JazzBuffalo has announced an expansion of its partnership with Seneca One in its endeavors to further community outreach. Beginning Saturday, October 2 with a concert by international jazz artist, Janet Evra, the Seneca One Auditorium will serve as the new home performance venue for JazzBuffalo programming. Located in the revitalized Seneca One building, the venue offers spectacular views, audio, and comfortable seating for all.
The new Seneca One auditorium expansion | Courtesy of Jack Zuff
Accessible through the Seneca One Lobby, concert-goers for JazzBuffalo events will be able to experience the Seneca One Lobby Bar. The bar will enable pre-concert, intermission, and post-concert opportunities to gather with friends and family over drinks and food. The auditorium previously served as a business lecture auditorium dating back to the original Marine Midland Bank occupancy. However, efforts will be made to modify the stage for concerts. The Seneca One Auditorium seats approximately 230 and was carefully designed and constructed to serve as a high-quality acoustic facility, featuring acoustic walls and ceilings.
Seneca One Lobby
In an announcement from JazzBuffalo, the organization revealed it is seeking patrons interested in donating a baby grand piano to be used by performers during concerts. A fundraiser for obtaining a piano is also being considered. Seneca One and JazzBuffalo will hope for the community of jazz and music lovers to experience the auditorium and the new Seneca One Lobby Bar. Prior to the concert, the highly regarded French ConéXion will entertain in the Lobby Bar from 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm.
Janet Evra
Janet Evra is part of the emerging class of upright bassists and vocalists entertaining the world of jazz in clubs and festivals internationally. She performs on the premier international stage across the USA and Europe. She is known for her intoxicating interpretations of French jazz and Brazilian-influenced repertoire of traditional samba, bossa nova, and Latin jazz – all with an indie twist. Evra has also collaborated with Grammy winners and nominees as well as international jazz superstars: Taylor Eigsti, Randy Brecker, Eric Marienthal, Diego Figueiredo, and Chad Lefkowitz-Brown. Evra performs superbly in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Her eclectic take on jazz beach-pop has also made her music a favorite on playlists across the globe.
Evra will be performing upright bass and vocals and will be appearing as a quartet featuring a stellar trio of musicians: Ryan Marquez (keyboards), Will Buchanan (guitar), and Tim Moore (drums). For more information and to purchase tickets to see the talented Janet Evra, as well as to experience the new home venue for JazzBuffalo yourself, visit Eventbrite.
Check out a video of Janet Evra singing her fan-favorite original song, “Paris”
Multi-platinum artists Fitz and The Tantrums made a summer tour stop at Artpark in Lewiston on July 6.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
Alternative band Colony House kicked off the night in an upbeat fashion. The opening act consisted of Caleb Chapman, Will Chapman, Scott Mills, and Parke Cottrell. Popular singles “Silhouettes” and “You Know It” brought the energy to everyone at Artpark.
Fitz and the Tantrums later took the stage and steamrolled the crowd instantly. Their liveliness and distinct stage presence made everyone get up on their feet. They opened their set with the throwback song “Don’t Gotta Work It Out” from their 2010 album.
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
The LA-based band is composed of Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick (vocals), Noelle Scaggs (vocals), James King (saxophone, flute), Jeremy Ruzumna (keyboards), Joseph Karnes (bass), and John Wicks (drums, percussion). This dynamic group is able to match each other’s intensity on the stage while also keeping the crowd engaged.
The band played songs from their recently released, fourth full length album ALL THE FEELS. This included their well-known hits “123456” and “I Just Wanna Shine.” Additionally, other songs that proved to be crowd favorites were “Out of My League,” and “Fool.” Throughout the night Fitz shared how excited he was to be back singing with a crowd again. Everyone from those on stage, to the crew, to the folks on the lawn, were absorbed in this feeling so many have missed. As Fitz has said, “It’s great to be back!”
Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty
With a roaring crowd, Fitz and the Tantrums performed their RIAA-certified 2x Platinum single “HandClap” for the encore. After, they finished off the performance with songs “All the Feels” and “The Walker.” Many left the show dancing down the streets as everyone was ready for more.
Artpark has much more in store for the rest of the summer with Lettuce performing on July 14 and a Bright Eyes show on July 27.
The 5th Annual Beau Fleuve Music & Arts Celebration will take place this summer at Buffalo Central Terminal. The diverse event will celebrate an array of artists while also conducting numerous exhibits.
The festivity will consist of performances on multiple stages, installations, the popular silent disco, food trucks, vendors village, backyard games, a family fun area, and much more. The acts in this year’s lineup go beyond Buffalo/WNY. They also include individuals from Rochester, NYC, Baltimore-DC, and Florida to name a few.
Music Performances By: Jae Skeese ( DrumWork Music & National Touring Artist Closing Out the Night),Danielle Ponder, Miller And The Other Sinners, Mom Said No, Deadwolf, Billie Essco, FREAK THE MIIGHTY, A.I The Anomaly, Herbal Tonics, Roy G Biv, Mile High, Source Academy & Dark Skin Jermaine, Velvet Bethany, 14 trapdoors, Chango4 & way2wavybaby, Maegan The Singer, Brother Tomsos, Sir Michael Prince, Money Set, Wakefield , Sugar Tea, Saranaide, Outwest, Underrated Evolution
On Stage DJ Sets By: Farenheight Crew, DJ Flow, DJ Onyx , DJ P-Nasty
Silent Disco Sets By: DJ Lil Gabby, DJ T, Deejay Ransum, DJ Jetta, DJ Yama Mama, Backpack Mafia Battle
Art Exhibitors: kidwitthewings, Deja Marie, Xojoita, Neese Rich, RozPaintedIt, Peter Ponce, Hooly & Syd, Cashis Green, Laike Palmero, Shantelle Patterson & more
Art Installations: SKATE PARK by Quincy Kosczka, WEARABLE ART by Buffalo State Fashion & Textile Dept & UB Arts Collaboratory, SIT & THINK CHAIRS by A.J. Smith, Ken Newton, Emeka Wajed, RozPaintedIt
Curated Talks: Creative Mornings Buffalo, Outside The Influence, The Poorman Show
Beau Fleuve Music & Arts Celebration takes place on August 29. Tickets are on sale now.
Buffalo-based star Grabbitz just released his artistic, short-film style music video for his newest single, “Pigs in the Sky.”
The just over 7-minute video shows Grabbitz in a mysterious Buffalo art museum where he finds himself immersed in paintings and scenes from different eras. Grabbitz even faces ruthless attacks from his antagonist (Sarah Santizo) as he tries to snap back into reality.
The video is an entertaining creative feat. Strong direction by Mac Cappuccino even incorporates sitcom tropes and alternate timelines (à la Wandavision) while “Pigs in the Sky” itself is a catchy, playable track.
It seems like cinematic music videos are fading out. I grew up watching immersive videos, and there were so many platforms that catered to them. Nowadays, we live in a time of TikTok where videos have to be short, to the point, and hook you in half a second. So we decided to make this video really f’ing long.
Grabbitz
Photo by Daniel Leahey
Grabbitz, AKA Nick Chiari, is not only a singer-songwriter but also a producer and musical composer. Spoken like a true 716 native, Chiari recounts that the first song he ever learned was the Buffalo Bills theme. He learned guitar and piano at a young age and began using the Xbox game “MTV Music Generator” to produce songs and beats throughout middle school.
Chiari, 28, started performing as Grabbitz back in 2014 as a DJ in the EDM world. His song “Here With You Now” gained traction and he even caught the attention of Shaquille O’Neal. In fact, Shaq made an appearance in Grabbitz’s 2018 music video for “My Cloud.” He has also collaborated with big names like One Republic and deadmau5.
Grabbitz is now back home in Buffalo after previously living in Los Angeles. With “Pigs in the Sky” and a deal with Hopeless Records, Grabbitz is hoping to enter the next phase of his musical career, having pivoted away from EDM.
Photo by Margaryta Bushkin
It’s got rapping and an interesting chord structure in the chorus. This is not a song I would have attempted a few years ago, but it feels right and I feel good about doing it now. It has a weird, driving, heavy beat that will blow your speakers if you play it too loud, and the lyrics are reflective because I wrote it during the pandemic when I had nothing but time to think. I wanted something that was serious but had comedic relief, and I think I got there. I’m proud of it and see it as a stepping stone to the next permutation of what I do.
Alan Evans, a prolific musician from Buffalo, has just released a new album Love & Truth, with Crushed Velvet and the Velveteers, which he claims as his guitar player alter ego. The album is released by Vintage League Music, one of Evans’ endeavors that reflects his passion for Soul & Funk music.
Alan Evans is the multi-instrumentalist and co-founder of acclaimed band Soulive, that has been performing together since 1999. In Crushed Velvet and the Velveteers, Evans is able to focus on his guitar personality rather than being a drummer like in Soulive. His astounding talent is apparent in the new album Love & Truth, which evokes the classic 60s and 70s Soul & Funk sound of Memphis, Chicago, Detroit, and NYC.
The album features an all star line-up of acclaimed guest vocalists including Kim Dawson (Pimps of Joytime, Matador Soul Sounds), Saundra Williams (Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Saun & Starr), Lyle Divinsky (The Motet), Yanick (After Funk) and Brother GoodLove (Aztec Sun). Evans handles guitar, bass and drums with guests such as Darby Wolf & Neal Evans on keys and the horn section from the BT ALC Big Band.
Love & Truth is an album of outstanding musicianship, powerhouse vocal performances but most of all classic songwriting which oozes authentic soul. It encompasses quality funk music that is a blessing to all ears. The smooth guitar lines mixed with the classic drum rhythms makes it an unforgettable album guaranteed to soothe the soul. It blends a retro sound with a modern sensibility, strong songwriting and powerhouse vocals.
Love & Truth from Crushed Velvet and the Velveteers is available now at all good record stores, all digital streaming platforms and via the Vintage League Music.
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.
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.
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.
What the f*ck is up Denny’s? The Finals are here. NYS Music’s March Madness is about to get rowdy. One on one with Baked Shrimp, Long Island against Organ Fairchild, Buffalo – These bands are ready, and hungry, for the NYS March Madness crown.
Since 2015, New York State Music has crafted a March Madness bracket delving into the musical harbors of our great state. As fans and musicians ourselves, we spotlight the great talent across New York in friendly competition and discovery. Its fury never loses sight of the underdog, a headliner’s humble beginnings, new musical discovery and rolling with the punches in our ever-changing industry.
JamCast is a streaming platform that provides a unique experience using live, pre-recorded, archived audio & video performances, podcasting, vlogs, blogs, and more. JamCast has been centered around creating a digital network for musicians, promoters, and venues. It was designed to serve as a resource for all facets of the music industry. By offering weekly series, digital events, festivals, podcasts, archives, and more. An online resource and database for all music industry professionals.
Jared Cowen – Guitar/Vox – Scott Reill – Bass/Vox – Jager Soss – Drums/Vox
“An impressive musical and technical feat from start to finish. The opening track, “The Vision That I Can See,” is a jaw-dropping epic that really showcases the prowess of this band” – Baked Shrimp ‘Bubble Suit’
“Pig Hearts and Mechanical Parts” was released March 12, and is the single off of Baked Shrimp‘s second studio album Conscious, set for release on March 26th, 2021. The new single features Nick Rufolo on saxophone, trumpet, and keyboards. The track also features Jager Soss on percussion.
Chuck DeFilippo: What does New York State Music mean to you?
Baked Shrimp:
New York is home to us, always has been and always will be.
When we’re not playing Long Island we’re in Albany or Syracuse or New Paltz, and all around the state. We’ve met so many amazing musicians and people from all over this state that have a real passion for what they’re doing. Anytime we revisit a city in New York we always know we can count on seeing a bunch of familiar faces who we’ve met on the road and have become friends with over time. We’re lucky enough to be able to host our first multi night, multi-band outdoor music event in our home state this Summer (LonCon), and we just can’t wait to see so many of our close friends come from their individual parts of the state and meet in one central location. It’s going to be two incredible nights for the New York Music community.
CD: Any bands or new listening discovered from NYS Music March Madness series?
Oh man well we have to give a shout out to all of our friends in Glass Pony,Specialists, Hilltop, and Ampevene, all who we’ve played with and wish all of them could have won the competition. Check each one of these out if you haven’t yet.
CD: Favorite COVID activity, hobby. Since you have all this free time not gigging?
Baked Shrimp actually had a busy COVID year. When things were really bad and locked down from March through June of last year, we recorded and released “Bubble Suit,” which was all done from our own individual bedrooms and cars. Self-recorded, produced, everything, so that was a huge undertaking. Then when were able to get back in the studio we finished up the Conscious sessions from Summer through Fall.
And mid-December through mid-January we did some intense practices 20+ hours per week just working on listening exercises, new material, vocal warmups, and also preparing for the Live for Lon stream, which was probably the biggest task as a band we ever took on by ourselves. So we found ways through all the mayhem going on to still play music together whether if it’s in the same room with masks on or sending files back and forth to one another over Google Drive.
March Madness 2021 Lark Hall Region: Albany’s mid-size music venue.
Organ Fairchild – Buffalo, New York.
Welcome to the Finals.
Joe Bellanti – organ, keys – Corey Kertzie – drums – Dave Ruch – guitar
Organ Fairchild is a musical party that won’t quit. Take your old-school organ trio (organ, guitar and drums), add dance-heavy grooves and adventurous jamming, and shake vigorously. Enjoy all night long.
“Jan. 2021 marks the release of single, “Seepin’,” from long-time Buffalo jam band veterans Organ Fairchild. Members have a history on the jam scene dating back 40 years.”
Chuck DeFilippo: What does New York State Music mean to you?
Joe Bellanti: NYS Music – the Buffalo scene in particular – means the world to me – some of my greatest moments have come from being a part of it – certainly my very best friends. Too many incredible moments to even try to pick out one or 2 of the best.
Interesting question, as one of the other “hats” I wear as a full-time musician and performer is researching and performing old 19th-century traditional music from New York State! So NYS Music means a lot of different things to me, but in terms of the current music community, we are very fortunate here in Buffalo to have a rabid fan base of live music lovers who always come out to support our shows. The level of musicianship here if off the charts as well, and pretty much everyone involved in the local music scene is really supportive of each other. It’s a great place to be.
Dave Ruch – Guitar
LISTEN to Organ Fairchild’s debut single below, from the forthcoming May 2021 album release! Mastered by Alan Evans of Soulive.
CD: Anything in the works for the band?
Two CDs in 2021 and hopefully a summer and fall of outdoor shows
Also – we will probably hit Denny’s at some point – I’m pretty sure we are the only band in the competition where all the members would qualify for the senior discount
Central New York promotersCreative Concerts bring fans together in the final four
March Madness would not be possible without our sponsors:
Central New York promoters Creative Concertsbring together fans at venues, stretching from Albany to Rochester and Syracuse to Utica. Lark Hall is the soon to open mid-sized venue in Albany that will host bands of all sizes, events and more. If you need to market your show, event, band or brand, Rochester’s Balbert Marketing has you covered. Need merchandise?
Homegrown Eastern New York’s 518 Prints makes quality goods for local, regional and national bands or tours. High Peaks Event Production is a team with years of experience, aiding in all your stage, lighting and sound demands.JamCast proves high quality streams for bands, podcasts and much more. Between these companies, bands will find a great deal of what they need, and support businesses from across New York and the Northeast.
Polls are now closed! Check back on Tuesday, March 30 to find out the winner of NYS Music’s 2021 March Madness!
Upstate New York join forces in the latest single by burgeoning rapper, Baddnews. The Syracuse native has recruited Griselda and Buffalo’s own, Benny The Butcher for this catchy, up-tempo record about pushing through the treacheries of the street life, in pursuit of more prosperous times.
After all, adversity is nothing new to the rising rap star, after facing a barrage of drug trafficking charges, the former Rhythm + Flow contestant has made a triumphant return to music with this latest release. His recruit? One of the faces of the Upstate New York rap scene responsible for bringing the city of Buffalo to prominence, along with his fellow Griselda cohorts.
The duo shares similar backgrounds, growing up in rough, urban neighborhoods, mired in violence and drug use. Their attempts at financial prosperity landed them in trouble with the law, before deciding to hone their craft and use that as their golden ticket out. With Baddnews gaining traction as an artist, he can always look to his counterpart and know that there is a future beyond the streets.
Our visions weren’t equally aligned, to chase my dreams I had to leave the streets behind.
Baddnews
Baddnews
Known for his detailed recounts of his time in the streets, Benny The Butcher is the perfect opposite to Baddnews on this record. While the song sees the latter look towards a more promising future, the former spends his verse poignantly recounting the roads traveled that made him a successful rapper.
Drop elbows like Randy Savage to count up Andrew Jackson’s.
Benny The Butcher
Benny the Butcher
“This record with Benny holds a different level of importance, because not only is he one of the hardest lyricists in the game right now, but he’s also from upstate NY just like me” Baddnews commented. “This is just the beginning and I can’t wait to show the world what else I have in store this year.”
