NYS Music 20​18

Category: Funk/Soul/R&B

  • Eighth Annual Levitate Music Festival Goes Green

    The eighth annual Levitate Music Festival took place July 7 and 8, hosted by the Levitate Surf Shop at the Marshfield Fairgrounds. The two day event featured three stages, the Soul Stage (smallest), Style Stage (mid-sized), and Stoke Stage (main); each stage featured killer musicians, both local and national touring acts. The weather remained hot and sunny all weekend, which the festival aided with free sunscreen dispensers all across the grounds.

    levitate music festival

    One of the coolest parts of this year’s Levitate was their move towards an eco-friendly festival experience. Attendees could purchase metal cups to use at the Reverb water-filling stations, or at the many beer tents around the grounds, receiving a $1 discount for purchasing the cups. There were also several compost tents, and some food vendors even served their food on biodegradable plates. Spread across the grounds were numerous local food trucks, one of the most popular being the Sweet Tomatoes pizza truck, which constantly had a line longer than the bathrooms.

    Samantha Fish was one of the more surprising sets of the first day, bringing her soulful blues playing and outstanding voice to the Soul Stage, surprising many festivalgoers that were passing by. Immediately following her and her band’s performance was Vermont-native jam band Twiddle, who seemed to have drawn their fans from all over New England. The quartet played the recently dusted off “Frankenfoote,” much to the crowd’s bemusement, and clearly seemed to enjoy being back in their home field after their recent cross-country tour with Stick Figure. Robert Randolph & The Family Band brought their gospel-blues fusion sound to the Soul Stage following Twiddle’s performance, and among their many covers, brought out Samantha Fish for a fiery rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s famous “Voodoo Child,” which had the crowd dancing and singing along all the way back to the soundboard.

    Slightly Stoopid and Stick Figure brought their reggae stylings and roots music to the Style and Stoke stages before the main event of the fest, Trey Anastasio Trio, took to the main stage. Trey’s trio actually became a quartet for the set, featuring Ray Paczkowski on the keyboards for his second show back since the recent removal of a brain tumor. The quartet played a mixture of Trey Anastasio Band and Phish songs, opening with the uplifting summer jam “Blaze On,” a song about being carefree and keeping on, which fit the atmosphere of the fest well. Trey was visibly excited to be onstage, probably due to having just played in Central Park the previous night, and the forthcoming start of Phish’s annual summer tour. After a unique rendition of TAB’s “Cayman Review,” the group broke into even more Phish classics, such as the jam vehicles “Gotta Jibboo” and “Sand,” as well as the fan-favorite  “Farmhouse.” The highlight of the set was the segment of “Bug > Undermind > First Tube” at the end of the set, featuring the deepest jams of the night. After the usual climactic ending of “First Tube,” Trey came out with an acoustic to perform solo versions of the bittersweet love song “Waste” and the joyful “More,” and asked the crowd to cheer as loud as they could for Ray when the rest of the band came out. The deafening roar of the attendees seemed to embarrass Ray—-though they made Trey smile and laugh—and the group broke into their final song of the evening, “Push On Til’ The Day.”

    On the second day of the fest, the Style Stage featured a lot of the best acts. The day was kicked off by Spafford, a first timer at Levitate, who have been on fire all summer long. The group played a near-20-minute version of their heavy hitter “Blackfoot Funk,” and a stellar version of one of their newest tunes “Broken Wing,” the fast paced rocker that heavily showcases the rhythmic abilities of bassist Jordan Fairless and drummer Cameron Laforest. The group closed out the set with “Space Gadget,” a more progressive song that features the famous main melody of Inspector Gadget theme, a request made by a fan who recently released an Inspector Gadget pin. Following Spafford were Brooklyn’s favorite funk group, the 9-piece Turkuaz, who got everyone up and dancing in the warm summer heat. Their set featured the always-entertaining “Percy Thrills, The Moon Dog,” as well as the Sami Garrett-led “Tiptoe Through the Crypto,” a song that really exemplifies her impressive vocal range. After Turkuaz came the popular bluegrass group Greensky Bluegrass, whose set featured a couple sit ins from some big names. The first sit in had singer-songwriter Ryan Montbleau sitting in on Coolio’s magnum opus, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which had a bit of a Greensky flair on it. The whole crowd was singing along with the rap anthem, really enjoying the group’s interesting take on the song. The second sit in featured guitarist Brian Moss of Spafford on their original “Kerosene,” which was taken over by Moss towards the end with an impressive solo on his beloved guitar “The Raven.”

    Of all the big names that were featured on the main stage, Lake Street Dive stoke the show as always with their upbeat, soulful swing sound. The set showcased many of the group’s popular originals, including “I Don’t Care About You,” “Good Kisser,” and “Baby Don’t Leave Me Alone With My Thoughts,” as well as an impressive cover of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One.” Over on the Soul Stage, Mihali Savoulidis of Twiddle hosted a “Mihali and Frends Community Jam” set to close out the festival, which featured a hefty lineup, including Eli Winderman and Rob Compa of Dopapod, Zdenek Gubb of Twiddle, Russ Lawton of Trey Anastasio Band, and many, many more. The set consisted mainly of covers, most impressively John Lennon’s “Stand By Me,” led by a guy named Hitch on acoustic guitar, and Alanis Morrissette’s classic “You Oughta Know,” led by Rob Compa, whose vocals were eerily similar to Morrissette’s.

    The eighth annual Levitate Music and Arts Festival was a major success, especially in the way of their green initiative. The festival will return next year and years to come, most likely with an even more impressive lineup and even better food. Check out the photo gallery below for a taste of what the weekend was like.

  • Inside the Shell: An Interview with Shannon and the Clams

    The indie garage-punk quartet Shannon and the Clams has been electrifying the nation with a vintage sound which incorporates elements of doo-wop, classic R&B, garage psych and surf rock into their high energy performances. At Panorama Music Festival we had a chance to catch up with guitarist Cody Blanchard and drummer Nate Mahan to discuss their extensive touring schedule, recording their most recent album Onion (produced by Black Key’s Dan Auerbach), and their plans for the future.

    Shannon and the Clams

    Ryan Randazzo (RR): Your music is described in many different ways from doo-wop, surf rock, R&B, psychedelic; you’ve got an entire array of genres in there. How did you sound form to become what it is now?

    Cody Blanchard (CB): It was all Shannon at first. She was playing open mics by herself and just really wanted to love that ‘60’s girl group sound. Then we started a really ramshackle band in 2008 with different people, and it was really punk because we were sloppy and 21 years old. We just kind of rolled with it and made it fun. Then we got better and started working with better people, like Nate our current drummer for the past few years, and he is better than our old drummer. It just got tighter and we added a keyboard player, so that allowed us to get more nuanced, bigger sounds. I also think we get really restless musically and want to explore new zones. Then we hear more different kinds of music we’ve never heard before and it all gets mixed in.

    RR: What kind of music are you guys into right now?

    CB: I’ve been into some old country stuff. I’ve been really into mid to late ‘80’s synth driven R&B stuff. There’s this period of music that me and my wife have been trying to describe and we call it “cocaine comedown,” and it’s like late ‘70s early ‘80s. It almost sounds like disco, but it’s low and everything’s sad sounding. It sounds like the next day. Some of The Eagles’ later shit sounds like that, and Lindsey Buckingham has a couple of really clean and tight sounding tracks. I love that stuff right now. It’s very sad disco music. What do you think?

    Nate Mahan (NM): I don’t know. I’ve still been high out on the early country; just exploring. California country music in particular. The Central Valley is such a strange part of California and there are so many weird genres that originate from it.

    CB: It’s the frontier of the frontier.

    NM: Yeah. It’s not the fancy part of California. You think the fancy part of California, you think San Francisco or L.A., which is glamorous, but the Central Valley has this whole working class thing. It’s strange that it would yield a band like Korn. I’ve been listening to Korn a lot. It’s just a strange zone for creative activity for whatever reason, and I’ve been exploring that recently myself.

    RR: You recently released Onion which was produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. How was working with him, and how was creating this album different from other albums you’ve done in the past?

    CB: Very different. He’s a very hands on producer. He likes to get really into the song structure and add tons of layers. It was cool not being responsible for everything. Our first few albums we recorded ourselves and I just felt like we were always doing everything. It was rad to have an outside party to come in and contribute stuff or just have a totally outside perspective on it.

    NM: Getting songs down fast and having lots of time to explore what we could do with them and mess with the arrangements. I feel like it works to such an advantage when you know that what you have is quality and you can really just go from there and build it.

    CB: Yeah, start with a strong foundation and layer a bunch of crazy shit on top of it. The other thing is his studio is extremely streamlined, so I think because he likes to add lots of instruments really fast and not have to wait around to move things in the studio or something. I’ve never seen that before. Most studios you’ll have to go in the closet and haul out the vibraphone, then get out the microphone, and it takes like an hour. He doesn’t have that much stuff, but it’s all ready to go. You can just record that and go, which is cool and inspiring.

    NM: Yeah definitely because if you wander by an instrument, see it and go, “I’m hearing something,” he’ll say, “Great, record.” Five minutes, done. Efficient.

    RR: You guys have a really extensive touring schedule. You’re going to Europe then coming back to the West Coast and working your way east. How have you noticed your audience differs from region to region, and what would you describe as your favorite market/which one do you feel you need to break into more?

    CB: One of our biggest markets is the L.A. area. A lot of young kids there, and a lot of really high energy kids out there. Some really great shows. Europe has been slow for us because we’ve worked with so many different booking agents. I don’t know – we just keep changing, but I think we’re trying to do some of the bigger festivals in Europe to get our name out there. In Europe, I’ve definitely noticed in the Netherlands people are very stiff as an audience. They’re very cool and friendly, but as an audience they’re very stiff. No dancers. I love the U.K. a lot, which most bands don’t like for some reason. We do well there, and I really like the people; they’re really rowdy.

    It’s been interesting touring with Dan Auerbach because our audience is generally very rowdy and unruly, and Dan’s audience, who didn’t know our material also, was very pleasant and mild mannered, so that was kind of fun.

    RR: How were your first few shows with his audience?

    CB: They loved it. It was a really different vibe. New Orleans is a very rowdy place, which I love.

    NM: Florida too. There’s something about that hot weather, you just want to have a good time.

    RR: How do you feel your shows differ from a festival set like today at Panorama and your normal touring shows?

    CB: They’re shorter at festivals. It probably sounds better when we’re touring because we do a normal soundcheck. We’re not as close to the audience at festivals; there’s more an energetic distance so it doesn’t feel as intimate. I feel like we play pretty much the same. We usually do an hour to an hour and fifteen minute set on our normal tours so festivals are just a little shorter.

    RR: I was talking to a couple of your fans after your set, and asked them if they had anything they’d want me to ask you, so their question was: “If you guys all live so far apart from one another, how does your songwriting and recording process work?”

    CB: We each usually make demos at home then meet up for a week or less and rehearse. Usually if we have a show, we meet a few days early. The last record, we met in Oakland and rehearsed a bit then met in Seattle and recorded demos of the songs at a friend’s house with the full band. I feel like next time, going into Auerbach’s studio, we can come less prepared. I feel like we were pretty well prepared last time, but I feel like we could show up and fuck around more. Everything seemed rushed at a different studio before that, so I was going into it like, “We’ve got to be ready with each song,” but it’s tough because stuff is expensive. Playing the songs as a group is also SO different from the recording process.The end product of recording with Dan is different. The things that end up on top are so different from what was originally on top of the recording.

    RR: Are there any elements of your sound or show that you feel like you’d want to add? Maybe a new light rig, psychedelic images, new instruments?

    NM: I think we all have plenty of ideas (laughs).

    CB: I used to think about that stuff all the time, then I started realizing that the return of investment on energy is pretty low. I think people are happy with a very human show or experience. But if we had tons of money… we’ve had tons of weird ideas.

    RR: What’s your weirdest?

    CB: I used to want to do weird sketches on stage and crazy costumes; hire our own lighting person and do our own spotlights. I used to want to do weird inflatable creatures and shit on stage. I made some animatronic, weird monster one time for our record release show three years ago. I just took old toys that are motorized and moved around, but put different things on the outside so they looked totally different. I put real animal fur and fake eyeballs on them; that was cool. That shit is just a lot of extra effort and takes up a lot of space, and we want to focus on the music. We’ve been trying to keep it really efficient. Lately, I’ve been less ambitious with stage elements and more focused on our sound.

    RR: What are your big plans for 2019?

    CB: I’ll bet we record next year. I think I’ll be ready. I think it’ll be a faster turnaround because when we recorded our last album, Dan’s label wasn’t quite ready for records to come out, so we had to wait a year. I think we’ll record. I would like to.

    NM: Hopefully we go and visit Australia.

    CB: Yeah, we were talking about trying to go to Australia or Japan, we’ve just never had a good connection. We’d love to do either of those. We’re heading to Mexico City later in the year, and I would love to go to South America and Central America. I feel like that audience would love it also. We’ve met a few bands from there, like big bands, and they always say, “You’ve got to come down.” Hopefully we’ll get a chance.

  • Photo Gallery: Twiddle’s Tumbledown

    Bernie Sanders, Kat Wright, Grahame Lesh and a few rainstorms were on hand for Twiddle at their third annual Tumbledown, held at the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival in Burlington, VT over Friday July 27 and Saturday the 28. Thunderstorms on Friday meant that Twiddle’s second set was shelved until the next day, and even with some bad weather showing up Saturday, they still managed to get all three sets in.

    Twiddle welcomed special guests Kat Wright for a breathtaking performance of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Mihali’s GEM counterparts Grahame Lesh and Elliot Peck (Midnight North) joined Twiddle for the final set’s “Lost in the Cold,” “Hatti’s Jam” and “When it Rains it Pours.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bly6T1gntlf/

    However it was the second set on Saturday that was the most unique of the weekend. Known by fans now as ‘Orlando’s Set,’ the 7 song set featured “Orlando’s” appearing four times in the set with 6 other songs intertwining. The song “Orlando’s” talks about a bar, and each of the three verses discusses a couple of characters who come into the bar. In this case, “Jamflowman” and “Hattibagen McRat” were mentioned, and both songs were then played in the first break of “Orlando’s.” Following “McRat,” the band returned to “Orlando’s,” introducing “Frankenfoote” and “Tiberius” before performing those two and returning to “Orlando’s” once again. The last characters introduced were “Carter Candlestick” and “Cabbage Face” which were performed before the ending of “Orlando’s” closed the set. A spark of genius flowed through this character laden set, something unique not just to Twiddle, but indeed they did it first.

    July 27 setlist via Phantasytour
    Set 1: White Light1, Drifter, Doinkinbonk!!!, Syncopated Healing

    1 Bernie Sanders introduction

    July 28 setlist via Phantasytour
    Set 1: Blunderbuss, Second Wind, Dr. Remidi’s Melodium, Polluted Beauty1, Hallelujah2
    Set 2: Orlando’s> Jamflowman> Hattibagen McRat> Orlando’s> Frankenfoote> Tiberius> Orlando’s> Carter Candlestick> Cabbage Face> Orlando’s
    Set 3: Lost In The Cold3, Apples4, Hatti’s Jam5,3> When It Rains It Pours5,3

    1 w Taz
    2 w Kat Wright
    3 w Grahame Lesh
    4 Smooth Criminal tease
    5 w Elliot Peck

  • NYS Presents: Live Music For Your August

    As with every year, the beautiful summer months have flown by so far and here at New York State Music, we are determined to make sure you make the most out of the sunshine left.  If you are looking to pack the whole month of August with unforgettable live music performance at great venues throughout New York, look no further than this cheat-sheet of all the upcoming action.

    Buffalo – Nietzche’s

    Nietzche’s has been beating those Monday blues all summer long by making Happy Hour a lot more jazzy for Buffalo.  If you have not made your way to Jazz Happy Hour this summer, be sure to get there before August is over.

    August 6th – Well-rounded vocalist Kristen Smigielski will be treating the crowd at the first Happy Hour of the month to her true forte: jazz.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to see one of Buffalo’s best. Event link.

    August 13th – No strangers to the New York State jazz scene, Dejesus and Warne Trio will be bringing their bluesy jazz style on the second Monday of the month.  Event link.

    August 20th – Buffalo-based songwriter and musician, Adam Bronstein, will be making his way back to Nietzche’s and taking over Jazz Happy Hour on the 20th. Event link.

    August 27th – To end a summer full of the happiest of Mondays ,The Duo+ will be providing food for the soul in the form of their powerful performances of classics and new takes on old jazz standards. Event link.

    Syracuse – Funk ‘N Waffles 

    August 2nd – All the way from Portland, Oregon, do not miss your opportunity to spend the night listening to the rock and roll stylings of singer/songwriter, Jerry Joseph, as he performs with special guest Charley Orlando.  Event link.

    August 3rd – Brooklyn-based Americana and alternative country band, Yarn, has brought crowds from far and wide to their shows and will be treating Syracuse to experience their music with special guest Old Dear Ensemble. Event link.

    August 8th – For a night full of smiles and good vibes, Kendall Street Company will be stopping by on their Summer Tour at Funk ‘N Waffles along with Vintage Pretty.  For fans of psychedelic, alternative and jam rock music and beyond, this show is sure to be a can’t miss event.  Event link.

    August 9th – Handmade Moments will be bringing their rich, musical flavor of alternative folk music, paired with the diversely beautiful, “no rules,” sounds of the up and coming duo, Dizzy Heart. Event link.

    August 10th – There is nothing quite like a good night full of good ole Americana music, especially when it is delivered from Upstate New York favorite group, The Old Main.  Did we mention it’s free?  Event link.

    August 11th – Brutal By Design presents a night full of hot hip hop featuring Diabolic, Reef The Lost Gauze, as well as Syracuse-based musician, Timothy J.  Event link.

    August 14th – The New Daze is reuniting for one night and one night only to revive their “organic psychedelic rage,’ for all those who have missed it so much.  Make sure to make it out for this electrified performance as they are joined by Kansas Wine. Event link.

    August 16th – Delivering the sounds of the South right to your friendly neighborhood Upstate New York venue is just what The Prestage Brothers Band will be doing on the 16th of August. Event link.

    August 23rd – It is bound to be a packed night of out of this world music as alternative blues group, Late Earth, performs accompanied by the experimental sounds of The U.S. Americans, as well as Cosmonaut Radio.Event link.

    August 25th – Brownskin Band and Joe Driscoll will be taking over Syracuse’s Funk ‘N Waffles for a night that honors American folk in the funkiest way possible. Event link.

    August 29th – Mungo’s List covers it all and is sure to have a sound that will please fans of every genre from jam, to jazz, to soul, to maybe more niche interests such as “spacey,” music as well as, “spooky,” music.   6-piece funk band, Butter, will also be coming along to ensure that the funk is spread as much as possible to attendees of this sure to be memorable show. Event link.

    August 30th – Pop-driven, but diversely inspired group Major Player will be returning to their roots in Syracuse to perform in the place where their stellar sounds were born. Event link.

    August 31st – To end out an incredible month at Funk ‘N Waffles, Danielle Ponder & The Tomorrow People will be performing music that is sure to make you think, feel, and most importantly, dance.  They will be joined by Candian funk, rock and soul group, After Funk.  End your month with a bang and come enjoy the sounds of these two powerhouse groups!  Event link.

    Rochester – Funk ‘N Waffles

    August 1st – Starting off month of August at Rochester’s Funk ‘N Waffles on a funky note will be groups Stig and Fakaui on the 1st. Event link.

    August 2nd – If you just cannot wait until Yarn and Old Deer Ensemble play Syracuse’s Funk ‘N Waffles on the 3rd or, better yet, just want to see them twice, come on out for their performance in Rochester the night before! Event link.

    August 3rd – Sonic Garden, Buffalo’s own authentic Grateful Dead tribute band, will be playing the DSO After Party.  Come out to celebrate the music of an incredible band as this talented group of musicians revive all your favorites. Event link.

    August 8th – Kris Lager Band will be bringing revivalist rock and heavy soul to Rochester with special guest and Rochester-native group Stationary Escape Pod, who will be performing their blend of Americana, progressive rock, blues and more. Event link.

    August 9th – After the Kendall Street Company shows off their psychedelic funk with special guest Vintage Pretty in Syracuse, the next stop of their tour will be Rochester on the 9th.  Don’t miss out on another opportunity to catch these two incredible acts!  Event link.

    August 11th – Rochester Black Pride is proud to be bringing you Summer Nights: Starring Trina at the Music Hall.  Trina is one of the most consistent and praised female rappers and will be performing her music that not only has been enjoyed by so many, but has done so much to change the world of hip hop.  Don’t miss this opportunity to see her live!  Event link.

    August 23rd – Nth Power will be bringing a spiritual, powerful, soulful and goose bump worthy performance with Quintuple and it is sure to be an uplifting experience you do not want to miss. Event link.

    August 14th – She is Detroit’s Queen of the Blues and she is coming to Rochester to show Upstate New York just why. Make sure to come experience Thornetta Davis live for an unforgettable and funky performance. Event link.

    August 18th – It is never a bad time for a Chicago Blues kind of night, and that is just what Frank Bang and The Cook County Kings will be providing on the 18th.  Event link.

    August 22nd – Joe Marcinek All Star Super Jam is every last bit of fun that it sounds like it will be. As every one of their performances features different artists, this Rochester show will include Alan Evans of Soulive, Steve Molitz of Particle and members Freekbass. Event link.

    August 28th – To bring a healthy dose of reggae and blues for the month, Aaron Kamm and the One Drops will be performing with special guest Delilah Jones. Event link.

    August 29th – Continuing the reggae into the following night with a mix of R&B will be Mutlu, who will be coming through on his The Almost Famous Tour, with special guest and pop artist, Wes Williams. Event link.

    August 31st – The grand finale to such a grand month full of great performances will be brought to you by Kevin Kinsella.  Come out for the last night of August and enjoy his acoustic soul and reggae sounds. Event link.

  • Michelangelo Carubba sits down with Empire State Music Podcast

    Turkuaz drummer and Buffalo native, Michelangelo Carubba joins host Andy Hogan at Cobblestone Live to discuss growing up in Buffalo, time spent at Berklee School of Music, life on the road with Turkuaz, and the experiences that shaped his career in music. Tune in on Simplecast.

  • Listen to Oliver Kennan’s debut single “Waiting”

    Oliver Kennan, a New York City-based indie-soul artist and bandleader, has become known in the NY music scene for his infectious energy onstage and his remarkably tight seven-piece contemporary soul band. Oliver is a retro-soul performer with one foot planted firmly in the 21st century, with influences ranging from Otis Redding to Arcade Fire, Betty Davis to Radiohead, and Wilson Pickett to Amy Winehouse. Give a listen to his first single, “Waiting,” just released via Hornblow Recordings.

    “Waiting” is a modern take on the rock and soul of the past and a classic story of a young man searching for love in the loneliest big city in the world, NYC. It’s one part Tower of Power’s up-tempo funk with a contemporary swagger where Oliver plays the lonely loverboy with conviction and good humor. The band channeled the vintage sounds of their favorite records while recording live to tape at The Bunker Studios and Thump Studios in Brooklyn. “Waiting” was written by Oliver Kennan, is published by Easy Coast Music (BMI) and was produced by Graham Stone and mastered by Bob Ludwig.

  • Kung Fu Confirms Fall Dates

    Kung Fu recently announced their 2018 fall tour that will kick off on Aug. 3 in Candia, NH and comes to a close in November in Denver, CO.

    Photo courtesy of Kung Fu’s website.

    The band is known for their ’70s funk-fusion meets a modern dance party sound and have existed since 2012. They get some of their influences from early Headhunters and Weather Report, and merge those ideas with  contemporary EDM.

    The 2018 fall tour includes not only a series of co-headlining concerts with Perpetual Groove but also a handful of Steely Dan tributes. The band will make two stops in NY, the first being in Utica as the official after party for moe. on Sept. 8 and the second in Rochester on Sept. 20.

    Their west coast shows will reprise last year’s “Fez Tour” as “Fez West,” where the band mixes the music of Steely Dan with original Kung Fu music.

    The band is made up of Tim Palmieri on guitar & vocals, Robert Somerville on tenor sax & vocals, Beau Sasser on keyboards & vocals, Chris DeAngelis on bass guitar & vocals, and Adrian Tramontano on drums/percussion.

    For more information visit Kung Fu’s website.

  • Gabriel Sanchez Presents The Prince Experience at Rockin on the River

    Gabriel Sanchez started The Prince Experience as a small local theatre production of Purple Rain which has expanded into a night of unbelievable entertainment. Costumes and choreographed dances really had the Troy waterfront rocking and dancing July 18, playing all of Princes hits into the night. Sanchez along with musicians from Wisconsin and Chicago bring the music of Prince to a new tribute band standard.

    Adrian Lewis performing as The Age, opened the night. He plays around the Capital region and Downtown Troy, performing his Neo-soul mix of music. The crowd enjoyed his soulful singing and hot electric guitar with a great band. The Age is releasing a new EP with his Neo-sou; sound with a Jazzy feel.

  • Color Me Badd singer arrested after allegedly pushing bandmate at show in Waterloo

    Color Me Badd lead singer Bryan Abrams allegedly pushed longtime bandmate Mark Calderon during a performance at Del Lago Casino on July 22. According to Seneca County Sheriff’s Office, the call came in at 9:15 and responding officers arrested Abrams for attempted assault in the third degree. Footage caught by fans show Calderon on stage with two dancers, singing the ’90s hit “I Wanna Sex You Up.” In the video, Calderon was thanking the crowd when Abrams entered from offstage and made contact with Calderon, who then fell to the floor of the stage. The Sheriff’s Office said that Calderon was transported to the local hospital for neck and back pain, where he was treated and released. Abrams is due to reappear in court on August 28 on this charge.

  • Cobblestone Live to Host Second Annual Buffalo-Centric Fest

    This weekend, the second annual Cobblestone Live will be taking place in Buffalo. Cobblestone is a fairly small festival, taking place in a single neighborhood and making use of the bars, restaurants, and venues that call it home. The festival’s stages are set up on the famous Illinois and Columbia Streets, as well as inside Lockhouse Distillery Buffalo Iron Works.

    The lineup features some big names, such as the soulful Andy Frasco & the U.N., known for Frasco’s wild stage antics and soulful blues music, Brooklyn-based funk band Turkuaz, Broken Social Scene, and Buffalo natives Aqueous, the groove rock quartet that has spent the last two years touring the country relentlessly. Some smaller, more local bands are also featured, namely Space Junk, Cold Lazarus, First Ward, and Grateful Dead tribute band, Workingman’s Dead. Michelangelo Carubba of Turkuaz will be hosting a “Super Jam” on Saturday, July 28, which should be interesting to see, as they’ve yet to mention who will be included in the jam.

    Cobblestone offers a wide variety of activities and vendors, including an alpaca farm on Saturday you should be sure to check out. Food vendors include Grateful Grind Coffee, Lloyd, Mazurek’s Bakery, Lugia’s, and Totally Edible. Lockhouse Distillery & Buffalo Iron Works will be providing festival drink menus. There will be several different vendors at the fest, including a tent for the Child Advocacy Center, an organization that provides treatment and support for kids in Erie County that have been physically or sexually abused. A portion of Cobblestone Live’s profits will be donated to the CAC.
    cobblestone live

    Cobblestone Live is looking like a grand time, full of delicious food, drinks, and good music! Take a look at the daily lineup above to better plan out your Cobblestone experience. Check back with NYS Music for photos and coverage of the fest.