NYS Music 202​1

Category: Buffalo

  • Happy Birthday, Al Schnier

    NYS Music would like to wish a healthy and happy birthday to guitarist Al Schnier who turns 53 years old today. Al, a husband and father of two, first sat in with a band named moe. in 1991 and hasn’t looked back since.

    Al Schnier birthday

    A true New Yorker, Schnier was born in Utica, NY and attended New Hartford Central High School. One of his first musical endeavors was an eighth grade Rush/Neil Young tribute band called Cuttin’ Loose. High school and college at SUNY-Oneonta brought along with it various cover bands. In 1990, while playing in a band called Unclaimed Freight, Al came across a tape from some band from Buffalo called moe. and his life would be forever altered.

    I heard that tape and I thought, ‘This is the kind of band I want to play in.’ … Of course, I never thought I’d be playing with moe., but six months later I ended up moving to Buffalo, and my next introduction to the band was actually sitting in with them.

    Al Schnier
    AL Schnier birthday

    In 1991, Schnier first sat in with the band for a gig at Chicklets House in Buffalo, playing guitar and congas. The following year, after more sit ins and collaborations, Al became a fulltime member of moe. and has been a permanent fixture on his “side” of the stage ever since.

    What’s transpired since is a remarkable recording and touring career that’s still going strong and has seen the band travel the world and play some of the biggest stages and festivals out there. Like any musician, Schnier has also had his fair share of side projects over the years. In 1999, he formed the folk rock band Al and the Transamericans that featured the late Gordon Stone on pedal steel guitar and Strangefolk’s Erik Glockler on bass.

    Al has also self-produced and engineered a solo electronica album titled al.one that came out in 2001. A self-avowed Dead head, he’s also spent some time as one of bassist Phil Lesh’s “friends” for an incarnation of Phil & Friends in 2005. There’s been plenty of other collaborations since as well.

    Schnier was also an original member of the “newgrass” band Floodwood, but has since departed. And he’s also a founding member of the voter registration group Headcount.

    So let’s all raise a glass and cheers to Al Schnier, the birthday boy. Here’s to another trip around the sun and much more music to come.

  • Watch Grateful Dead Perform “It’s All Over Now” from Orchard Park 1990

    The latest release in the Grateful Dead video series ‘All The Years Live’ features a performance from Orchard Park, home of the Buffalo Bills. From their July 16, 1990 show, the Dead share a rollicking first set cover of Bobby Womack’s “It’s All Over Now.”

    grateful dead Orchard park

    Grateful Dead historian David Lemieux speaks on the performance:

    When It’s All Over Now first appeared in Grateful Dead sets in 1976, it was the perfect addition to the Bob-sung part of first sets. It was quite a bit different than any other Bob song: not an original, not a blues song, not a cowboy song. When The Last Time arrived in 1990, it was the same feeling, another Bob rocker, although The Last Time bounced around the setlist quite a bit, whereas It’s All Over Now was a first set song.

    The video is directed by Len Dell’Amico and co-produced by Len Dell’Amico and GDP. Click here to read a detailed take on the Grateful Dead opening for Bob Dylan in Orchard Park on July 4, 1986 and here for The Who and The Clash at Rich Stadium in 1982.

    Grateful Dead July 16, 1990 – Orchard Park, NY

    Set 1: Hell in a Bucket, Mississippi Half-Step, Blow Away, Mama Tried, Mexicali Blues, Loose Lucy, It’s All Over Now, High Time, Let it Grow, Don’t Ease Me In

    Set 2: Sugar Magnolia, Scarlet Begonias, Man Smart/Woman Smarter
    Ship of Fools, Truckin’, drums -> The Wheel, Gimme Some Lovin’
    Wharf Rat, Around and Around, Sunshine Daydream

    Encore: Brokedown Palace

  • Goose to release 2019 Buffalo show to benefit Nietzsche’s

    Goose has announced the release of their latest live album, 2019.11.16 Buffalo, NY, from the Connecticut group’s show at Nietzsche’s, Buffalo’s longest-serving music venue. The release is a newly remastered soundboard recording that is now available on all streaming platforms.

    goose buffalo

    Buffalo was a sure highlight for us in 2019. Like a lot of our Fall 2019 shows, it was our first time headlining in town and the show sold out way in advance, so the energy was through the roof. One of my favorite things to do on that tour was survey the crowd, and that night we had people from all over the place, it was really humbling to see that people had traveled just to see us at this small bar in Buffalo, and it turned out to be an absolutely magical night. 

    Peter Anspach

    In addition to the streaming release, the band plans to press select tracks to vinyl, with a 2-LP, eight-track package available for sale through Bandcamp. Collectors will have an opportunity to purchase regular (vinyl only), deluxe (signed postcard + poster), or test pressings at varying price points.

    A portion of proceeds will be donated to Nietzsche’s, as the independent venue continues to weather the multitude of challenges presented by the current pandemic. 

    Without spots like Nietzsche’s, we wouldn’t have gotten our feet off the ground. You need small venues and local scenes to get started as a band. Even if you’re not making much money per gig (which you aren’t), playing shows keeps the momentum up, the enthusiasm high, and allows you to grow musically as a band so you’ll know what you’re doing when and if you make it to larger venues. Let’s go Buffalo!

    Peter Anspach

    The heavy improv of Set 1 features a 14-minute cover of The Wood Brothers‘ “Atlas,” followed by a 20-minute “Arcadia” anbd closed with a 30-minute “Drive.” Set 2 kicks off with “Creatures” and includes covers of Otis Day and the Knights’ “ShamaLamma Ding Dong” and a-ha’s “Take On Me.”

    Vinyl is now on sale as of Noon ET, Friday, January 8. For more information, visit goose.es/buffalo-vinyl.

  • Intrepid Travelers Release Double Single

    Intrepid Travelers are starting the New Year off strong with new music. The Buffalo 6-piece have released a double single, pairing “You Gotta Work” and “Up To You” as they look towards a brighter 2021.

    intrepid travelers double single
    Cover art designed Adam Bronstein

    A Buffalo-based improvisational rock band that has been around since 2013, Intrepid Travelers were revitalized in 2020 with some significant lineup changes. 

    Bassist Zak Beutel was the first new addition, joining founding members Donny Frauenhofer (keys), Brian Calisto (guitar), and Jon Fohl (drums). Shortly after, two more travelers joined the group: Ellen Pieroni, formerly of Folkfaces (saxophone), and former Universe Shark frontman Adam Bronstein (guitar). 

    This new incarnation of Intrepid Travelers has been hitting the pavement hard since the summer, as hard as they can mid-pandemic. The band has been live-streaming the first three Tuesdays of each month as well as select holidays, while working on plenty of new material. The band was able to play a few live shows in the late summer/early fall – including a sold out double header on Halloween at Sportsmens Tavern and a socially-distanced IT Fest – but with the recent shutdown, IT decided to shift their focus to recording. 

    The newly released double single features two tracks, “You Gotta Work” (Pieroni/Frauenhofer) and “Up To You” (Calisto/Beutel/Fohl). Both tracks were recorded entirely at home, with mixing and mastering by Donny Frauenhofer. 

    These two tracks are a great representation of where the band is heading, and the amount of fun we’ve been having together.

    Jon Fohl

    The first track, “You Gotta Work,” a driving, Motown-inspired Lettuce-esque funk tune, will make you dance and leave you feeling empowered, and features dazzling guitar licks by Adam, tasty organ playing by Donny, a percussive bassline by Zak, and Ellen on lead vocals.

    “Up To You” is more introspective, but just as catchy as the first track. You’ll be reeled in by Brian’s acoustic guitar playing, but be sure to stick around for him to shred later in the tune, and Jon displays his vocal abilities singing lead. The production value is especially great on “Up To You,” with congas from special guest Ryan Campbell, fun added background vocals over Brian’s guitar solo, catchy horn lines, and various sound and vocal effects. 

    This recording session was among the most rewarding and creatively fulfilling projects I’ve ever been a part of – self producing these tracks has the band energized and excited for more!

    Adam Bronstein

    The double single is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, YouTube, and Amazon Music. 

  • Best of 2020: Cover Song, Jam & What We Missed The Most

    As we continue to warm up to the new year, there are a few more musical moments from 2020 that merit special recognition. Here’s the best of what last year had to offer for cover songs and jams and what we missed the most.

    Best Cover Song

    There were a lot of interesting nominations for this category. With bands and artists quarantined at home like the rest of us, that left plenty of time to learn new material and maybe take a stab at some unique covers. The winner this year goes to moe. and their take on “West LA Fadeaway,” from the 1987 Grateful Dead album In The Dark.

    This one went down at Big Blue North Recording Studio in Utica, NY. After scheduled shows at Vernon Downs were cancelled, the band scrambled and Plan B was to play the shows where they had been rehearsing. The extra-bouncey effect on Rob Derhak’s bass and Jim Loughlin on percussion give this Dead classic a fun, uplifting vibe that does justice to the original.

    Other nominees for Best Cover Song included Silversun Pickups and their cover of Martika’a 1988 hit “Toy Soldiers,” Vaporeyes and their take on the Gorillaz classic “Clint Eastwood,” and a breathtaking rendition of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes” from Lianne La Havas.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdbHO_KhCig

    Best Jam

    The nominations for Best Jam of 2020 were once again varied and spread across far across the musical spectrum. But, once again, the winner has roots deeply established in New York State. Like many other bands last year, Buffalo’s Aqueous had to resort to Drive-In movie theaters as venues to play for any mass gathering. And their second set on June 21 at the Transit Drive-In Theatre in nearby Lockport goes down as the jam of the year.

    It was comprised of only one song, an extremely stretched out and versatile “Half In, Half Out.” This particular version reached new heights as it goes on for nearly 68 minutes and showcases the band’s full repertoire. This musical assault seems to have about a dozen different sections that mesh together to form something special. One of the earlier ones is an exact replica of the ending sequence of Phish’s “Sample In A Jar.” The rest of jam features notes of funk, reggae, trance and blissful rock, all while never growing stale. Teases from Rush, Pink Floyd and Red Hot Chili Peppers also abound. Throw in a freshly mohawked Mike Gantzer on guitar and that’s more than enough to bestow “Best of” honors for this one.

    Other finalists in this esteemed category were the “Stash” from Trey Anastasio’s Beacon Jams, Vaporeyes’ “Quarantine Jams,” and Yo La Tengo’s annual Hanukkah show.

    What We Missed The Most

    This contest, predictably, yielded a bit more of a clear consensus. It’s evident from the responses that thing people missed the most in 2020 is the personal and social interaction that go hand in hand with live music. Of course the music is nice (it finished a distant second), but it doesn’t seem to matter as much without the friends and the environment that comes with a show.

    If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that human interactions certainly goes a long way. And one response mentions one of these that undoubtedly anyone who has ever been to show can relate to in saying, “I miss being in a large room with strangers who instantly become your best friends just because you share the connection of loving a particular musician or band.” Whether it’s reuniting with old friends or making new ones, let’s hope 2021 gives us a chance to do both. And the live music can come along too.

    Best of 2020