42 North Brewing Company and Swain Resort are joining forces and have announced the first ever Basecamp Festival to be held on Saturday, July 9 at the base of the resort in Swain. The inaugural event will feature live music, craft beverages as well as outdoor activities. Patrons will have the opportunity to go on chair lift rides, hikes and will also feature a wide array of local artisan vendors.
The music kicks off with the Buffalo-based Organ Fairchild, a former NYS Music “March Madness” winner. Following them is the roots quartet Folkfaces who will bring their up-tempo mix of original and traditional music to the stage. The band recently wrapped up an East Coast tour and has played festivals throughout the country.
And the beer will be provided by 42 North Brewing from East Aurora, NY. “We are thrilled to partner with 42 North to create this event. We both share the same passion for great music, great beer, and outdoor adventure”, states Suzy Male, Director of Marketing for Swain. Male added that they hope to make Basecamp Festival an annual summer event at the resort.
Swain Resort
A limited number of early bird tickets go on sale for $25 beginning Wednesday, April 6. For an additional fee, camping and overnight RV parking will be available. For more information on Basecamp or to purchase tickets, go to the event website here.
Swain Resort is the oldest independently run ski resort in New York State. Located just over an hour from both Buffalo and Rochester and is proud of its history and ski community.
Rock band The Glorious Sons is set to headline Volume 4 of Rock The Gates at 12 Gates Brewing Company in Buffalo on June 4.
Rock The Gates is the event of the year at 12 Gates Brewing Company, in which there are beer releases, live music, food trucks and vendors. As headliners, The Glorious Sons are what everyone is waiting for, especially when they are currently making a name for themselves while on their The Unfinished Business Tour, for their latest piece of music The Young Sessions EP.
Summer Daze and Pineapple FLO-Mingo are two main beer releases for the night. This 21+ event has no VIP package, but general admission is $50 for festival entry and concert access, while beer tickets are $6 each. Although blankets and lawn chairs are allowed, no outside food and drinks are permitted.
The music and beer festival will run from 12 PM to 11 PM. For more information visit The Glorious Sons website and to buy tickets visit Eventbrite.
Juno Award-winning band VOIVOD announces their tour dates for this coming June, “Synchro Anarchy” Tour for North American shows. The tour will stop in NY on June 14th in Buffalo at the Rec Room, June 17th in Brooklyn at the Market Hotel, and June 18th in Liverpool at Sharkey’s.
The tour is in support of the band’s new album, “Synchro Anarchy” that hit the charts in multiple countries like #2 on Billboard Canada’s Hard Music Albums chart, #6 Current Hard Albums in the USA, #7 on the UK’s Rock & Metal chart and #7 in Germany along with others.
At last! After more than two years without touring, we are finally hitting the road in June 2022 in North America. We are thrilled to play the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest, It will also be exciting for us to play songs from Synchro Anarchy for the first time live! We can’t wait to see our old Voïvodian friends again and meet some new ones. See you then!
-Michel “Away” Langevin (drums)
VOIVOD now has 15 studio album’s and continue with their creative freedom for nearly 40 years. During the early 80’s even as the thrash metal scene was on the rise, VOIVOD kept their distinct character as a band throughout.
Not many bands are able to survive for four decades after achieving legendary status, but VOIVOD continues the uphill climb as one of the most creative and passionate bands on the planet. VOIVOD consist of Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain (guitar), Denis “Snake” Belanger (vocals), Michel “Away” Langevin (drums), and Dominic “Rocky” Laroche (bass).
The Cobblestone Live Music & Arts Festival is preparing for its 4th annual event with over 16 artists in Buffalo’s Historic Cobblestone District on July 15 and 16.
For this event there will be four stages: the main outdoor stage will be located on the corner of South Park Ave & Illinois Street, the second will be on Columbia Street, the third is located inside of Buffalo Iron Works, and the fourth stage is inside Lockhouse Distillery & Bar.
For the past 10 years the Historic Cobblestone District has been a neighborhood full of live music, entertainment and has paved the foundation of Cobblestone Live bars, restaurants and venues; with the goal being to grow each year until this festival is national-sized.
Following the events of the last two years, we are thrilled to announce that we are coming back bigger and better than ever this year. With the birth of Twenty6 Productions in 2020, we have resources that we haven’t had in previous years – which shows in the lineup and will certainly be evident at the festival itself for years to come.
Festival Director and Twenty6 Productions CEO Josh Holtzman
Advanced tickets are discounted: the two-day general access is $40, while the single-day general access is $25. There are also VIP tickets: the two-day access is $175 and the single-day access is $100. However, the day of the festival tickets are $50 for both days and $30 for one. Additionally, the VIP ticket for both days is $200 while the single-day ticket is $125. VIP passes consist of extra amenities such as private areas, front-of-stage viewing, a premium bar with craft beverages, lounge area and more.
Misterwives Pigeons Playing Ping Pong Andy Frasco & The UN The Hip Abduction Doom Flamingo Mihali of Twiddle Alanis Morissette Tribute ft. former members of Turkuaz Dirty Work [Steely Dan Tribute] ft. members of Aqueous & The Sideways Funktional Flow SE2 Silent Disco [Alt, Hip Hop, 2K Pop] Workingman’s Dead Grub Canetis Mom Said No The Sideways Grace Greenan
The Beau Fleuve Festival in Buffalo has announced the date for the 2022 festival, which will happen on August 28.
The festival is a one-day music, arts, and cultural celebration held in the city of Buffalo. Standing on the pillars of diversity, the festival merges Buffalo’s historic past with the Buffalo Central Terminal and the continued resurgence of the arts within Western New York.
photo by Madison McCafferty
The annual celebration includes performances on multiple stages from regional, national, and international musical acts, art exhibitions, the silent disco, spoken word poetry, speaker panels, street art, fashion, sports, film, games, food, and more.
The Beau Flueve Festival 2022 lineup and early bird tickets will be released in May.
Gary Numan stopped by the Town Ballroom in Buffalo on March 12th. Best known from his 1970’s and early 1980’s hits “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” and “Cars“, Numan is still going strong in support of his newest album Intruder, his 21st solo record.
Though he played a good amount off of his new science fiction soundtrack about the impending climate catastrophe, he also included a good mix of his material throughout the years. Gary still has some dates in America before heading back overseas to continue his world tour.
Gary Numan – Town Ballroom, Buffalo – March 12, 2022
Setlist: Intruder, Metal, The Promise, The Gift, Everything Comes Down to This, Films, Ghost Nation, Love Hurt Bleed, Pray for the Pain You Serve, Bed of Thorns, Down in the Park, Cars, Here in the Black, The Chosen, My Name Is Ruin, A Prayer for the Unborn
Encore: Me! I Disconnect From You, Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
As Benny the Butcher and his Griselda cohorts further entrench themselves in the music industry and the lines between mixtapes and studio albums continue to blur, the Buffalo-bred rapper returns with another edition of his cult-like mixtape series. The array of Tana Talk mixtapes helped lead Benny’s ascension including his breakout third edition, which featured standout tracks like “Langfield,” and “Rubber Bands & Weight.”
Tana Talk 4 is officially Benny’s third studio album and the intro track serves as a reminder of Benny’s current standing within the industry. The lead single — “Johnny P’s Caddy”– features a strong J. Cole verse, while the rest of the appearances remain close to home in the likes of Stove God Cooks, Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, 38 Spesh and fellow Griselda signee, Boldy James. While Benny commands that street presence throughout his projects, the Tana talk series has always maintained a more personal feel and has seen the Def Jam signee at his most introspective.
This ain’t my story about rags to riches, more about how I mastered physics.
The records opening line sets the tone for the entire body of work as Benny weaves through street tales and the specific details of the drug game, while giving attention to his growth in the music industry and the supposed dissension between Conway and the rest of Griselda records after his departure from the label. Songs like “Johnny P’s Caddy” sees Benny flex his muscles in the rap game, as he went from making street dollars to legitimate rap money.
In the game, I used to train like Rocky catchin’ chickens. I was nice, but they was right when they told me that rap a business.
While once again flexing his loyalty to the ones he entered the game with.
Besides Con’ and West, tell me, who else I gotta respect?
Benny effortlessly exchanges his street and rap personas. His production is composed of Griselda in-house producer Daringer’s grimy, raw, slowed down beats, combining that with famed hip hop producer Alchemist’s soul-samples. On the 38 Spesh assisted, “Uncle Bun,” Benny is raw and unforgiving about his street dealings.
I sold dope to a fiend while she pregnant, emotionless. I’m not a case worker, that’s not the reason I sold the shit.
While the more soulful “Weekends In The Perry’s” featuring Boldy James, sees the Def Jam signee portray himself as simply an author to his own motion picture, which is the sort of bob-and-weave that is displayed throughout the 12-track, 40-minute long project.
Tana Talk 4 isn’t all drug and industry talk, as Benny also addresses the relationship between him, Westside Gunn and Conway The Machine. On “Tyson vs. Ali” featuring Conway The Machine, he addresses the media and fans attempts to pin the former label-mates against each other, while unbeknownst to them, the trio remain tethered.
So confused when ya’ll compare two n**gas from the same movement. Only for ya’ll amusement is funny to me. Ya’ll do it, truth is, while I’m killing shit Conway is somewhere rootin’.
Conway The Machine responds with his own salute to his cousin,
Ayo, Benny, I remember what we used to do to the fiends. That’s why it feel so good to see you doin’ your thing.
As the entire Griselda empire has grown within the past few years, they’ve maintained their model, even as they’ve ventured with bigger labels and entertainment entities. The making of Tana Talk 4 — a renowned mixtape series — into a studio album exemplifies just that. Benny The Butcher continues to elevate and flexes his industry connections with the J.Cole feature, while remaining true to his core fanbase.
Overall, fans of Benny can be left satisfied with this project, as it has plenty of rugged street talk, but more importantly growth, as fans can see the fruits of Benny’s ascension as he rubs elbows with the hip hop industry’s elite.
The Canadian Celtic-Folk Rock Band, The Town Pants have announced their final tour as a band with their 25th Anniversary Tour. In March, the band will perform a pair of St. Patrick’s Day shows – on March 17 in Ottawa, Ontario at the Hard Rock Casino on March 17th, and in Buffalo at Buffalo Iron Works on March 18th.
The Town Pants were created in 1997 in Vancouver by brothers Duane and Dave Keogh. For the last 25 years the Celtic-Rock Band released eight full length albums, toured Europe five times, headlined major music festivals throughout North America, led three tours of Ireland and Scotland with fans along and now finishing with their 25th Anniversary Celebration Tour for 2022.
Throughout 2022, the band will return to the regions that have shown tremendous support to the band over the years with their final shows. The band will finish their Anniversary Celebration with a bus tour of Scotland which fans are welcomed to join them on.
The Town Pants are hosting their online event of the month on March 13th through the platform Side Door Access. Event tickets for all March shows are available by visiting thetownpants.com
Between the Buried in Me (BTBAM) is a progressive metal band formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2000, and played the Rec Room in Buffalo on March 4, 2022. This was the first time that the band has played Buffalo since 2015 where they played Town Ballroom. Rec Room is a smaller venue holding around 300 people so this was a very intimate show.
BTBAM’s tour is titled “Human is Hell” and has their opening band as Car Bomb. The tour has 30 dates and runs through the end of March. This is also opener Car Bomb’s first tour back from the COVID-19 pandemic, finally giving the mathcore band a chance to showcase their material from 2019’s Mordial.
Greg Kubacki -Guitars for Car Bomb (photo credit- Mike Miller)
Car Bomb is from Long Island and have been around since 2000. Their style is marked by an experimental and extremely aggressive approach to metal. They sound absolutely ferocious. Their psychotic turbo-thrash is disgustingly disorientating, ‘Frankensteining’ Meshuggah and The Dillinger Escape Plan into one relentless onslaught of time-chopping violence. BTBAM band members consist of: Michael Dafferner (vocals), Elliot Hoffman (drums), Greg Kubacki (guitar), and Jon Modell (bass).
The show started off earlier than usual for a metal show in Buffalo with two bands on the bill. The band kicked off the show right on time and gave the crowd their monies worth. The band’s 14 song setlist featured such songs as “Finish it” and “Lights Out”. The singer for Car Bomb tried to tell a joke in between songs about an item called a “Garbage Plate”, but was soon corrected by the crowd yelling that is a Rochester food item only. By the time Car Bomb had finished their set, the venue was mostly packed awaiting BTBAM’s start.
Paul Waggoner- Lead Guitarist for BTBAM (Photo Credit- Mike Miller)
Since the Covid pandemic started, there have not been many metal concerts like this in Buffalo. Especially at small venues like the Rec Room where you can literally reach out and touch the band. The fans were very eager to start mosh pits the second Between the Buried and Me hit the stage. You could feel the energy in the room from when the intro music was started by the drummers sample pad. The smoke machine went on and the lights went dark. You could feel the anticipation of the song starting. They opened with “The Double Helix of Extinction” off the album Colors II. BTBAM has grown and matured a-lot since their inception 22 years ago.
Tommy Giles Rogers- BTBAM Lead SInger (Photo Credit- Mike Miller)
Between the Buried and Me made use of their vertical light towers to put on an amazing synced bright light show. The fans were loving every minute of the show and being able to release their built up anger and stress in the mosh pit is not only fun, but should be considered exercise. BTBAM was very calm and collective during their set, focusing on playing their instruments while interacting with the fans.
BTBAM chose not to put song names on their setlist, but of Buffalo Bills players instead. This was done so fans up close to the stage would not know what song is coming up next.
BTBAM setlist (Photo Credit- Mike Miller)
Setlist: The Double Helix of Extinction, Revolution in Limbo, Fix the Error,Ants of the Sky, Dim Ignition, Famine Wolf, Informal Gluttony, Bad Habits, The Future Is Behind Us, Condemned to the Gallows, Selkies: The Endless Obsession
Encore: Voice of Trespass
Blake Richardson- BTBAM Drummer (Photo Credit- Mike Miller)
Remaining tour stops
Mar 06 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ Bogarts Mar 08 – Detroit, Mich. @ Crofoot Mar 09 – Grand Rapids, Mich. @ Elevation Mar 10 – Fort Wayne, Ind. @ Piere’s Mar 11 – Des Moines, Iowa @ Wooly’s Mar 12 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Truman Mar 13 – Tulsa, Okla. @ Cains Mar 15 – Denver, Colo. @ Summit Mar 16 – Grand Junction, Colo. @ Mesa Theater Mar 18 – Santa Cruz, Calif. @ Catalyst Mar 19 – Berkeley, Calif. @ UC Theater Mar 20 – Santa Ana, Calif. @ Observatory Mar 21 – Tucson, Ariz. @ 191 Toole Mar 23 – Austin, Texas @ Emo’s Mar 25 – New Orleans, La. @ House of Blues Mar 26 – Little Rock, Ark. @ The Hall Mar 28 – Destin, Fla. @ Club LA Mar 29 – Birmingham, Ala. @ Saturn Mar 30 – Athens, Ga. @ Georgia Theatre Mar 31 – Columbia, S.C. @ The Senate
Live music is back and so are The Furious Bongos. In celebration, The Furious Bongos playing the music of Frank Zappa, is making its way through six different cities in April, two of those cities being Buffalo and Albany. The band will perform at The Linda in Albany on the 9th and Buffalo Iron Works on the 10th.
After working alongside great acts such as Oasis, Alice In Chains, REM, and a plethora of other bands, the band has built versatility and shown immaculate prestige in their career.
In honor of live music’s return, the band will be playing songs from Frank Zappa’s discography, regarded by the band as the mother of all musicians, a pun based on Zappa’s involvement with The Mothers of Invention. When it came to his music, Zappa was a pioneer of change and innovation. He allowed his band members to improvise and just have fun on stage. To honor Zappa’s legacy, The Furious Bongos will be doing the same. It will be a night to remember.
