Classic holiday songs by the acclaimed Mariah Carey will be premiered, along with an orchestra performance, in Broadway Sings on December 5th at Sony Hall in New York City. Carey’s prominent festive albums, Merry Christmas and Merry Christmas II You, are planned to be part of the concert series for this season.
Broadway Sings Concert Series Advertisement
Broadway stars Jeannette Bayardelle from the Girl from the North Country musical, Amber Ardolini of Funny Girl, Alysha Deslorieux of Hamilton, Keri Rene Fuller of Six and more will be featured in the cast to sing memorable Christmas tunes, including “Silent Night,” “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “O, Holy Night”. A 14-piece orchestra will be along with the song performances to be held at the venue that is owned by Blue Note Entertainment Group.
Sony Music Hall in New York City
Doors for “Broadway Sings Mariah Carey” on December 5 open at 6pm and the show begins at 8. Tickets can be purchased on the Sony Hall website.
Broadway Performer Sings Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”
In the early stages of a 24-date North America excursion that kicked-off last week, The Smile (a side project by Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, along with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner) came to New York City this past weekend for a set of three consecutive shows.
Thom Yorke (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael Dinger
The run began with two nights at the majestic Kings Theatre in Brooklyn (November 18-19) and the third at Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan (November 20), a turn-of-the-century opera house. NYS Music was front and center for The Smile’s opening night at King’s Theatre on Friday evening and the NYC finale at Hammerstein Ballroom Sunday night.
The Smile, who take their name from a collated poem in Ted Hughes’ 1970 literary work Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow, are touring in support of their 13-track debut album that was released in May 2022, A Light for Attracting Attention (XL Recordings). Furthering the Radiohead connection, the record was produced by longtime Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich. Born during the 2019 COVID lockdown, as many creative endeavors have, The Smile released a string of singles and eventually, the announcement of a world tour.
The current trek marks the first shows on American soil for Yorke and Greenwood since August 2018, when Radiohead wrapped up their world tour in support of 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool. Yorke was slated to tour North America in 2020 with stops at Kings Theatre behind his excellent solo album Anima, but this tour was ultimately postponed and canceled as a result of the pandemic.
Supporting The Smile for the tour’s duration is Robert Stillman, a multi-instrumentalist and composer born in Maine who has called the United Kingdom his home for the past decade. Like his tour mates (with whom he contributed to their album), Spillman is presenting new material from his eighth studio album What Does It Mean to Be American? (Orindal Records/KIT Records), released in January 22.
Robert Stillman (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael Dinger
Taking the stage at approximately 8:15 pm each night, dressed in white from head to toe, Stillman unassumingly acknowledged the audience for a moment before taking to his synthesizer. For approximately 30 minutes, Stillman mesmerized the audience each night with a deliberate looping process between his synthesizers and a tenor saxophone, curating an eclectic sonic palette drawing on elements of jazz, drone and psychedelia.
Kings Theatre (Friday, November 18)
On Friday night, fans lined up early ahead of doors at Kings Theatre in Flatbush, donning various Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Sons of Kemet and other associated apparel. The recently renovated classical movie theater is an exquisite example of how a modern music venue can be incorporated into a historic space. The cavernous venue, decorated with red velvet and ornate gold accents, boasts a deep sonic experience that continually attracts artists of all genres who want their music experienced in such a gorgeous space.
The show got underway with Yorke, Greenwood and Skinner taking to the front of the stage as they basked in a thunderous ovation, with a return of gratitude to the fans. With Yorke behind a familiar piano, Greenwood on bass guitar and Skinner behind the kit, “Pana-vision” started the festivities. The song begins with a swirling piano arpeggio before a dark, jazzy rhythm kicks in. Yorke drives the song with his signature falsetto as his voice swells and calms for several waves of the song. The band then dove into a tight rendition of “Thin Thing”, a psychedelic Kraut-rock song which highlights The Smile’s style perfectly. The music is “stripped back” in a sense that it is confined to a trio, but the blend of dissonant vocals, driving punk rock infused strings, and jazzy percussions creates a dense palette which overwhelms in a live setting.
In addition to the songs from A Light for Attracting Attention, the band has been playing many unreleased songs on this tour. On Friday at Kings Theatre, Stillman joined the band and contributed his saxophone for two such songs “Colours Fly” and “People on Balconies”. Other new songs performed Friday were “Bending Hectic” and “Read the Room”. The main set ended with the vintage punk sounding “You Will Never Work In Television Again”, which got fans bouncing all over the venue. The final song of the night was surprisingly long-time favorite Thom Yorke solo song “Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses”, self-released back in 2009.
Although doors were more than two hours away, a large (and rapidly growing) contingent of fans already lined the West 34th Street sidewalk in Midtown Manhattan on a near freezing late Sunday afternoon. Mercifully, at 6:30 pm, the shivering fans hoping to get a spot on or near the stage rail were ushered into the warm confines of the Hammerstein Ballroom lobby, housed within the Manhattan Center. Extensively renovated in 1997, elaborate architectural decorations adorn the historic venue which seats 2,500 (all of which would be sold out tonight) – complete with box seats, three balconies, a proscenium arch and a hand-painted ceiling mural 75-feet above depicting an “orchestra of angels on a heavenly stage”.
At approximately 9:20 pm, The Smile took to the stage, with Yorke pausing along the stage apron as the audience’s applause and wild cheers rained down. After assuming their stage positions (Yorke at stage right, Greenwood at center stage and Skinner on his kit at stage left), The Smile commenced their 90-minute set backed by a large video screen displaying broken, horizontal line patterns. Bathed in red stage lighting, the first of ten offerings from A Light for Attracting Attention was “The Same”. With Greenwood seated at the piano, Yorke took up his vintage Guild Starfire II bass and let his haunting, signature falsetto do the rest.
Thom Yorke (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael DingerJonny Greenwood (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael DingerTom Skinner (Hammerstein Ballroom) | Photo by Michael Dinger
Throughout the evening, Yorke and Greenwood seamlessly interchanged their instruments, each playing guitar, bass and piano. Ensuing magnificent presentations of “Thin Thing”, “The Opposite” and “Speech Bubbles”, guided by the loose-limbed Skinner and his punishing rhythmic dialogues, Yorke briefly addressed the audience as he took his seat at the piano for “Pana-vision”. “We’re a new band called The Smile, but I guess you knew that”. Up next was “A Hairdryer”, with Greenwood bowing his Fender Precision bass during the opening refrain of the 8-minute masterpiece.
The night’s only snafu followed approximately one-third into the show, a technical malfunction that led to “Waving a White Flag” being scratched from the set. While two other tracks (“Open the Floodgates” and “Free in the Knowledge”) from The Smile’s debut album were not performed Sunday night, fans were treated to three new, currently unreleased songs – “Bending Hectic”, “Read the Room” and “Bodies Laughing”.
Up next was “Skirting on the Surface”, developed from an unreleased Radiohead song and featuring Greenwood’s guitar arpeggios. As Yorke introduced “People on Balconies”, he acknowledged The Smile fans in attendance a second time. “I very much enjoy being back to New York City. We wish we had another week, or two, at least”. After welcoming Robert Stillman and his sax back to the stage, The Smile gave us “The Smoke” and “You Will Never Work in Television Again”, a banger in every sense of the word. Following an encore break, the last fifteen minutes of the epic show comprised “Just Eyes and Mouth”, “Colours Fly” (with Stillman rejoining the band) and “Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses”.
The Smile will continue their string of U.S. dates until a pair of Los Angeles concerts on December 21 and 22 close out the run for the year. A 2023 show has also already been announced at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on February 16.
Kings Theatre Setlist: Pana-vision > Thin Thing > The Opposite > Speech Bubbles > Free in the Knowledge > A Hairdryer > Waving a White Flag > Colours Fly (with Robert Stillman) > We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings > Read the Room > Skrting on the Surface > Just Eyes and Mouth > People on Balconies (with Robert Stillman) > The Smoke (with Robert Stillman) > You Will Never Work in Television Again (with Robert Stillman) > Encore: Open the Floodgates > The Same > Bending Hectic > Encore 2: Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses (Thom Yorke song)
Hammerstein Ballroom Setlist: The Same > Thin Thing > The Opposite > Speech Bubbles > Pana-vision > A Hairdryer > Bending Hectic > We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings > Read the Room > Bodies Laughing > Skrting on the Surface > People on Balconies (with Robert Stillman) > The Smoke (with Robert Stillman) > You Will Never Work in Television Again (with Robert Stillman) > Encore: Just Eyes and Mouth > Colours Fly (with Robert Stillman) > Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses (Thom Yorke song)
Bop Shop Records, an independently owned record store in Rochester, will celebrate 40 years this weekend, with four evening performances you won’t want to miss.
Tom Kohn opened Bop Shop Records in 1982, having spent his formative years in the 1970s working for MXR and Rounder Records, while collecting and listening to as much recorded and live music as he could. He has turned Bop Shop Records into special record show, well worth visiting as music collectors from all over the world frequently spend entire days there.
Specializing in fine-condition vinyl records and CDs (as well as buying records too), patrons can quickly learn that Kohn is passionate about sharing the music that moves him with people who are excited and curious about it, too.
Since 1988, Bop Shop has hosted jazz, folk and blues concerts at the store, including internationally renowned and up-and-coming artists. For 2022, the shop planned 40 Concerts Celebrating 40 Years, with the final four taking place over Friday, November 25 through Monday, November 28.
Those of you who’ve joined us for our first 36 concerts know that 2022 has been a great year of amazing performances at the Bop Shop. We’ve made new friends and rekindled old friendships, and definitely heard music that gave us the comfort and inspiration we’ve needed this year.
Tom Kohn
Kohn has also recently revived Bop Arts Inc., a not-for-profit that exists for the soul purpose of supporting the music the shop brings to town. All the funds generated from the concerts, along with donations, help Bop Shop Records bring the best in new forward-thinking jazz to Rochester.
A special four-night pass is available for $55, with single day tickets available for $20.
Bop Shop Records 40th Concerts Celebrating 40 Years – Final Shows – All start at 8 pm
Friday, 11/25 –Three Shamans – Ken Filiano, Phil Haynes and Herb Robertson.
Saturday, 11/26 – Joe Fiedler’s Open Sesame with Kirk Knuffke, Jeff Lederer, Chris Lightcap, Michael Sarin and Fiedler.
Sunday, 11/27 – Joe Fonda and Bass of Operation with Lederer again, playing clarinet, flute and piccolo; Michael Rabinowitz playing bassoon; Harvey Sorgen playing drums; and Fonda playing bass.
Monday, 11/28 – Michael Musillami Trio with guitarist/composer Musillami, bassist Fonda and drummer George Schuller.
On October 29, two bands who got their start in Buffalo, moe. and Aqueous combined forces for only the second time. Watch the rare below moe.queous performance below.
The Town Ballroom show found the two bands donning a musical costume with a theme of ‘animals’ leading to covers of Phish, The Beatles and Pink Floyd, as well as songs from the moe. and Aqueous catalogs that centered around various creatures and critters.
The lineups for the two band combo included Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico from moe., and Mike Gantzer, Evan McPhaden and Rob Houk from Aqueous. David Loss of Aqueous would also make a surprise appearance on vocals of “I Am The Walrus.”
Gantzer said of the collaboration, “It’s a cool full circle thing to intertwine the AQ and moe. worlds so directly-Both bands have history at Town Ballroom and share strong roots being from Buffalo, too. There’s something really connective about that, and I’ve always felt a unique kinship and chemistry when making music or even just hanging with those guys. Much of AQ’s early inspiration came from seeing moe. too, so that should tell you just how truly special this will be!”
Schnier agreed, saying “We love our boys in AQ almost as much as we love Buffalo! Last time we all got together for a moe.queous throw down, it was such an awesome amalgamation of our two bands, and we knew it was something we should definitely do more often.”
photo by Curtis Kruetter
Check out the moe.queous setlist and watch videos from across the evening below.
Set 1: Bearsong > Strange Times > Bearsong, Birds of a Feather > Kitty Chaser > Downward Facing Dog, Marty, I Am The Walrus*
Set 2: Moth > Pigs > Moth, Warren in the Window, Terrapin Station > Four#, Buster#
On Friday, April 21, 2023, folk-slinger Arlo Guthrie will settle down at The Egg in Albany for a stop on his “What’s Left of Me’ tour. Guthrie had announced his retirement from touring in 2020, but admitted that “retirement was fun while it lasted” and returns with a spoken word show.
The show will be moderated by author, music historian, and former director of the Grammy Museum Bob Santelli. It will also include rarely-seen video footage and an audience Q&A.
photo by Steve Malinski
Anyone who has had the good fortune to attend a performance by Arlo Guthrie knows that while the songs are wonderful, the stories are what really make the show something really special.
As the oldest son of Woody & Marjorie Guthrie, Arlo first made his appearance onstage at age 13, made music history with the composition “Alice’s Restaurant” and a legendary performance at Woodstock. After 60 years on the road there should be a lot to talk about.
Read NYS Music’s interview with Arlo Guthrie on Thanksgiving traditions and his family legacy.
The son of legendary Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie is best known for the Thanksgiving song/saga “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” the classic “The City of New Orleans,” and “Coming into Los Angeles.” He also performed at Woodstock in 1969 on Saturday, August 16.
Tickets for Arlo Guthrie “What’s Left of Me” are currently on sale online at theegg.org or by telephone at 518-473-1845, or in person at The Egg Box Office Monday – Friday from 11 AM – 3 PM.
Twenty6 Productions, Buffalo Iron Works, and Lockhouse Distillery & Bar have announced dates for the 5th annual Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival, taking place Friday, July 14th and Saturday, July 15th in the Historic Cobblestone District of Downtown Buffalo.
The festival will follow in the success of its 2022 dates, featuring two large outdoor stages, two indoor stages, a vendor village, a Kid’s Village, food trucks, and beverage stations throughout the festival grounds featuring craft and domestic beverages.
We are excited to be able to bring our beloved Cobblestone Live Festival to the WNY music and arts community for its fifth year. 2022’s festival was proof that we can unify the community after overcoming Covid setbacks, and 2023 is the year that we will prove that this festival can continue to grow for years to come.
Festival Founder & Twenty6 Productions CEO Josh Holtzman
There will be plenty of surprises in store for the fifth year, so be sure to stay tuned to Cobblestone Live socialmediaoutlets for the latest news on the 2023 festival.
Electronic-fusion band Lotus will be on the road has announced a massive 2023 US Tour in support of their new album Bloom & Recede, released in August of 2022. The coast-to-coast tour features nearly 40 shows in the early part of 2023, with stops in the Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, Texas, California, the Pacific Northwest and more.
They’ll make stops in Albany at Empire Live and Buffalo at Town Ballroom in January, as well as two nights at Brooklyn Bowl over Thanksgiving weekend, November 25-26. Get tickets here.
Lotus is a five-piece instrumental band who have been playing music for more than 20 years ago. One of hte first bands to fuse electronic beats with dance, jam, psych-rock, post-rock, disco and jazz. the group have become renowned performer and have built a loyal following wherever they venture.
Live Lotus shows take listeners on a dance-inducing journey of improvisation that can only be described as a one-of-a-kind experience. They’ve toured actively throughout the U.S., working their way up from dingy basement clubs to world class venues such as Red Rocks. They’ve become festival favorites, performing at Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Electric Forest, and more. Lotus additionally hosts their own annual Summerdance Festival in Garrettsville, OH with a lineup of various Electronic artists.
In 2021, Mike Rempel departed the band he founded, and Tim Palmieri (Kung Fu, The Breakfast) joined Lotus, who forge ahead with Mike Greenfield, Luke Miller, Jesse Miller and Chuck Morris on this national tour.
LOTUS 2023 TOUR DATES:
Nov 25 & 26 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
Dec 10 – North Beach Music Festival – Miami, FL Dec 30 & 31 – Boulder Theater – Boulder, CO
The Caroga Arts Collective announced the events for the fourth annual WinterFest, including music from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Handel’s Messiah, and favorite Christmas singalongs. These events will be happening from Dec. 14-17.
The Caroga Arts Collective presents over 50 performances and community events in the Southern Adirondacks throughout the year, featuring world-class musicians from across the country and from various styles of arts and entertainment.
Before kicking off the WinterFest, there will be the fifth annual tree lighting ceremony at Sherman’s Park on Nov. 26, and the Caroga Arts Collective is asking for volunteers to help light up the park. On Dec. 14, the popular “SAUNDERSFEST Christmas” hosted by Canada Lake-based brothers Geoff and Rich Saunders will be happening at The Nick Stoner Inn & 19th Hole at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.
On Dec. 15 and 16, the Caroga Arts Ensemble will perform the Tchaikovsky Holiday Spectacular at Paul Nigra Center. They will perform selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite and other beloved works. Tickets are on sale now for both events.
The last day of WinterFest brings the free Hallelujah, it’s Handel! event. The Caroga Arts Ensemble will perform music by Handel, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and more at St. John’s Episcopal Church. There will also be selections from Handel’s Messiah and Christmas sing-a-longs.
The Caroga Arts Collective’s fourth annual WinterFest will take place from Dec. 14-17 at various locations in the Adirondacks, showcasing the talent of the area in different musical forms.
Frat houses, bars, stadiums, and theatres. Daryl Hall has played them all, including the Oncenter Civic Theatre in Syracuse on November 19. With special guest Todd Rundgren, the mostly over 50 crowd was treated to a night of mellow jams.
Rundgren opened the night with set of approximately 75 minutes including “Hello it’s Me,” “Black Maria,” and “I Saw the Light.” Although he has been playing shows since the late 60s, his look hasn’t changed much as he still flaunts his famous locks and flashy attire while performing.
Touring in support of recently released 2 disc retrospective album, Hall played a great selection on songs from his solo career as well as from Hall & Oates. The stage for this tour is a replica of his house from his 2017 webcast series, Daryl’s House. Lights, props, stairs, everything is there and lighting was amazing.
Highlight for me, personally, was his rendition of 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Eurythmics Here Comes the Rain. With his own little spin on it, Hall made the song his own. By far, my favorite song from Annie Lennox, but Daryl Hall knows how to change it up and make it sound brand new, 30+ years later.
Made famous by Paul Young, Hall also put his piano bar style on Paul Young’s “Every Time You Go Away,” which was a Daryl Hall original in the mid 80s. Truly amazing to hear these songs again, for the first time and live as well.
While the crowd was mostly over 50, there was a surprising amount of under 30 and I heard many of them complaining that Daryl Hall didn’t play any of his heavier songs, as they were falling asleep. I couldn’t help to think maybe they thought they were going to see Dimebag Darrell, which might have been pretty epic in an alternate universe.
Regardless, go see these guys. For me, it was nice change of pace from the chaos I call life, and with the chaos ramping up over the next month or so, I welcomed the opportunity to kick back and chill to a couple of legends.
That being said, get your tickets, get your beverage of choice and kick back for a couple hours.
Todd Rundgren Setlist: Real Man/Love of a Common Man; It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference; We Gotta Get You a Woman; Buffalo Grass; I Saw the Light; Black Maria; Unloved Children; Hello It’s Me; Sometimes I Don’t Know How to Feel; I’m So Proud/Ooh Baby Baby/I Want You; The Want of a Nail
Daryl Hall Setlist: Dreamtime; Romeo is Bleeding; Problem With You; Philly Mood; Cab Driver; Everytime You Go Away; Sacred Songs; Babs and Babs; Here Comes the Rain; Sara Smile; No Can Do; Wait For Me; Can We Still Be Friends; Expressway; Dreams
SUNY Fredonia’s student body is an active partaker in the local music scene, as demonstrated from the Rocktoberfest event which rocked the crowd on the night before Halloween from 6-9pm in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Williams Center.
At the October event, which was held through the collaborative coordination between SUNY Fredonia’s Sound Services program and Music Industry Club, students dressed in festive-themed costumes to rock out to the high-energy performances delivered by the Fredonia-based band Relentless Moisture and Buffalo-based musicians Cooler and SAINT BLIND.
Rocktoberfest Poster
Taking a look at the Rocktoberfest lineup, Cooler is a three-piece band from Buffalo comprised of Alley Sessanna, Nick Sessanna, and Jake Sessanna, who performed at the special occasion. The group creates pop and rock songs that are heavily accented by guitar chords.
Cooler Band
Aileen (Alley), Cooler’s vocalist and bassist, opened up on details around the music, performances and influences of the band:
Heather Occhino: When did Cooler form and who else is in the band?
Alley Sessanna: We started in 2014. Our current lineup is me on vocals and bass, Nick on guitar and vocals, and Jake on the drums.
HO: How would you describe the music of Cooler?
AS: Dream-o. We really love heavy guitars and emotional lyrics people can relate to with a catchy melody of course.
HO: How was your performance at Rocktoberfest? Have you played SUNY Fredonia before?
AS: We’ve played at Fredonia before, but not for this specific event. We play at Fredonia any time we can. There’s just something special about the music scene.
Cooler at Rocktoberfest
HO: It seems like your most recent work is your single “Cringe.” Is this what you performed at Rocktoberfest?
AS: We did! If you’ve ever laid in bed at night and had intrusive thoughts about something embarrassing you did 10 years ago, this one’s for you.
HO: Are there any artists who’ve inspired you or influenced your sound?
AS: All three of us have very different music tastes, but some common ground bands are Smashing Pumpkins, Tigers Jaw, Pity Sex, Now Now, Mansions, and Pinback.
AS: December 2nd at Mohawk Place with Quit Yourself, Amateur Hockey Club, and BP & the Oil Spills.
Single by Cooler, “Cringe (Reprise)”
Fredonia’s own Relentless Moisture, a post-psychedelic musical ensemble also played at Rocktoberfest, bringing with them an experimental sound as their foundation. The group described the concept behind ‘moistcore’ and much more in their chat with NYS Music.
Relentless Moisture at Rocktoberfest
Heather Occhino: In your bio for your Instagram and Twitter account, I saw that you included that your band is a moistcore band. Can you define ‘moistcore’ and how does that correlate with your group’s name?
Relentless Moisture: Moisture is something you can’t exactly describe, but you know it when you hear it. Sounds can absolutely be wet. Moisture is a mind set.
HO: How would you define the music you make?
RM: …Moisture.
HO: Are there any artists, whether rising or prominent, who’ve influenced your sound or who’ve inspired you creatively?
RM: There’s a lot of Ween mentality to the music, and there’s hints of Deftones, Nirvana, Michael, Nickelback, and the Big Bopper. Alongside Rihanna, those are our major inspirations. It’s actually mostly Rihanna and Shakira.
HO: How was your performance at Rocktoberfest? Was this your first time performing at the event/SUNY Fredonia?
RM: This was our first non acoustic show on campus and certainly our first time playing at Rocktoberfest, and we loved it. The crowd was awesome, and we didn’t expect people to mosh but they certainly did. Also, Saint Blind and Cooler were amazing. We love playing music, and we love performing.
HO: When is your next show?
RM: We are pulling up to Stamps in Tonawanda on January 13, it’s like 40 minutes off campus, absolutely come down if you can and get stamped.
SAINT BLIND, a Buffalo-born alternative/indie rock and synth-pop musician (real name Aaron) is a musician familiar with the Fredonia music scene and played Rocktoberfest. He has previously performed at the Main Street Studios and interacted with music lovers there, as was the case on Saturday, October 15th, when he shared the stage with other alternative bands Karrot Kake and Personal Style.
Five days after the Fredonia concert, on the evening of November 3, notable Buffalo venue Nietzsche’s hosted live performances by a trio of up-and-coming bands, Power Creep, Breakfast Beers, and RAM! The three bands also sat down with NYS Music to discuss their backgrounds, creative outputs and shows delivered in Buffalo.
Liam Slater and Jon Andrews are part of the Buffalo-based rock band Power Creep, fronted by singer Tyler Will. Power Creep has two debut singles that were published this year, the most recent, “Defy Belief” from July and “Hideous,” which was released in February.
Power Creep Band
In a taped interview, the band’s frontman Tyler Will went into further depth about the history of the foundation of the group, the band’s released works, and their show at Nietzsche’s.
https://youtu.be/e8vM6iU1s9c
Interview with Lead Singer of Power Creep Band, Tyler Will
Justin McKernan, Alex Couturier, and Jacob McKernan of the three-piece band RAM!, are also from Buffalo, and are all blood-relatives. Following RAM!’s formation in 2020-the year the pandemic broke out–the group’s debut album, Mr. Russo’s Class on Teaching a Generation, was released in August 2021.
RAM! Band
In a recorded conversation, RAM! discussed the band’s music, the challenges being a budding band from Buffalo and the group’s formation.
https://youtu.be/k_ACYKToGf0
Interview with Members of RAM! band
The eight-piece rock group Breakfast Beers are based in Buffalo and call Nietzsche’s home, as well as Philadelphia.
Breakfast Beers members Andrew Ajaka, Darren Valdera, and Paul Guardiola, talked about how their band came to be, their musical influences, and their live performances.
Heather Occhino: I read on your website that your band is based in Buffalo, NY and Philadelphia, PA. Can you elaborate on how this is?
DarrenValdera: Well, when Breakfast Beers first started we were 9 people and due to school and life we’re a little separated right now. Two of our members (Sofia Fasullo and Matt Guardiola) are currently going to school in Philly, and have the capacity/permission to play as Breakfast Beers if they wanted to. So we’ve got two “branches” of Beers HQ so to speak.
Andrew Ajaka: Also Darren and I are originally from NYC!!
HO:What led you guys to form your band?
DV: (I feel like someone else can answer this better than me but…) PORCHFEST!! An event in the community we lived in – in Binghamton where anyone with a porch can sign up their porch for festivities or enter to play at a specific time slot on a porch. I was originally planning to just come and watch it but the week of, Andrew asked me if I wanted to play a song or two with them and I joined Breakfast Beers!
AA: Yea Porchfest was for sure a big part of it, but it really started during the pandemic! Paul and I were living together in Binghamton and were playing a bunch of music with our roommate Jacob Parker, and started very loosely writing stuff together with our roommate Hannah Nathanson. Moving in with Sofia Fasullo and deciding to do Porchfest were really the deadline; we all needed to really focus on our instruments and come together as a band that was actually prepared to perform live for an audience.
Breakfast Beers Members [from left to right], Sofia Fasullo, Andrew Ajaka, Paul Guardiola (on drums), Darren Valdera (wearing hat) and Jacob Parker (Photo Credit: Sullivan Harris)
HO: Are there any artists/bands who inspired you to make music and/or influence your style of sound in your music?
DV: A band I’d say that inspired us to make music is the Droogz (shoutouts to them for FINALLY putting out their first EP). Their music and stage presence is just insane. They’re all little rockstars. And just everyone in the local Binghamton scene is so inspiring, and our music really is an amalgamation of everything we listen to. My current rotation of artists are Pinkshift, Hello Sleepwalkers, and Good Game.
AA: I feel like we’re constantly talking about all the ways the music we’re listening to at the time sort of bleeds its way into our writing in different ways. Sweet Pill and Carly Cosgrove have been heavy on my rotation lately and their new records have been super inspirational for me.
Paul Guardiola: I definitely draw a bunch of inspiration from other local bands we see and play with. There are so many cool people in the northeast making really inspiring music, and being able to digest it while we’ve been growing as artists has been a big part of how I write. Shoutout to Bunk, Happy To Be Here, Stay Off The Fence, Dirty Band-Aid, Feeble Little Horse, Bug, and Waxgirl. We also have a whole 8 hour playlist of all our different favorite songs and inspirations on our Spotify page.
HO: You had a show as part of Foxhead Fright Night on Saturday, Oct. 29. How was your experience performing at Main Street Studios? Do you think events like Fright Night allow for your listening/fan base to grow?
BB: It was super sick! The venue was super cute, and everyone’s costumes were adorable. It was also a blast to meet all the heads running Foxhead and to see Ozymandias rip some Black Sabbath that night!
AA: For sure! Events like Fright Night give us the opportunity to play our music for people and show them who we are and what we care about. Hopefully that begins to invite people into the community we are trying to create between us and our audiences. It was a super fun time playing for Foxhead Fright Night! Shoutouts to everyone at Foxhead for having us join them, everyone’s costumes were awesome and the venue was so cool!
DV: Events like Fright Night are definitely one of the main ways we grow as a band! It puts us in touch with cool artists who we can play with/plan events with again and lets us share our art and sound with new people who might vibe with us.
HO: Do you have any upcoming work to be released soon?
DV: Hopefully! We have a lot of songs in our rotation that are done that we just haven’t recorded yet. Some of them you heard at Foxhead Fright Night like Crabapple and Post Modern Baseball Reunion Tour Pt. 2. (Taylor’s Version). We’re taking a short writing/recording period break for December through January so hopefully we’ll have some new things to release by then.
PG: Yeah nothing official to announce yet but we’re always writing new material to play out, and finding time to record when we can.
The Western New York music scene has been home to bands like Goo Goo Dolls, Ani Difranco, Rick James, Aqueous, and dozens more. Artists including Breakfast Beers, Relentless Moisture, Cooler, SAINT BLIND, Power Creep and RAM! are among the next generation of bands from the greater Buffalo/Fredonia music scene. Catch them at clubs while you can!
