Jeremy Schon. I never knew that’s what funk looked like from the inside! While mostly funky and jammy, songs later in their set like Horizon and Julia showcased a poppier side, with instantly likeable hooks and melodies. As their name might imply, this is a band that brings a playful energy to the stage that can’t be contained, seeping generously into the crowd.
Ocular Panther, a two guitar and bass trio out of Rochester, got the evening started with some long instrumental prog rock explorations. They recently found themselves without a drummer and made effective use of electronic beats managed by one of the guitarists. Though with the complex improvisational nature of their music, a live drummer almost seems a necessity to bring their incredible visions fully to fruition.
Setlists
Aqueous:
Don’t Do It > What’s the Connection, Complex > Fame* > Origami, Underlyer > Dave’s Song > Master of Puppets**
ENCORE: Mosquito Valley Pt 1 > Gordon’s Mule
* David Bowie
** Metallica
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong:
Upfunk, Time To Ride, Whoopie, Pop Off, Horizon, Burning Up My Time> The Liquid, Julia>Rugrats>Julia
Ocular Panther:
Marking Houses, Compartmentalizations, III E III, Protactinium, Insistences, I Feel Love * , Stairs
Things kick off this year with Buffalo’s own moe. coming to town June 18. Jazz legend Taj Mahal comes in on June 25 George Clinton will funk up the place on July 9. Another Buffalo act – Aqueous – will open for the legendary Victor Wooten on July 30. Hometown heroes Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad will close things out on Aug 13. Some top notch regional acts such as Subsoil and Uptown Groove will debut on the big stage as well.
St. Vincent is multi talented singer songwriter with an established reputation. Her distinctive electric sound intrigued David Byrne, of the 
