Indie-pop singer/songwriter Luke Mock released his chill yet upbeat single “What You Deserve,” featuring irresistible vocal harmonies, catchy lyrics, and groovy instrumentals.
Luke Mock is an indie-pop artist hailing from Auburn. His music immerses you in a captivating whirlwind of emotions, driven by catchy hooks, and delivered with genuine charm. With honesty and diving into his personal side at the core of Mock’s music, he forges connections and resonates with others. Compared to the likes of Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, and Julia Michaels, his captivating vocals and infectious pop music elements captivate audiences.
“What You Deserve” is not your typical sad pop song, instead Luke Mock opts for an upbeat feel to the composition. Produced entirely by him with the help of a few friends, the song is professional and well thought out. The single is about Mock reflecting on a past relationship where he felt unable to provide his partner with what they deserved, primarily due to bad timing and his own journey of self-discovery, with elements of upbeat madness and sadness.
The song immediately brings you in with an upbeat guitar and percussion, inviting the listener into his melancholy world. Fading just as fast as it started, Mock brings in his acoustic guitar, hitting your ears with his soft yet powerful vocals. Singing, “It was the wrong time/For you to walk in my life/I just couldn’t suffice/Something ’bout it all didn’t feel right,” he reflects on how he couldn’t give his partner what they needed, and it was the wrong place and wrong time. Simple yet complex, the lyrics tear at your heartstrings and leave you tearful.
As he brings you through the first verse, the chorus suddenly pounds in your ears with infectious guitars and upbeat percussion, with overlaying harmonies. Keeping these instrumentals into the second verse, Mock sings, “It’s been a long time//Since I met someone with your heart/Oh baby right from the start/You reached your hand out but I was too far.” Although these lyrics are sad, he doesn’t let you feel that way with his energetic backing guitars and pop sensibilities. He could not give the person “what they deserve,” as the rest of the song keeps this steady rhythm, Mock tells the tragic story but adds a hopeful tone for his future.
Luke Mock’s new song “What You Deserve” is available on all streaming services. For more information about him and to see him live, visit here.
The critically acclaimed Dutch rock band Iguana Death Cult shared their highly anticipated LP Echo Palaceearlier this year. Introduced with four stellar singles, “I Just Want A House,” “Oh No,” “Pushermen,” and “Sensory Overload,” the record received praise from outlets such as DIY, Under the Radar, American Songwriter, Paste, and more.
To celebrate their new album, the band has recently announced a string of North American tour dates, with a handful of East Coast shows with Frankie and the Witch Fingers. The tour will make stops in New York State cities including New York City and Rochester.
This new tour follows Iguana Death Cult’s last 2023 US appearance at this year’s SXSW (Austin, TX), where they played a total of nine showcases. Following the festival, Paste Magazine noted that the band was one of the “20 Best Acts” they saw at the festival.
“I knew I had to see Iguana Death Cult as soon as I heard the band’s name. And they didn’t disappoint. From the word ‘go,’ the whole crowd was dancing and pushing to their garage and psych-rock extravaganza.”
The aftermath of the pandemic can best be described as a time of unease, the people of the world suddenly grew wary and suspicious of one another. During this time, Iguana Death Cult, one of Europe’s most exciting rock exports, became more than just a band to its members – it became therapy.
“I think for the first ten times we went to jam,” says guitarist/vocalist Tobias Opschoor, speaking about the process of making the new album Echo Palace, “we just drank wine and I talked about it, and just kept on talking for hours – and then were like, ‘OK, I have to go because I have to go to work tomorrow.”
Taking place at frontman Jeroen Reek’s apartment in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, these gatherings slowly shifted from talking about this surreal chapter of their lives — the days of quiet streets and cramped buildings — to making music about it. “I was living in a really crappy, leaky, ready-for-demolition apartment,” explains Reek, “with just one heat source—like a really old-school, gas stove kind of thing.” Working on cold nights, they had to gather around that heater together— a cozy approach that ultimately got their creative flow going, fast.
Armed with the talents of Justin Boer on bass and Arjen van Opstal on drums, and tapping the keys work Jimmy de Kok for the first time on album, the band took their trademark melodic garage-rock style and expanded it out to make it vibier and looser, with each member contributing ideas to develop the sound palette in full. “We all get into this sort of blender and then everybody gives a little bit of a flavor to it,” says Opschoor.
The sounds they started to make tapped into the band’s acerbic bite established on their first two LPs, 2017’s The First Stirrings of Hideous Insect Life and 2019’s Nude Casino — albums that sometimes felt like Parquet Courts colliding with Super Furry Animals.
Their explosive performances of these records turned them into a cult live act among psych fans, who have followed the band everywhere from Amsterdam to Austin. But working on this new album, huddled together as the world split apart, everything began to flutter like Remain in Light.
Echo Palace
Echo Palace may be the Iguana Death Cult music that’s most overtly about the strange cause and effect of groupthink, but the theme has been lurking there since the very beginning, when the band was first formed by childhood friends Reek and Opschoor over ten years ago.
The name of Iguana Death Cult is a partial nod to Reek’s fascination with cults in general — and the “Iguana” part is a nod to Iggy Pop, whose first band was the Iguanas. Watching the pandemic paranoia and conspiracy theories steeping across their country, Reek wrote lyrics reflecting the scene in front of him: “Purple, veiny soccer mommies,” he sings in a deep, foreboding voice on the song “Echo Palace,” “Sharpening their guillotines.” It’s a cut so infectious that it betrays the density of its lyrics, which were adapted from a poem Reek wrote about the repercussions of “shutting yourself off from everyone outside of your own ideology.”
When it came time to record the full set, the band headed to PAF Studio in Rotterdam, and then had the self-produced album subsequently mixed by Joo-Joo Ashworth at Studio 22 in Los Angeles and mastered by Dave Cooley. As the instruments swirl and trade solos on “I Just a Want House,” a funky millennial nihilist anthem, you can practically hear the growth of a group that’s been pushing itself further and further with every tour and every Belgian-stove fueled jam session.
The album is a big swing, stretching Iguana Death Cult beyond its garage rock origins and taking them to a new realm. It’s the type of project that warranted having legendary Dutch saxophonist Benjamin Herman stop by to add to the squall on tracks like “Oh No” and “Sensory Overload,” heady thrashers that morph into calculated freakouts; that warranted Reek and Opschoor knowing when screaming their guts out on tracks like “Pushermen,” and Boer and van Opstal knowing when to bring the rhythm section to a jazzy simmer on tracks like “Paper Straws.”
The end result of Echo Palace is an appropriately worldly album from a group breaking past the confines of its home country. That’s not to say that Iguana Death Cult aren’t proudly Dutch; the group takes from the trademark hard work ethic of their Rotterdam base and applies it to their approach with music. But it’s 2022, and we’re less defined by our borders than ever before. “When we play in other countries, for me that gives the same amount of pleasure — or even more — than when we play in the Netherlands,” says Opschoor.
Tour Dates
*With Frankie and the Witch Fingers. Tickets to each city are included in the links below.
Hip-hop artists are the most envied and least protected individuals on the planet. Many pursue a rap career without knowledge of the risks associated with the occupation. Keisha Plum could be considered a rapper, yet she never has to sound like one. She sounds sensuous and soulful as her poetic tongue glides down the back end of Griselda tracks. A true spoken word poet – this woman gives hope to those who speak their truth in the form of soliloquies.
In Plum Poetry We Trust
Keisha Plum – a.k.a Buffalo Jill – drips Tears of Honey onto every page. A great deal of her poetry began when she would send meaningful letters to her brother who was serving in the military.
Growing up in Buffalo made her gravitate toward the African American Cultural Center to express herself. Within the AACC compound, she learned what she could do with her craft. A young Keisha Plum learned about her roots through various mediums of cultural black excellence.
“If Rakim & Nikki Giovanni did the nasty, they would have had me.”
K.Plum on Flygod
She learned that she could write poetry and talk shit at the same time. Obviously, it is much deeper than that but it is evident that she enjoys to paint vivid pictures with her poems. Drawing incredible inspiration from the likes of Maya Angelou, this phenomenal woman lays down piercing poetry that encapsulates the entire Griselda movement.
Griselda the Behemoth
Griselda Records hits you from so many different angles. With nearly 30 artists on roster – each one brings something different and puts the listener into a different perspective on each and every track.
Not to mention, they are the head of the umbrella to all of these spectacular artists that hear their work and strive to go harder than the day before. It is such a blessing to discover all of these underground talents adjacent to Griselda who just want to put their own spin on it.
Clearly, Westside Gunn never even had to touch a mic and he would still be set – his kid’s great-grandkids would be set. But we are so glad he did. His lead-by-example no nonsense approach, creative direction and guerilla marketing tactics place him head and shoulders above the competition.
Westside Gunn is the type of individual who ensures that his legacy will carry on for generations. Ultimately, humans judgment ultimately occurs as a result of outcomes. Did you push yourself every day to ensure that your work will live on when your physical form no longer can? WSG pushes him and his team to their furthest extent – hence all of the new artists and real rap that has risen to the forefront in the past decade.
Buffalo Kids Stick Together
Westside Gunn and Keisha Plum attended Grammar School for the Gifted & Talented together. When Keisha had to settle for a retail job, Wes pulled up on her at the mall to recruit her talent. He wrote poems for Keisha to lay down in the booth as everything came into fruition with meticulous planning and preparation. It was just up to her to fine tune the content, plug & play words that she saw fit and ultimately execute the vision laid before her.
The most impressive part about Keisha Plum and her ascension is the way that she bends the genre backwards and flips hip-hop on its headpiece. She is living proof that if you know yourself – know your worth – know what you’re capable of doing – and act upon ideas you can be successful. This woman is single-handedly rearranging the constructs of hip-hop one spoken word at a time.
Interested in hearing her live? Catch her at The Cookout in September.
Several recording studios in Western New York are at the disposal of aspiring musicians looking to make a name for themselves in the industry. Within the region, Buffalo and Rochester are the epicenter of music-making. with many studios established for decades, and others just starting out.
Counties of Western New York
Blackdog Recording Studios in Rochester, incorporated in 2005, is a full-service audio and video production company located in the heart of downtown Rochester’s East End district, right near the world-renowned Eastman School of Music. The studio offers a wide array of specialized services including recording, mixing, mastering, and a wide variety of aspects of audio, podcast, video production, musical scores, sync licensing, and educational programming.
The sound room in Blackdog Recording Studios.
Wicked Squid Studios in Rochester offers recording, mixing, mastering, editing services, and music lessons for artists. The facility has two studios, A and B, and a mobile recording studio, “The Truck.” The custom-built RV functions as a mobile control room, and can be used for location recording, broadcast, and mixdown.
The sound room in Studio A at Wicked Squid Studios.
GFI Music Productions in Wayne County, part of the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area, has welcomed a steady stream of talented artists of all styles from legendary multi-platinum artists such as Lou Gramm (Foreigner) and Russell Tompkins Jr. (Stylistics) to well-known genre artists like Greg Howe, Victor Wooten and Dennis Chambers. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a band just starting, GFI will assure that your recording experience is a great one. GFI offers several recording, production, and artist management services. GFI has two studios, A, and B, available for artists’ recording needs.
GFI’s Studio A is one of the best tracking and mixing rooms in Upstate New York. Studio A offers state-of-the-art digital recording, a 14’x23′ control room, a 25′x 27′ main room, a 6′x 7′ iso booth, and more. Studio B is equipped with a 14’x 22′ control room, a 14’x 26′ main room, and a 5’x 6′ iso booth, and offers HD recording and editing, among others.
A guitar set in Studio B of GFI Recording Studio.
Outer Limit Recording Studio opened in 1993 and is located in the Erie County city of Cheektowaga, a suburb of Buffalo, and offers artists high-quality recording, professional mixing, professional mastering, music production, and more. The studio comes equipped with a control room, recording room, production suite, drum room, piano room, snack room, game room/lounge, and writing room. The control room is outfitted with top-quality outboard gear by Avalon, Focusrite, Universal Audio, Lexicon, PreSonus, Grace Design, Empirical Labs, and more. The recording room comes equipped with microphones from Neumann, AKG, Blue, Sennheiser, Oktava, GA Project, Shure, and a dozen others, allowing artists to have the best mic quality to achieve the best sound for their music. The production, the newest edition to the outer limit, is available to rent to produce beats with either Maschine and its controller and keyboard, or with Reason and the controller and/or keyboard.
Outer Limit provides musicians with four soundproof performance rooms, each offering its own unique sound, bringing a different depth and quality to your project. The 1945 Everett upright in the piano room, from the now-defunct Everett Piano Company, is always tuned and waiting, and the room has been specifically designed for great sound. The snack room is available anytime for artists to unwind or have a bite to build up their energy, and provides a microwave and a small refrigerator. While your songs are being mixed or if you just need a break from the studio, enjoy the Xbox One or PS4 in the game room. Lastly, the writing room is the perfect place to rework your music or put that last-minute sparkling touch on your project.
In business for nearly three decades as of 2023, Outer Limit Recording Studio is one of the top recording studios in New York State and one of the go-to studios in Buffalo. Owner and chief engineer Ken Rutkowski is determined to provide each client with the best recording possible and an inspiring and comfortable environment in which to create it. Big names in the music business like Smokepurpp, Eminem Raheem DeVaughn, and the music group D-12 have recorded at the Outer Limit, as have local recording artists based in Western New York and all throughout the East Coast.
Ken Rutkowski, chief engineer/owner of Outer Limit Recording Studio.
GCR Audio, located in the heart of downtown Buffalo, has worked with the Goo Goo Dolls on several of their albums. Buffalo natives, the Goo Goo Dolls recorded their self-titled debut album Goo Goo Dolls, as well as Jed, Hold Me Up, Superstar Car Wash, A Boy Named Goo, Jessie J, and Who You Are at GCR Audio. Opened in 1980 and originally known as Trackmaster Audio, the studio is housed in the former chapel of the historically protected, 150-year-old St. Margaret’s Girls School.
GCR Audio was designed by world-famous studio architect John Storyk (Electric Lady Studios, Jungle City, personal studios for Whitney Houston, Bob Marley, Jay Z, Aerosmith, Green Day, and Alicia Keys). Prior to the Goo Goo Dolls gaining international success in the mid-’90s, both guitarist/singer John Rzeznik and bassist/singer Robby Takac worked at the studio in various roles that ranged from reception to engineering and producing. Their first #1 song, “Name,” was recorded at GCR Audio while it was still known as Trackmaster.
The Fender Jaguar guitar is available for musicians to practice with at Select Sound Recording Studio.
Select Sound Recording Studios in Erie County Village of Kenmore, part of the Buffalo-Niagra Falls metropolitan area, has been in business in New York for nearly 50 years since 1974. Select Sound provides musical artists with two recording studios, A and B, and a comfort and convenience area with a reception, lounge, and coffee area. The main studio, A, has a control room, a Yamaha C-7 Grand Piano, a drum riser, and a live room. Studio B is equipped with a vocal booth for voice-overs, editing, and spot production. The studio was designed by Lakeside Associates, now theYanchar Design and Consulting Group, who designed the Los Angeles headquarters of Disney-ABC, Capitol Records, and both the Los Angeles and New York headquarters for CBS Records.
ProTools MIDI suite with a vocal booth in Studio B of Select Sound Recording Studio.
Additionally, Select Sound Recording Studios offers a wide variety of training programs for musicians. The Vocational Training Program is made up of six courses, First in Audio Recording, followed by Non-Linear Recording, Advanced Production Techniques, Midi and Sequencing for the Home and Pro Studio, Analog Recording and Mastering, and lastly, an Independent Study for Advanced Students. Furthermore, internships are available for students in the Vocational Training Program.
The Control Room in Studio A of Select Sound Recording Studios.
Recording Technologies 1: Audio Engineering is a comprehensive study of the history of recording, the recording chain, the physics of sound, production techniques, studio acoustics, signal processing equipment, various applications of microphones and direct lines, and the operation of the mixing console. Students participate in the production of a recording session. Recording Technologies 2: Non-Linear Recording teaches students what they need to know to complete a recording project, from initial setup to final mixdown. Recording Technologies 3: Advanced Production Technologies provides a more detailed look at Pro Tools and covers all the key concepts and skills needed to operate a Pro Tools LE system. Students will learn about external controllers, loop recording, advanced techniques, audio editing and file management techniques, automation enabling, playing, viewing, and editing automation data, mixing, using sends, returns, plug-ins, master faders, and groups.
The Yamaha C-7 Grand Piano in Studio A of Select Sound Recording Studio. Tuning and maintenance by BPO technician Robert Sowyrda.
The next class, Recording Studios 4: MIDI and Sequencing for the Home and Pro Studio teaches students the basics of Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI,) event editing and its role in music creation. Students will learn how to create sequencer and drum patterns without needing any keyboard skills and be able to use them to enhance audio recordings, complete songs, or just create demos. The focus will also be on analog synthesis, sampling, and loop construction as it applies to the creation of much of today’s music using Propellerhead’s Reason software. In Recording Studios 5: Analog Recording and Mastering, students will learn analog recording and mixing, audio for multi-media, and 5.1 surround sound production. The final course, Recording Studios 6: Independent Study for Advanced Students concentrates on the student’s professional goals, and the student will receive a block of hours for instruction, pre-production, recording, mixing, and mastering.
Mammoth Recording Studio in Buffalo exhibits a laid-back, old-school feel akin to that of a ‘70s rec room or secret clubhouse, complete with a rotary dial telephone. Its décor radiates a colorful, comfortable vibe that reflects the studio’s philosophy, which is to provide creative, high-end production that helps to realize the musician’s initial ideas and facilitate their journey as artists. Mammoth is owned and operated by Justin John Smith and Mike Santillo. Smith, singer, and guitarist of Aircraft, has a degree in sound recording from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Santillo is the Keyboardist for Buffalo’s The Tins and has been recording his band’s music for the better part of a decade.
The inside of Mammoth Recording Studio.Musicians have access to the Korg MS-20 guitar center at Mammoth Recording Studio.
LBA Recording Studio in North Collins, a village in Erie County, was established in 2010 and offers music production, recording, analog mixing, mastering, and photography for musicians. LBA Studios is a 40-track professional recording studio focused on delivering high-quality audio with an inspiring analog sound. LBA is fully equipped with an extensive collection of vintage and modern pieces of professional recording equipment. When it comes time to record, there are multiple rooms with video communication and personal audio mixers for your headphones. It’s a comfy vibe just a short car ride from Buffalo.
Owner Mike Congliosi II has a long history and background in music making. Music producer, recording engineer, and sole proprietor at LBA, he has more than 20 years of experience in the business, first began recording music in 1998, and has an associate’s degree from Villa Maria College of Buffalo before obtaining his master’s in studio production from SUNY Purchase. Throughout his career, Congliosi has worked with hundreds of artists in many various genres from around the United States.
Mike Congliosi, owner of LBA Studios. A drumset at LBA Studios.
A wide array of recording studios are at artists’ disposal who are looking to make a name in the music business in Central New York. Some of these studios have been in business for decades, while others are just starting out. Buffalo and Rochester are the epicenters of music-making in Western New York, with several recording studios at artists’ disposal.
New York organist trio Organ Fairchild release a second lead single ahead of their new album Leisure Suit, this time around a groovy cover of the Grateful Dead’s track “He’s Gone.”
The funky, upbeat instrumental rendition of the well-known song will come out Friday, July 21, 2023, serving as a taste of what’s to come from their second album coming this September.
Recorded, mixed, and co-produced by Grammy-winning engineer Justin Guip (HotTuna, Levon Helm) and mastered by Alan Evans (Soulive), the song additionally showcases the band’s love for the Grateful Dead, a group that has meant a lot to them throughout their journey.
Group members Dave Ruch, Joe Bellanti, and Corey Kertzie originally met and started off as the Wild Knights in 1983, a cover group for the Grateful Dead, incorporating some of their older cover styles with fresh, new funk sounds into the single.
The three of us grew up playing Grateful Dead music together, so how fun to take our organ-trio format (with no singing and no bass player!) and reinterpret this song.”
– Dave Ruch
Coming together as Organ Fairchild in 2020, the trio began writing their first original music together, while also earning the title of New York’s number-one emerging band in 2021.
Photo via the Organ Fairchild website
Organ Fairchild is no stranger to large festivals either, playing shows and festivals with Goose, Trey Anastasio Band, Melvin Seals, moe., and many more.
The lead single drops just one week before Organ Fairchild heads on their “Dead of Summer” Tour. Their tour expects to feature a full set of Grateful Dead covers, organ-trio style, along with a set of their award-winning original material.
The annual Ganondagan Indigenous Music and Arts Festival returns on July 22 and 23. The event runs 10AM-5PM on both Saturday and Sunday at the Seneca Art & Culture Center in Victor, NY. The festival is free to the public, however donations will go toward funding future events.
Ganondagan is a historic site located on the original ground of a 17th century Seneca town. Taking up over 500 acres, the site honors the way in which the Seneca people have influenced everything from political philosophy to our concept of the natural environment. Since its construction in 2015, the Seneca Art and Culture Center has acted as a space to demonstrate Haudenosaunee contributions to art, culture, and society.
The Sinquah Family Dance Troupe
The Ganondagan Indigenous Music and Arts Festival looks to highlight Haudenosaunee and Indigenous culture through various ways. The festival will include dancing, storytelling, traditional crafts, a Native American arts market, food, live music and more.
Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the Wampum/OTGOÄ Exhibition in the Seneca Art & Culture Center. In addition to the tour, there will be on-demand t-shirt screen printing with artwork from artist Peter Jemison (Seneca). Organizers encourage visitors to bring their own 100% cotton shirt to have screen printed.
The artists performing at the festival represent several different cultures and groups. This year’s lineup of performers includes Native folk-rock band, December Wind (Mohawk). There will also be dancers from the Sinquah Family Dance Troupe (Hopi/Tewa/Choctaw) and the Haudenosaunee social dancers, Indigenous Spirit Dancers. In addition to music and dance, the festival will feature storytelling from Ronnie Reitter (Seneca) & Tonia Galban (Mohawk). Artists Samantha Jacobs (Seneca), Cliff Redeye (Seneca), and Marilyn Issacs (Tuscarora) are also all scheduled to host demonstrations.
December Wind- Facebook
December Wind is a Native folk-rock band led by two-time Native American Music Award-winning artist, Atsiaktonkie (Mohawk) accompanied by bass guitarist, Terry Terrance (Mohawk). Together, the group expertly fuses folk-rock with the sounds of Akwesasne/Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) culture. December Wind songs are filled with stories of love, hope, the struggles of native peoples and the beauty of their heritage.
Here for more details and information about the Ganondagan Indigenous Music and Arts Festival.
Songwriter, harpist, and Rochester born artist Mikaela Davis has recently shared a stunning music video to accompany her newest single “Cinderella.” The song is a selection from her upcoming album And Southern Star which will officially be released on Aug. 4 via Kill Rock Stars.
Since releasing her debut album Delivery five years ago, Mikaela Davis has traveled far away from her hometown of Rochester to fully immerse herself in her musical journey. The artist has joined the stage with musicians from all backgrounds of music and genres including founding members of the Grateful Dead Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, eight-time Grammy Award winner Christian McBride, and American indie folk band Bon Iver.
Although Davis earned her degree in harp performance at the Crane School of Music, she has grown and built off of that foundation into a multi-genre and multi-talented artist, molding her classical music training to create an original and genre-bending catalog that weaves together 60s pop-soaked melodies, psychedelia, and driving folk rock. This diverse mix of sounds is what fans should expect from her upcoming album along with the story of Davis’ ever-evolving relationships between her closest friends and bandmates. And Southern Star is a truly collaborative effort that ruminates on the choices we make, and the people we always come back to.
Fans can now use the single “Cinderella” to understand the direction Mikaela Davis is heading in this new decade of growth and storytelling. The song begins with the hauntingly beautiful picking of a solo harp quickly joined by Davis’ atmospheric and soul-stirring melodic voice. Davis can be seen playing the instrument in a gorgeous red dress, tearing the pieces, and running through fields of green throughout the video. As the song picks up, more instruments are built on to add support to a primarily fragile musical story surrounding the girl with countless choices to make with even more roadblocks in her way: Cinderella.
Davis will continue to give her fans all the content they desire as the artist is starting out on tour this summer and into the Fall. She will travel to stages all over the United States bringing her beautiful voice and classically trained harp skills to select audiences. Joining her in multiple locations is the alternative and indie band The Mountain Goats.
Mikaela Davis Tour Dates
AUG 3, THU Happy Valley, OR Pickathon FEST AUG 4, FRI Happy Valley, OR Pickathon FEST AUG 5, SAT Seattle Nectar AUG 8, TUE Redding, CA The Dip AUG 9, WED Fresno, CA Strummers AUG 11, FRI Phoenix, AZ Last Exit AUG 12, SAT Truth or Consequences, NM Artist Abbey AUG 13, SUN Santa Fe, NM Meow Wolf AUG 17 THU, Minneapolis, MN Turf Club AUG 20 SUN Evanston, IL SPACE OCT 2 MON @ 7:00 pm Solana Beach, CA Belly Up * OCT 3 TUE @ 7:00pm Los Angeles, CA The Belasco Theater * OCT 5 THU @ 7:00pm San Francisco, CA August Hall * OCT 6 FRI @ 7:00 pm San Francisco, CA August Hall * OCT 7 SAT @ 7:00 pm Sacramento, CA Ace Of Spades * OCT 9 MON @ 7:00 pm Spokane WA Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox * OCT 10 TUE @ 8:00 pm Boise, IDKnitting Factory Concert House * OCT 11 WED @ 7:00 pm Bozeman, MT The Elm * OCT 13 FRI @ 8:00 pm Boulder, CO Fox Theatre * OCT 14 SAT @ 8:00 pm Englewood, CO Gothic Theatre *
Sam Hunt rolled into Darien Lake on July 15 with his “On The Outskirts” tour. The tour was properly named for this night, as uncertain and potentially rough weather was on the outskirts of town and patiently waiting for the right moment to burst. Luckily, though, the rough weather held off as only light rains fell during the latter part of the night. Sharing the stage on this night were up and coming Lily Rose and well established Brett Young.
Amping up the crowd first was Atlanta’s Lily Rose, playing for about 30 minutes. Thanks to Tik Tok and hashtags, we are finally getting to really know Rose. After several years of working on her music career and not getting too far, Rose uploaded a video of “Villian” to Tik Tok with #lesbiansinger in December 2020. With that, she was subsequently signed and launched her career.
“Villian” is one of those songs that nearly everyone can relate to. Stories or rumors start to circulate around with only one side of a story being known or told. As she belts out the song for the crowd, you can see a larger number of women throughout the crowd laughing and smiling, as they know what the song is about.
Next up was Young. A former baseball standout, Young has taken the country music scene by storm since 2016’s self-titled EP. The 2018 Academy of Country Music Award winner for Best New Male Vocalist rocked the stage for roughly an hour, telling stories and serenading the crowd with hits such as “Mercy”, “In Case You Didn’t Know’, “Like I Loved You.” Playing through obvious pain, Young was seated for most his set on a set of steps on the stage. Luckily for those in attendance, this added an element to his set that really stepped up the show. Sometimes it the simple things really make a difference.
Another former athlete, Hunt takes the stage for these patient fans around 9:20 and continues on for nearly 90 minutes. Soon after coming to realization that he would not be quarterback in the NFL, he picked up a guitar and began his venture in the music world.
Coming out into view atop the stairs the Brett Young did most of his set from, Hunt breaks out into “Raised On It” and “House Party.” The crowd is instantly into this, as I have to duck under hands, beers, and bras while photographing. The photo pit never disappoints.
During “House Party” Hunt leaves the stage to walk around and get up close and personal with his fans, even signing someone’s CD from the front row. He makes a leisurely loop around front section of seats and makes his way back to stage on the other side, again signing an autograph or two.
Released in 2014, his first EP was released and debuted in the top 40 of the Billboard top 200 and was also number 5 on Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Darien Lake was treated to “Leave The Night On”, his eventual number one single from his debut EP. Within a few notes of the song starting, the crowd was going bonkers. A group of college aged ladies near me were standing in their seats, dancing away, hands raised high and screaming the lyrics.
Typically, those in the back sections and lawn seats are left without the experience of seeing an artist up close. Hunt does not like that, so he sets up little stage behind the sound booth and plays a little set from there. Fans in the cheap seats at Darien Lake were treated to a little more intimate show, albeit for 3 songs “Take Your Time”, “Cop Car” (Keith Urban cover) and “Wishful Drinking”. The personal touch he gives these songs and the setting in which he does it were absolutely perfect as the crowd in the back really showed their appreciation by standing there and just listening, rather than screaming and belting out the lyrics. A real class act by Sam.
As the night goes on, the rain begins to fall. Nothing crazy, but enough. Fans toughed it out as Hunt finished his set with “Ex To See” and “Body Like a Back Road”. Thankfully the rough weather that was once On The Outskirts, has now passed without incident.
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Lewiston, NY is a beautiful little hamlet that backs up to the mighty Niagara River and not far from the infamous falls that bring in millions of visitors every year. ArtPark is a picturesque State Park in Lewiston, that sits atop the gorge of the Niagara, that houses a spectacular amphitheater which hosts numerous events throughout the season. After my first visit there last year, I said to myself that the venue kind of looks like a place for a church retreat of sorts. Not that I am a religious person, but that was one my first thoughts. Here we are, about a year later, as Lauren Daigle bringst her religious based music to the venue that I saw had retreat vibes.
Starting the night off around 7:30 was Josh Garrels. Playing for about 30 minutes, Garrels immediately brought the crowd together with his smooth vocals as he preached through lyrics. A well rounded musician, he has been releasing music since 2001 and is a well regarded composer and writer, in addition to his singing.
Hitting the extra large pulpit AKA the stage around 840, the Lafayette, Louisiana native was welcomed with boisterous cheers from music fans as young as 3.
For nearly 90 minutes, she bounced around the stage telling stories as interludes to her songs, talking about how God got her through some anxiety riddled times during the pandemic, and reminiscing about her time in Guatemala.
The trip to Guatemala really touched Lauren, as she befriended Maria. Maria is a child, now 16, who due to reasons out of her control is now the matriarch of her family. It was this situation, as well as time in Kenya that has driven Lauren to create and really push Lauren Daigle | ChildFund. With this, fans can sponsor a child in need in selected countries.
While not a show I would normally choose to cover, my daughter convinced me to do this one, and I am glad I did. Lauren is a world class performer with a broad range of vocals that make you think of Pink, Adele, Shawn Colvin, with some hints of blues scattered about. Her stage presence was amazing, as she interacted with her band throughout the performance, kept the crowd involved and was waving to young folk in the front rows. The backdrop was a colorful piece that looked like a collection of unfinished latch hook projects. The colors and layers were perfect match for the lights used all night.
Joining Lauren on stage was her 11 piece band that was just as active as she. There were 2 percussionists, 3 person brass section, 3 dancers/backup vocalists, a bassist, guitarist, and a DJ to round out the sounds.
Songs, while religious based, weren’t all about ‘you need to listen to the word’ and ‘this is the way’. They all told stories about her life and how she got to where she is today. “Kaleidescope Jesus” is her take on finding God unusual spots and forms. Colors, shapes, movements, the results of an action. The setlist included “Thank God I Do,” “You’re All I’ll Take With Me,” “Rescue,” “St. Ferdinand,” “Tremble,” “Be Ok,” and “You Say.”
“St. Ferdinand” was not on her set list for this show, however after recent interview where the interviewer requested it, it was added. After the song, as she was talking, she realized the person was in the front row and immediately thanked him for actually showing up. Rumor has it that most people who say they will be at a show, don’t show up. Lauren was thrilled to not only see this person, but see them up front.
As the show concluded, Lauren played a 2 song encore of “Be Ok” and “You Say/How Can it Be”. The first encore was bone chilling as it was her poignant vocals backed with the pianist. The sounds echoed through the amphitheater like an empty chamber, a true testament to the power of her voice. Very award worthy.
Making music for over 10 years, Daigle is no stranger to those awards. 4 AMA’s for Contemporary Inspirational, 6 Billboards in Cristian Music categories, 11 GMA Dove Awards (Gospel Music Awards), and 2 Grammy’s. Very respectable career so far, and chances are good that the finish line is not in sight.
Her final song, a blend of 2 songs was powerful and moving. Belting out the lyrics, she stopped about half way through as the crowd took over and sang word for word and crystal clear. Nearly 6 minutes of playtime, fans were in tears and holding hands while swaying side to side. A perfect ending at the venue I thought was could host a religious retreat.
Learn more about Lauren Daigle and her charities, as well as the forthcoming Kaleidescope Tour.
It was hot and muggy in Western New York on July 16, 1990. Crosby, Stills and Nash were opening up for the Grateful Dead at Rich Stadium, and Brent Mydland was amid his final tour with the Dead.
The Grateful Dead played Buffalo a total of 12 times in their storied career, including May 9, 1977 at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium (a day after the famed Cornell 77 show) a show at Kleinhan’s Music Hall on March 17, 1970, and six total shows at Rich Stadium, including this show in 1990. A typical summer stop from 1986-1993, Orchard Park’s Rich Stadium had far more space for fans, after the band outgrew the Memorial Auditorium, The Rich shows becoming part of Deadhead lore.
Playing in Foxboro, MA the night before, fans trekked overnight from Eastern Massachusetts to Western New York, a seven hour drive (not factoring in stops, switching drivers and catching sleep at rest stops along the way). With a capacity of more than 70,000, Rich Stadium was ready to welcome more than Foxboro held by a margin of 10,000, plus plenty of fans arriving from across the Empire State who would call this their first Grateful Dead show.
On the NYS Thruway, traffic crawled in the heat, with fans walking along the highway, slow cars filling the breakdown lane, with fans looking for Miracles via hand-lettered signs as you filed into the Rich Stadium lot. The traffic was so bad getting from the Thruway to Orchard Park, fans were pulling into the lot as the opener, Crosby, Stills and Nash, were beginning to play, the songs trickling over the top of Rich Stadium.
Ticket to the Grateful Dead at Rich Stadium, July 16, 1990
Part of their “Live It Up Tour,” Crosby, Stills and Nash toured off the album Live It Up, the first album the trio recorded since 1983. The album came together when Crosby and Nash began working on a new album as a pair, but following the trio performing at the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Stills became involved in the Crosby and Nash project, as noted in Dave Zimmer’s Crosby, Stills and Nash: The Authorized Biography (The Definitive Inside Story of the Super Group).
View this and more Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below!
Playing a set that was mostly unchanged for the entire tour, CSN made sense as an opener – both bands were part of the late 60s music explosion on the west coast, and with Crosby from Los Angeles and the Dead based in San Francisco and many festival and show billings together, the two bands shared a long history together. Crosby even recorded and performed live with members of the Grateful Dead, billed as David and the Dorks for three shows in 1970. So an opening slot or two on their summer tour was a natural fit, especially with large stadiums like Foxboro and The Rich on the tour schedule.
David and a dork
However, CSN did not mix up their setlist and did not factor in the Grateful Dead shows on their tour, where fans would see more than one night of the tour and catch onto repeats a bit faster. Fans not engaged in the July 16th opening set led to Graham Nash saying to the audience something to the effect of “show us you deserve to wear those tye-dyes and get into it,” reacting to fans non-reaction of the milquetoast opener. One fan recalled that at both shows they saw on the tour, CSN said both times “So, this is what a Grateful Dead audience looks like” with the same banter factored into the set.
This show at Rich Stadium for the Grateful Dead would also be the final tour for Brent Mydland, although that may not have been apparent to many fans at the time. A week later, Mydland would play his final show with the Dead, and die three days later from an overdose. There are points of the show between tunes where the band is enjoying themselves and Brent takes a moment to play a few bars of George M. Cohan’s “Over There” and the “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” keeping it playful and fans on their toes during these brief interludes.
It was unmistakable though, the presence of Mydland on this short, Midwest/east-coast 12-show summer tour, that made his death harder on many. His talent and boisterous vocals on “Man Smart, Women Smarter” and originals like “Blow Away,” the last of which was played this evening in Orchard Park, were unmistakable, clearly identifying shows with his raspy, soulful voice and precision work on the keys.
Following a breezy afternoon, the stadium climate was muggy yet the Grateful Dead were dialed in from the start, opening with “Hell in a Bucket” and following up with an early highlight of the set, “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo.” “Blow Away” had all the emotion Brent ever put into any of version, and featured a “Mind Left Body” jam, standing out as the final performance of the song.
A pair of cowboy songs – “Mama Tried” and “Mexicali Blues” flowed seamlessly together with Bob Weir on vocals, with a fresh off-the-shelf “Loose Lucy” following, fans cheering in gratitude to hear a song not played since 1974 that made its return in March of 1990. The Rolling Stones “It’s All Over Now” fit in nicely with the flow of this stimulating first set, with “High Time,” and a thoroughly enjoyable “Let It Grow” following, with the Brent-heavy “Don’t Ease Me In” closing out the first set.
The second set would feature a unique “Sugar Magnolia” / “Sunshine Daydream” sandwich, the show opening with the first stanza of “Sugar Magnolia” before dissolving into a smooth and unexpected segue onto “Scarlet Begonias” after only three minutes. The crowd reaction when “Scarlet Begonias” is realized by thousands is a sound to behold and embrace. Not stopping, the Dead moved into “Man Smart, Woman Smarter,” the lyrics in unison from Garcia, Weir and Mydland driving the song.
“Ship of Fools” served as a bridge to the obligatory and long-awaited “Truckin’,” with the “Truckin’, up to Buffalo” lyrics eliciting the largest cheers of the night, the jam meandering but finding itself in the final minutes before “Drums.” If you’re looking to revisit the show or listen for the first time, “Drums” is a percussive trip, with “Space” having a creepy laugh track in the background during the first half, a fun (maybe?) accent to the night for those in attendance.
Ticket to the Grateful Dead at Rich Stadium, July 16, 1990
Jumping out of “Space” were short versions of “The Wheel” and “Gimme Some Lovin’” and a somber “Wharf Rat” to balance them out. “Around and Around” found its place coming out of “Wharf Rat,” diving into “Sunshine Daydream” to an enthusiastic crowd hearing a fantastic full set sandwiched inside a classic Grateful Dead song.
“When the 2nd set ended, I remember experiencing an exaggerated exhilarated feeling that I’ve never felt from any show before. Obviously others felt the same because when the Sunshine Daydream reprise finally ended, we were jumping up and down and even the people behind us were so amped that we all just stood there hugging each other. It was ridiculously intense. No other show has lifted me to such heights before and I am so glad I was here.”
The encore of “Brokedown Palace” fit in perfectly to close the night, capping a day for the fans, and Brent Mydland as he performed his final show in New York.
Crosby Stills and Nash – Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY – July 16, 1990
Setlist: Love the One You’re With, Chicago, Drive My Car, Live It Up, Got It Made, Just a Song Before I Go, Night Time for the Generals, For What It’s Worth, Wasted on the Way, Our House, Almost Cut My Hair, Helplessly Hoping, Déjà Vu, (Got to Keep) Open, Southern Cross, Wooden Ships, Teach Your Children, Woodstock
Grateful Dead – Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY – July 16, 1990
Set 1: Hell in a Bucket, Mississippi Half-Step, Blow Away, Mama Tried > Mexicali Blues, Loose Lucy, It’s All Over Now, High Time, Let it Grow > Don’t Ease Me In
Set 2: Sugar Magnolia > Scarlet Begonias > Man Smart/Woman Smarter, Ship of Fools, Truckin’ > drums > space > The Wheel > Gimme Some Lovin’ > Wharf Rat > Around and Around > Sunshine Daydream
