Buffalo New York’s fourth annual Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival announced its 2020 lineup which will include 15 different artists across five stages. The festival will take place July 31 and August 1, and will benefit the Child Advocacy Center for the third year in a row.
This year’s lineup includes Smash Mouth, Spin, Doctors, Aqueous, Andy Frasco & The U.N., Magic Beans, Hayley Jane, Root Shock, Funktional Flow, Witty Tarbox, Workingman’s Dead, Critt’s Juke Joint, PA Line, Grub, Cypher, and Grosh. The festival will be made up of two main outdoor stages located on Illinois and Columbia Streets, an existing stage inside Buffalo Iron Works, another inside Lockhouse Distillery & Bar, and a stage on Mississippi Street.
There are three tiers of tickets that can be purchased. Tier one tickets with the current lineup consist of either two-day general admission tickets for $40 or two-day VIP tickets for $150. Tier two tickets are available after July 30 with the final lineup announcements and consist of either general admission for $20 on Friday, July 31, general admission for $35 for Saturday, August 1, a two-day pass for general admission for $50, or two-day VIP tickets for $150. Tier Three tickets are day-of show pricing with Friday’s general admission being $30, Saturday’s admission for $45, and a two-day VIP ticket still for $150. VIP tickets include exclusive VIP-only tented areas, preferred viewing areas of each outdoor stage, a premium bar with craft beverages, lounge area under the VIP tent, complimentary meals, private bathroom access, a commemorative laminate, and more to be announced.
For more information and to purchase tickets visit Cobblestone Live’s website.
Andy Frasco and the UN brought their Royal Rumble tour circus to the Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday night, in the form of a high energy, wrestling themed showdown with co-headliner Big Something. Comedian Kyle Ayers doubled as the opening act and MC for the antics. The sold out crowd enjoyed the ruckus that ensued, as well as the jams.
Kyle Ayers kicked off the festivities with an unusual opening set of comedy directed at jam band fans. Shortly thereafter, Big Something descended upon the stage, delivering jam rock with a Southern and alt-rock flavor, along with extremely high energy. Members of Andy Frasco and the UN joined this party dressed in wrestling masks for a notable cover of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” At one point, Frasco dove onto Ayers, forcing him to wear a neck brace for the rest of the show. Big Something also performed the nineties throwback “Gangster’s Paradise” by Coolio.
After setbreak, Andy Frasco and the UN descended upon the stage once again, this time with even crazier stage antics. Known for stage diving, Frasco went for a ride early on in the set, and sported a bottle of Jameson throughout the night. Frasco was not without support from talented guests, as guitarists Dave Brandwein of Turkuaz and Brandon Niederauer took the stage for an electric cover of “Burning Down the House” by the Talking Heads. They also played their newly released track “Keep On Keepin’ On,” which was well received by the crowd.
The night was not complete without a stage diving race to drive the lane and dunk a basketball into the hoop setup within the crowd. Ayers refereed this challenge, while standing on top of Frasco’s piano. Frasco pulled off the victory while wearing his Wilt Chamberlain Lakers jersey.
The show was highly entertaining, and included some tasty blues, funk and rock-n-roll jams. This circus is back on the road this week in NY State, performing at the Buffalo Iron Works in Buffalo, NY on Tuesday, Feb 18th. Visit their tour page for more details.
Whirling dervish Andy Frasco has announced his upcoming LP Keep On Keepin’ On will be due out in April on SideOneDummy Records. With a therapeutic helping of rock ‘n roll with pop and Americana roots influence, the album is a powerful musical snapshot of what’s going on with Andy, his band and his fans. A special “Wellness” video trailer for the album has been released, geared towards encouraging fans not to suppress feelings that may be uncomfortable to talk about, and share the good as well as bad things in life.
“We all have things that make us who we are. Some things are just uncomfortable to talk about, so we tend to suppress those feelings because we don’t want our friends and social media followers to look at us as weak. It’s time to speak up about not just the good things in our life but the bad as well. This is who I am.”
“We’re going through a mental health crisis right now,” says Andy Frasco. “Loneliness, depression, suicide, it’s all on the rise. When you’re struggling in the moment, it can feel like you’re the only one, but that’s just not the truth. I wanted to make a record to remind you that you’re not alone.”
The title track combines soul, funk and pop, and empowers the listener through a danceable and catchy track focusing on overcoming negative thoughts and embracing love. Honest, thought-provoking and rhythmically infectious, Frasco’s upcoming project has important conversations while showcasing his talent as a songwriter and performer.
Produced by Widespread Panic’s Dave Schools and by former AWOLNATION keyboardist Kenny Carkeet, the LP finds Frasco digging deeper than he’s ever dug before, fusing ecstatic rock and soul with infectious pop and funk as he grapples with the kind of demons he’s spent the better part of his adult life running from. The songs here are blunt in their honesty and unsparing in their self-examination, but they remain, at their core, works of great hope and promise. They’re the work of a man who’s been through the darkest part of the night and, now that dawn is finally breaking, is ready to share his story.
“Making this record helped me accept that I needed therapy in my life,” Frasco explains. “I always used to think I was too proud or too strong to have a therapist, but I realized that was all bullshit. I’m not always the fun, wild guy people see onstage, and it felt like time to talk about who I really am.”
Frasco is also in the midst of his Spring Tour, supporting Big Something, Umphrey’s McGee and Twiddle, as well as standalone shows. Catch him in Ithaca on February 11, Brooklyn February 15 and Buffalo February 18. Full tour dates are below.
Andy Frasco and the U.N. Spring Tour
2/05 – 1904 Music Hall – Jacksonville, FL (with Big Something)
2/06 – The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC (with Big Something)
2/07 – The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC (with Big Something)
2/08 – Neighborhood Theatre – Charlotte, NC (with Big Something)
2/09 – The Broadberry – Richmond, VA (with Big Something)
2/11 – The Haunt – Ithaca, NY (with Big Something)
2/12 – The Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA (with Big Something)
2/13 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC (with Big Something)
2/14 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA (with Big Something)
2/15 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY (with Big Something)
2/18 – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo, NY (with Big Something)
2/19 – The Magic Bag – Ferndale, MI (with Big Something)
2/20 – Woodlands Tavern – Columbus, OH (with Big Something)
2/21 – The Stache – Grand Rapids, MI (with Big Something)
2/22 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
2/25 – Neurolux – Boise, ID
2/26 – Midtown Ballroom – Bend, OR (supporting Umphrey’s McGee)
2/27 – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR (supporting Umphrey’s McGee)
2/28 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR (supporting Umphrey’s McGee)
2/29 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA (supporting Umphrey’s McGee)
3/03 – Humboldt Brews – Arcata, CA
3/04 – The Saint – Reno, NV
3/05 – Crazy Horse Saloon – Nevada City, CA
3/06 – Lost on Main – Chico, CA
3/07 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA (supporting Twiddle)
3/19 – Schmiggity’s – Steamboat Springs, CO
3/20 – Boogie at The Broadmoor – Colorado Springs, CO
3/21 – Agave – Avon, CO
4/18 – Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
4/20 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO
4/24 – Sweetwater 420 Festival – Atlanta, GA
4/25 – Winstons – San Diego, CA
5/22 – Summer Camp Music Festival – Chillicothe, IL
5/23 – Summer Camp Music Festival – Chillicothe, IL
5/24 – Summer Camp Music Festival – Chillicothe, IL
6/07 – Backwoods at Mulberry Mountain – Ozark, AR
6/11 – Bonnaroo – Manchester, TN
7/04 – Peach Music Festival – Scranton, PA
July 2 – July 5 – High Sierra Music Festival – Quincy, CA
