NYS Music 20​16

Category: Rochester

  • Bands on the Bricks at Rochester Public Market Reveals 2016 Lineup

    Bands on the Bricks is back for summer 2016 at Rochester’s Public Market. The free Friday evening concert series kicks off at the Union Street location on July 8, and this year’s lineup includes Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Donna the Buffalo, Turkuaz and Aqueous, among others.

    The concert series welcomes July with an opening evening show dubbed Latino Night, created in partnership with the local Puerto Rican Festival, followed by Three Heads Brewing Night on July 15 with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Rochester’s own Suburban Plaza. July 22 is the Food Truck BBQ Contest for the Rohrbach Brewing Company Night with Cats Under the Stars: A Jerry Garcia Band Tribute and Flour City’s Subsoil, before Donna the Buffalo headlines on July 29 and Turkuaz with the Buffalo-based rock group Aqueous on Aug. 5.

    Bands On the Bricks takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. every Friday starting July 8 and ending Aug. 5 at the City of Rochester’s Public Market — seating is limited, so don’t forget your folding chair. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., and remember, no shoes, no shirt, no entry.

    Bands on the Bricks summer concert series 2016:

    7/8 – Latino Night in partnership with the Puerto Rican Festival of Rochester, Inc.
    7/15 – Three Heads Brewing Night with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Suburban Plaza
    7/22 – Food Truck BBQ Contest Night with Cats Under The Stars: Tribute to Jerry Garcia Band and Subsoil
    7/29 – Donna the Buffalo
    8/5 – Turkuaz with special guest Aqueous

  • Marco Benevento Bringing Fred Short to Upstate New York

    Marco Benevento, touring in support of his recently released half-concept/half dance-inflicted rock anthems album The Story of Fred Short, will make a run through upstate New York this week. Of the new album, the LA Times says, Marco “continues a rewarding effort to straighten his twisted sound into the guise of an indie-rock singer-songwriter, harnessing his inventive sonic palette into rewardingly bite-size pop songs that touch on disco and soul” while Boulder Weekly calls it “a swirling pastiche of deep grooves, buoyant pop filigrees and grinding old-school psychedelic reveries.”

    fred shortBenevento has been keeping busy with sporadic dates in Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, playing with The Arcs and The Barr Brothers, and gearing up for the long-awaited reunion of the Duo. But his main focus has been his solo band, which features fellow JRAD-ian Dave Dreiwitz on bass and Andy Borger on drums. Seeing Benevento’s solo performances is to catch him in his element.

    Starting on Thursday at the Montage Music Hall in Rochester, the band will continue to Hector at the Stonecat on Friday the 13th (watch out!) before hitting the Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo on Saturday night. Rochester’s own Mikaela Davis will open the shows with her gorgeous and unique harp-lead indie folk rock. And who knows, maybe she’ll even sit in with Benevento for a song or two, like she did recently in Brooklyn.

  • Amon Amarth Vanquish Water Street Music Hall

    On Monday April 25, Rochester New York fell prey to one of Sweden’s most notorious metal bands. Amon Amarth kicked off their 2016 Jomsviking North American tour on April 17.  Joining them on their voyage are fellow Swedes, Entombed A.D. and American thrash metal band, Exmortus.

    The line outside the venue stretched the entire length of Water Street and then some. Some concert goers went as far as dressing in viking armor, helms and bracers in support of Amon Amarth’s musical theme.

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    Setting the pace for the evening was Sourthern California quartet, Exmortus. Their performance was enthusiastically received by the crowd throwing up their “horns.” The band consists of Jadran “Conan” Gonzalez on vocals/guitar, guitarist David Rivera, bassist Michael Cosio and Mario Moreno. Their set list for the evening was as follows: “Rising” “For the Horde” “Foe Hammer” “Death to Tyrants” “Moonlight Sonata (Act 3)” and “Metal is King.”

    With the crowd already hungering for more, Entombed A.D. was next to take the stage. Consisting of Lars-Göran Petrov on vocals, Olle Dahlstedt on drums, Nico Elgstrand on guitar and Victor Brandt on bass, the Stockholm based band’s heavy riffs added fuel to the fire, as crowd surfers began making their way towards the front of the venue towards waiting Security. The band’s set list for the evening was in support of their February 26 album release Dead Dawn with songs such as “Dead Dawn” “Stranger Aeons” “Second to None” “Midas In Reverse” “Living Dead” “The Winner Has Lost” “Revel in Flesh” “Wolverine Blues” and “Left Hand Path.”

    With the venue at near capacity, the fans were ready battle when Amon Amarth time came to slay the crowd. The stage was set with a giant viking helm emitting smoke with the drum kit perched atop between it’s horns. With their new album release, Jomsviking, which has dominated the charts around the globe, the band took the stage like a storm starting things off with the song “The Pursuit of Vikings.” The performance was met with more crowd surfing, chanting, fists in the air and horns raised enthusiastically. With frontman Johan Hegg sporting a drinking horn on his side and decorated leather bracers on his arms, he appeared as a viking warrior straight of some epic story. Backed by guitarists Ted Lundström and Johan Söderberg along with bassist Olavi Mikkonen and  new drummer Tobias Gustafsson, the show raged on through the night with songs from the new album along with some old favorites. The set list being, “The Pursuit of Vikings” “As Loke Falls” “First Kill” “The Way of Vikings” “At Dawns First Light” “Deceiver of the Gods” “Cry of the Black Birds” “One Against All” “Thousand Years of Oppression” “Destroyer of the Universe” “Death in Fire” and “Runes to My Memory”

  • Tony Markellis Spring Schedule

    Bassist Tony Markellis keeps himself quite busy this spring when he is not touring with the Trey Anastasio Band. He is scheduled to play a number of shows throughout New York and nearby this spring.

    tony markellis springMarkellis, of Saratoga Springs, recently joined Floodwood, the bluegrass side project of moe.’s Vinnie Amico. He’ll join them at many shows throughout New York, starting this week. He also plays with a variety of other musicians in the area and can be seen throughout New York, primarily in the Capital Region.

    He joins Grateful Dead tribute band Dead Set on May 20 at the Westcott in Syracuse. He will also be at Summer Camp Music Festival with Floodwood. His full set of dates can be seen below.

    Tony Markellis spring dates:
    Thursday 4/28 – Floodwood – Nectar’s, Burlington, VT
    Friday 4/29 – Floodwood – The Hollow, Albany, NY
    Saturday 4/30 – Floodwood – Garcia’s, Port Chester, NY
    Sunday 5/1 – Caffè Lena Folkathon Benefit with Jo Henley (3:30 p.m.), Michael Jerling (7:45 p.m.), New Standard (8:30 p.m.) – Saratoga Springs, NY
    Thursday 5/12 – Floodwood – NaNola, Malta, NY (9 p.m.)
    Friday 5/13 – Melick, Maul & Markellis – First Reformed Church, Selkirk, NY
    Saturday 5/14 – Jeanne O’Connor and the New Standard – One Caroline, Saratoga Springs, NY (9 p.m.)
    Wednesday 5/18 – Michael Jerling – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs, NY (7 p.m.)
    Thursday 5/19 – Floodwood – Abilene, Rochester, NY (9 p.m.)
    Friday 5/20 – Dead Set – Westcott, Syracuse, NY
    Saturday 5/21 – Jay Barady & Nick Piccinnini – Oneonta Theater, Oneonta, NY
    Wednesday 5/25 – Jo Henley Trio – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs, NY (7 p.m.)
    Thurs-Sun 5/26-29 – Floodwood – Summer Camp Festival, Chillicothe, IL
    Wednesday 6/1 – Jeanne O’Connor Trio – Mouzon House, Saratoga Springs, NY (7 p.m.)
    Thursday 6/2 – Floodwood – Outer Space, Hamden, CT
    Friday 6/3 –Floodwood – Smoke Signals, Lake Placid, NY
    Saturday 6/4 – Floodwood – Taste of Syracuse, Syracuse, NY (7 p.m.)
    Wednesday 6/8 – Bob Warren – Little Theater on the Farm, Ft. Edward, NY
    Thursday 6/9 – Floodwood – NaNola, Malta, NY (9 p.m.)

  • Yonatan Gat Floors at the Bug Jar

    Ex-Monotonix guitarist Yonatan Gat returned to the Bug Jar in Rochester and thoroughly scrambled the minds of all in attendance without ever taking the stage. The band set up, as they do for all of their shows regardless of venue, in the middle of the floor. Everyone always yearns to be as close to the stage as possible, and here they had the opportunity to be on the stage. Gat’s trio includes Gal Lazer, playing some of the most frenetic drums outside of the Muppet universe, and Sergio Sayeg holding down the fort on a powerfully grooving bass.IMG_3134Each member of the band is illuminated by a single floor lamp. Gat is lit with a red gel, the others bathed in green. Whenever a musician is playing the light remains on. When they take a break, whether it be just 5 seconds or a full minute, the light turns off. It’s somewhat of a mental improvisational exercise for the musicians. In addition to concentrating on they and their mates are playing, they also need to pay attention to their lighting. What at first feels a little gimmicky, is actually also a musical enhancement for the audience as well. Once privy to their system, you come to anticipate the next move. Like some Pavlovian experiment, when you see the light turn back on (particularly when it’s Lazer’s) you’re fully ready for the music to immediately turn up a notch.

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    Entirely instrumental, save for short period, on this evening, of indistinguishable chanting, is a world-infused psychedelic rock that is equal parts head-banging and head-swirling. In a nearly non-stop set they weaved in and out of themes from their 2015 release, Director. Melodies from “East to West,” “Casino Café” and “Theme From a Dark Party” all made their way into the ether over the course of an all-too short 40 minute set.

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    Improvisational bands often speak of connecting with their audience in ways that enhance the experience for musicians and on-lookers alike, giving each performance it’s own unique flavor. When the band exists within the audience, this effect is all the more apparent and effective. Though when you invite the crowd into your space, you certainly run some risk. As so happened on this night. An inebriated man stepped up and tried his hand at some unintelligible shout-singing into Gat’s mic. As it’s always interesting to see how a class comedian can handle a heckler, it was also telling to see how this one played out. The band initially worked the “singing” into it’s improv, jamming along with him, Gat seeming particularly amused with the ordeal. But when he overstayed his welcome, Lazer, taking advantage of the close-knit staging, reached out from his kit and quickly and forcefully grabbed the mic stand, ripping it to the ground without missing a beat. Problem solved.

    With the short set and no encore, the crowd, easily doubled from Gat’s show last fall, left only wanting more. And when they come back, the audience will likely double in size again, to witness what is a wholly unique must-see live music experience.

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  • Spiritual Rez Northeast Run Blankets New York State

    High energy ska and funk is headed towards New York this week with Spiritual Rez’s 2016 Northeast Tour. With live performances that elicit an incredibly powerful blend of reggae, rock, ska and jam, the group has been on a cross country tour amid the release of their upcoming album due out this summer. 

    The Northeast Tour brings the group to Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Erie, Brooklyn, New Haven, Boston, Portland, Burlington and Saratoga Springs over a two week period, providing ample opportunities for you to dance the night away and walk into work exhausted but smiling the next morning.

    The as of yet untitled album, slated for an early summer release, was recorded in Los Angeles at Jim Kaufman Productions under the direction of Kenny Carkeet (Awolnation) and Max Collins (Eve 6). One of the many collaborators that took part in the album is trombonist Billy Kottage of Reel Big Fish, who is featured on the track “Bad Girl.” More jaw dropping collaborations will be revealed around the album’s release.

  • Spring Fling Tour Invades Rochester’s Armory

    When you work up a sweat at a show, you know you’ve had a good time. The Easter eve stop of the Spring Fling tour at Rochester’s Main Street Armory made sure the 6500 in attendance did just that. The package tour, headlined by Bowling Green, KY natives, Cage the Elephant along with Silversun Pickups, Foals and Bear Hands, may become one of those hallmark tours mentioned years from now. This show puts together four perfectly complementing artists, all proving the state of rock and roll is alive and quite well, thank you.

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    Headliners Cage the Elephant had the sold out crowd eating out of their hands from the opening notes of “Cry Baby.” Lead singer Matt Schultz’s stage presence evokes the spirit of peak Iggy Pop or Mick Jagger. Shortly into the set, his red sport coat and shirt were shed and audience members were surfing the crowd. This is the band the young crowd was here to see and a band sure to make waves in the mainstream if its current live show is any indication.

    Like many great bands, Cage the Elephant is best heard in a live setting. Shultz commands your attention and the band is top notch. Particularly impressive was the interaction the audience had with the band during its performance. For an “indie” band, Cage the Elephant surely engages the masses. This was particularly exhibited during Cage’s “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” from their 2008 debut. Fans held their hands high in the air while singing along while others made attempts to surf the crowd.

    Spring Fling TourCage had tough acts to follow on this night. The earlier bands on the bill all delivered solid performances. Veteran Los Angelinos, Silversun Pickups could very well have been the headliners on this tour. The Pickups have been indie rock stalwarts since their debut Carnavas in 2006. Lead singer Brian Aubert and bassist Nikki Monninger have an onstage chemistry akin to an older brother and younger sister. Aubert introduced the new song “Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)” as Monninger’s first foray into lead vocals. She responded as being nervous putting herself out there but performed the song beautifully, winning over the audience. The Pickups set ended with a raucous version of their first charting song, “Lazy Eye.” Aubert’s vocal were hardly necessary as the crowd sang along word for word. It was a solid ending to a solid performance by one of indie rock’s most versatile bands.

    Foals performed early, and while still working to win over the American public, they made it known that they wouldn’t be an opening act for long in the states. These Brits performed a set reminiscent of Joy Division meets the Clash. Lead vocalist Yannis Philippakis has a manic stage presence that makes you take notice. Foals will be making their presence known to the American mainstream in short order.

    Brooklyn-based band Bear Hands opened the night. Out of the four bands on the bill, Bear Hands were the most indie of the bunch. Several times throughout the brief yet energetic set, one could imagine Interpol or the Smiths onstage. But Bear Hands absolutely proved their worth on this bill of indie heavyweights. We’ll be hearing more from this band in the future.

    The Spring Fling tour has wrapped but Cage the Elephant is continuing to tour. Upcoming in New York is a date with Portugal, the Man and Broncho at the Times Union Center in Albany on May 11. You can also catch them at Summerstge in Central Park on May 16 and 17.

  • Hearing Aide: The Heroic Enthusiasts “Memory Wheel”

    Rochester’s self-described “new wave influenced indie-pop” group The Heroic Enthusiasts have spun their new EP Memory Wheel and landed on a unique combination of musical genres.

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    Released in February 2016 on Jam Tom Music, the guitar-heavy tracks combined with lyrics delivered with a slight English accent put off a progressive rock vibe with a slight 1980’s tone. That’s no surprise as the group is led by James Tabbi and Tom Ferrara on vocals and guitar, both of whom are math majors and music lovers of Sicilian descent.

    Tabbi and Ferrara have weaved intricate guitar stylings and open-for-interpretation lyrics into a soundtrack reflective of the tangled melodies of track 2, Falling of the Drop, which runs the gamut of emotions from a sense of foreboding to a feeling of release, a reminder that through music we we truly are “all one.”

    “Suspended, connected, singularity of thought, the falling of the drop. In silent reflection, more powerful than fear, the falling of the drop.”

    The lyrics in track 4 Broken Liquid could be about anything from broken friendships, regrets, love or loss.

    “We say we’re friends but never can speak again. Leftover thoughts, discarded with broken plans. Isn’t this how it always ends”

    The Heroic Enthusiasts (3), photo credit Jason Wilder

    Professionals by day, Tabbi and Ferrara started playing together performing covers, but soon realized they wanted to write their own songs. They’ve since recorded eleven songs as The Heroic Enthusiasts since 2013, four of which are featured on their first EP Memory Wheel, also featuring Dexter Redic on bass and Mike James on drums. The album is worth taking a spin, especially for those who enjoy a methodical and progressive approach to music.

  • Metal Allegiance All-Star Lineup Jams In Rochester

    Friday night was the ultimate jam night at the Montage Music Hall in Rochester, NY. The all-star lineup known as Metal Allegiance stopped in town on April 1st to give metal fans a night to remember. The band is made up of the best of the best when it comes to metal musicians. Metal Allegiance features current and past members of bands such as Testament, Dream Theater, Death Angel, Guns N’ Roses and more.

    Taking over vocal duties for the evening were Chuck Billy of Testament and Mark Osegueda of Death Angel. Together these guys ripped through a setlist that consisted of both metal classics and original songs. The guitars for the evening were provided by Chuck Billy’s bandmate in Testament Alex Skolnick and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, who was, until recently, a member of Guns N’ Roses. On drums for the evening was Mike Portnoy, who has been a member of Dream Theater and Avenged Sevenfold. Finishing off the lineup on bass was Mark Menghi, the founder of Metal Allegiance.

    Even though attendance at the Montage Music Hall was low, the band didn’t seem to care. Mark Osegueda made it clear throughout the night that these guys were out on the road to celebrate heavy metal music and have fun. The celebration of metal started with a cover of “Electric Eye” by Judas Priest featuring Osegueda on vocals. Next up were two Iron Maiden covers that the crowd instantly got into. Chuck Billy took the vocals for “Wrathchild” and it was incredible to hear him do more Iron Maiden. The cover of “Powerslave” featured on Testament’s last studio album was a personal favorite.

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    The night wasn’t all covers for Metal Allegiance. In 2015, Metal Allegiance penned a deal with Nuclear Blast to release a full-length album of original material. The self-titled album featured a who’s-who from the metal scene, including David Ellefson of Megadeth, Gary Holt of Exodus and Slayer, Randy Blythe of Lamb of God and many others. The deluxe edition of the album included one cover of the Dio song “We Rock” that included Chris Jericho, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Alissa White-Gluz, Phil Demmel, Mike Portnoy, Alex Skolnick, Mark Osegueda and more. With the core of Metal Allegiance in Rochester on Saturday, the group ripped through originals “Can’t Kill The Devil”, “Dying Song” and “Pledge of Allegiance”. These three songs mixed right in with the covers and definitely showed these all-stars are capable of anything.

    Wrapping up the second half of the night were covers of Black Sabbath, Kiss, Van Halen, AC/DC, Motörhead and Metallica. While Skolnick took out his inner Eddie Van Halen, Bumblefoot took a break to watch him make Eddie’s work seem easy. Skolnick also rocked a Gibson SG similar to Tony Iommi’s for the Black Sabbath tunes.

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    It’s unfortunate that Rochester couldn’t draw more fans for an awesome Friday night show. This Metal Allegiance all-star lineup probably won’t be back in the area anytime soon because of the difficulties in working around everyone’s schedules. For those who did make the show, they witnessed some of the absolute best cover the absolute best along with some awesome original tunes.

    To keep up to date with tour dates and new releases, check out the Metal Allegiance Facebook Page and Official Website.

    Setlist:

    Electric Eye (Vocals: Mark Osegueda)

    Ides of March

    Wrathchild (Vocals: Chuck Billy)

    Can’t Kill The Devil (Vocals: Chuck Billy)

    Fast As A Shark (Vocals: Mark Osegueda)

    Balls To The Wall (Vocals: Mark Osegueda)

    Heaven & Hell (Vocals: Mark Osegueda)

    Creeping Death (Vocals: Chuck Billy)

    Territory (Vocals: Chuck Billy)

    Dying Song (Vocals: Mark Osegueda and Chuck Billy)

    Pledge Of Allegiance (Vocals: Mark Osegueda)

    Lord Of This World (Vocals: Mark Osegueda)

    Into The Void (Vocals: Mark Osegueda)

    God Of Thunder (Vocals: Chuck Billy)

    Running With The Devil (Vocals: Mark Osegueda)

    Eruption

    Whole Lotta Rosie (Vocals: Mark Osegueda)

    Iron Fist (Vocals: Chuck Billy)

    Seek And Destroy (Vocals: Mark Osegueda and Chuck Billy)

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  • Water Street Music Hall is Back

    Rochester’s Water Street Music Hall is back has been awarded a conditional entertainment license allowing the historical venue to re-open.

    Water Street, as previously reported, was not given a renewal for their entertainment license due to several previous incidents cited by the city. Without an entertainment license, a venue cannot provide live music or dance related events.

    The new license is active immediately and will be re-assessed on Jan. 31, 2017. The conditional nature of the license indicates the club must be extra careful to provide the appropriate amount of security and proper amenities for guests.

    Along with the license announcement, a slew of upcoming shows appear to be booked. Check out the unofficial itinerary below.

    We will continue to provide updates as this story develops, stay tuned, and welcome back Water Street Music Hall!

    WATER STREET SPRING SCHEDULE

    April 10 – Monuments
    April 14 – Mobb Deep
    April 19 – We Came as Romans / Oceano / Miss May I
    April 22 – Nekrogoblikon
    April 25 – Amon Amarth
    April 30 – Chris Webby
    May 3 – Soulfly / Suffocation / BATTLECROSS
    May 4 – OTEP / Lacy Sturm (from Flyleaf)
    May 6 – J. Schmallz
    May 14 – CHANZ
    May 28 – AURAS / MANDROID ECHOSTAR
    June 12 – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (10 year anniversary tour)