Category: Show Reviews

Frankie and the Witch Fingers Bug Out at the Bug Jar

On a hot steamy summer night in Rochester the last place you want to be is stuffed into a packed Bug Jar. For the voracious music fans among us though, some shows are just too good to pass up, no matter the weather. So when L.A. via Bloomington quartet Frankie and the Witch Fingers made their long awaited return to the venue, enough souls made that music over comfort decision to fill the joint. Toronto’s Hot Garbage and locals CD-ROM rounded out the fuzzed-out psychedelic bill.

Frankie and the Witch Fingers took the stage for their set, did a quick long distance secret handshake thing, then launched into newer tune, “Empire.” And launch they did. Into a firestorm of rocking goodness, with syncopated guitars and bass, intricate guitar leads, tribal rhythms, a little West African psychedelia and enough manic drum fills to excite the most jaded fan.

“Cocaine Dream” went full punk, “Pleasure” got funky with some fat popping bass action from Nicki Pickle, and “Realization” had lead guitarist Josh Menashe in straight shred territory. The band and crowd were slick and sweaty and ready for the meat of the set. A “Cavehead”/”MEPEM” combo went long and deep, whirling and winding and peaking and dropping, but always raging forward. Singer and guitarist Dylan Sizemore bounced and shook and vibrated, every note and rhythm coursing through his body. Pickle grooved on her bass sporting a huge “damn this is badass” grin on her face. Drummer Nick Aguilar directed the energy swell after swell, climaxing with a huge rhythmic closing section.

“Dracula Drug” continued the relentless assault. Slow downs in “Reaper” and “Work” were just fake outs to hit the crowd with surprise knockout hooks. By set’s end both band and audience were ready to call the fight. Sweaty lumps of flesh filed outside to reorient and refresh.

Toronto quartet Hot Garbage made their last appearance of their tour opening for the Witch Fingers. A bass-forward garage rock sound, everything blended together in a greasy mash. They took full control of the crowd. The keys, guitar and bass working the head and torso, kneading and pounding and sculpting. While drummer Mark Henein moved everything from the ass down, shaking and pulling like strings on a marionette. “Easy Believer,” long and droning, featured a delicious bass line you could live inside for days. “Ride” a slow psychedelic march, closed the set, and set them on their way back home.

Rochester’s psych rock band CD-ROM got the night off to fun start with lots of reverb and fuzzed out guitar and synths. Vocalist Jesse Amesmith made creative use of effects using her voice as an instrument, working on off and all around the stage while the keys and guitars and drums matched her moves. Zeppelin-worthy rock outs were met with time-shifting whirlwinds and high-energy punk ragers.

July 21, 2022
Dead and Company’s Grand Slam Tour Finale Hits Citi Field

A perfect summer night greeted Dead and Company as the group returned to Citi Field for their two-night tour closing run in Queens over July 15 & 16. After a quick introduction by Bravo Network’s Andy Cohen (also Anderson Cooper’s New Year’s Eve television sidekick and huge Grateful Dead fan), the show kicked off with a high energy version of “Bertha” which set the tone for the weekend.

Drummer Billy Kruetzman had been sitting out most of Dead & Co.’s summer tour due to some back issues but made a humble return for the tour closers. The crowd’s raucous cheers every time the cameras focused on him brought out a smile on his face. Jay Lane had been filling in for Kruetzman for most of the tour and came back out during Saturday’s show to join the band on stage.

Dead & Co.’s setlist was orchestrated with the perfect ebb and flow of leisurely moments and dancing feet while maintaining full speed ahead. Set 2’s “Terrapin Station,” “Standing on the Moon,” and drums/space blended brilliantly with heaters “China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider,” “Not Fade Away,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and the extended jam evolving “Space” into “The Other One.”

With Dead & Co.’s summer tour grand finale at Citi Field, here’s looking forward to what we hope to be more tours from the band. Check out photos from Friday’s show below, as well as setlists from both nights.

Dead and Company – Citi Field – Queens

Friday July 15:

Set 1: Bertha -> Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo. Shakedown Street -> Sugaree, Tennessee Jed, Bird Song -> Don’t Ease Me In

Set 2: Althea. Viola Lee Blues, Terrapin Station, China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider -> Drums -> Space -> The Other One -> Standing on the Moon, Not Fade Away

Encore: Sugar Magnolia

Saturday July 16:

Set 1: Playing in the Band -> Uncle John’s Band, Dear Mr. Fantasy -> Hey Jude, Ramble On Rose, Brown-Eyed Women, Jack Straw

Set 2: Truckin’, Wang Dang Doodle -> Scarlet Begonias -> Franklin’s Tower, St. Stephen -> William Tell Bridge -> The Eleven -> Drums (with Jay Lane) -> Space -> All Along the Watchtower, Morning Dew, Deal -> Playing in the Band Reprise

July 20, 2022
Kronos Quartet Soundtrack Live Documentary at Celebrate Brooklyn!

The Kronos Quartet have a long history of creating unique and visceral music for a variety of different platforms. Last week, the San Francisco based string quartet came to the Lena Horne Bandshell and performed their live documentary, A Thousand Thoughts for the Celebrate Brooklyn! summer series. Directed by Sam Green, the documentary chronicles the string quartet’s history, various member lineups, and takes a deeper look into the musical theories behind some of the group’s more iconic work.

The Kronos Quartet at Celebrate Brooklyn! 7/14/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello

The show began with Sam Green introducing the concept of the “live documentary” and how he went about convincing the group to take part. As the band took the stage, they also appeared one-by-one on the screen behind them as part of their interviews for the film. They each joked and seemed confused about the concept of performing music for a documentary live. As the show went on, the uniqueness of the presentation became more apparent. Seeing Dave Harrington and others talk about the music on screen while they were performing on stage in front of you truly gave you new perspective to the music.

The Kronos Quartet at Celebrate Brooklyn! 7/14/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello

Green talked about the persistence of natural music in our every day lives and even had the audience take a full minute to sit in silence and tune into our surroundings at the start of the show. Described as a “meditation on music itself-the act of listening closely to music, the experience of feeling music deeply” the film tends to focus on how the members of the group discovered various musical styles that caught their attention. Hank Dutt told a story about how he discovered throat singing from a CD he packed for a long international flight, becoming fixated on one song for the entire trip, and the urge to find that artist in order to learn more and collaborate.

The Kronos Quartet at Celebrate Brooklyn! 7/14/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello

The documentary began with a history of recorded music, including the first known audio recording called “The Lost Chord.” The presentation shifted between bits of interviews with the quartet members, anecdotes about the creation of some of their projects, and their perception as a “modern string quartet” that were breaking the rules and revolutionizing what a string quartet could be.

The Kronos Quartet at Celebrate Brooklyn! 7/14/22. Photo by Joseph Buscarello

A Thousand Thoughts is only performed as a live documentary, and the screening for Celebrate Brooklyn! was the last scheduled performance this year. Alongside the interviews of the members quartet, the film also well known collaborators of the group such as Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Steve Reich, and more. The group has been performing since the premiere of the film in 2018, so keep an eye on their website for future screenings next year.

July 19, 2022
NKOTB Mixtape Tour 2022 stops in Buffalo at Keybank Center

On Sunday July 17th, The Mixtape tour 2022 invaded Buffalo with multiple acts appearing. It featured multiplatinum selling pop super-group New Kids On The Block (NKOTB), Salt-N-Pepa, Rick Astley, and En Vogue who last visited Buffalo in 2015.

One of the first big ‘boy bands’ of the 1980s, New Kids On The Block hail from Dorchester, Massachusetts and consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood.

Fans heard chart-topping hits and legendary catalogues spanning generations all night long. It follows the colossal commercial and critical success of NKOTB’s 2019 tour by the same name. Which was their biggest since reuniting in 2008 which grossed $53.2 million, sold more than 650,000 tickets and pioneered a super-sized show each night with multiple acts (Salt-N-Pepa, Tiffany, Naughty By Nature and Debbie Gibson).

Donnie from NKOTB walking around the floor taking photos with fans. Photo credit- Mike Miller

The crowd was mostly filled with female fans, but all the fans in attendance seemed to know the words to every song. There were two stages on each end of the floor which made some fans closer than usual. With a bar style single row seating layout along the edges of each stage, fans got up close and personal.

En Vouge Photo credit- Mike Miller

NKOTB hit the stage on the MixTape Tour 2022 to perform fan favorite #1 hits like “Hangin’ Tough,” “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever),” and “Step By Step” while tour mates Salt-N-Pepa (“Push It,” “Shoop,” “Whatta Man”), Rick Astley (“Never Gonna Give You Up,” “Together Forever”) and En Vogue (“Don’t Let Go [Love],” “Free Your Mind,” “Give It Up, Turn It Loose,” “Hold On”) kept the party going with music that catapulted them to stardom and solidified their places in music history.

Throughout the show, confetti was blasted in the air with cannons. Everyone got covered in it almost like snow falling. On the main stage, they used pyro vertical fire blasts for multiple songs. There was a huge video screen above the main stage so people in the back could see what was going on. The security and the guest experience was top notch at Keybank Center. Everyone had smiles on and enjoyed the night which brought back memories from the 80’s and 90’s.

Rick Astley at Keybank Center. Photo credit Mike Miller

Over the past two years, Rick Astley has amassed million YouTube followers with a series of covers from his studio. Rick has become a major force on TikTok with 1.7 million followers. “Never Gonna Give You Up” was recently featured on the critically acclaimed series Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ and its video has been viewed more than 1 billion times.

NKOTB. Photo credit- Mike Miller

At the very end of the show, all of the acts got on stage to perform “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley.

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July 19, 2022
Femi Kuti at Point of the Bluff Vineyards: The Heart of Afrobeat in the Heart of the Finger Lakes

On the Periodic Table of Music, if there were such a thing that is, Kuti (Ku) would most definitely be it’s own element. Fela Kuti pioneered Afrobeat, an infectious blend of West-African and American funk and jazz. It’s a sound that’s influence has found it’s way into a huge swath of music since, but is a bit more difficult to find in it’s purest form. Fela’s son Femi Kuti has helped carry the torch forward. And Kuti’s son Made has in turn continued the tradition. Femi and his band, The Positive Force, including son Made, turned a quaint lakeside winery into a Nigerian dance party on Sunday afternoon. An event as unlikely as it was enjoyable.

The beauty of the Finger Lakes was not lost on Kuti, “I woke up to one of the best views I’ve ever seen,” he remarked soon after walking on stage. And his afternoon view from the stage at Point of the Bluff Vineyards, of the sloping grapevine covered hill down to Keuka Lake’s shores was stunning. On stage though, the beauty was all Nigerian. Kuti led the 12-piece band through a rapid fire 90m African soundscape and political-sphere.

The music was a flurry of movement, as were the people playing it. Three female backup singers shook and gyrated in mesmerizing fashion while Femi Kuti bounced and bounded across the stage. The energy emanating from the band was infectious. Pure elemental Kuti pinged off the stage and into the crowd, zapping each and every person with pure Kuti energy until everyone was dancing in the best way they knew how.

Fun and funky, but not without function. Ingrained within were messages of love, peace, and freedom. “There’s a storm coming … they teach us the to be scared … we need to change the narrative, let the storm bring love!” “I’ve got too much on my mind / I believe with time everything will be fine.” “You can’t fight corruption with corruption.” The messages were a constant.

So too was the music. Just as soon as applause arrived, the next song quickly drowned it out. Kuti vowed to play with as much energy as every other night, even on this, their second-to-last show of a 30-date tour. At 60 years old, he did it and then some.

The show ended with a passing of the torch of sorts. First with a father and son sax jam. Then, father Femi left the stage and Made led the band for a song, a reggae-ish groove with rhythmic singing, highlighted by the band building behind a single note Made held on his soprano sax for a good two minutes, before releasing to a huge explosion of sound. The Kuti torch is in good hands for years to come.

Local singer Danielle Ponder opened the show with a stripped down trio of Avis Reese on keys and Rayelle on bass, in her first gig with Ponder. She continues to work, even wearing her working overalls for this gig, winning over fans everywhere she goes, previewing material off of her debut album arriving later this summer.

Ponder’s songs are written from her personal experiences. Speaking on her songwriting process, she said when she is raw and truthful, the freer she feels. The emotions of the subject matter carry over perfectly to her performances.

The songs seemed to ask more questions than they answered. On “Someone Like You,” accompanied by a slinky bass groove and bending echoey keyboard notes, “Why won’t the stars align? Someone tell me.” On “Fray”: “Anybody out there know this pain?” Even the powerful cover that closed out the set, Radiohead’s “Creep,” asked “Do I belong here?”

There is certainly no question however, Ponder’s career is set on a meteoric upward course. Stay tuned.

July 18, 2022
In Focus: Spoon at Town Ballroom in Buffalo

Spoon opened their second leg of their summer tour at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo on July 7. Touring in support of their recent release Lucifer On the Sofa. Though it was the first show they had played since June, you wouldn’t know it. Opening up the leg with a Smog cover of Held, the show was an eclectic mix of old and new, playing 5 songs from Lucifer on the Sofa, along with an impressive mix of their older catalog. It really highlighted the deep well they can draw from and keep the audience on their toes.

Spoon is a band that serves no bullshit; no stage theatrics, no elaborate light setup or costumes. Britt Daniel (vocals, guitar), Jim Eno (drums), Alex Fischel (keyboards, guitar), Gerardo Larios (guitar, keyboards) and Ben Trokan (bass, keyboards) are just 5 guys on stage who are focused on just playing their music. The band represents their cool Austin roots from the 80’s and 90’s where bands were cool without trying too hard. The show moved along like a locomotive, it didn’t slow and keep chuggin along and gaining momentum. Their 5 song encore started with a cover of John Lennon’s Isolation and ended with their musical nod to The Rolling Stones with 2014’s Rent I Pay. Some people say that rock is dead, but Spoon is proof that it’s alive and well.

Setlist: Held (Smog Cover), The Devil & Mister Jones, Don’t You Eva, Wild, The Beast and Dragon, Adored, The Way We Get By, Don’t Make Me a Target, The Underdog, I Summon You, My Babe, Feels Alright, My Mathematical Mind, Do I Have To Talk You Into It, Inside Out, I Turn My Camera On, Got Nuffin

Encore: Isolation (John Lennon Cover), The Hardest Cut, Do You, Small Stakes, Rent I Pay

July 16, 2022
The Great South Bay Music Festival Shines Bright

Returning in 2022 to the south shore of Long Island was the Great South Bay Music Festival, featuring four days of artists on multiple stages. Attending on Saturday, July 9, artists included Aqueous, Galactic, Joe Russoâs Almost Dead, Tedeschi Trucks Band, moe. and Escaper, among many others over the long weekend.

Saturday kicked off with Aqueous on the main stage, who are taking a light 2022 to focus on family time, something well deserved for the Buffalo band. Brooklyn’s Escaper played an incredible set at the Clamshell Bandshell featuring Lespecial bassist Luke Bemand. With boats around the shore and some making their way to hear the music via kayak, the New Orleans sound of Galactic proved to be funky as always.

moe. played an outstanding set of music giving way to an evening sunset, on the heels of shows in Albany, Buffalo and at Levitate Music Festival. Joined by Suke Cerulo on guitar and Nate Wilson on keys (both in place of a recovering Chuck Garvey), the band shared their honed sound, including an ode to the Allman Brothers in a set closing “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” Listen to the show here.

moe. Setlist: Plane Crash, LL3, Mar De Ma-> Jam->Tailspin, NYC, Skrunk > In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed

JRAD closed up the night with a firey, jam filled set. Russo and his bandmates are back in New York in late August at SPAC, with many more fall tour dates planned in the Northeast.

Great South Bay Music Festival has become a staple of summers in Long Island for the past decade. We look forward to the 2023 installment and all the music in store.

July 15, 2022
In Focus: Michael Franti & Spearhead at MJN Convention Center

On June 30th, Radio Woodstock – WDST presented Michael Franti & Spearhead at the newly renovated MJN Convention Center in Poughkeepsie. Two-time Grammy Award winners Arrested Development were included on the bill.

Michael Franti & Spearhead

The tour, in support of Michael Franti & Spearhead’s latest release Follow Your Heart, will continue through the summer. The night included a short video sharing Michael Franti’s experiences at his home in Bali during the Covid years. Sharing what he encountered, discarded, and is now looking forward to in the future, offering an optimistic tone for evening.

Hip-hop pioneers Arrested Development opened the show. The band offered up a nonstop dance set including songs from the 2021 album For the Fkn Love. Formed as an alternative to gangsta rap, Arrested Development put positivity in the spotlight. They capped their set by reaching back to their beginnings with the iconic “Tennessee.”

Arrested Development

With “Stay Human” emblazoned on his guitar strap and “Don’t Give Up” on his t-shirt, Michael Franti backed by Spearhead took to the stage. Over the course of two- and one-half hours the night resembled a preacher with his flock, engaging everyone in a heartfelt love fest.

On multiple occasions, Franti stepped down from the stage, singing his way through the crowd to one of the two mini stages located in the house. Once there, Michael stood tall and spread his arms wide open, inviting people up to harmonize along with him.

Michael Franti

Spearhead’s four members, including Franti’s longtime collaborator Carl Young on bass, generated a powerful musical backdrop. Throughout the night, the band moved from electric to acoustic and back without missing a beat.

As the night concluded and after taking their bows, Michael and members of the band headed into the crowd to taking selfies and sign autographs. If there was ever a way to say thank you to an audience, this was it.

Michael Franti & Spearhead

Arrested Development

July 12, 2022
In Focus: As I Lay Dying Return from Hiatus to The L in Horseheads

On June 26, As I Lay Dying brought their Two Decades of Destruction Tour to a brand new venue in Horseheads, The L, which has been on a roll with shows since it opened.

This was a show to get to early as it nearly sold out and you had a bit of a walk from the parking lot. Brand Of Sacrifice opened up and came out swinging, the heavy metal band from Canada taking command of the stage.

Next up was Shadow Of Intent, hailing from Connecticut, who kept the energy going. Originally the band began as a two piece and started off with Halo-themed music, then transitioned to the deathcore sound they have now.

Shadow Of Intent

Rolling up after them was Whitechapel, a band that is a staple in the deathcore community and probably could be considered the heaviest on the tour. Finally, to close out the night was As I Lay Dying, who had been on hiatus since 2014, having formed in 2000 in San Diego, California.

There was a bit of a hiccup before the tour as a few band members stepped down but the show went on and the place was filled, with Ryan Neff from Miss May I stepping in; he’ll be back at The L in September with another stacked lineup.

There have been many great shows at this venue but this one was definitely one for the books and with no signs of slowing down with the lineups that have already been announced, The L is making itself well known in the Northeast music scene.

Brand Of Sacrifice

Shadow Of Intent

Whitechapel

As I Lay Dying

July 12, 2022
In and Out of the Orchard They Go: Phil & Friends at Beak & Skiff

Seeing the Grateful Dead on a hot summer night is a quintessential live music experience. That not being an option these days, seeing a founding member construct a crack team of musicians to recreate their music on a hot summer night will have to suffice. And at 82 years young, Phil Lesh is still trucking along doing just that.

Seeing a big summer show plopped right in the middle of an apple orchard might not be a quintessential live music experience, but for Central New Yorkers it is quickly becoming one. Beak and Skiff Orchards, booked by Dan Smalls Presents, is a hot destination for some of the areas biggest shows this summer and on this night, Phil Lesh and his Friends, among them his son Grahame Lesh, Stu Allen, Jason Crosby, Cody Dickinson and Amy Helm, brought their lowercase-f friends to the orchard to join in the communion of live Grateful Dead music. The apple trees immediately bordering the concert field were well fumigated at this show. Keep an eye out for a special THC-infused apple variety this fall.

It wasn’t even seven o’clock and the crowd was deep and grooving to “Reuben and Cherise” while the band was showing the tightness of a group that had been together for decades, not days. All 5 members were improvising at a high level and then reined it back in for a tight and tidy finish.

Amy Helm came on from her watching perch just behind the stage a few songs in to lead the band on Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” She was a splash of color breaking through the grays and dark blues, slinking about among the statuesque guitarists. Such a beautiful voice, the only regret from the evening was that she was not utilized more fully. There was a great mix of vocals throughout the night with Stu, Phil, Grahame, Phil, and Amy all taking leads. Still, a bit more from Amy would have been welcome.

After a solid warmup set, the band came out of the gates for part two with a magnificent “Playing in the Band.” All five musicians playing circles in and around each other, listening and reacting, as they carried it through multiple distinct sections, rocking, groovy, spacey. Through it all, a highlight machine emerged from the back, Cody Dickinson on drums. Not typically seen anchoring such free form improvisation, he was a constant flurry of activity, holding the pieces together while maintaining a long leash with which to flourish himself.

“Cassidy” followed and was also an unexpected highlight, going where “Cassidy” is not typically known to go. Crosby moved to the electric piano which got it grooving with some late-70’s Dead energy and behind more stellar drumming and playing from everyone, it just launched into the stratosphere for one hell of a jam.

“Mountains of the Moon” similarly went atypically off the beaten path. Phil and Grahame had a nice father and son catch, passing the ball back and forth, guitar and bass lines playing off each other. Crosby grabbed his fiddle to mix it up further and the whole thing eventually dove into a deep oozing rumble. Phil hit on a nice dub groove and just sat with it for a few minutes and things got pretty groovy and interesting before fizzling right into a fun and bright “China Cat Sunflower”>”I Know You Rider” that had all the Friends on vocals, and friends too, in a big old singalong.

Prior to the “Eyes of the World”, “Brokedown Palace” encore that would send everyone back home with huge smiles, Phil came out to encourage everyone to become organ donors, as he’s been doing for 24 years. 24 extra years we’ve all had to enjoy his incredible music. “You give us the hope and the heart, and we give you the music,” he said.

Phil and Friends – Beak and Skiff, Lafayette, NY – July 8, 2022

Set 1: Dupree’s Diamond Blues, Rubin and Cherise, Minglewood Blues, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Dire Wolf, Casey Jones, Ripple

Set 2: Playing in the Band, Cassidy, St. Stephen > Born Cross-Eyed, Mountains of the Moon, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider

Encore: Eyes of the World, Brokedown Palace

July 12, 2022