Buffalo’s Head North has booked two shows in December. It’s been two years since the alternative band’s last live performances. They’ll be playing Brooklyn at The Knitting Factory on Dec. 19, then a show in their hometown at Mohawk Place on Dec. 21. Joining them for both dates is Tennessee-based singer/songwriter Bogues. Ticket information is available here.
Over the summer, Head North released the single “Rhodora,” the first taste of their upcoming sophomore album. This and other new material has been recorded at the band’s own space, Bigfoot! Studios, at the helm of frontman/producer Brent Martone. It’s a follow-up to 2017’s The Last Living Man Alive Ever in The History of The World. For more about that album, see the NYS Music interview.
BHuman has crafted the soundtrack to your next intergalactic dance party. BMovie is a theatrical concept album of interstellar proportions, springing from a love of sci-fi and 1950’s horror flicks enjoyed by Londoner Billie Lloyd and New Yorker Harrison Scott, the members of this queer pop duo.
In dramatic fashion, BMovie offers an overture, intermission, and interlude-providing segues. These futuristic instrumental tracks use clips of dialog, including lines from old movies, serving as a fun way to weave their work with the existing framework of sci-fi pop culture. They also help to lend context to the songs and move the story line forward.
The first song on the album is a cover of Cher’s mega-hit “Believe.” BHuman has stripped back the song to emphasize the bittersweet sentiment of the lyrics, then contrasted it with light and airy percussion and synth. The song debuted earlier this year, just in time for NYC Pride.
As delightful as this opening is, it’s only the beginning. BHuman’s original songs interlace captivating synth pop melodies and fantastical vocal hooks to create soundscapes that are out of this world. The music maintains an ethereal levity as BHuman explores interpersonal relationships and learning how to be comfortable in one’s own body.
The album builds to an incredibly vulnerable and touching climax with “Teachmehowtobeyourgirl.” We’ve moved past believing in life after love, past using people in “Distraction,” through the web of lies that people weave in “Fiction.” Here we enter a space where it is safe accept one’s self, to love another person, and to discover what it really means to be human.
Key Tracks: Distraction, Fiction, The Other Way, Teachmehowtobeyourgirl
“The team at The Queensbury Hotel has been amazing to work with and we chose this venue because with attendees and performers all staying in the same building, the stage is perfectly set for a memorable weekend of music and unique collaborations.”
– Mateo Vosganian, Summit Organizer and Drummer for Wild Adriatic
The lineup so far includes Wild Adriatic, Andy Frasco and the UN, Rustic Overtones, Annie In the Water, Let’s Be Leonard, Chestnut Grove, Sly Fox & the Hustlers, PJ Duo & Friends, Paradisa, and The East End Boys, with more to be announced soon.
Tickets are on sale now through Brown Paper Tickets
While you’re waiting for this year’s event, here’s the recap from 2018:
Carpool has just announced a month-long East Coast tour. It kicks off with a hometown show at Bug Jar in Rochester on Oct. 11. They make their way down the coast on their way to play Fest on Nov. 2. After that, they wind their way through the Midwest, hitting Chicago and Detroit on their way back to the finale on Nov. 14, back at the Bug Jar. Follow them on social media for updates.
The four-piece emo/punk band includes Chris Colasanto (Guitar/Vocals), Tommy Eckerson (Guitar/Vocals), Milo Duhn (Bass/Vocals), and Alec Westover (Drums/Vocals). Carpool released their sophomore EP I Think Everyone’s A Cop a year ago. Check out the NYS Music interview about the band and making of ITEAChere.
Monte Vayo has reemerged with a brand new track, “Sunrise 98.” The Rochester-based electronic artist made his debut last winter with the atmospheric EP Count Me Out. While his body of work thus far has been minimalist in terms of lyrics, his latest endeavor “Sunrise 98” ventures into a purely sans-vocals soundscape.
This push to create more instrumental work comes as I’m taking time to study the emergence of abstract art from the turn of the 20th century. I see instrumental music without any direct language or lyrics as parallel to artwork created without any distinct or recognizable visual forms. There is still color, there is still texture, but in lieu of a direct, explicit representation comes an unavoidable sense of space. Much like standing in an empty theatre or cavern for the first time, there’s a natural captivation that comes with experiencing atmospheres both vast and intimate.
Within Shadows burst onto the Canadian metal scene a couple years ago, garnering a following with their relatable lyrics, emotionally-charged vocals and instrumental innovation. This summer, they released a few remastered songs from their 2017 album, Mind = Enemy, and launched their latest collection of work, Face to Face.
Within Shadows started as the solo project of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sean Farias. He’s worked with a handful of musicians over the years. On this album, Farias worked with Derek Petricka on writing, recording, engineering and producing the album. The album also features collaborations with Oshie Bichar (Beartooth, City Lights), Lucas Mann (Rings of Saturn) and Joe Farias (Intruder X).
Face to Face at its core is metal catharsis. The music contained herein is a conduit for channeling primal pain and political angst. From the anguish of “My Sorrow” and the agony of “Betray” to the politically charged anthems “Uprising” and “Our Revolution,” the music provides a space for purging emotions. They are personal but also strike a resounding chord within the listener. Intense and brooding, Within Shadows does not merely ride out the storm, they charge into it headfirst.
There’s a little something for everyone on Face to Face, as the 13 tracks adeptly flow through various styles including hardcore, metalcore, hard rock, and djent. The album has a broad appeal, speaking to those who spent their formative years hanging out at the metal stages at Warped Tour as well as those of us who grew up on Black Sabbath and Metallica.
Hot off their summer tour, Collective Soul is finishing out the year with a series of fall headlining shows. Over the next couple months, they’ll be up and down the coast, from Niagara Falls, Canada and Portland, Maine all the way down through Florida. New York dates include Syracuse on September 28 and Huntington on October 2. Tickets are on sale now.
The setlist for their shows is sure to include songs that span their quarter-century-long catalog, from early works like “Shine,” “December” and “The World I Know,” as well as songs from their recently released tenth studio album, Blood.
“For us, we want to play the hits as we always do, but I think we also want to share the new record with our fans. At 25 years later, we want to say, ‘Hey, we’re still making the best that we can do.’ Right now, I’ve got seven of the new songs in the setlist, and hopefully, on some nights, we can play the whole thing from start to finish. I mean, it’s our 25th anniversary. We’re going at it hard, everyone! We’re going hard.”
– E Roland
Collective Soul Fall 2019 Tour Dates
Sept. 21 – The Wellmont Theater – Montclair, NJ
Sept. 22 – Shippensburg University – Shippensburg, PA
Sept. 24 – Capitol Center for the Arts – Concord, NH
Sept. 25 – Aura – Portland, ME
Sept. 27 – Eastern States Exposition – West Springfield, MA
Sept. 28 – Crouse-Hinds Theater – Syracuse, NY
Sept. 29 – Cabot Theater Beverly – Beverly, MA
Oct. 1 – Ridgefield Playhouse – Ridgefield, CT
Oct. 2 – The Paramount – Huntington, NY
Oct. 3 – Parx Casino – Bensalem, PA
Oct. 5 – Hops and Hogs Festival – Huntersville, NC
Nov. 7 – Niagara Fallsview Casino – Niagara Falls, Canada
Nov. 8 – Niagara Fallsview Casino – Niagara Falls, Canada
Nov. 22 – Hard Rock Live – Orlando, FL
Nov. 23 – Coral Springs Center for the Arts – Coral Springs, FL
Nov. 25 – Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts – Melbourne, FL
Nov. 26 – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall – Sarasota, FL
It’s that time of year again! The annual KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival is back for its eighth year. The event promises to be “a 12-day, all-out, no-holds-barred, multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts festival featuring international, national and local artists.” The 500+ events taking place between Sept. 10 through 21 include theater (physical, street, musical), comedy, visual arts, family entertainment, dance, spoken word, opera, poetry, literature, and music.
Plasticiens Volants
Making their return is French theater troupe Plasticiens Volants returns with their larger-than-life puppets, projections, and music. Read about their 2017 performance in our NYS Music coverage from 2017 here, and catch them at Parcel 5 on Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept.14.
British sensation Massaoke, a live band that plays all your favorite sing-along songs for the ultimate karaoke experience, will be back for their second year in a row. Read the NYS Music coverage of last year’s event here, and join them at the Chestnut stage for two themed nights on Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21.
A plethora of musical events awaits, many of them free. In honor of the International Fringe Festival tradition, these are acts who reside off the beaten path: Consensual Sax, salsa band Grupo Calle Uno, Table Top Orchestra, WADAIKO (traditional Japanese performance drumming), and RIT’s Ukelele Club. There are plenty of locals on the bill, including Cottage Street, Siena Facciolo, and Cigs Inside. UofR’s Institute for Popular Music returns this year, with a tribute to the band Yes and a tribute to Tom Petty featuring several local bands will be held at George Eastman’s Hidden Garden. Musicians are also coming in from out of town, like NYCduo Charming Disaster and Ithaca’s DJ ha-Meen. Many of the musical events are free, but some require tickets.
Charming Disaster – photo by Shervin Lainez
If you like musical theater, they’ve got you covered. American Idiot The Musical is sold out, but you can still get tickets for Dogfight the Musical. And there’s a free showing of the movie Grease at the outdoor “pedestrian drive-in.”
The popular silent disco, Cirque du Fringe, and many more delights await! Check out the full guide at RochesterFringe.com.
Our obsession with Joywave continues. They’ve just released a new music video and announced that they’ll be touring with Bastille this fall. The video, shot entirely on Kodak film, consists of a series of trailers for fictional movies. With their signature wry humor, band members depict themselves as stars or directors of movies from a variety of genres including westerns, horror, action, and drama. The song “Obsession” is the second single from their forthcoming album, set to release in the next year.
The video release comes ahead of their upcoming fall tour. Joywave plays Madison Square Garden on Sept. 24. See the full list of tour dates below. These tour dates are in addition to the final performance of their intimate “Posession Sessions” series in London on Nov. 20.
JOYWAVE
ON TOUR WITH BASTILLE
Sept.16 – The Met – Philadelphia, PA
Sept. 17 – Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion – Boston, MA
Sept. 18 – Place Bell – Montreal, QC
Sept. 20 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON
Sept. 21 – The Anthem – Washington, DC
Sept. 22 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
Sept. 24 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Sept. 27 – Mohegan Sun Casino – Uncasville, CT
Sept. 28 – Virginia Credit Union LIVE! – Richmond, VA
Sept. 29 – Express Live! – Columbus, OH
Oct. 1 – Masonic Temple Theatre – Detroit, MI
Oct. 2 – Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL
Oct. 4 – The Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
Oct. 5 – Salt Air Pavilion – Magna, UT
Oct. 7 – Theatre of the Clouds – Portland, OR
Oct. 8 – Thunderbird Sports Centre – Vancouver, BC
Oct. 9 – WaMu Theater – Seattle, WA
Oct. 11 – The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley – Berkeley, CA
Oct. 12 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 13 – Open Air Theatre – San Diego, CA
Oct. 15 – Comerica Theater – Phoenix, AZ
Oct. 17 – South Side Ballroom – Dallas, TX
Oct. 18 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX
Oct. 19 – Austin 360 Amphitheater – Austin, TX
Oct. 21 – BJCC Concert Hall – Birmingham, AL
Oct. 22 – Municipal Auditorium – Nashville, TN
Oct. 23 – Coca-Cola Roxy – Atlanta, GA
Oct. 25 – Red Hat Amphitheater – Raleigh, NC
Oct. 26 – Daily’s Place Amphitheater – Jacksonville, FL
To fully appreciate Intelligence Is Rising one must step back from the business (and busyness) of everyday life. As the nature shot on the album cover suggests, the music draws its inspiration from singer/songwriter Chaz Hearne and their getaways to national parks.
In the title track, Chaz Hearne & The Dazzlers encourage the listener to set down their devices and go out seeking enlightenment. This jaunty tune leads us deep into a lush soundscape. Layers of sublime harmonies and a medley of stringed instruments and piano send spirits soaring as high as the treetops on the album cover. No, higher. And the mood continues to lift through the next few tracks, cresting like the lofty mountaintops referenced in the songs “Montana” and “All The Peaks Sing.” The reverb on vocals resounds like echoes in the canyons. And twinkling piano notes spill over in a rambling cascade in “Under The Falls.”
“Now We March” starts like a typical folk song, featuring Hearne’s signature banjo-playing, perhaps signifying the start of a hike with one foot in front of the other. “Match your stride to meet my own / Now we’re two never alone,” Hearne sings. About halfway through the song, the trumpet breaks out in joyous celebration, like that moment when a wooded trail opens to a breathtaking vista.
The collection takes a turn with “Holy Moly.” The heavier musical elements lend an air of gravity to this song about the damage people have inflicted upon the environment.
Well we thought it never ended so
We lived with no consequence didn’t we
And we didn’t want a drastic solution
But it was too late, isn’t it
Isn’t it
Is it?
– lyrics from “Holy Moly”
At times infused with rock and at other times pulling in psychedelic dream-pop elements, Intelligence Is Rising surpasses expectations. You’ll find Hearne’s trademark fingerpicking on the banjo and clear tenor timbre. He also recorded the guitar, piano and organ parts for these songs. For this project, he was joined in the studio by a host of “dazzling” musicians: Susanna Rose on vocals, John Delmonico on cello, Emily Dipaola on trumpet, Willa Finck and Katie Knudsvig on violin, Reilly Solomon Taylor-Cook on bass, and Hannah Weidner on drums. The album cover was photographed and designed by Jacqueline Goodman.
Intelligence Is Rising represents both a celebration of nature and a call to action to protect and preserve the environment. Chaz Hearne & The Dazzlers have created an instant classic you’ll want to add to your playlist for your next back-to-nature road trip, or for anytime you need a breath of fresh air in your life.
