NYS Music 20​16

Category: Western NY

  • Interview: King Buffalo Discusses their Origin, Debut Album, and Aspirations

    Rochesterians tend to think of King Buffalo as a local band, however they are garnering attention on national and international levels. Their debut album, Orion, showed up on the Album of the Year lists for several rock critics. Earlier this month, Stickman Records released a European version of the album.

    King Buffalo
    Photo by Mike Turzanski

    The psychedelic rock band with a heavy blues bent delivers heady grooves laden with symbolic imagery. It’s the kind of music that is best heard live – but if not live, then on a turntable in a room with curtains drawn and incense burning. The sound is reminiscent of iconic classic rock bands like The Doors, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath, but also has a modern edge that leads one to wonder if this is what Jim Morrison would be creating if he were alive today.

    King Buffalo is comprised of Rochester natives Sean McVay (Guitar & Lead Vocals), Dan Reynolds (Bass & Lights), Scott Donaldson (Drums & Vocals). NYS Music caught up with the band at their recording studio inside the historic Main Street Armory, to discuss the history of the band, their creative process, and future plans.

    Paula Cummings: How did King Buffalo come into being?

    Sean McVay: Dan and I played in a band together for a few years before King Buffalo, called Abandoned Buildings Club. Scott played in a band called Velvet Elvis. We were all in the same sort of psychedelic heavy blues rock circle and played a bunch of shows together. We were all part of the same scene. When our bands dissipated and fell apart, we started jamming, and we clicked really fast.

    Scott Donaldson: I approached those guys because Velvet Elvis broke up before Abandoned Buildings Club. I was booking all these dates and then Velvet Elvis broke up. So I was wondering if you guys were interested in learning some of the songs and filling in. Our fourth original member, Randall, was also the singer of Velvet Elvis. We started jamming and maybe the first or second practice we wrote a song.

    Dan Reynolds: Yeah, I don’t think we played any Velvet Elvis songs until a couple weeks in.

    SD: It was cool we were able to pound that (new) stuff out that quickly. So we started touring and pissing people off because half of them thought we were Velvet Elvis. We were like, “No, we go by King Buffalo now.”

    SM: We’d show up and there’d be a marquee that would say Velvet Elvis and we’d play two Velvet Elvis songs and the rest was King Buffalo stuff.

    DR: And we played one Abandoned Buildings Club song.

    SM: Yeah. We knew pretty early on that we had something cool going. That’s why we kept writing. And then we recorded them. We wanted to have something recorded so we could say, I know you came to see Velvet Elvis, but here. We just ended giving out 300 CD’s on that tour.

    PC: But they were people who were already into that kind of scene.

    SD: Yeah. The first tour we did as King Buffalo was with All Them Witches. They were relatively unknown then. Now they’re doing quite well. We were in an RV with those guys, having fun playing to some people some nights and just to each other some nights. It was a great experience.

    PC: You guys also did a split with Le Betre.

    SD: One dude from STB Records posted a picture of our demo, like “I’m jamming this, packing orders.” And I just emailed him, like “I heard you like our demo, we should do something together.” He said “I’d love to, it sounds amazing, but I’ve got so many projects this year, I can’t do it.” A week later, “You guys are doing a split with this band from Sweden called Le Betre.” STB’s got their own following. It’s a very collector’s-based, die-hard version with splatter vinyl. I mean, none of us had had anything that looked so pretty, so we were all about it.

    SM: The package that they put together – it’s all 180 gram vinyl, it’s super high quality. It has a super loyal following of buyers. I don’t know if they heard of us before they put out the split.

    SD: They have a lot of faith in his label, so they’re like “You’re putting it out? And it looks really pretty, and there’s only so many of these, I’m going to buy one of every version.”

    PC: Tell me about the decision to release Orion internationally.

    SD: To do anything international is pretty easy these days with the internet. You sign up for a website, you put your stuff up there and you pay a little extra to make sure it’s in all the different countries. Stickman Records had approached us after the record had already come out. They gave us an amazing deal because they really love the record and really want to be a part of it. We were obviously floored and extremely happy about it. And then they made a gatefold and 180 gram vinyl record in orange.

    DR: It’s easy to get international, and vinyl record sales right now are so almost bafflingly huge market all of a sudden. In England vinyl sales just passed digital downloads.

    SD: For us, selling internationally is expensive. The shipping is $22.50. I ship everything personally, so I know exactly how much that costs.

    DR: So that’s the only way we could get them out over there.

    PC: I read a lot of the reviews and descriptions of your music, and I’ve seen you guys play, but how do you define your sound?

    SM: We’re influenced by all the classic stuff from the 60’s and 70’s and grew up in a time when grunge was the thing.

    SD: It is what it is. It’s weird now that every genre has so many clear cut “this is what it is” instead of being just one general broad thing. Back in the day, heavy metal was so much more broad than it is now.

    SM: Post–rock pre-blues metal, like what does that even mean?

    DR: I want to know who’s making all these up.

    SD: Psychedelic stoner rock is the one we consistently hear, and heavy blues.

    King Buffalo
    Photo by Mike Turzanski

    PC: You record right here at The Armory?

    SD: This is the room. All the awesome reverb comes from Sean just opening the door and sticking the mic in the hallway. You just get this cavernous amount of sound. If you walk in the hallway and give a nice loud clap, you’ll hear it.

    PC: What is your songwriting process? Do you hammer out the instrumental and then add lyrics to it?

    SM: It’s definitely the very last thing. We just wrote a new song, and we’ve had the structure of it for a while. I wrote the lyrics to it on the way to the gig where we first played it. I knew what I wanted for the melody, but I didn’t have words. We basically jam all our stuff. We’ll have a basic riff or idea and then we’ll just play it for a while and flesh it out and whittle it into something that makes some sense. I’ll just kind of mumble over the top and just sing. Either I’ll come up with some words or Scott will write words and then in the process of reading his words, I’ll write something based off of that.

    SD: It was weird because when we first wrote Orion, we were trying to figure out a writing process and it took some time. We definitely got better at it now. Hopefully it goes a little quicker.

    SM: I had this big vision for Orion, and there’s definitely a story in it. It’s all one cohesive story. I very much wanted it to be that. So we can’t just write anything for the lyrics for the song – like the third song has to push the story forward.

    SD: I think this time it might be more polished, the process.

    SM: Yeah, I’m still trying to figure out the story.

    SD: Sean has a habit of sometimes overthinking things.

    PC: But it’s easier if you have a concept in mind going in. A lot of the lyrics on Orion are references to nature, sci-fi and mythology.

    SM: I was trying to use a lot of psychedelic metaphors and imagery to bring it all together.

    SD: It’s a little ambiguous. That’s a good thing because then everybody can put their own interpretation upon it. If you tell somebody, “This is what to think when you’re listening to this,” it’s harder to make a connection.

    SM: People come up and tell me what they think a song is about, tell me what they think the album is about.

    SD: I was talking with Parks about this – Parks is the singer of All Them Witches – he’s like “The best is when someone is like ‘Dude, me and my lady have a lot of sex to your album.’”

    SM: I just want to be the soundtrack to people’s lovemaking.

    SD: It would be a weird sight if we were playing a show and it just kind of broke out.

    SM: I’d turn around and be like, “Guys, it’s working. I think I found the chord progression.”

    King Buffalo released the recording Live at Wicked Squid Studios on December 26. They will be touring in 2017, and have just begun composing songs for a second album.

    Orion is available in multiple formats through King Buffalo’s website. The European version is available through Stickman Records.

  • Best of NYS Music 2016: Best Music Town, Bands on the Rise

    New York is a great state for live music. With a variety of venues throughout the state in both small towns and big cities, music fans can find something happening any night of the week from all genres of music. We asked the NYS Music staff of writers and photographers, all of whom see a variety of music, along with our readers, for their opinions on the best towns and cities for music in the state.

    The venues are not the only reason why New York is such a great place for music. With the amount of national, regional and local acts touring through the state, we get the chance see bands and artists rise from their infancy playing bars and small clubs to playing larger theaters and arenas. In addition to the best music towns, we also asked our staff and readers for what they think are the acts to which we should pay the most attention.

    Best Music Town

    The NYS Music staff represents every region of the state, and while they see the most music in their hometowns, they are not afraid to travel a bit to see quality music. When asked about the best music town in the state, there was a wide variety of responses. One would expect New York City, being, by far, the largest city in the state, to come out on top. However, that was not the case. The two cities with the most votes from the staff were Buffalo and Syracuse. Our readers, on the other hand, did choose New York City, which tied with Albany. Buffalo came in a very close third for the readers.

    Buffalo, being the second largest city in the state and one of the largest in that region of the country, sees a lot of music come through its various venues, ranging from small clubs and bars to the large New Era Field. The Buffalove Music Festival takes place in the Buffalo area and feature a large number of Buffalo-based acts. Many popular music acts got their start in Buffalo including the Goo Goo Dolls, Spyro Gyra and one of the current popular bands, Aqueous, whose latest EP, Best in Show, was our staff pick for album of the year.

    Syracuse, the fifth largest city in the state and home to Syracuse University, features a number of popular music venues such as Funk ‘N Waffles, the Westcott Theatre and the F Shed. The K-Rockathon, a music festival held by three related radio stations, has been held in the city for the past several years at the New York State Fairgrounds, though there was not one held this past summer. The Syracuse Jazz Festival boasts itself as the “Northeast’s largest free jazz festival” and has featured such artists as Aretha Franklin, Trombone Shorty, Wynton Marsalis and B.B. King. The Syracuse Area Music Awards, or the SAMMY’s, take place every year honoring musicians from Syracuse. Jon Fishman, the drummer from Phish who grew up in Syracuse, was awarded a SAMMY for lifetime achievement in 2015.

    Albany, and the Capital District in general, received a number of votes from both our staff and our readers. The area is home to many musical happenings throughout the year, including the Alive at Five free summer concert series and the national and regional performances at various venues around the city sponsored by WEQX. The city is home to two venues with some of the best acoustics in the country, the Egg and the Picotte Recital Hall at the Massry Center for the Arts. The Times Union Center, originally the Knickerbocker Arena, has played host to numerous music greats. The Grateful Dead’s Dozin’ at the Knick features live recordings from their three night stand there in March 1990.

    New York City, which took best music town last year, is one of the best cities in the world for music. A number of well-known artists and bands have called the city their home. New York City is also home to several world-class venues, including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. It’s no surprise that the Big Apple was voted one of the best music towns in the state for the second consecutive year.

    Bands on the Rise

    Along with great places where music happens, New York is known for the musicians themselves. As many would expect of a state like this, some of the artists and bands become fairly well known on a regional or national level. While there were many bands chosen in the Bands on the Rise category, there were two standouts each from our staff and our readers. One commonality between the four bands highlighted here is that they are all from New York, even though the category is not limited to the state. Two of the bands represent a couple of the best music towns.

    Staff Pick: Space Carnival
    From: Ithaca

    Space Carnival has been on the scene since 2013, but has been making waves in the scene. Their debut album, Drawn in By the Sun, was released in July.They release two professionally shot and edited videos of their song “Moon Boots” off the album, one from a show in April and one from October. They are currently wrapping up some fall tour dates, with the last scheduled show this Saturday, Dec. 17 at Stella Blues in New Haven, Connecticut with Chromatropic. Music fans can expect more from Space Carnival in 2017.

    Reader Pick: Aqueous
    From: Buffalo

    Aqueous had a very busy 2016, and it won’t end for them until after their opening slot for Twiddle on New Year’s Eve. The year saw them touring nearly non-stop. They hit most of the local festivals, such as Disc Jam and Buffalove, including a headlining slot at the Great Outdoors Jam. They also hit the national stage at Electric Forest. They had two musical releases this year, the recording of their 2015 Halloween show Dark Side of Oz and their EP Best in Show. The summer saw them introduce Rob Houk as their new drummer. As one of the hardest-working bands in the state, Aqueous is certainly one to watch in years to come.

    Reader Pick: The Other Brothers
    From: New Paltz

    The Other Brothers, recently interviewed by our own Karina Verlan, is a “neo-soul” band that formed in 2012 while students at SUNY New Paltz. The band grew to its current six-piece formation this past year when they added percussionist Jared Nelson and keyboardist Gabe Marquez. While they have no shows lined up for the remainder of the year, they are in and out of the studio working on their debut album.

  • The Second String at The Waiting Room

    On a night where Buffalo got its first real snowfall of the season, The Waiting Room performance venue was plenty heated by its main stage. An up and coming pop-punk band, The Second String, celebrated the release of their EP, Six Ways to Sunday, with a show that served more as a celebration for themselves and a sign of things to come.

    The Second String, made up of lead singer Tom Frisicaro, guitarists Roger Pleasant and Ryan Gelder, bassist Marc Del Priore and drummer Robby Marshall, make very traditional pop-punk – a weird statement to make, taking into account how long the genre has been around and how it’s been relegated from most. Their songs are short, sweet and to the point, each one lasting between 2 to 3 minutes. The lyrics were typical.

    The fast nature of their music allowed for plenty of erratic movement on the stage, including some panels that occasionally lit up when one of the members stepped on them. Frisicaro sings very much like the singers of bands like Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World and Bowling for Soup. He has the same “trying to sound clean nasally” whine those bands have and if he was trying to directly emulate them, he was doing a good job.

    After performing 5 original songs, including material from the just-released EP, Frisicaro played an initially acoustic All-Time Low cover, with the first two verses and chorus by himself before the rest of the band joined to finish out the song. The following song was a Paramore cover where a girl, Maddie Radwan, sang in place of Frisicaro, to the enjoyment of her friends in attendance.

    At various points in the night, Frisicaro made constant mention of the band’s merch table along with sharing that his girlfriend was expecting. He also announced that the band was taking a break from performing live to focus on recording more material for a full-length album. Hopefully, with that bit of time on their side, The Second String can create something to get us excited about.

  • Tiny Moving Parts and Microwave Deliver Powerful Performances

    2016 has been a good year for alternative rock bands Tiny Moving Parts and Microwave. They each released albums that pushed the boundaries of previous work as far as complexity of music and depth of lyrical meaning. However, listening to the recordings from the studio did little to prepare me for the experience of seeing them perform live last weekend at Harmony House in Rochester.

    The supporting act was A Will Away, an alternative rock band from Connecticut. They warmed up the crowd with songs from their EP’s, but also treated the audience to a song from their forthcoming full-length album. ‘Gravity’ is a melodic song with a catchy hook. It’s sure to be a sing-along crowd favorite when they’re touring with Moose Blood in a couple months. Microwave - P. Cummings 2

    Next up on the bill was Microwave. This foursome from Georgia released their sophomore album “Much Love” earlier this year, a follow up to 2014’s “Stovall.” The audience sang along to songs about losing faith, unrequited love, and disillusionment. The stories in the songs are intensely personal, but strike a chord within those who are also searching for meaning and purpose in the modern age. Heavy on guitar and bass, the music contains a hint of southern rock. The setlist included “Something Right” and “Stovall” off their debut album, as well as songs from the new album, like “Drown” and “Lighterless.” The performance led up to a gut-wrenching climax. On the final song, “Vomit,” the drummer went ballistic and the other band members jumped and spun around on stage as lead singer Nathan Hardy screamed, “There’s no such thing as love. We just feel vulnerable without a God, without a crutch or anything else to lean on. There’s nowhere else, nobody else, nothing.”

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    The audience barely had time to catch their breath before Tiny Moving Parts came up on stage. The bassist, Matthew Chevalier, entered wearing a winter hat bearing the word “Minnesota” (as a reminder to the audience of the band’s origin? A piece of home for the road? Or a little of both?). His brother, Billy, took a spot behind the drums, and their cousin Dylan Mattheisen grabbed his guitar and dove right into singing “Sundress.” They played with precise coordination that is rare to find in young musicians, but it makes sense because they have been making music together since they were in junior high.

    They went seamlessly from one song to the next, never letting up on the intensity. The set contained more than a dozen songs from their catalog of three albums and early recordings, including the songs “Happy Birthday,”  “Breathe Deep,” “Vacation Bible School,” “Minnow,” and “Always Focused.” The positive energy was contagious, and a mosh pit opened up in the center of the room. When they got to “Common Cold,” Nathan Hardy came back on stage to accompany on vocals. The set ended as abruptly as it began, leaving the audience in an awe-stricken daze.

    The performers from all three bands hung around to sign autographs and talk with fans. An impressive array of merchandise was available, including apparel, CD’s and vinyl albums, and novelty items like patches, stickers, and pins. Tiny Moving Parts was also selling some of their early work on collectible 7″ vinyl and cassette.

    Tiny Moving Parts will be heading to Europe and Mexico in the new year. A Will Away will be touring the US with Moose Blood, Trophy Eyes, and Boston Manor in February and March. Microwave is also booking shows into 2017.

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  • Debt to Nature EP Release Show at Mohawk Place

    On Saturday, December 3, the Mohawk Place in downtown Buffalo hosted an EP release show for an up-and-coming local, modern post-hardcore band called Debt to Nature. And much like the city they come from, you can instantly tell the amount of work put into their songs to make them work.

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    Debt to Nature, on the outset, seems like any other modern post-hardcore rock band. Their releases, such as their first EP From the Start, back this theory up, with angsty lyrics and guitar riffs not out of place from a Pac Sun store or a Warped Tour stage.

    But to me, at least, what set this apart was the presentation. You can hear loud, fast music in any number of establishments and get the point. But hearing it live is something different. Singer Michael O’Connor may look like a lumberjack, but delivers the lyrics with alternating power and levity that it’s amazing he can still speak at the end of the set. Bassist Josh O’Connor was confident enough in his abilities that he would engage in reverse fretting, attempt to balance his bass in one hand, and walk out into the crowd to his friends. Not to mention the hard work guitarist Brian Macijewski and drummer Nate White had to put in to keep the whole act moving at a furious pace.

    The real ace up the sleeve for this band is how easily they establish control over the crowd. I assume the crowd present goes to these kind of post-hardcore shows all the time, given the amount of head banging, people moshing by themselves, and hand gestures, but even one as uninitiated as myself could get sucked into the methods after a few songs. During the few solo guitar breaks, the audience started clapping over their heads on their own, with the singer encouraging more once it got going.

    Some of the most fun moments of the night involved just how much control the band had over the crowd. Members of one of the opening acts, The Otherme, were invited onstage to sing The Darkness’ song “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.” The audience tried to sing the famous falsetto chorus line, to various results. While the band’s music may not be for everyone, this was one particular moment the entire crowd was getting into.

    Another moment didn’t involve anything the band played, but during a song break, either the lead singer or someone in the crowd shouted out “somebody” like the first word from Smash Mouth’s “All-Star,” and the entire crowd managed to sing the first verse all the way up to chorus. At that point, the singer demanded they stop as they played more.

    Either I don’t get out to see enough shows like this or this was a special occasion, because the crowd actually demanded an encore successfully. Debt to Nature were happy to oblige, feeling like they conquered the evening. Probably on their way to conquer more as well.

  • Bumpin Uglies Jam out at Nietzsche’s

    Buffalo’s Nietzsche’s got a healthy dose of reggae on December 3, thanks to the smell of weed in the air and a band from Annapolis, Maryland called Bumpin Uglies, with Buffalo their latest stop on a tour promoting their new album, Keep It Together.”
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    Bumpin Uglies, made up of Brandon Hardesty on lead vocals and guitar, Dave Wolf on bass and backing vocals, and TJ Haslett on drums, have quite the resume for a modern reggae band. Since forming in 2008, the Uglies have recorded 3 LP’s, 2 EP’s, a live album, and constant touring in the form of eight national tours and many more regional tours, including performances at Warped Tour and California Roots. On their tours, they’ve stopped in Buffalo seven times.

    The tone of the show was set even before the band took the stage. During one of the opening acts, a Buffalo reggae band named Reggie Childs got the crowd grooving thanks to the help of the main band’s fan group, the Uglies Nation, whose members danced near the stage and kept a drumbeat going on wooden boxes by the merchandise stand. This continued well into the main show, which briefly had beach balls pulled down from the space’s chandelier.

    It’s hard to call the Uglies style traditional reggae. It’s more a combination of that, plus some occasional fast ska tempos, dub vocal and guitar effects, and some good ol’ alt-rock. A good example is one of their new songs, “Place Your Bets.” The verses and chorus come off as your usual reggae with a bit of dub thrown in, but the instrumental breaks play off like a 311 song. Add a few reverb-laden guitar solos and you’ll have a good idea what these guys sound like.

    Given there were a sizable amount of Uglies fans present, the band had great crowd interaction. Hardesty would ask for shots, get a reaction out of saying he saved his drinking just for tonight, and share stories regarding songs like “Bad Decisions” and “Officer O’Hurley.” A fair amount of the show was spent on their new album, with songs like “Load in Load Out” and “Sorry I’m Not Sorry” getting a fair share of audience participation. The odd thing about the set was that on their albums, a horn section will occasionally be present, adding more reggae cred to their songs. There was no horn section present for the show, which didn’t take away that much, but could’ve added a bit more.

    Still, it was a fun evening for those in attendance, even for those who appear to have been at several of the band’s shows already. We’ll definitely be hearing from these guys again soon if the topic of modern American reggae music ever comes up, and how it can effortlessly co-opt other styles into it’s own.

  • Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown Rock Blue Cross Arena

    Nothing goes better with the holidays than a kick-ass rock show. Just days before families gathered to have Thanksgiving dinner, rock fans in Rochester, had the opportunity to go see one of the best concerts Blue Cross Arena has had in quite some time. On Tuesday, Nov. 22nd, Rochester welcomed Five Finger Death Punch and Shinedown alongside support acts Sixx:A.M., and As Lions. The entire night consisted of great music alongside magnificent production.

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    The night started early just after 6 PM with opening band As Lions. While the area was still filling in, As Lions had the task of getting this crowd ready for a long night of headbanging. The audience may have not been familiar with the band, but that’s probably due to the fact that the group just came together in 2015. As Lions is lead by vocalist Austin Dickinson. If the last name rings a bell, it’s because you’re thinking of Dickinson’s father Bruce, lead singer of Iron Maiden. The rest of the band is made up of members of Dickinson’s past metalcore group, Rise to Remain, which disbanded with the creation of As Lions.

    The 5-piece band played like they were playing in front of a sold out arena. The band has that radio-rock sound that could be found scanning the car radio. The band looked very comfortable on stage which isn’t common for an opening band. Their confidence should help carry them forward and land them tour gigs for many years to come. For anyone looking for a fresh new band, check out As Lions. Their debut album drops on January 20.

    The next band of the evening was Sixx:A.M., which features Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe. Joining Sixx in Sixx:A.M. is vocalist James Michael, guitarist DJ Ashba and drummer Dustin Steinke. Sixx’s band has been around since 2007, with the release of The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, but has always saw the back burner due to Sixx’s commitment with Crüe and Ashba’s work with Guns N’ Roses. Now that everyone is completely focused on Sixx:A.M. the band has their foot pressed against the gas pedal. Just this year, the band has released a double album which features Prayers for the Damned, Vol. 1 and Prayers for the Blessed, Vol. 2. The second of the two albums was released just days before Rochester’s show at Blue Cross Arena.

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    Now with five albums of material, the band has plenty to pick from for a setlist.  The set opened with “This Is Gonna Hurt,” which was the title track of their second album. The second song they played was “Rise,” which has been all over the radio since its single release. The rest of the set consisted of songs mainly from Prayers for the Damned, Vol. 1. It’s remarkable to see how much fun this band has on stage. The joy and happiness radiates from the band into the audience unlike any other band. Fans sing along with every song and have smiles on their faces from ear to ear.

    The set ended with “Life Is Beautiful,” which was off of the debut album The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack. Everyone in the audience surely knew this song and loved it. Sixx:A.M. surely had no troubles opening for Five Finger Death Punch. The heavy metal fans of Rochester welcomed Sixx and his band with open arms. The only thing that could have made the show better would have been a longer setlist. Hopefully once this tour wraps up, fans will have the chance to see a headlining tour around the country.

    Next up for the evening was hard-rock veterans, Shinedown. Opening for Five Finger Death Punch, it was a mystery to see how they would do with the crowd. Questions were answered with the opening track of “Adrenaline.” Coming out strong with one of their heaviest songs from their album Amaryllis, Shinedown was prepared to blow the roof off of the arena. The statement was solidified with the next two songs, “Fly From the Inside” and “Diamond Eyes.” The crowd was going nuts and the band was loving it.

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    Singer, Brent Smith, had Blue Cross Arena at his fingertips and could get the crowd to do anything. On top of that, the production that Shinedown had with them was ridiculous. The last few tours Shinedown has brought out the pyro, but nothing like this tour. Comparing Shinedown’s stage show to the legendary KISS, who just played at Blue Cross Arena just a few months ago, it was night and day. Shinedown did not leave anything at home this tour. The band did slow things down a bit with songs like “How Did You Love” and “State of My Head,” which are off of the bands latest album Threat to Survival.

    The crowd got to be up close and personal with singer Smith while he went out into the crowd to sing from the back of the floor. That wasn’t the only time Brent went out there. During their last song, “Sound of Madness,” Smith ended up at the soundboard platform, surrounded by fireworks. As the song ended, Smith ran back to the stage to say thank you and goodnight to the crowd in Rochester. This was certainly a performance that won’t be forgotten by anyone that was there.

    Things cooled down after Shinedown left the stage and got the crowd ready for the night’s headliner, Five Finger Death Punch. The band came out with their popular opening track, “Lift Me Up.” This is another band that has a ton of material now to make a setlist from, so it’s always exciting to see what the band will do each tour. The night was pretty balanced with tracks from American Capitalist, Got Your Six, The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Vol. 1+2 and The Way of the Fist. The crowd interaction with Ivan Moody is always fantastic. At the beginning of the show, Moody was inviting fans to watch on stage, signing autographs and waving hello to whoever he could. While Moody was saying hello through his microphone, bassist Chris Kael and guitarists Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook were throwing guitar picks at whoever they could.

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    Five Finger Death Punch is by far one of the most fan friendly bands out there. Halfway through their show, a fan was spotted with a sign that asked about playing guitar with them on stage for the song “Under and Over It.” Even though it wasn’t the song they were about to play, Moody invited the kid on stage. Hook gave the fan his guitar and Moody told him to play the intro to the song. The fan, Bathory and drummer Jeremy Spencer did a quick instrumental jam of the song and the kid nailed it. He was walking around stage like an absolute boss and got an arena full of cheers.

    The band also slowed things down like Shinedown, with a few acoustic songs like “Wrong Side of Heaven” and “Remember Everything.” The night ended with “Under and Over It” and the encore anthem “The Bleeding.” This was once again another stellar show from Five Finger Death Punch, who seem to never take a break from the road and recording. Speaking of recording, at the show, Moody announced to the crowd that their new album was completed. Not to be confused with last year’s Got Your Six, Five Finger Death Punch is ready to drop another album. For fans, this means to be on the lookout for new singles, an album release date and more tour dates!

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  • The Lake Brothers Retrofit Rochester with Old School Rock n Roll

    The Flower City music scene has continued to blossom over the past few years, displaying its symphonic diversity as a focal point of Rochester’s cultural identity. New venues have taken root as the city continually evolves and locals are finding more ways to fall in love with this mid-sized but mighty Finger Lakes of NY destination. In the midst of this inspiring evolution, modern nostalgia weaves its own thread into this rich cultural tapestry in the form of The Lake Brothers heralding retro rock ‘n’ roll tinted with a punk rock kick.

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    Trevor (26), Austin (24) and Brendan Lake (19) grew up on a 30 acre farm in Hilton, NY where they forged a strong sense of camaraderie cultivated from a lack of proximity to other kids in the neighborhood. Their father, a jazz drummer, always kept drums in the house, though never pressured his sons into music. Nevertheless, playing music became a main hobby for the Lake brothers, and after years of marching band, jazz band and concert band throughout school, they’re taking their skills to the hipster bars and grungy basements of Rochester and making waves.

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    Between the three brothers, there are three bands in which they each lend their skill in varying combinations. The Televisionaries (TV’s), a largely instrumental surf/rockabilly trio features Trevor (guitar/vocals) and Austin (drums). Punk rock ‘n’ roll group, The Temptators, features Austin (guitar/vocals) and Brendan (bass/vocals) along with three other band mates. Finally, the ten-piece explosive, high energy rock ‘n’ roll drive in Aweful Kanawful & His Rubber Husband’s Band is manned with Austin (vocals) and Trevor (guitar). And yes, Austin plays in all three bands. I met up with them at Trevor’s apartment to learn more about their collective contributions to the Rochester music scene, how they got started and where they’re headed.

    Ally Dean: I was in Rochester a couple weekends ago and saw Aweful Kanawful & His Rubber Husband’s Band at Skylark on Friday, then saw The Temptators at a basement show on Windsor Street Saturday. I thought it was really interesting that you’re all brothers, are all musically talented and collaborate together on your different projects.

    Austin Lake: We probably could have ended up as mechanics together. Playing music just came after all your other extracurricular things in school. After building ramps and scaring the shit out of each other. We had a fake wrestling ring for a while. That could have tooken up. So music is just kinda the only thing that’s working right now. Later in life you could see the three bandits ready to go fight crime in the ring. It could happen.

    AD: Do the three of you practice together or jam?

    Brendan Lake: Probably been a year since we’ve done that.

    AL: The world would probably end if we did that.

    AD: Why?

    AL: We just don’t know what would happen.

    Trevor Lake: The stars could align. We could make some serious music.

    AD: Do you guys get along pretty well? Do you think it would be a good collaboration?

    BL: Oh yeah. I think it would be too easy.

    TL: We are all song writers. In each band we’re each the main songwriter except for The Temptators where Austin and Brendan each write some, in the TV’s I write all the songs and in Aweful Kanawful Austin writes all the songs. We’re each the head chef in the kitchen, so to have three head chefs in one kitchen, I dunno what would happen.

    AL: Too many cooks! Although I don’t think any of us are too strict in our ideas that it wouldn’t work.

    TL: We would need more time. We’d have to quit every other band.

    AL: We could take a year, write a record. (half jokingly) Maybe that’s what we’ll do now.

    TL: There’s a lot of music already. Brendan also plays drums in a group called Gun Trouble.

    BL: I don’t write any of that music though.

    TL: We each have our own solo projects. Austin has two tapes he’s recorded which turned into Aweful Kanawful & His Rubber Husband’s Band.

    BL: I’ve been trying to put out a solo tape for three years and I’m finally at a point where I’ve got an album I’m happy with so I’ll probably put it out this winter. Just stuff I recorded in my room at my house.

    TL: And I did a solo tape as well that was recently released.

    AD: I have to ask: How did you come up with the name Aweful Kanawful & His Rubber Husband’s Band?

    AL: Dude I don’t know, that’s a good one. I like that name. I think about changing it a lot too.

    AD: Why?

    AL: Because he’s not my character, he’s an actual character. There’s tons of Aweful Kanawfuls out there. And the Rubber Husband’s part, you know what a rubber husband is right?

    AD: Should I?

    AL: Yeah! It’s probably not what you think it is.

    AD: The first thing I picture is a blow up sex doll.

    AL/TL: (pensive) Okay…

    TL: It’s actually the most innocent thing you could imagine.

    AL: They’re the little things that help you open jars. We’ve used em. They come in handy for anyone.

    AD: You could write jingles for them!

    AL: We might ruin the product forever!

    AD: What are each of your musical influences? Name the first thing that comes to mind.

    BL: Beach Boys.

    AL: Queen.

    TL: 1950’s rock ‘n’ roll, Sun Records, Elvis, Golden Age of rock ‘n’ roll, Phil Spector.

    BL: I remember Modest Mouse being the first band I really loved in middle school.

    AL: Four Tops, Motown. Motown should be number one, really. That was definitely the first thing I got into. And Buddy Holly, early rock ‘n’ roll, the goofballs of the 50’s. Pretty much everything. It’s hard to weed out anything. Tons of pop punk. That was definitely what got me into rock ‘n’ roll.

    AD: So what do you guys do when you’re not playing music?

    TL: Thinking about it. Obsessing over it.

    BL: I wait tables at a vegan restaurant, The Red Fern, on Park Ave. Been working there three years and started waiting tables seven months ago. I like it, it’s easy and it’s a nice area.

    AL: (proudly states) I just quit my job. I screen printed shirts with a good friend of mine for five years at Galaxy Graphics and now I’m goin’ to probably wash dishes somewhere at an undetermined place. Or rock ‘n’ roll for the rest of my life. Who knows!

    TL: And I am a full time barber. It was my mom’s recommendation, but thinking back, my friends would come over and I’d give em hair cuts.

    AL: Bowl cuts.

    TL: A lot of bowl cuts. There’s an early picture of me, probably 12 years old cutting Brendan’s hair in the backyard and I saw that and thought it all makes sense. My mom one day said “Hey you’re not going to college, why don’t you go to hair school and be a barber. So I gave it a try and it worked out. Now I do that and make a living and I can buy a car somehow, which blows my mind.

    AD: Is it the red one parked out front?

    TL: Yeah it’s a ’65 Thunderbird. It’s ready to go away pretty soon. As soon as the snow hits. I can’t drive it in the winter time. The salt will destroy it.

    AD: So what do you do without it? Do you have another car?

    TL: Nope I bought the car at the beginning of the summer and up until then I didn’t have a car for about two years so I just walk.

    BL: I was sixteen when I bought my motorcycle. It sounds bad ass but I dunno what I was thinking.

    AL: I mean, you dropped out of school at sixteen years old, bought a motorcycle, moved to the city. And our parents were flipping out like “What have we done!”

    BL: It wouldn’t have happened that way unless I was the third child. Trevor was definitely the guinea pig for our parents.

    TL: I moved out pretty early.

    BL: By the time it was me they were like “Just do what you’re gonna do,” so I had way more leniency than they did.

    AD: Are your parents supportive of your musical endeavors?

    TL: Totally. They love it.

    BL: They come to shows every now and then.

    AD: Do they dance?

    BL: No. They seem like they genuinely like it though. Hopefully it gives them something.

    AL: Yeah we’re gonna make em a ton of money someday. I’d like to have my mom see us on TV someday. Actually, Aweful Kanawful did have its first show ever on the news. We played Good Day Rochester. It might be gone now. It should be gone. It wasn’t very good but it was sweet. It was a lot of fun. Getting ten people up that early was a miracle.

    AD: So what should we expect in the near future from your respective bands?

    BL: Music that’s gonna blow your mind.

    TL: Temptators just came out with a new 45. TV’s have half of a record out on CD and the other half will be recorded in a month and we’ll put it together and give it an official release.

    AD: Nice. Any upcoming shows?

    BL: The Temptators and Gun Trouble are playing in Brooklyn on December 11th so that should be really fun. As far as shows in Rochester I don’t think there’s anything planned yet.

    AL: Two Kanawful tapes with about twenty songs are coming soon. Probably January.

    BL: We’ve all got big plans, that’s for sure.

    AD: So where do you guys see yourselves in five years?

    BL: Hopefully living somewhere other than Rochester

    AD: Where would be ideal for you?

    BL: Since I was a little kid I always dreamed of moving to California and I think Austin has too.

    AL: It’s not that we want to make a lot of money and bang a lot of chicks, we just want the opportunity to.

    AD: Sometimes just having the option can put your mind at ease.

    TL: That’s the spice of life, having the option. I have never really wanted to move. I like staying here for now. In the future hopefully we’ll be playing on the road more often.

    AL: I think our music will probably do better overseas if it gets out there.

    TL: They say older style rock ‘n’ roll does really well in Mexico and Spain. Everyone has always worshiped American rock ‘n’ roll.

    AL: And now America doesn’t give a shit about rock ‘n’ roll.

    BL: I think if your music is genuine enough then it will mean something to everybody.

    AL: It would be nice to entertain the current generation but provide something that will last a while. It’s gone sort of back in time now where artists release a single and get it out there as fast as possible. It sort of exonerates the whole idea of putting out a record that will stand through time and not just be good right now. It’s hard because who doesn’t want to put stuff out now and be in on the action.

    TL: Everyone can record music themselves now on their computer or cell phone. Puts everyone on the same level.

    AD: It is a gift and a curse because it’s a very saturated market but it’s also easier for people to get their stuff out there so it’s a matter of being on top of it and reaching your audience. So how do you all branch out to widen your audience?

    AL: I’m horrible at it.

    TL: We’re trying to get better at it. For a while we didn’t do any social media because we were against it. But after a while you realize if you want to keep up with the Jones’ and book shows in NYC you have to have a social media presence. If people can’t find anything about you online they’re not gonna book you. So you have to play the game.

    AD: Any final comments?

    BL: As far as us being brothers goes, we’re always gonna stick together. We’ll always be making music and we’ll always be friends. We have a really strong connection. We were never bored as kids and when we’re together now it’s never boring. Gotta stick with your pack.

    AD: One last but very important question: What’s your spirit animal?

    AL: Keith Richards.

    BL: A turtle.

    TL: Mine is a lizard. It was given to me.

    AL: Someone told me mine was Christopher Robin from Winnie the Pooh. He’s the leader of all the animals.

    BL: It’s pronounced Christopher Walken. (does impression) “Don’t get on my back about crumbs.”

    AL: My spirit animal is a bag of crumbs.

  • Nestling in at The Egg: An Interview with Mike Gordon

    Mike Gordon has returned to the road, with a Fall Tour stretching from the Midwest to the east coast. Having just wrapped up Phish’s Fall Tour in Las Vegas with a performance of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, NYS Music talked to Mike about his favorite moment from the instant classic set, the goals of improvisation, and what he loves about The Egg so much.

    mike gordon interviewMike Gordon will be in Pittsburgh on Tuesday November 22 at Stage AE, Town Ballroom in Buffalo on Wednesday November 23, Higher Ground in Burlington on Friday November 25 and The Egg in Albany on Saturday, November 26.

    Pete Mason: This is your third show at The Egg in Albany. Your show from 2011 was even released as a live show. What is the appeal of the venue to you?

    Mike Gordon: The acoustics are pretty incredible, I don’t know what it is about eggs, part of how they built it I guess. I had been in the past to see Jerry Douglas. I remember liking the weird shape and it sounds good. The first time, you could hear a pin drop, and when it got loud it was a good kind of loud. And it’s nice how it’s just nestled there in Albany. I love that word. Nestling.

    PM: Is there a moment you hope to reach in improvisation? A certain goal in mind?

    MG: Not so specifically as a specific goal. There are different kinds of goals in there, set personally or with bandmates, different feelings. I’ve had different unique experiences, some are high energy, some are about a lot of sweat. All moments have to be unique, not just rehashing to feel special. There are kinda high energy ones, some more dreamy – in that department, what I used to say, is that my goal in music is to bridge the gap between being awake and asleep – there really is, in the middle of a jam that feels like it’s playing itself, this kind of opening in my soul or somewhere in my mind that accesses a neural network or feelings that I can usually only sort of traverse in night dreams. That’s why I’ll remember certain night dreams, the feeling, the location, the people, some aspect of it. That’s the biggest goal.

    Being 100% in the moment is the true catharsis of what people have or are overcoming problems. In an experience it doesn’t mean you can’t keep track. When it’s not happening and it’s sort of a road trip to another song, then I forget how deep these experiences can be. Then I’m reminded, and I don’t need to be anywhere else in the world and I can be in a cozy living room or somewhere else.

    I’ve been in a philosophical mode – my answers are veering this way for interviews lately. There are so many other feelings and metaphors. A complicated answer and definitely something I think about a lot.

    PM: Why do you feel that is?

    MG: Switching projects, my album, my daughter – so much going on at once. That allows for some cross referencing and applying one inspiration to another to go back and forth to blend all the experiences together and have it come out either way.

    mike gordon interviewPM: What compels you to have improvisation as such a large aspect of your music?

    MG: I have one band that jams a lot, maybe not enough for fans who want every song jammed out. But enough that St. Vincent made fun of it (the jamming). I think I have that (with Phish), so (with Mike Gordon Band) I can rock and work with catchy hooks in fun ways, or ask “How can we experiment with new sounds?,” but what happens for me, even if it’s not what I’ve been writing about in my journals compared to 30 years ago, these little peak experiences remind me that there is a deeper well to be tapped into than what the surface level of what music can provide. There is something that if you believe in it and allow it to go deep into your soul, it’s deeper than one can remember. Anything they try to read and watch later isn’t going to be the same, when the experience becomes irreplaceable. For me, I just keep getting reminded of total spontaneity and what you can plan for, but there is some planning that is necessary and good. Sometimes I think about how my favorite Radiohead show was really deep and dreamy and all the songs were 3 minutes long. If something feels really good, I don’t want it to end, I want to bask in it. Like when you get a new video game, you want to keep playing it.  I don’t want things to end at 3 minutes, but if it does that’s OK.

    With Phish and my experience being in bands with long jams, in the middle of that long jam, something may come up that has nothing to do with the song. Melodies, chord progressions, not as often lyrics, but sometimes lyrics. Made up stuff comes together, almost as a new song, even with its little emotions, flashbacks, dreams, chords, melodies, a whole new little song. So cool to be able to get to that. But wait a minute, this little new song that came out of the jam, taken on its own, could just be a song on the radio – pop, old blues – that isn’t filled with all this cosmic stuff and it’s not a dream song. Maybe there is another route to get there. Maybe there is a different way to get there, by writing songs, that don’t have improv to be enjoyed.

    PM: “Let’s Go”, which was left off Big Boat, was performed by your band this summer at Catskill Chill, and twice this year by Phish. Will the catchy tune have a home in both band’s repertoires?

    MG: I think so, yeah. Scott and I have been doing a lot of writing over the last couple years and I don’t think I’ve said this before, but it came out of a jam my band was doing, some sort of outro, and I just started singing that chant and saved it, and I loved that chant. My friend Fonzworth Bently (From G’s to Gents) was at my band’s L.A. show, and he loved the show a lot and offered some feedback, “I wish you could address the crowd more, say some stuff,” which is interesting since I’m from a world where we don’t talk to the crowd. I wondered “What would I say?” and my friend replied “What about ‘Let’s go?’” When we played House of Blues Boston, we were Googling this medley as a joke of all the songs that have ‘Let’s Go’ (The Cars, Richie Valens) so we went into a writing session, liking the chant, and working off a list of songwriting ideas, this demo we made had a hip hop groove, it sounded sort of fresh, a fresh style for me, mixing synth guitar and drum machine with live percussion. Trey said he kinda lit up when he heard it – we don’t have a chant, aside from “Fuego.” Big Boat was so open ended where I bring songs that are open ended and have more room to build. Trey put it back on the list in the studio, mid-recording, and Bob Ezrin suggested we try it with only drums, all singing, with no other instruments, all after one take. We added in some toy synth sounds and went through an evolution that didn’t sound right.

    mike gordon interviewPM: Were there any lessons from Big Boat that you have applied to your own band?

    MG: There are always lessons. In terms of Big Boat, there were a wide variety of songs on there, which stemmed from the lesson with Bob about being more heartfelt and direct about some songs. When Trey first brought “Miss You,” he played his demo for us, just him strumming and singing and it was authentic, he did miss someone. The chord voicing thing, it sounded unique, like Trey. I appreciated the directness. Bob sat us down and talked about taking the cleverness away and keeping emotion, which he’s done with Pink Floyd and U2. When someone challenges you, I like to look at both ends of spectrum. We want to try that out a bit more. I take it as a grain of salt when I realize I don’t know what my songs are about, and that is intentional. Like “Come Together,” where Lennon admitted it was filled in with gibberish, but it sounds so good. Sometimes directness doesn’t work for me, especially if it feels too plain and other times it does. That’s one thing to think about from that experience. Maybe the way the themes were tied together, there were certain nudgings in certain directions. I liked those directions and discussions, and liked to directly go to YouTube and bring up some influences as old as they might be, and learn some grooves from legendary artists and not be afraid. I really like Page’s song ‘I Always Wanted it This Way’ – he spent over 10 years on it. I’ve been really getting into “Petrichor,” being so long and having 22 sections, it is really fun to digest. There’s a collection of little things.

    PM: What was your personal highlight from the Ziggy Stardust Halloween set?

    MG: I liked it all. Maybe it was highlight of rehearsal for “It Ain’t Easy” and Trey got to sing while I played one note. At the show I think it was different, really all of it together, just a feeling of how comfortable I was doing it. As we always do getting into the mind of another artist, I really like being in that world but feeling like myself, but I liked singing “Starman” because it was the first song everyone knew that was a hit. Having everyone singing along felt amazing.

    PM: What books, movies and music have you been enjoying this year?

    MG: It’s actually a book Phil Lesh lent me – I have to get this back to him – “In Perfect Timing” by Peter Caddy, about the formation of a community in Ireland where the term ‘New Age’ came from where they use spiritual guidance: “I can do it” and “I can climb the biggest mountain.” I’m slowly getting my way through it. I love the weirdness and empowerment feeling.

    I keep missing movies I want to see. Grand Budapest Hotel stuck as a landmark for me where I was like ‘Yeah, I seriously like that one.’

    I’ve been checking out producers and such, my bandmates provided these albums they’ve been listening to and mine hasn’t gone out yet. Warpaint, Can, my daughter is now only spinning Megan Trainor. She had gone into World Pop 40 on Spotify, and now she has been listening to it as a guilty pleasure that she comes up with. So sonic to indie to pop to indie pop to kraut rock.

    PM: In listening to Megan Trainor, had you noticed any similarity between “All About that Bass” and “Contact?”

    MG: All about that bass… I hadn’t thought of that. I like the lyrics, some of her songs go straight back to 1950’s with a modern twist, but some is exactly out of there.

  • Cross Country Interview with the One and Only Zach Deputy

    Talents in the music world like Zach Deputy are a rare breed. The multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter is from Savannah, Georgia ( I thought he told ya?) He is currently  on tour to support his newest album Wash It In The Water. With his upcoming show November 29 at Buffalo Iron Works he recently took the time to talk with me about tour life, our great state of New York and much more.

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    Tim Merrill: Where in the world is Zach Deputy today on this fifth day of November?

    Zach Deputy: That’s today I’m assuming (haha)? I just crossed the California border into Arizona. We are in Tempe, AZ right now. I’ve got a show in Tempe tonight at the Marquee Theater

    TM: You’ve got a show later this month in Buffalo. The show is five days after Thanksgiving. How do you plan on spending your Thanksgiving?

    ZD: What am I doing for Thanksgiving? Probably hanging out with the Worm. A bunch of Wormtown Family. I’ve spent Thanksgiving there two or three times over the past few years.

    TM: You’re no stranger to playing in Buffalo. Is there anything you like to do when you pass through town?

    ZD: I’m always down to play disc golf. I love the wings at the Anchor Bar. Some people claim they’re the best. Some people don’t. But yea, that place is awesome. Those wings are legit!

    TM: When you’re  on tour traveling through the rest of the great state of New York how do you like to spend your time off stage?

    ZD: I love Keuka Lake. Swimming in that lake is awesome! I’ve been sick before and jumped in and felt instantly better. I love New York. Lake George, tons of places upstate. Except for the winters. I’m a Southern boy

    TM: You’re latest album Wash It In The Water was released a few months ago. What song(s) are you having fun playing on tour off the album?

    ZD: I’ve been playing a few different versions of “Put It In The Boogie.” Maybe four different versions but they are always different.  I’ve had a lot of fun opening up the jam on that song, especially the solo.

    TM: At what age did you pick up your first instrument?

    ZD: I’ve always told people that I played my voice first. Before my recollection it was there. But I picked up the guitar at 13. Got one for my 13th birthday.

    TM: Whats in store for Zach Deputy in 2017?

    ZD: I’m always trying to work on my craft. I’m always trying to give back the love that was so freely given to me. Just trying to make this thing bigger and better. You know, onward and upward. Wherever that takes me!

    Doors are at 7 PM and the show starts at 8 PM Tuesday November 29 at Buffalo Iron Works. Tickets are available here. Bring your dancing shoes. See you there!