Buffalo continues to make its way back in the music scene while also bringing back the crowds. Local music venue The Cave, held a Funk Night on Thursday, June 10, presented by NYS Music.
Photo: Maddie McCafferty
The show established a nostalgic feeling as people gathered around for the jam band hits. The upbeat performance was held by Donny Frauenhofer on keys/vocals, Matt Fantini on guitar/vocals, Colin Brydalski on bass/vocals, Ellen Pieroni on sax/vocals, and Ryan Nogle on drums.
The group kicked off the night by opening with “Do It Like You Do” by Lettuce. The excitement from the crowd did not go unnoticed as everyone collectively felt a sense of normalcy again. This high energy extended even further when the musicians performed a mashup of The Whispers’ “And the Beat Goes On” and Will Smith’s “Miami.”
Photo: Maddie McCafferty
This month’s Funk Night was really special because although we’d been able to play the last few months, the guidelines didn’t allow for many of the things that make a funk show a funk show – dancing, musician sit-ins, interacting with the crowd, etc. This was the first show back where we could do all of that and we’re really excited to have more special guests and get more people dancing!
Donny Frauenhofer
The group invited guests on stage for a few songs, which included contributions from a singer and another sax player. The band closed the set with “What Is Hip?” by Tower Of Power. However, with the audience’s plea and many still wanting to dance, they performed “Squadlive” by Lettuce for the encore.
Photo: Maddie McCafferty
The set left many feeling energetic and ready for more. Luckily, the jam sessions are far from over. Funk Night will continue every second Thursday of the month. So, make sure to check out the next show on July 8 at The Cave.
Mac Sabbath is returning to the road in late August to bring America another heaping helping of unhealthy – but irresistible – Drive Thru Metal. Their 2021 Pop-Up-Drive-Thru Tour will feature The Outlaw Mariachi, Speedealer and Lung on select dates, and will make stops in Rochester and New York City.
Mixing raucous comedy with borderline-horrific theatrics, Mac Sabbath is the love child of heavy metal band Black Sabbath and hamburgers. Warning about the dangers of fast food, Mac Sabbath puts on a theatrical, multimedia stage show – complete with parody lyrics, a smoking grill, laser-eyed clowns, bouncing burgers and many more surprises.
Mac Sabbath has also recently revealed their first book, Drive Thru Metal, a pop-up book that takes fans on a journey through a dystopian fast-food world polluted by its own waste. There are two editions of the book, one being the Special Edition version, a limited version complete with a foil stamped cover, a Gris Grimly art print and “ketchup and mustard splattered” yellow and red vinyl.
Both editions of Drive Thru Metal include pop-up scenes highlighting “The Factory,” “The Ascension” and “Utopia” and include a vinyl with seven Mac Sabbath musical stories, including songs “Organic Funeral,” Sweet Beef” and “N.I.B.B.L.E.” Both editions are available in limited quantities and pre-orders are available on Mac Sabbath’s merch site.
Mac Sabbath’s “Pair-a-Buns” music video, a spoof on Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”
Check out the complete Mac Sabbath tour schedule below:
8/25 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
8/26 – Sacramento, CA – Holy Diver
8/28 -Portland, OR – Dante’s
8/29 – Seattle, WA – El Corazón
9/1 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
9/2 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
9/3 – Wichita, KS – WAVE
9/4 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads
9/7 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
9/8 – Milwaukee, WI – Shank Hall
9/9 – Lombard, IL – Afterlife Music Hall
9/10 – Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation
9/11- St. Louis, MO – Fubar
9/12 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
9/15 – Rochester, NY – The Montage Music Hall
9/16 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
9/17 – New Bedford, MA – The Vault Music Hall & Pub
9/18 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry
9/19 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
9/22 – Harrisburg, PA – Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center
9/23 – Belle Vernon, PA – Vinoski Winery
9/24 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
9/25 – Ferndale, MI – Magic Bag
9/28 – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI Indy & HI-FI Annex
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, the Baltimore-based funk quartet, just announced their Fall 2021 tour. There are fourteen stops planned, the first two of which are at the historic Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY. From there, they will travel to various cities across the country to leave fans in awe of their funky sound.
The band cannot wait to get back on stage: “I think one of the silver linings of this pandemic is all of our renewed appreciation for live music,” says singer/guitarist “Scrambled Greg” Ormont. “The bands, the fans, the venues, we’re all rejuvenated and ready to unleash this energy. Honestly, as fired up as I am to get back on stage, I’m almost more excited to see how the crowd reacts to being back in our collective element. It’s going to be a tour for the ages.”
After kicking off the tour in Port Chester on October 14th and 15th, P4 will continue on to the mid-atlantic region with an exciting trio of Halloween themed shows. They will then perform in Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis. After stopping in Des Moines, they will end the tour in Denver on November 13th. Supporting acts include Sunsquabi (October 29th to the 31st) and Neighbor (October 16th). Magic Beans will join Pigeons for the remaining tour dates.
Fall tour tickets will be available via Artist Presale running Wednesday June 16th at 10am through Thursday June 17th at 10pm local time using the password FLOCK. General onsale will begin Friday June 18th at 10am local time, with the exception of Denver’s Mission Ballroom which will go on sale Friday at 12pm MT.
Acclaimed Utica-based guitarist and songwriter Joe Bonamassa has announced an extensive 33 tour dates for fall 2021. Bonamassa’s latest project, a live album entitled Now Serving: Royal Tea Live From The Ryman, comes out Friday, June 11.
Photo by Robert Sutton
Bonamassa will stop in New York twice on his fall tour. He is set to play the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester on November 22 and the Rochester Auditorium Theatre in Rochester on November 24. The full list of tour dates is listed below.
Bonamassa is one of the biggest modern names in blues-rock and was even named “the world’s biggest blues guitarist” by Guitar World Magazine. He, like other live musicians, is marking his return to the stage in over a year. The fall tour kicks off October 8 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, where Bonamassa recorded his latest live album.
Throughout the pandemic and during the pause of live music, Bonamassa focused on raising money for his non-profit Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation through the Fueling Musicians Program. The nonprofit centers on providing financial assistance to touring musicians who had their income streams cut off in this tumultuous time.
Now Serving: Royal Tea Live From The Ryman comes out Friday and tickets for the fall tour will be available on the same day. Links for purchase can be found here.
TOUR DATES
October 8-9: Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
October 11: Little Rock, AR – Robinson Performance Hall
October 13: Shreveport, LA – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
October 15: San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre
October 16: Sugar Land, TX – Smart Financial Centre
October 17: Grand Prairie, TX – Texas Trust CU Theatre
October 19: Fayetteville, AR – Walton Arts Center
October 21: Tulsa, OK – Tulsa Theater
October 22: Memphis, TN – Cannon Center for the Performing Arts
October 23: Louisville, KY – The Louisville Palace
October 25: Evansville, IN – Old National Events Center
October 27: Fort Wayne, IN – Embassy Theatre
October 29: Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
October 30: St. Louis, MO – Stifel Theatre
October 31: Cincinatti, OH – Taft Theatre
November 19: Springfield, MA – Symphony Hall
November 20: Providence, RI – Providence Performing Arts Center
November 22: Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre
November 24: Rochester, NY – Rochester Auditorium Theatre
November 26: Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
November 27: Youngstown, OH – Covelli Centre
November 28: Columbus, OH – Palace Theatre
November 30: Easton, PA – State Theatre
December 1: Reading, PA – Santander Performing Arts Center
December 3: Roanoke, VA – Berglund Performing Arts Theatre
December 4: Baltimore, MD – The Lyric
December 5: Richmond, VA – Dominion Energy Center
December 7: Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theater
December 8: Sarasota, FL – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
December 10: St. Augustine, FL – The St. Augustine Ampitheatre
The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance or more commonly known as just Grassroots announced the creation of the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Live!: a series of limited capacity one night concerts on the Infield Stage of the festival’s Trumansburg, NY Fairgrounds. The series will start on July 9, 2021 and run throughout the month of July each weekend.
The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival generally takes place the third weekend of July every year in Trumansburg, NY starting back in 1991 apart from last year (2020) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to COVID-19 the official festival won’t be back until 2022 but these one night festivities will bring the Grassroots spirit back to upstate New York. Donna The Buffalo, who is one of the original founding bands of GrassRoots, will be hosting a Donna The Buffalo’s GrassRoots Festival Weekend, July 23-25.
Tickets will be sold as PODS capable of accommodating up to 4 people starting at $89 and an additional dance area in front of the stage and Dance Tent on GrassRoots Weekend will be available to those with a POD who are fully vaccinated and can prove it.
Donna The Buffalo’s GrassRoots Festival Weekend will host the Infield Stage, Dance Tent, Sunday’s All Star Revue and Camping at our Across The Way Campgrounds. The full lineup and more information about Donna The Buffalo’s GrassRoots Festival Weekend weekend can be found here.
In addition, camping will be available surrounding show weekends at our Across The Way Campgrounds. Details and reservations will be available soon. Previous 30th Annual GrassRoots Festival ticket holders and Dream Teamers may exchange their tickets to Finger Lakes GrassRoots Live! by emailing tickets@grassrootsfest.org.
For more information on the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Live! series visit the The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival’s website.
Slipknot has announced the resuming of the Knotfest Roadshow, with stops in Darien Lake and Syracuse. The 2021 edition of the tour will start on Sept 28 in Illinois. The 24-night trek will criss-cross the United States and artists such as Killswitch Engage, Fever 333, and Code Orange are all confirmed to join the run.
Following the exciting news of Knotfest Iowa, their massive production planned for September, as well as the confirmation from the band that they are in the studio working on the follow-up to We Are Not Your Kind, the masked nine will return to their caravan of chaos. Tour dates include two shows in New York, one at the Darien Lake Amphitheater in Darien Center on Oct 3 and one at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse on Oct 5.
Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor weighed in on the kind of anticipation that is now building ahead of Slipknot getting back to the business of decimating stages again. “With the world opening up, it’s time to get excited about life again. To get back to life again. This tour is a long time coming and we hope you’re as excited to see it as we are to play it. Stay safe, stay (sic) and we’ll see you soon.”
As for the band’s announcement of recording new music in the studio. Just last week, the band’s artistic architect and percussionist M.Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan confirmed to the U.K. media that the band was in fact, in the studio and in the thick of working on “God music” in the follow up to the universally-lauded 2019 release of We Are Not Your Kind.
Fan can to get an exclusive glimpse at ‘behind the scenes’ footage of the band at work by subscribing over at knotfest.com. Subscribers are also eligible to pre-order both Knotfest Roadshow and Knotfest Iowa tickets before the on-sale date to the general public.
Tickets will be available on pre-sale to Knotfest subscribers from 10am local time on June 2nd, with a general on-sale from 10am local on June 4th, over at the official Knotfest Roadshow website.
Slipknot 2021 “Knotfest Roadshow” Tour Dates with Killswitch Engage, Fever 333, and Code Orange: 09/25 – Indianola, IA @ National Balloon Classic Field * 09/28 – Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre 09/29 – Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater 10/01 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center 10/02 – Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre 10/03 – Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater 10/05 – Syracuse, NY @ Lakeview Amphitheater – Syracuse 10/08 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center 10/09 – Hartford, CT @ XFINITY Theatre 10/10 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center 10/12 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion 10/13 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live 10/15 – Burgettstown, PA @ S&T Bank Music Park 10/17 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion 10/19 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre 10/20 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre 10/22 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek 10/23 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre 10/24 – Pelham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre 10/26 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP 10/28 – Del Valle, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater 10/29 – The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion ** 10/30 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion 11/01 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater 11/02 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
* = Knotfest Iowa Festival (no Killswitch Engage or Code Orange) ** = no Code Orange
Wondering where and how you can get your 2021 Pride on throughout New York this summer? With COVID-19 ever looming in the background, NYS Music has you covered. Between in person events and virtual celebrations, celebrating Pride with live music in 2021 will be a highlight of the summer across the State of New York.
New York City and Long Island
New York City Pride will be kicking off with 50 events across the 30 days of June, known as Pride month throughout the LGBTQ+ community. Between the NYC Pride march, Pridefest, and Pride Island. The NYC Pride March broadcast special will return for its fifth consecutive year.
Featuring live performances, on-air interviews, and exciting street-side marching activity, the broadcast will air on ABC-7 from 12PM to 3PM EST on Sunday, June 27 as well on ABC7NY.com and ABC7 New York’s Connected TV Apps on streaming platforms Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku. All in-person elements will be produced in accordance with the most current guidelines for public events in the city. DJ Lina Bradford will be performing at the online virtual Pride Island party. Details on the event can be found on their website. Musical performances across NYC Pride are waiting to be announced.
Long Island Pride is taking place on June 13, 2021 at Eisenhower Park’s landmark Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre from 12PM-4PM. The festivities will take place in person and will follow New York State Department of Health and CDC guidance, all attendees will be required to present proof of full COVID-19 vaccination, or 72-hour negative PCR test. This year’s Long Island Pride is a pre-ticketed event only and there will be no same day entry. The event may sell out quickly with sponsorships, VIP tickets and a limited number of general admission tickets now on sale due to COVID-19. Almost Queen, The Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corps, and DJ Disco 2 House will all be performing. Details on the event can be found on their website.
Capital District
In Albany the Pride activities will span out across the month with plenty of events. People can catch local artists performing on the Virtual Alive at 5 event. It can be found on Albany Events on YouTube and the Pride Center of the Capital region YouTube. Join the online party for the Virtual Pride Alive at 5 on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 11AM to 12PM. Details on the event can be found on their website.
Schenectady Pride will be hosting a ‘Day of Visibility’ event at the Gateway Plaza. The event will host DJ RVMBA at 3PM, Community Stage (special guests including SLOC Musical group, Planned Parenthood at 4PM, and Drag Spectacular starring the Legends of Drag at 5pm on Saturday, June 5, 2021. Details on the event can be found on their website.
Buffalo
Buffalo won’t be having an official live pride event this year due to COVID-19 but is promoting different events throughout Buffalo in celebration of Pride. The R&B and Hip-Hop Pride Event is taking place on June 5 from 9PM to 1AM at 522 Elmwood Ave Buffalo. The event is $7 and focuses on Recording Artists of the LGBTIAQ+ Community that dwell in the genres of R&B and Hip-Hop music. Hosted by an Actress/R&B and Hip-Hop Artist named Aqueira Oshun. Loncé thee Starr, Disprettymofo, Incense, Paris Glenn, Charlie Bae, C4W2, and Jay Aquarious will all be performing. The music for the show will be spun by a DJ named Trav1sTw1n. The maximum capacity is 40 people and please be asked to wear a mask at the event. Details on the event can be found on their website.
Rochester
Rochester Pride isn’t taking place until September 25, 2021 at Mayo Park from 12-5 PM and hasn’t released information yet.
CNY
Central New York Pride will be taking place on June 26, 2021 for CNY Pride’s “Virtual Edition” Pride Festival, presented by Equitable. The festival will be featuring performances by Deviant Dance Tribe, Jason Ngo, Felipe Panama, Kitschy Scoflow, Koy Adams, Frita Lay, Sparkle Royale, Rea Listic, Tayler Mayde, and Natalie Taylor, and hosted live by the fabulous Samantha Vega, this digital festival will be streaming online June 26 and will be free and open to the public. Details on the event can be found on their Facebook page.
Keep checking back for more updates on when and where to get your Pride and dance moves on in 2021 throughout New York State.
Independent Venue Week returns July 12 – 18, 2021, bringing together venues from all across the country for a series of shows and programming in celebration of the spirit of independence.
The venue-curated programming will be combined with the return of #IVWTalks, a virtual conference series that discusses current live music industry issues and includes Get Schooled, a full day dedicated to student participants interested in a career in live music to take place on Thursday, July 15.
Among the more than 450 shows to take place as part of Independent Venue Week are performances by hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg at Phoenix’s Celebrity Theatre,roots music icons Steve Earle & The Dukes at Ram’s Head On Stage in Annapolis, midwest indie-pop sensation Beach Bunny at Milwaukee’s The Cooperage, world-class Afro-Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez at NYC’s DROM, New Jersey DIY favorites Long Neck, Whiner and PYNKIE at WhiteEagle Hallin Jersey City, legendary rock’n’rollers The Marshall Tucker Band at Missoula’s KettleHouse Amphitheater,and bass virtuoso George Porter Jr. for his reopening run at Garcia’sin Port Chester.
Getting ready for this year’s event feels particularly meaningful. For the past 14 months, independent venues and promoters have collectively fought for their very survival and this feels like the turning point that we’ve all been working for. We were happy and proud to grow Independent Venue Week last year—to even have it, under the circumstances. This year, we hope and believe that fans will return with a renewed appreciation for these uniquely important spaces.
Cecilie Nielsen, Director of Special Projects at Marauder, the firm that runs Independent Venue Week in the US.
The team behind Independent Venue Week has released the first episode of its new podcast series, Independent Venue Speak. Like its namesake, Independent Venue Speak will celebrate the spirit of independence, through the vehicle of deep-diving conversations. The series will be hosted by a different guest artist each episode and focus on how a specific independent venue has shaped the narrative in their music community.
For its inaugural episode, Independent Venue Speak invited the Grammy-nominated, Brooklyn-based artist and songwriter J. Hoard to tell the tale of the iconic Lower East Side room Arlene’s Grocery and its ties to The Lesson, a world-renowned hip-hop jam ensemble that forged an entire music culture.
To truly make Independent Venue Speak as incredible in execution as it was in concept, we enlisted the artists and venue operators to tell these stories themselves. These stories are about extraordinary people who helped inspire prolific music movements and about the venues that offered these movements not just a stage, but a home.
Cecilie Nielsen, Director of Special Projects at Marauder
#IVW21 PARTICIPATING VENUES (So Far!)
Princess Theatre Center for the Performing Arts (Decatur, Alabama)
Theatrikos (Flagstaff, Arizona)
Jeremy’s Juke Joint (Lake Havasu City, Arizona)
The Neighborhood Comedy Theatre (Mesa, Arizona)
The Nile Theater (Mesa, Arizona)
Last Exit Live (Phoenix, Arizona)
The Rebel Lounge (Phoenix, Arizona)
Club Congress (Tucson, Arizona)
Groundworks Tucson (Tucson, Arizona)
The Wayfarer (Costa Mesa, California)
T-Bar Social Club (June Lake, California)
Marvyn’s Magic Theater (La Quinta, California)
1720 (Los Angeles, California)
Globe Theatre (Los Angeles, California)
The Paramount LA (Los Angeles, California)
The Sardine (Los Angeles, California)
The Glass House Concert Hall (Pomona, California)
Crest Theatre Sacramento (Sacramento, California)
Harlow’s (Sacramento, California)
Sacramento Comedy Spot (Sacramento, California)
Belly Up (San Diego, California)
The Casbah (San Diego, California)
Soda Bar (San Diego, California)
Spin Nightclub (San Diego, California)
Amado’s (San Francisco, California)
Bimbo’s 365 Club (San Francisco, California)
Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, California)
The Riptide (San Francisco, California)
Center Stage Theater (Santa Barbara, California)
Kuumbwa Jazz (Santa Cruz, California)
Boulder Theater (Boulder, Colorado)
Fox Theatre (Boulder, Colorado)
The Black Sheep (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
Monkey Barrel (Denver, Colorado)
Roxy on Broadway (Denver, Colorado)
Aggie Theatre (Fort Collins, Colorado)
Ridgway Chautauqua Society / The Sherbino & The Courtyard at 610 (Ridgway, Colorado)
Bijou Theatre (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
The Midpoint (Hartford, Connecticut)
Arden Concert Gild (Arden, Delaware)
9:30 Club (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
The Anthem (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
DC9 Nightclub (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
Lincoln Theatre (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
Pearl Street Warehouse (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
Pie Shop (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
Songbyrd Music House (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
High Dive (Gainesville, Florida)
Murray Hill Theatre (Jacksonville, Florida)
North Beach Bandshell (Miami Beach, Florida)
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall (Sarasota, Florida)
The Village Theatre (Atlanta, Georgia)
The Blue Door (Brunswick, Georgia)
Grant’s Lounge (Macon, Georgia)
Hargray Capitol Theatre (Macon, Georgia)
Hilo Palace Theater (Hilo, Hawaii)
Hawaii Theatre Center (Honolulu, Hawaii)
ProArts Playhouse Maui (Kihei, Hawaii)
Hey Nonny (Arlington Heights, Illinois)
Annoyance Theatre & Bar (Chicago, Illinois)
Beat Kitchen (Chicago, Illinois)
The Lincoln Lodge Theater (Chicago, Illinois)
The Promontory (Chicago, Illinois)
Reggies (Chicago, Illinois)
Subterranean (Chicago, Illinois)
The Wild Hare & Singing Armadillo Frog Sanctuary (Chicago, Illinois)
Winter’s Jazz Club (Chicago, Illinois)
Egyptian Theatre (DeKalb, Illinois)
Skooter’s Roadhouse (Shorewood, Illinois)
Buskirk-Chumley Theater/BCT Management, Inc. (Bloomington, Indiana)
Mojo’s BoneYard (Evansville, Indiana)
Hi-Fi (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Hoyt Sherman Place (Des Moines, Iowa)
Wooly’s (Des Moines, Iowa)
xBk (Des Moines, Iowa)
East Of Omaha (Griswold, Iowa)
The Englert Theatre (Iowa City, Iowa)
Hutchinson’s HIstoric Fox Theatre (Hutchinson, Kansas)
Liberty Hall (Lawrence, Kansas)
Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts (Salina, Kansas)
The Warehouse at Mt Victor (Bowling Green, Kentucky)
Alhambra Theatre (Hopkinsville, Kentucky)
Headliners Music Hall (Louisville, Kentucky)
Old Forester’s Paristown Hall (Louisville, Kentucky)
Renfro Valley Entertainment Center (Mount Vernon, Kentucky)
The Southgate House Revival (Newport, Kentucky)
Texas Club (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
Carnaval Lounge (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Howlin Wolf (New Orleans, Louisiana)
The Grand (Ellsworth, Maine)
Regent Theatre (Arlington, Massachusetts)
Narrows Center for the Arts (Fall River, Massachusetts)
Atac: Downtown Arts + Music (Framingham, Massachusetts)
Soundcheck Studios (Pembroke, Massachusetts)
Electric Haze (Worcester, Massachusetts)
Pyramid Scheme (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Kalamazoo State Theatre (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
7th St Entry (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Fine Line (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
First Avenue (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
The Parkway Theater (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
TAK Music Venue Inc (Moorhead, Minnesota)
The Fitzgerald Theatre (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Palace Theatre (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Turf Club (St. Paul, Minnesota)
RecordBar (Kansas City, Missouri)
Uptown Theater (Kansas City, Missouri)
Kettlehouse Amphitheater (Bonner, Montana)
The Music Hall (Portsmouth, New Hampshire)
Crossroads (Garwood, New Jersey)
Hopewell Theater (Hopewell, New Jersey)
White Eagle Hall (Jersey City, New Jersey)
The Newton Theatre (Newton, New Jersey)
Township Theatre (Township of Washington, New Jersey)
Beau Fleuve Music & Arts has announced the date for its 5-year anniversary event, celebrating years of diverse musical and artistic talents, including performances, art installations, a silent disco, food vendors, and more.
Beau Fleuve Logo
Now that New York is opening up more, Beau Fleuve will hold their celebration event in person on Sunday, August 29th, 2021 at the historic landmark of the Buffalo Central Terminal. Beau Fleuve has held national touring acts in past years from Benny The Butcher, Eric Van Houten, Zuri Appleby, Venzella Joy, Jae Skeese and more. The 2021 lineup for the one-day festival-style event will be announced later in June.
We are excited to return to in-person events and bring some excitement to our community but first and foremost ensuring that we provide a safe event for everyone to enjoy by following all guidelines.
Lindsey Taylor, Director of Beau Fleuve Music & Arts
The celebratory event will be following all New York State and Erie County COVID-19 Guidelines, rules, and regulations. It will be a limited capacity, social distancing event. You can find more information here.
Phil DiRe, founder of the Buffalo Jazz Ensemble, died on May 26 at the age of 80. Influencing the lives of many, the years 1972 to 1980 represent some of the most momentous years in Phil’s life, as well as the lives of others during that timeframe. Tony Zambito from JazzBuffalo shares the following remembrance of Phil.
It is not to say other years did not matter and did not become pillars in Phil’s life. But it to say that Phil, as a musician, influenced the lives of many musicians and the history of jazz in Buffalo during this time.
Sabu Adeyola and Phil DiRe
In November of 1972, Phil led the first edition of the Buffalo Jazz Ensemble in a concert at the Buffalo Central Public Library to a standing-room-only audience. The ensemble went on to perform concerts at such venues as Artpark, Studio Arena, Keenan Center, and others. Including gig dates at the old Bona Vista Lounge on Hertel Avenue as well as the Student Union Social Hall at Buffalo State College.
A poster used in 1976 for the funded city-wide program
The Buffalo Jazz Ensemble, led by Phil, helped launch a journey of performing for several prominent musicians with Buffalo heritage. Notable performers included pianist Al Tinney, bassist Sabu Adeyola, saxophonist Joe Ford, drummer Lou Marino, pianist Jimmy Calire, drummer Tommy Walsh, drummer Naser Abeday, guitarist James Clark, keyboardist Jeremy Wahl, and saxophonist Jay Beckenstein. Beckenstein, who was a private student of Phil, along with Wahl formed the nucleus of what became one of the most famous jazz fusion bands in history – Spyro Gyra.
Albright-Knox Art Gallery Outdoor Concert – Buffalo Jazz Ensemble is center right
In 1975, Buffalo was the center of a pioneering concept in the country. It was one of the firsts to receive city, state, and federal funding for jazz performances. Phil negotiated a unique arrangement with the City of Buffalo under Mayor Makowski, the NY State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the local Musician’s Union, and the newly formed non-profit created by Phil – Association for Jazz Performance, which would launch an ambitious program to fund an ongoing series of concerts in every park, cultural center, and school in the city.
The Buffalo Jazz Ensemble performed in these concerts and exposed many youths to the music of jazz. Their very first event took place at the steps of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, becoming a weekly event in summer, and continuing with sponsorship from the Buffalo News and Editor Stan Lipsey post-1980 starting with the Buffalo Jazz Workshop, led by Sam Falzone.
The funded program at Buffalo Public Schools
Prior to these pivotal years, Phil was assigned, while serving in the Marines, to the White House, where he led the White House Jazz Quartet during the overlapping Johnson and Nixon administration years. This put Phil next to the likes of Duke Ellington, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Dizzy Gillespie, and Billy Taylor and enabled him to perform with one of his best friends in life, the legendary drummer, composer, and arranger Justin DiCioccio.
At the steps of the AKG. Left to right: Tommy Walsh, Al Tinney, Phil DiRe, Joe Ford, Sabu Adeyola, James Clark, Jay Beckenstein, Naser Abeday, and Jeremy Wahl
At the end of the 1970s, Phil accepted an invitation to move out to Las Angeles to make a living as a studio musician. Before leaving, he turned the jazz ensemble over to Sam Falzone, where it eventually became known as the Buffalo Jazz Workshop, and operating on a smaller budget and scale.
Phil DiRe to the left in military style jacket playing saxophone
Feeling unfulfilled in his role as a studio musician, Phil took up a friend’s request to join him at a recently opened club in Palm Springs. The club was owned by the famous singer Keely Smith. Phil quickly made an impression on Smith and became her music director, arranger, and conductor. This Keely Smith ensemble, which also featured noted saxophonist Sam Butera, went on to become one of the most popular bands to ever tour the Las Vegas and Atlantic City circuit. The band was the follow-up act to the great Louis Prima band of the 1950s, which featured Keely Smith as their singer. As the music director of the band, Phil found himself performing with greats such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Billy Eckstine, Tony Bennett, and other legends in jazz as well as American popular music.
Singer Keely Smith
By 1982, the constant touring, time away from family, and the tragic loss of his son Michael at an early age, brought Phil back home to the Buffalo region. In 1994, Phil founded the company SuccessWare as a way to help run his family’s HVAC business that his father began, Sunbeam Heating and Cooling. Phil persevered and wrote the core of the computer program for SuccessWare without any formal training.
At Jazz at Chandlerville in 2019 with Joe Calabrese, Chuck Buffamonte, Jack Kulp, and Gary Sterlace
The calling for jazz and blues music never left Phil. In his later years, he took up performing with fervor again locally as well as in Florida, playing alongside friends and in special reunions. He relished the roles of serving as an advisor and mentor, taking a strong interest in seeing the revival of jazz locally and offering support.
His later years served as a bookend, in many ways, to the first stone that caused a ripple effect in November of 1972. The circling waves of the ripple effect continue to expand, touching and influencing the lives of jazz fans and musicians in the Buffalo region and beyond.
At Giancarlos 2019 with Preston Brown, Chuck Buffamonte, Jerry Livingston, George Caldwell, and Brendan Lanighan
Phil is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years Geraldine “Gerri” DiRe. He was a devoted father of Maria, Michelle, Deanne, and the late Michael J. DiRe. He was affectionately known as “Papa” to his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. To Phil, the love of family rose above all in life.
