NYS Music is proud to announce 15 Jam for Tots shows around the Empire State this holiday season. Kicking off on November 27, each show will have a Toys for Tots box set up for patrons to donate gifts to kids in need.
With a wide variety of artists, including Consider the Source, Runaway Gin, Annie in the Water, Tim Herron Corporation, Strange Machines, and Swedish metal guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, this annual series will connect live music fans with those most in need in their local communities.
Support kids in need this holiday season by bringing an unwrapped toy to any of the following shows. Jam for Tots is brought to you by NYS Music.
Regional shows include:
Mid-Hudson Valley
Nov 27 Open Jam – Main Street Public House, Philmont
Dec 5 Open Jam – The Stewart House, Athens
Dec 7 Yngwie Malmsteen – The Chance, Poughkeepsie
Dec 14 IS – Hilltop Bar and Tavern, Tannersville
Westchester
Dec 4 The Spadtastics – Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester
North Country
Dec 6 Hunter – The Monopole, Plattsburgh
Western New York
Dec 14 Strange Machines w/s/g Haewa- Flour City Station, Rochester
Dec 20 PA Line “Chrismukkah Show” w/ Special Guests – Buffalo Iron Works, Buffalo
Capital Region
Dec 14 Annie In The Water, The Deadbeats – Putnam Place, Saratoga Springs
Dec 14 Consider the Source w/s/g Swimmer – The Hollow, Albany
Central New York
Dec 8 The Old Main – Woods Valley, Rome
Dec 19 The Action! – Copper City Brewing Company, Rome
Dec 28 Tim Herron Corporation – Funk n Waffles, Syracuse
This week, Rochester’s Haewa embarks on a four-show run in May, taking them to Albany, Plymouth, NH and Burlington, VT, then back home to Rochester on May 10, where they will open up for Consider the Source at Flour City Station.
Originally a trio, Haewa started in 2011 with a foundation of fearless improvisation. They soon transformed into the four piece band they are today, featuring founding members Collin Jones (guitar) and Ben Chilbert (bass), as well as the newer additions of Troy Evan’s (keyboardist/synth wizard) and Marco Cirigliano (powerhouse drum master). The band’s roots allow their collaboration to create a unique sound that balances the sonic landscape between utter chaos and pure bliss.
Haewa’s matured sound encompasses unique songwriting, in depth instrumental compositions, as well as pure improvisation and vocals. Combining the spirit of rock-n-roll with trance-like, electronic influences and funk, Haewa commands their audience down the musical road less taken, into a familiar yet enlightening unknown.
Catch Haewa in Albany on May 2, Plymouth, NH on May 3, Burlington, VT on May 4, and back home in Rochester, supporting Consider the Source on May 10.
Being a music writer is a lot of fun, and there’s no one I like to talk shop with more than Charles Benoit. He writes for Reggae Steady Ska about his favorite genre, ska. He also plays tenor sax in Rochester’s most active ska band, aptly named Some Ska Band. They’re opening for The Pietasters on Saturday, April 27 at Flour City Station. We recently caught a quick bite over lunch to talk ska.
Paula Cummings: Some Ska Band… How did you guys come up with that name?
Charles Benoit: Well that was a bad move on my part. It was the first thing that came up. I wanted to start a band with three other guys at the agency. Marshall, that was the guitarist and he’s creative director there. Will, our web developer. And Shad, the videographer. Marshall said, “I’ll do the logo. What’s the name of the band?” The first thing I came up with was Some Ska Band and we went with that. I probably should’ve thought it out a lot more, but it kind of works because Ska bands are such a niche market. Let’s say a band was coming to town called The Plastic Cups. OK, I don’t know anything about them, and I never heard of them. They don’t give any descriptors. I thought it was kind of funny. “Well, who’s playing tonight at The Bug Jar?’ ‘Some Ska Band.’ ‘I like ska, which one?’” We’re the ‘Who’s On First?’ of Ska Band names.
PC: I know you can’t speak for the others, but why ska? You’ve been all over the world, and exposed to all kinds of music. What brings you back to ska?
CB: I can speak to the others, and say they play ska because I forced them to. I was only interested in starting a ska band and that’s it. I was first introduced to ska in 1979 when somebody handed me the first Specials album. It changed my life. I fell in love with the message of Two-Tone: the racial unity, fighting against corruption in big government, and the little man view. It’s always attracted me. So I stayed with ska, and quickly ran out of two-tone albums because there were only a handful of bands. I found myself going back to the old traditional original ska of the Skatalites Desmond Dekker, and all the early originators. There was so much there to fall in love with. And then third wave ska came around and you had The Toasters and The Pietasters and all that kind of action that was going on. It’s been a lifelong interest for me. I just love the appeal. “Oh, it’s repetitive, it’s simple, it doesn’t get very deep.” Well, that’s me: repetitive, simple, and I don’t get very deep. It’s what I’ve always liked about the music. As for the rest of the band, none of them came to the band as ska fans, but I think they’re all pretty committed to the cause.
PC: I’ve noticed that you guys do a lot of covers that are not were not originally written as ska songs.
CB: It’s something ska band do. The Skatalites, the originators of the sound back in the early 1960s, one of their first songs they are known for is “The Guns of Navarone.” They took a song and put it to the ska. It’s been a tradition. If you think a song is good, make it better by putting it to the ska. You can take a crappy song and make it better by putting it to the ska.
PC: In your band’s description it says that you guys got together with the dream of pulling off the biggest diamond heist the world has ever seen. It wasn’t a robbery, but you recently acquired a gem that you played the album release.
CB: One of my favorite songs in the ska genre is “Easy Snappin’.” It was written by Theophilus Beckford. I got a chance to talk with Monty Alexander once, the famous piano player. He was in the room when they started developing the sound of the ska. Jamaica was newly independent. They were trying to come up with the sound that was strictly Jamaican, not the stuff coming out of Cuba or the Trinidadian soca sound. They wanted something unique to them. They were literally sitting around in the studio and the musicians started playing an upbeat – Ernest Raglin started playing the upbeat. And they messed around with it. Theo Beckford started playing piano. This is early. It is not ‘63. This is late ’50s, but they knew independence was coming. So they’re playing with the sounds and Beckford pumps out this piano tune called “Easy Snappin’.” It’s the first ska song that was deliberately written to be that. When we did our CD release party at The Record Archive, I wanted to let people know about that. I wanted to make that connection. So through a record collector Darren Reggae, that’s not his real name, I got an original 45 that I played at the show.
PC: In addition to playing ska music, you also interview musicians.
CB: I interview them for Reggae Steady Ska, which is the world’s leading international ska and reggae website. It’s based out of Bonn, Germany. I’ve been writing for them for about five or six years. This is a great great chance to get to meet some of my heroes. I wouldn’t have been able to meet them at the show, but going through using the website as a writer I get ‘backstage.’ I’ve talked to Monty Alexander, Horace Panter of The Specials, Robert “Bucket” Hingley from The Toasters, Stephen Jackson of the Pietasters. They’re all willing to share because ska is such a small community.
PC: Some Ska Band plays with some big-name bands. I saw you open for Bim Skala Bim last year.
CB: We’ve played with The Pilfers, which are a on the harder side of ska. We’ve played with El Grande. And we’ll be playing with The Pietasters on the 27th. This is a pretty big deal, because my wife says that after the Pietasters, Some Ska Band is her second favorite.
PC: To whom or what would you attribute keeping the flame of ska alive here in western New York?
CB: The person who is bringing some of these bigger names is Adam Smith. Adam Smith is such an incredible powerhouse. It’s such inspiring story for anybody, of any fan of any music. Adam doesn’t play music, doesn’t sing – God no, he doesn’t sing. He loves music, all kinds of music. But he has a special place in his heart for ska. He had his favorite band, The Pilfers, and they were just never coming to Rochester. He couldn’t figure out why they weren’t coming. So I jokingly said to him ‘Why don’t you play promoter and bring the band to town?’ Fast forward about a year later, and he and Coolie Rand of Pilfers run a management company called Elevation. They are handling tours and shows all over the country. It’s a cool story about Adam, but the cooler story is if you like music, you can become a promoter. You do risk losing some money, and I don’t think Adam is ever going to get rich doing this. But, he’s bringing in bands he really loves, and getting to host the parties he’d want to go to. So if you’re a fan and you want your bands in town, don’t wait for someone else to bring them. Play promoter and bring them in.
PC: Some Ska Band released an album earlier this year. Will that be available at the Pietasters show?
CB: We’ll have the CD for sale, bargain price of five bucks. You can’t beat that. We appeared in a CD What Do You Know About Ska Punk Volume 2. That’s got 167 songs on it, believe it or not. That’s five bucks. We’ll have T-shirts and stuff like that.
PC: Anything else you want to add?
CB: This show we’re welcoming MC Lopez. She’s gonna be joining us on keyboard.
PC: So that’ll bring you up to nine members.
CB: We have a tradition in the band: at shows, people are often meeting other people in the band for the first time. And that’s going to be the case at this show. The rhythm guitar player will not have met the keyboard player until we’re there. And here’s the thing – we like bringing people from the audience up on stage. So we’re nine people when we start, but we’ve been a lot more than that when we’re finished!
Catch Charles Benoit and Some Ska Band with The Pietasters and The Pandemics Saturday, April 27 at Four City Station in Rochester. Tickets are on sale now. And be sure to follow Some Ska Band on Facebook for updates and events.
Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial – This large indoor arena, constructed in 1955 as the Rochester Community War Memorial, to this day hosts some of the biggest sporting and entertainment events that come through the city. While the large venue has a variety of events, heavily concentrating on sports, bigger music acts utilize the space when they come through on their tours. Most recently, The Millennium Tour, featuring R&B group, B2K and Mario performed there. Make sure to keep an eye on the arena’s calendar for big upcoming events.
Main Street Armory – This active entertainment hotspot has remained central to the music scene of Rochester for a long time. It began as a military facility hosting center and grew into a hub for sporting events, paintball and, of course, concerts. Holding 6,500 attendees, this venue has hosted a multitude of genres and has upcoming shows to reflect its diversity of sound as well. To name a few highlights off the venue’s calendar, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie will be coming in May with PnB Rock, Lil Baby in June, and Buckcherry with WARPAINT in July.
Theaters
Kodak Center Theater – The Kodak Center is more than just a music venue, as it additionally holds conference and alternative event spaces, as well as a Visitor’s Center. However, the main pull to the center, located just minutes from downtown Rochester, is their main stage, the Kodak Center Theater. The room holds 1,968 attendees in comfortable seating and has produced a variety of shows in the past from comedy to dance shows to children’s camp events to full-on concerts. Some highlights from their calendar for upcoming events include Gary Allen, who will be performing later this week, Derek Hough Live and The Temptations & The Four Tops.
Eastman Theatre – The Eastman Theatre of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester is located in downtown Rochester and is home to multiple state of the art theaters and venues. Within the facilities are Kilbourn Hall, the ornate and acoustically pure Venetian Renaissance styled theatre that holds 400+ guests, Hatch Recital Hall – the modernly-styled, newest addition to the building that holds an intimate 200+ audience, and a handful of other different rehearsal rooms. The gem of this facility, however, is the extravagant Kodak Hall which opened in 1922 and since then has been a driving force of fine arts in Rochester. It holds 3,352 people and commonly holds a high-quality schedule of musical performances.
Clubs
Sensation Nightclub – Sensation Nightclub claims to be the premiere nightclub experience in Rochester, inspired by the founders’ opinion of the lack of a proper nightlife experience within the city. In addition to presenting a luxurious experience with table bookings, bottle service, and top-notch accommodations, Sensation books high-quality, nationally-touring DJ acts for their late nights. If you are looking for a fun night out accompanied by some electronic music, Sensation is the place to go!
SKYWAY – By day, SKYWAY is better known as Cafe SOL, but at night, the place transforms into a unique and visionary clubbing experience. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, SKYWAY Lounge captivates guests through their “musical collage of seamlessly woven beats” that is comprised of every imaginable genre including Balearic lounge, Caribbean rhythm, soul, disco, pop, hip-hop, and deep house. Bottle service and private event booking is available, but regardless, a good time and good music is always guaranteed. For your next big night out, check out their calendar.
Vertex – Another notorious and long-standing club in Rochester happens to be the club Vertex. For over 20 years now, this goth club has continue to operate, while seeing multiple changes in locations, it still continues to bring great music for this scene within the city. Operating on the usual schedule of Thursdays with DJ Noname, Fridays with Silver Crash, and Saturdays with DJ Darkwave, the standard set still packs the house. Throw their Facebook page a like and a follow to stay up to date on their events.
Flour City Station – Flour City Station is a different breed of club, aside from the usual EDM sets at most. For a late night fix of all categories and genres ranging from DMB and The Grateful Dead cover bands, 90’s throwback parties, to ska, funk, and beyond, the Station is the place to go. Don’t miss out on the stacked upcoming events.
Venues
Anthology – An undeniable personality within the Rochester music scene, Anthology is a re-invented multi-level auto warehouse in the East End of the city. It holds about 1,000 people, providing enough space for a large scale audience for local acts and an intimate audience for nationally touring acts, which the venue finds a solid balance between. The facility is beautifully remodeled and has been known to host memorable shows, so keep an eye an out to catch one of your favorite artists there.
Montage Music Hall – Montage Music Hall is a small but mighty, long-standing staple in Rochester’s music scene. This 400-capacity venue has been kicking for over 20 years and has never failed to promote an overwhelming variety of genres. Some past notable acts that have played the venue include The Arkells, Max Creek, Melvin Seals, and Attila, and their calendar is set to include many more dynamic acts to come for the summer and beyond.
Bug Jar – It is safe to say that there is always something going on at the Bug Jar. Whether it be a comedy show, trivia night, DJ set, or live band set, their calendar is packed full, 7 days a week. It is a local favorite and a can’t miss when addressing the city’s musical landscape.
Festivals
Rochester Summer Soul Festival – Set to take place on Friday August 23 and Saturday, August 24, Rochester’s Summer Soul Music Festival is an event that will serve to highlight the bright array of musical talent in Rochester coupled with a great family environment and local food vendors. It will be held at Frontier Field and the lineup is set to be announced soon.
Rochester International Jazz Festival – Right in the heart of Rochester is one of the world’s leading jazz festivals that has been going strong since 2002. Hosted by M&T Bank and spanning a whole nine days, this celebration of music features over 1,500 artists yearly with over 320 shows that take place in over 20 venues around the city. It is a small citywide takeover that lights the city up with good vibes and good music. If you catch yourself in Rochester between June 21 and June 29, you’re sure to be in for a good time. Be sure to check out the lineup.
The Gateways Music Festival – In association with Eastman School of Music, from August 6 until the 11th, The Gateways Music Festival will be gracing Rochester once again with over 50 performances throughout the area. The festival aims to be a resource for classical musicians of African descent and will feature more than 125 musicians from their ever-growing database of now 700 musicians. The tickets are cheap, but the organization will be accepting donations to support their ongoing cause. For more information click here.
Party in the Park – For the 22nd consecutive year, the City of Rochester presents Party in the Park every Thursday from June 6 until August 8. The weekly event transforms Martin Luther King Jr. Park into a treasure trove of local vendors, incredible food, and awesome musicians. Check out the website for more details and this summer’s lineup.
Hidden Gems
Lovin’ Cup – Lovin’ Cup has become Rochester’s one-stop-shop for all the city’s coffee, food, bar and entertainment needs. From breakfast, lunch, dinner, to drinks, Lovin’ Cup has got you covered. Upcoming on their calendar for live music includes The Klick, Hey Mavis, Hanna and the Blue Hearts, and plenty of Open Mic Nights and Salsa Nights to get involved in.
Record Archive – For over 40 years, this record store has been providing Rochester with quality music on vinyl. Beyond it’s primary purpose, Record Archive has two live stages within the store with which they host their own events. A favorite place for locals and a popular attraction for tourists, the Record Archive keeps people coming back with their wide array of records and stellar live events.
Sofar Sounds Rochester – Something that adds an interesting dynamic to local music scenes and does it incredible job of highlighting local musicians in intimate and unusual venues is Sofar Sounds, and Rochester is fortunate enough to have this active organization in their area. If you’ve ever wanted to see acoustic sets in a neighbor’s home, an office building, or a rooftop, Sofar Sounds is one to watch for your next favorite small concert experience.
If you’re looking for a place to get away and lose yourself in music, Rochester holds a promising array for lovers of any genre. This guide is only the tipping point of all the endless possibilities and incredible musical experiences awaiting in this city.
Cory Wong isn’t strictly vegan in case you were wondering. He’s the type that typically won’t pass up the best of anything. Best BBQ in the city? He’ll gnaw through it. But for this night of the tour, a veggie reset was needed, so we plopped ourselves into a corner table at Red Fern to catch up before his first Rochester gig at Flour City.
Ally Dean: How did Emily Browning become your opener for this tour?
Cory Wong: Emily C. Browning and I (not to be confused with Emily Browning the actress) met at a house concert in LA. She was playing at my friend’s house and I knew the taco truck that was gonna be there. Taco trucks in LA are really good. House concert at my friend’s house plus sick taco truck means I’m there. There were a bunch of musicians there and at the end of the night the guy coordinating wanted to have a jam session and asked me to lead it and she was there too.
AD: That’s sweet. I’ve been to a few low key house concerts in Upstate, NY where the crowd seemed to be mostly older folks, not necessarily musicians. Is there anything different about the house concert culture out in LA?
CW: This show was unique in that it was a well curated show put together by the PickUp community and it was invite only, but I’ve also been to shows in garages so it just depends. I’ve done a few house concerts that my friend hosted in Minneapolis.
Intimate shows like that definitely make me more nervous than playing to thousands of people at Red Rocks. The energy at a big show is unlike anything else, but in a small room like that you can see every person’s visceral reaction. And it can get weird. One person can throw off the energy and sometimes you have to just turn pro mode on. But it can also be way more fun when you can connect to the crowd at a much deeper level and sort of hang out.
(Food arrives, interviewing paused to nibble)
AD: Frank DeBlase interviewed you a few weeks ago for City Newspaper and when he asked “What’s something you always do?” you replied, “I always laugh and smile.” Being the cynical person I am, it made me want to know, what makes you mad?
CW: Plenty of things. When something is supposed to work one way and does all the time and out of nowhere seemingly just doesn’t, like computer problems. Why does this program not open? I woke up and now it’s not working. What happened over night?
And in musical settings, recording in studios requires fighter pilot focus in some cases and so much precision but it’s also a very creative process at the same time so it’s a lot to balance. In studio situations if I lose focus I get really frustrated if I mess up a take for everyone by doing something off script. Or we’ve got it really close, last take was amazing but we could make it tighter. So we go to do the exact same thing again, just better. Except this time maybe the drummer adds a gigantic drum fill that feels really inappropriate and in the wrong spot. So in a group setting someone hijacking the moment through lack of focus, lack of respect for the craft or the goal really frustrates me.
AD: In recording situations have you had particularly awkward experiences where it seems like one musician isn’t quite getting it? How do you navigate that?
CW: If that’s happening it takes more patience from everyone else in the room. In a lot of cases that person is also frustrated with themselves. Some people take negative reinforcement better than they do positive reinforcement, so understanding who you’re working with and how to communicate with everyone is important to get through the situation. Sometimes in the end you just have to wave a white flag and be done and know you’re gonna have to come back to do that part with someone else later, but not let the guy feel so bad about it. But then you feel bad when the album comes out and they see someone else’ name on it.
AD: Is there usually no telling them, they just learn on their own in that situation?
CW: It depends. I’ve had that happen to me before where someone hired me to play guitar on their record and some of it was good but they had a different vision in mind that I wasn’t necessarily seeing. I’m way better at reading what a producer wants from me now, and also a better musician now than I was ten years ago. But I have had that happen before where someone replaced my parts and I found out by reading the liner notes. The first couple times you get replaced it hurts. And the first couple times you have to do it to someone it hurts. You don’t want them to think it was anything personal. Everyone still gets paid even if their stuff doesn’t get used.
AD: What new music are you into right now?
CW: My favorite song of 2018 is “Things” by Louis Cole. He’s in KNOWER. It’s eclectic, fast, hard hitting, electro meets analog. He’s one of the sickest drummers. His solo record has some of that but it also reminds me of the Beach Boys with his singing. I listen to “Things” almost every day.
AD: Seems like it’s getting harder and harder to attain that high from music that you want to play on repeat.
CW: Totally. I can’t remember the last time I had that where it’s like “This is my song!” As far as other new stuff, I’m always seeking out what other guitar players are doing. Also recently been into Kimbra and Emily King.
AD: What have setlists been like on tour? Do you play through the entire album or mix it up?
CW: Definitely been mixing it up. We normally do some songs from each of my releases There are probably four songs we play most nights but we have a lot of material to draw from. Sometimes a live song will really connect with people even though it’s not one of my biggest Spotify songs so we’ll play it live more often. We’re rearranging and adapting. With Vulfpeck Jack likes to build a show which the jam fans aren’t wild about because they want to hear a different setlist every night.
AD: Speaking of connecting with people, I saw one of my favorite Rochester bands a few months ago and I was bummed that they barely interacted with the crowd at all.
CW: People have different comfort levels on stage. I sometimes do a stream of consciousness bit on stage and have fallen flat on my face or surprised myself like “oh that was funny, how did that happen?” But I’m comfortable with that. I’m 90% flaming extrovert. Of course there are still those times where I need to be alone to recharge, but then I’m back. I like people.
Show Review: Despite our two-hour hangout sesh, we didn’t talk much about what happens at Cory’s shows. I expected an awesome musical display, but what happened on stage that night involved more production than just a band playing through a set.
Once Cory emerged with his crew, he got right to business, laying out a few ground rules. He denounced how fans can tarnish the evening when “that tough guy stuff starts coming out.” He asserted, “I want that to go out the window. Whether their skin is lighter, darker, looser or tighter, they are no better than you and you are no better than them.” Immediately leveling fans helped connect everyone right from the start.
Once the show was in full swing, Cory Wong’s stage quirks were as entertaining as his nasty guitar work. His facial expressions made it seem as though he was telepathically carrying out a hilarious conversation with his bandmates as he bounced around stage, toothily grinning.
His brand of humor also translated to the visuals projected on screen. Before “Pleasin,” Cory announced, “We have a special surprise. We went halfsies with Flour City Station on super fast internet since it’s super expensive, but we have a direct line with someone in an isolation booth.” Before the video began, a man in the crowd sheepishly yet hopefully called out “Antwaun…?” He was not the only one pining for a glimpse of the singing legend himself. Moments later the singer appeared on screen while the band played along live. Though not in the flesh, Antwaun’s universally adored spirit permeated the room as fans joyously soaked in his pre-recorded cameo.
Later in the set, the commercial for Cory Wong’s “jam starter pack” was a comedic curveball for which the band came to a dead stop to broadcast mid-set. The fanny pack advertised was emblazoned with his logo, and among other things contained a packet of Smucker’s jam and a fluorite crystal. If anyone knows how to market to the jam community, it’s this guy. But you have to go to a show to get one since they’re not available online.
Aside from the merch commercials (yep there were multiple), their show sprinkled in an amusing array of lo-fi visuals- we’re talkin America Online logos and Tony Hawk Pro Skater demos. They provided an ironic contrast to the technical grooves laid down and created a multimedia experience that left the audience amused and amazed.
