Category: Western NY

Elvis Costello and The Imposters Announce Tour, with shows at Artpark and Pier 17 Rooftop

Elvis Costello and The Imposters are hitting the road for a 20-date summer tour to celebrate the release of their new album ‘The Boy Named If.’ The summer tour “The Boy Named If & Other Favourites” kicks off in August coming to Artpark Amphitheater in Buffalo, NY and The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York, NY.

The first time since 1989 artists Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets come together to join Elvis Costello and The Imposters on tour for select shows. In four short years, Nick Lowe produced Elvis’ debut album, ‘My Aim Is True’, ‘This Year’s Model’, ‘Armed Forces’, ‘Get Happy’, and ‘Trust’ and he didn’t just stop there. Artists like Johnny Cash, Tommy McLain, and Sir Rod Stewart, Engelbert Humperdinck and Solomon Burke recorded songs from Nick Lowe.

The Imposters – Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher and Elvis Costello are joined together with Charlie Sexton a Texas guitarist once again since the “Hello Again” tour in October 2021. Joining Costello and The Imposters is a vocalist appearance from Nicole Atkins for shows in Huber Heights and the Buffalo. Nicole Atkins has a recently released song “Memphis Ice.”

“Songs that kick hard and deep. It’s anything but quiet … the Imposters sound gleefully, brutally unified.”
– The New York Times (Jon Pareles Critic’s Pick)

The album, ‘The Boy Named If’ was released back in January and debuted in the Sunday Times in London as “The Record Of The Week” and declared the record, “Worthy of Bowie.” Upcoming date announcement for Elvis Costello and his return to Massey Hall, Toronto, then New York City, Wolf Trap, Denver, Anaheim and many other cities.

Tickets for the upcoming 20-date Summer tour go on sale Friday, February 18th at 10am local time. Go to elviscostello.com

Elvis Costello and the Imposters 2022 Tour Dates

August 6 – Huber Heights, OH @ Rose Music Center at The Heights^

August 8 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall*

August 9 – Buffalo, NY @ Artpark Amphitheater^

August 11 – New York, NY @ The Rooftop at Pier 17*

August 12 – Bensalem, PA @ Xcite Center at Parx Casino

August 13 – Ledyard, CT @ Foxwoods Resort Casino

August 15 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion*

August 16 – Northampton, MA @ The Pines Theater*

August 18 – Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap*

August 23 – Denver, CO @ Levitt Pavilion*

August 25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Sandy Amphitheater*

August 28 – Thousand Oaks, CA @ Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza*

August 30 – Anaheim, CA @ City National Grove of Anaheim*

September 2 – Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre*

September 3 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels*

^ = Nicole Atkins opening

* = Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets opening

February 16, 2022
Band Together Buffalo Launches into Third Season with Grub, Leroy Townes and more

Band Together Buffalo, featuring local musicians from across Western NY, is into their third season of highlighting rising artists from the region. Made in response to the pandemic shutting down live touring, the show helps spotlight musicians who may have lost live touring jobs and helps provide tips for artists, like how to make a music video.

Band Together Buffalo’s Season 3 logo.

Over the past few years, the group has featured over 60 live-streamed concerts. In 2021, they held the “Shutdown Showcase” which featured over 150 musical artists.

The new season includes videos produced by the Band Together Buffalo team and will have various self-produced videos that have been submitted by local artists. They will be featuring 128 music videos over 16 weeks, 64 being produced by the team.

We’re thrilled to bring back Season 3, featuring 70 local artists in the Buffalo music scene over 16 weeks. It’s taken a huge team effort, countless hours, and generous sponsorship to pull this off. We’re excited to offer this platform to showcase all the amazing talent in our city, and we hope you enjoy the show!
André Pilette

Viewers have the opportunity to win concert tickets from local music venues while watching as well. Some featured artists include Leroy Townes, Farrow, Grub, and more.

February 14, 2022
Introducing NYS Music’s Black History Maps
Black history month can be a frustrating time of the year. The opportunity to celebrate the numerous Black vanguards is a great honor. Yet, having to encapsulate so much greatness in only 28 short days is a task in itself. How do you prioritize one Black success story over another? The truth is you can’t, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try.

While limiting the importance of Black people to just entertainment can be negligent to the immense contributions made to math, science, architecture and communication that laid the foundation for the modern world… this is a music website.
And while the likes of Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey’s roles as revolutionaries are to be studied and admired, it is the arts that continues to push pop culture forward. There is no greater form of pop culture now than hip hop, having overtaken rock & roll as the world’s most popular genre. Yet, hip hop would not exist without those that paved the way during the Harlem Renaissance.

Black history is everywhere, and New York State occupies some of the most important landmarks, where countless fabled musicians have inhabited. From The Cotton Club — where entertainers during the Harlem renaissance helped bring Black music to the mainstream — to the Marcy Projects that once housed Jay – Z.
- Cab Calloway.
Our Black History Maps give readers a chance to view the boroughs, neighborhoods and exact addresses where many a Black history that has shaped the world originated from within New York State, and the accompanying stories deriving from such landmarks. A fun interactive feature, the BHM will also serve music aficionados who may want to see just how close they are to where their favorite artist once frequented.
February 6, 2022
The Allman Betts Band Tour Postponed, Replaced By The Devon Allman Project With 6 Shows in NYS

While the Allman Betts Band tour has been postponed amid a hiatus, there is now a co-headlining tour with The Devon Allman Project and Samantha Fish Band in its place, with stops in Utica, Albany, Buffalo, Chester, New York City and Westhampton Beach.

Devon Allman.

The Devon Allman Project is a six-piece world-class band that has previously toured almost 20 countries. The band is led by Devon Allman, son of The Allman Brothers guitarist Gregg Allman. The band is known for gracefully blending genres and jam in the same way that the Allman family is known for.

photo by Brian Cornish

Samantha Fish is one of the most inventive artists in the blues scene, with her being placed in Guitar World Magazine’s list of “Top 10 Best Blues Guitarists in the World.”

Speaking of the tour, Devon Allman had this to say:

I can’t wait to get back out and spread some music around with my friends. I’ve known Samantha forever now and she’s such a phenomenal talent, her voice and guitar playing are smokin’ and her new band are world class…we’re gonna have some fun out there

The Devon Allman Project tour with Samantha Fish will be heading to multiple NY cities, and tickets can be found here.

THE DEVON ALLMAN PROJECT + THE SAMANTHA FISH BAND ON TOUR

Mar 3 @ The Kent Stage | Kent, OH
Mar 4 @ Riverfront Live | Cincinnati, OH
Mar 5 @ Robins Theatre | Warren, OH
Mar 6 @ Kemba Live | Columbus, OH
Mar 8 @ Jergel’s | Warrendale, PA
Mar 9 @ Town Ballroom | Buffalo, NY
Mar 10 @ Stanley Theater | Utica, NY
Mar 11 @ HMAC | Harrisburg, PA
Mar 12 @ Palladium | New York, NY
Mar 13 @ Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center | Chester, NY
Mar 16 @ Musikfest Cafe | Bethleham, PA
Mar 17 @ Palace Theater | Manchester, NH
Mar 18 @ Loos Center for the Arts | Woodstock, CT
Mar 19 @ Cabot Theater | Beverly, MA
Mar 20 @ Westhampton Beach PAC | Westhampton Beach, NY
Mar 23 @ Academy of Music | Northampton, MA
Mar 24 @ The Egg | Albany, NY
Mar 25 @ Mayo Performing Arts Center | Morristown, NJ
Mar 26 @ The Beacon Theatre | Hopewell, VA

THE DEVON ALLMAN PROJECT

Apr 1 @ Hawaii Theatre Center | Honolulu, HI
Apr 2 @ Castle Theater | Maui, HA

February 5, 2022
False Pockets Are Ready to Experiment With Their Future

Rochester trio False Pockets have returned with their new single ‘Quarter Life Crisis Diapers’, off their upcoming album, Selfish Prophecies. The album, out February 18th, features more of the math rock sound their fans love, along with some new elements.

After celebrating the release, Ben Chesnes and Erik Happ are here to share some behind the scenes of how it all came together.

Kamra Wint : So, the new single just came out, congrats! How do you guys feel about it?

Ben Chesnes : We’ve been listening to these for a while, so it’s nice that others can hear it, for sure.

Erik Happ : It’s nice that it’s finally out, we don’t have to be in the processing stage anymore.

KW: When did the band start writing and coming up with the idea for ‘Quarter Life Crisis Diapers’?

EH : Almost two years ago. During quarantine, we all got together and started making music.

BC : I think one of the riffs in this song was one of the first things [Erik] sent me for the new album.

KW : What made you guys want to release ‘Quarter Life Crisis Diapers’ as your first single?

EH : I think, as a band, we all mutually agreed that it was the best one.

BC : There’s a bunch of catchy parts in it, and some of the other songs on the album are a little more long winded.

KW : How did you guys get together? How did you all find each other?

BC : Erik and I originally met at FLCC because we were both studying audio technology, but we didn’t start playing music until years after.

EH : I think it was Fall 2018, I was wearing a Caddywhompus shirt and Ben was like “yo, nice shirt!”. I was like “we should really play some music together sometime.” I had just moved out here, and had nobody to play with so I was down.

KW : Zach is your third member right? How did you guys meet him?

EH : We were looking for a bassist, so I asked my friend, who was an Eastman Kid [Eastman School of Music], if he knew anyone and he suggested Zach. I just got lucky finding the right people.

KW : So what do you guys have in mind for the future? What are you thinking of?

BC : Well, I feel like our writing process is generally more like Erik coming up with the starting points and then we get together and kind of work it out. We honestly don’t have much written for our next leap, I feel like we wanted to sit with this one for a little bit.

EH : We have a bunch of stuff actually. We have like three songs in form and then a bunch of little ideas. I’m hoping to stray away from writing every single thing, and have us just like get into a room and just come up with ideas collectively.

BC : I think this album definitely has a lot more of that though. Our first EP that we came out with in 2019 was more older stuff that Erik had written and this album that we’re coming out with soon is more collective.

The math rock group has even more in store for their fans, with an upcoming New Paltz show in March and another show in Brooklyn. The future is very bright for False Pockets.

‘Quarter Life Crisis Diapers’ is available on all streaming platforms and more information can be found on the band’s website.

February 3, 2022
Catch Organ Fairchild on their Winter Tour Across New York State

Buffalo’s Organ Fairchild, winner of NYS Music’s March Madness in 2021, will head out on tour this winter for 10 stops over February and March, 9 of which are in New York. They’ll kick off their tour on Thursday, February 3rd at Hickey Tavern in St. Bonaventure, then perform at Duende at Silo City on Friday, February 4.

One year ago, the band marked the release of single, “Seepin’,” from the long-time Buffalo jam band veterans, whose members have a history on the jam scene dating back 40 years. Joe Bellanti (organ and keyboards), Corey Kertzie (drums and percussion) and Dave Ruch (guitar) make for a mean trio that has been years in the making.

They’ll also link up with Syracuse’s Sophistafunk for a pair of shows in early March. With additional shows in Rochester, Ithaca, Albany, the Adirondacks and Southern Tier, there’s no shortage of shows for New Yorkers to get down with Organ Fairchild’s tasty Buffalo funk and grooves.

February 2, 2022
Cory Wong, Antwaun Stanley and Sierra Hull Hit All the Right Notes in Rochester

When funk mavens Cory Wong and the Wongnotes announced, over two variants ago, that mandolin phenom Sierra Hull would be opening their winter tour, it seemed like an odd pairing. With the tour finally getting underway, their recent stop at Anthology in Rochester on Sunday, January 30, proved it to be a brilliant choice.

As Hull took the stage, the crowd was already near capacity, escaping the deep-freeze portion of the Rochester winter and taking advantage of what little scraps of live music could be found amongst the pandemic-ravaged scene. The audience was immediately rapt with Hull’s masterful playing as she strummed and picked through “Poison” off her 2020 release, 25 Trips. It didn’t take long for the bill to pay dividends as Wongnotes saxman Eddie Barbash came out to join her on a fantastic duet cover of “People Get Ready” and would stay out for the rest of her short set. After a blazing bluegrass number she brought out more Wongnotes: Sunny T on bass, Kevin Gastonguay on keys and Petar Janjic on drums. They played through Hull’s “Weighted Mind,” Del McCoury’s “Blues Rollin’ In” and closed out on blazing instrumental that showcased the groupings unique collective talents.

After a short break, Cory Wong took the stage with his full Wongnote unit. A five-piece horn section including members of Prince’s New Power Generation Band and Jon Batiste’s Stay Human joined Janjic, Sunny and Gastonguay to round out the band. They blasted non-stop through high-energy funks, bluesy grooves and dancehall throw-downs, going five songs into the set before taking a breather. Wong was content to lay the groundwork from which his bandmates could shine. He was happy to play bandleader and not draw the spotlight to his own playing as much as one would expect. Then midway through the set he broke free on a ripping effects-laden solo. With the reins loosened, he would rock out a bit more liberally in the second half of the set.

Nearing the end of the first set, it was time for Hull to come back to the stage. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones are not a band that draws a lot of comparison, with good reason. But what Cory Wong and the Wongnotes pulled off with Hull on stage could worthily be described as “Flecktones-ian.” The unique blend of funk, soul, jazz and bluegrass with a splash of Irish jig highlighted in a brand new song Wong and Hull penned together, brought to mind the distinct sounds Bela and his band introduced to the world. Stunning stuff!

As if backing a bluegrass mandolin and then a guitar-led instrumental funk band wasn’t enough of a flex for the Wongtones, they emerged after another short break for a closing set backing R&B singer Antwaun Stanley. Converted to a full bore party band, they ably kept pace with Stanley as he bounded and twirled and preached and effused love. The crowd, who were fully engaged since note one of the opening set, were easily molded into Stanley’s party-goers. They were at the ready, clapping the beat, waving arms in sync, or singing in call and response with only a hint of a prompt. Whether it was on originals like “Speed Of Night,” and “Where Are We Now” or on a Stevie Wonder Medley, the results were the same, this was Sunday night party and we were all invited.

The moments unfolded in exciting and enjoyable fashion one by one, but the show’s dynamic presentation, when taken as a whole in the rearview, revealed a one-of-a-kind concert experience.

January 31, 2022
Bleachers Tour to Make Stops in NYC, Cooperstown, Lewiston this Summer

Following both the release of their 2021 album and their performance debut on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, Bleachers have announced that they will be going on tour. Accompanying the tour announcement is the release of the music video for “How Dare You Want More,” a fan favorite off of their last project Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night.

Bleachers, Saturday Night Live

The indie-pop act first came to fruition in 2013. While on the road with Fun, Jack Antonoff worked on his own solo project. The first single, “I Wanna Get Better,” was released a year later in 2014 and received extraordinarily positive critical reception. Since then, the act has released three studio albums and Antonoff has continued to grow in notoriety, working with the likes of Charli XCX, Carli Rae Jepsen, and more. Their latest album features both Bruce Springsteen and Lana Del Rey.

Rising indie star Beabadoobee will also be joining the band on tour in their three New York stops. She is a Filipino-British songwriter reminiscent of Phoebe Bridgers or Clairo. Her soft vocals which lullaby over acoustic guitar progressions create a cozy and nostalgic atmosphere for the listener. You may know her for her viral hit remix with Powfu, “death bed (coffee for your head),” which has since racked up over a billion streams on Spotify alone since its release in 2020. At only 21 years old, the young talent has since built a cult following and shows a promising future in the indie scene and her newest song, “Cologne,” shows both versatility and promise.

Beabadoobee

The band will pass through three New York venues in July, including the designated New York City landmark Radio City Music Hall. Other venues include ARTPARK Amphitheater, located alongside the Niagra River, and Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mar 24 – Roadrunner, Boston, MA (SOLD OUT)

Mar 25 – Roadrunner, Boston, MA (SOLD OUT)

May 17 – House of Blues, Orlando, FL

May 18 – Jannus Live, St. Petersburg, FL

May 20 – The Fillmore, New Orleans, LA

May 21 – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater, Austin, TX

May 24 – House of Blues, Houston, TX

May 25 – South Side Ballroom, Dallas, TX

May 29 – BottleRock, Napa Valley, CA

Jun 10 – Primavera Sound, Barcelona, Spain

Jun 15 – Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA

Jun 17 – Bonnaroo, Nashville, TN

Jun 18 – Bonnaroo SuperJam, Nashville, TN

Jun 20 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO (SOLD OUT)

Jun 23 – Orpheum, Vancouver, BC

Jun 25 – Marymoor Park, Seattle, WA

Jun 26 – Grand Lodge, Forest Grove, WA

Jun 28 – San Jose Civic Center, San Jose, CA

Jun 29 – The Forum, Los Angeles, CA

Jul 22 – Thompson’s Point, Portland, ME

Jul 26 – Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY

Jul 27 – ARTPARK Amphitheater, Lewiston, NY

Jul 29 – Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY

The artist pre-sale for the tour begins at 12 PM EST on Monday, January 31st. Spotify pre-sale starts on Thursday, February 3rd at 10 AM EST. Moreover, Citi cardmembers will have access to pre-sale tickets for three select days: Monday, January 31st at 2 PM EST until Thursday, February 3rd at 10 PM EST.

Access for everyone starts Friday, February 4th at 10 PM EST.

For more details visit www.citientertainment.com or https://www.bleachersmusic.com.

January 31, 2022
Interview: Snake Anthony and the Wood Brothers Shed Across New York State

The Wood Brothers started 2022 in the Empire State with dates in Rochester’s Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater, Albany’s Palace Theater and Plattsburgh’s Strand Center for the Arts. It marks the Wood Brothers first time at Kodak since Feb 2020, and bassist Chris Wood took some time after the gig for a quick chat with NYS Music.

Matthew Romano: Good to have the Wood Brothers back at Kodak Theater for the first time since Feb 2020. Eastman School of Music Steve Gadd’s quote comes to mind from your performance. “When you get it musically to a level where everyone on the bandstand is having fun and can hear each other and you can trust the audience is hearing it the way you are it gets to a spiritual level. In Japan or wherever you are. That’s the goal.” How did last night’s energy feel at Kodak?

Chris Wood: Yea last night was the first show we had since the holiday break. Combination of excitement to be back and playing with band mates and touring with our crew we love. But also the feeling of being a little bit rusty. Got to get my sound right. Ya know?

MR: Well the vibe you guys gave off on the bandstand looked like a lot of fun. The dynamics alone. You jumping from the Hofner to the stand up. Jano jumping from the kit to shitar. Handheld keyboards. Oliver switched acoustic and electric with rip snorting slide guitar.

CW: We want sonic variety. As well as musical variety and of course dynamics. Some songs are like a rock band and then some stripped down. For us that’s what makes the show interesting. It’s not just one thing all night. There’s a real shape to the set. Different moments that have a completely different vibe. The tone pallet ya know?

MR: Well your going back to The Palace Theater in Albany where MMW in December 2000 had Trey Anastasio come sit in for an improvisational Partido Alto. Then a “We are rolling” second set jam. Any memories of that pallet?

CW: Trey has sat in with us a bunch. I didn’t realize that it was in Albany too. Before we knew Phish was when we were in our downtown New York City music scene. We had no concept of the jam band scene. We lived in a different musical universe. Phish started playing us during their set breaks and then their fans showed up almost overnight in our crowd . But as far as musical memories that go back to 2000…I had no idea that tape was out there (laughter)

MR: MMW’s “Your Name is Snake Anthony” has helped coin the term for the Capital Region for cats on the road, “Shedding up and down the Hudson River”

CW: Well you can thank Col. Bruce Hampton for that.

MR: That was the Colonel?

CW: That’s Bruce. Yea we just sent that track to him and we’re like do something over this and he just improvised that over it. Right. Like “we lived in a shed.” That’s all Bruce.

MR: Seeing “Atlas” get played differently again last night keeps that song with a fun on the road vibe, stopping on a dime. What’s behind the scenes on “Atlas” that keeps it fresh?

CW: It was on our first wood bros record. It was a song that existed before the wood bros in Oliver’s band King Johnson. He wrote it for them in the 90s. The live arrangement is always morphing. It’s gotten really fast and sometimes it’s stripped down with the Rix on shitar and then electric loud and rocking. That’s what’s fun. A song like that can arrange it in completely different ways. Real, versatile and playful.

MR: Hopefully “Snake Anthony” will help you realize that you’re the best on the road in 2022.

Photo Gallery by Brian Ferguson: The Wood Brothers, Richie Stearns and Aaron Lipp from Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, Tuesday, January 25, 2022.

January 30, 2022
Kid Rock Scraps New York Stop on Tour due to COVID-19 Restrictions

Kid Rock has canceled one of his New York stops on his upcoming tour due to COVID-19 restrictions. Shows in both Buffalo and Toronto, Ontario, have been scrapped from the tour due to COVID-19 restrictions, with Kid Rock threatening to scrap more dates if venues try to place further restrictions that would apply to his shows.

On January 27, 2022 Kid Rock made this announcement on his Facebook page saying he won’t perform anywhere on his 2022 “Bad Reputation Tour” if there are COVID-19 protocols in place. The video was made ahead of tickets going on sale to his tour going at 10AM on January 28, 2022.

The tour will stop in 24 cities and will kick off on April 6, 2022 in Evansville, Indiana before wrapping up at Pine Knob, Michigan in September of 2022. The dates may dwindle down though if attendees are asked to wear masks and show proof of vaccinations.

“You’re going to be getting your money back because I won’t be showing up, either,” Rock said on his Facebook page. “If you think I’m going to sit out there and say don’t tell me how to live, “We The People,” while people are holding up their f-ing vaccine cards and wearing masks, that s— ain’t happening.”

“We actually scratched Buffalo, NY off the list because of that and Toronto, Canada and several other cities we were looking at. I don’t want to deal with that s— either and I know you don’t.”

The tour now has no stops in New York due to mask mandate and vaccination requirements for attending most venues, particularly in NYC. No word if other towns in New York or elsewhere are planning new mask and/or vaccination requirements that prevent Kid Rock from coming to town.

For more information visit on the “Bad Reputation Tour” visit Kid Rock’s website.

January 30, 2022