Tag: Buffalove Music Festival

Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Picks for New York State Festivals

Nothing compares to experiencing live music. But when it comes to packing up and leaving the world behind to immerse in a weekend of musical debauchery with a community of like-minded souls, well, that’s the stuff that dreams are made of for music festival fans.

From one-band to multi-artist events and crowd sizes from 2,000 to 50,000, New York State hosts a bevy of festivals annually in some of the most beautiful settings imaginable, and let’s face it, our state knows how to throw a proper fest, as it is ingrained in New York’s rich musical history having put on one of the biggest rock festivals of all time, Woodstock. Here we’ve rounded up our favorites from NYS Music 2015, so sit back, relax and relive some of the festival magic that happened throughout the Empire State this year, because we all know what it’s like to experience those post-fest blues.

Best Small Festival: Buffalove and Disc Jam

The third installment of Buffalove Music Festival saw a venue change from Cole Farm, Panama, NY, to North Fork Music Park, Warsaw, NY, with the new location offering four stages, a private beach, disc golf and wooded-area camping, and a record attendance that doubled previous years. With an impressive lineup including Kung Fu, Pink Talking Fish, Funktional Flow, Particle, Formula 5, Mister F, Space Junk, Dopapod, Aqueous and Aquapod, the three-day June 2015 festival created to celebrate Western New York’s emerging music scene was one for the books, according to Jen Foster and Thomas Sgroi:

Buffalove came through. Co-founder of Buffalive Productions and Founder of Buffalove Cody Conway clearly had one goal in mind: keep the energy as high as possible. Every single band had heads turning and jaws on the ground. There was never a lull, never a band that just played to fill space. Every minute was dance-worthy. If you missed out this year, we can highly recommend you don’t make that mistake next year. Without any problems or unruly attendees, this festival made its mark at North Fork Music Park in Warsaw, NY. The amount of talent coming out of Upstate New York is only paving the road for more incredible shows. Buffalove, you certainly were lovely.”

Another summer fest that saw a venue change was the fifth annual Disc Jam Music Festival, which moved from Massachusetts to New York State—and promoters recently announced that the event will return to Gardner’s Farm in Stephentown for its sixth year in June. Throughout four days of music, camping, disc golf and Flow Tribe, festivalgoers experienced live performances from more than 50 acts, including Lettuce, Electron, Dopapod, Aqueous, Brightside, Kung Fu, Consider the Source, Cabinet, Soule Monde, Roots of Creation, Formula 5, The Hornitz, Soul Rebel Project, Broccoli Samurai, Krewe de Groove and Relative Souls. According to Dave DeCrescente, the festival’s last day culminated with a “healthy dose of guest sit-ins” with jamband Twiddle, noting that:

One of the highlights of the set was the massive guest sit in with DJ Honeycomb, James Woods, and Joe Davis from Formula 5, Scott Hannay of Mister F and Todd Stoops for the ultimate mega jam on “Apples.” The Disc Jam Flow Tribe was out in full force with fire spinners and hooping entertainers that were almost as mesmerizing as the music. The weekend ended just as it started, with mind blowing music and a close knit community who continue to make the Disc Jam Festival special. Tony Scavone and crew did a suburb job of organizing the 5th annual Disc Jam with a new location but still the same friendly, loving festival experience that keeps fans coming back each year.”

Best Mid-Size Festival: Catskill Chill

While Catskill Chill is speculated to make a move to Lake George in 2016, the festival’s last waltz at bucolic Camp Minglewood in Hancock, NY, this September was a success, selling 5,000 tickets, according to Chill promoter Dave Marzollo. Headlined by moe. who kicked off their fall tour at the festival and including other bands like Lotus, Zappa Plays Zappa, Lettuce, Twiddle, Turkuaz, Dopakuaz plays Studio 54 and The Motet, the sixth annual installment of Catskill Chill featured on-site cabin rentals, daily yoga, live art, a farmer’s market, craft and food vendors, a communal bonfire nightly and an open mic. The three-day event was packed with guest sit-ins and collaborations like Dopapod and Turkuaz joining forces to play as Dopakuaz, which Chill organizer Josh Cohen noted is the type of community mindset that sets this festival apart from others its size or larger by creating an environment where rising bands can experiment and grow in a unique setting:

Point is that when comparing us to larger festivals, we’re at this cool stage attendance-wise where in many band’s cases we have the best ‘music’ out there in our prime slots. I love tons of bands who’ve been around since the ’90s or earlier but there’s nothing like seeing musicians in their youthful stages, when creativity is just exploding and you can feel it dripping off the stage as opposed to later-in-their career bands who are playing mostly songs they first wrote and fell in love with decades earlier.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R6Uk03HW9k&feature=youtu.be

Best Large Festival: Magnaball

It’s no surprise that Magnaball takes the cake for this category. During late August more than 30,000 phans invaded Watkins Glen International race track for Phish Festival 10. And while the three-day event took place at the site of their 2011 Superball IX festival, this time around the setup featured many upgrades, including local and regional food vendors, the five-course restaurant Festival Ate, MagnaWater Program, speciality Phish-themed cocktails and coveted craft beer from Lawson’s Finest Liquids and Hill Farmstead. (And let’s not forget to mention the interactive Glurt Institute, Drive-In movie theater, JEMP Record Store and cornhole tournament.) The Vermont quartet majorly delivered throughout the weekend’s eight sets busting out rare tunes like “Mock Song” and jamming out typical breather ballads such as “Prince Caspian” to uncharted territory, but perhaps one of the highlights was the Saturday festival tradition of performing a late-night set, which according to Pete Mason raised expectations for future secret sets:

Magnaball’s foray into the history of Phish’s special festival sets was the Drive-In Jam and it raised the bar while putting forth a performance on par with the ‘Storage Jam,’ if not exceeded this established upper echelon of improvisation. On a 183-foot movie screen, a wide array of visual treats combined with a progressively growing ambient jam that eclipsed the Lemonwheel by a longshot and morphed into a full on jam for 50 minutes. The Drive-In Set raised the bar for surprise performances and gave fans a treat after the music on the main stage ended an hour prior.”

December 23, 2015
Buffalove Music Festival Shines a Bright Light on Upstate Bands

If you were looking for a festival with continuous high energy bands, then Buffalove was it. We were greeted with sunny skies on Thursday afternoon, and a buzz in the air from everyone who couldn’t stop talking about what was to come of that first night. Everyone knew it was going to start with a bang, and they couldn’t have been more accurate.

Buffalo’s own Imperial Brown kicked things off on the Pavilion stage, setting a tone that would carry throughout the weekend. With a sold base of funk, reggae, soul and jam, Imperial Brown got the feet moving, and everyone’s excitement could be focused on one thing: dancing.

As Buffalovers made their way across the field to the main stage, you could feel everyone’s energy level soaring. Hometown heroes Aqueous took the stage at 8pm as the sun was setting and it was go time. They eased into their set, building intensity as the hour went on. We could all tell it was just a tease of what was to come. One by one, Dopapod took the stage, with a seamless changeover that left us continuously dancing for hours. Like Aqueous, they eased into their set, but definitely took things up a notch. Aqueous’ Mike Gantzer was the first to step on stage for the birth of Aquapod. And with a blink of an eye, members of both Aqueous and Dopapod were all on stage, getting into one of the strongest starts any festival could ever hope for. If you were a fan of both of these bands before, then this was the penultimate moment. Trading solos with the biggest of smiles, it just kept going. Even when the rain started to fall, the set from top to bottom was any fans dream. The intensity, the happiness of both bands, and the wide-eyes and looks of amazement from the crowd really started Buffalove off right. From there, it just kept going.

For those whose legs could still hold their bodies up after four and a half straight hours of Aqueous and Dopapod, the late night Woods Stage sets kept the intensity going. A beautiful little stage, set on the hill and covered with trees, was the scene of several sets that would leave people dancing until the wee hours of the morning. Sonder and Spacejunk were first up in the woods, with a segue set that rang through the property. Sonder with their jamtronic, groovy set, then Space Junk with a DJ set that got even the weariest of festival goers back on their feet. The Woods Stage would be the scene of serious talent and body-moving sets. Even with the rain continuing on and off all night, the vibe was nothing short of magical.

Friday morning, we were met with cool weather and constant chatter of what we had all witnessed the night before. The question kept being asked, “How can you top that first night?” But yet again, Buffalove delivered. Imperial Brown started it off again on the Pavilion Stage as the crowds began to wake up, stretch their bodies and get some food. Like every band, their dance-worthy set definitely pulled us out of the fog and back into the light.

Friday afternoon hit, and from there it was on again. Beau Sasser’s Escape Plan, led by current Kung Fu keyboardist Beau Sasser, took the Main Stage and came out swinging with their amped-up, soul crushing version of the Grateful Dead’s “New Speedway Boogie.” Mary Corso’s voice was enough to give anyone the chills, as they cruised through a powerful set. Guitarists Danny Mayer and Justin Henricks had some solos that could leave anyone’s jaw on the floor and drummer Kevin Urvalek was cruising by the time they closed with a cover of “Whipping Post.”

Slip Madigan continued the party, with a rhythmic, groove-oriented set on the Pavillion Stage. Then it was time for Funktional Flow to begin their first of three sets over the next 24 hours.

Flow took Main Stage for a 5pm set that only left fans craving more. Their tight, jam-based songs got the excitement level up once again. With covers like “Atlantic City” by Bruce Springsteen and Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4,” it was very apparent that they can span the genres. Then before you knew it, Albany-based Formula 5 took the Pavilion Stage. For these guys, it was a pre-cursor to their late night segue set with Funktional Flow at the Woods Stage.

Headlining the evening was Kung Fu and Particle, both bringing the hammer down on Saturday evening. Kung Fu, brought the jam-funk to the Main Stage, giving fans a different taste of what they could accomplish with a slightly modified lineup. Sasser soared, with solos that layered and layered, and meshed so well with their new sound. Kung Fu fans were shocked at what the band had become: a funk-heavy jam band. Then it was time for Particle to take the party to the next level. As the disco ball beamed, they played a set that was clearly meant to leave people exhausted from dancing.

Late night Friday was a beast of its own. Funktional Flow came out heavy on the Woods Stage. And if you weren’t keeping an eye on the stage at all times, you wouldn’t have even noticed that one by one, Formula 5 took over. If you had caught their earlier set, this one was completely different in attack. We could all tell they just wanted to get out there and jam as hard as they could. James Woods’ intricate and heavy bass lines and Joe Davis’ cruising guitar licks were almost too much to handle. Before you knew it, Funktional Flow had taken the Woods Stage over yet again. This time, it was one for the books. With a closer like Umphrey’s McGee “All In Time”, we were dancing just as hard as with Kung Fu and Particle, if not harder. The woods were lit up and the buzz around these two bands was heavy. Buffalovers had been treated to one of the most seamless sets of the weekend and all in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Closing out the morning was Buffalo-based Skyepilot, led by powerhouse lead singer Skye Del Re. If you still had the energy, this band kept the party going until the wee hours of 5am. The sun was coming up, and the groove was still ringing through the woods.

With a full weekend of high-energy bands, we were still left with Saturday. From top to bottom, the last day of Buffalove was filled with talent. Even though Skyepilot had just packed up on the Woods Stage, they opened Saturday on the Main Stage. Their strong, fast-paced versions of songs like “Sugaree” was enough to get even the weariest back on their feet for the final day. Buffalove contest winner The Goods hit the Pavilion Stage, with a very apparent reason why they were the winners. With a slightly different flare than the rest of the acts, they added that international/world groove.

The Main Stage on Saturday was filled to the brim with talent, as Blue Rootz and Whiskey Reverb both gave noteworthy sets. Next, it was time for Funktional Flow to give their final of three sets. With a setlist that included heavy originals and crowd-favorite covers like Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns and Money” and to close it all out, Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” Funktional Flow definitely earned their three sets, and stood on par with the headliners.

To close out the Pavilion Stage and Main Stage, Albany favorites Mister F tag teamed sets with Pink Talking Fish. Mister F did a stripped down set to start, with Andrew Chamberlaine playing a banjitar (banjo/guitar combo) for the first set. If you ran across the mud-filled lawn, you could witness the greatness of Pink Talking Fish, with their full, accurate versions of Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads and Phish. With their first set over, Mister F took the Pavilion Stage. The crowd filtered in fast, and before you knew it, hundreds of people were crowded around for Mister F’s final set. The energy coming off them was undeniable, and anyone who wasn’t a fan before, was now. Even with drummer Matt Pickering sick as a dog, they blasted through their set. With almost all originals, they included one cover that got everyone’s feet moving a little faster, Jamiroquai’s “Canned Heat.”

Sit-in master Scott Hannay of Mister F wasn’t done there. After finishing packing up, he decided to hang out the rest of the night and see what else he could dive into. Pink Talking Fish topped their first set with versions of Phish’s “Possum” and “Tweezer” that had the crowd in full fun mode. Scott Hannay jumped on for “Crosseyed and Painless”, swapping keyboards back and forth with keyboardist Richard James. It was a spectacle, to say the least.

Late night Saturday drove it all home. Grateful Dead tribute band Workingman’s Dead took the Woods Stage around midnight, giving everyone that comfortable, familiar set of Dead music that left everyone with a smile. High energy, fast tempo Grateful Dead is exactly what we needed after all that was Buffalove. If you weren’t completely out of steam, heavy-hitters After Funk closed out the whole festival in the woods with their horns blaring. Scott Hannay managed to sneak in for another sit-in, adding to the already sonic boom that is After Funk. For those resting at their campsites, there was no way you couldn’t perk up hearing this band wail through the night.

Buffalove came through. Co-founder of Buffalive Productions and Founder of Buffalove Cody Conway clearly had one goal in mind: keep the energy as high as possible. Every single band had heads turning and jaws on the ground. There was never a lull, never a band that just played to fill space. Every minute was dance-worthy. If you missed out this year, we can highly recommend you don’t make that mistake next year. Without any problems or unruly attendees, this festival made its mark at North Fork Music Park in Warsaw, NY. The amount of talent coming out of Upstate New York is only paving the road for more incredible shows. Buffalove, you certainly were lovely.

June 28, 2015
Local Limelight: Buffalo’s Funktional Flow

There has been a lot to be said about the Buffalo music scene these days, especially with bands like moe. and most recently Aqueous, making a splash in the music community. One band that has been around for the last few years is Buffalo’s Funktional Flow.

Pictured left to right: Matthew Lester, Joey Lewis, Jeffrey Kuebler, Jim Edgar, and Ben Whalen

They added two new members to the trio. Joining the band is guitarist, Joey Lewis. Alongside horn/keyboard player, Matthew Lester, everything seems to be moving onward and upward since. It was only a month or so ago that both were introduced as full-time members during the band’s CD release party for, Let it Settle, that went down at local music hot spot Nietzche’s.

Lester and Lewis join original members Jeffrey Kuebler (guitar), Jim Edgar (drums) and Ben Whelan (bass).

NYS Music caught up with the band while they were rehearsing for their much-anticipated sets for Buffalove Music Festival at North Fork Music Park in Warsaw, NY. The festival will take place June 18-20 and Funktional Flow have been a big part of Buffalove since the beginning.

Tom Sgroi: For those people who haven’t seen or heard you, who is Funktional Flow?

Jeffrey Kuebler: Funktional Flow is a melting pot of a lot of different genres that we are influenced by. It’s basically each one of us in the band and our different influences that we bring to the table, a lot of different styles and genres that we kind of throw in a blender. If we’re into reggae at one time that will come out and if it’s funk that will come out.

Jim Edgar: Whatever music you get into at the time that you listen to definitely influences you.

TS: What’s been the most difficult thing for the band with going through a few different guitarists since the beginning?

JK: Integrating different people to the music, songs that we played a thousand times we had to run over and over and getting them integrated into has probably been the biggest setback. At the end of the day it was a good learning experience and it made us all better going through it.

JE: Yea, definitely three different guitar players gives the band three different sounds for sure, it does make song more fun as it wasn’t the same over four years (laughs).

TS: Tell us a little about the newer members with Matt and Joey, how you guys ended up picking them up and having them come on full-time?

JK: It was a natural progression and Matt was before Joey. We played with Matt with Ben Whalen, Your Mom and the Reacharounds and that got us playing together and he got familiar with our style and that was a no brainer. Me and Joey have been playing for years, pushing a decade really, so that was a natural thing, it was great having him come aboard and were very happy with the current and final lineup.

TS: Ben, Jim and Jeff, you’re all original members, how have you guys kept it together since the start?

JK: A lot of fist fights (laughs).

Ben Whalen: I don’t know, communication and true friendship. We’re actually friends when were not playing.

JK: We have a lot of fun and that’s what it really boils down to.

TS: How do you think adding keys and horns will add to the overall sound of the band?

JK: It can only add to it and make it more dynamic and full sounding. It also kinda lends itself to what we originally wanted when we set out to create the band. When we generally write songs we will write them in mind of all the instrumentation. Having that has really rounded out our sound.

TS: Tell me a little about Buffalove. You guys have really been the forefront of it, what is it all about?

JK: Yea Cody (Conway) built the festival around us and Aqueous and it’s grown from there. Its getting bigger every year and to play with some of the caliber of bands it’s getting, is really a cool thing.

TS: Matt and Joey, what’s it been like for you guys joining the group?

Matt Lester: Yea I started playing with these guys a lot, anytime they needed horns I would play. I was fortunate to be invited to Bliss, NY to the cabin they go down to and that was the first time I played keys for them and that’s when everything starting clicking. It’s been a lot of fun for sure.

TS: Joey?

Joey Lewis: Yea, I was there for a while seeing how the rotation was going for Funktional Flow. Having the guitarists and not having the best of luck and I would help out with whatever gig I could. I was pretty aware of the songs so they didn’t need to waste time. So, finally I decided I wanted to play with the kids I grew up with and are my friends, and the music I like to play. I was really happy when they asked me to be in the band and contribute.

TS: Yea, because you were involved with a couple other bands. ( The Heritage and Whiskey River).

JL: Yea, I felt obligated to them but at the end of the day when you hone in your talent and want to play the music you want to play and you don’t want to do it for any other reason that is when I asked Jeff and Ben if they wanted to bring me on full-time.

ML: Yea like joey said we were in other bands and had an obligation but at the same time when the opportunity arose it wasn’t something we could pass up for sure. I’m really glad we made the decision because it’s been a blast ever since.

TS: This is more for Jeff, Jim and Ben again but last year you guys played Catskill Chill, what festival would you want to be part of in the future?

JK: Any and all of them, I would love to play Summer Camp

BW: F@#$! Yea, Summer Camp!

TS: Ok, sounds like that is the big one for every one.

TS: What other local or regional bands influence you guys?

JK: Oh man there is so many good bands around here with so many talented people and to be part of the scene is great. I would say at the top of the list would be our boys, Aqueous. We have done a lot with them and they’re doing some great things and representing for our area. They have been a big influence, but there is so many to mention but that is the first one that pops in the head. We go out to so many show’s in Buffalo since Ben has a hand in so many shows. I say that we gain a bit of influence from every band we play with.

JE: I’d say anyone we play with in the area too.

TS: If there was one band you could tour with and open for perhaps who would it be?

JK: Umphrey’s McGee!

BW: I think we would be a better fit for like moe. or a reggae band. The Green or Rebelution.

JK: Revolution would be awesome. Umphrey’s would be a dream and I could hang it up after (laughs).

TS: Is there one musician, past or present that if you could have a conversation with you would pick?

JK: Bradley Nowell

JL: Shannon Hoon

ML: That’s a really good question and there is so many to choose from but I have a deep affiliation for Phish pretty heavy I would have to say Page McConnell.

JE: There is probably a million people but drummer wise I would have to say Keith Moon, maybe.

BW: Hendrix I guess

TS: Anything else you guys want to add?

BW: New album coming in the late summer/fall.

TS: Yea, I know you guys have been writing a bunch of new songs so that is good to hear, so new album the fall. Well thanks for your time guys and I look forward to checking out your sets with the upcoming Buffalove Music Festival in a few weeks.

Check Funktional Flow out with a bunch of other great bands at Buffalove Music Festival! Get your tickets here.

June 10, 2015