Category: Syracuse

The Black River Release Debut Album, ‘Classic Universe’

Syracuse’s The Black River, led by singer-songwriter Mike Powell, has released its first album, entitled Classic Universe. The soulful quintet, who take their name from the North Country river that passes by Powell’s childhood home, came together just over one year ago and have been quickly making their name known throughout New York.

The album was produced by Jeff Aderman at Utica’s Big Blue North Studio and exhibits The Black River putting an impressive foot forward in its debut. In the year since the band debuted, they have opened for such artists as The Sadies, Shooter Jennings, The Trews, Mondo Cozmo and Eric Tessmer. A powerful afternoon set at last year’s moe.down also won the band new fans.

“One of the things we always talk about when we are sculpting these songs is to be sure to listen to one another. That may sound like a very simple concept but when you’re creating a collective sound it’s important that no player be on a sonic island. We aim to be one connected land mass of sound,” Powell said when asked about the goal of his new band. “I have surrounded myself and my songs with monster players that could easily step out and flex their muscles at anytime but all of us understand the importance of doing what is best for the song first.”

Powell’s assessment of this band is certainly true. All come from different musical backgrounds to forge a sound that isn’t easy to categorize. Longtime Powell collaborator, guitarist John Hanus’ metal chops and experimental solos add an unexpected yet welcome edge to Powell’s personal songwriting and the soulful force created by keyboardist Shane Kelsen and the rhythm section of Joe Bell and Dom Scicchitano. The band’s frequent live performances have helped hone its unique sound over the past year and the band is gelling as a unit at the perfect time.

To celebrate the release of the new album, the Black River recently performed the inaugural live session for Syracuse radio show Soundcheck at SubCat Studios. You can view that peformance below. The show, hosted by long time Syracuse radio personality and SAMMYS Hall of Famer, Dave Frisina, has been on the air since 1979. It showcases local and regional musicians each Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. on 105.9 The Rebel.

Frisina’s new series is called Live @ SubCat Studios and will feature a different local act performing live in front of a studio audience each month.

The Black River’s Classic Universe is available now on all streaming platforms. Recent performances have included stops at the del Lago Resort and Casino in Waterloo and Three Heads Brewing Company in Rochester. They’re also scheduled to perform at Al’s Wine and Whiskey Lounge in Syracuse in March and Funk ‘N Waffles Syracuse in April. Follow The Black River on Facebook or at their website for information on upcoming performances.

February 6, 2018
Kyle Hollingsworth Band Bringing New Jams to Funk ‘N Waffles
Music fans are in for a treat this weekend if they are heading out to see the Kyle Hollingsworth Band.

“As of right now, I’m excited about this little run in the Northeast,” said Kyle Hollingsworth. “I’m excited about hitting the road a little bit and playing some of these tunes I’ve been working on the last year or so — testing out live performance of the songs. And raging the best we can.”

The keyboardist for String Cheese Incident brings his solo project to New York for a show on Friday in Rochester and another in Syracuse on Saturday, both at Funk ‘N Waffles.

“We have a new lineup of musicians and it’s more jam-oriented than I’ve ever made it,” he said.

Hollingsworth’s tour coincides with the release of his new solo album 50 — coming out March 2.

NEW SONGS

Fans attending the shows on this tour will be the first ones to hear the new songs played live from the album.

“There will be some debuts,” he said.

While he has played about half of the album live already, he said it’s fun playing songs for the first time because people don’t know them and he does more experimentation and jamming.

“If we screw up the song, people won’t know because they haven’t heard it before,” he said.

NEW ALBUM, BIRTHDAY

The album 50 comes out a day before Hollingsworth’s birthday, when he turns 50. Reflecting on that milestone, Hollingsworth is not slowing down at all.

“I still feel super creative and very active,” he said. “I feel very young still.”

Regarding the title he laughed and said: “What the hell was I thinking? Why’d I call it 50. I’m gonna call it 25 Again.”

Hollingsworth describes the album as exploratory and epic. “The album starts out as if you walked into the club and the band is already raging,” he said.

He said it starts that way in the beginning with the song “Onset” and keeps the theme throughout while the last song is titled “Offset.”

BREWING BEER

If it doesn’t seem like Hollingsworth has enough on his plate, he also has a new brew to wash things down. Ground Score IPA came from a collaboration between Hollingsworth, Relix magazine and Sweetwater Brewing Company. The launch party for the 7.1 percent ABV brew coincides with the first date of the tour on and will be served at the first venue they play at, Brooklyn Bowl in New York City.

“I’ve made about 30 beers with people all around the country,” he said. “And this is one of my more favorite ones,” he said. “It is more unique in their (Sweetwater) style of beer.”

Hollingsworth picked up homebrewing as a hobby from his brother.

“I always did anything my brother did,” he said. “He started watching the Grateful Dead, so I started. He started smoking pot, I started smoking pot, and he started brewing beer, so I started.”

Hollingsworth compares brewing to making music because it gives him the same creative outlet.

“Once you get it on your fingers, whether it is playing piano or brewing beer, it is fun to improvise and drift from the process, and some of that is where the magic happens,” he said.

He appreciates the experimentation aspect of both hobbies.

“It could be a great beer, or it could be a terrible solo,” he said. “Sometimes you win sometimes you lose. Sometimes you have a great beer; sometimes you have a terrible solo.”

VISIT TO NEW YORK

Hollingsworth said the beer he made with Relix and Sweetwater was inspired by some of the great Northeastern breweries. He can’t wait to try more local New York brews.

“I’m excited. I don’t know much about the area,” he said.

He also invites people to share their creations or favorite local beers with him.

“People are always welcome to bring me tasty beers,” he said. “Either their home brews or local microbrews — I’ll try them.”

He also plans to ski in some of his free time on tour. He said he has never heard of a garbage plate, but he would definitely try one.

STRING CHEESE INCIDENT

Hollingsworth said String Cheese Incident is in the studio working on a new album.

“When I’m not running around making beer or touring, I’m in the studio full time with String Cheese,” he said.

He cannot wait to let loose and get creative in their studio known as SCI Lab.

Since he keeps himself busy with many projects, he doesn’t get much time to see many shows, but he said at festivals he enjoys drifting to the smaller stages and finding inspiration in what he hears. He mentioned he enjoyed seeing a DJ by the name of Elohim and My Morning Jacket, and he is always finding something new.

“When I see music, for me, it is just wandering Electric Forest or Hulaween to smaller stages,” he said. “I try to find what inspires me. When I hear something magical, it draws me to the stage.”

FRIDAY, FEB. 9

WHAT: Kyle Hollingsworth Band; Sophistafunk opener

WHERE: Funk ‘N Waffles 204 N. Water St., Rochester, NY

WHEN: Doors 8 p.m.; Show 9 p.m.

TICKETS: www.funknwaffles.com

SATURDAY, FEB. 10

WHAT: Kyle Hollingsworth Band; Sophistafunk opener

WHERE: Funk ‘N Waffles 307 Clinton St., Syracuse, NY

WHEN: Doors 8 p.m.; Show 9 p.m.

TICKETS: www.funknwaffles.com

Kyle Hollingsworth Band’s new album “50”
1. Onset
2. Wyatt Earp’s Tale
3. Let me in
4. All Falls Apart
5. Finding Our Way
6. Prime
7. Stuff
8. Tumbling
9. Come On
10. So Fine
11. Take the Ride
12. Offset
February 6, 2018
Syracuse Native Rhiannon Payne Taking Music Career to Next Level

Rhiannon Payne knew she wanted to be a music superstar since the very beginning of her life.

“I was 3 years old when someone told me ‘Hey kid you can sing,’” said the Syracuse native. “So that was kind of it for me.”

She’s ready to take her career to the next level with a new album and tour planned this summer. The album, which she hasn’t titled yet, will include 10 tracks, and she hopes to have it released by early June with a two-month tour to coincide.

Payne will share her talents at Funk ‘N Waffles on Clinton Street in Syracuse at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9.

EARLY EXPERIENCE

Payne explored her musical talent often growing up and she worked hard pursuing her career. She took music classes and participated in chorus, but it was a band that guided her.

“I was in a band for three years, and that really helped me realize what I wanted to do,” she said.

From age 13-16 Payne sang for the pop-punk/alternative band Nextake. She familiarized herself with the stage through singing and playing local venues.

“I love performing in front of people,” she said.

Nextake performed at local venues around Syracuse, and one big feat Payne was proud of was opening for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus at the Westcott Theater in April 2012.

“That was an amazing experience,” she said.

In high school she started buckling down to prepare for the journey ahead.

“I took every opportunity I could to put myself here,” she said. “It was kind of like my accumulation of taking all of the tools and people I had to help me out — I took advantage of everything I had.”

“I met wonderful people there who really knew how to tie and relate what I learned in school to my actual career.”

Payne didn’t want to go to college because she thought it wouldn’t help her career. But she found classes she could apply to singing and help her voice for the long-term. So she pursued a degree from Onondaga Community College and graduated with an associate’s degree in applied science.

NEXT STEPS

Now that Payne honed in on her talents, she is focused on her album and the next steps for her path of success. She hired a manager at the end of last year, she has a producer working on her album, and she also hired a promoter as well.

“My music was beginning to falter because I couldn’t spend time to practice or write,” she said. “It got super overwhelming. I understand why musicians need large teams of people to do what they do.”

She said she wrapped up recording for mostly everything on the album and is going back and forth with the editing process. Shane Patterson is working as the producer out of Hobin Studios in Phoenix, NY.

The album includes eight new songs and two she has already released. “Bedtime Stories” was published in October with a music video. “Through Me” was a song she had produced and released in May 2015.

Payne is shooting for early June to release her album. She is planning to have a huge party and then have a two-month tour lined up around New York and New York City.

She said her ultimate goal is to move to Nashville, to continue developing as an artist.

“I want to get experience writing and collaborating with more musicians,” she said. “I want to learn as much as I can from a large music capital.”

PLAYING STYLE

When it comes to her music, Payne said she likes to play all types of genres.

“No one can really ‘genre-tize’ my music,” she said. “One song will sound jazzy, one will sound like Irish folk.”

While she can play many different instruments, she is often seen with a guitar. At her shows, fans can expect to hear her original songs with some covers added to the setlist.

Since she likes to play all genres, she said she covers anything — giving classic rock, Ariana Grande and Paramore as examples of the variety she includes.

The show at Funk ‘N Waffles will include a set by former Nextake bandmember Dylan Aird. Payne said she is excited for the show and they will perform together for a song during each other’s set.

One last thing about Payne’s name in case it sounded familiar: She was named after the Fleetwood Mac song. And Stevie Nicks did inspire Payne at a young age.

“I saw her rocking on stage and I would say ‘Yup, that’s gonna be me.’”

SEE RHIANNON PAYNE LIVE

WHAT: Rhiannon Payne with Dylan Aird

WHERE: Funk ‘N Waffles 307 Clinton St., Syracuse, NY 13202

WHEN: Friday, Feb. 9

MORE INFO: Funk ‘N Waffles Website

Rhiannon Payne Facebook

Twitter: @RhiannonPayne7

Instagram: @RhiannonPayne7

Interview with #thePostshow from KROCK

Rhiannon Payne’s music is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and iHeartRadio.

February 5, 2018
NYS Music Presents: Live Music across New York State this February

It is that time again to start planning all the great musicians you are going to see this month. NYS Music is here to help you out and give you the run down of when to mark your calendar in February for all the live music around you that you cannot miss.

Buffalo – Nietzsche’s

February 1st – The Plate Scrapers are making their Buffalo debut to start off the month at Nietzche’s with The Observers. Come out for some original bluegrass and folk music. Event link.

February 7th – Buffalo-local rowdy jazz and bluesy roots band Folkfaces will be playing with American roots band Swampcandy. Event link.

February 16th – The award winning electronic-rock band, Space Junk will be having their CD Release at Nietzche’s and will be joined by the psychedelic jam trio Vibe & Direct. E vent link.

February 24th – Starship Mantis, the funk, dance and R&B band, “dedicated to making you move,” is sure to do just that when the come through to Nietzche’s and you do not want to miss it. Event link.

Rochester – Funk ‘N Waffles

February 1st – Come out for the groovy experimental beats and loops from “a DJ for people who are not fond of DJs,” Weazildust featuring drummer, Packy from Jimkata Event link.

February 2nd – Dirty Blanket, the Finger Lakes native bluegrass band will be performing joined by The Plate Scrappers, and Steel Guapo Event link.

February 3rd – Tragically Hip Tribute “Fully Complete Hip” will be bringing a crowd pleasing set with selections from the Hip’s library with theatrics and visuals that complete the experience. Event link.

February 8th – Continuing their sweep through upstate New York, Folkfaces and Swampcandy will be coming to Rochester following their Buffalo show for more bluegrass and good times. Event link.

February 9th – Come find out why Kyle Hollingsworth’s genre can only be described as “keyboard wizardry.” Kyle Hollingsworth Band will be performing with special guest funk and hip-hop band Sophistafunk and it is sure to be a night of incredible music you don’t want to miss.  Event link.

February 10th – For some indie roots music that will make you want to sing a long and will without a doubt have you smiling along with the band, come see Parsonsfield with special guest Old Deer Ensemble. Event link.

February 16th – The Rochester-native Moho Collective will be bringing their “sonic arsenal” with a healthy mix of jazz, funk, rock, folk and traditional sounds of the Middle East, Africa and Latin America to Funk ‘N Waffles with special guest Overhead Sam. Event link.

February 17th – Singer-songwriter Aaron Rizzo will be performing his acoustic funk music that will please fans of artists from John Mayer to BJ The Chicago Kid, with special guest Tyler Pearce Duo and Sam Nitsch. Event link.

February 23rd – If the name Cosmic Brownie doesn’t sell you enough, maybe the promise of more of their funky electronic music will. Come out for their EP release party with special guest and futuristic funk band Eclat, as well as the hip-hop duo Carousel. Event link.

February 24th – Mother Funkin’ Planets, the Rochester-based “funk groove powerhouse” will be taking on Funk “N Waffles with the Charles Walker Band. Event link.

February 25th – It’s going to be a full night of high energy music as “punk-hop” artist Tommy Traina, rap and hip-hop artist Lamaj, hardcore punk band Citizens Against People, El Jefe, and Jiggy take over Funk ‘N Waffles for the night. Event link.

February 26th – Don’t miss a night full of infectiously upbeat ska music featuring Bim Skala Bim, the Beaumonts, and Some Ska Band. Event link.

Syracuse – Funk ‘N Waffles

February 2nd– Before they hit Rochester, the Tragically Hip Tribute band “Fully Completely Hip” will be bringing their immersive live music experience to Syracuse the night before. Event link.

February 3rd – If you miss them when they swing by Rochester the night before, don’t miss the “dirty string-slingin’” bluegrass sounds of Dirty Blanket wth special guests, The Plate Scrapers Event link.

February 7th – Chris Merkley, Bea, and Charley Orlando will be performing in Syracuse and will be bringing a great live show full of alternative folk and folk rock.  Event link.

February 8th – All the way from Michigan, don’t miss your chance to see the Motown inspired folk rock band Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers joined by Boston’s hottest young rock, R&B, and funk band, Juice Event link.

February 9th – Following their Buffalo and Rochester shows, Swampcandy and Folkfaces will be stopping by Syracuse. So if you miss their two shows before, be sure to make it out for this one! Event link.

February 10 – For another funky night at Funk ‘N Waffles, don’t miss Kyle Hollingsworth with special guest Sophistafunk. If you didn’t catch them in Rochester the night before, be sure to make it out on the 10th! Event link.

February 14 – Sundrop Rise will be filling the night with their groovy soul, funk, pop and reggae blended sounds with special guest The Cooled Jets. Event link.

February 16th – The 16th is bound to be a night filled to the brim with fantastic live music and starts off with the blues sounds of Joe Louis Walker at 8 o’clock.  Event link.

February 16th – Continuing the night with more blues music, Nat Gross will be taking the stage at 11. Event link.

February 17th – Come out to hear the Americana-inspired sound of Steel Guapo with special guest Gerry Jarcia String Band when they roll through Syracuse. Event link.

February 22nd – The jazz/groove quartet, Forq will be performing featuring the members of one of their favorite artists, Snarky Puppy & David Bowie. Event link.

February 23rd – Following their debut the night before, Oval Sandwich, the side project of guitar player Rob Compa from Dodapod, will be performing in Syracuse with Wiley Riley on the keys and Paul McCardle on guitar. Event link.

Albany – The Hollow Bar and Kitchen

February 9th – Presented by Guthrie/Bell Productions, the progressive ukulele rock band, Cousin Earth will be joined by Ampevene who will be releasing their new live album at The Hollow Bar + Kitchen. Event link.

February 16th – The contemporary rock trio Lespecial will be performing at The Hollow Bar + Kitchen with the soul/rock band, Front Business Event link.

February 23rd – Following Moe.’s show at the Palace, come out to the afterparty and see Floodwood, the Americana Newgrass band from Upstate New York and Space Carnival. Event link.

February 24th – Following the second Moe. show marking their return to the Palace, the second afterparty will be featuring Electric Beethoven and Scott Haney Plays Video Games at the Hollow Bar + Kitchen. Event link.

January 31, 2018
Rob Compa announces side-project Oval Sandwich, shows in Syracuse and Rochester

Dopapod may be taking 2018 off, but guitarist Rob Compa is keeping busy, unveiling a new side project, Oval Sandwich, which will debut on February 22 at Flour City Station in Rochester, with a follow up show on the 23rd at Funk n Waffles in Syracuse.

Oval Sandwich includes Compa on guitar, Paul McCardle (guitar – Doja, English Project), Will O’Riley (keys- The Niche, Swooners), Tristan Greene (drums – Doja, Ocular Panther) and Justin Rister (bass – Moho Collective). With some originals and covers on tap, the history these musicians have from years of performing and writing music in Rochester will come together for two can’t miss shows. Rob spoke to NYS Music about the band name, how the lineup came together and how Dopapod’s New Years show went.

Pete Mason: So why is the band called Oval Sandwich?

Rob Compa: Ok, good story. When I was going to MCC (Mohawk Community College) around 2005-06, I used to go see Willy’s band The Niche in Rochester all the time. I probably saw them fifty times. After a show one night, I went to Jay Schreiber’s (Niche drummer) house with Willy. I knocked back a few of beers with them, and had never really drank at all. Much to my chagrin, I got, well….drunk, for lack of a better word. We called The Niche’s bassist Todd (Nestor). I told him I’d been drinking and he asked how I felt. I told him I was hungry, and he asked what I would want to eat if I could eat anything in the world. In a slightly slurred, not-so-sober manner, I told him I wanted “one of those oval shaped chicken sandwiches from Burger King (you know the ones I’m talking about). They all cracked up at that, and 15 minutes later Todd showed up, burger king bag in hand. So when we started booking shows, I couldn’t think of a name and asked if anyone had anything in mind, and that was the first idea Willy had.

PM: How did you bring this act of local Rochester musicians together?

RC: The project started with some phone calls between Paul McArdle and I. Without exaggeration, Paul is one of my favorite guitar players ever, and a huge influence for me, so I’ve always wanted to put something together with him. I’m excited to see what we come up with when we’re both playing together. We actually played a little gig at Temple a few weeks back together, and in between songs he said “Man, I can’t not play like you when I’m on stage with you,” and I just thought that was funny because as far as I’m concerned, a huge amount of my guitar personality is just stuff that I soaked up from listening to him for years. So he was really just playing like himself and I was the one playing like him if that makes sense hahaha.

Paul also suggested Justin as the bassist. I don’t know Justin at all, but he sent me some videos of him playing and had great things to say about him. I checked out some videos, and was sold right away. I love bass players who are focused on the pocket and holding the groove together, but can still take some liberties and play ear grabbing, exciting stuff when it’s appropriate. That’s my ideal kind of player, and I Justin had that in the stuff I watched.

Willy, who I also play with in our other group, Borg Party, was really just a no brainer. He’s one of my favorite musicians, keyboardists, and humans ever, and he’s also written some of my favorite music I’ve heard. I’ve never met anyone else who writes music as fluidly and as naturally as him. For these initial shows, we probably won’t have too much original stuff since it’s our first shows, but I’d love to write some stuff together in the future.

Finally, Tristan Greene was a drummer I was just so stoked to play with. Like Willy’s band, I used to see Tristan and Paul’s band Doja at Milestones (now Flour City Station) all the time when I was a teenager, and I was just in awe of those guys musicianship. I even had Tristan play drums for Dopapod at a really early Rochester show of ours in about 2008 that our drummer at the time (Michelangelo Carubba, who is now in Turkuaz and also plays with me in Borg Party) couldn’t make. I love his pocket, and how he doesn’t overplay.

This is really sort of a dream band of Rochester guys for me. If I could have picked anyone, it still would have been these guys.

PM: How was the final Dopapod New Years Eve before hiatus?

RC: It was great! We had been torn between whether or not to play two sets like we always do and have an opener that would help us draw more, or do three sets and not have anyone else on the bill. We went with the latter, and all four of us were so thankful for that. We really wanted to have it be our night, and be able to play for as long as we wanted since it’ll be awhile before we get to do it again. We even played our whole Redivider album, with the weird interludes and everything. It felt great. After the show, our friends backstage were all verklempt and telling us how much they loved us. Some of them were even a little teary eyed. And we were all just tired and pretty satisfied! I think after that much playing and months of knowing this break was coming, we were all just pretty nonchalant about the whole thing. We just had a blast.

PM: How do you see your 2018 panning out?

RC: Lots of teaching guitar lessons, and lots of gigs. I’ve never had to book my own shows until now, so that’s a pretty crazy learning experience. But as I’m moving forward, I think I’d rather have enough students to relax financially, and let gigs come to me rather than me put all of them together. I’m not really a managerial/leader type. I obviously want to play as much as possible and in as many settings as possible, but I like just being the guy who other people call to play guitar for them. I’ve also thought about going back to school to finish my music degree. A major long term goal of mine would be to teach guitar in a college setting someday. I love teaching and get a lot out of it, so I would love to teach in a kind of more advanced setting like that.

January 16, 2018
Start Off Your New Year With Live Music, Presented by NYS Music

A very Happy New Year from NYS Music! If your New Year’s resolution is to see more memorable shows in 2018, NYS Music is bringing you the rundown of all the can’t-miss shows around you in New York this January. The featured cities this month include Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester.

Buffalo – Nietzsche’s

January 6th – Come out to Nietzsche’s for some funk and soul music from the group Tiger Chung Lee, accompanied by Rhubarb. Hit the event link for more details! Event link.

January 13th – For a night full of dynamic funky music, come see the English Project take Nietzsche’s with their groovy improvisation with Mosswalk, the progressive rock group who brings an immersive live music experience, and 18 Wheels and a Crowbar.  Event link.

January 20th – The group LITZ blends together a multitude of genres to bring a new, exciting sound for listeners that has the power to transport audiences to another place, free from the stresses of life. To hear a variety of everything from soul, electronica, jam and funk, catch them at Nietszche’s with Cold Lazarus. Event link.

January 26th – Nietzsche’s is bringing you a day packed full of live music on the 26th. Start early with a free show at Happy Hour featuring The Fibs. Then come back for more at 10 PM to see Swimmer, Skyepilot and Haewa for a mix of experimental rock-fusion, genre-bending psychedelia, and rock ‘n’ roll. Event link.

Syracuse – Funk ‘N Waffles

As per usual, Funk ‘N Waffles is providing Syracuse (and Rochester) with live music 7 days a week. All shows are 18+ unless advertised otherwise.

January 5th – The soul powerhouse group, West End Blend, will be at Funk ‘n Waffles with special guest Akuma Roots, the reggae, afro beat, and dance hall group. Event link.

January 6th – The Last Revel, the Americana trio will be showcasing their blend of folk, rockabilly, rock and old time string band sounds with hauntingly beautiful vocal harmonies with special guests the Slocan Ramblers Event link.

January 12th – Don’t miss the dream-like indie-rock sounds of Major Player with special guest Multi-Fonz. Event link.

January 16th – Nick Moss with special guest Jimmy Wolfe will be at Funk ‘n Waffles for a night of bluesy rock and roll. Event link.

January 17th – “Three dudes making one hell of a racket!” Don’t miss MonkeyJunk’s swamp roots rock on the 17th.  Event link.

January 18th – The Rochester-native 12 piece reggae and afro-beat band, The Medicinals, will be performing for the first time with Brooklyn Producer Double Tiger featuring Jay Sparker of JBB. Event link.

January 24th – Come out and see the pre-war blues and string band inspired sounds of the Ben Miller Band with special guest Tim Herron. Event link.

January 25th – For a unique bluegrass version of the Grateful Dead, come see the Grass is Dead with David Gans. Event link.

January 26th – Blue Rootz, the funk and soul band from Buffalo will be performing with Burlington-based indie group Barika. Event link.

January 27th – Brutal by Design Presents: Mushroom Cloud with Big Sexy and the Scrambled Eggs for a night of explosive rock music. Event link.

January 31th – Independent soul artist Joanna Teters will be at Funk ‘n Waffles with special guests Ramshki Alley and Doug Mason. Event link.

Rochester – Funk ‘N Waffles

January 5th – Before The Last Revel and Slocan Ramblers perform in Syracuse, catch them in Rochester for a bold blend of Americana inspired sound.  Event link.

January 12th – Milkgang Presents: Space Junk with SKYwalker. Come out for an always unique performance by these dynamic artists. Event link.

January 13th – Mumur a Tribute to R.E.M. will be bringing their dynamic and precise recreation of the sounds of R.E.M. to Rochester. Event link.

January 17th – Don’t miss the original Americana and roots sounds of the group Stay the Plow with Michael Jerling on the 17th.  Event link.

January 18th – MonkeyJunk will be moving onto Rochester following their Syracuse show. Event link.

January 19th – After the Medicinals with Double Tiger take Syracuse with Jay Sparker of JBB, they’ll be bringing Rochester another can’t-miss show. Event link.

January 24th – To remind the people of Rochester about the power of rock ‘n’ roll, River Lynch & The Spiritmakers will be performing with special guests The Mighty High and Dry as well as Dangerbyrd. Event link.

January 25th – Hosted by David Abdoch with headliner Mike Bova, the NY native, award winning comedian and inspirational speaker, and featuring Big Ern, The Big and Tall Comedy Tour is coming through Rochester and is sure to keep you laughing.  Event link.

January 26th – Jack Martini will be bringing his hip-hop/60’s rock-inspired and playfully humorous music accompanied by rock, ska, and jazz blended sound of The Saplings. Event link.

January 27th – If you miss Blue Rootz and Barika at Syracuse, make sure to catch them on the 27th for another night of incredible music. Event link.

January 8, 2018
Tommy Z Band brings the Blues to Funk n Waffles this Wednesday

Tommy Z, an award winning blues musician from Buffalo will bring his swinging, rocking blues band to Funk n Waffles in Syracuse on Wednesday, January 10.

Tommy Z is a Top 10 Billboard Blues artist and 2007 inductee into Buffalo’s Music Hall of Fame. He has toured extensively around the world, and has served as sideman to Grammy winner Pinetop Perkins, as well as numerous USO shows in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, Europe, Asia and Micronesia. An award-winning guitarist, Tommy combines classic and contemporary blues with jazz, rock and funk influences. He has also composed music for the Red Hot Chili Peppers Biography on A&E, wrote the St. Louis Blues victory song in 2009, and is also the Sunday Blues host on Buffalo’s NPR affiliate WBFO 88.7 FM from 7pm-midnight.

January 8, 2018

Built in Breakdance