Guitarist Rob Compa joins Empire State Music Podcast host Andy Hogan to discuss time away from Dopapod, life in Burlington, various musical side projects, his upcoming debut solo album, and more!
Plus get an exclusive look into Compa’s guilty pleasure bands you will not want to miss. Visit robcompaguitar.com for music, tour dates, and more!
Buffalo homies Witty Tarbox are a “jam-based ensemble of considerable versatility and dexterity, Witty Tarbox’s freewheeling sound embellishes their blues- based rock progression with elements of funk, indie, and surf rock, lending their songs a stylistic malleability and improvisational flair.” Cody Tarbox, Bryan Williams, Alex Khoury, Colin Gray and honorary fifth member Seth Bykowski join host Andy Hogan to discuss their debut EP, The Adventures of Schmitty ISSUE #1 v RARE, their upcoming album currently in the works, tour dates and more.
September 28: Funk n’ Waffles (ROC) w/ Space Junk and Cypher
October 5th: Buffalo Iron Works w/ The Magic Beans
October 19th: Mohawk Place (Buffalo) w/ The Tins
October 27th: Thin Man Brewery (Buffalo); Forever 27 Halloween Party
December 13th: The Haunt (Ithaca) w/ Strange Machines
December 14th: Nietzsche’s (Buffalo) w/ Strange Machines
December 15th: Funk n’ Waffles (ROC) w/ Strange Machines
On day two of the second annual Cobblestone Live music festival, three-fourths of Buffalo’s own groove-rock powerhouse, Aqueous, joined me amidst the celebration of music and art. Dave Loss (guitar/vox), Evan McPhaden (Bass), and Rob Houk (Drums) sat down to discuss their incredibly busy summer thus far, coming home to Buffalo, their new studio album, Color Wheel, and their upcoming, and most extensive fall tour yet.
Andy Hogan: Cobblestone Live is obviously a homecoming for you guys, but you’ve had quite the summer away from Buffalo, so far. Between Summer Camp, Mountain Music Festival, Disc Jam, Electric Forest and Peach, what have been some major takeaways from the tour?
DL: One of the bigger highlights I think was being able to sell out The Bluebird Theater.
RH: That was a huge highlight of the summer. I think a good rule of thumb is never expect to sell out, and when you’re not in a hometown scenario, you never know what’s going to happen.
AH: But in Denver, that’s kind of just the scene, right? People just get out and go to see music.
RH: I feel like it’s become a second home to us. The response to music out there is just something you don’t see…like, every night there is just a banging show.
AH: And you see those weird kind of pockets even locally, right? Ithaca, for example, has tons of people getting out to see music on a Friday or Saturday night. Where else do you guys see that?
DL: Burlington, VT for sure.
RH: Omaha!
DL: Yeah! Omaha, Nebraska we’ve had three really good experiences. Once with Papadosio, and twice at the Reverb Lounge.
RH: People go nuts in Omaha…they throw down.
AH: Coming back to Buffalo for Cobblestone must be a special occasion. Particularly for you, Dave and Evan, having grown up here. To see this area transform, could you have imagined this would be happening even a few years ago?
DL: No. Even the whole city in general from ten years ago has seen such growth in a positive way. Like you said, this whole area was not a thing, the whole Canalside area was not a thing, so it’s really nice to see all of this happening.
AH: From what I read online, your first time ever playing down here was not too long after Iron Works opened in 2014…is it safe to say Iron Works is your favorite spot around town?
DL: It was definitely a huge place for us to continue to grow in the city. Josh [Holtzman] obviously runs it, and he’s our homie so it’s been really nice. Even more than that, it’s helped bring a lot of great music into the city…a lot of other acts that hadn’t really been coming to Buffalo prior to it being open.
RH: It’s a good spot for a mid-level band…they treat you like a king. It’s not just a great spot to play, they also understand what it’s like to be on the road. At the end of the day, when you treat your musicians well, they’re going to play better, your patrons are going to be happier…it works all around.
EM: It’s definitely a music venue for musicians. Josh actually used to manage us and would come on the road with us. So he’s seen all the venues we’ve been to and knows exactly what he wants for Iron Works.
AH: Now, there’s something new in your live set that I noticed last night. I saw that both you (Dave) and Mike [Gantzer] are now using PRS (Paul Reed Smith) guitars. How does this affect you sonically?
DL: Haha, he’s finally seen the light! I love those guitars. What’s cool about his, and mine does it too, but you can coil tap. So there are two humbuckers on the outside that can go between single and humbucker, then there is a single coil in the middle. Plus it’s a bolt on neck, all that adds that like Fender Stratocaster snap that you can get. So he can still get that single coil, fatty-strat kind of sound with that guitar, but he can still get the rippin’ leads with the humbuckers.
Shortly after this interview, Aqueous announced both Mike and Dave are now officially endorsed by PRS guitars.
AH: Evan, while we’re on the topic of gear, what can you tell me about your bass?
EM: It’s made by a Polish company called Mayones. Our friend Ryan has one, and I got to play it for a weekend and I fell in love with it. It’s deep, but still bright at the same time. I run it through a TC Electronic Blacksmith…I think it’s 1600 watts, which is, a lot. I also have a 6×10 Ampeg Cabinet.
AH: Rob, I don’t know anything about drums, but I am curious what kind of kit you play; what are your preferences?
RH: My kit is a Gretsch Renown Maple with a Pork Pie Lil’ Squealer Snare, which is also kind of weird because I play a 12” snare as my primary. Cymbals, I break them so often that I just try to find something that sounds good, usually used.
AH: It’s funny, most drummers will tell you they prefer used cymbals. Like in the Phish documentary, Bittersweet Motel, Jon Fishman has a room just filled with old, somewhat beat up cymbals.
DL: I randomly watched that clip the other day for some odd reason!
RH: Yeah, some of that stuff really builds character. Like having dirt, and just the grit and oil that gets on them. Some drummers like to clean them until their just shiny all the time…I don’t know, I think that might do them a disservice — that metal is there to develop, it’s part of your sound, part of your tone
AH: Now the new album [Color Wheel] will be your first studio album since the Best in Show EP. You guys recorded at GCR again, right?
DL: Yep, with Justin Rose.
AH: When I had Mike on the podcast, he had said that you guys studied a lot of musicians and artists, not only their music, but also the way they actually recorded. Who were some of those artists?
DL: Steely Dan was always a huge influence.
RH: I think we were also looking at some late 90s hard rock albums…some Incubus type stuff.
EM: Even pop material, as well. I feel like in albums in the past, the way we mixed background vocals were kind of loud. I feel like on this one we had more of a lead singer kind of sound. The Beatles, for example, do a lot of very full harmonies that are always upfront.
DL: Yes! I always love listening to The Beatles before we go into recording…there’s so many interesting mix choices, tones, ect.
AH: Well in addition to the new album, your fall tour is coming in quick. Is this the biggest headlining tour to date?
DL: Yes — we’re really excited. We have a lot of great support on it too; Mungion, Heavy Pets, Goose, and Elm.
AH: Super exciting. I saw that September 7th you guys will be back at the Utica Brewery with moe. What an honor to play with them, and all these bands you get to play with.
DL: Yeah doin’ another one with them and getting to play with Umphrey’s again in October.
EM: I think the last couple of years, we’ve been very lucky to be put where we have been…and we’re very grateful.
Aqueous kicks off their fall tour Friday, September 7th in Utica, NY with moe. at the Saranac Brewery. For tickets, all of Aqueous’ fall dates, and to pre-order their new upcoming studio album, Color Wheel, visit aqueousband.com.
Josh Holtzman is the co-founder of Cobblestone Live and General Manager at Buffalo Iron Works. For a complete review of Cobblestone Live 2018, see Jared Lindquist’s article, “Cobblestone Live Hosts Successful Second-Year Festival.” Visit the Empire State Music Podcast for all interviews, including an on-site discussion with Turkuaz’ drummer, MIchelangelo Carubba, at this year’s Cobblestone Live! festival.
It’s Saturday, July 28, a breezy, sunny summer day in Buffalo, New York, where the second annual Cobblestone Live! Music Festival is well underway. Amidst the heavy foot traffic, intoxicating smell of a food truck’s grill, and overwhelming sound of music flowing through the air, a busy Josh Holtzman, co-founder of Cobblestone Live! dismounts his Trek bicycle and radios to his colleagues, “team, this is Josh, be advised I’ll be offline for a bit for a quick interview.” Holtzman joins me to discuss the history of the Cobblestone district, the origins of the festival, partnership with the Child Advocacy Center, and plans for the future of Cobblestone Live!
Andy Hogan: Even five years ago, would you have imagined the Cobblestone District would one day host a major music festival?
Josh Holtzman: Honestly, this area was really only known for the [Key Bank] arena. Most people only knew of it because they saw the Sabers play here. Now, it’s really starting to turn around. We have the Lockhouse Distillery, music venues, the comedy club…it’s fantastic down here. 
AH: What can you tell me about the history of the area?
JH: The district itself is over 100 years old. Iron Works, the building, is 102 years old. Originally it was used for manufacturing; from steel works, machine works, iron works, etc… This was the industrial hub of Buffalo…even down the street a little bit, where the old first ward is, those were all factory and blue-collar workers that pretty much built everything we have today.
AH: How did the music festival come together? What was the jumping off point?
JH: it was early on last year. I’ve always wanted to throw a festival. Obviously, we have the venue, and we do 200+ shows a year, but we really wanted to throw a festival that was good for the community and is really something unique for Buffalo. Truth be told, I sent a quick text to Cory from Lockhouse and was like, “Hey dude, what do you think about closing down the streets and throwing a festival?” So, it went from something that sounds cool, to the actual reality of putting together a committee, we hand-picked our staff, and laid out the blueprints for what is Cobblestone Live.
AH: Last year, in your first year as a festival, to have the line-up you did was really quite something. You guys had Moon Taxi, Aqueous, The Hip Abduction, and Real Estate to name a few. This year’s line-up is just as strong, if not stronger, with Aqueous returning, plus Turkuaz, Chicano Batman, The Sheepdogs, and Broken Social Scene. What else has changed aside from the line-up?
JH: We added a lot of non-music programming, and festival experience. We also wanted to make sure that we did increase the line-up, and still get bigger bands. One of the main things we added was an additional stage, so now we have two outdoor stages, instead of one. I think that brings a really cool balance to the festival with people being able to go back-and-forth. As you’ve seen, we have alpacas down here, we have a dunk tank, we have some really cool vendors and graffiti artists. It’s just really a cool vibe right now.
AH: There’s even superheroes walking around!
JH: That’s right! Comic-Con is in the house.
AH: In your mind, what does the process of crafting a festival line-up look like?
JH: For me, it starts as a fan first. Any artist I book, I’m a fan of. I really like what they stand for, and their music. The other side is really building a vibe that will encompass everything we’re going for. You don’t want to put too many artists of different genres together so that it’s not going to flow, but, you can have fun with an eclectic line-up and really set it up so that it’s an exciting time for everyone. So, it’s a little bit of business and pleasure at the same time.
AH: Moving forward, as I can imagine this will be a long standing tradition, what are some other goals you have for the festival in the future?
JH: Looking down the road, we obviously want to keep raising awareness of the festival, and keep adding non-music programming. Down the line we’re looking to add more outdoor stages, too. I don’t want to say for sure that we’re going to go for three days, but eventually it may get to that point. You know, it’s just about having fun doing what were doing, and having the city catch on, to come on down and to have a great time.
AH: The other thing I wanted to ask you about is your partnership with the Child Advocacy Center; what can you tell me about them, and their relationship with the festival?
JH: It’s really important to everyone who is involved in this festival to give back, in one way or another. We’re not doing it for ourselves, we’re doing it for the community. What they do over at the CAC is very, very tireless work. They are helping to stop child abuse and it’s something we can all get on board with. Whether any of us were affected by it or not growing up, it still hits home and we’re going to do everything that we possibly can to raise money for them, while having a good time doing it. I think this is the first of many years we’ll be working with them, and honestly, we owe a lot to them. They provided all the volunteers for this entire event — nearly 100 people for two days, along with getting the sheriffs to donate their time to help us out.
AH: I know you’re a busy guy, so I won’t keep you too much longer, but I’m curious, what’s the one thing about planning a festival that people may not think about, but you may be losing sleep over?
JH: You know, it’s a lot, to say the least. I think one thing that people may forget is that the people who are doing this are doing it from their heart, they really care about it and it’s not just a money grab. I think that goes unsaid for a lot of things, but it’s a team that built all of this, and it’s really important that we’re doing it for Buffalo. We’re here having a great time, but we’re going to keep doing what we do for everybody out there.
This interview with Josh Holtzman was originally intended to air on Empire State Music Podcast, though due to unfortunate audio/technical issues, the conversation was condensed into written word.