Ever wonder where your city measures up when it comes to the music scene? Value Penguin, a company which compiles information for consumers, compared 200 US cities using more than a dozen variables from reputable sources to create a list of best places for music lovers. Six cities in New York State are in the top 30%: Albany, Rochester, Binghamton, New York, Buffalo, and Syracuse.
The top 10 cities in the nation are: Nashville, Honolulu, Seattle, Madison WI, Austin TX, Albany, Tuscon, Rochester, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. Binghamton came in at No. 20, New York City at No. 26, Buffalo/Niagara Falls at No. 43, and Syracuse at No. 56.
Cities were rated in three categories: Bands, Crowds, and Intangibles. For bands, factors included the number of musicians and bands per capita, the number of recording studios and labels, and the average hourly wage. The crowd category included information about venues, music-related stores, and number of radio stations. The intangible category was a catch-all for miscellaneous info on weather, public transportation, music schools, and closing time for bars, all of which may impact the quality of the music-going experience. Data was pulled from government sources such as the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Department of Commerce. Additional information came from sites such as Music School Central, USA Today, Songwriter Universe, and Fodors. The information spanned the years 2014-2016.
The Albany area took a high position, thanks in part to venues like Palace Theater, Cohoes Music Hall, The Hollow Bar and Kitchen, Madison Theater, Troy Music Hall, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Proctors Theater, The Massry Center for the Arts, Times Union Center, EMPAC and many more.
Rochester was not far behind, known by music lovers for the Eastman School of Music, Eastman Theater, Blue Cross Arena, The Bug Jar, The International Jazz Festival, The Record Archive and The House of Guitars, to name a few.
You can see the complete list and view the data sources at Value Penguin.
Buffalo singer, songwriter and producer Grabbitz, has released his music video for the single “Don’t Let Me Go,” which is off the artist’s debut album, Things Change, due May 19 on Grabbitz’s own record label, West Blood Records. The label is named after the street Grabbitz grew up on in Buffalo. Things Change is available for pre order.
Grabbitz has made a name for himself in his young EDM career. His remix of the Deadmau5 track “Silent Picture,” eventually led to the pair collaborating on the Deadmau5’s hit single, “Let Go,” where you can hear Grabbitz on vocals. The single peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic charts, and has over 10 million views on YouTube.
He entered the television entertainment industry, when he was called upon to provide compositions for the T.V show CSI: Cyber. His debut EP Friends, was a top 10 dance album on iTunes. His track “Here With You Now,” has over 4 million views on YouTube, and topped the Beatport Dubstep charts in 2014. Grabbitz’s follow up, Better With Time, climbed to #4 on the iTunes Dance chart. His Spotify song catalog currently has over 20 million streams combined.
Born Nick Chiari, look for Grabbitz to show his stuff off as a live performer, as he plans to perform live shows this summer.
Things ChangeTrack Listing:
1. Follow Me
2. Don’t Let Me Go
3. I Think That I Might Be Going Crazy
4. Play This Game
5. Break Me Down
6. Pretty Little Melody
7. Love Like That (Let You Down)
8. Hold Steady (Better Days)
9. Things Change
10. I Shouldn’t Have
11. A Tragic Interlude
12. What I’m Going Thru
We have made it to the finals of NYS Music’s March Madness! From our Final Four, two bands, Intrepid Travelers from Buffalo and Root SHOCK from Syracuse have reached the finals in our month long friendly competition between bands.
A brief intro to each of our finalists:
Intrepid Travelers specialize in creating sprawling improvisational soundscapes, infusing elements of jazz, rock, funk, and bluegrass. Most of what the group plays are original compositions, and their covers get a groovy IT makeover.
The group holds their annual IT Fest each year, and last year NYS Music had this to say about their performance: “The first two sets were a mixture of original songs with a few covers thrown in the mix. The last set they covered MGMT’s album Oracular Spectacular from start to finish. They put their own twist on the album, showing fans a side of the band that they might not be aware of.”
Root SHOCK was formed in Winter of 2012 with veteran musicians whose love of reggae music flows deep. Last fall we reviewed Root SHOCK’s self-titled release and said “Their self titled debut is an authentic embodiment of the magnetizing performances that have continued to draw in larger crowds wherever they go” amid an interview with Phil Grajko.
In September 2015, we reviewed the group’s Funk n Waffles show and editor Ally Dean said “The high-energy atmosphere fostered a connectedness and comfort level allowing several liberated spectators to remove their shoes, showing off some fancy footwork, toes unrestricted.” The band just last week released their latest video “Sunlight.”
Check back Monday for the 2017 winner!
Voting begins at Noon on Thursday, March 30 and ends at midnight on Saturday, April 1 and we’ll announce the winner on Monday, April 3!
We’d like to thank our regional sponsors The Hollow Bar and Kitchen, Nietzsche’s Buffalo, The Downtown Barn and Castle Studio. These small businesses represent the best of what New York State has to offer and celebrate music while inviting local and touring bands to perform for growing local scenes across the state.
I like to think anyone can appreciate a joke band with a solid gimmick. Just as long as it doesn’t go over people’s heads, anyone should get it under the right circumstances. That’s what drew me to Buffalo’s Tralf Music Hall on the March 23 to see the Mockstrosity tour, a collection of three such joke bands with substantial cult followings taking their gimmicks nationwide.
Hell, the show posters show an evil Ronald McDonald, a black-clad mariachi member, and stupid sexy Ned Flanders tearing up buildings Godzilla-style. They are well aware of their jokes and embrace it wholeheartedly.
Oh I had questions as to how these bands decided to tour together in the first place. But I left my sense of reality at the door, choosing to believe the story Mac Sabbath singer Ronald Osborne told the audience during their set. Evidently, Mac Sabbath was tired of playing with other “Drive-Thru Metal” bands, like Twisted Sizzler and Bauhaus of Pancakes, writer of the hit song “Taco Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” and organized an “international” tour with bands of different metal genres.
The first act, Okilly Dokilly, the world’s only “Nedal” band, came on stage rather unceremoniously. Amidst the covered props for the other acts, the five members, with their green sweaters, khakis, and Ned Flanders mustaches, gave the audience their first sense of leaving reasonable music taste outside. The singer, “Head Ned,” greeted the audience with a “Howdilly Doodilly neighboreenos!” in his best Ned Flanders voice before starting off with “They Warned Me (that the devil would be attractive).”
Their entire setlist was like a rundown of the most quotable Ned Flander’s phrases. Songs like “Godspeed Little Doodle,” “You’re a Jerk,” and the time Ned Flanders was the devil and tricked Homer into eating a donut to steal his soul. Since the whole joke is centered on how a metalcore band writes songs about such an innocent character, it’s all the more amusing how Head Ned alternates between screaming the lyrics and resuming his impression in between songs. This goes to the extreme as he goes on a monologue about how left-handed people are at war with society in general (like spiral notebooks and pants). He would also occasionally wrestle with the keyboardist on stage, when the keyboard wasn’t being thrown around of course.
Okilly Dokilly ended their show with arguably the most iconic Flander’s quote of them all, “Nothing at All.” Head Ned even revealed himself to be wearing a ski suit underneath his other outfit, to which he just had to say, “Feels like I’m wearing nothing at all.” With one last “Nedal” hoorah, including a bit of the Offspring’s “Gone Away,” Okilly Dokilly left the stage as unceremoniously as they came on.
The second crazy act on, Metalachi, was lead on stage with a hype man, claiming they’d convert all the Metalachi virgins in the crowd tonight. With a setup that included bra-covered microphones and outfits like any 80’s metal band would wear, the five-piece band, from Juarez, Mexico by way of Los Angeles, launched right away with “Symphony of Destruction” and “Ace of Spades.” Between songs, there would be plenty of banter between the singer, Veca de la Rockha, and the trumpeter, El Cucuy, joking about being so close to the Canadian border and finding a girl to get a green card.
The range of their covers was all over the place. The beginning had them singing the likes of Dio, Def Leppard, and Guns N Roses, before moving onto Sublime and Journey, where the big guitar player, Nacho Picante, sang “Open Arms,” to an audience member decked out in skull facepaint. Then the violinist, “Queen” Kyla Vera,” performed an instrumental medley containing the likes of Metallica, Zeppelin, and Iron Maiden before moving onto more Metallica, AC/DC, and ending with “Raining Blood.”
So, yes: a mariachi band playing metal covers. They sound as if a Mexican restaurant house band decided to have a more twisted version of Day of the Dead. But oh man, did I have a smile on my face for every bit of metal I did recognize.
The final act, the one most people in the audience wore shirts of, the one that had roadies dressed as fast food employees, and had props of evil looking Ronald McDonalds and a burger drum kit, Mac Sabbath took the stage to audio that sounded like it was talking about the evil clown sightings in North Carolina. As their curtain fell, playing their “War Pigs” parody “More Ribs,” Ronald Osborne came out wearing a straightjacket, eventually freeing himself of it as the song went on. As the song ended, as Ronald proclaimed Mac Sabbath are the forefathers of “Drive-Thru Metal,” the audience chanted out “Drive-Thru Metal” (because Buffalonians can’t pass up a chance to chant ‘Let’s Go Buffalo’).
After performing “Sweet Beef,” Ronald explained the already mentioned reasons for the tour. He joked about partying with Metalachi down in Mexico and how they retired their t-shirt cannon out of respect for Maude Flanders. They later made a reference to “White Wine Spritzer” and Okilly Dokilly’s crazy keyboard player later on, wondering if he could come back on. For some reason, after performing “Lord of the Swirl,” which featured Ronald pulling a giant straw out of his pants and drinking beer, he made a Blue Velvet reference (Pabst Blue Ribbon?) before a lip synced interlude of Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams” where even Ronald acknowledged, “That was weird.”
In the spaces between the songs, Ronald essentially did stand-up comedy all revolving around bad food and restaurant puns, though he pretty much had to carry the show since Slayer McCheese and Grimalice couldn’t talk due to their costumes, and The Catburgler just doesn’t talk, he just made rimshots at the bad punchlines. I’m pretty sure at one point, he was just reciting the “The Duck Song,” (the one that goes “Got any grapes?”)
In all fairness, Mac Sabbath themselves do pretty solid Sabbath covers, capturing the various kinds of metal genres they spawned back in the 70’s. But when “Children of the Grave” becomes “Chicken of the Slaves,” complete with Ronald downing some chicken nuggets and slapping together metal spatulas, it very much becomes it’s own unique thing. The same goes for closers “Frying Pan” and “Pair-of-buns,” complete with Ronald eating the head off a fake bat.
I’m probably not looking hard enough as to when bands like these go out on nationwide tours, since I’m a fan of similarly comedic acts like Weird Al and Ninja Sex Party. I can legitimately see how someone came up with these bizarre ideas, both with and without the use of illicit substances. And I can see why each of them has legitimate cult followings. The three bands do well enough on their own, but playing all together in one night play off each other well. Okilly Dokilly brings the modern reference weirdness, Metalachi brings out the ethnic party atmosphere, and Mac Sabbath brings the bizarre politics/classic rock vibes. Certainly something to enjoy and laugh with for an evening.
Buffalo’s best kept secret is about to break out. Super American has been wowing the local music scene with its youthful energy and optimism. With two music videos out now and a debut album hitting the market on April 7, these boys are poised to top the indie pop scene.
Photo by Andy DeLuca
The core of Super American is Matt Cox and Pat Feeley, with friends helping to fill out on drums and guitar. NYS Music interviewed Cox to learn more about Super American’s peppy tunes, clever phrases and… pineapples?
Paula Cummings: Let’s start with the one burning question that’s on everyone’s mind: what’s up with the Year of the Pineapple?
Matt Cox: Before we started taking all the photos of our friends at shows, we all referred to the Year of the Pineapple as this sense of optimism for the upcoming year. When the year started, we didn’t have much of a choice, because we laid the foundation that this is the year of the pineapple. It’s a fun way to start the year.
PC: So people are bringing pineapples to the shows. What are you doing with all of them?
MC: When people do bring them to the shows, I’m not sure what they do with it. I typically leave it or I’ll pass it along. The last time we brought one out someone asked for it, so they take it and it makes its way to the bar or wherever it’s going.
PC: Tell me a little about how Super American started.
MC: We were working on songs about this time last year. We’ve been friends, Pat had in bands separately from myself and vice versa. It was something we talked about working on music together. We got together about this time last year and we haven’t looked back.
PC: So you guys were in separate projects, but ran in the same circles in Buffalo.
MC: Yeah, it’s a tight-knit community. We recorded our album through the spring of last year, we wrote it over the winter. We played a few shows in the summer. That’s when we gained the attention of Joe from the label, and put things on hold til the end of the year. And now we are going to release the album on April 7.
PC: I’m looking forward to it. Going back to the community, you’ve been working with Andy DeLuca. What was it like working with him for the music videos and promotional photos?
MC: Working with Andy, I personally grew up with Andy around the corner. He was a friend, and he was someone who inspired me at a young age. So I got to learn how to make music from Andy and learned how to be creative from Andy. Some of my best jokes were stolen from Andy, and at one point we were roommates. He just moved to the city, but seeing what he’s been able to do in a short period of time is awesome. When you have an opportunity to work with someone like that you let it happen, and you don’t take any second for granted, because he could obviously be spending his time elsewhere at this point. So we’re lucky to have him as part of our team.
PC: I think he’s captured your aesthetic – that retro feel-good throw-back to an earlier, simpler time.
MC: Definitely. When we made the video [for “Sloppy Jazz“] we didn’t have too much of a plan ahead of time. We just had an idea. We just went at it. And you just get out of the way of someone that talented who has a vision. He did an awesome job. The video he did was amazing.
PC: Did he also direct the video for “Congratulations?”
MC: He did. That was actually Pat’s idea. The stand still lyric video, which was cool. And Andy said where to sit and things like that, and he did the lyrics. We actually recorded those videos on the same day.
PC: On your band profile, you identify your genre as “Poolhouse Rock.”
MC: We were spending a lot of time this past winter in a suburb of Buffalo, in East Aurora. We’d go there every weekend just to get out of the city. There was a lot going on in the city. Sometimes it’s a bit repetitive and there are a lot of distractions. So we would go to East Aurora to get inspired, and not even just to write music. Our friend had a pool house that was potentially available to rent. So Poolhouse Rock is something Pat came up with. It’s about defining music, and removing yourself (from the label of a genre) to hear it objectively. So Poolhouse Rock works for Super American.
PC: How would you describe your music?
MC: We made a lot of effort to capture that same energy that we had in past bands that were a bit louder and more aggressive in an audible sense. So the energy, but a little easier to listen to. We made an effort to try and step up as musicians in this batch of songs we recorded, and I really hope we accomplished that.
PC: What I like about the album is that it’s pop and it’s fun, but it’s got a message to it.
MC: I’d say it’s a very friendly record. We wrote the songs all together. Our good friend Fred Cimato, who played in a band called Cute is What We Aim For for a number of years, really helped us when we were writing songs and arrangement and recording the album. Fred is intelligent when it comes to songwriting and producing. And Rob Grabowski, our drummer at the time, had a part in it. So it was a lot of heads put together for all the songs on the record. Our friends Fred and Rob recorded with us and were on the videos. Rob has moved to NYC and Fred is always down to help if needed. Now it’s Pat, myself, Steve Gardner, and Elliot Douglas.
PC: Where did you record the album?
MC: We were actually very fortunate in that aspect. We have a studio called CGR Studio that’s owned and operated by Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls. It’s been around many years. Rob’s done a good job renovating the studio. He’s had people like James Taylor come here to record parts of his album and people such as Lil Wayne. That’s the reputation CRG has. We’re very lucky to have a place to make something like that. We recorded with Jay Zubricky, who’s a producer here in Buffalo. He engineered it, mixed it and produced it.
PC: What led to the signing with Take This To Heart Records?
MC: We were looking at putting it out with a label. We were looking for a team approach. Joe (the owner of Take This To Heart Records) was very nice to us. We have the same goals. He’s been getting us exposure on playlists. Working with Joe has been great so far.
PC: What are your band goals for the year of the pineapple?
MC: To live up to the standard of the year of the pineapple. And continue to grow as a band and as artists and grow as people. And if we’re able to do that then I think that those things our band looks forward to like touring and playing shows will take care of themselves.
PC: Anything else you’d like to add?
MC: I would suggest that people listen to the Del Paxton record. I highly recommend it.
Photo by Andy DeLuca
Disposable and pineapple-themed Super American t-shirts are available to preorder on Take This to Heart Records.
Upcoming Shows:
4/8 – Buffalo, NY @ Waiting Room
4/14 – New York, NY @ TBA
5/24 – Brooklyn, NY @ Shea Stadium
5/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Alternative Underground
5/26 – Washington, DC @ Electric Maid
Taking Back Sunday announced a summer tour with Every Time I Die that will be book ended by dates in New York, opening in New York City and closing out in Utica and Buffalo.
Long Island’s Taking Back Sunday will head out on tour this summer with Buffalo metalcore act Every Time I Die. The 28 night tour takes them across the country and back, kicking off at New York City’s Webster Hall on July 14 and closing out on Aug. 19 with a hometown show for Every Time I Die at the Waiting Room Summer Stage in Buffalo. They make one other New York stop on Aug. 18 at the Saranac Brewery in Utica. The only other Northeast dates are July 16 at the House of Blues in Boston and Aug. 16 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh.
Joining Taking Back Sunday and Every Time I Die are New Jersey’s Modern Chemistry for the first half of the tour and South Carolina’s All Get Out for the second half. Every Time I Die will be absent from the shows on July 20 and 22 in Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida, respectively.
Prior to the start of the tour with Every Time I Die, Taking Back Sunday will perform at the Great South Bay Music Festival in Patchogue. New Found Glory, 311 and Saves the Day also play the festival.
As part of the summer tour, the band is offering VIP passes that give fans early entrance into the shows, a VIP laminate and lanyard, an embossed journal and bookmark and access to an acoustic set. The VIP tickets are on sale now through the band’s website. General tickets for the summer tour go on sale Friday, March 24 at 10 a.m.
Taking Back Sunday Summer Tour Dates
July 14 – Webster Hall – New York, NY *
July 16 – House of Blues – Boston, MA *
July 19 – Masquerade – Heaven Stage – Atlanta, GA *
July 20 – House of Blues – Orlando * #
July 21 – Jannus Live – St. Petersburg, FL *
July 22 – Mavericks – Jacksonville, FL * #
July 24 – Gas Monkey Live! – Dallas, TX *
July 25 – Tricky Falls – El Paso, TX *
July 26 – Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ *
July 27 – Hard Rock at the Pool – Las Vegas, NV *
July 28 – Obervatory North Park – San Diego, CA *
July 29 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA *
July 31 – The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA *
Aug. 1 – Ace of Spades – Sacramento, CA *
Aug. 3 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR ^
Aug. 4 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA ^
Aug. 6 – Knitting Factory – Boise, ID ^
Aug. 7 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT ^
Aug. 8 – Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO ^
Aug. 9 – Bourbon Theatre – Lincoln, NE ^
Aug. 10 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN ^
Aug. 12 – The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI ^
Aug. 13 – Crofoot Ballroom – Pontiac, MI ^
Aug. 14 – Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH ^
Aug. 15 – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH ^
Aug. 16 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA ^
Aug. 18 – Saranac Brewery – Utica, NY ^
Aug. 19 – Waiting Room Summer Stage – Buffalo, NY ^
* with Modern Chemistry
# without Every Time I Die
^ with All Get Out
Vermont jam band Twiddle and Buffalo groove rockers Aqueous teamed up for a legendary weekend of music. Saturday March 4, not only marked Twiddle’s first two-night run at the historical venue, but also marked Aqueous’ debut. Saturday night was marked a sell out, while Sunday night ticket sales landed just under capacity.
Aqueous made the most out of their debut weekend. The band’s hometown fan base came out in full support, with many AQ fans traveling to witness the group’s first shows at the Town Ballroom. Mike Abrahamson made the five hour drive from Hudson Falls, NY and commented, “I’ve never heard a crowd that loud for the opening band. It was insanity.”
Saturday night, Aqueous opened with the fan favorite “Strange Times.” Moving forward, the set progressed to a newer tune, the recently debuted “Second Sight.” “Numbers and Facts” took a highly talked about turn, when the band switched gears midway and debuted a cover of the NWA classic “Express Yourself,” featuring bassist Evan McPhaden on vocals with Twiddle bassist Zdenek Gubb on bass duties. McPhaden took to crowd surfing before returning to the stage to conclude “Numbers and Facts” with the band. Aqueous closed out their debut set with the high energy “Don’t Do It” from their EP Best in Show.
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Twiddle held nothing back on night one, instantly commanding the room with “Blunderbuss” an intense, high energy instrumental that is slated for release on the upcoming Plump – Chapter 2. Their Saturday night set was a varied list of fan favorites that spanned the band’s catalog including “Brick of Barley,” “Carter Candlestick,” “Indigo Trigger” and “Lost in the Cold.”
Twiddle also welcomed Aqueous guitarist Mike Ganzter for the Twiddle instrumental “Latin Tang.” Ganzter’s guitar work added an incredible layer of guitar harmonies. It also added an incredible layer of on-stage camaraderie. There is an evident level of musical respect and appreciation between the two bands that shines, specifically when Gantzer and Twiddle guitarist Mihali Savoulidis take the stage together.
The night concluded with Ganzter returning to the stage with McPhaden on synth. The pair sat-in with Twiddle for the Ray Parker Jr. hit “Ghostbusters.” The encore choice was inspired by a plaque in the venue, listing the site at one of Western New York’s most haunted buildings. Formerly known as the Town Casino and used as a speakeasy during Prohibition, employees of the Town Ballroom often report ghost sightings, unexplained sounds through the venue’s basement tunnels and the venue’s equipment often turning on without explanation.
Both bands used Saturday night’s momentum to launch a Sunday night burner. Aqueous came out firing, bringing a unique twist to some of their most beloved tunes. The night was kicked off with “Underlyer” and “Marty.” AQ then fired into an alternative funk version of “Eon Don” (nicknamed “Eon Ron”) before bringing on Twiddle drummer Brook Jordan for the David Bowie classic “Let’s Dance.” Vocals on the tune were handled by Aqueous drummer Rob Houk. Aqueous concluded their two-night run at the Town Ballroom with the high energy favorite “Origami.”
Longtime Buffalo fan Matt Shotwell enjoyed the band’s take on songs he’s heard at many previous shows: “Still can’t get over how they gave seemingly every song at least a slight reworking. New tempos, new licks and teases aplenty.”
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Sunday night proved that Aqueous is poised to move into larger venues. Their sound is built to fill a larger space. Abrahamson summed it up best telling NYS Music, “The boys absolutely commanded the attention of the room without hiccups. The sound was perfect in my opinion. It can be hard to upscale your sound to a bigger stage but they had no problem whatsoever.”
Their incredible use of layers and depth, enhanced by Lighting Director Ryan Bress, showcased an entire stage package that hometown fans have longed to see. Bress, also went on to light Twiddle both nights to rave reviews.
Twiddle brought high energy on Sunday night. The mellow mood established by first set opener “Subconscious Prelude” was quickly turned on its ear as the band turned the Town Ballroom into a dance party fueled by “Apples>Funkytown>Apples.” Set one also contained fan favorite “Gatsby the Great” and concluded with the instrumental tune “The Catapillar.”
Set two kicked off with “Earth Mama” followed by the moody and edgy combination of “Wasabi Eruption > The Box.” The four-song set concluded with “Syncopated Healing” featuring Ganzter on a quitar solo that had fans of both band’s talking. NYS Music Photographer Tim Merrill, who was shooting at the time even noted that “Gantzers solo during syncopated had me in tears in the pit. It was beautiful.” Ganzter returned to the stage with Twiddle for a Radiohead “Karma Police” encore.
Taylor Cauwels, who traveled both nights from Rochester, summed up the feelings of a lot of fans at the conclusion of the weekend. She told NYS Music, “So thankful for this band and the medicine they provide. I leave every show with more “frends” than I came with. The amazing feelings that radiated throughout the Ballroom were almost overwhelming. My cheeks still hurt from smiling so much.”
Gantzer left the weekend feeling supported by their local fan base. “I feel a true sense of pride and admiration for our fan base at this moment in time,” he said. “Our hometown crowd really brought it (as they always do), and the weekend was full of absolute magic because of their incredible energy and excitement; it was a shared experience and one that I’ll likely never forget.”
The weekend was not only a success for Twiddle and Aqueous, but also for the Twiddle fan funded organization The White Light Foundation. The charity held its first event in Buffalo successfully raising money for two Western New York charities, Crisis Services and Going to The Dogs Rescue.
Ganzter noted that, “We also have been having THE BEST time with the twiddle boys and their awesome crew, so we’re psyched to keep this momentum going with them on and off stage!”
Twiddle and Aqueous hit the road together again and head to Keene, New Hampshire on March 17 and March 18. The two bands will also be making stops together in Stroudsburg, PA and Washington, D.C. before concluding their shows together at the Playstation Theatre in New York City on March 31 and April 1. Aqueous was also recently announced on Twiddle’s Festival Tumble Down which will be held in Burlington on July 28 and July 29.
Twiddle Setlist via uTwiddle.net
Saturday 3/4/2017 Set 1: Blunderbuss, Polluted Beauty, White Light, Brick Of Barley, Carter Candlestick
Set 2: Wildfire, Indigo Trigger, Dr. Remidi’s Melodium, Latin Tang[1], Lost In The Cold Encore: Ghostbusters[2]
Show Notes: [1] “Latin Tang” featured Mike Gantzer (Aqueous) on guitar. [2] “Ghostbusters” featured Mike Gantzer (Aqueous) on guitar and Evan McPhaden (Aqueous) on bass.
Sunday 3/5/2017 Set 1: Subconscious Prelude, Apples -> Funky Town -> Apples, Gatsby The Great, Dusk ‘Til Dawn, The Catapillar
Set 2: Earth Mama, Wasabi Eruption -> The Box, Syncopated Healing[1] Encore: Karma Police[1]
Show Notes: [1] “Syncopated Healing” and “Karma Police” featured Mike Gantzer (Aqueous) on guitar.
Aqueous setlist via – aqueousband.com
Saturday 3/4/2017 Set 1: Strange Times, Second Sight, Numbers and Facts > Express Yourself1 2 3 > Numbers and Facts, Don’t Do It
Show Notes: 1NWA cover, Aqueous debut 2 Evan rapping (Last Evan rap – 2013/5/11 436 shows)3 Gubb [Twiddle] on bass, Donkey Kong theme in DDI, Post rapping Evan crowd surfed. #rockstar
Sunday 3/5/2017 Set 1: Underlyer > Marty, Eon Don > Let’s Dance1 2 > Complex Pt. I, Origami
Show Notes: 1 Rob on vocals 2 Brook Jordan [Twiddle] on drums, Let’s Dance last played 2016/8/11 67 shows
Synth-pop trio Humble Braggers are heading out on a run of shows across the state. The tour coincides with the release of their debut full-length album, I Know Better, I’m No Better. It all starts with a hometown show at Nietzsche’s in Buffalo on March 10. From there, they travel across the state and circle back to Fredonia on March 22. Tickets are on sale now.
Tour Dates:
March 10 – Neitzches – Buffalo
March 14 – Bug Jar – Rochester
March 15 – The Range – Ithaca
March 16 – Silvana – Harlem
March 17 – Ralph’s Diner – Worcester, MA
March 18 – Pianos – Manhattan
March 22 – BJ’s – Fredonia
I Know Better, I’m No Better is out on Admirable Traits Records on March 10. The single “Weight” can be streamed now on Soundcloud.
On Saturday, February 25, the bizarre weeklong heatwave in Buffalo finally came to an end as snow blustered across the city. And at the Waiting Room, numerous patrons were wearing Wu-Tang Clan shirts, GZA hats, and one wearing a New York Rangers style jersey, but with Wu-Tang images instead. The smell of weed permeated the air, and the audience on the bottom floor stage was packed from the front stage to where the merchandise stand would normally be. Wu-Tang was certainly representing this evening. And the crowd was here for one of it’s prime members: GZA the Genius.
Born Gary Grice from Brooklyn, New York, the GZA is the cousin of Wu-Tang mastermind RZA. He’s the oldest member of the 9-piece rap group and the only MC who released an album before the Wu-Tang Clan formed. He’s often regarded as having one of the most extensive vocabularies of any MC, which I suppose comes naturally with being in a group with as far ranging rhyme styles as the Wu-Tang Clan. It must come from trying to keep up with everyone else.
GZA wasn’t touring behind a new release. His last solo work was 2008’s Pro Tools, and the last Wu-Tang project was the infamous Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. The Genius decided to take the mostly Wu-Tang clad audience on a trip down memory lane, spitting out some of his best-known rhymes from his 90’s glory period.
The majority of the first set of song/excerpts were from the acclaimed Liquid Swords, the album that established where, even if he was solo, GZA was one of the most lyrically adept members of the clan. From the standard hip-hop braggado of “Duel of the Iron Mic,” and “Shadowboxin’,” to the more street-conscious “Gold,” “I Got Ya Back,” and “Living in the World Today,” it’s impressive how GZA can still manage such precise, dense lyrics from albums made 2 decades ago, even as the backing tracks cut out to let the audience chant along some of the iconic lines.
Something else that was prominent throughout the performance was how GZA, in his effort to appeal to the massive Wu-Tang fans there, would rap some of the other MC’s lines, occasionally some songs he had no part in. The DJ said a few times during the set this show was dedicated to the deceased Ol’ Dirty Bastard. And as a proper tribute goes, the audience was hectic as the piano line of “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” started playing, with them shouting how they “like it raaaaaw.” The same was for when songs from the Wu-Tang’s debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was playing. Aside from “Clan in Da Front,” essentially a GZA solo track, he went through other MC’s verses on “Protect Ya Neck,” “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin ta F’ Wit,” and “C.R.E.A.M.” (dolla dolla bils y’all!)
During a break in-between songs, GZA asked the crowd where we got the name Buffalo from anyway, out of curiosity. Mainly because he goes through towns with Native American names, of which Buffalo is one such place. GZA then went on a bit where he asked if there were any Trump supporters here (there were none), followed by if there were anti-Trump people there, where the whole crowd responded. He then gave off a “we’re not with you,” before saying how “we’re gonna make America great again our way.”
GZA even jumped into the crowd to do a rendition of “Crash Your Crew,” surrounded by eager fans taking cell phone pics and videos. Some bodyguards came out from backstage in case any fans got a bit too crazy. He also casually signed autographs in the middle of his set, sometimes while still in the middle of rapping. That showed the level of cool and experience GZA gave off.
The show ended with a seemingly freestyle bit incorporating “Triumph,” “Shame on a Nigga,” and “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin ta F’ Wit,” ending an hour-long set keeping the Wu faithful plenty satisfied. And no doubt if any other of the Wu’s killer bees ever come into town again, the same situation will play itself out again.
I can’t believe I made it this far in life without ever seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers but I’m so glad I was able to drive in a snow storm from Syracuse to the Key Bank Center in Buffalo on February 10 to make this at the last possible minute. I just feel bad for missing the openers. Going into this concert my first thought was “what on earth is this band going to be like without John Frusciante?!” And honestly this band still holds its own as the kings of funk rock. Guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is damn amazing at what he does, plays the parts justified, the solos slightly different, but nails the backing vocals.
Overall, the band is as vital as it ever was, and show no signs of slowing down. But their stage production was massive and unique. Above the crowd and stage was the new kinetic light sculpture, designed by the production company called TAIT Towers. This technique and stage design has never been done before at other shows. The band made an ambitious move to excite the crowd and add to their already insane musical experience. It is really hard to explain how these lights work but check out this link to see a better explanation.
The band opened with a cool little jam before frontman Anthony Kiedis stormed the stage before going into “Can’t Stop” and “Dani California.” I also want to point out that Flea is still one of the most bad ass bassists ever to grace music and Chad Smith can pound the drums meaner than Animal the Muppet. Eat your heart out Will Farrell. Also in addition to all the crazy production, the band had additional musicians when they performed songs off their latest album The Getaway. They had an additional guitarist, keyboardist, and percussionist to make the songs more massive. It was also cool to see the band do jams, bass interludes, and guitar solos in between songs, as well as showing off their sense of humor.
One of the highlights of the night was “Aeroplane” which was off their 1995 album One Hot Minute which featured Dave Navarro on guitar at the time….which was why it was such an unexpected treat to hear. And my life was complete towards the end of the show when they played the iconic “Under The Bridge.” Found it interesting when the band did a cover of Iggy and The Stooges’ “Search and Destroy” in which Kiedis took his shirt off. Not sure if that was supposed to be a nod to Iggy himself. The band closed off their set with “By The Way” before a kick ass two song encore of “Good Bye Angels” off The Getaway and the oh-so-fun and dirty song “Give It Away” which the crowd went bananas over.
Overall it was an unforgettable night, I would expect RHCP will be back in NY very soon and will still sell out a massive arena…and it would be great to see what kind of ambitious production they would carry next. Not to mention with so many albums out, there’s so many songs that still need to be incorporated into their set.
Grabbitz has made a name for himself in his young EDM career. His remix of the Deadmau5 track “Silent Picture,” eventually led to the pair collaborating on the Deadmau5’s hit single, “Let Go,” where you can hear Grabbitz on vocals. The single peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic charts, and has over 10 million views on YouTube.
A brief intro to each of our finalists:
Long Island’s 
Born Gary Grice from Brooklyn, New York, the GZA is the cousin of Wu-Tang mastermind RZA. He’s the oldest member of the 9-piece rap group and the only MC who released an album before the Wu-Tang Clan formed. He’s often regarded as having one of the most extensive vocabularies of any MC, which I suppose comes naturally with being in a group with as far ranging rhyme styles as the Wu-Tang Clan. It must come from trying to keep up with everyone else.
GZA even jumped into the crowd to do a rendition of “Crash Your Crew,” surrounded by eager fans taking cell phone pics and videos. Some bodyguards came out from backstage in case any fans got a bit too crazy. He also casually signed autographs in the middle of his set, sometimes while still in the middle of rapping. That showed the level of cool and experience GZA gave off.