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  • The Cure, Radiohead, Stevie Nicks Among 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

    2019 marks the 33rd annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. A prestigious honor for recording artists and bands that have “influence and significance to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.”  The seven inductees include The Cure, Radiohead, Stevie Nicks, Janet Jackson, Def Leppard, Roxy Music and The Zombies.  This is the first nomination for Roxy Music, Def Leppard and Stevie Nicks, although Nicks was inducted with Fleetwood Mac in 1998 and is now the first female musician to be inducted twice.  This was the second nomination for The Cure and Radiohead, third for Janet Jackson and the fourth for The Zombies.

    2019 Rock Hall
    (Amy Harris/Invision/AP|Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP|John Salangsang/Invision/AP)

    Since 1986, artists such as The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa and Pink Floyd have been honored.  It is self-evident that being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a highly esteemed accolade for any artist or band.  There were fifteen nominees for the 2019 Class, the artists sidelined this year are Devo, John Prine, Kraftwerk, LL Cool J, MC5, Rage Against The Machine, Rufus & Chaka Khan and Todd Rundgren.  These artists can be nominated again in years to come.

    The 2019 Induction ceremony will be held March 29 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.  Presented by Kipsch Audio and broadcast by SirusXM and HBO.

  • SALTspace to host MG3’s Soulful Christmas Celebration

    MG3‘s Soulful Christmas Celebration will be held on Friday, December 21 at SALTspace in Syracuse, when Melissa Gardiner brings together an all-star band to perform funk and soul takes on your favorite Christmas classics.

    MG3 is a jazz trio with added influence from the blues, gospel, soul, neo-soul, R&B, funk, and fusion. Their diverse repertoire of original music, jazz standards and covers always focuses on a strong groove, combined with creative reharmonization and beautiful soaring melodies.

    SALTspace Trombonist and vocalist Melissa Gardiner put together her jazz trio MG3 in Harlem in 2014. Since that time, they have become an in-demand act in Upstate New York. Besides Gardiner, the trio consists of organist William Gorman and Byron “Kidd” Cage on drums.

    Together, they’ve opened up for artists such as Moonchild, Jane Monheit and Jonathan Scales, backed up artists such as Ronnie Leigh and Nancy Kelly and have played at the Rochester International Jazz Festival and most recently, won the grand prize at the Bucharest International Jazz Competition. As individuals, they’ve played with music royalty such as Aretha Franklin, Patti Austin, Dave Matthews Band, Benny Golson, Ernie Watts, Joe Louis Walker and more at venues and festivals all over the world.

    They will be joined on December 21 by special guest singers Harper Sinclair, Gabrielle Gorman, Ariana Gates, Alto Phillip Young, Tenor Quinn Lawrence, Trumpeter Tom Killackey and Guitarist Stephen Pale.

    Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

  • The Cityfox Odyssey Celebrating New Year’s With 27 Hour Music Marathon

    The Cityfox Experience is pushing the envelope of nightlife productions with The Cityfox Odyssey: 27 hours of house and techno acts from 9 p.m. on Dec. 31 to midnight on Jan. 1. This New Year’s Eve festival will encompass four stages across multiple rooms at Brooklyn’s Avant Gardner and feature more than 20 world-class artists, including Andhim, Adriatique, Brian Cid, Heidi, Honey Dijon, Jamie Jones, Lee Burridge, Tale Of Us, WhoMadeWho (Hybrid Set).

    Cityfox Odyssey

    Avant Gardner will be transformed into an indoor festival space, with dazzling lights, crystalline KV2 audio sound system and visual projections. Event goers on New Year’s Eve will enjoy a special countdown to the New Year.

    Re-entry is permitted, so ticket holders can come and go throughout the 27-hour long marathon. But for those who want to stick it out, there will be food available from local vendors and an ambient lounge for taking breaks.

    Tickets for Cityfox Odyssey are selling fast for this 21+ event. For updated information, follow Cityfox Experience on Facebook.

    LINEUP:

    Adriatique
    Andhim
    Art Department
    Atish
    Brian Cid
    Culoe de Song
    Heidi
    Honey Dijon
    Jamie Jones
    Jon Charnis
    Lee Burridge
    Naveen G
    Patrice Bäumel
    Ray & Nikita
    Rissa Garcia
    SBTH
    Tale Of Us
    Tim Green
    WhoMadeWho (Hybrid Set)
    Wild Dark
    + More to be announced
  • The Floozies Bring Their Space Funk To Jupiter Hall

    On Wednesday, December 5, The Floozies played to a packed Jupiter Hall in Albany. SoDown opened the show with an extremely bass-heavy set. The Colorado native brought his unique bass drops to a point of no return, a point the Floozies would have to try and beat. But no headliner brings an opening act they think will outdo them.

    The Floozies duo was joined on this most recent tour by Atlanta’s own Terminal Horns. With their powers combined, they may not be Captain Planet, but they shook the earth that night. With their incredibly funky-yet-heavy lines, they kept the energy up all night. After New Year’s, they have a long run in Colorado before heading southeast and finishing off in Atlanta. After that, you can catch them at Envision Festival and Electric Forest.

  • Grant Helps Smith Opera House Expand ADA Assessible Seating

    Geneva New York’s historic, Smith Opera House, has upgraded and increased its ADA-accessible seating by four, with the help of a $1000 grant from the Geneva Rotary Club, enabling the theater to be more accessible to advocates who use wheelchairs.

    The grant allowed the opera house to purchase four sturdy, comfortable and fully upholstered seats, replacing the older theater style seats that were bolted to the floor in the front left and right orchestra sections. Since the chairs were bolted to the floor in sections, the opera house staff was burdened with the laborious task of removing all the bolts which proved to be difficult on short notice. The new seats make it quick and easy for theater staff to remove when additional seating is needed for wheelchairs and their companions. Seats are sold on a first come first serve basis for reserved performances.

    Thankful for their continued support by the Geneva Rotary Club, the Smith’s Executive Director, Susie Monagan, commented about the current grant the opera house received by the club.

    Geneva Rotary Club shares The Smith’s vision of removing barriers to participation. The Rotary grant has enabled us to implement a new seating configuration, creating access to our concerts and films for those who need it. We are so grateful that Rotary continues to support projects at The Smith through its grants program

    Geneva Rotary Club President, Shad Cook,  explained what the Geneva Rotary Club’s fundraising and grant programs hope to achieve, when trying to help assist non-profit community organizations.

    Since 2007, Geneva Rotary Club has committed fundraising efforts to its Grant Program. This program is to assist non-profit organizations throughout the community with special projects to enhance their services for the community, with a special focus on youth programs. Though this project was not specifically focused on a youth program, it does certainly meet a need in the community to allow all community members, young and old, to enjoy the arts in a safe, comfortable and practical manner.

    The Smith Opera House Online | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

  • Aqueous Announces 2019 Winter Tour

    2018 has been a tremendous year for Aqueous, hailing from Buffalo, as the groove-rock foursome has taken the nation by storm with their Color Wheel tour and the momentum will continue into 2019 with a Winter West Coast tour co-headlining with BIG Something.

    Kicking off in February, the 20-date tour will include several stops in the Midwest, a five-date run in Colorado and debut appearances in Oregon, Washington and California.

    Guitarist Dave Loss stated, “We couldn’t be more excited to head west.  The band has played Colorado several times now and it almost feels like a second home to us. We always feel so much love there. This will, however, be the band’s first venture out to the West Coast. We’ve been wanting to get out there for a long time now and we’re stoked to finally make it happen. Doing it with our good friends BIG Something just makes it that much better!”  The band will then bring their maiden voyage south for three shows in Texas before wrapping up in New Orleans.

    Tickets for the upcoming co-headlining tour are on sale this Friday, December 14 here.

  • Cannibal Corpse Guitarist Arrested on Multiple Charges

    Death metal guitarist Pat O’Brien of Cannibal Corpse was arrested after a wild series of events at his home in Northdale, FL.

    Cannibal Corpse Guitarist Arrested
    Via WFLA

    Authorities were called to O’Brien’s home after it caught fire while he was not at home. The fire set off ammunition that was inside the metal shredder’s house, adding another element of danger to the situation while firefighters battled the blaze, forcing them to retreat.

    While the house was burning, O’Brien was allegedly committing a robbery at a nearby family member’s residence. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office was dispatched to the home after a burglary call from the residence after the 53-year-old entered his relative’s home without permission and refused to leave when the owners of the home pleaded with him to go.

    O’Brien eventually left the house, but not before pushing a woman down who was at the scene before fleeing into the backyard where police found him hiding behind a nearby fence. The guitarist then ignored commands by the police and charged them with a knife, prompting the authorities to use their taser guns on him. The home owner stated that O’Brien broke into the house and talked to him about “the rapture,” and that “someone was after him.” The owner believed that O’Brien was hallucinating and even hid inside a closet in the house.

    No one was hurt during the fire or burglary, and authorities have not stated how the fire started. There were also military-style flamethrowers found in O’Brien’s home.

    O’Brien appeared in court wearing nothing but an anti-suicide vest and shackles around his hands and feet. The Hillsborough County judge hearing the case set bail at $50,000, pending passage of a court-ordered drug test.

    If convicted of both charges, O’Brien could land him some serious jail time. The burglary of an occupied dwelling with assault charge could result in a potential $10,000 fine and a possible lifetime prison sentence. The second charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer could carry a 30-year prison term. So far, no charges have been made regarding the house fire.

    Cannibal Corpse was recently announced as one of the openers for Slayer’s continuing farewell tour in spring of 2019. The band has not commented on its lead guitarist’s situation.

  • Apollo Theater Presents Holidays in Harlem Series

    The iconic Apollo Theater is ringing in the holidays with a series of spectacular performances during the Holidays in Harlem Series. The fun starts this weekend with Coca-Cola Wonderland, a free event on Saturday, December 15 from 2-6 pm, featuring local choirs, a toy-drive kickoff, and photos with Santa. This is followed by a Holiday edition of Amateur Night at 7:30 pm.

    Other events include Cynthia Erivo and Sheoshana Bean on Monday, December 17, Holiday Joy: A Gospel Celebration featuring Hezekiah Walker & the Love Fellowship Choir and CeCe Winans on Saturday, December 22, and KWANZAA CELEBRATION: REGENERATION NIGHT Featuring Abdel R. Salaam’s Forces of Nature Dance Theatre with two performances on December 29.

    Save $3 per ticket for Holidays in Harlem Series shows when you bring a new and unused item (children’s toy, home goods, or canned good) for donation to one of our holiday shows listed above. Once you donate in the Apollo Theater Lobby, visit the Box Office to receive your discount code. Visit Apollo Theater’s website for more details.

    COCA-COLA WINTER WONDERLAND
    Saturday, December 15 | 2 PM – 6 PM
    FREE EVENTAMATEUR NIGHT: HOLIDAY SPECIAL
    Saturday, December 15 | 7:30 PMCYNTHIA ERIVO AND SHOSHANA BEAN:
    NIGHT DIVINE

    Presented by For The Record
    Monday, December 17 | 7:30 PMHOLIDAY JOY: A GOSPEL CELEBRATION
    Saturday, December 22 | 2 PM
    Featuring Hezekiah Walker & the Love Fellowship Choir
    and CeCe Winans
    Hosted by Marcus Wiley
    KWANZAA CELEBRATION: REGENERATION NIGHT
    Saturday, December 29 | 2 PM & 7:30 PM
    Featuring Abdel R. Salaam’s Forces of Nature Dance Theatre
  • Dave Matthews Mixes Favorites and Covers in Albany

    Dave Matthews Band has been on an extensive fall tour this year, making stops all across the United States, sounding tighter than ever and brought an incredible show to the Times Union Center in Albany, NY on December 5.

    Usually, the band makes their way to the Albany area in the summer for their legendary SPAC runs in Saratoga Springs. The group opened up with “You Never Know” into “One Sweet World,” followed by “Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin).” Next, Dave Matthews and his band played crowd favorite “Everyday” followed by a cover of Aerosmiths’ “Sweet Emotion.”

    dave matthews albanyThe night was filled with crowd pleasers and hits like “Where Are You Going,” “Don’t Drink The Water” and of course “What Would You Say.” The Dave Matthews Band ended the night with a two-song encore featuring “Granny” and the Bob Dylan cover “All Along the Watchtower.” The group continues their tour through December 28 when they close in Miami, FL. Check out photos from their Albany performance below provided by Vinny Otto:

    Setlist: You Never Know, One Sweet World, Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin), Everyday, Sweet Emotion (Aerosmith cover), Minarets, Where Are You Going, Burning Down the House (Talking Heads cover), Crush, Kill the King, What Would You Say, Here on Out, Don’t Drink The Water, Dancing Nancies, Come On Come On, Grey Street, She, You Might Die Trying

    Encore: Granny, All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan cover)

  • Rubblebucket Shows Buffalo Some Love

    Rubblebucket‘s sound may be hard to pin down with influences spanning the umbrella of pop but Talking Heads for the modern age gets you close.

    Of course the best way to experience such a sonic celebration is in concert and a celebration is just what happened on a cold winter night on December 5 at Buffalo’s Babeville.

    Horns blared, polyrhythms took hold, lines between stage and crowd blurred while dance parties sprang to life.