NYS Music 20​15

Tag: buffalo

  • Sean Danielsen Comes to the Forvm

    The Forvm was entertained to a wonderful night of rock bands going acoustic Tuesday night. Amherst had a special guest in town. Leader Singer Sean Danielsen was on tour doing his own acoustic music. Most people know him as the front man of the band Smile Empty Soul. I had the pleasure tosit with him before doors open and do a small interview and pick his brain on a few things. He was a down to earth delightful man to talk to.DSC_7382

    Before doors opened bands arrived and started unloading all their gear. I had started chatting with the bands on the excitement from going rock to acoustic. All the local bands performing I have seen at least one time, and was very excited to hear them all acoustic. I was very interested to see how the arrangements were going to be.

    6pm hit and it was time for doors to open. People filed in one by one and the venue filled up only about quarter of max capacity. Then the first band took the stage, this was Letterbox from Silver Creek New York. They are originally a four piece but they stripped it down to their vocalist Paul and main guitarist Andrew. This is how Letterbox originally started; this is how I knew them from years back. It was just Andrew and Paul. Then later down the line they added their bassist and drummer. Letterbox was a solid opener and played all their greatest hits and even entertained a new song that they have never played in public before.

    Second up was John Harris, he treated the audience to originals and covers that everyone knew. This was John’s last show in Buffalo as he is moving to Syracuse in a couple of weeks to pursue his first love, jewelry. John is a full-time custom jewelry maker and does all sorts of charity work with big names such as Seether, and Ever Clear. He takes broken cymbals and creates custom works of art, they go up for auction and the proceeds go to charities. Next up was female fronted band Lost Elysium. There set was great Ashley’s captivating vocals rang clear through the venue. Now the band I was anticipating to see all night, Seven Faces. I have done work for them over the past couple years and have only known them as a hard-hitting in your face rock band. I spoke to drummer Chuck and vocalist Scott prior to the show they explained all the hard work they had put in and how they think this is something that could stick given the circumstances. I was pleasantly surprised to hear their set. It was entrancing and everything I hoped it would be.

    Second last up was Christian Lawrence, also known as Opus, and Dead By Wednesday. Sounds little silly but I had the pleasure of talking to him a little bit before the show and had no idea of who he was until he got on stage. One of the most genuine musicians I have met. He sang mostly originals and they were all spectacular. I currently have his acoustic cd in my car and known almost all the lyrics word for word!

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    Then lastly was Sean Danielsen, if you weren’t there before the doors opened this would have been the first time you seen him. He remained in his trailer all night until five min before he was supposed to be on. I felt bad for Sean, when it was his turn to be on stage I could have counted the number of people on just my fingers and toes. Though the ones who did stay showed him all the love that he could ever need that night. He started off with songs like “Food Chain” and “Waves”. These were singles off his latest album Food Chain. Then he sang the song that made his main band Smile Empty Soul rise to fame. “Bottom Of the Bottle”. Everyone sang along to this song and showed his all the support he could ask for. As he finished his set he went and sat at his merch booth and talked to the small amount of fans that were left and signed a few things for everyone. It was a great performance by everyone that night and all the bands hard work showed in each of their sets. Not one individual left disappointed that night.

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  • Seether and Mark Tremonti Come to Rapids Theatre

    Rapids Theatre was treated to a spectacular night of some top notch hard rock music last night with Seether and Mark Tremonti. I pleasantly surprised by the line when I arrived an hour and a half before the show started, it was wrapped around the building and down the street. The skies looked dark and gray as it was about to down pour any minute, but luckily it held out for all the patiently waiting fans.

    Alternative rock band, Red Sun Rising, kicked things off with their intricate guitar playing and captivating vocalist Mike Protich. This was the first time I have ever heard of them and I have to say I am now a fan!

    They brought the most energy to the stage that night and kept everyone on their toes. Their catchy riffs and dynamics in his voice reminded you of a mix between Foo Fighters and Myles Kennedy. The fans were eating up every inch of what Red Sun Rising was putting out. These guys were a solid opener and I expect one day that they will be headlining shows.

    Afterwards, the ever Famous Mark Tremonti and his self-titled band Tremonti took the stage. The crowd roared as he and his band walked out onto the stage. Mark Tremonti is known widely for being the lead guitarist in the bands Creed and Alter Bridge. Tremonti and his band had a strong solid performance with his famous guitar playing and a strong vocal performance. The fans reacted wildly to the song “Decay” and sang along the entire time. Though as the set progressed guitars were turned up too loud and the sound became quite poor. Tanner Keegan had replaced Wolfgang Van Halen for this tour due to Wolfgang’s commitment to his main band Van Halen. Tanner had brought the most energy to the stage that night with his quick spin moves and facial expressions. He in my opinion was an excellent replacement.

    Then the band the whole theatre was waiting for, Seether. I have seen them on several occasions over the years all at different venues and have never been disappointed, until last night. It seemed like the beginning was all smoke and mirrors. Their light performance was great and entrancing but it sound itself was poorly done. I had gone everywhere in the theatre to see if I could get a different perspective but no matter where I went it was poor. Shaun’s vocals were lacking in the mix for the first few songs. That did not stop the fans from showing Seether all the love. They had played their classics such as “Fine Again”, “Rise Above This”, “Remedy” and their newest single “Words as Weapons”.

    Overall the show was good and it seemed that everyone had a great time in one fashion or another.

  • An Intimate Night of Acoustics with Sean Danielsen

    The guitarist/vocalist Sean Danielsen will be stopping at The Forvm May 12 in Amherst, NY for an intimate acoustic performance. Joining him will be Opus, Lost Elysium, Seven Faces, Avius Me, and Letterbox. All these bands normally play as full rock bands but that night they will all strip down their sets and perform acoustically. I’ve seen all these bands at least once and to see them acoustically is going to be a spectacular treat.sean2

    Danielsen is primarily best known as the lead vocalist/guitarist of three-piece band Smile Empty Soul. They saw much success after releasing their self titled debut album in 2003. The song “Bottom of the Bottle” is the song that they are widely recognized for. Smile Empty Soul has been active ever since and shows no signs of stopping. Their recent album, Chemicals, released in 2013 has gotten rave reviews and Ultimeateguitar.com said, “Chemicals is filled to the brim with what fans would now consider classic Smile Empty Soul elements and crunching distortion.”

    When Smile isn’t on the road Sean Danielsen has devoted his time to writing and recording his own solo projects. His latest EP is titled Food Chain and was released in November of 2014. I had the pleasure of listening to this album recently and I was blown away by the lyrics and composition of the album. He creates an immediate connection to the listener in songs such as “Rescue Me” and “Beautiful Things”. Sean kicks off his second round of touring on May 6, in Newport, Kentucky and ends June 4 at Emporium Blues and Rock bar in Jackson, Tennessee.

    While Sean isn’t writing and touring for two musical projects he is painting in the comfort of his own home. His painting can be found on his Facebook page Sean Danielsen . When you purchase his painting you also receive his two solo EP`s Food Chain and Enjoy The Process signed.

    Doors open at 6pm the first band is on at 7. Tickets can be purchased right at the door. Hope to see you for an intimate night of acoustic music.

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  • Finland’s Nightwish to Perform at Town Ballroom April 16

    On Thursday, April 16, Finland’s Nightwish will be performing in Buffalo, NY for the very first time at Town Ballroom, located at 681 Main St in downtown Buffalo. The Finnish symphonic metal band has toured the globe several times over and released eight full length albums, the most recent of which is entitled Endless Forms Most Beautiful. It’s a long epic release named after a quote by Charles Darwin and is based on the wonders of life, as well as making choices based on science and reason. It’s also the driving force behind their current world tour, which just kicked off in New York City on April 10.

    Finland's Nightwish Nightwish will be making their first trip to Buffalo during a very interesting time in their career. They’ve just recently brought Floor Jansen into the group for lead vocals. Some might remember her from her long career with Dutch symphonic metal group, After Forever. This makes Floor, Nightwish’s third female vocalist since the forming of the band, and the general consensus so far is that she’s proven herself to be a very worthy successor of Tarja Turenen and Anette Olzon. Nightwish is also being joined by Wintersun drummer, Kai Hahto for the foreseeable future, after their longtime drummer and friend Jukka Nevalainen decided to step down recently due to chronic insomnia. Furthermore, Troy Donockley is permanently adding his Celtic instrumentation to the band’s already enchanting orchestral sound, which is bound to treat every audience they play to on this tour to an even more unique experience.

    One of the highlights on Endless Forms Most Beautiful is the 24 minute closing track, ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, and rumors are flying that those in attendance at Town Ballroom this Thursday will be hearing that very long, very impressive epic in the latter portion of the setlist. Longtime fans are hopeful that they’ll be hearing some of Nightwish’s older material at the show, and according to online sources, select tracks from Oceanborn, Wishmaster, Century Child and Once will be resurrected for this tour.

    So, whether you’ve only recently been introduced to Nightwish, or you’re a longtime listener, given the group’s sterling reputation for live performances, it seems fair to say that no one will be leaving this show disappointed. Even if you’ve never heard music like this before and you want to try something different, most fans of music in general can find something they appreciate in the music of Nightwish. Their songs are captivating, theatrical, symphonic, passionate and honest. We sincerely hope to see you there for what is bound to be a breathtaking event, the likes of which Buffalo has never experienced!

    “I do believe only innocence can save the world.” – Tuomas Holopainen (Nightwish founder, composer and lyricist)

  • Third Times a Charm for The Decemberists at Center for the Arts in Buffalo

    Touring behind their early 2015 album, What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World, The Decemberists brought their show to the Center for the Arts in Buffalo. It was their third time at the venue, but the first time that they sold it out.

    Toronto quintet Alvvays (pronounced Always) opened the evening, performing the excellent material off of their debut self-titled album released last year. It was their first in a run of shows with the Decemberists, after they were held up at the US border and had to miss their engagement the previous night in Pittsburgh. The trials and tribulations of being an opening band continued unfortunately, and the sound was downright awful throughout their set. Squeezed into a small spot at the front of the stage, they plowed through a quick 30 minutes that fell somewhat flat, through no fault of their own. The heavily distorted low-end, drowned out whatever other sounds were present.

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    After a quick and extremely punctual changeover, The Decemberists took the stage innocently enough. Colin Meloy, his acoustic guitar and a lone spotlight. He started up the first track on their new album, the appropriately titled, “The Singer Addresses His Audience.” Simultaneously a dark backdrop displaying some female archers dropped behind the stage. One by one the remaining members of the band, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, John Moen, Nate Query and two backup singers including the fantastic Kelly Hogan, entered the stage. A second backdrop fell in front of the first, creating a dimensional representation of the new album’s colorful artwork. The band kicked in, Meloy revved up the energy, jumping on to the drum riser, running into the front of the stage, strumming with ferocity. Not only was the singer addressing his audience, but within the first three minutes, he was making a pronouncement: “We are the headliners, and we are here to entertain the heck out of you!”

    Early on the audience called out their requests in the silence between songs. Meloy answered that they had a set list, and they were happy with the way it flowed. And he wasn’t kidding either. The set list was constructed almost as carefully as their well crafted songs. As would be expected, the latest album was best represented. The album itself hasn’t particularly grabbed me, it lacks the overarching character and completeness that their previous efforts have included. The individual songs however, suit their live show well, and blended seamlessly with their time-tested material. The evening included the live debut performance of “Anti-Summersong” (video below). Through perfect song placement, including material from their entire catalog, Meloy and the band played the room like a puppet. Controlling the energy throughout the night, they perfectly brought it to a head late in the set. The seated audience roared to its feet, almost on cue, and stayed there the rest of the way.

    Meloy wasn’t afraid to lay bare some of the messier moments in the honing of his songwriting craft. He revealed the original lyrics to “The Calamity Song” as sung to his son one morning over breakfast – Hank eat your oatmeal. Later also confiding in us the worst song he ever wrote, which concerned Dracula’s daughter; And yes, we should all be glad that one was scrapped.

    The band, seven strong, had the ability to sound like much more. Each member played various instruments throughout the night, filling in whatever was needed for each song and providing a dynamic range of sound. Accordion, trumpet, pedal steel, banjo, percussion… During “The Rake” Conlee and Funk came out with floor toms, banging away with rhythmic bombast. Meloy then orchestrated the audience in a three-part clapping exercise that worked flawlessly and incredibly into the mix. The audience would be called upon again to become an eighth member in a sing-along on the ensuing 16 Military Wives.

    Old songs were given fresh legs, such as with early era hit “Los Angeles, I’m Yours.” Conlee’s jazzy organ and the backup vocal oohs and aahs gave it a funkily awesome Stevie Wonder vibe. Somehow their live mainstay, “The Mariner’s Revenge” was kept feeling fresh. A large confetti-spewing whale was carried out on stage by the backup singers and it “devoured” the band, which lay lifeless on the stage. A fitting end for The Decemberists. What other band would/could/should play a theatrical Russian-folk-song inspired sea shanty as their big closing number?

    Set List: The Singer Addresses His Audience, Cavalry Captain, Down by the Water, Calamity Song, Grace Cathedral Hill, Anti-Summersong, Make You Better, The Wrong Year, The Island, Los Angeles, I’m Yours, Carolina Low, A Bower Scene >Won’t Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga), The Rake’s Song, 16 Military Wives, O Valencia!, A Beginning Song, 12/17/12, The Mariner’s Revenge Song

  • Seplophile: Breathing New Life Into Death Metal

    At some point over the last few decades, the foundation of death metal began to crack, and through these cracks came a flood of sub-genres, such as, ‘deathcore‘, ‘melodic death’, ‘progressive/tech death’, etc. This made a lot of traditional death metal fans feel as though their beloved genre was turning into a faraway thing. With a slew of  bands manifesting themselves under these new and now prevalent classifications, it’s no wonder that a solid band of talented guys, dedicated to going back to death metal’s roots would gain some serious attention. The band is called Seplophile and they’ve spent the last few years making waves in the name of death metal.

    Their debut album Mesonoxian is a true testament to what the band stands for and any death metal veteran would have to agree. It was released in February of 2013 on Butchered Records and is still regarded by most scene supporters as one of the best heavy metal albums to come from a Buffalo local in years. The band is comprised of Shawn Gomez (From This Day) on bass, Matt Backlas on guitar, Greg DiPasquale (Sons of Azrael, Herod) on guitar, Allen Malkiewicz (From This Day) on drums, and Colin Winkelman on vocals.

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    While still playing the occasional show, they are currently in the process of writing their greatly anticipated second album. They’ll also be playing with New York death metal legends Incantation at Broadway Joe’s on Sunday, April 26. Also gracing the stage that night will be Rochester’s Order of the Dead and Buffalo thrash legends Hellcannon.

    So, if you haven’t checked out Seplophile yet, and you’ve been yearning for a heavy dose of death, the likes of which would appease Chuck Schuldiner (Death, Control Denied), take a listen to the track below and watch them perform with Incantation in just a few weeks!

  • Theatre Nocturne: Horror. Melancholy. Metal.

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    Founded in September 2011, Theatre Nocturne has been a force to be reckoned with in Buffalo’s underground metal scene.

    They’re influenced by bands like At the Gates, The Black Dahlia Murder, Dark Tranquillity, and other authorities on dark melancholic riffing; so you know what you’re getting yourself into just a few seconds into your first listen. But they aren’t your typical euro-influenced note fest. Theatre Nocturne proudly stands for horror, melancholy, metal and a dash of teeth grinding death riffing of a style all their own. Having just recently parted ways with vocalist Justin Foley, their lineup is currently comprised of Erik Wagonblott (guitar), Kenny Zotara (guitar), Justin Herzog (bass) and Mike Paquette (drums).

    These boys have really raised the bar for other locals pursuing similar sounds in this already prevalent genre, having already shared the stage with bands like Arsis and Skeletonwitch. They’ve also already recorded two EPs, which more than secured their seats among Buffalo’s local metal greats. Anhedonia was recorded in August 2012 and Depictions of Life and Death followed in January 2014. Now, they’re on the hunt for a new vocalist, having just finished recording their first full length with Doug White at Watchmen Studios in Lockport, NY.

    The new album is currently untitled and features ten tracks that are said to be, “heavier and more diverse” than anything they’ve written to date. Every song is brand new and is being kept a closely guarded secret, until the band returns to the stage at Stamps Bar in Tonawanda, NY – April 22.  It’s been a prosperous and groundbreaking ride for Theatre Nocturne thus far, and with their new vocalist (whoever that turns out to be), they’re bound to keep on dominating Buffalo and beyond for years to come.

    You can check out their recordings and merch at www.theatrenocturne.bandcamp.com.

  • Zepparella Mesmerizes Buffalo with a Tribute to Led Zepplin

    On Thursday March 12, 2015 the all-female Led Zepplin tribute band Zepparella left the crowd mesmerized at The Forvm in Amherst , NY.DSC_3783

    But before Zepparella took foot on the stage they had local alternative rock band Letter Box open up for them. Front man and founding member Paul Alguire and guitarist Andrew Douglas were the Letter Box Duo until that night. They brought bassist Ian Elder and drummer Ryan Lindfors into the mix for the very first time, and announced that this would be their new line up. Paul had stated this was their first live show together as a full band.  As Letter Box started to play you would have never known that this was their first show together. They had such wonderful chemistry, and all their movements and timing were in synch. Ian and Ryan were just what they needed to complete this band. Letterbox was thoroughly impressive and made a large impression on the crowd. People were lining up for the free Eps they were handing out that night. I hope to see more from this band in the coming months

    This was my first time ever seeing them and being a long time Led Zepplin fan I was a little hesitant for what I was about to witness. These girls are not only beautiful but they had the talent and pipes to pull off Led Zepplin with their own twist to perfection. The attendance for this show was phenomenal. The fan base was very diverse that night. There were individuals in their best attire to hard-core fans in their Led Zeppelin concert T-shirts with their frizzy ’80s hair-do. No matter what walk you were from, that night they all united and sang along as front women Noelle Doughty nailed every last note.

    As the band played classics such as Dazed and Confused, and Ten Years gone. Drummer and founding member Clementine had her own drum solo for a solid five minutes and you could sense and hear that John Bonham was her biggest drumming influence. Once her hard-hitting intricate solo finished the band came together and finished off the evening with a three more songs. After all was said and done they met fans back and their merch table and took the time to talk to everyone and sign photos and take pictures. All in all this was a very impressive showing of what this examiner calls one of the best Zeppelin tribute bands around.

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    If you missed this show, you really missed a good one. You won’t want to miss the next time these ladies come back to rock the Buffalo area, or it surly will be your loss again.

  • Photo Gallery: Dopapod Illuminates the Tralf Music Hall

    Northeast Jammers Dopapod put on quite the show both sight and sound on Thursday, February 26 at The Tralf Music Hall in a blistering cold Buffalo, NY. The evening started off with three-piece Moon Hooch, who certainly got the crowd ramped up for the main event.

    Dopapod who hadn’t played the room before would certainly be asked to return as they filled the space with a very packed crowd. The group is so well versed and tight at this point in their early career and with one of the best lighting rigs of its size, Dopapod will just continue to grow as a northeast powerhouse, look for them to return to Western New York as they announced a slot in the much-anticipated Buffalove Music Festival which will take place at Cole Farm June 18-20 in Panama, NY.

  • Machine Head Tears Apart Town Ballroom In Buffalo

    Going against the grain on what most metal bands are doing as far as touring these days, Machine Head is currently taking the bold approach and doing an “Evening With” headlining with no openers whatsoever, in support of their latest album Bloodstone & Diamonds, arguably one of their best to date, and easily the best metal album of 2014.  Rob Flynn and the boys stopped at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo last Thursday night for the second time in three years, setting for what was an unforgettable night.

    The bodies piled into the venue long before Machine Head hit the stage.  By showtime, the crowd kept chanting “Machine Fucking Head! Machine Fucking Head” was nonstop during the whole show, The band stormed the stage opening with “Imperium.”  Machine Head, although are getting up there in age, were performing like if they were in their prime – hungry and vicious.  Their stage presence and energy have NEVER been better.  They are giving their fans their money’s worth and putting other bands on notice.

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    Machine Head has gone through a slight lineup change since they appeared at the Town Ballroom back in February 2012. New bassist Jared MacEachern replaced Adam Duce this past year, so the big question is, does MacEachern fill the void?  Adam Duce was a monster on the bass, but also had remarkable backing vocals to go with Flynn’s vocals.  So when Duce was fired, I was saddened, and wondered how MacEachern could pull this gig off.  And I will say I was blown away by MacEachern’s stage presence, skill, backing vocals were amazing! He has much more range than Duce had (although Duce does sound a lot like Flynn) but he pulled off vocal harmonies, grunts, growls, and sings VERY well, so he adds such a new and killer dynamic to Machine Head’s live show that they never had before.  Dave McClain was a fiend behind the kit, and playing all those songs in a long set is no easy task.  And lead guitarist Phil Demmel rifts and solos are unmatched.  And his flying v Randy Rhoades black polka-dot guitar was gorgeous to look at.  But vocalist guitarist Rob Flynn is the unquestionable all-star and leader of the band and no one anchors the band better, or gets the crowd psyched like no other.  The most fascinating thing to watch on stage is watching Flynn and Demmel exchange guitar solos, as well as their harmonizing guitar solos…. it is such a spectacle to behold on stage.

    As far as their set, they gave the fans what they deserved with a two-hour and fifteen minute set – with no intermission.  We heard new songs like “Now We Die” and “Sail Into The Black”  and were also treated to classics like ”Old” and “Ten Ton Hammer.”  But really gave me a pleasant shock, early into their set, Machine Head played their nu-metal anthem “From This Day” for the first time in 13 years and the crowd went absolutely bananas.  They managed to play at least one song from every album from their 20 year catalog.  Closing with the unforgettable song “Halo” afterwards, not one person left this show disappointed. Machine Head told the crowd they will come back and said that they will do “evening with” again. It’s safe to say that Machine Head gave the fans their money’s worth and are truly a force to be reckoned with.