NYS Music 20​17

Author: Meredith Snow

  • Kerfuffle Before Christmas Night Two

    Buffalo had its first snowfall of the year this past Wednesday, but that didn’t stop flocks of people from coming out to Buffalo Riverworks to see the second night of The Kerfuffle Before Christmas.  Upon arrival, people were lined up in thirty two degree weather almost forty five minutes before the doors opened. People were in their holiday gear and it was great to see the Christmas spirit alive and well.

    Saint Motel took the stage first and brought the charisma that night as they kept fans on their feet with all the antics they did during their set. Front man A/J Jackson sang and played keyboard while using his charming personality to sway the audience, girls and guys alike. Guitarist Dak Lerdamornpong mastered the stage while Jackson was working his way up the scaffolds, pulling a Barns Courtney from TKBC night 1, but upped him by climbing all the way to the top instead of only halfway. Then, towards the end of his set, he decided to run into the crowd and up the balcony, dancing with patrons,  only to run back down the stairs and stand on one of the bar tops reminding patrons to tip the bartenders that evening.

    Børns was second to hit the stage. He was teamed with all female musicians that died down the audience in comparison to Saint Motel’s performance. His music is what you would call ‘hypnotizing.’ It`s not necessarily a loud vocal dynamic, but more within a range that you could relax to, but also dance with your friends.

    The band most people were waiting for was Jimmy Eat World. It’s a lot of pressure being the headliner and they delivered in all aspects that night. Bringing the most energy and also a certain nostalgic factor, playing an assortment of their newer stuff such as “You With Me” and longtime classics like “The Middle” and “Sweetness.” The band set the stage with a minimal appearance but it was adorned with 3 street lights that were placed above the drummer, guitarist and bassist. The lights flashed in sync with the music and it was the perfect addition to the stage without overdoing it. Doing several encores really pleased the audience and you can see it from the expressions and overhearing what fans were saying as they left.

    The Kerfuffle Before Christmas was a success and there is one night left of this magnificent concert series. The last one will be held on Sunday, December 17. Performing are Cold War Kids, lovely the band and AJR. Tickets are still available for purchase and can be found at any FYE store and Alternativebuffalo.com

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  • The Kerfuffle Before Christmas Night One

    Christmas is almost upon us and what better a way to spend leading up to it than at a concert with three great acts.  Alternative Buffalo 107.7 hosts The Kerfuffle Before Christmas (TKBC) every year. This year was different; they split it into 3 separate concerts. The last Thursday of November was the night one of three, hosted at Buffalo Riverworks. The venue itself isn’t too new, but they are new to putting on large concerts.

    Upon entry, you could see some people were in the Christmas spirit and were dressed to accompany it. Barns Courtney kicked things off for the night and got the crowd on their feet. At one point, he climbed the scaffolds that were part of the stage, singing to the fans as he went higher and higher. His voice, practically faultless throughout the pop rock morsels he delivered, and the adoring audience singing most of the words back to him only cemented his newfound rock star status.

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    In her first appearance in Buffalo, NY, Bishop Briggs, legally known as Sarah McLaughlin, then walked onto the stage. You could sense a little nervousness in her just based on her mannerisms, but soon enough those were shaken off and she ran the stage effortlessly. Her stage name stems from her family’s hometown of Bishopbriggs in Scotland. Sarah is most famously known for her hit “River” that she sang second song in and that really sparked energy in the crowd. A good portion of female singers portray themselves in a seductive manner when they are singing – not Bishop. She was wearing a track suit and was running back and forth on the stage as her long black pig tails followed right behind her. She didn’t stop smiling the whole time as if the whole thing was surreal. She is new to the music world and soon enough I think she will be dubbed queen of dark pop.DSC_6039

    Headlining the night was the ever so popular New Politics who have created such a cult following over the last several years. Buffalo is their second home base, they come here several times a year. They make it well known that they are very humbled to be here, met with such open arms. They sang classics such as “Harlem” and their newest hit, “One of Us.” They also debuted a new song called “Color Green” which is about David Boyd’s new daughter, Wolfgang, whom he recently had with girlfriend Christian Marie Serratos who is famously known for being Rosita on The Walking Dead.  These guys never disappoint when it comes to a performance, from crazy antics like break dancing moves that you’d find at the NYC subway stations to flawless solos from guitarist Søren Hansen.DSC_6131

    Night one of Kerfuffle was a success. If this is any indication as to how the other two shows will be, we are in for quite the treat. Tickets are still available for both shows. You can find them on www.alternativebuffalo.com or at local FYE stores.

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  • Gwar Ruins the 1 Percent at Town Ballroom

    The day after Halloween the ghouls were still out play and people were ready to rock with mutant metal band Gwar. The intergalactic band bestowed mere earthlings of Buffalo in support of their latest album “The Blood of Gods”. Town Ballroom housed all the humans and extraterrestrial bands that night. Brent Purgason was pulling double duty, his band U.S. Bastards, the most earthling related of the group kicked things off.

    Next up was Doyle, The Misfits guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein, His singer Alex Story gave everyone a good laugh, before every song he said “This is a love song; you can dance to it if you want too.” In a girlish voice that complimented his mini skirt and fishnet stockings.

    Ghoul performed with their potato sack masks,  like something you would see out of a old scary movie. The band’s thematic set is heavily influenced by Gwar. Ghoul had various characters that squirted fake blood — from an odd dictator in a cape and gas mask to their dreaded voodoo magician complete with his large fake chicken that streamed red liquid into the crowd. Also, who wouldn’t love a giant distorted looking turnip to end a set?Black Sabbath`s “War Pigs” came over the speakers and the earthlings started getting wrestles. Fans started singing the first verse at the top of their lungs. GWAR walked onto the stage and started “War on the Gwar” playing the first track off the new album The Blood of Gods. Other new tracks included the catchy “I’ll Be Your Monster Baby” which is probably the closest thing you’ll ever get to a love song by GWAR. Blothar proceeded to covered the front section of the crowd with fake blood from his cow utter like penises

    The crowd of monster lovers also partied to older blood-filled songs like “Hail, Genocide!” and “Saddam a Go-Go.” Everyone who attends a Gwar show knows there is no hold bar with them, they poke fun at politics, corporations, social media and of course religion. During the new song “El Presidente” they brought out a Jabba the Hut looking Donald Trump which received “Boos” from the crowd as well as a mutant version of Hillary Clinton. Both were slaughtered for the gluttonous fans who wanted blood. Politics doesn’t matter at a GWAR show, mutants rule their world.

    “Do you want Blood?” asked Blothar. The already soaked crowd wanted more and they got it. GWAR ended the night with a cover of AC/DC’s “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got it)” Bone Snapper came out with his infamous sawblade spinning machine which spat out waves of blue into the audience.

    After all the recent sad events going on in the world GWAR and the other bands gave people a chance to escape from their troubles and have a great time full of singing laughter and of course blood.

  • Train Brought All the Love to Darien

    Upon arrival, you’d think there wasn’t much going on at Darien Lake Amphitheater, but once you entered the venue, it was a whole different story. It was pretty packed inside and fans were scrambling around to get to their seats before O.A.R came on. You could see the dividing wall between casual concert goers and ones who were die hard based on the shirts or what they sang, for every song that both bands played that night. Whichever side you fell on, you were not to be disappointed by the upcoming performances.

    Train is led by singer/guitarist Pat Monahan and the stage made it clear who was in charge. Except for a couple of occasions, everybody stayed on their designated risers, leaving the front of the stage to Monahan. He’s full of stage tricks, seeing which side of the crowd can sing louder or turning a video camera onto the audience. During the song “If It’s Love,” Pat grabbed cell phones from the audience and would take a selfie while flawlessly singing the song. He also brought out Natasha Bedingfield to sing the song “Bruises” and it was a perfect duet to say the least.

    O.A.R.’s music is a genial blend of straightforward rock and light reggae. They are a six-piece band from Rockville, Maryland and a mighty band indeed. From start to finish, their presence was strong and most members had quite the facial expressions and charisma. Guitarist Richard On was engaging with the crowd and even at one point tossed a pick to a little girl in the front row. Vocalist Marc Roberge was all smiles during the show and had the fans singing along with him swaying to and fro. The night went without a hitch and not one individual seemed to leave displeased by the night’s performances.

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  • Datsik Sells out Town Ballroom

    Town Ballroom was bursting at the seams with a whole new culture Thursday January 19 with Datsik in town and with a sold out venue. EDM music is becoming more and more popular and I can see why. In line you could find someone in a Pikachu onesie, or another in a unicorn and some girls who seemed to just have on their bra and panties.
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    Virtual Riot was playing by the time everyone walked in. EDM music is not door at 8 and music starts at 8:30-9pm, it is doors are at 8 and the music is already bumping. The beats were lively and it created an atmosphere that was all its own. Virtual was a perfect opener, he got the continuously lingering crowd hyped up for the night and put them in a party mindset.

    Christopher Lee Marshall better known as Crizzly hailing from Austin, Texas was an entertainment all his own. He brought a hype man with him who did just that, hype the crowd. He jumped all around the stage and even at one point jumped in the crowd and moshed with the audience.

    datsik town ballroomDatsik, what is there to say about him? His visual effects were captivating; he had screens set up that took up the entire stage, his new stage setup was by Shogun stage production. He ditched the vortex this tour. The beats he created released the crowd into an animalistic behavior. The crowd was a bit out of control. Sitting on the platform you could see everything going on.

    Not long into his set there was a girl who passed out and as soon as that happened the bodyguard guarding the pit entrance attention turned to that; then two girls who looked to be on something ran into the pit and began to “erotic dance.” As soon as another guard saw what the girls were doing, they were swooped up like rag dolls and thrown out. People were taking off their clothes and it became a free for all. Datsik did his job and entranced the Town Ballroom crowd and left everyone feeling new and free.

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