NYS Music 20​18

Tag: flour city station

  • 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

  • 5 Shows to See in Rochester in February

    We’re back with another great slate of shows for you to see in Rochester in February. The typical winter slowdown doesn’t seem to be happening this year. These suggestions just scratch the surface, so time to break out of your cabin fever and go see some live music!

    Saturday, February 3
    Huntertones @ Abilene Bar and Lounge

    During the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, Rochester gets to experience some of the best music the world has to offer. The artists, in turn, get to experience the best Rochester has to offer as a music town. Lucky for us, this gets many of the acts to return, even in the off season. The Huntertones were a hit with their sets at this past year’s festival and they’re back for an encore at the intimate Abilene Bar and Lounge. The old juke joint will be jumping with their big brass sound. They’re not afraid to throw in some uniquely surprising covers in the mix; their version of “God Only Knows” was a highlight this summer.

    Monday, February 5
    Honeysuckle @ Funk ‘n Waffles Music Hall

    Boston’s Honeysuckle bring their acoustic trio to Funk ‘n Waffles Music Hall. It’s traditional in nature, with guitar, banjo and mandolin. But throw in a kick drum and some non-traditional song structures and it becomes something unexpected and exciting. Three-part harmonies and wonderful songwriting bring this young group to the next level. Fans of Americana looking for something fresh but familiar will find lots to warm to here.

    Wednesday, February 14
    The Ballroom Thieves @ Arbor Loft

    Another folk-trio from Boston, The Ballroom Thieves have been a band on the rise the past couple of years. We caught their show here a few years ago and had this to say: “It begins with Earley’s guitar work. Then sprinkle on the unique rhythms from Mauch and engaging cello work from Peters. Layer upon that what might be this bands strongest attribute, their soaring 3-part harmonies. Working all together to perform the music they’ve written, a varied collection of rockers, ballads, hymnals, barroom blues and on.” Can you think of a more perfect way to spend your Valentine’s Day?!

    Saturday, February 17
    Critt’s Juke Joint @ Anthology

    Buffalo’s multi-instrumentalist Eric “Critt” Crittenden plays a fun mix of jazz, funk and soul he has dubbed “Soulprovisational.” His band, Juke Joint, is actually an ever-evolving, rotating cast of musicians. For this iteration he’s employed DJ Logic, Turkuaz’s Michael Carruba (drums) and Craig Broadhead (guitar), and Harry Graser on keys. Put your dancing shoes on and head down to Anthology for a funky good time.

    Thursday, February 22
    Oval Sandwich @ Flour City Station

    Lastly this month we have Oval Sandwich. You’re forgiven if you’ve never heard of them. This will be their first show and there might not be many to follow. Dopapod is taking 2018 off from touring. Rob Compa, the guitarist, is keeping busy with other musical endeavors. He put together this Rochester supergroup of sorts (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) and right now the only two shows will be this one and one in Syracuse the next night. To find out more about how he put the band together and other things he’ll be up to on the break check out an interview he did with our own Pete Mason. As to how this will sound, your guess is as good as ours. But we definitely recommend being there to find out!

  • The Lizards Tour Through New York and Mass This Winter

    The Lizards they have….. arrived! Toronto-based Phish tribute band The Lizards will tour throughout New York and New England this winter, with the first show taking place on January 26 at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse, followed by February stops in Ithaca, Rochester and The Hollow in early March. Phish fans in need of a winter fix can catch one of Canada’s finest exports and let their 20+ minute jams warm you up as you await Phish to announce Summer 2018 dates.

    Known for recreating the authentic Phish experience for dedicated phans, and even featuring their own light show directed by the infamous TG5, The Lizards put on a must-attend show. For their first foray throughout the Northeast, The Lizards guitarist Rich Grossman talked to NYS Music to chat Baker’s Dozen, the origins of The Lizards and what the scene is like north of the border.

    the lizards new york tourPete Mason: Let’s get the backstory on The Lizards – you’ve played the states a bit already, but when did the band first get together and start playing?

    Rich Grossman: We started up in 2013 right after Phish had come to Toronto. It was the first time they had been here since 2000 and I was stoked to get to see them in my hometown. After a cancelled and rescheduled show, it got me thinking about the “state of affairs” of the jam scene in Toronto. There used to be a number of clubs that serviced the scene in TO, but they had long closed and we eventually found ourselves having to travel stateside to see this music often. Not that we don’t love making the pilgrimage, but the real heart of the jam world has always been the community. By Canadians being nomadic, and not rebuilding at home, we weren’t strengthening our side of the community. I thought starting a Phish tribute would be an amazing way to bring new life into the scene.

    I had known Ben (drums) for years and we had played together in a number of bands, jam and not, so I contacted him first. Neither of us had real candidates for piano or bass so I went to Facebook. I posted something like “does anyone know a piano player who wants to jam some Phish tunes?” and a buddy tagged Joel, our keys player. We’d never met, but I got his number and asked him if he was into it. Not only did he say yes, but when I mentioned we couldn’t find a bass player, he brought Phill to the table. The first time we jammed was the first time a lot of us met each other. We charted out a lot of material, rehearsed it even more and booked a show at The Comfort Zone. Back in the day, this was the hub for jam music in TO. Growing up I would see Charlie Hunter, Ominous Seapods, Merl Saunders and other jam acts there, but management changed over the years and it became a late night rave scene. For whatever reason, they let us put on a show there for next to nothing and we must’ve had 250 people show up the first time. A lot of friends for sure, but a lot of people that just caught word of it showed up. Since then, we’ve done countless more shows in Toronto and in the past year, have started to take it down to you guys. The response is always the same. No matter what country we’re in, people are so grateful that they get to hear this treasured music. It’s very endearing to me, and I know that if I had seen a Phish tribute band and not started one, I would react the same way.

    PM: What aspects of Trey’s guitar playing and tone drew you into honing his sound?

    RG: Once we started the band, the game was on to get the sound. On the first gig, I played a PRS Santana III.The guitar has a very different sound than Trey’s Languedoc, but I could mask the differences with some of the other gear Trey would use like specific pedals. He’s famous for using 2 tubescreamers going into a compressor, so I started there. Over the year or two I amassed almost all pieces to recreate his mid 1.0 sound (93-97) including the Mesa Mark III red stripe, the ross compressor, the whammy II and more. I then started using a Languedoc clone that was built by a luthier in Toronto. It was based off of the Koa 98 model. Once I got that, the tone was really happening. After that, I would add pieces here and there that came later in his career like the boomerang, super tremolo, supa-puss, black cat vibe, etc. I haven’t really “updated” my rig in a few years, because I feel like I have enough pieces of the puzzle to make the gig happen. Trey changes his rig so often these days, to keep up would put me in debt.

    PM: How much of Baker’s Dozen did you get to see?

    RG: I was one of the lucky ones this summer 🙂 Bought my tickets well in advance and lucked out pretty good. I’m a full time musician and to take weekends off in the summertime can prove to be challenging, so I bought tickets to the first Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday show. Red Velvet, Jam Filled and Powdered night. Thank you Phish!

    PM: For those of us down south, what’s the scene like in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario and Quebec for Phish and jam fans?

    RG: To be honest, it’s the best I’ve seen it in years. Since The Lizards started, there have been a few Dead and Allman Brothers tributes that have started to perform as well. The other American “Phishy” tributes like Pink Talking Fish and Jazz is Phish have started to come up as well. Toronto has over 2 million people in it, but the jam band community is pretty niche, so we usually see a lot of the same happy faces at shows. Outside of Toronto, I’d say the scene is pretty small. There’s a dedicated group of heads out in Southwest Ontario like Hamilton and St. Catherines but not much else in our province or in Quebec. We have a huge country, but only 35 million people live here so an already small community gets smaller up here and more sprawled out.

    PM: How do The Lizards stand out among phish tribute bands?

    RG: I think what sets us apart from the other bands is that we really try to recreate the live experience aurally and visually. We have a dedicated lighting director (Toby) and sound engineer (Kory) that tour with us, bring, set up and tear down their own gear and work just as hard as us to make the show as much of a spectacle that it can be. Musically, everything is subjective. Some people will like us and some people won’t, but the show looks and sounds amazing, so that’s where I think we stand out.

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