It should come at no surprise that there is a staggering amount of music roaring into New York the weekend of New Years Eve. One noteworthy music venue illustrating this trend is Anthology in Rochester, bringing concertgoers a three-night music marathon over New Years. On Friday, Dec. 29, Rubblebucket soars into Rochester with special guest, Cuddle Magic. Following that, Forever Party, a two night reggae-infused New Year’s celebration will thunder into the humble city on Dec. 30 and 31. Night one of Forever Party will showcase Ithaca’s reggae juggernaut John Brown’s Body and co-headliner, Rochester’s Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad. Thunder Body, another Rochester reggae powerhouse will open up the night. On night two, G.P.G.D.S. will perform again with the legendary Easy Star All-Stars headlining and the Saplings opening up the night. It’s safe to say harmonious melodies will echo through the streets New Year’s weekend.
Indie-dance sensations Rubblebucket of Brooklyn, have developed a cult-like following in Rochester, stopping by the city annually ever since they began creating music extensively over ten years ago. Rubblebucket is set to entertain its audience with the harmonious bliss of howling vocals, a horn section, and a crunchy synth. Rubblebucket’s eccentric take on funk and pop music fuses into a genre better left undefined. Dec.29 is just the beginning of NYE at Anthology in Rochester.
Dec. 30, night one of Forever Party, marks John Brown’s Body’s second to last show before taking an indefinite hiatus. This hiatus will hold a place in New York history as it may mark the end of John Brown Body’s nearly 25 year journey. Since their formation in the mid 1990s, J.B.B. has spearheaded the resurgence of roots and dub throughout the region, modernizing the genre, and keeping it relevant with their “Future Roots” style. This bittersweet evening will be their last headlining show for the foreseeable future. Dec. 31 will be their final show indefinitely as they open for Stick Figure at the House Of Blues in Boston.
On Dec.31, New York City’s Easy Star All-Stars will play their internationally recognized album, Dub Side Of The Moon in its entirety. For those who missed the pun, the album is a Reggae/Dub interpretation of Pink Floyd’s historic Dark Side Of The Moon. Easy Star All-Stars masterfully echoes Pink Floyd’s mysterious psychedelia through the lens of a Jamaican rude-boy.
Following the Easy Star All-Stars on night two of Forever Party, the proverbial reggae torch will passed to Rochester’s Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad for their second night in a row. G.P.G.D.S started rocking roots reggae in the mid 2000’s, creating a buzz by regularly touring and opening for John Brown’s Body. Rightfully earned, the young band grew into one of the most respected reggae acts in the U. S. Their seamless ability to cross between the genres of reggae, jam, and country has earned them the reign of Rochester’s top music festival band. On Dec. 31, G.P.G.D.S will hold the torch as they return to set the city of Rochester aflame on New Years day.
As I sat in Anthology in Rochester, NY waiting for Victor Wooten to speak with me I had no idea what to expect. The crew setup the stage across the room to get everything ready for the upcoming soundcheck, but there was no sign of Victor. I sat and pondered how different the room would be in a few hours once it was filled up with enthused fans, and enjoyed the calm before the storm on the large, open dance floor. Victor walked in the front doors the same way I did, with a cup of coffee in his hand and a sigh of relief escaping the cold. Without hesitation he walked over to me, asked if I was conducting the interview, smiled and shook my hand as he introduced himself (as if I didn’t know who he was).
Interviewing Victor was less an “interview” and more a conversation. When he spoke, his big brown eyes locked in with mine, and it truly felt like we were the only two in the room. He is a genuinely caring individual who’s love for his craft and dedication to art was evident with every word he spoke. To him, music is about openness, letting go of your ego, and creating magic. He was ecstatic to speak about each project he was working on, and his passion for life and music is something he carries openly with him. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend a half hour sitting down one on one with a music legend of his stature. Below is our full conversation:
Ryan Randazzo: You recently released a new album, Trypnotyx, what inspired you to assemble this particular group of musicians to record this album?
Victor Wooten: I played with these two guys, together, with a jazz guitarist named Mike Stern. Immediately I knew I’d love to do some of my own music with them, so the germ of the idea started years ago. With everyone’s schedules, the time was now right to do it.
RR: When you recorded this album what was the process like? Was it different from other projects you’ve worked on or recording with the Flecktones?
VW: A little bit different from the Flecktones, but very similar to recording my own records. A lot of it is me in the studio by myself working on ideas, then sending them to the other guys to add things to or see what they think. Bob Franceschini, the saxophone player, was doing the same thing; he was coming up with ideas as well. With the Flecktones, we do a lot in the studio together, but because of Bob and Dennis Chamber’s schedules, a lot of it was separately done. Mostly the writing, then we would get together and get parts recorded.
RR: It sounds like technology has made it a lot easier to get things done.
VW: Absolutely. Technology is amazing these days. I would say even more than not, records are done separately. At least for me, it’s rare that I’m in the studio with the whole band.
RR: Do you prefer recording separately?
VW: In many cases yes because then I can record on my own terms in my own studio. I can go up and have dinner with my kids then go back down to the studio. Also, I can take my time getting my parts together rather than having to work on someone else’s stuff, but I like both. There’s nothing like having other people in the studio to collaborate with.
RR: Playing with the trio requires you to fill a lot more space. Do you prefer playing with the trio or a bigger band, and what are some of the differences you’ve noticed as a bass player?
VW: I’m lucky to play in many different situations. I like them all. When the band is bigger I have to do less, which is nice. With a trio like this, and there’s no chordal instrument, I have to do more like playing chords and melodies, but the challenge here is to not feel like I have to fill up all the space. Space is beautiful and it’s easy to go “oh it’s a trio, I better play more.” Sometimes it’s playing less that allows the trio to sound its best, so it’s a challenge.
RR: What do you typically prefer?
VW: I just like choices. If I did one thing all the time I would long for the other. The fact that I get to do a lot of different things keeps me musically happy.
RR: As a well-respected musician, who do you look up to at this point in your life?
VW: I have lots of heroes. There are lots of guys I learned things from growing up. I could name the normal names like Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius, before that even James Jamerson, Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham, Paul McCartney; I could just go on. Also, people that I grew up with, and they’re names you’ll never know, that taught me just as much because they helped me grow as a youngster.
The biggest influences were my four older brothers. That’s the whole reason that I played. I was born into a band, literally. They all played different instruments. Regi plays guitar. Roy aka “Future Man” from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones is a drummer. Rudy, the lesser known of the brothers, passed away a few years ago and was our saxophone player, and Joseph is the keyboard player. Joseph has been touring with the Steve Miller Band since 1993. We played as a band the first half of my life.
RR: Do you have any particular mentor or a go-to person you like to bounce ideas off of?
VW: My brothers are still those mentors. I also have a few other friends. One guy names Steve Bailey. Steve is now the chair of the bass department at the Berkeley College of Music. Another close friend who lives in upstate New York, Dave Welsch, he’s another bassist and teacher. Anthony Wellington is another great bassist and teacher. Steve, Anthony, Dave and I have been teaching together at my own music camp since the year 2000. We always keep in touch with each other to bounce ideas and teach together. Then I’ve got my brothers, and it’s always good to have people like that close.
RR: What is the biggest challenge you faced as a growing musician, and is it something you still encounter today?
VW: Today, my biggest challenge is finding time at home with my kids and my wife. Because I’m successful at what I’m doing, it keeps me on the road a lot of the time. I miss my kids and my family, and they miss me. That’s really the biggest one.
Another one is to try and sell a record. We’re in the record making business, but people don’t buy many records these days. The younger generation expects the music to be free, and that doesn’t make it easy for us. People aren’t buying as much music and they’re not going out to see as much music, but they still want music. As a music maker we face that challenge. For a lot people, if you come to town they have a choice to watch a video on YouTube or go see a show. They can say “I’ll watch it tomorrow” knowing that someone is going to record it. Back in our day, we didn’t have that choice. If someone was coming to town we were there. We didn’t know when or if we would see that person again, so it was a special event when someone came to town. It’s not as special for the young audience anymore.
At the same time, I’ll add this: our generation was different from our parents. Every generation changes. I don’t want to be the old guy complaining about how good it used to be. I want to learn the new way and figure out how I fit into it rather than complain, but at the same time make changes and fix things where we can.
RR: Do you have any daily or pre-show rituals that you do?
VW: Nope, none at all, except to try to be open, calm, and in a good mindset. I have to not be worried or frustrated, and just be calm so the music can flow. I don’t have anything I normally do every time, because if for some reason one day I can’t do it I might get upset or worried. The way I look at it, I’ve been playing bass for about 51 years. I should be ready and warmed up by now.
RR: You’re currently playing with your trio and you’ll be going on tour with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones over the summer, what’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed playing with the two bands?
VW: The biggest difference doesn’t have a lot to do with playing. This band has my name on it, so I have way more responsibilities. With the Flecktones, even though Bela treats all the members equally, I’m still just the bass player. There is a lot less responsibility. That’s nice after coming off many months of being in charge, for lack of a better word. It goes back to me having choices. I like doing my own thing, and I like not having to do my own thing. That’s the biggest difference. The music is different, of course, but it’s fun. Each project is very fun musically, and I really enjoy both of them.
RR: You’ve been really big on music education over the years. What inspired you get into that?
VW: It kind of found me in the late 80’s and early 90’s when Bela Fleck and the Flecktones started becoming more popular. I started becoming more and more popular, and was featured in Bass Player magazine a lot. I found out that if you’re in there enough times people think you must be good, so I started getting asked to do workshops. I had to figure out how to teach what I did. I just learned to play organically, the same way you learn to speak. When you learned to speak you didn’t practice, and no one told you what words to learn first, you just jammed with people all the time. You jammed with people who were better at it then you, and it was the same way I grew up playing the bass with people who were better than me. That’s the fastest, most natural way to learn.
When I started being asked to teach I had to learn how to do it. One of the things I did was start looking at other teachers, and what/how they were teaching. I saw things I liked, but I decided to go a different route. I decided to teach the things that weren’t being taught. Basically, it was anything other than the twelve notes that we use. Most people were teaching twelve notes, and we call that music theory. Music theory, for the most part, only deals with twelve notes and focuses on scales, chords, key signatures, harmony, ear training, and what not, but no one dances to notes. No one jumps up just because a song is in E flat. So what else is there besides notes? That’s what intrigued me, so I started focusing on mostly that. It resonated with a lot of people, and they were asking for more. That’s what resulted in my book called “The Music Lesson.” Many of the lessons I came up with were put into stories.
RR: You’ve played with many people over the years, but is there any particular jam or event that stands out in your mind?
VW: There are a bunch, yeah. Last December, almost a year ago from now, getting to play with Chick Corea for a couple of weeks in a couple of different bands to celebrate his 75th birthday. I got to play in two of those bands, and it was amazing. In one of them I was playing the upright bass, which is not something I do much, but he called me in to do it, so I said okay.
Opening for the Grateful Dead was amazing. I’m not the biggest fan of their music, but I am the biggest fan of them. To open for such a legendary show like that on New Year’s Eve was great. From that spawned me playing with bands like Dave Matthews Band, Phish, and getting to play with all of those kinds of bands. One of my favorites was getting to play with two of my bass heroes Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller. We made an album together titled ‘SMV.’ A lot of times getting to play with my heroes is the biggest treat. But growing up playing with my brothers, and getting to play with Bela Fleck for almost 30 years now, those things are just as special.
Honestly though, the most special gig is the one I’m doing next. All the past ones are just warm ups, training ground, for the one I’m about to do. I need to treat the one I’m about to do as the most special gig ever, or else I feel I’m not giving the audience the full experience they deserve. So really, the most important gig is the one I’m doing or about to do.
RR: What advice do you have for young musicians?
VW: Listen. The same way we learn to speak is by listening. Play more than you practice, find people to jam with, go to hear music, and learn as much as you can, but don’t let learning about music rob you of the enjoyment.
RR: It sounds like this trio is something you’ve wanted to do for a while, are there any other projects you’ve been thinking about that you really want to do?
VW: Oh yeah, lots. One is an acoustic album featuring different acoustic instruments and an acoustic bass. I still have a plan for that. I also want to do a tour with students from my camps, which would be a lot of fun. I usually stay in touch with many of my students, and they make sure of it. They show up at my gigs, and find me on Facebook. Many of them are out doing major gigs themselves.
I have a lot of projects and records I want to do. I still want to do a record with my three remaining brothers, and we’re actually recording something right now.
RR: Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?
VW: Just to let people know they can go to my website and sign up for my camps. We’re about to start our 19th year, and it’s easy to register. Either go to www.VictorWooten.com or you can go straight to the camp website, www.Vixcamps.com. You can just go on and sign up, no audition is required or anything like that.
RR: You have a very large group of students with a very diverse span of knowledge, how do you handle that?
VW: The same way you learn to talk with other kids. You learn much quicker when you talk to people who are older. We apply the same idea to our camp. It benefits both the beginner and more advanced players. For the more advanced players, it allows the people who are stuck to see beginners learning their craft and it inspires them. The most difficult part about that, for me, is finding teachers who are comfortable teaching a group whose ranges of knowledge are so different, and fortunately I’ve found those people.
Our camps our different. I wouldn’t say they’re better, but they’re different. It’s located just outside of Nashville, TN and people can fly in and take a shuttle out there. It’s all inclusive and there is a chef onsite. I’m there 100% of the time, so the mystique of “oh there’s Victor” goes away after a couple of days, and we just become friends. We stay up late, jam by the fire, and get deep into music. It’s a good dream come true for me.
A modern jazz club manifested at Anthology Thursday, December 14, welcoming Victor Wooten Trio with Dennis Chambers (drums) and Bob Franceschini (sax). A red curtain backdrop stippled with strands of soft yellow lights dripping to the floor radiated an understated elegance, setting the mood for the trio’s dichotomous playing style. A melodic infusion of jazz, R&B and funk abstractly bestowed upon eager ears, many belonging to fellow musicians.
The relaxed musicians stood comfortably on stage, emulating a nonchalant but composed demeanor similar to one who might stand in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal while contemplating life’s deep questions.Victor Wooten Trio provided a musical approach that can seem simple upon first listen or to the untrained ear. They offer an underlying complexity that grabs the listener’s attention more fervently with purposeful, controlled sound than a performance riddled with wickedly intricate sequences.
Their performance seemed to unfurl organically, in a free flow of notes with ever-changing rhythms that kept the head bobbers and toe tappers constantly reinventing their own body movements in a frivolous attempt to mirror the music. Wooten, Chambers and Franceschini know when to push and when to pull back, leaving ample space for each musician to unhurriedly showcase their style.
In Wooten’s words from a TEDx talk at Gabriola Island a few years back he offered: “To be a good musician you have to be a good listener. Doesn’t matter how great I am as a bassist. We can put five of the world’s best musicians on this stage but if we’re great separate from each other it’s gonna sound horrible. But if we listen to each other and play together, individually we don’t have to be as great and it’ll sound much better.”
Wooten contrived several noteworthy instances, the least of which was casually slipping from electric to double bass. The latter an instrument he less commonly plays, yet fingertips danced across the fingerboard unabashedly. Fusing classical and modern, he even doubled back to brandish his bow across the electric bass to create provocative sounds. Perhaps one of Wooten’s most intriguing acts unfolded as he utilized his loop pedal to create multiple polyrhythmic melodies, adding each note one at a time. The mounting complexity of this sequence mesmerized listeners because of the precision and patience behind it’s development.
The method of slowly building a progression note by note could be traced back to Wooten’s TED talk where he describes music as a language, and one that he learned at a very early age, when he was also learning the language of speech. Just as children begin by learning one word at a time to build their vocabulary, Wooten still applies that same basic principle on a professional stage decades later to communicate with his audience.
Midway through the evening, Wooten introduced his two comrades before jokingly introducing himself as Stanley Clarke, a prominent jazz bassist. Later on in the set, he treated listeners to a mashup of Clarke originals to the delight of those familiar with his work. The trio inserted other Easter eggs throughout the set, including a Stevie Wonder sample, but even these more recognizable riffs were cleverly disguised, detectable to those listening intently.
What was plainly obvious was Wooten’s almost comically precise ability to manipulate his bass to sound like other instruments. At one point I found my eyes furiously darting across the stage to locate the elusive flute player. Low and behold, it was coming from Wooten’s electric bass. The running joke of the evening was that after talking to him for ten minutes, he could probably make his bass sound like that person’s voice. Perhaps this feat of musical wizardry can serve as his next musical conquest.
Groove-heavy americana quintet Donna The Buffalo of Trumansburg, is returning to Rochester this weekend to distribute an eclectic mash of folk, roots, country, reggae, jam and zydeco, to a devoted local crowd. Accompanied by Rochester’s own, Aaron Lipp and the Slacktones, the foot-stomping, hug-sharing, and partner-twirling will take place on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 PM at Anthology. Advanced tickets are $22.50 and the gate price is $25.
“I love playing music. I love playing the fiddle…I love to sing. I never thought too much about it. I never wondered why I play music. I’ve just always done it. There was never anything else I was gonna do instead. There has never been a question. I was drawn to music. I love listening to it. I love playing it. Music fills me up. It’s one of my languages.” -Tara Nevins of Donna the Buffalo
Nearly thirty years since their humble beginnings, Donna the Buffalo is warming into an extensive winter tour, traveling from New York, to Florida, to Texas, with many show stops in between. There is good reason Donna the Buffalo has toured extensively for the better part of thirty years. The group provides a dynamic high-energy performance that is at one moment completely fun-loving and carefree, then in the next, undoubtably heartfelt and deeply insightful. At every show, the audience experiences poetic stories about life, family, and the human condition. To top off the enthusiasm brought by their live performance, Donna The Buffalo brings improvisation and spontaneity to the table. The band doesn’t work off a set list, rather, co-leaders Jeb Puryea and Tara Nevins take turns choosing the next song in real time.
When I asked Nevins if she had any advice for a young musician with aspirations to pursue the music industry, she retorted, “Do it because you love it don’t do it because you think you’ll be famous. And enjoy the journey..” I think it is crystal clear that Tara Nevins and all of the Donna the Buffalo family do indeed play music that they love, and do indeed enjoy the journey.
If you’re in the Rochester area, check out Donna the Buffalo on Saturday, Dec. 9, and everyone, stay tuned, Donna the Buffalo is recording a new record in February.
How’d you do with our November picks Rochester? We were able to catch a few of our recommendations and thoroughly enjoyed each and everyone. We’re back with five more choice live music options to fill up your Rochester in December calendar so you can end the year strong. Check them out and let us know what you see.
Wednesday, December 6 lespecial @ Funk n Waffles Music Hall
First stop is Funk n Waffles for lespecial, a young electronic-infused trio carving out a name for themselves on the jam band circuit. Childhood friends, these guys have many years worth of connection to each other behind some otherworldly onstage communication. The music flips around furiously and often, keeping surprises around every corner. Is it rock? Or is it world? Is it punk? Or is it jazz? Is it funk? Or is it hip hop? The answer is yes.
Tuesday, December 12 The Black Lillies @ Abilene Bar and Lounge
The joint will be jumping when The Black Lillies return to Abilene. With a full-blooded country and blues rock sound, the old house will be struggling to contain it all. They’re a bit of a rotating cast behind frontman and multi-instrumentalist Cruz Contreras. The current lineup includes bassist and vocalist Sam Quinn, drummer Bowman Townsend, and guitarist/vocalist Dustin Schaefer. This might be the last chance you have to see them before Abilene needs to upgrade these guys to one of their “On the Road” destinations.
Friday, December 29 Hinkley @ Three Heads Brewing
Rochester’s own Hinkley will start the New Year weekend off at Three Heads. Nearing the 20 year mark as a band, they will have plenty of material to draw from, but will likely be favoring their fantastic brand new album, Peak of Light. Their sound hovers amongst the Wilcos and Death Cabs of the world; hints of Americana sand-blasted with more modern and experimental rock sounds.
Friday, December 29 Rubblebucket, Cuddle Magic @ Anthology
Rubblebucket has made Rochester a stop along their New Year’s tour for the past few years at least. There’s not a better time to see them than when you’re in the mood to celebrate. The afro-beat-based horn-infused dance happy music is perfect for a party and this year the party will be at Anthology. Even though it won’t quite be New Year’s Eve, they won’t skimp on the balloons, confetti and wild antics. No stranger to Rochester either, Cuddle Magic will open with their unusual instrumentation and fantastically lush baroque rock sounds.
Sunday, December 31 Easy Star All Stars, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad @ Anthology
Speaking of parties at Anthology, the next two nights they’ll be throwing the Forever Party to end 2017 on a dub note. It all starts on the 30th with John Brown’s Body,Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Thunderbody. JBB and GPGDS are both members of the reggae label, Easy Star Records. The label’s signature band, Easy Star All Stars, are known for recreating famous albums in their own image. On New Year’s Eve they’ll be presenting their spin on a Pink Floyd classic, playing through their Dub Side of the Moon album. That will be followed by another set by GPGDS. Should be a fun time!
Rochester welcomed back Finnish death metal band, Children Of Bodom on Sunday with their commemorative tour celebrating the release of their first album, Something Wild. The American leg of their 20 Years Down & Dirty Tour hit 24 for cities, Rochester being the last American stop before heading for Canada. Joining Children Of Bodom on tour were fellow Finnish Thrash Metal band, Lost Society and Carach Angren, a Black Metal band from the Netherlands along with Uncured, a Death Metal band from New York City.
This tour wasn’t one to miss, reaching both new and old Children Of Bodom fans, playing songs from their first three albums. The crowd showed diversity in sporting a variety of shirts, patches and attire, drawing in metalheads from as far as Albany and Syracuse to Anthology, a restored multi-level auto warehouse on East Avenue. While the crowd initially looked sparse and scattered before the show began as the evening progressed more people began filtering in, filling up the venue.
NYC’s own Progressive Death Metal four piece, Uncured kicked the night off. The band released it’s first full length album Medusa in March 2017.Uncured features brothers Zak and Rex Cox on guitars and vocals, Liam Manley on drums, and Jon Kita on bass.
Following Uncured were fellow Finns, Lost Society who unleashed their energy, keeping the crowd wanting. Hailing from Jyväskylä, Finland, the band consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Samy Elbanna, guitarist and backing vocalist Arttu Lesonen, bassist and backing vocalist Mirko Lehtinen, and drummer Ossi Paananen.
The third band, Carach Angren added an interesting and darker change in atmosphere and was met with an enthusiastic crowd. The band sported corpse paint, an interesting mic stand which included a spinal chord and hip bones, which the vocalist temporarily sporting a skull mask and crown for their set. Carach Angren is Dennis “Seregor” Droomers on vocals, Clemens “Ardek” Wijers on keyboard and Ivo “Namtar” Wijers on drums.
By the time the final and headlinging band, Children of Bodom, took the stage, the crowd was riled, ready and waiting. Frontman Alexi Laiho wasted no time adding a special touch in the getting CoB fans pumped up and wanting more, eagerly met with the crowd throwing up their “horns.” The band’s return to Rochester was well received after the long wait with their prior show with Black Label Society and Clutch at the Main Street Armory on January 30, 2012. Children of Bodom is Alexi Laiho on vocals/lead guitar, keyboardist Janne Wirman, bassist Henkka Seppälä, drummer Jaska Raatikainen and Daniel Freyberg on rhythm guitar.
Setlist: Deadnight Warrior, In the Shadows, Needled 24/7, Hatebreeder, Lake Bodom, Warheart, Hate Me!, Red Light In My Eyes Part 2, Downfall, Everytime I Die, Hate Crew Deathroll, Kissing The Shadows, Children of Bodom
Joywave answered the question off their first LP, How Do You Feel Now? with this year’s second LP, Content. To promote the new album, they spent the summer touring with Young The Giant and Cold War Kids. Now they’re on their own headlining tour. Thanks. Thanks for Coming 2017 tour began on November 11 with a sold out show at Anthology in their hometown of Rochester.
The frigid cold weather didn’t stop people from arriving early. An hour before the show, the line had already wrapped around the corner from Anthology in Rochester’s East End district. Once the doors opened, a smoking hot rock ‘n roll performance by The Demos helped to warm people up.
The Demos
All-female quartet The Aces wowed the audience with their indie pop prowess. Then KOPPS took to the stage, combining vivacious electro-pop songs with synchronized dance moves. By the time the supporting bands wrapped up, the sleek but chic industrial space had filled to capacity.
Joywave started with the title track from their new album. In “Content” singer Daniel Armbruster plays with the homonym ‘content’ and the relationship between commercialism and satisfaction. The theme prevails in other songs from the new album, including “It’s a Trip!” and “Little Lies You’re Told.”
Interspersed between the tracks from Content were songs from across their seven year span, including more obscure tunes like their 2011 single “Golden State” (featuring Armbruster on guitar) and the bonus track from the compilation Swish called “Life In A Bubble I Blew.” They also premiered a brand new song called “Alice.” A Joywave set wouldn’t be complete without songs from How Do You Feel Now?. The crowd went wild with “Destruction,” jumping in time to the beat and singing along, ” Oh my God, there’s nobody who can set me right. I’ve been sent to torch the palace down in broad daylight.”
Daniel Armbruster of Joywave
The tour is called Thanks. Thanks for Coming, so named for one of the tracks on Content. It’s also representative of their immense gratitude for everyone who has been a part of their journey. They took a break between songs to thank everyone, including the supporting bands, the venue, and the local alternative radio station.
The last song of the set was “Going to a Place.” The room resonated with the sound of a thousand voices and a thousand pairs of hands clapping along. Keyboardist Benjamin Bailey extended the outro of the song. He continued to play long after the rest of the band left the stage, before eventually conceding to the end of the song.
Benjamin Bailey of Joywave
It didn’t take much to convince Joywave to come out for an encore. Armbruster picked up the guitar again, plucking along to the simple but sincere tune “Confidence.” They picked up the pace with “Nice House” and “Tongues.” The evening concluded aptly with a performance of “Thanks. Thanks For Coming.”
Joywave is on tour through the end of the month. They will be joined by The Aces, The Demos, and Maybird on select dates. In addition, they are playing a few shows in December. The second leg of the Thanks. Thanks For Coming Tour was just announced. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 17.
Setlist: Content, Now, It’s a Trip!, Shutdown, Life in a Bubble I Blew, Parade, Traveling at the Speed of Light, Alice, Rumors, Little Lies You’re Told, Golden State, Destruction, Doubt, Somebody New, Going to a Place. Encore: Confidence, Nice House, Tongues, Thanks. Thanks For Coming.
Freight train string quartet, The Blind Owl Band of Saranac NY, is returning to Rochester, NY this weekend to host a spookily impressive Halloween Bash. Accompanied by local favorites, The Honey Smugglers and Folkfaces, The Blind Owl Band Halloween Bash will place on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 pm at Anthology in Rochester, NY. Advanced tickets are $15 and the gate price is $18.
The Blind Owl Band is a 4-piece string band, featuring Arthur Buezo (Guitar, Vocals), Christian Cardiello, (Double Bass, Fretless Bass), James Ford, (Banjo Vocals) and Eric Munley (Mandolin, Vocals). After first harnessing the rawness of traditional bluegrass instrumentation, the band taken the genre into an entire new dimension, crossing between genres of bluegrass, folk, country, and soul, infused with their own unique Appalachian Mountain sound. The fast-fingered, high energy, cohesive group explores their live performance with an element of improvisation, gaining energy from their audience.
Fresh off releasing their third studio album Skeezy Patty earlier this month, The Blind Owl Band is hungry to put on the show of our dreams. In the five years prior to Skeezy Patty, the quartet have played over 700 shows across 17 states, building their rowdy & dedicated fan base across the east coast. Every show brings back the energy of the last, and the Halloween Bash will be no exception. Grab your tickets here!
With an even mix of covers, instrumentals, and tracks off his new album, Got Soul, in just a little over an hour, Robert Randolph made Anthology his house of gospel worship. When you’re on stage with Randolph you’re a part of his family, whether you share blood relation or not. Other than his actual cousin Marcus sitting behind the drums, the names and faces have changed over the years. But their mission has stayed the same. Robert Randolph and the Family Band conduct a non-denominational service espousing love, hope and energy via a program of invigorating and uplifting funk and soul filtered through the unique style of pedal steel guitar originating in the Sacred Steel church. On a cool and damp April 20, the traveling ministry arrived in Rochester.
The service began, as they often do, with the organist filling the air with thick swirls, preparing the crowd for prayer. Things took an unexpectedly dark turn with a quick cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” But in that quick two-minute flourish the darkness would stay for the remainder of the night. It quickly moved into another cover, this one of ZZ Tops “I Thank You,” which is featured on Got Soul.
From there Randolph kicked into the first of three stunning instrumentals he would intersperse throughout the evening. Each had it’s own character, but followed the tried and true Sacred Steel format, begging the question: Can you be summoned to scream Hallelujah and Amen without a prayer being uttered? Randolph proved the answer to be a resounding ‘Yes,’ as he stretched and twisted notes, sculpting the structure of sound, building it slowly to ecstatic peaks. Randolph may have adopted a slick and polished exterior in his studio output, but from the inside looking out, he’s still the same old impassioned and energetic force of musical enlightenment.
And the new songs came off well from the stage as well, with the band rolling through uplifting takes on “Find a Way,” “Love What You Do,” “Shake It,” and “I Want It.” On “Love Do What It Do” Robert egged on his sister Lenesha to freestyle about their childhood trips up to Rochester to see the Campbell Brothers at their church on Goodman Street.
The encore began with Randolph on stage alone, eliciting some gorgeous Hawaiian pedal steel sounds on the instrumental “Heaven’s Calling” before the rest of the band filed on for one big final thank you and their version of the Sly and the Family Stone classic “Thank You Falettin’ Me Be Mice Elf Agin.” The band filed off again mid-jam, leaving just the original Family Band members, Marcus and Robert, to close out the evening with a breakdown jam that drifted off into midnight.
Rochester’s own soul superhero, Danielle Ponder, got the evening off to a hot start. Public defender by day, soul-belting goddess by night, her and her band the Tomorrow People mesmerized the early crowd with powerful heartfelt grooves, highlighted by a sexy and sultry cover of “Crazy.” Luke Wade and his young trio, playing together for the first time, played a set chock full of original love songs, with “Morning View” and “On Fire” being the stand outs.
Setlist: War Pigs > I Thank You, Instrumental, Find a Way, Instrumental, Shake It, Superstition, Instrumental, Love Do What it Do, I Want It E: Heaven’s Calling > Thank You Falettin’ Me Be Mice Elf Agin
On a quiet and cold late January Sunday night, one beacon of activity in Rochester was drawing in warm bodies from all over Western New York. The line wrapped from Anthology’s doors, down the tour bus-filled alley and around the corner as showtime quickly approached. Bundled-up ticket seekers marched with their fingers out in hopes of scoring an opportunity into the sold out show. Progressive rockers Umphrey’s McGee were set to take the stage in moments, in what would prove to be one of the biggest shows the young East Ave. music hall would host to date.
Anthology is a smaller venue than the band is used to playing at their current popularity. For the intimacy, the crowd was trading in the opportunity to catch the buzz-worthy jam act Spafford. The stage couldn’t accommodate them for their scheduled opening slot. Likewise, the low ceilings couldn’t accommodate Umphrey McGee’s massive lighting rig. Additionally, guitarist Jake Cinninger was sitting the show out with a sickness, doctor’s orders.
No opener. No lights. No Jake. No problem. The quintet née sextet was up to the task.
The dual guitar assault combined with the vibrant and chaotic lighting assault can make an Umphrey’s McGee show an overwhelming overload of the senses. This was a chance to take a step back and enjoy the more subtle nuance of their music and appreciate the musicians’ efforts on a more individual level. From the opening “Domino Theory” and on through the whole night, the rhythms laid down by drummer Kris Myers and percussionist Andy Farag really shone through and became front and center moreso than usual.
Wisely and fortunately, guitarist Brendan Bayliss didn’t attempt to make up for his partner’s absence by redoubling his efforts. He took a more laid back stance, allowing the music to breathe. It certainly helped that their special guest for the evening was none other than saxophonist Joshua Redman.
Redman, no stranger to playing with the band and finishing up a four-night run with them, was no ordinary guest. “Thanks for saving our ass,” Bayliss quipped. During his stint, which spanned the final three songs of the first set and the first five songs of the second set, he all but controlled the action. Entering first on “The Linear,” he immediately locked horns with Bayliss as they jammed in unison. Later on “Example 1,” he intertwined with some intense drum leads from Myers.
The highlight of the night came as Redman took over in the mellower run through “Upward” and the rare “1000 Places to See Before You Die,” which slowly built to an intense and fiery jam highlighting Myers once again. Myers and Redman continued to punctuate the action in “Similar Skin” and when the dust settled it became apparent that Umphrey’s McGee had played almost an hour without any notable guitar solos.
One young fan spent the entire night on their father’s shoulders just a few rows back from the stage. Bayliss noted him early on, sending him a rock salute. But the real treat came later in the evening when he dedicated Bob Marley’s “Lively Up Yourself” to the lucky kid. He sure had a good story for show and tell the next morning. Fans both young and old got a rise out of the set-closing fist-pumping singalong “Front Porch” which contained a rare romp through “Muff II” for good measure. As the last notes hung in the air, the sated crowd filed out and the quiet and cold returned to Sunday as the page flipped to Monday.
Set 1: Domino Theory, Loose Ends > Turn & Dub > Yoga Pants > The Linear[1], Example 1[1], Make It Right[1]
Set 2: The Triple Wide[2] > Upward[1] > 1000 Places to See Before You Die[1] > Similar Skin[1], Lively Up Yourself[1], Robot World > Front Porch > Muff II: The Revenge > Front Porch
Encore: Orfeo[3], Waiting Room
[1] with Joshua Redman on saxophone
[2] with Joshua Redman on saxophone; with Cocaine Blues (Escort) teases
[3] just Joel on piano
Notes:
entire show without Jake
last Muff II: The Revenge 12.30.2013 (311 shows)
Interviewing Victor was less an “interview” and more a conversation. When he spoke, his big brown eyes locked in with mine, and it truly felt like we were the only two in the room. He is a genuinely caring individual who’s love for his craft and dedication to art was evident with every word he spoke. To him, music is about openness, letting go of your ego, and creating magic. He was ecstatic to speak about each project he was working on, and his passion for life and music is something he carries openly with him. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend a half hour sitting down one on one with a music legend of his stature. Below is our full conversation:
RR: Do you prefer recording separately?
RR: You’ve played with many people over the years, but is there any particular jam or event that stands out in your mind?
This tour wasn’t one to miss, reaching both new and old Children Of Bodom fans, playing songs from their first three albums. The crowd showed diversity in sporting a variety of shirts, patches and attire, drawing in metalheads from as far as Albany and Syracuse to Anthology, a restored multi-level auto warehouse on East Avenue. While the crowd initially looked sparse and scattered before the show began as the evening progressed more people began filtering in, filling up the venue.
