Tag: Town Ballroom

Best of NYS Music 2015: Staff Pick for Best Music Town in New York State

With an expansive state such as NY, there’s a multitude of large cities and small towns that are home to some widely diverse music venues and scenes abroad. Teetering as the fourth most populated state in the country, New York houses just under 20 million people with the majority of the larger cities snuggled along interstate 90. It’s a seamless route for bands to travel and schedule shows as they pass through the Empire State. However, our team of merry music lovers here at NYS Music voted upon one town to be the best scene for live music. I’m sure it’s no surprise to anyone that this 5-borough concrete jungle was the top pick for best music town in New York State. That’s right, New York City indeed. Coming in hot at #1 is the largest city in the United States and has been declared as the Best Music Town for many years now. It’s probably not going to be topped anytime soon either.

To a surprising degree, Albany and Buffalo were not so distant behind the Big Apple in the standings. The Capital District has much to offer with many venues of all capacities spread throughout the city. A brief list starts with The Hollow Bar & Kitchen, The Palace Theatre, The EGG, The Fuze Box, and The Times Union Center. Buffalo also has an impressive list of stages and events such as the Town Ballroom, The Tralf, The Waiting Room, Buffalo Iron Works, Nietzsche’s, and the First Niagara Center.

Oh, but the city that never sleeps has far more venues than anyone can imagine. Clubs, bars, city parks, warehouses, basements, rooftops, to numerous theatres and stadiums are abundant in the melting pot. It’s glorious! The most regarded venue in NYC would have to be Madison Square Garden. It’s beautiful, accommodating, spacious, acoustically dynamic, and it is just historically pleasing to be in and around. MSG holds only the world’s largest acts and will be home to Phish for four consecutive nights at the end of 2015.

The Barclays Center is home to the Brooklyn Nets, seats about 19,000 people, and opened in 2012 with a major list of performers, including Jay-Z and Pearl Jam. Its rivals in size would be MSG, Nassau Coliseum, Nikon at Jones Beach Amphitheater, and the IZOD Center (located in NJ).

Radio City Music Hall is the queen of all theaters in NYC with its 5,933 seat capacity, historical Art Deco interior, prestigious location, and Grand Stage. The elevator system in the theater is so advanced, that the U.S. Navy had incorporated identical hydraulics into WWII aircraft carriers and had security personnel guarding the theater during wartime. The Hall is sprinkled with depression-era artwork in the lobby, hallways, and the mezzanine. It’s deserving of the nickname, Showplace of the Nation.

Though, just because NYC is ample in size, poses home to the largest/most popular arenas and theaters in the country, doesn’t mean that’s where the real glory is. People tend to have more fun in the intimate venue, smaller capacity rooms where you can practically reach out and touch the artists from any angle of the room. The venues that sell tickets at reasonable prices, have great selection of beverages, are decorated with passion, and cater to the individual concert go-er rather than consumers in bulk, are what makes the experience favorable. The Empire City has all of that and more. Some other venues that hold NYC so high are: The Beacon Theatre, The Hammerstein Ballroom, Carnegie Hall, Playstation Theater, City Winery, Terminal 5, Brooklyn Bowl, Governors Island, Central Park, Bowery Ballroom, Village Vanguard, Cake Shop, and Saint Vitus are just a sliver of the pie.

New Years Eve in New York City, well really, the whole week around New Years, is chock full of music. Just check out this list put together by Catskill Chill Music Festival!

Aside from being the music mecca of the world, it’s almost in a class of its own. Until that changes, go visit the Big Apple and enjoy some live music!

December 26, 2015
Arkells Play to a Sold Out Town Ballroom

The Arkells performed an extensive high energy set to a sold out crowd at Town Ballroom this past Friday. Not before vocalist Max Kerman and guitarist Mike DeAngelis played an intimate acoustic set to fans who brought a toy valued at 10 dollars or more to donate to local children who are less fortunate and otherwise would not have presents under the tree this Christmas.

Pentimento was direct support for The Arkells, they are a local band right here from my city of Buffalo. I have not had the pleasure of seeing them perform before so excitement came over me as they walked onto the stage. My first reaction was wow, how are these guys not headlining their own tours yet? They swept fans off their feet with Jeremiahs smooth voice and guitarist Lance Claypools catchy riffs. These guys gained plenty of new fans that night and I am proud to say that I am one of them.

The Arkells took the stage and got the fans jumping to their feet and screaming lyrics at the top of their lungs from the opener Cynical. The set continued with songs from High Noon; such as Come To Light, Dirty Blonde, and Leather Jacket. They also played songs off their older albums “Michigan Left” and “Jackson Square.” A fan favorite that night was 11:11, once they started singing that the crowd seemed to lose control. The encore started off with acoustic version of Kiss Cam, followed by young Turks and their biggest hit to date Leather Jacket.

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December 16, 2015
July Talk Comes Back Around to Town Ballroom

It was a chilly night in Buffalo When July talk came to town this past Saturday; but Canadian locals are used to the harsh temperatures. They came in full force with an incredible lineup. July Talk is not a stranger to Buffalo.

We were graced with their presence Edgefest at the outer harbor this past September. It’s safe to say that July Talk has one of the most unique forms of stage presence that I have ever seen: full of jokes, hair pulling, screaming, climbing, general insanity, and some…suggestive gestures.

Fay’s composed confidence and subtle playfulness on stage created an interesting juxtaposition to Dreimanis’ jerky, energetic movements and the two combined formed a balanced and exciting performance that only July Talk could deliver. Right off the bat, the on stage chemistry between lead singers Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay grabbed attention and refused to simmer down throughout the whole set. Aside from all the joking and mischief, every song was expertly delivered and professionally performed. The show rocked hard and loud, the contrast between Peter Dreimanis’ growling vocals and the delicate poppy sounds of Leah Fay worked together to perfectly propel the message of the songs forward.

Opening up for July Talk was San Diego’s bluesy rock band Little Hurricane. band was well received and garnered great responses to songs like “Trouble Ahead” “Shortbread” and “Haunted Heart” the duo’s rich sound emanated all along Town Ballroom and making for a nice way to warm up and drink before the nights headliner.

The openers of the night were part of two Cow garage but solo acts. It was not expressed as to why the whole band was not there. The openers had acoustic sets and the songs were witty and related to everyday life and events. This drew in the audience from the beginning. They were solid openers and I`d love to see them again as a whole band collectively.

November 23, 2015
Gwar Killed the Internet at the Town Ballroom

Nobody could hide from the blood and spew Saturday night in Buffalo at the Town Ballroom with GWAR in town. The band brought their best show I have seen to date. Celebrating their 30th year together, the band was sans Vulvatron. She lasted a short but memorable time. Fans were thrilled to see how their costumes and theatrics have improved over last year. In particular, Blothar has fleshed out his costume more elaborately with penis udders and embellishments. The narrative for this Gwar show revolved around “Killing the Internet,” and the screens behind them projected cute kitty photos and other appropriate images. Things started with two rappers in rubber monster costumes of course; playing a terrible indescribable song.

There were some moments of genuine humor — Blothar mentioned a website that ‘My friend Jared from Subway told me about.’ That led to a spirited version of “Baby Raper” complete with the props that you’d expect. Some had to turn and walk away because they couldn’t handle it. Special guest’s appeared such as Hilary Clinton and Kanye West, who were shortly killed after entering the stage. The show climaxed with the dismembering of the giant internet troll. The ending speech was that we should put our phones down and interact with one another face to face.

Battlecross, also on the bill, is a thrash band from Detroit. Their performance was hard to match. They had so much energy on stage, they kept fans entranced throughout the night. They seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. Playing a handful of songs from their new LP Rise to Power including “Not Your Slave,” “Absence” and “Bound by Fear.” Their set really whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

Battlecross have produced three full length albums and tour constantly. They are forever loved in Buffalo and appear frequently there.

Armageddon opened the night. They had replaced Born of Osiris due to an injury. This whole band was under the age of 21. Turns out they are a local band, I feel they could have found someone a little more experienced on such short notice. The guys really did give everything they had on stage that night. This was their biggest show to date and they didn’t let their nerves get the best of them.

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November 17, 2015
Between the Buried and Me comes to Town Ballroom

The walls will be shaking and people will be moshing Thursday August 6 at the Town Ballroom. This is when Between the Buried and Me will grace us with their presence. They are on tour promoting their newest album “Coma Ecliptic.” BTBAM is a progressive rock, salvage metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They will be on tour until approximately October of this year.

With them will be progressive metal band,The Contortionist from Indianapolis, Indiana. They are still fairly new in the music world. They have been around for just a little more than seven years. Known for their bottom heavy open chords and bursts of oscillating guitar leads layer an ominous and dark undercurrent of rhythm.

Animals as leaders started the same time as The Contortionist, founding member Tosin Abasi started the band has kept its roots grounded to stay the catchy instrumental progressive metal. When AAL Sophomore album came out “Weightless” it took off and has earned extensive praise from legends such as Steve Vai. The diversity of their music has opened up the door to tour with a wide variety of acts, including The Dillinger Escape Plane, Underoath, and the Deftones.

Tickets are still available for the show you can purchase them right on Town Ballrooms website.

August 2, 2015
Mike Gordon Tours the NYS Thruway

Twitter conversationalist, hotline recorder, and Phish bassist Mike Gordon, taking a break from his ongoing couch tour, is on the road in NYS with his solo band. Next week they’ll hit upstate New York hard, with stops in Buffalo, Syracuse (technically Baldwinsville), and Albany. After a few shows outside of New York, Mike will return to play down in Port Chester.

The tour has already seen the band debut a few originals as well as take on new covers of Fiona Apple, Here We Go Magic and Robert Palmer. Keyboardist Robert Walter was added to the touring band though he won’t be the only one playing the keys. The stage will feature an interactive synthesizer available for the audience to join in the fun. This could be your shot to jam with one of the greats! Dates and details below.

Read a past interview with Phish bassist Mike Gordon here.

June 16, Town Ballroom, Buffalo
Doors 7pm, Show at 8pm
Tickets $28

June 18, Paper Mill Island Amphitheater, Baldwinsville (outside Syracuse)
Doors 6pm, Show 7pm
Tickets $30

June 19, The Egg, Albany
Doors 7pm, Show 8pm
Tickets $31.25

June 27, Capitol Theater, Port Chester
Doors 7pm, Show 8pm
Tickets $30/$45

June 12, 2015
Nightwish, Sabaton, and Delain Owned Buffalo’s Town Ballroom
The turnout for the April 16 Nightwish show at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, both baffled and pleased fans to no end. After arriving just a few minutes before door time, the line had already extended from the Town Ballroom to nearly halfway down to the HSBC building. If you’re familiar with downtown Buffalo at all, you know that’s a pretty impressive line. I’ve been to a handful of shows at Town Ballroom over the years, and I’ve never had that “sardine in a can” feeling there before last night. In fact, it took security so long to funnel everyone inside, that at least a hundred people were still standing outside as Delain was starting their set. I squeaked in the door just after their first song.

As for the artists, Dutch symphonic metallers, Delain, kicked things off in their typical fashion with powerful orchestral keys, heavy riffs and captivating vocal melodies from front-lady, Charlotte Wessels. Most fans were disappointed with their song selection. They mostly played their more bland sounding tracks from the last few albums, along with their key singles. However, I felt they were strong in the sound department, making them a solid opener with surprisingly heavy crisp guitars, keys and vocals.

Afterwards, Sweden’s Sabaton took the stage and dominated, plain and simple. They’re a fun group of guys that take heavy metal to the next level. Musically, they remind me of a heavier symphonic Judas Priest. Their songs are based on historical battles and American and European military history, but I think what really won them a lot of new fans last night was personality. Frontman, Joakim Brodén, was hilarious and made it a point to jokingly say, “If it wasn’t for some of your grandfathers, you’d all be speaking German right now, and let’s face it, you Americans aren’t exactly known for your language skills.” A female fan also tossed her bra at Joakim at one point during their set, much to the delight of everyone in the room, on stage and off.

Many of Sabaton’s songs are centered around American military history and Sabaton always makes it a point to give proper dedications to those who have fallen in the line of duty. Furthermore, a group of fans near the stage were signaling to the band with German, Swedish or American flags, in accordance with the lyrical content of whatever song was being played. My friend John was among them. At one point, Broden took hold of their Swedish flag and wore it as a cape like a superhero. Shortly after he boasted, “My superpower is going to be cheap furniture”, but not before he’d already commented, “Don’t think just because we have Ikea that we’re all peaceful and shit.”

Sabaton cleared the stage after playing their encore, “Night Witches” which was the opening track off their latest album, Heroes. They then respectfully paved the way for Nightwish, who hails from Kitee, Finland.

Nightwish began their set in typical Nightwish fashion. This was my fourth time seeing them, so I knew exactly what to expect. The lights dimmed, then eerie blue spotlights illuminated the room accompanied by the ominous sounds of rolling ocean waves and whale songs. Lately, they’ve been working a lot with Richard Dawkins, a well-known English ethologist and dedicated atheist. He narrates portions of Nightwish’s latest effort, Endless Forms Most Beautiful- an openly secular record paying homage to the life and work of Charles Darwin.

Once the whales fell silent, Richard Dawkins’s voice kicked off the first song with, “The deepest solace lies in understanding, this ancient unseen stream- a shudder before the beautiful.” Wintersun drummer, Kai Hahto then immediately kicked into the song, “Shudder Before the Beautiful” along with Marco Heitala’s heavy bassline and Tuomas Holopainen’s orchestral synth arrangement. Then, one by one, the rest of the band emerged as needed.

The set continued with fan favorites going all the way back in their discography to 1998’s Oceanborn. “Stargazers” and “Sleeping Sun” were played off that record. They also briefly visited Wishmaster with the song, “She is My Sin”. The rest of the set was made up of songs going from 2004’s Once through their latest release. From Once, they played “Dark Chest of Wonders”, “Nemo” and “Ghost Love Score” as one of two encores. Imaginarium was visited via the songs, “Storytime”, “I Want My Tears Back” and “Last Ride of the Day”, which was the second encore. Dark Passion Play was only touched on with “The Islander”, but that was a high point of their set for me because of Marco Heitala’s acoustic steel-stringed solo performance for the better part of it. Marco played a double neck for the majority of the set- an electric bass adjoined with an acoustic guitar.

Troy Donockley wowed the audience with his flute and bagpipe skills during that song as well, while also joining Marco and lead vocalist, Floor Jansen for a moving vocal performance. I think Troy brings a lot to this band and I’m glad he’s a permanent part of it. Hearing his soothing flutes and bagpipes during older songs gave a whole new perspective. He ended “Sleeping Sun” with Tuomas on bagpipes and I felt that made the entire song much more enjoyable and fresh.

As I’m sure you’d expect, the majority of Nightwish’s set was new material. Here’s what you can expect to hear from the new album on future tour dates:
- “Shudder Before the Beautiful”
- “Yours Is An Empty Hope”
- “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”
- “My Walden”
- “Elan”
- “Weak Fantasy” (Kai does an amazing drum solo to kick off this song)
- “The Greatest Show On Earth”
The night ended with Nightwish’s traditional bow to the audience, while Richard Dawkins spoke in the background about how lucky we are to be awake in this universe. It’s a sample from the song, “The Greatest Show on Earth”, named after one of Dawkins’s novels, released in 2009. Most European bands do a traditional bow to the audience after sets and Delain and Sabaton ended their sets the same way. I think it’s a very humble way to say goodbye to your fans and make some kind of connection with them, especially when you’re on the other side of the world, and the odds are good you’ll never see many of your audience members again.

I suppose I’m now at that regrettable point where I’ve officially run out of words and thoughts about this wonderful show, so in conclusion, I’ll say this: Thank you for reading this review. If you were there last night, I hope I adequately conveyed last night’s events. If you weren’t there, whether you’re a fan of these bands or not, I hope my words at the very least inspired you to add some new songs to your music library. Thanks again for reading.
April 21, 2015
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.

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)

April 13, 2015
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.

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.

February 11, 2015
Dr. Dog Dresses the Part in Buffalo

The members of Dr. Dog waltzed onto Buffalo’s Town Ballroom stage all in varying levels of “disheveled-ness,” each with their own unique style.

But one thing was uniform across the board. Saddle shoes. They all wore those dapper looking black and white saddle shoes. Now I only mention this bizarre detail because their dress informed their music perfectly. Each member brings their unique somewhat off-kilter sound, together hanging on the precipice of a complete cacophonous collapse. Yet they remain grounded in a fantastic one-ness. It’s gotta be the shoes. (Or perhaps Eric Slick’s stellar drumming?) All that is to say, there aren’t many bands that play this tight, while keeping it so wild and loose at all times. They didn’t even miss a beat when, upon hearing some people in the front row beat him to the opening lines of “Shadow People”, guitarist Scott McMicken handed the mic into the crowd to let them sing the first verse.

Dr. Dog brings a raucous energy to everything they do, even their down-tempo songs are rife with energy. Throughout the night it spread like an airborne virus into the crowd. The nodding-head foot-tapping audience became a rabid mass of dancing fools by nights end. The show didn’t ride any highs or lows and didn’t depend on any showstoppers to bring the set to a head or take it to the next level. They started high, ended high, and kept it up in between. The best song they played was the last one they played before you quickly forgot what it was because they were kicking your ass with the next one. Most of the tunes just flowed right into each other, there was no time to catch your breath and appreciate what was happening. Everything was in the moment.

Dr. Dog is touring behind their just released live album Live at a Flamingo Hotel. And it is great. Yet, if a band does it right, no recording, not even a live one, can completely capture their live experience. And as Dr. Dog proved once again in Buffalo, they are an incredible live band.

January 29, 2015