NYS Music 20​18

Category: Show Reviews

  • John Popper gets Intimate at the Swyer Theater

    The Venn Diagram of ‘Blues Traveler Fans’ and ‘people who like hearing songwriters talk about the music they’re performing’ intersected at The Egg’s Swyer Theater on Thursday, May 3, with John Popper performing songs from across his catalog with fellow Blues Traveler Ben Wilson accompanying him on piano. Over two hours, Popper would dip into song after song, rip passionate vocals onto the crowd, dive into a high arcing harmonica solo, and then after closing the song out, get into a story about that, or the next song. Katrina Woolverton opened for Popper, performing originals such as “Better now” and covered Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons” alongside guitarist Lance Conner.

    Gen X fans of Blues Traveler brought their kids to listen to Popper perform “100 Years,” “Regarding Steven,” and “Alone,” which brought Popper and Wilson back to the early 90s when they lived on 134th street in NYC. “Champipple” had an interesting backstory involving an episode of Sanford and Son where Fred shares his recipe for homemade Champagne – Ripple and Ginger Ale. “Mountains Win Again” and “But Anyway” both made appearances, as well as “Hurry Up and Hang Around,” off the upcoming Blues Traveler album, due out this October, and was inspired by their 2014 trip on JamCruise. “Carolina Blues” led into Wilson’s piano solo of the night, and then seamlessly worked into “Hook,” earning a standing ovation from the audience, and again for an encore of “Imagine” with Woolverton and Wilson.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BiVtmxCHrOo

    Popper has evolved over the past 30 years of Blues Traveler into an elder statesman of the jam scene, and being the founder of H.O.R.D.E., he certainly earned the title at a young age. At the same time, Popper looks like your neighbor who takes pride in mowing his lawn and has two young kids running around that he dotes on. Either way, this is a Popper tour real fans should plan to catch.

  • Intrepid Travelers Kick off Cinco en Mayo Residency with Funky Tribute to James Brown

    Intrepid Travelers kicked off their Cinco en Mayo residency at Nietzsche’s with some funk and celebrated the birthday of James Brown by bringing in a front man and a reed section. “Get Up Offa That Thang” featured a breakdown drum and bass solo, “Sex Machine” saw Eric Crittenden taking over Donny Frauenhofer’s keyboard rig and “The Boss” had a hip hop jam and heavy “Xxplosive” (Dr. Dre) teases.

    “Goodness Sakes, Look at Those Cakes” was highlighted by solos from the entire sax section and Critt rapping about the “cakes” he and the band saw. The James Brown show concluded with a stretched out take on the Intrepid Travelers original “Photo Booth Youth.” Ellen Pieroni joined the band for the encore with a performance of Vulfpeck’s “Funky Duck.”

    https://www.facebook.com/intrepidtravelersfamily/videos/1929817953717736/

    Setlist: Pass the Peas(1)$, Get Up Offa That Thang(1)$ > Sex Machine Bridge(1)$ > Sex Machine(1)$, The Boss(1)$ > Goodness Sakes, Look at Those Cakes(1)$, Superbad(1)$, Photo Booth Youth

    Encore: Funky Duck(2)%

    (1) James Brown Band
    (2) Vulfpeck
    $ with Eric Crittenden on lead vocals and alto saxophone, Ellen Pierono on alto saxophone, Jon Lehning on tenor saxophone, and Kyle Ohlsen on baritone saxophone
    % with Ellen Pieroni on alto saxophone

    The second week of IT’s Cinco en Mayo residency will feature Haewa and celebrate the Golden Years on over 65 night!

    intrepid travelers james brown

  • Dweezil Zappa Brings ‘Choice Cuts’ Tour to The Egg

    The Zappa family has always loved Upstate New York. Frank opened his 1988 U.S. tour at the Palace Theater and his son, Dweezil Zappa, has continued that love for the area on his runs. Coming to The Egg for the first time since 2016, he played everyone’s favorite tunes during this ‘Choice Cuts’ tour. With his usual band of eccentric members, they set expectations high and delivered all night.

    Dweezil Zappa The Egg

    As the band members came on stage, the show started into “The Purple Lagoon (Intro)” before Dweezil came out to a thunderous applause. Wasting no time, they started the 1975 favorite, “Andy” and then began the originally unreleased “Lonely Little Girl”. “Flakes” included its usual Bob Dylan homage and a new Eric Cartman section which was hilariously performed by Scheila Gonzalez. Cian Coey took the mic for “Fifty Fifty” and did not let her foot cast stop her from rockin’. Dweezil took it on himself to deliver a blistering solo to end the song and then took them band into “Po-jama People”.

    Before the next song, he paused to tell the crowd that it was “great that Albany loves Zappa so much” and then surprised everyone with the “James Bond Theme” which segued perfectly into “Studebaker Hoch”. A lovely “Rollo” medley was followed by an explanation that the next song couldn’t originally be played live because certain feedback techniques were not possible to recreate outside of the studio. Using modern technology, they all brought “Absolutely Free” to life and followed it with “Call Any Vegetable” and “Tell Me You Love Me”, which features some great keyboard work from Chris Norton.

    Pausing again to chat with the audience, Mr. Zappa proclaimed that the theme of the show was “It’s so fucking great to be alive”. He went on to say that of all the songs his father composed, his favorite was this next song, “Dog Meat”. The beautiful clamor had people on their feet cheering for more, so the band declared, “And now for something completely different” before launching into AC/DC’s “Back in Black”. Bassist Kurt Morgan was dressed to impress as Angus Young and really shined during this track.

    Next up were two “songs from the 80’s” called as “Cocaine Decisions” and “Drowning Witch” before jumping back decades to play “Sleeping In A Jar” and “Florentine Pogen”. Dweezil was happy to announce that it was now ‘Unreleased Time’ and played a song called “Sleep Napkins”, which is a combination of “Black Napkins” and “Sleep Dirt”. Drummer Ryan Brown tore the roof down with his exceptional drumming during both “The Black Page # 1” and “The Black Page # 2” and led the band into everyone’s favorite, “Peaches en Regalia”.

    Zappa was more than just a musician and in 1971, Frank directed the movie 200 Motels. Unsurprisingly, he also wrote the soundtrack too and Dweezil brought the classic “This Town is a Sealed Tuna Sandwich” to life for the enthusiastic audience. Jumping to the other end of the decade, the band started into everyone’s favorite, “Keep It Greasy” and when it finished, Dweezil started talking to the crowd about his all-time favorite Zappa songs and said this next one was high on the list. “Cheepnis” became everyone’s favorite by the time it was over and they followed that with “Son of Orange County” before ending the two-and-a-half hour set with “Trouble Every Day”.

    After a few minutes offstage, everyone came back to a roaring crowd as Dweezil told a story about a failed jingle that his father wrote back in the day. It was for Remington Electric Razor’s and it was to be performed with Linda Ronstadt. They were paid for their work, but the company was not a fan of the song. “Remington Electric Razor Jingle” was followed by a lovely version of “Oh, In The Sky” performed by Adam Minkoff. Dweezil let loose with another jaw-dropping solo during “Muffin Man” before they ended the night with “The Purple Lagoon (Reprise)”.

  • moe. Delivers Heater of a Spring Tour Closer in Northampton

    On a warm and sunny Saturday, moe.rons from all across New England gathered in Northampton, MA for moe.’s spring tour closer at the Calvin Theatre. Many .rons traveled down from Burlington, VT, fresh off an impressive 2-night run at Higher Ground from the recently rejuvenated band. If fans were to expect anything after last year’s fiery winter tour closer at the Calvin, they were in for a good time.

    moe northampton

    The first set took off quickly as Rob Derhak broke into the first words of fan favorite “Captain America,” which was met with a huge cheer from the crowd. The song set a very upbeat mood for the beginning of first set, and was a strong song to open with in the band’s return to the Calvin. The band got to jamming swiftly, seemingly very well practiced from the previous 2 nights in Burlington, and very smoothly transitioned into “ATL,” which really showcased Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico’s ability to work as a unit. During “ATL” it was very apparent that the band was having lots of fun and ready to have tons more. After a very energetic ending of “ATL,” the band took a break filled with lots of banter between the whole band, mainly focused on Rob poking fun at guitarist Chuck Garvey’s crowd work skills. The group broke into one of percussionist Jim Loughlin’s originals, “Chromatic Nightmare,” which is an extremely impressive showcase of the musicianship in the band. Chuck took the helm towards the end of the song with a crushing solo before the band did a “no huddle” transition into “Annihilation Blues.” This version of “Annihilation Blues” was pretty standard, and helped bring up the mood after the weird jazziness of “Chromatic Nightmare.” After a rather quick jam section, the band brought the song into “Seat of my Pants,” one of three repeats from last year’s Calvin Theatre show. This “Seat of my Pants” featured the first big peak of the night, led by Al Schnier, who was in full rockstar mode. Any moe.rons who attended last year’s Calvin show will remember Al soloing right on the edge of stage and using a guy’s head as a guitar slide, which Al paid homage to by performing another killer solo on the edge of the stage, sans guitar head-slide. The band brought the jam into one more verse and chorus before ending the segment.

    To close out the set, the band presented the first big highlight of the night, “Montego” > “Kyle’s Song” > “head.” “Montego”’s Latin sound switched the mood up after the very upbeat and reggae-esque “Seat of My Pants,” and featured a very trippy jam led by Loughlin and Schnier. The band transitioned into the slow, but warm, “Kyle’s Song,” kicking it off with Derhak playing the very recognizable intro bass riff. The whole crowd was singing along and participating in the usual clapping, even joined by Schnier for most sections. Lighting Director Preston Hoffman was flexing his lighting muscles during this “Kyle’s Song,” putting on one of the more impressive lighting performances of the show. Chuck Garvey took the helm of this jam, taking a lengthy but impressive solo tensely leading the whole band into one last chorus, before they started energetically building into “head.” The jam into “head.” featured a big Rob solo before starting into the main riff of the song. “head.” was met with a roar from the crowd and got everyone in the room pumped up as the band was steaming ahead like a freight train on stage. The jam featured an Al-Jim call and response section initiated by Rob, and a killer slide solo from Chuck before they ended the song.

    moe northampton

    The group opened the second set with their bluegrass tune “Queen of Everything,” which was an interesting way to start off set 2 after the high energy “head.” first set closer. After an energetic ending, the band “no huddle” segued into one of Garvey’s new songs, “Who You Calling Scared,” which was debuted at the State Theater in Maine this past February. “Who You Calling Scared” featured a very fun blues jam to close out the segment. The group wasted no time as they broke into one of my favorite moe. songs, “Four,” another repeat from last February’s Calvin Theater show. This version of “Four” was really solid, and the second big highlight of the show. “Four” featured a lot of .rons’ favorite moment from Saturday’s show: a great extended solo from Rob that featured some strange but cool synth bass tones. After Rob’s solo, the group brought the song into the third big peak of the night before one more chorus that had the whole theater singing along. “Four” smoothly transitioned into the rocker “Deep This Time,” the last of the repeats from last year’s show. Chuck broke out the slide again, starting a trend in his playing throughout the set. This version of “Deep This Time” was fairly standard and brought to close with no big jam section.

    The band started into another one of the post-hiatus debuts, Loughlin’s soulful “I Can Never Remember.” This is one of my favorites of all the new songs they’ve debuted since their return as it really allows for a chance to let Jim’s voice shine and its slow, somber feel serves as a nice break between all the big peaks moe. sets tend to contain. Chuck took a great solo to end the song, rounding out this extremely solid version of “I Can Never Remember.” “Not Coming Down” started off the last segment of the night, bringing the mood up and featuring Rob Derhak’s slapping capabilities. The song had another big crowd sing along moment before taking a lesson from Wormwood’s track listing and transitioning into “Wormwood,” which brought the set back into the slower mood that “I Can Never Remember” was evoking. “Wormwood” is a great showcase of Chuck’s slide playing, which he was already showing off earlier in the show. After a pretty standard version of “Wormwood”, the band segued into “Puebla” > “St. Augustine,” the last big highlight of the show. “Puebla” set a mysterious mood in the theater, and the band made quick work of getting to the jam. This jam section started off slowly but heavily featured Rob and Vinnie’s impressiveness as a rhythm section, as the duo kept driving the jam faster and faster until they had built up enough tension to transition into “St. Augustine.” Schnier also played very heavily into “Puebla”’s jam section, taking his solo to shred city as the band steamed on behind him. The segue into “St. Augustine” was very energetic and made the crowd go wild. This song quickly picked up the pace from “Puebla” and served as a great second set closer, as the crowd sang along and the band had fun with a bluegrass-y jam towards the end. The band brought “St. Augustine” into one last chorus sing along with the crowd before ending the segment.

    moe northampton

    The group encored with the heavy but energetic Wormwood cut, “Crab Eyes” which was a great way to end this burner of a show. Two years in a row now, moe. has served up absolute heaters in Northampton! Seems like they should keep ending all their tours down at the Calvin Theatre, as one moe.ron put it, “Never miss a Calvin show!”

    Setlist: 

    Set 1: Captain America > ATL, Chromatic Nightmare (nh) > Annihilation Blues > Seat of my Pants, Montego > Kyle’s Song > head.

    Set 2: Queen of Everything (nh) > Who You Calling Scared, Four > Deep This Time, I Can Never Remember, Not Coming Down > Wormwood > Puebla > St. Augustine

    Encore: Crab Eyes

    Purchase & Listen to the show on Nugs.net.

  • Hartley’s Encore Fills the Hollow

    The record release party for Hartley’s Encore filled the Hollow on Friday, April 27 in Albany, NY. The eight-piece band worked the excited crowd up until the floors shook with dancing until the wee hours. The self-titled debut album, released on 4/20, served as the bright and energetic soundtrack to one funky night. While it’s easy to label the band as funk, the jazz, soul and R&B elements are also clear.

    Albany’s own funk band, Hartley’s Encore, formed just over a year ago with 2003 Guilderland High School Graduates, Luke Malamood (Keys), Chris Oliver (Guitar), and Jeff Nania (Saxophone), as well as Josh Gordon and Brad Monkell (Bass), Mike Gilet and Erik Pravel (Drums), Alex Gonzalez (Percussion), Phil Chow (Trumpet), and Zach Lauzon (Trombone). The group’s next show is on May 18th at Bowery Electric in New York, NY. While this was my first time seeing the band, it most definitely won’t be my last.

  • Keller Williams Reminds Us to Celebrate Our Youth in Buffalo

    Buffalo is home to so many fantastic venues and hosts an endless, revolving stream of incredible artists all year long. When we had the pleasure of hosting Keller Williams at one of the best venues in Buffalo we knew we would be in for a treat. celebrate youth

    keller williams celebrate youth

    Keller Williams is a long time staple in the jam band scene playing as a solo artist and with several other projects ranging from funk to blue grass. His high energy shows make up for in talent, creativity, and a magnetic, eternal, youthful jubilance what they lack in lights and lasers. Fans come out to hear the man play, to watch him layer each instrument, to marvel as he deliberately selects each note and nuance. A one man band for the ages, Williams refers to his sound as acoustic dance music, and I’d be hard pressed to describe it any better.

    Williams resumed his solo tour in conjunction with the release of his 20th album Vape, with a much anticipated stop in Buffalo on what felt like the first sunny day this side of the millennium. He took to the stage to a sold out crowd at the Tralf Music Hall shortly after nine o’clock on a Friday night. Located in the heart of Buffalo’s theater district The Tralf is a gem of a venue, occupying the second floor, perched above a night club, and residing next to the historic Shea’s Performing Arts Center. When stepping outside at set break the juxtaposition offered by its locale is unmatched. Men in tuxedos escorting women in fine gowns through clouds of smoke and profanity, punctuated by the occasional drag queen or panhandler, make for a scene that’s as hard to replicate as it is easy to love.

    Unfortunately, not everyone was feeling the love. The beefed up security at the Tralf resulted in several attendees being ejected from the capacity event. The limited wiggle room and constant chatter of the well liberated crowd made for a first set that was at times a challenge to enjoy. Williams persevered however and did not delay acknowledging the importance of the date of his performance here in Buffalo, rolling out a first set full of tributes to 4/20 including covers of Peter Tosh’s “Legalize It” and, Buffalo’s own, Rick James’ “Mary Jane”. He also delivered a soul soothing Tom Petty medley alongside several original tracks.

    The second set saw a thinned out crowd and significantly less noise. Williams delivered some long time favorites like “Kiwi and the Apricot”, “Stupid Questions”, and a clever and entertaining “Super Hot Girl”- a truly comedic lyrical romp with Keller providing the perfect soundtrack. The highlight of the second set came as the crowd was expecting a cover of “Stairway to Heaven” and instead received a much welcome “All Along the Watchtower”. Williams dubbing the mashup “Stairway To Watchtower” to cheering fans.  Keller Williams closed out his 4/20 party at the Tralf with an important reminder to “Celebrate Your Youth” before it’s too late.

    Author: Ashley DePasqaule

  • Popovic’s ‘Stormy Monday’ Blues Night at The Cohoes Music Hall

    It was a “Stormy Monday” for the blues inside the prestigious Cohoes Music Hall on April 16. The heavy rain didn’t put a damper on the blues fans that had stepped inside the music hall on a Monday evening to escape from the everyday stresses of daily life for a worry-free, entertaining evening of music from both Girl Blue and Serbian-Blues guitarist and vocalist, Ana Popovic.

    Popovic

    Almost a full year since her last performance at the music hall, this time around, Popovic pulled out all of the stops as she continued to dazzle the audience with her electrifying guitar solos, captivating vocals, and a stunning cast of performers within her five piece ensemble that had joined her for her tour to promote her new three disk album Trilogy.

    Popovic’s rhythm and horn ensemble were tight and in full swing throughout the entire evening. Her rhythm section begun the evening with an instrumental of their own rendition of “Ana’s Shuffle” from the album Can You Stand The Heat. They continued to jam along to the tune before Popovic, dressed in the similar red tank top, jeans, and heels that was previously worn at last year’s concert, joined the band on stage to play some solos on her guitar before moving on to perform a series of her songs from Trilogy.

    “It’s great to be back!” called out Popovic to the audience as she had begun her song, “Can You Stand the Heat”, from her previous album. Song after song, Popovic and her ensemble were outstanding, never outshining each other as they performed their own riffs, rhythms, and solos for each song. Popovic took the time to introduce the City of Cohoes to her full ensemble before performing “Train” from Trilogy: Disk #1 (Morning) to a happy audience that was excited to also hear Popovic’s drummer, Cedric Goodman, play some riffs on the drums that got them dancing and moving in their seats. “Long Road Down” brought her listeners back in time to the times of being on the Oregon Trail while focusing on Popovic’s extensive travels as she had continued on her journey to further pursue music as she had moved from her origins of Belgrade, Serbia, to Amsterdam, Holland, Memphis, Tennessee, and settled in Los Angeles, California where she has currently resided for the past two years.

    Popovic is able to smoothly transition well from performing lead to slide guitar as she continued to play slide on “If Tomorrow Was Today.” Following suit to her empowering gym-based workout song, “Show How Strong You Are,” each of her key players in her ensemble rose to the occasion and performed their energetic, emotionally-felt awakening solos, from the jazz-lead bass playing of the bassist, back to Popovic, to the drummer, and on towards the other performers to close out their main set.

    The blues wasn’t exactly going to end completely from Popovic and her ensemble. The band returned to the stage for their encore as they concluded the evening with a cover of Popovic’s “Mo’ Better Love,” and closing out the event with a cover of a song that she had discovered recently before she began recording Trilogy, “Fence Walk” from the Brooklyn, NY based band, Mandrill. Popovic’s interaction with both the crowd and with her own band members is both electric and entertaining to watch. Moving from side to side, Popovic joined in on the jam between her horn players, Jon Ramm (trombone) and Brad Walker (saxophone), on the right side of the stage as they had gathered around each other, creating a musical dialogue heard within their notes and soloing while closing out the evening. Popovic left the stage, leaving the remainder of the ensemble to continue to jam to the tune and close out the funky number on a high note that satisfied both the band and the audience.

    Albany based act, Girl Blue, featuring vocalist and guitarist, Arielle O’Keefe, opened up for Ana Popovic and her band. Playing a set of eight original songs, O’Keefe did a great job performing solo to her tunes that were mixed in with her own vocals being recorded on a loop. My first time hearing O’Keefe perform live, the sound of her voice reminded me of a mix between Norah Jones, Regina Spector, Alanis Morrisette, and Katy Perry, as she had sung her own unique, original tunes that related back to teenage and early adult moments of angst, drinking, and other fun, significant moments within her life.

  • Magic Beans Throw Down a Stunner in Albany

    A friend recently referred to Albany as the “super deep-tiered jam band capital of the Northeast.” As mediocre as that sounds, we actually do alright. Thursday, April 12 was a “Tier 3 Night” at the Hollow Bar and Kitchen, but good luck convincing those there to see The Magic Beans that it was anything short of incredible.

    Saratoga’s rising star, Let’s Be Leonard, opened up the evening with an ultra energetic “Spit It Out.”  While the members of this band may be young, their sound is mature and smart. Even their vocal jam included nicely blended harmonies. Connor Dunn’s saxophone skills only added to the fun. Although the volume may have been a bit too high for some, it was refreshing to see a band with this much potential. It won’t be surprising to see these guys on the festival circuit for years to come.

    Around 10:30, the crowd began to swell as locals arrived to see Boulder, Colorado’s The Magic Beans. Despite their current Rocky Mountain hometown, Albanians claim a small piece of the Beans as their own. Bassist Chris Duffy, formerly of Dirty Paris, is originally from the Capital City and fans are always delighted to bring him home.

    Like a hurricane gaining strength over water, The Magic Beans’ jams tend to rise in energy and explode with each powerful crescendo. Just when you thin they’re finally ready to set everyone back down on Earth with something light and breezy, they burst back into a fast paced yet funky jam to fuel the groove of the crowd.

    With thick bass lines, heavy synthesized keys and occasional hip hop beats, their transitions are still crisp and seemingly effortless. Scott Hachey’s facial expressions as he flexes his guitar prowess indicate the thrill for both the band and the audience.

    Nearing the end of the night, the Hollow was pulsing with some pretty impressive lights. A powerful “Luck” could have closed the evening, but the Beans decided to throw in some Talking Heads “Girlfriend is Better,” with their latest “Casino Cabaret” for fun.

    After picking my jaw up off the floor, I’ve came to the conclusion we were witnessing the steady rise of what is now a lower tiered jam band. This show was better than the last and light years beyond what we saw a few years ago. Although not someone I’d compare them to in style, I have not been this excited for a band since discovering Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. I fully expect to see this band become a household name in the jam community and they will always have a home here in Albany.

  • JD McPherson Helps Abilene Celebrate Their 10th Anniversary

    Abilene Bar and Lounge has been a fixture in Rochester’s live music scene seemingly forever, but in reality, it’s been there just ten years. Ten years sitting on a quiet corner of Liberty Pole Way, in the shadow of the Harro East Ballroom across the street. Ten years bringing in quality live music nearly every night of the week. They showcase a healthy mix of both national and local talent, exploring every angle of American Roots music, occasionally venturing off into other genres. Owner Danny Deutsch has made a habit of bringing in relatively unknown talent and cultivating them for the sometimes finicky Rochester palate. He’s happy to book the same band and watch them grow locally and nationally until they’re too big for his intimate establishment. Ten years and it was time to celebrate, so for once Abilene would be casting the shadow on the Harro East. And appropriately, one of the talents that Deutsch has brought to town multiple times over the years and has since ridden a slow rising wave of success, JD McPherson, would be headlining the celebration.

    McPherson has outgrown Abilene and then some, nearly selling out the Harro East on a Friday night jam-packed with live music options in and around town. It was the place to be and to be seen, everyone was in high spirits and ready to celebrate. When opener Woody Pines, another Abilene alum, broke from his usual dark-themed songs to switch it up with a song about love, he was surprised not to hear at least some of the usual boos ring out. But the crowd was in a loving, happy and ready to party mood. Friday the 13th be damned! Pines led his trio of upright bass and clarinet/sax on the steel guitar and harmonica, through songs centered around classic New Orleans swing and southern roots music they like to call “hillbilly boogie.”

    Next up was Jake La Botz, who sat alone center stage with an acoustic guitar and microphone. That’s all he needed to captivate the filling hall. His low voice contained a ton of character, bringing depth to songs from his latest album, Sunnyside, like “The Hotel (Fix Me Now),” “Damsel in Distress” and a bit of humor with “Inflatable Duck.” The album was produced by JD McPherson bassist Jimmy Sutton and he premiered it right here in Rochester last year with a performance at Record Archive.

    Speaking of Record Archive, co-owner Alayna Alderman took the stage next to bring out cake and lead the crowd in “Happy Birthday,” but not just for Abilene, it was also Webster-born drummer Jason Smay’s birthday and the day before was McPherson’s birthday as well.

    Headliner JD McPherson finished off the night in style. The rock was big and the lights were bright. McPherson and band flew through blasts of their unique blend of honky-tonk, rockabilly and classic rock sounds. The beat was swinging and so was the crowd. It was comfortably crowded, allowing enough space for couples to dance if they so desired. Nary a head in the house wasn’t bobbing along. In an hour set, they mixed music from all three albums, making for a show that explored their full history with Rochester. Songs frequently drifted into each other with interstitial mellow rock grooves. There wasn’t a whole lot of stopping or silence at this celebration. They topped it all off with a near 30-minute encore that started with La Botz coming back out to lead them through Hank Williams’ “My Bucket’s Got a Hole In It.” McPherson thanked the crowd for making Rochester like a second home for them before closing out the night with “Northside Gal.”

    The party continued however, as across the street, back in the shadows, Abilene hosted local swing trio Bobby Henrie and the Goners back in their own joint, and the music and jubilation continued on into the wee hours.

    Setlist: Bossy, Fire Bug, It Shook Me Up, Desperate Love, Crying’s Just a Thing That You Do, Under the Spell of City Lights, Head Over Heels, On the Lips, Hunting For Sugar, You Must Have Met Little Caroline?, Mother of Lies, Style (Is a Losing Game), Lucky Penny, Let the Good Times Roll
    E: My Bucket’s Got a Hole In It*, Bloodhound Rock, Wolf Teeth, Northside Gal

    *Hank Williams Sr. Cover, with Jake La Botz on guitar and vocals

  • Aqueous Breaks Through the Ice in Rochester

    The warnings were dire. The impending ice storm was set to shut down the city of Rochester. Many events were cancelled. But Aqueous was halfway through a two-nighter at their second home, Flour City Station. Both nights were sold out, and judging by the crowd Saturday night, few stayed home because of the weather.

    If you wanted to see a shining sun in Rochester, this was the place. Aqueous began the weekend ironically with “Staring into the Sun,” and held it open through to the run’s final notes, closing the song out early Sunday morning. In between were the band’s first two full two-set shows of 2018.

    Saturday night began a bit after 10pm, the band acclimating to the evening with bopping slide-guitar led groove. Guitarist Mike Gantzer primed the pump with quickly increasing intensity. The band and crowd together reached a frothing energy and were knee deep in opener “Don’t Do It” before long. The song mixes hard-edge rocking with blues and funk grooves, but of course dissolved into something completely different. They moved through multiple movements while LED bulbs strung above flashed in synchronicity. Gantzer’s guitar danced with Dave Loss’s keys, then bassist Evan McPhaden and drummer Rob Houk took the reins, before they finally all came together for a four-headed bit of improv that pushed the envelope of the band’s full power. 20 minutes into the show, only one song played, but most of the band’s muscle had been flexed. Maybe this article was right, band’s only need to play for 20 minutes? Nah!

    For Aqueous, what is played isn’t quite as important as how it’s played. The journey outweighs the destination. So it mattered less that they busted out Steely-Dan-esque groover “Mice” for the first time in well over 200 shows, and more how the ensuing exploration, led by a ferocious battle of guitar and drums, wound around to beautiful melodic calm.

    The musical quests were often directed by Gantzer calling commands into his mates’ earpieces. Though musical cues still conducted the chaos. Amid a spacey reggae groove in “Underlyer,” Houk tempted the beast with a subtly energizing beat. The beast bit, and the jam jumped into a new realm. Later during a long steady “wah” groove in “Mosquito Valley Part 1,” Loss’s spooky Moog swirls lit a fuse that eventually caught fire, setting off an explosive jam.

    The explorations were long, at times meandering, but they always find pockets of brilliance. Perhaps none more brilliant than deep into “Skyway,” an electro-groove fit for a Nintendo soundtrack dove into a spooky underworld of dark funk and building tension. Gantzer’s guitar flooded the room with intricate sound waves that reached peaks upon peaks and just when it felt it might collapse, the raging crowd egged it on even higher. Before the night was through Metallica, Tool, Randy Newman and Pink Floyd entered into the folds of jams while a full on cover of The Who’s “Pinball Wizard” was debuted. It all finished with the aforementioned close-out of “Staring into the Sun.” But when the crowd departed, they were only staring at their cars caked in ice.

    Setlist

    I: Don’t Do It > Mice > Don’t Do It, Underlyer > Mosquito Valley Pt. 1 > Mosquito Valley Pt. 2

    II: They’re Calling for Ya > Skyway, Uncle Phil’s Parachute, Second Sight > Pinball Wizard > Second Sight

    E: Kitty Chaser (Explosions) > Staring into the Sun