Category: News

  • Steely Dan Touring This Spring and Summer

    Steely Dan is hitting the road again this spring and summer, kicking off its tour at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have booked several New York dates in addition to the opener, including stops in Niagara Falls, Bethel and Saratoga Springs.

    The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will first hit up theaters and event centers on the initial leg of the Dan Who Knew Too Much tour before Stevie Winwood joins them, hitting sheds and amphitheaters country-wide throughout the summer months.

    Following the tour opener in Port Chester April 18-19, the band makes a quick jaunt to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for a show April 22.

    The short spring leg visits the Seneca Niagara Events Center in Niagara Falls April 29, before wrapping at the Borgata in Atlantic City April 30.

    Following a month-long break, the tour picks back up in Cincinnati, where fellow Hall of Famer Steve Winwood joins the tour.

    Full tour information is available at Steely Dan’s Facebook page. Ticket sales begin Feb. 26.  Information is available here.

    Steely Dan’s The Dan Who Knew Too Much Tour Dates:

    4/18 — Port Chester, N.Y.
    4/19 — Port Chester, N.Y.
    4/22 — New Orleans, La.
    4/24 — Birmingham, Ala.
    4/27 — Wallingford, Ct.
    4/29 — Niagara Falls, N.Y.
    4/30 — Atlantic City, N.J.
    6/7 — Cincinnati, Ohio*
    6/8 — Detroit, Mich.*
    6/10 — New Buffalo, Mich.*
    6/11 — Chicago, Ill.*
    6/13 — Morrison, Colo.*
    6/14 — West Valley City, Utah*
    6/16 — Mountain View, Calif.*
    6/18 — Hollywood, Calif.
    6/19 — Las Vegas, Nev.*
    6/22 — Dallas, Texas*
    6/23 — Kansas City, Mo.*
    6/25 — Little Rock, Ark.*
    6/26 — Atlanta, Ga.*
    6/29 — West Palm Beach, Fla.*
    6/30 — Tampa, Fla.*
    7/2 — Charlotte, N.C.*
    7/3 — Camden, N.J.*
    7/4 — Holmdel, N.J.*
    7/7 — Mansfield, Mass.*
    7/9 — Bethel, N.Y.*
    7/10 — Saratoga Springs, N.Y.*
    7/12 — Bristow, Va.*
    7/13 — Colonial Heights, Va.*

    * with Steve Winwood opening

  • 3 Great Metal Shows Coming to Rochester

    Three metal shows are coming to Rochester at Montage Music Hall in May, including Like A Storm with Devil You Know, Texas Hippie Coalition and All That Remains.

    Kiwi rockers Like A Storm are known for combining heavy baritone guitar riffs and hard rock songs with the didgeridoo, the traditional Australian wind instrument. They have shared the stage with Alter Bridge, Korn, Shinedown, Creed, Puddle of Mudd and Staind. They will be joined by metalcore supergroup Devil You Know from Los Angeles on Friday, May 6.

    Texas Hippie Coalition will take the stage on Friday, May 13. Vocalist Big Dad Ritch describes their sound on their website:

    It’s like Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top had a child, and Pantera ended up raising it. We’re Red Dirt Metal. That’s a flag we wave high. There wasn’t a line formed for us, so I created a line and jumped to the front of that bad boy. Ride On is the best example of what we do.

    Opening for Texas Hippie Coalition is Sons of Texas.

    Hailing from nearby Springfield, Massachusetts, All That Remains have released seven studio albums and sold well over a million records worldwide. They recently went through a lineup change back in September when longtime bassist Jeanne Sagan left the band. She has since been replaced by Aaron Patrick. All that Remains will play Sunday, May 22.

    Tickets for these shows are not yet on sale. Check the Montage Music Hall website for more info.

  • Disney Begins Casting for ‘Frozen’ on Broadway

    Disney’s Frozen is joining Aladdin and The Lion King on Broadway. Based on the hugely popular movie that made Idina Menzel a household name (and one John Travolta will never forget), the musical adaptation begins its Broadway run in Spring 2018.

    Prior to the Broadway opening, an out-of-town premiere will take place at Denver’s Buell Theatre in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in August 2017.

    Frozen-Movie-HD-Images

    The show is directed by Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers and features music and lyrics from the film’s score creators, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, as well as from the book by Jennifer Lee.

    Frozen is loosely based on a Hans Christen Andersen fairy tale. It tells the story of a princess named Elsa who sets out on a quest to find her sister Anna. The film version spawned a slew of Elsa imitators and parody versions of its Oscar-winning song “Let it Go.”

    Casting is ongoing and Disney has yet to release dates or which theater will host the production.

  • 518 Songfest at the Egg

    The 518 Songfest, a local singer/songwriter showcase, will take place at the Egg in Albany on Saturday, Feb. 27.

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    The 518 Songfest is part concert and part panel discussion that will showcase four local up-and-coming musicians along with songwriter Tim Moore, who wrote hit songs “Second Avenue” and “Rock and Roll Love Letter.” The other musicians include Bryan Thomas, Ashley Sophia, Benjamin John and Rhiannon’s Lark (featuring Alyssa Yeager). Sandy McKnight, co-producer of this event and producer of the Indie Fest at the Egg, will also take part in the panel discussion. The discussion will be led by the other co-producer, Andy Gregory, and Exit 97.7 WEXT’s Dave Michaels, who will be fielding questions from the audience.

    Attendees will want to arrive as close as possible to 6 p.m., when the doors open, as performers and sponsors will have booths setup in the Swyer Theater lobby and be available for questions and to autograph merchandise. Meet-and-greet sessions will also take place during intermission. Seating will begin at 6:30.

    Tickets for the show are available for $10 at the box office or online. Buyers are encouraged to purchase tickets early, as seating will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, with the best seats going to the earliest buyers. Proceeds from the event will benefit Columbia Arts Team, WEXT and the Egg, all 501(c)3 non-profit organizations.

    [embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWbZ4iWWAAQ[/embedyt]

  • Madison House, AEG Live Nears Approval for Big Music Festival

    This summer a brand-new music event could be hitting the festival circuit — although New Yorkers will have to travel west to Colorado. Madison House Presents and AEG Live announced plans for a four-day event with the possibility to host 20,000 people on a ranch near Buena Vista, Colorado. The expected run for the weekend event is Aug. 4 through 7.

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    According to the Denver Post, commissioners in Chaffee County, Colorado, seem likely to approve the proposal for the annual festival at a meeting in early March. “I don’t see having challenges we could not overcome. I have faith in Madison House that is well earned that they can do what needs to be done,” said Chaffee County Commissioner Dave Potts, as reported Tuesday in the Denver Post.

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    Photo from Facebook

    Last August, the Boulder-based Madison House Presents organized a two-day Mumford and Sons Gentlemen of the Road festival in neighboring Salida, Colorado; other artists included the Flaming Lips, Dawes, Jenny Lewis and Blake Mills. Madison House is known for putting on such music festivals as Electric Forest Festival and Rothbury Festival and managing bands like the String Cheese Incident and JJ Grey and MOFRO, while AEG Live produces the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, among others, and Goldenvoice, a Southern California-based regional division of the company, organizes Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Country Music Festival.

    For this new event, the organizers hope to schedule performances until 1 a.m. on Thursday and Sunday, and 2:30 a.m. on the other two days. The festival’s headliners and lineup will not be released until early spring, but Madison House Presents and AEG Live promise a diverse group of acts to attract a wide range of ages. Stay tuned for updates as this story further develops.

    H/T Jambase

  • Barry Manilow to Play Turning Stone Despite Emergency Surgery

    It looks like Barry Manilow will be able to play his scheduled performance at Turning Stone after all.

    The 72-year old singer/songwriter made a surprise return performance Sunday night at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. He underwent emergency oral surgery on back-to-back days on Feb. 8 and 9 and, after performing in Memphis, Tennessee on Feb. 11, Manilow was rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital for a third procedure due to complications from the first two surgeries.

    barry manilow turning stoneET Canada reports that Manilow’s third surgery was a success. Manilow was instructed by doctors not to talk, sing or rap for 48 hours after the surgery. According to ET, music producer David Foster said the recent hospitalization isn’t as scary as it sounded and Manilow will be fine, but it was something that he just had to deal with.

    At Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party, Manilow performed his 1974 hit “Mandy.” Manilow told the audience, “I am glad to be here tonight. What a week.” Manilow then performed a duet, “Zing Went the Strings of My Heart,” with the late Judy Garland who appeared on the video screen behind Manilow.

    Days later, Manilow resumed his One Last Time-One Last Tour Wednesday night at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Two dates in Tennessee were postponed due to the hospitalization. Central New Yorkers can catch their last glimpse of this music icon when he hits the stage at the Turning Stone Events Center at the Turning Stone Casino on Friday, March 18, in Verona, outside Syracuse.

    From 2008-2011, Manilow held residency in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Hilton performing over 400 shows. Manilow has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide with several Billboard hits to go along with various multi-platinum selling albums.

    Manilow has won various awards in his career including a Grammy for Best Pop Male Performance for the song “Copacabana,” EMMY awards in 1977 for Outstanding Special (Comedy, Variety or Music) The Barry Manilow Special and 2006 for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music ProgramBarry Manilow: Music And Passion, a Tony award in 1977 for Barry Manilow on Broadway and several American Music Awards.

    barry manilow turning stone

  • Funk Yes: Lettuce Set to Groove University of Rochester

    Although you won’t find it listed on their current roster of dates, Lettuce will make a third appearance in New York state during this spring/summer tour. According to the University of Rochester’s event ticketing website, the funk-fueled jazz band is booked for a Feb. 26 show on the River Campus. The New York City group will also return to their home state for performances at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester on April 8 and Hunter Mountain Jam Festival this June.

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    Known for soulful super jams, Lettuce debuted their fourth studio album, Crush, last year. Jeremiah Shea said in his NYS Music review that this album “is the convergence of road tested and polished material, musical exploration, deep pockets of groove, and a band that is simply on top of their game.” Brian Ferguson was on hand to catch the two-night Crush release party at the Playstation Theater last November, where Marco Benevento opened the show and Lettuce encored with a new tune titled “Phyllis” (hear the song below).

    Lettuce.PlaystationTheater.12
    Eric Krasno

    The band, featuring Adam Deitch (drummer), Adam Smirnoff and Eric Krasno (guitarists), Erick “Jesus” Coomes (bassist), Neal Evans (keyboardist), Ryan Zoidis (saxophonist) and Eric Bloom (trumpet player), last played in Rochester June 2015 for the city’s Party in the Park (after Taj Mahal cancelled) and made a stop at Water Street Music Hall October 2014.

    Doors will open at 8:30 p.m. with show time of 9 p.m. Tickets are available online through the University, or at the Common Market in Wilson Commons. The concert is open to the public; special ticket pricing applies for students and faculty. If you’re nearby the Finger Lakes area next Friday, pencil in this performance as it’s guaranteed to be one energetic soul shakedown party.

  • Florida Georgia Line to Play Dick’s Sporting Goods Open

    Florida Georgia Line will play at the 2016 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open at the En-Joie Golf Course in Endicott.

    The Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, held July 6 to 10, has become a staple in the area, attracting business to Endicott and the surrounding towns. In celebration of their 10th anniversary, Florida Georgia Line will perform at the Friday Night Concert on July 8. The concert takes place greenside once the golfers have finished swinging their woods and pulled their balls from the hole.

    Florida Georgia Line, the duo of Brian Kelly from Florida and Tyler Hubbard from Georgia, are one of the most successful country acts of the current decade, having won several music awards including Favorite Country Duo and Favorite Country Album, for their album Anything Goes, at the 2015 American Music Awards.

    They are gearing up for their Dig Your Roots 2016 tour, which begins next month in Australia and goes through mid-October in Atlanta. The tour brings them back to New York on July 17 at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, along with a handful of other stops in the Northeast.

    Visions Federal Credit Union is partnering with Dick’s Sporting Goods as a sponsor of the golf tournament. In celebration of their 50th year, all credit union members will have special priority pre-sale access to tickets to the open. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday, Feb. 19 at 9 a.m. The $60 ticket provides access to the First Round of Champions Tour Gold and to the Friday Night Concert on the McIntosh Soundstage.

  • Update: Twiddle Finalizes ‘TumbleDown’ Lineup

    In a video posted to their Facebook page, Twiddle announced the lineup for their Tumble Down taking place July 29 and 30 at Burlington, Vermont’s Waterfront Park.

    In addition to Twiddle’s four sets over the weekend, they’ll be joined by New York funk favorites Turkuaz, Montana-based bluegrass act the Kitchen Dwellers, and special guest Holly Bowling on July 29. July 30 will see them joined by Cabinet and Nahko and Medicine for the People, along with Holly Bowling.

    Tickets are on sale now. Both single-day and two-day passes are available.

    Original Post:

    Vermont-based quartet Twiddle and Higher Ground have announced two nights of Twiddle at Burlington’s Waterfront Park this summer. The weekend will be known as Tumble Down and will be held July 29 and 30.

    twid

    The weekend will continue as part of a tradition started last year at the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival that included alternating sets with moe. This year, Twiddle will headline the event with two full sets each night. Several supporting acts will be announced.

    In addition to live music, the weekend will include various activities including a charity disc golf tournament supporting Twiddle’s fan-founded charity, The White Light Foundation. Late night sets will also be announced around Burlington featuring members of Twiddle.

    A limited number of early bird passes will be available at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 19 for $54 through Ticketfly.

    The announcement of Tumble Down adds a punch to Twiddle’s already packed summer including dates at Red Rocks and multiple festival appearances including the Frendly Gathering, Lockn’ Festival and the Werk Out.

    Twiddle hits the road in support of their latest release, Plump – Chapter One, on Thursday for a sold-out show at the Port City Music Hall in Portland, Maine.

  • Hollywood Vampires Kicking Off Tour in Verona

    The supergroup that had Bruno Mars wondering what he was witnessing at Monday’s Grammy Awards has announced a set of dates. The first stop for Hollywood Vampires tour is set for Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona May 24.

    https://twitter.com/MaggieCoughlan/status/699444152963067904

    Hollywood Vampires is fronted by Alice Cooper, also includes Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, actor Johnny Depp and Guns N’ Roses rhythm section of Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan. The Vampires are a loose collective of rock royalty, with roots in the 1970s LA scene. Artists such as John Lennon, Elton John, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr have been associated with the group.

    hollywood vampiresCooper told Rolling Stone:

    We have to carefully schedule the Vampires. That’s because you have Johnny’s movie schedule; you’ve got Aerosmith; you’ve got Guns N’ Roses and you’ve got me! It’s five entities going in five different directions. To get those guys all at one time when we’re not working is really unique. So everybody looks at their calendar, and you have to find that two weeks where everybody’s off.

    The band performed a tribute to Lemmy Kilmister at Monday’s Grammy Awards, lighting the stage aflame with Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” as well as their first single “Bad as I Am” from their eponymous album, available now through the usual outlets.

    Tickets for the Turning Stone show are $74, $69 and $64 and go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 23, according to a Facebook post from Turning Stone.