NYS Music 20​16

Tag: buffalo

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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!

  • Renaissance Still Kicking and Touring

    Renaissance are a peculiar band to say the least. They were part of the progressive rock tradition coming out of 1970’s England, but they were more committed to sounding more classical than rock. At least compared to more well-known prog bands like Yes, Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, and Emerson, Lake, & Palmer. This is a band who did a live album at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. All their best known songs have some form of orchestra backing. So with their show on November 10 at Buffalo’s Tralf Music Hall, a place that obviously can’t fit a whole orchestra inside, I wondered how they could pull the feat off.

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    On the surface, this sounds like less like a rock band and, as their name implies, a renaissance fair band. But considering they’re still touring, playing in packed music halls, and maintain their stamina despite continuing to play songs around 10-minutes long with many subsections, they certainly deserve much more credit.

    The only remaining member from Renaissance’s 70’s glory years is lead singer Annie Haslam, who has a five-octave range and can still hit and draw out many high notes. She was also the only member to talk to audience between songs. Clearly, the audience came to see Haslam; they gave her much of the adoration between songs. The rest of the band, which included two keyboard players, one dedicated to recreating the orchestral and atmospheric sounds from their albums, maintained a very stoic presence, hardly engaging the audience in ways other than singing their assigned backing vocals.

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    They did play two songs from their latest album, 2014’s Grandine Il Vento, the title track and “Symphony of Light.” Other than that, the eight other songs were from the band’s 70’s era. Prog classics like “Mother Russia,” “A Song for All Seasons” and “Carpet of the Sun” were indeed crowd pleasers, with lesser-known tracks like “Sounds of the Sea,” providing more pleasantries, especially with the sounds of ocean waves and seagulls.

    The encore, the usual closer “Ashes are Burning,” was the only chance the band looked like it was having fun and getting loose. Through it’s 15-minute runtime, everyone took a solo, including the only use of electric guitar the whole night in the final section.

    The show was an odd treat, listening to music of such a bygone era. One where such audacious, un-rock-like rock music had a chance at being commercially successful. Renaissance may not be exactly “hip” anymore, if they ever were at all during their peak years, but I imagine they’re fine with that. As evidenced by the crowd, there will likely still be people interested in this middles ages type of music.

  • Shonen Knife Return to Buffalo

    A very eclectic crowd showed up at Buffalo’s Mohawk Place on Friday, November 4th, made up of regulars, some older patrons, and some visible Japanophiles. The kinds of people based on visual looks you wouldn’t expect to be at the same show. Somehow, they all came together for quite a novelty show; a Japanese all-girl garage-pop band by the name of Shonen Knife.

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    Shonen Knife, currently made up of guitarist Naoko Yamano, bassist Atsuko Yamano, and latest drummer Risa Kawano, have had quite the long, strange history for what at first seems just like another garage band, this one just happens to be from Osaka. Since their albums got their first American release on Sub Pop records in the mid-80’s, they’ve made fans out of Nirvana, Sonic Youth, and L7, along with Matt Groening and Mike Judge. They even played some dates with Nirvana on their Nevermind tour, various festivals like Lollapalooza, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Fuji Rock Fest, and had a tribute album made for them, Every Band Has A Shonen Knife Who Loves Them, featuring underground 80’s punk acts like Sonic Youth, L7, Babes in Toyland, and the wonderfully named The Mr. T Experience.

    Shonen Knife does have a soft spot for Buffalo. Their current American record label, Good Charamel Records, is based in Buffalo and run by Goo Goo Dolls bassist Robby Takac. They also released a live DVD at the very same Mohawk place establishment from their 2009 American tour.

    When they finally took the stage, after having three opening acts, Shonen Knife came out wearing dresses looking like they were flattened disco balls, playing sparkling instruments, and going straight into their fast, tight bubblegum punk songs that left a good portion of the full crowd dancing. They hardly let anyone have a chance to take a break from the fun at the frantic pace they went on at.

    The show lasted 75 minutes, but it somehow simultaneously felt like it passed by really quickly and took forever. All their songs are around two to three minutes, so they were able to fit quite a lot in for an average set. Not to mention getting various synchronized motions during and after the songs. Hell, there was only a few seconds of downtime between the songs, with Risa either doing a quick 1,2,3,4 on her cymbals or Atsuko shouting a 1,2,3,4. What downtime there was when they talked to the audience, in the best conversational English they could muster, was spent introducing the next song, or talking about their new album, Adventure, and it’s 1970’s influences.

    I suppose this next part is expected, given most American’s common perception of stereotypical Japanese music, but the song lyrics are about cute things. Like cats, complete with a “meow meow meow” chorus line, capybaras, tangerines, and how fun roller coasters are. Dare I say, the only unpleasant thing they sang about all night was wasabi. But Atsuko said she likes it before starting to sing, so maybe I’m convinced it’s gotten better since the last time I tried it.

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    Even when the band left the stage, with the audience demanding an encore, I figured they would come back eventually. It’s a tradition at most major rock shows. But this was a small venue with everyone cramped for space, where it felt like anything could happen. So when Shonen Knife came back onstage for a two-song encore after some audience chanting, it somehow felt more earned than when it happens in an arena setting.

    For a band with a visible American cult following, along with being around since 1981, it’s was odd for me at first seeing a band with Shonen Knife’s cred playing here, one of many Buffalo venues mainly catered toward local bands. Now I wonder if they play at any larger venues here in America, if it may ruin their mystique. I don’t blame them for wanting to play in a small, cramped space like the Mohawk Place. It just makes the fun all the more infectious, which makes for a better experience.

  • AC/DC Brings a New Flavor to First Niagara Center

    _dsc9469AC/DC finally made their appearance on Sunday, September 22 at First Niagara Center after an extended delay because of the departure of longtime lead singer Brian Johnson. They performed a lengthy list of fan favorites. Guns N` Roses’ Axl Rose had taken Brian’s place and the reviews were mixed from fans.

    Axl treated the arena to a remarkable performance, vocally that is. He seemed to find a perfect harmony between his style and the original singers. Rose had a couple moves like his signature sway dance to make it his own as well. Rose did not dominate the show which was feared; he rather fit into the band like a missing puzzle piece.

    AC/DC really isn’t AC/DC at this point. The only original member is Angus who was really the star of the show, with his signature moves and energy, going from side to side of the stage and skipping out onto the runway with his childlike charm. He has the uncanny ability to work the crowd. Chris Slade replaced Phil Rudd and Malcom was replaced by Stevie Young. They added a new sound to the band but most people who new the original lineup just weren’t having it.

    Like always AC/DC pulled out tricks left and right in regards to special effects, including a giant blow up doll making sexual gestures during “Whole Lotta Rosie,” a giant bell lowering from the rafters for “Hells Bells” and a line of cannons during “For Those About to Rock.”

    The crowd was scattered with an array of flashing red horns that were printed with AC/DC on them. Some people were leaving the venue either by escort or the occasional police car. AC/DC has had plenty of mishaps but still manages to deliver their own brand of rock. Granted Axl killed it vocally all night and made quite the impression; the star of the night was Angus and will always be. He still carries the school boy image after all these decades and will forever remain the face of AC/DC.

  • Project/Object Kicks-Off Northeastern Tour

    New Jersey-based Frank Zappa tribute band Project/Object will be touring the Northeast United States through October 23rd with stops at Mavericks  in Ontario, Canada on Friday, October 7; The Garrison in Ontario, Canada on Saturday, October 8; at The Tralf in Buffalo, New York on Sunday, October 9 and at Lovin’ Cup in Rochester, New York on Monday, October 10.

    Founded in 1989 by guitarist/vocalist André Cholmondeley, Project/Object has gone through numerous lineup changes since its inception, hosting more Zappa alumni than anyone other than Zappa himself. Project/Object welcomes back alumni vocalist/guitarist Ike Willis and synthesizer legend Don Preston for a tour  “Celebrating 50 years of The Music Of Frank Zappa” featuring material both men recorded with The Mothers Of Invention, The Frank Zappa band, and much more!

    NYSMusic’s Amy Cavalier recently caught up with Cholmondeley about the upcoming tour and what it’s like being in the longest-running Zappa alumni tribute band in the world!

    NYS Music: Tell me the story behind Project Object’s inception? What was the vision for the project?

    André Cholmondeley: My vision for the project was simply to turn people onto music that was very influential and important to me.

    Around 1989 I started having a Frank Zappa birthday party at my apartment. We would listen to only Zappa music for 24 hours and read interviews read album covers etc. I realized that many people were showing up and did not know a lot about Zappa and left with names of records and songs scribbled on paper. This is way before the blow up of the Internet so people would come back the next year having searched record stores and maybe built a little Zappa collection.

    About the third and fourth year, my band played at one of these parties, performing about a half-dozen Zappa songs. It went over great so we learned another half dozen and soon we played our first gig in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It just blew up from there. Next was Lion’s Den in New York City where we connected with our first managers Howie Schnee and Mike Maietta.

    NYS Music: A pretty high bar has been set by Frank Zappa, his son Dweezil other Zappa tribute bands…what makes Project Object so unique?

    AC: Indeed Dweezil’s band is incredible.I think what makes us unique in our way is that we went out and did it before other bands, over twenty years ago. We were the first band to tour with so many diverse Zappa alumni across the USA and into Canada since Zappa himself took them on the road. We also were the first to do a wide variety of his music

    The Grandmothers (ex Zappa/Mothers members) were out there but they tended to do the very excellent early stuff ONLY. We went out there with Ike Willis then Napoleon Murphy Brock etc. and did material from every period in Zappa’s history.

    NYS Music: Is there a lot of pressure to get it right and recreate the songs as accurately as possible? Or is there still room for improvisation?

    AC: The fans know every note! We strike the balance between doing some tunes as close to the record as we can, with the correct sounds and timbre and instrumentation. And then other things we do – perhaps one of Zappa’s many live versions – we look for moments in the songs where he would leave room for improvisation.

    Improvisation is very important part of the Zappa aesthetic but at the core is doing the music accurately and getting chords and little parts correct. I have been fortunate to have so many of the actual ex-Zappa players in the band so along the way they correct parts and help us get little details right.

    NYS Music: There have been a lot of stories about Zappa’s family and disagreements over copyright issues, as well as stories floating around about bad blood between you and Dweezil, in the news. How do you get away with playing songs without infringement issues? And has the air cleared between you and Dweezil?

    AC: Early on we got so many threats from Gail Zappa that we sought the advice of a lawyer and I learned a lot about copyright law. It’s very basic and simple. As long as the venue you are performing is paying their American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) or Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) membership dues for publishing rights, you are fine. That’s why there is an enormous business in cover bands of every genre imaginable. It was always completely legal to do what we do. In the Project/Object entire career of over two decades we have had to cancel two, maybe three gigs because the venue was not part of ASCAP membership.

    I think the NPR interview I did “NPR Zappa Lumpy Legacy” is the final word on it. NPR spoke to me as well as Gail Zappa and independent legal

    counsel and they said on national radio that as long as the club is certified it’s no problem playing published music of any artist.

    As far as the recent history about the copyright issues and the Zappa family, a lot of what happened was due to the wishes and direction of Gail Zappa. Now that she is gone there is a real splintering of stuff and the siblings are sadly in dispute over many issues.

    Even before she passed away I made peace with Dweezil and have seen his band several times. He was very gracious about accepting my apologies for the previous bad vibes. He was aware it flowed in both directions. This thawing of the ice has continued after Gail Zappa’s passing and Dweezil has been very public talking about how the Zappa family trust unfairly charged him for various things and made it difficult for him to just go out and play the music.

    I’m happy to say that through his agent, Dweezil and I worked together recently to plan out these historic appearances that Ike Willis is doing with his band. I want to support anything and everything that celebrates Frank’s music.

    NYS Music: Your partner was in a serious car accident recently which caused you to postpone your tour. How is she doing and why have you decided to resume the tour at this point in time?

    AC: While Robin is still experiencing a fair amount of pain and difficulties she has come a long way in what is almost seven months since the accident. She will be with us on this tour in a very tentative and basic role – we are trying to see how much she can do safely in her regular job as merch and Production Assistant. We hated canceling that tour and she is happy to be out on this one and to be able to personally thank so many of the fans who helped us out.

    NYS Music: What is the feeling going into this tour?

    AC: We just love to play and get out and travel and this is a great time of year to do so. We have a few things we have never done before, some stuff we have not done in a decade or more, balanced with a couple of the Zappa song-along, crowd favorites that you almost have to do, so it’s a mix!

    We are upbeat and excited to get out there playing this incredible music again. Also Zappa lyrics, without even touching them up, have a timeless political accuracy and so getting out right before yet another ridiculous American election season is kind of perfect.

    For more information about Project/Object visit www.projectobject.com or follow Project/Object on Facebook or Twitter.  

  • Buffalo Scores Big with Two Nights of moe. at Town Ballroom

    It had been well over a year since moe. graced the Town Ballroom stage, when they arrived at Buffalo this past weekend. With their annual 2-night stay, fans were happy to have the band “home” again and this time with a last minute opening act Floodwood, featuring Vinnie Amico, Tony Markellis, Jason Barady, Nick Piccininni, and Chris Eves.  Floodwood picked, kicked, and hollered with delight to a sold out anxious crowd, which included an original debut by Eves, titled “Green and Blue” featuring some warm vocals and smooth fiddle.   This top-notch group flooded the room with enough hip-swinging rhythms to warm up any venue in western New York.

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    Night one started off rocking with “Rainshine,” a straight-forward rock song, not played enough in rotation.  Without “huddle,” Rob led the group into “Jazz Wank,” segueing into a more than an hour long “Buster” sandwich including a seamlessly paired “Lazarus > George” and Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.”  Garvey captivated listeners with his silver-tongued vocals as Schnier lead out the solo with lust and emotion.  Since their late-night tribute set at The Peach Fest, the guys have been working more Floyd tunes into their sets for the Fall tour.

    Second set sluggishly took off with “Lost Along the Way,” picking up momentum during the instrumental section.   The crowded Town Ballroom was then treated to a thick tasty “MEAT” sandwich, doubling up for the evening.  The peak of the evening was surely this mamma-jamma, stuffed with tight-fitted solos from each member during “Akimbo” and “Silver Sun.”  Topping off the night, Loughlin delivered radiant vocals on Frank Zappa’s “Cosmik Debris,” a tune first debuted at last years Halloween show in Philly.

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    Sparing little time and energy on Saturday, moe. returned to the stage of the Ballroom and hit-the-deck running with “Blue Jeans Pizza.”  Chuck took it upon himself to set fire during the jam, enough to slap a consistent smile on Rob’s face for the duration.  Al’s fun piano chops held together an interesting yet playful segue jam before switching to guitar for “Mexico,” which led into Merle Haggard‘s “Mama Tried.”  Having only played that twice as a band (Once in 1997 and again last April), the majority of the audience sang along and danced their cares away.  Acknowledging the culminating energy, Garvey simply stated “Round 2.”

    Next, came a massive “Opium” containing plenty of sustained twang-ish slide guitar work, carried over by Chuck from the previous tune.   A lengthy version allowed Vinnie to change up drumming styles, easing his way into “Understand.”    Garvey took to the voice box for an honorable rendition of David Bowie’s “Fame” followed by “Same Old Story” to round off the first set.

    Commencing the second set with “In the Flesh,” moe. proved how much they’re enjoying playing Pink Floyd as well as utilizing Jim’s voice.   Given the opportunity, the ensemble intensely kicked up the energy with “Spaz Medicine.”   Next came the last “sandwich” of the weekend with “Yodelittle > Down Boy > Yodelittle” featuring some notable lighting work by Pulse Lighting‘s own Justin Casey, who’s been having too much fun with the Clay Paky B-Eyes and Chauvet Rogue R1 FX-B series lights.  After a brief pause, Garvey worked up some slide guitar again for “Shoot First” before segueing into an impressive “Billy Goat > Kids.”

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    Just before moe. took to the stage one last time, Schnier proceeded with the nightly “Al.nouncements” tradition.  Unable to resist, he riled up the Buffalo crowd asking “So, here’s the question, are we gonna win tomorrow?” referring to the Bills vs. New England Patriots game on Sunday.  With some New England fans scattered throughout the audience and on stage as well, the response was a little heated tho undeniably entertaining as Al had to explain that Bills Nation lasts year-long.   moe. finished up their two-night “hometown” run with “Not Coming Down” and “Spine of a Dog,” giving Buffalo another win of the weekend.

    Friday Night Photos by Tim Merrill

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    Saturday Night Photos by Jim Houle

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  • Gwar Declares the Next President

    The night was beautiful, so beautiful in fact that the only thing that could make it better was blood covered concert goers. That is what was going to happen in downtown Buffalo and Town Ballroom in the heart of the theatre district.  People were wrapped around the building waiting to get in. You know who the veterans are in regards to going to Gwar concerts; they are the ones dressed in white or any lighter color they didn’t mind trashing.

    Hardcore metal band Mutoid Man was first to hit the stage, and that they did with vulgar sexual references; everything from penis to boob jokes. Guitarist Steve Brodsky and bassist Nick Cageao poured huge, unrelenting riffs out of their amplifiers, while Ben Koller drove songs with his innovative style of drumming. The thing that stood out most about Mutoid Man was they were having fun playing on stage and you saw it in each of them based solely off expression.

    GWARCrowbar is a sludge metal band from New Orleans known as “some dudes” and have been in the music scene for nearly 30 years now. Windstein interacted brilliantly with the crowd and kept everyone engaged in between songs as Crowbar tuned their instruments. Spitting like a cowboy who thinks he’s still in the saloon, Windstein rumbles and roars into pit-starter “Conquering,” and so the riffs start falling. Frontman Kirk Windstein, metal legend that he is, still sets up his own gear from scratch, tunes guitars himself, and distributes set lists to the band. This shows the humbleness he has a reputation for.

    Then as the lights lowered and the elaborate stage was set up by a crew of about 10 workers, people got as close as they could to the front of the stage. This is where my previous statement about being a beautiful night for concert goers comes into play. What`s the indication of Gwar coming on stage? When the music stops you know that’s when things are about to get messy.

    GWARThe screen they bring on stage lit up and showed an unflattering picture of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. First to the stage was ring announcer Sleazy P. Martini, who talked about what was going to unfold this evening – 3 separate wrestling matches and one of them would be Trump vs. Hillary. The fight between the two led to Hillary as the triumphant winner. She ripped his face off then took out his intestines and pointed his blood splattering chest towards the crowd, soaking several rows of patrons. As Hillary was celebrating her win, Blothar came up and ripped off her breasts and spewed even more blood onto the crowd ranging almost to the back of the venue in distance.

    Viciously some aliens from another planet came in and fought Blother and Bone Snapper, stealing the title! Musically this group of guys are very talented in their respected instruments; Brent Purgason (Pustulus Maximus) shreds a mean guitar, and Gwar front-man Blothar has appeared on Ted Talks and is quite intelligent. The cult following they have is undeniable. Dave Brockie (Oderus Urungus) was the front man prior and that’s what most people knew Gwar as, granted it will never be the same but Blothar is a great replacement.

    Back to the wrestling match, the intruder aliens came back to fight the final fight and this time Bone Snapper and Blothar were victorious! They won the title and Blothar announced to the crows that he was best suited to be the president of the United States. Fans cheered like they were at a rally and with the election candidates we have now, I think our best bet for a better future is Blothar for president!

    GWAR