And To Think That I Saw It On Gregory Street

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

The South Wedge neighborhood of Rochester had a full plate of unrelated music events happening last Saturday night.

My evening started off at the German House. There was a benefit for Scotty Shojan, the guy behind ScottyPaluza. The benefit started early and ended late, but I got there just in time to see the one band I was there to see, the John Payton Project. Payton is an ex-drummer for soon-to-be-no-more local worldbeat group Buddhahood. His new band is smaller in personnel but heavier in sound. A 5-piece consisting of guitar, bass, sax/flute, percussion and drums they played original song-based rock with a heavy reggae influence. The music had a solid foundation in it's high quality bass and drums core and everything over the top was just gravy.

From there I took a treacherous grueling eighth of a mile hike through the cold wind and rain over to Tango Cafe where Steve Piper, guitarist from Watkins and the Rapiers, was just getting ready to start his set. From the big stage and hippie crowd to the comfy cafe and elderly crowd. Piper proved to be a world class guitar player, singer/songwriter, storyteller, banterer, and joke teller. Just a delightful and perfect coffee house set. I was tipped off to this show mere hours before so it was an unexpected but welcome surprise.

Then back down the street to close out the evening downstairs from the German House at the Keg.
Hinkley started soon after I arrived with Rochester music everyman Dennis Mariano on keys and guitar. Now is as good time as any to throw in a bit also about Thunder Body, the new reggae band formed from ex-Geurrilla Panda Dub Squad members along with Dennis. They finished up a residency at Dubland Underground last month of which I caught a little of their last show before they went on a small tour. Really enjoyed what I heard and looking forward to checking them out again. Back to Hinkley though, also loved what I heard from them. Very much reminded of Death Cab with some Wilco thrown in listening to their set. Slow to materialize subtle melodies rooted in the poppier side of Americana. Not particularly catchy, more absorbing.



Next up was Boston/Brooklyn band Tallahassee, another in a ever longer line of rough indie country rockers. But can there ever really be enough? And is there any other band that has two guitarists varying more in height than these guys? And is there any other band covering Paula Abdul's "Straight Up"? They did their best to stand apart from other bands of their ilk, and when it really comes down to it, it's all about the songs. They had good ones and played them well, enjoyable set.



Finally, it was another opportunity to enjoy Auld Lang Syne before they head out on a tour of the South and Midwest. Unfortunately they were piano-less, but fortunately they played an entire (or nearly so) set of new tunes and they all sounded fantastic. More of the same dark, brooding and lengthy laments. Wouldn't have minded a couple of their staples or perfect covers thrown in to enrich the set, but it was great to hear something different and get to see new songs as they develop.



Rochester continues to prove itself a treasure trove of great local music. What's even better, it doesn't go unappreciated, these bands get great support at their shows.

And that is a story that no one can beat,
When I say that I saw it on Gregory Street.

(Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss!)

Walri, Auld Lang Syne @ Abilene

After a decent little tour, NYE extravaganza inclusive, Walri was back in the ROC for another night of Wauldlangri, or Wauldlangsyneri or whatever you want to call it. Arriving at Abilene with Auld Lang Syne already rocking the joint, I walked in the door, paid the $3 cover (first time paying at Abilene, seems to be a new trend now, still damn reasonable) and stopped in my tracks. The place was packed all the way to the entrance, I couldn't move. Yikes. Eventually I found my way to the bar and then closer to the band and then out toward the billiard area where thankfully some room cleared out eventually.

On to the music. Auld Lang Syne was tight and enjoyable as always. Walri was still somewhat shaky with the new lineup even after being road tested. The superjam set was also a tad disappointing only in comparison to previous efforts, lacking in surprise and also completely hacking up a couple of their covers. Still it was all good fun and a great night of music as it always is.

But really, my takeaway from this show was the talent of Auld Lang Syne's lead man Timothy Dick. My appreciation has been steadily growing, taking a big step up after the Java's gig where he took to the piano in a big way. But it finally occurred to me that he was possibly more talented on every instrument in his band than any of his bandmates. He could easily pull a Stevie Wonder or Jimi Hendrix on their next album. No slight to the others in the band, moreso huge compliment to Tim. I am pretty sure I have seen him rip it up on every instrument they bring (aside from the occasional french horn addition), whether it be accordion, drums, bass, harmonica or piano. And hello guitar! Every highlight of the evening was a ripping guitar solo from Timothy Dick. Mostly during the superjam set because for some reason he doesn't allow himself to display that side in their regular sets. There was some jaw-dropping stuff being laid down there. Don't sleep on this semi-hidden treasure Rochester... or elsewhere.

NYE in NYC I: Walri @ Pete's Candy Store

It was New Year's Eve, and yes, I was down in NYC, with more choices for live music than arguably anywhere else in the world, and yet I ended up at a tiny off-the-beaten path bar in Brooklyn seeing Walri, a band from my hometown of Rochester. The space for live music was literally in an old train car. Long narrow small and cramped, and the sound was coming from behind you, speakers facing the band. Bizarre experience indeed. The bizarre feeling amped up as opener Backwords ended their set in the waning hours of 2010 with a cover of White Rabbit. Like a reverse Cinderella, Walri quickly worked to get set up before the clock struck 12. Not quite ready, they whipped out a quick cover of Heart of Gold just in time and then the more traditional Auld Lang Syne (the song not the band.) And then they sound-checked. Finally they settled in and whipped out a good hour of their signature love rock that hooked fans new and old alike. Pretty standard Walri fare except for 2 major changes. Geoff Saunders was replaced on Bass by Benny Oyama and Dave Goebel was replaced on drums by Danny Rose, brother of lead man Amos. It's not immediately clear whether this is a permanent change to the band or just for their current tour. Time will tell I suppose. Anyway, they sounded great. They played a couple of tunes from the new members, and featured a good amount of instrument swapping (all but the drums were switched around). After their proper set and another small break, most of Auld Lang Syne (the band, not the song, who opened the night, which unfortunately we missed) and a few others took over the stage to begin the super jam segment of the evening with a rousing rendition of Born on the Bayou:



The crowd had thinned, but the spirits were riding high and people were ready to party. The line between the stage and the crowd blurred to almost become indistinguishable. Musicians from all of the evenings acts (including previously unmentioned Doctors Fox and Matt Cross) popped on and off stage at will and beautiful and raw music was made. Covers included Hey Pockey Way, an amazing I Want You (She's So Heavy), and this Ophelia:



With their propensity for Beatles covers, how long until Walri covers I Am the Walrus? (We Are the Walri?)

Auld Lang Syne @ Java's

Local boys (and girl) Auld Lang Syne played a special 100th show at Java's, a place they had never played previously. Other than the new-to-them venue, they upped the special-ness with a string quartet and Aaron Shewan on french horn. They also played a smoking two-set show, nailing songs new and old for friends old and new. Auld Lang Syne plays dark brooding music and have staked their claim in intense slow-building epics. They physically look and act the part of moody Americana rockers so well you're likely to think it might all just be a put-on, but I think it is purely authentic.

The sound in Java's was nearly perfect, very crisp and clear, though it was definitely missing something. This music requires in the least the clanking of beer bottles and pint glasses, and ideally consumption of their contents as well. But unfortunately that was nowhere to be found at this coffee house.

They played a couple of new ones (looking forward to their forthcoming album next year), some of their old "classics" (My First Soul played for what was probably the 100th time, they quipped) and threw in some covers that they were born to play like Dylan's You Ain't Going Nowhere and the Stones' Sweet Virginia.

They've been playing with a piano live for less than a year and I can't believe they existed without one now. For this show it became the centerpiece for such a large portion of the night. It certainly hadn't been omitted for lack of talent. Lead man Timothy Dick was in total control of the instrument in every situation, it wasn't just filler.

It took them about 3 years to arrive at show 100, if they can get their next 100 down in half that time these guys might just make a name for themselves outside of sleepy Rochester.

After the show I made it over to Abilene's for that much needed beer and took in some dead-on Cash covers by Cash Back. An appropriate capper on a fine evening in the ROC...

Horsefeathers, Auld Lang Syne @ Bug Jar

Finally time to finish up some unfinished posts collecting dust around here.

I missed a good amount of their set because for some reason they ended up going on second, while the openers, Auld Lang Syne, took on the closing slot. So when I arrived Horsefeathers were already a few songs deep into their set. If you've heard that they sound a lot like Iron and Wine, than you heard right. Eerily similar. My take was, Iron and Wine writes better songs, but Horsefeathers had a better live show. Now of course, Iron and Wine's songs are so freaking good that the live show is by default amazing, but the comparison makes sense in that Horsefeathers elevates their songs more in the live setting. Also, the cover of Gillian Welch's Orphan Girl was amazing. Hear their version at Daytotter.

Fortunately for Auld Lang Syne I like them already or else they would have had a major uphill battle to win me over after causing me to miss part of the real headliner's set. They closed the night in fine fashion, and for the first time that I had seen had a piano on stage, which was a fantastic addition to round out the sound.

Walri, Auld Lang Syne @ Abilene

Walri and Auld Lang Syne repeated their set-swapping antics at Abilene last Friday night. This time it was outside on the patio with more space and fresh air, this time it was more well-rehearsed, this time it went even past 2am, and this time it was even better than last. It was just about as good a night of local music is going to get, good enough that I hesitate to even qualify it with the word local at all.

I'm calling this conglomeration of bands Walangri and I'm hoping they pull off more evenings like this in the future. These nights will be the stuff of legend once these bands both make it big. Which they will.

To refresh your memory, Auld Lang Syne played a set on their own to open things up, then Walri followed. Then the two joined forces, and then they repeated the whole thing, 6 sets in all. That is if you really even could call them sets, the turnovers between bands was minimal.

The best set of the evening was the first combined effort. It started off with all members on stage for a fantastic cover of Paperback Writer. They followed that up with God Only Knows, absolutely nailing the insane vocal harmonies. Those two in succession left me with only one word on my tongue, ballsy. The rest of the evening was such a loose and freewheeling affair, but these two tunes were well rehearsed and masterful. The rest of the combined set ran through a whole bunch more covers including even more Beatles (right down Walri's alley), and Born on the Bayou (right down Auld Lang Syne's alley). The second go round Walangri set leaned more heavily on the Auld Lang Syne side of things, with loose bar room rockers and blues tunes. Many instruments were swapped, many lyrics were missed, many verses were repeated unintentionally, and many beers were drunk. And at 2:10 when it was all said and done, there were still a good 40 people hanging onto the final notes of What'd I Say. Until next time...

Catching Up: The Rest of the First Half of 2010

I promised myself I wouldn't put myself in this position again, yet here we are. Is this blog dead? Possibly, we'll see if I can keep up for what is shaping up to be a crazy June. History says no. I'm greasing up the old blogging gears with the minimal shows I've caught the last few months.

Back in February I made it out for Rubblebucket @ the Westcott Theatre. Recommendations were coming in at all angles for these guys so I was glad to finally catch them. They put on a great show, and in some unexpected ways. The horn section did a lot of singing, which potentially could be awful, but in the case of Rubblebucket it was a revelation, this was the band at its best. Every time they mentioned a song was new it was one of their better tunes, so I think I like the direction these guys are moving and look forward to some repeat visits.



I made it out to see local indie-rockers Walri again, this time at Lovin Cup. Atomic Swindlers opened the show but were really the headliners, not too many stuck around for Walri, which was unfortunate. They put on another fantastic show. Then I caught them again a few weeks ago back at Abilene where I first was introduced to them. This time they were swapping and sharing sets with Auld Land Syne all night long. I had seen Auld Lang Syne open for the Avett Brothers last year and was disappointed. I don't know if it was nerves or something at that show, but this was simply a different band than what I had seen previously, and that is to say, they were damn good. They played a set, passed the stage off to Walri, then shared the stage for a set, then repeated the whole ordeal playing right up until last call at 2am. It was a local music orgy and boy did it turn me on. Aural pleasure. Hey, they say Abilene used to be a Burlesque House... Hoping to catch Walri again this Friday at one or two of their shows that night which both look to be yet another unique offering from this band. Highly recommended!

Got another El Ten Eleven notch in the belt at the Bug Jar. This was an angry El Ten Eleven and it didn't particularly work in our favor. Kristian had his bass stolen at their show in Montreal and so they couldn't play a good portion of their catalog. Lots of disparaging comments about our neighbors to the north and even some scorn (albeit funny and necessary) thrown out to some very loud and chatty people up front. At any rate, still another great show, just not as good as their last time through.



While I was in Boston, I was implored to see Michael Tarbox. He played so often I just assumed the opportunity would be there forever. Then I left having never saw him. Thankfully, the Bop Shop brought him to the Lovin Cup, and this time I would not pass on the chance. Mercy was he good. A cross between Waits and Dylan with better guitar chops than both of them, and a fantastic backing band, the Tarbox Ramblers. They squeezed a ton of music into the evening. One of the highlights being a recently penned and unrehearsed tune they learned their way through on stage. The band was so tight that it went without a hitch, though it was nice to see them play loose and fresh with a precarious twinge.

Avett Brothers @ Water Street Music Hall

Determined not to miss yet another chance to see the Avett Brothers, I jumped off the jazz train just as it was picking up a full head of steam, and switched gears entirely with some hard-rockin' bluegrass. Hard rockin'? Yep, not to mention head bangin', floor shakin', roof rattlin', knee bucklin' and smile inducin'. They raced through a fairly quick 80 minute or so set. The quality was high and consistent, and my dogs were screaming, so the brevity was excused.

These brothers plus 2 aren't the greatest musicians technically that you will see (if they are they don't show it), there is a rough and tumble rawness to their playing. But, they write some of the finest tunes being written today, and play them with reckless abandon, much to the delight of the rowdy crowd.

Coming from the throngs of dedicated jazz heads, hushed with their attentive but critical ear, this crowd was a full 180, with the only thing connecting the two a voracious appetite for live music. I had no idea Avett Brothers had such a rabid following. With their individually numbered Team Avett shirts, Avett Nation banner hanging high, floorboard-buckling jump dancing, and singing every word to every song at the top of their lungs (with the exception of most of the few new numbers played), this crowd was extremely into the band... and young as hell. I don't claim to know what the kids are into these days, but I had no idea it would be this.

Local americana rock act Auld Lang Syne opened things up. They had me at hello, and kind of lost me by good-bye. Seemed like they were doing something different with an accordian and french horn meeting up with the usual guitars and drums, but it ended up sounding like many other things I have heard and generally been indifferent to.

Also made it to Abilene before the show for the Hypnotic Clambake clambake. Wonder how many times someone's thought to pair those two things together? The burgers were cold but the music was hot (these guys know how to include an accordian into the mix), great start to the evening and Abilene continues to be one of the best spots for a beer and free music in the city. Don't shy away from the Porkslap Pale Ale...