NYS Music 2023

Tag: Town Ballroom

  • Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade To Reunite With Tour Stops in Buffalo, Port Chester, and More

    Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade announced that they will be reuniting after 20 years for the massive Summer of Green Tour 2023. The tour will stop at Buffalo, Port Chester, Westbury and more than 30 other stops.

    Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade
    Les Claypool.

    After a 20-year hiatus, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade has announced its long-awaited return. Formed in the summer of 2000 by Claypool, the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade debuted at the Mountain Aire Festival, and has since gone on multiple celebrated US tours. The band released two live albums in 2001, as well as a studio album Purple Onion in 2002, with their sound being described by Claypool as a “kind of a King Crimson meets Pink Floyd meets Frank Zappa type thing.” The live band features Les Claypool (bass), Sean Lennon (guitar), Harry Waters (keys), Paulo Baldi (drums), Mike Dillon (percussion), and Skerik (horns).

    The last time the group performed was at the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida on May 10, 2003. Claypool has performed in groups like Primus, and he has had a number of wildly successful and influential albums. His unique voice and thumping bass lines are favorites among funk connoisseurs and jam banders alike. “Let’s put it this way … I think, with Primus and without, I’ve played every music festival in the last ten years, except Lilith Fair,” he says. “You could say I’m the guy who doesn’t fit in anywhere, but a little bit everywhere.”

    In addition to this new tour, Claypool has had a busy year of touring. He traveled the country with Primus for the band’s wildly popular ‘A Tribute To Kings’ Tour, performed with Bastard Jazz on NYE and throughout winter 2022, and appeared alongside Ween at Comedy Central’s South Park: 25th Anniversary Concert” at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

    Select June performances will include a co-headlining set with Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew’s ‘Remain In Light’ Tour, which will see the Talking Heads members performing music from a monumental moment in the band’s discography. The tour will feature several festival appearances, including the Summer Camp Music Festival, the Mountain Music Festival, the Riverbend Music Festival, and the Peach Music Festival.

    The new tour with his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade will have 41 dates, with a show on May 30 at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, a show on June 23 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, and a show on June 24 in Westbury at NYCB Theatre [In The Round]. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit here.

    LES CLAYPOOL’S FEARLESS FLYING FROG BRIGADE – The Summer of Green Tour 2023
    Wednesday, May 17th – Stateline, NV – TBA venue ^
    Friday, May 19th – Napa, CA – Blue Note Summer Sessions at TBA venue ^
    Saturday, May, 20th – Santa Cruz, CA – Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium ^
    Sunday, May 21st – San Diego, CA – Observatory North ^
    Tuesday, May 23rd – Salt Lake City, UT – TBA venue ^
    Wednesday, May 24th – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom ^
    Friday, May 26th – Kansas City, MO – Grinders KC
    Saturday, May 27th – Chillicothe, IL – Summer Camp Music Festival
    Sunday, May 28th – Louisville, KY – Iroquois Amphitheater ~
    Tuesday, May 30th – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom ~
    Wednesday, May 31st – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! ~
    Friday, June 2nd – Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre ~
    Saturday, June 3rd – Oak Hill, WV – Mountain Music Festival
    Sunday, June 4th – Chattanooga, TN – TBA venue
    Tuesday, June 6th – Richmond, VA – Brown’s Island *
    Wednesday, June 7th – Raleigh, NC – Raleigh Memorial Auditorium *
    Friday, June 9th – Asheville, NC – Rabbit Rabbit *
    Saturday, June 10th – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern *
    Sunday, June 11th – Columbia, SC – Township Auditorium *
    Tuesday, June 13th – Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park *
    Wednesday, June 14th – Austin, TX – The Moody Amphitheater *
    Friday, June 16th – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall Lawn *
    Saturday, June 17th – New Orleans, LA – Mardi Gras World *
    Monday, June 19th – Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre *
    Tuesday, June 20th – Tampa, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino *
    Thursday, June 22nd – Baltimore, MD – The Lyric %
    Friday, June 23rd – Port Chester, NY – Capitol Theatre ~
    Saturday, June 24th – Westbury, NY – NYCB Theatre [In The Round] ~
    Monday, June 26th – Northampton, MA – The Pines Theater ~
    Wednesday, June 28th – Portland, ME – State Theatre #
    Thursday, June 29th – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway #
    Saturday, July 1st – Scranton, PA – Peach Music Festival
    Sunday, July 2nd – Chicago, IL – Salt Shed [Indoor] #
    Monday, July 3rd – St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre #
    Friday, July 7th – Bonner, MT – Kettlehouse Amphitheater +
    Saturday, July 8th – Redmond, WA – Marymoor Park Live +
    Sunday, July 9th – Forest Grove, OR – Grand Lodge +
    Tuesday, July 11th – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live +
    Thursday, July 13th – San Luis Obispo, CA – Madonna Inn +
    Friday, July 14th – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern +
    Saturday, July 15th – Phoenix, AZ – Van Buren +

    * Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew Remain In Light
    ^ Fishbone
    ~ Neal Francis
    # Budos Band
    + Moon Duo
    % W.I.T.C.H.

  • Lotus Sells Out Buffalo’s Town Ballroom 

    On Saturday January 28, electronic jam band Lotus made a stop in Buffalo in honor of their new album Bloom & Recede. The Town Ballroom was packed with Lotus fans for a sold-out show from the Indiana natives. 

    Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty

    The group consists of Jesse Miller (bass/synths), Mike Greenfield (drums), Tim Palmieri (guitar), Luke Miller (guitar/keyboards), and Chuck Morris (percussion). Lotus is known for blending electronic with jam music forging a new musical taste in the jam band landscape. They don’t shy away from any genres. Their influences consist of electronic dance music, funk, post-rock and dance rock.  

    The long-running quintet opened up the night playing “Tip of the Tongue,” followed by “Contagion” which they hadn’t played live in three years. Lotus brings a nuanced groove to jam band culture. They meticulously build up beats and take the crowd on a journey through their music. 

    Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty

    For their second act they performed a cover of the popular Rufus Du Sol song “Innerbloom.” The use of synths and guitar riffs gave a new spin on this EDM classic which definitely needs to be on Spotify soon. 

    They ended the night with an even greater crowd pleaser: a cover of Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime.” Lotus enhances energy levels and uses psychedelic rock stylings to make their show an experience for all show goers. Not to mention their lighting exhibited the mood of each song and only furthered their effortlessly addicting ambience that they can create. 

    Photo Credit: Maddie McCafferty

    Make sure to stay up to date with the latest musicians coming to Town Ballroom. Badfish performs February 2 and Mac Saturn on February 9.  

    Set 1: Tip of the Tongue, Contagion, Tip of the Tongue, Entangled, Livingston Storm, Bush Pilot, Debris

    Set 2: Cold Facts, Neon Trees, Innerbloom, Neon Tubes, Automatic, Arupa, 128 

    Encore: Once in a Lifetime 

    All Photos by Maddie McCafferty

  • First Show: The Disco Biscuits and Karina Rykman at Town Ballroom in Buffalo

    On Thursday, January 19, The Disco Biscuits and Karina Rykman took over the Town Ballroom in Buffalo for nearly five hours of incredible and energetic music.

    I have been eagerly awaiting my first opportunity to see both acts and was incredibly excited when Karina was added to the bill at the Buffalo Biscuits show.

    disco biscuits buffalo
    photo by Brian Ferguson

    Taking the stage at 7:30 and performing an unrelenting 45-minute set, Rykman filled the room with her deep and punchy bass tone as drummer Chris Corsico and guitarist Adam November backed her up with tight beats and screaming leads. November in particular has a pedalboard capable of making crazy sounds as he tweaked knobs like a mad scientist throughout their set.

    Rykman also demonstrated her contagious and joyous energy as she bounced around the stage while shredding. Standout tracks included the unreleased “Joyride” and the upbeat and driving “City Kids.” Do NOT miss her shows if she plays in your area!

    When the lights dropped in Buffalo for the first set of the Disco Biscuits and the band jumped into “Bazaar Escape,” I was immediately struck by how cleanly they executed the wild and proggy twists and turns of the song. Very much a newcomer to the band’s material, I had naturally assumed that there were many simpler song structures to act as launchpads for long and dance-y jams, so “Bazaar” was a pleasant surprise as its arpeggios bounced around the packed venue.

    disco biscuits buffalo
    photo by Brian Ferguson

    Moving into “The Bridge” next, the music became incredibly euphoric as guitarist Jon “Barber” Gutwillig’s leads reached for the sky. The fabled “untz” began to set in as the Biscuits smashed through an inverted “Home Again” into “The Wormhole.”

    As a keyboardist, I am naturally very curious and dialed in to Aron Magner on his side of the stage as he bounced from one board to another, looping on the fly and generally having a ball.

    “Spacebirdmatingcall” continued the strong untz jamming and seemed to be closing the set, but bassist Marc Brownstein called for another tune as Gutwillig was in the process of removing his guitar. The funky “Morph Dusseldorf” closed out the set with lots of wah guitar and an anchoring beat from drummer Allen Aucoin.

    The energy in the Town Ballroom did not abate in the slightest during setbreak, and the band was met with raucous cheers as they took the stage for the second set. “Jigsaw Earth” was a huge Magner moment as he continued to loop sounds and show off his dexterity on the keys. Aucoin began laying into a propulsive four-on-the-floor dance beat that would dominate the unrelenting and nonstop second set as the Biscuits drove into “Anthem.”

    While Brownstein had been sticking out to me all night, this was the moment where he truly blew my mind. While I had previously had a difficult time zeroing in on his playing in the videos I had watched of the Biscuits online, his tone carried through loud and clear last night, locking in with Aucoin to form an incredible rhythm section and groove throughout the second set.

    disco biscuits buffalo
    photo by Brian Ferguson

    “Times Square” was tapped next and continued to amp up the crowd even more as smiles on band and audience alike grew wider. Moving into “I-Man,” a clear crowd favourite that elicited loud and energetic singing from those in attendance, Gutwillig shredded the song to pieces as the catchy chorus came around again.

    Dipping into an inverted “Naeba” before finishing the set with “I-Man,” the Biscuits left a thoroughly torched Buffalo venue with a concise “Helicopters” encore, once again bringing energy to new heights.

    My first Disco Biscuits experience was an absolutely incredible night – two sets of nonstop dance party and energy from a very talented band. I look forward to seeing them again soon!

    Biscuits tour continues tonight with a two-night stand at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, PA. Webcasts are available via Couchtour.TV. Karina Rykman joins them again next week for a two nights at Higher Ground in Burlington. Don’t miss it!

    This review was initially featured on Storm Sound

    Setlist via Discobiscuits.net

    Disco Biscuits – The Town Ballroom, Buffalo – Thursday, January 19, 2023

    Set 1: Bazaar Escape, The Bridge > Home Again^ > The Wormhole > Spacebirdmatingcall, Morph Dusseldorf
    Set 2: Jigsaw Earth > Anthem > Times Square > I-Man > Naeba* > I-Man
    Encore: Helicopters

    ^ first time inverted
    * inverted

    Photos by Brian Ferguson