Just the Tip is the start of a three day Halloween event at Anthology in Rochester, NY. Kicking off on Thursday, October 27, this ALL AGES show, featuring regional bands and headliners each night for a sensational music experience.
On Thursday, Level 7, Joe Driscoll, Funknut and Subsoil perform sets throughout the night, performing from 8:30 PM until 2 AM. Save money by purchasing the three-night ‘megaticket’ and enjoy PBR specials at Just the Tip.
Friday, October 28 features Thunder Body, Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People, with Saturday night performances from The Blind Owl Band, The Honey Smugglers, and Mulberry Soul. Friday tickets are $20 and Saturday tickets are $16.
Thursday schedule:
Doors: 8:00 PM
Level 7: 8:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Joe Driscoll: 9:00 PM to 9:30 PM
Funknut: 9:30 PM to 11:00 PM
Joe Driscoll: 11:00 PM to 11:30 PM
Subsoil: 11:30 PM to 1:00 AM
Joe Driscoll: 1:00 AM – 1:30 AM
Level 7: 1:30 AM to 2:00 AM
Known for their high-energy live shows, Subsoil is lyric-driven live Hip-Hop music. Subsoil’s performance wields a keen edge of razor-sharp lyricism, with equal emphasis on tight grooves and furious improvisations within a funky dance aesthetic.
Funknut formed in 2006 when Tony Gallicchio and Tristan Greene started playing together as a key and drum duo. Since then, Funknut has expanded and has been blessed to play with a rotating cast of talented musicians with Tristan and Tony as the core. In 2009, Sean McLay became a permanent member of the band holding down the low end and making things even funkier than before. In 2010, good friend Paul McArdle joined in on the guitar. Fans of improvisation, each Funknut show is different from the next.
Joe Driscoll was born in Syracuse, New York. He performs solo, and uses recorded loops of his own beatboxing and live looping using a sampler to fuse hip-hop, reggae, soul, folk and roots rock. During 2007 and 2008, Driscoll has toured with Dirty Pretty Things, Regina Spektor, Coldcut, and The Sugar Hill Gang at events in the US and Europe.
Level 7 (Skribe & DJ 2way) are a hip-hop duo who have been blessed to share the stage with bands such as Mosaic Foundation, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Thunderbody, Subsoil, Sophistafunk, Danielle Ponder and TheTomorrow People, and Cha Cha & the Ndor Band.
Three stained glass windows hung behind Jason Isbell and his band as they took the stage Thursday night at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse. The lit windows showed birds around an anchor, perhaps in reference to the second song of the set, “Stockholm” with it’s lyric “Ships in the harbor and birds on the bluff / Don’t move an inch when their anchor goes up.” Whatever the interpretation, one thing was for sure, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Sadler Vaden on guitar, Jimbo Hart on bass, Derry DeBorja on keyboards, Chad Gamble on drums) were taking the theater to church, and they were reading from the Book of Isbell.
The show didn’t consist of too many extended rock outs though the musicians proved more than worthy of taking a song out to the woodshed on occasion, most notably for the bombastic guitar-fueled “Never Gonna Change” set closer. No, the highlighted items here were the songs, and o, what songs! Isbell’s last two albums, 2013’s Southeastern and last year’s Something More Than Free were met with much critical and award-winning acclaim. But no one needed the critics to tell them that they were witnessing the work of one of the greatest songwriters on the scene today.
The congregation sat in their pews, quietly attentive. They knew all the songs by heart, but they were there to hear Isbell’s voice sing Isbell’s words about Isbell’s life. His songs may be personal in genesis but, as with any great poetry, they are written to relate to any of its readers and listeners.
After lines of particular significance, the crowd would cheer loudly in approval. Amen! On the particularly poignant performance of “Cover Me Up,” with Isbell taking the stage solo for the first half, the audience was raucous after every single line. The rest of the band re-entered the stage one by one as the song built to a furious finish before some heavy mallet hits knocked it back down. The crowd weren’t the only ones to feel the power on that one. “Hell, let’s do that one again!” bellowed Isbell.
One enjoyable story was of the traditional spoken word variety. Isbell recounted the story of the band’s beginnings. He had been kicked out of his house and called up his good friend Jimbo Hart for a place to stay. He ended up sleeping in his kitchen on a futon he purchased for just that purpose. A few months later he also got kicked out of his band, the Drive-by Truckers. So he asked Hart if he wanted to be in his band. Hart again said yes and here they were, still playing music together.
In thanking tour mate Josh Ritter, Isbell said that Ritter’s on stage smiley personality was how he was off stage as well. “He’s either reading a different issue of the news than me or I’m just doing it wrong,” he quipped. Indeed, Ritter and his band (Mark Erelli on guitar, Zack Hickman on bass, Ray Rizzo on drums) played a joyful 45 minute opening set filled with his own brand of folk songs.
Unfortunately, they experienced some technical difficulties when the PA cut out, emitting a droning electronic beat. With the sound cut, the band went fully acoustic, and stood at the front of the stage for a two song un-mic’d performance. As a testament to both the acoustics of the beautiful old theater and the pure talent of the musicians on stage, they pulled it off perfectly, even producing the highlight of the set. To hear completely unfiltered voices and instruments come together is a rare treat, particularly in a venue of this size. It is always interesting to see how musicians will handle adversity during their set and, ever the optimist, Ritter made lemonade out of lemons.
Jason Isbell Setlist: Flying Over Water, Stockholm, 24 Frames, Outfit, Decoration Day, Traveling Alone, How To Forget, Different Days, Codeine, Elephant, Alabama Pines, Cover Me Up, If It Takes a Lifetime, Something More Than Free, Never Gonna Change E: Speed Trap Town, Super 8, Children of Children
Josh Ritter Setlist: Monster Ballads, Me & Jiggs, Cry Softly, Girl in the Water (acoustic, un-mic’d), Snow is Gone (acoustic, un-mic’d), ?, Henrietta Indiana, Long Shadows, When Will I Be Changed
For a while on Saturday, October 8, the four intrepid members of the Albany based jamband Formula 5, in the middle of their first tour of Western states, thought they’d be trapped in a “The Little Engine That Couldn’t” scenario with their trademark 70’s tour van that may well have driven off the set of the disco-era cop show, Starsky and Hutch. The trouble began about 40 miles south of Boulder as they headed from a tour stop in Taos, New Mexico. The van engine sputtered to stop. From that moment, the engine stopped repeatedly in ever shortening distances. But they chugged and chugged until finally, at the last stoplight, the band was able to safely push their ride into a parking space in front of their intended destination, the aptly named Owsley’s Golden Road, named after the Grateful Dead’s longtime tour manager and longtime acid expert par excellance.
Quickly, Formula 5 became “The Little Band That Could, and Did.” Despite the vehicle trouble, the band wasted no time ripping into a collection of original melodies that spun into robust jams laced with the occasional harmonizing lyrics. Even with extended improvisations, Formula 5 didn’t waste notes as they chewed their way out of a paper bag of vinyl musical traditions including funk, jazz, and psychedelic rock. They weren’t just the little band that could. They were the band that did. And then some.
Annie in the Water, with their combination of reggae, rock, funk and jam, is an Albany-based band that originated as a duo with Mike Lashomb and Brad Hester in 2007. This past spring, the duo added three more members, which you can imagine has had significant impact on both the sound and the overall feel to their music. NYS Music spoke with founding member and lead guitarist Mike Lashomb about that change and what fans can expect going forward.
Erin Clary: Before it was just you and Brad, and now you’ve added two more members to Annie in the Water. What brought on the change and how did this happen?
Michael Lashomb: It’s been an interesting learning experience. Brad and I started back in 2007. Back in 2011 we had a drummer play with us and he kind of just up and left when we were starting to get bigger and booking venues and stuff like that. So Brad and I started this looping, jam kind of style. As time went on, just trying to connect with the jam scene and we felt we were kind of in between all these different scenes and we didn’t really connect the way we were hoping to with our style. So as time went on we understood there was definitely a progression that needed to happen. There needed to be some way that we could branch out and diversify our sound and also our personnel and people. We added our bass player, Lucas, three years ago and then we added piano player in the summer of 2014, Dillon. Having Lucas Singleton on bass really added a big low end kind of contribution with a lot of his style. Then Dillon on keys was this different kind of musician oriented but transient, experimental sound. So it was good to have Lucas who brought in a lot of specific playing and structure and Dillon who was outside of the box with his expression and style. And in that time, Brad would constantly update his looping with the four of those guys, having them on and off for shows. Then this past winter we knew we wanted to get a drummer involved and really up the jams so we could switch around grooves, time changes and cues. Josh West was finishing up with Lucid as they decided to tone down the touring and everything and it was just a natural…we met him at Nectar’s as he was playing with his old band, Tar Iguana, and it was just a natural relationship that blossomed into a really cool band relationship. Kind of different evolutions and progressions brought us to now.
EC: Are there different challenges you find when switching from a duo to a full band?
ML: Definitely a change. Brad has pretty much grown musically and matured with me as his counterpoint. I had played in different fusion bands and different guitar bands since I was in 8th grade so when we added the full band together it was definitely a whole new experience for Brad. It’s something that to this day he is totally changing and morphing in such an awesome, progressive way. So yeah there is definitely more personality which calls for more contribution artistically, personally and emotionally. It’s different. We went from having only a few people on the stage to suddenly having a lot more room being filled up. Not only physical space, but sonic space and musical space. A lot of what we had to do too was rehearse as we played shows because we had all the prior engagements set up with Duo shows but moving out of one house, just a lot of different things off the stage we were dealing with. It has been a really interesting transition but a really positive transition because everyone is really open to communication and evolution for sure.
Dillon Goodfriend, Lucas Singleton, Michael Lashomb, Brad Hester- Annie in the Water
EC: So you’re saying you weren’t latching on to a niche?
ML: Yeah, it’s hard to explain because there was a certain amount of people who are looking at what we’re doing with the Annie in the Water Duo acoustic set, that we still play to this day, but we will have some people who really jive with that and think it’s cool, the amount of sound we are able to produce with two people. It’s fun! There’s a certain element to having an absolute kind of experimental but also structured rhythm section. Having the rhythm section be human rather than having a syncopated beat box being looped for X number of measures for a certain amount of time. So Josh will change things up and everyone has been playing music for a long time and everyone has their own interpretation of when that happens. So we’re always creating a different show. When we were the Duo we were always big on experimenting and never having a setlist. Now that we have a full band it kind of brings in a little bit more people who are down to dance. People with a groove looking for a pulsating kind of sound. That’s kind of where we were in the middle of. We had that groove but we were missing the rhythm section. We would self-consciously catch people that normally would be like “oh these guys are really talented,” and suddenly like “I’m dancing and I’m reacting to it.” Then again we have people who like EDM and DJs who would go crazy for our looping stuff, but that’s not necessarily what we wanted to accomplish. To this day it’s an absolute trial and error to see who is reacting, how they’re reacting and why they’re reacting.
EC: What is the goal of Annie in the Water and what is success to you?
ML: It’s tough to say that there’s a finite point where it is success. I know that you aren’t assuming that either. For us, we’ve already achieved certain levels of success personally and musically that we’re really proud of. By having a certain ability to run as a functional business. So that was kind of our first goal. As that went on we had the goal of being a full live stage and live sound production whenever and wherever we were needed. In a long run, wider scope, our success is to just connect with as many people as possible on a human and spiritual level. I know that sounds heavy and I don’t want to say egotistical, but it’s pretty bold in that we feel that we have a responsibility to help in whatever way we can. If we can provide positive music to people than that’s it. I think one of the biggest sources of success for us is the ability to continue being full time musicians, playing wherever. My personal goal is I’d love to headline and have our own show at Blossom Music Center in Cleveland, OH where I was born and raised. Yeah we’d love to headline a festival, that would definitely be a goal but we’d like to just contribute in the most unique way humanly possible. We want to just make whatever Annie in the Water is, an entity that promotes peace and positivity, and inspires people to do whatever they feel they are naturally good at and love and passionate about. So definitely multiple goals and ideas of success but if we can just keep on helping people and along the way while we’re able to keep this boat floating than that’s as much success as we could imagine and be grateful for.
EC: Are there other collaborations you’d like to put together for the future and can you reflect on favorites that may have happened recently?
ML: We’ve been having Jamie Armstrong from Lucid on the saxophone play with us. It’s been a sit-in that we really enjoyed. He’s been playing extended shows a handful of times. It’s not necessarily a side project, he has kind of given us a “Hey mister, what’s up?” and will be down to play a show. There’s a lot of different ideas we have for side projects. It’s kind of up in the air right now. We have our friend Garrett, this kid that we met at Dyken Pond. It was an absolute, random….he’s not even playing in a band he’s just living in New York City and he added this unbelievable style to what we’re doing and we’re having him play with us in New York City next week. He plays lead guitar. We kind of bounce back and forth. We had Gubb from Twiddle sit in for a show with us in Vermont. We’ve always talked about having a little jam session show in Vermont to keep our good friends there happy and dancing. It’s really cool because we got into the jam scene only as of recently having other bands kind of become our friends which is a difficult thing for the first couple of years, just because we didn’t really know what we were doing either. So now it’s like the doors are kind of open to all these different friendships and creative expressions with other bands. It’s exciting because all these other bands are really reaching out and playing with everyone. All we want to do is play with people and put in the frequency and energy that overall contributes to a beautiful experience. So we are open to whatever.
EC: Describe each band member in one sentence.
ML: OK this is fun…
Bradley Hester (Percussion, guitar, vocals, looping) – Hardest working musician and nicest human I’ve ever met.
Joshua West (Percussion, Drums) – A stoic little child who is so much fun to have behind the kit.
Lucas Singleton (Bass) – The dependable groove supplier and overall goof ball.
Dillon Goodfriend (Keys) – A pure musician and absolute music lover.
EC: And what about you?
ML: I’d like to say I just like to have fun when I play.
EC: Should we expect a new album out now that you’re all together?
ML: Yeah. We’re all looking at the overall picture and new music being recorded is absolutely on the radar and very important. What we’re trying to do right now is make sure that we’re choosing the songs that we have from our past that we’re writing down and we’re looking to write. We’re trying to make sure that we’re choosing what works best for the band. So the music will definitely become recorded but at this point we are getting everyone on the same page to decide how we want to move forward musically, personally and band wise. So the album is definitely in the works right now, we just have to decide the next step to make that happen that works best for everybody.
EC: You’ve made your homebaseAlbany.
ML: Yeah, we’ve been in Albany for four years but we haven’t played in Albany as much because we’ve been pursuing different opportunities in different parts of the Northeast.
Trying to do a lot of different hubs and also play at different mountains because snowboarding is a huge part of our culture. It’s been more or less that we’re in the progression of making that happen so seeing us in Albany is going to be more frequent for sure.
EC: The October 13 show with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad in Albany at The Hollow should be a homecoming show with lots of friends and family I presume?
ML: That’s going to be a really interesting show because we have a lot of friends from the Rochester area that have always talked up Giant Panda and I think vice versa. So this show is going to be the first time that we’ve actually ever met those guys. It’s cool because whenever you play a show with the band for the first time there’s a lot of learning and vibing of personalities. So when it comes to that night I would say wait for something interesting but until that night happens, that’s when the magic starts.
Pioneering English hard-rockers UFO have announced a spring tour commencing March 9, 2017 at Scout Bar in Houston, TX and concluding April 2, 2017 at Brighton Music Hall in Allston, MA. The tour also includes a two-night stay at the B.B. King Blues Club in New York, NY. UFO will be joined on all dates by fellow New Wave of British Heavy Metal progenitors Saxon along with special guest Jared James Nichols. This will be the first time UFO and Saxon have toured together since the 1980s.
UFO is busy in the studio comleting their 22nd album, the follow-up to 2015’s A Conspiracy of Stars, which is reportedly a collection of covers. The current lineup features original members Phil Mogg (vocals) and Andy Parker (drums), as well as Paul Raymond (keyboard/guitar), Vinnie Moore (guitar), and Rob De Luca (bass).
Here’s live footage from earlier this year of UFO playing their classic “Rock Bottom.”
Let Me Feel Your Power, a new double live album from British metal stalwarts Saxon, is due out October 28, 2016 in the United States on UDR Music. Saxon consists of Biff Byford (vocals), Paul Quinn (guitar), Nigel Glockler (drums), Doug Scarrett (guitar), and Tim “Nibbs” Carter (bass).
Check out Saxon performing “Wheels of Steel” in support of their new live album.
Mar. 9 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar
Mar. 10 – Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live
Mar. 11 – San Antonio, TX – Alamo City Music Hall*
Mar. 14 – San Diego, CA – House Of Blues
Mar. 15 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
Mar. 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Belasco
Mar. 18 – Anaheim, CA – The Grove
Mar. 19 – Las Vegas, NV – House Of Blues
Mar. 21 – Denver, CO – Summit Concert Hall
Mar. 24 – Sioux City, IA – Anthem at Hard Rock Casino
Mar. 26 – St. Charles, IL – Arcada Theater
Mar. 28 – Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues Mar. 29 – New York, NY – B.B. King Blues Club & Grill Mar. 30 – New York, NY – B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
Apr. 1 – Jim Thorpe, PA – Penn’s Peak
Apr. 2 – Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
What do you get when you mix old swing music with modern electronic beats? Well, Electro-Swing of course! And who better to talk about the genre than the pioneers of Electro-Swing, Caravan Palace of Paris, France! From Robots, science-fiction to bras and vintage French porn and late night television, this is an interview you will not want to miss.
Listen to the abridged feature/interview
You can listen to the Full Radio Broadcast
On-stage, Caravan Palace proves they are performers and musicians; keeping the crowd engaged, dancing and of course swingin’.
Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on WSPN in Saratoga Springs, NY on 91.1FM and on Hoxton FM in London, England every Wednesday 11pm-1am GMT 6pm-8pm EDT
If the Brooklyn Bowl ever decides to create a Hall of Fame, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) can be sure to add “Fall Ball 2” to their list of accomplishments. As Saturday night wrapped up the sold out three-show run for this incredible quintet, I will non-apologetically say that they are the most important “cover band” in the world and are potentially better than anything Grateful Dead related today. The Bowl was where they capitalized on their first run as a newly developed powerhouse and years later, this all-star side project has become nationally recognized and a force to be reckoned with.
“Blues for Allah” welcomed the crowd to the show. The Dead rarely performed the spacey and complex composition live, which JRAD seems to greet as a challenge and ambitiously took the “Blues” to another level before stepping into a starry “Eyes of the World.” A delicate transition into “Minglewood Blues” was highlighted by Scott Metzger’s fiery guitar solo turning into the first fist-pumping barn-burner of the night. The band slowly eased into “The Wheel” with an extended jam taken over by Tom Hamilton in between the first and second verses. I couldn’t help getting chills as the five pieces screamed out the lyrics “bound to cover just a little more ground.” Observing the usual peaks and valleys of “The Wheel” from a viewpoint that only JRAD could capture was truly a magical experience and one of the highlights of the first set. The breathtaking transition into “Ramble On Rose” got the predictable crowd explosion as “just like New York City” was sung to their hometown audience. There was a Tom Hamilton lyrical mishap but with the room in a trance, nobody seemed to give a flying flub.
Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” was technically the night’s first cover that this cover band covered (make sense?). The cowboy song gave the thirsty crowd a few short minutes to grab a beer before returning for the otherworldly “Morning Dew.” The unusually energetic intro to the tune made some Heads scratch their beards but the euphoric meltdown in the middle orchestrated by Joe Russo’s team-captain drumming leadership was as mellow as it gets on a Saturday night. The always-powerful refrain was given some extra juice by Dave Dreiwitz’s bass bombs shaking the rafters as the first set came to an impressive close.
The second set got asses shaking right off the bat with “Crazy Fingers” and I am pretty sure you could actually smell the reggae influenced magic in the air. Another incredibly silky transition led to the monster “Truckin’” and once again the crowd showed some extra excitement in the lyrical reference to New York. The band also got a kick out the lyrics “set up like a bowling pin” which was evident by their ear-to-ear smiles as they exchanged glances. Joe Russo instigated a quick “The Other One” tease to keep the set list note takers on their feet, but the scribes weren’t disappointed with the next rarity, Donny Hathaway’s “Magnificent Sanctuary Band” popularly performed by the Jerry Garcia Band.
“Help On The Way> Slipknot” was the jazzy cherry on top of the second set sundae and gave Marco Benevento a chance to have his wings spread bright on the organ. Where Hamilton vocally shined during the first section, Benevento added a haunting solo during the thick of the jam. While many came to expect a glowing and upbeat “Franklin’s Tower” to be the other piece of bread to this incomplete sandwich, Benevento and Russo teamed up to create an eerie transition into “Estimated Prophet” which was reminiscent of an early Pink Floyd sample. Benevento used an effect that sounded like a spaceship in Atari’s Galaga being abducted by a larger spacecraft and the retro noise was very suitable at this point in the night. The first guest appearance came during the set closer as Chris Harford (Band of Changes) joined the boys for Neil Young’s “Hippie Dream” off the 1986 album, Landing on Water. The gritty and bluesy piece gave each member the instrumental spotlight for a moment before they stepped off stage.
The encore was an unannounced nod to a long time friend and JRAD enthusiast that recently passed away. “He Was a Friend Of Mine”, a traditional folk song popularized by Bob Dylan was performed acoustically as the members displayed their first sorrowful tone on stage since “Morning Dew.” This version is not to be confused with the “He Was a Friend of Mine” cited in Grateful Dead set lists throughout the mid to late 1960’s and felt more like something you may hear off a Garcia/ Grisman compilation. While the somber acoustic tune mourned the loss of a loved one, “Not Fade Away” celebrated their friend’s life and memory. The boys were back on their electric instruments as half the crowd “air keyed” along with Marco. Seasoned Deadheads began the “Not Fade Away” ending clap-chant combo along with the band, which echoed for a solid five minutes even after they left the stage. Security opened the exits encouraging fans to leave, but the community energy was keeping everyone warm inside and sure enough, the group came back for a surprise second encore, “Bertha” to cap off an incredible evening.
As the house music played and the audience finally began to exit the venue, I couldn’t help but stare at the vintage poster that has hung above the side doors since the early days of the Brooklyn Bowl. While the band’s title bares the description “Almost Dead” the words next to this mystical werewolf poster read “Real, Alive” and after a throw down like Saturday night, I think we can all side with the wolf.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is covering a little more ground at the Brooklyn Bowl on December 29th before taking a short trip north for their two night New Year’s run at the Capitol Theatre on December 30th and 31st. Tickets are going fast and after this past weekend they are sure to sell out soon!
Vaporeyes is back in downtown Syracuse in a very special way on Saturday, November 19 at Funk n Waffles Downtown, when longtime guitarist Jyms Tynyn will perform his final show with Vaporeyes. Come down and send Jyms off right and rage with Vaporeyes as they’ll be digging deep and getting crazy in what will also be their last show of 2016. Albany-based Lord Electro opens the night, with doors at 8, and cover $10.
To make the show even a bigger can’t-miss show, Vaporeyes will be releasing their latest album, Golden Road EP, on November 19.
Vaporeyes is a “psychedelic jam fusion” band whose sound seems to be constantly evolving. Sometimes tight as a tiger, sometimes strictly improvisation, sometimes electronic, dance, jazz, metal… but always trippy with a dose of in-the-moment flair. Vaporeyes has already shared the stage with such acts as Papadosio, RAQ, Tauk, Zoogma, Kung Fu, Aqueous, Brothers Past, DrFameus, and much more.
Hailing from Albany, NY, Lord Electro is coming to open up the night. They released their Debut self titled record in 2015 and have been consistently performing across the Northeast. Having already shared the stage with such heavy hitters including: The New Deal, Roots of Creation, G-nome Project, Conehead Buddha and Lucid, Lord Electro is on a mission to make feet move and booties shake!
If you loved the boy band music of the 90’s, then the Boy Band Review – a Boy Band Tribute, is the show for you! Made up of six members, the Boy Band Review consists of former Broadway stars who shine as they lay their hearts on the line to bring you a truly nostalgic performance. They bring their all to the stage with an energetic, fun performance chock full of hits from the likes of New Kids On The Block, N’sync, Boyz II Men, Hanson and more.
Featuring Jeb Roberts (Guitar), Adam Egizi (Bass), Andy Davis (Drums) and Dom Scott, KC Comeaux and Josh Hobbs on vocals, this tribute show is a true throw-back experience that will most definitely transport you back to your adolescent years. Complete with singing, dancing, and great stage lighting, the Boy Band Review comes dressed to impress in the most memorable of outfits worn by your most beloved boy band members. They interact with you on stage and off, enticing you to let your guard down and shout out the lyrics during each of these nostalgic songs.
Surrounded by die-hard 90’s boy band fans it is virtually impossible to resist the urge to join in, sing along, and just plain let loose with those who remember every word and dance articulation of the artists they knew and loved. They might even surprise you as they welcome your participation in an intimate, personal moment – like the drummer proposing to his girlfriend. Not something you would expect from a grown man in overalls with one of his shoulder straps undone!
As promised, the Boy Band Review – a Boy Band Tribute really is a throw back experience and these “New Kids” definitely “bring the heat up to 98 degrees” to bring you back and relive your best years- even if only for a moment in time.
Setlist: Backstreets Back, Byebyebye, No Diggity, Mmmbop, I’ll Make Love To You / End Of The Road / On Bended Knee Medley, It’s Gonna Be Me, Motown Philly, You’ve Got It, All My Life / All Or Nothing, I Want It That Way / Larger Than Life
Encore: Summer Girls, What Makes You Beautiful, Pop
Be sure to follow the Boy Band Review on Facebook. Have your high tops and wrist bands ready for when the Boy Band Review announces a performance in your city!
It’s been almost two years since Buffalo groove rockers Aqueous released their fourth studio effort, the acclaimed Cycles. Shortly after the release, the band’s founding trio found themselves struggling to keep a pair of sticks behind the kit. After a national search, drummer Rob Houk joined the band full time and the quartet headed into the studio. The resulting EP, Best in Show, is a four song reflection not only of the band’s time without a permanent drummer, but also a glimpse into the band’s future as Houk melts into the Aqueous groove with fluid rhythm that feels as if he’s always been here.
Kicked off by the infectious opening track, “Don’t Do It,” Best in Show is a shining example of how Aqueous uses time in the studio to expand on their signature live sound. The band and producer Dan Brace of Sonic Farm Studios find a way to build depth and layers into “Don’t Do It” that surpasses the way the band already deposits the song’s structures live.
Production on the song, as well as throughout the entire album, is thoughtful and subtle. It leaves room for exploration upon each subsequent listen. Best in Show presents like a musical onion, revealing something new every time you listen. It’s a theme that is present in all four tracks. New nuances, subtle changes, and microscopic effects take some of the band’s newest songs and turns them into some of the band’s most laser focused studio work to date.
“Underlyer” has seen plenty of stage time, but from the studio the song takes on a whole new life with a slightly different tempo. Tender and soulful, it’s one of the album’s lyrical gems. Musically, the tune is funky while moving, highlighted by a delicious groove anchored by bassist Evan McPhaden. On keys and synth, Dave Loss creates beautiful and whimsical layers that highlight the song as its most intense yet reflective moments. Lead guitarist and vocalist Mike Gantzer explores moments of falsetto and vocally the song is a showpiece for his continued vocal growth. Gantzer continues to develop a rich, milky quality that settles neatly against Aqueous’ harder and more polished technical musical edge.
“Random Company” and “Calling Out” although vastly different in composition, highlight Aqueous’ ability to structurally string together a variety of musical genres and styles that you wouldn’t naturally blend. Listening to many Aqueous tracks is akin to strapping in for the front row of a musical roller coaster. It’s an ebb and flow that is reflective of the band’s moniker. It’s a musical device that Aqueous executes with precision, keeping their sound fresh and their live shows full of astonishment to first time listeners.
The four songs are highlighted by tiny nuggets of rightness; lyrically, musically and in its production Best in Show turns a pointed spotlight on how much Aqueous has grown in the two years since their last studio release. But more importantly, Best in Show is Aqueous’ resolve from the challenges they have faced and proves their tenacity to move forward while solidifying their line-up.
Houk flourishes on drums. His previous work as a studio drummer is evident with thoughtful punctuation and temperate pressure. But it is also evident that Houk, Gantzer, Loss and McFadden have wasted no time in melding together a sound that is uniform, distinct and cohesive.
As a producer, Brace clearly utilizes his experience with mixing a variety of the band’s live efforts, including their Aqueous Halloween 2015 Dark Side of the Ozrelease, to the band’s advantage in the studio. He seems to be coaching them in the best ways to enhance their sound. A nod to not only his skills as a producer, but also a nod to Aqueous for taking direction in nuance.
Best In Show will be available through hard copy purchase starting Thursday Oct 13 and Friday Oct 14 during the Best in Show CD release party at Buffalo Iron Works in the band’s hometown of Buffalo, New York. Digitally, the EP will be available through online services such as iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and Google Music starting Oct 14.
Erin Clary: Before it was just you and Brad, and now you’ve added two more members to Annie in the Water. What brought on the change and how did this happen?
EC: Are there other collaborations you’d like to put together for the future and can you reflect on favorites that may have happened recently?
Recess with Spinelli can be heard every Wednesday 8pm-10pm EDT on 
Featuring Jeb Roberts (Guitar), Adam Egizi (Bass), Andy Davis (Drums) and Dom Scott, KC Comeaux and Josh Hobbs on vocals, this tribute show is a true throw-back experience that will most definitely transport you back to your adolescent years. Complete with singing, dancing, and great stage lighting, the Boy Band Review comes dressed to impress in the most memorable of outfits worn by your most beloved boy band members. They interact with you on stage and off, enticing you to let your guard down and shout out the lyrics during each of these nostalgic songs.
Surrounded by die-hard 90’s boy band fans it is virtually impossible to resist the urge to join in, sing along, and just plain let loose with those who remember every word and dance articulation of the artists they knew and loved. They might even surprise you as they welcome your participation in an intimate, personal moment – like the drummer proposing to his girlfriend. Not something you would expect from a grown man in overalls with one of his shoulder straps undone!
As promised, the Boy Band Review – a Boy Band Tribute really is a throw back experience and these “New Kids” definitely “bring the heat up to 98 degrees” to bring you back and relive your best years- even if only for a moment in time.