NYS Music 20​16

Tag: Town Ballroom

  • Lotus Completes Halloween Weekend in Buffalo

    Lotus completed a two night run in Buffalo October 29-30 with a Space Disco Theme on Halloween, complete with the Town Ballroom’s giant Disco Ball shining on a crowd who were dressed to impress.

    The room filled in shortly after Jimkata took the stage to a sold out show. Lotus followed and absolutely crushed the room and blew the roof off the place.

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    October 29 Setlist
    Set 1: Middle Road, I’ve Been a Fool (Toy Guns), Uffi, Destroyer, Bubonic Tonic>In the Bliss>Bellwether
    Set 2: Fearless, Ashcon, 128>Philly Hit>Did Fatt>128, Turquoise, Greet the Mind
    Encore: Sodium Vapor, Age of Inexperience

    October 30 Setlist
    Set 1: Nematode, Opo, Arupa>Sift>Mikesnack>Hammerstrike, Eats the Light
    Space Disco Set: Space Disco Intro Story>Snooze 4 Love>Stellar Triangulation*>Bizarre Love Triangle>Giffards Airship*, Sextant*, Ra Ako St>Life on Mars>Like a Prayer>Get Lucky
    Encore: Jump Off, Disappear in a Blood-Red Sky
    *original music written for Space Disco Set

    Check out live download here for night 1 and night 2.

  • 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

  • Catfish and the Bottlemen Light Up Buffalo’s Town Ballroom

    With the recent release of their sophomore album, The Ride, Catfish and the Bottlemen are rising to stardom quite quickly. On June 2, fans eagerly waited up and down the pavement for the Town Ballroom’s doors to open, where Catfish and the Bottlemen would be playing for a sold-out crowd.

    They have the uncanny ability to make every song feel like an encore. From the first note played to the very last, Catfish and the Bottlemen created a vibe in the Town Ballroom that is unprecedented in the music scene. At their colorful best, they were indie without indie dowdiness. The group’s latest singles “Soundcheck” and “7” ignited two of the loudest sing-alongs of the night. The energy and enthusiasm of the band did not falter, as the audience lapped up every moment.

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    Formed in Llandudno, Wales, almost nine years ago, Catfish and the Bottlemen have been working their way steadily through the ranks. Describing their new album as “stadium rock,” it is in their live performances that Catfish and the Bottlemen prove their worth. At times, frontman Van McCann didn’t even need to bother singing, stepping away from the microphone and listening to his lyrics — mainly about relationships, booze and hangovers — being chanted back at him. As rock stars, they’re unapologetically traditional, and they’re breathing new life into the genre. There is a reason why they are currently one of the most in-demand rock bands at the moment.

    The Naturalists had been added to the bill only shortly before the doors opened. These guys lit the crowd up, and were a perfect opener. The garage-alt Buffalo natives finally had a moment to shine in front of a sold-out crowd of new fans and continued supporters.

    Catfish and the Bottlemen will roll through the Empire State again this fall with an Oct. 18 show at New York City’s Terminal 5.

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  • Houndmouth’s Neon Still Burning Bright and Pink

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    Nashville’s Los Colognes, opening the show at the Town Ballroom on the first night of a tour with Houndmouth, impressed the filling venue with a 45 minute taste of their laid back rock. They started things off with “Baby, You Can’t Have Both,” a party rocker with a “Not Fade Away” rhythm. The Grateful Dead influence didn’t end there, with many songs in their set sounding somewhat familiar but different. Like a Go To Heaven-era cover band, but playing all originals. Jay Rutherford’s SG even had hints of Garcia’s tone embedded, but played in a style that made the sound all his own.

    Later, with rhythm guitarist Wojtek Krupka picking up a slide and bassist Gordon Persha bounding around in the pocket on a driving blues number, another classic rock band’s influence came to the fore, The Allman Brothers. It was classic rock with a modern aesthetic tightening it up and applying a shine.

    While not scoping out a completely original sound, they kept it simple and tight, pulling off a diverse and exciting set with a few surprising left turns. Rutherford’s guitar work, whether within the melody or breaking through with a roaring solo, was truly a highlight.

    Houndmouth was recently reduced to a trio when keyboardist/vocalist Katie Toupin left the band earlier this year. It was their first ever time playing in Buffalo, but that didn’t mean the packed crowd wasn’t intensely familiar with them. Calls for Katie rang out as the band entered the stage and once the music started, their shouts turned to the lyrics as they sang most every song right along with the band.

    With one member down the band took on a different look both in sound and appearance. The three remaining, Matt Myers on guitar, Shane Cody on drums and Zak Appleby on bass, ironically without the feminine influence anymore, shed their usual ragged look. They were clean shaven (including Cody’s head), wearing nice suits and had some subtle glam makeup/face paint. Musically the trio added two saxophones, Graeme Gardiner and Drew Miller, to round out and punctuate their sound. They may have sounded a bit different than they have in the past, but the key was that they’ve got a great slate of songs that can be resilient and overcome the change. That’s what great songs do!

    Houndmouth was excited to be back on the road and were rewarded with a ravenous Friday night crowd. Band and audience fed off each other throughout the evening bringing the energy to a fever pitch. “Let’s get weird, it’s Friday night,” Cody exclaimed before launching into “Coming Around Again.” Myers changed the lyrics to “Had a Couple of Drinks in Buffalo” riling the crowd while Cody hopped up and down in his seat waving his sticks at the crowd and mouthing expletives egging them on even further.

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    The energy didn’t cool down until the encore. Myers opened with a beautiful solo guitar performance of “For No One.” The full band returned for a scorching take on “Motion Pictures,” a deep cut off of Neil Young’s fantastic yet underrated On the Beach album, that featured some great work form the horn section. A show closing rollicking sing-along of “My Cousin Greg” finished the show back up on a high energy note.

    Setlist: Black Gold, 15 Years, Halfway to Hardinsburg, Darlin’, Say It, Honey Slider, Hey Rose, Palmyra, Coming Around Again, Penitentiary, New Song, Sedona
    Encore: For No One, Motion Pictures, My Cousin Greg

  • Dark Star Orchestra Returning To Buffalo At The Town Ballroom May 24

    Dark Star Orchestra (DSO), the Grateful Dead tribute band hailing out of Chicago Illinois, will return to the Town Ballroom in Buffalo. Since forming, DSO has played 2,200-plus shows, recreating Grateful Dead concerts in their entirety.

    dark star orchestra town ballroomTo any Dead Heads that need their fix, this show is not to be missed. It’s been more than 20 years since Jerry Garcia has passed, but the Grateful Dead’s music lives on with the passion and extensive touring DSO has displayed over the years.

    dark star orchestra town ballroomDark Star Orchestera has had a slightly changing line up throughout its existence; the current band members include Rob Barraco (keys/vocals), Rob Eaton (guitar/vocals), Dino English (drums/percussion), Rob Koritz (drums/percussion), Lisa Mackey (vocals), Jeff Mattson (guitar/vocals) and Skip Vangelas (bass/vocals), and look forward to their return to Town Ballroom.

    Tickets for the May 24 show are still available and can be purchased from Ticket Fly or through the Town Ballroom box office; door open at 7 p.m.

  • X Ambassadors Play to a Sold out Town Ballroom

    Tuesday in the heart of the Buffalo theater district Town Ballroom had a sold out crowd that was going to be highly entertained by X Ambassadors and some top of the line indie bands. Sara Hartman was the opener for the night; she is originally stems from NY but moved to Berlin in recent years. She brought her Berlin band mates with her as they were fresh off the plane. Despite having a couple technical difficulties they still put on a solid performance. I expect to see great things from her in the coming years.

    Savoir Adore was co headliners Tuesday and it was like something I haven’t quite experienced before. They are mixture of pop and indie. Main vocalist Hammer was highly energetic and combined with Muros soft voice it reminds me of the chemistry between Leah Fay and Peter Dreimanis of July Talk. The other band mates sing as well and for the most part it blends and is pleasing to the ear, but some of it was a little overdone and not necessary for everyone to be joining in.

    X Ambassadors—a soul funk band who started out in Ithaca, NY. If Sam Harris wasn’t enough to look at, his brother Casey Harris, over on the keyboard certainly was. I give him a notable mention for executing dinosaur-like; leg pounding dance moves while pulverizing the keys for the entire duration the show.
    Sam started playing the sax on Love Songs Drug Songs, proving that everyone loves some saxophone. Harris told the crowd that if they knew the lyrics to Renegades to sing along and the maybe the audience had just seen the Jeep commercial enough but during the chorus enough people actually sang the words to let Harris hold the microphone out to them. You could definitely distinguish by the participation of the crowd who have been lifelong members or Ambassadors to those who only know their top hits.

    Regardless of how long you have been following them everyone walked away entertained that night by the high energy performance they put out.

  • DATSIK Brought The Heat On A Cold April Night In Buffalo

    DATSIK had a sold out show at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo was a huge party. It was an unusually cold early April night here in the Queen city but that didn’t stop people from dressing for the occasion. DATSIK really brought the heat with his Spring Loaded Tour.

    datsik buffaloIt was high energy from start to finish. OOKAY and DREZO really set the tone for the evening. By the Time DATSIK took the stage the night was in full bloom. The lazer light show was pretty epic. Especially in a venue like the Town Ballroom. DATSIK had 100% of the crowds attention. The crowd couldn’t wait for the next beat to drop. The bass was so loud that it actually caused my camera to power off more than once.

    DATSIK’s love for his fans is apparent through his music and his actions. A handful of time bottles of water were passed out to people in the first few rows. He expressed his message of gratitude and love for the fans a few times throughout the night. DATSIK is a class act. He put on an amazing show for everyone’s ears and eyes.

    It was an eventful night to say the least. On top of the beach balls and pool noodles being thrown around the crowd, DATSIK went crowd surfing on an inflatable raft. He lost his hat doing so. When he made his way back on stage he asked the crowd for it back. The hat hit the stage less than 10 seconds later. A fan in the crowd was granted permission to take control of the microphone for a minute. He proposed to his girlfriend. Thankfully she said yes, that would have been a little awkward if she didn’t.

    The crowd was rowdy but respectful for the most part. Security at the Town Ballroom did their job and were nice about doing so. Ill be completely honest. EDM is not my first choice to see live. With that being said, I’m glad I chose to cover this show. It was a lot of fun on my end. I’m sure fans got their moneys worth at DATSIK’s Spring Loaded Tour stop in Buffalo.

  • DATSIK Is Bringing His Robotic Funky Sounds Back To The Queen City

    Troy Beetles, the Canadian born DJ / Producer better known as DATSIK will be in the Queen City of Buffalo April 7th.

    datsik queenIf you were wondering where his stage name is derived from, it comes from his XBOX gamer tag. Since hitting the Dubstep scene in 2008 he has steadily been a force to be reckoned with. In 2009 alone he had 7 number one releases on Beatport. In 2012 his debut album Vitamin D was released. That same year he started his own record label, Firepower Records.

    DATSIK has collaborated with huge names in the music business such as The Crystal Method, Diplo, Jonathan Davis (Korn) and Method Man. He has performed with artists of the likes of Steve Aoki, Nero, Rusko, and Bassnectar. Datsik has played venues all across the world and at festivals such as EDC Las Vegas, Electric Zoo, Ultra Music Festival and Coachella. He will be bringing his self described dark, robotic, funky and gangster sounds to the Town Ballroom Thursday April 7th.

    Show starts at 8 and is sold out.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpiuyFpYMFo

  • Twiddle Takes Over The Town Ballroom – Photo Gallery

    Twiddle returned to Buffalo in their first ever headlining show at the Town Ballroom this past Thursday.  The packed house was treated to Twiddle history as guitarist Mihali Savoulidis  cased his signature Becker Hornet and debuted two new guitars from DGN Custom Guitars.

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    The Twiddle evening was also a Town Ballroom debut for hometown band Funktional Flow.

    The night’s set list only included one song, “White Light”, from the band’s latest release PLUMP- Chapter One. The evening was packed full of Twiddle fan favorites like “Brown Chicken, Brown Cow” and “Cabbage Face.” The setlist also saw a healthy dose of jam friendly tunes and covers including ALO’s “BBQ” and Tears for Fears “Mad World.”

    Twiddle continues to promotes a packed schedule including a slot at the Lockn’ Music Festival and their own two-day summer concert event Tumble Down in Burlington, VT this July.

    Setlist: Atlantic Mocean > BBQ > Atlantic Mocean, Brown Chicken Brown Cow, Orderly Chaos, Wildfire, Jamflowman[1], Cabbage Face, White Light -> Pachelbel’s Canon In D -> White Light

    Encore: Mad World

    [1] “Jamflowman” contained  a “Layla” (Eric Clapton) tease.

    Setlist courtesy of utwiddle.