Whiskey Reverb - Nathan Bates Rejects The Illuminati

Whiskey Reverb Soul Vibration Tour dates 2015

Whiskey Reverb's latest and greatest musical release is Nathan Bates Rejects The Illuminati.
I am reviewing this CD to support Whiskey Reverb, one of the best original bands from the current Buffalo, NY music scene.

First I must comment on the title of the CD, Nathan Bates Rejects The Illuminati, the title made me think "Who is this Nathan Bates guy and why did he reject the Illuminati?" so I googled Nathan Bates and there really is no world famous Nathan Bates to speak off. Maybe it's an offhand reference to Norman Bates? The title made me think how did Whiskey Reverb come up with this title and why did they use the title? The title piqued my interest and made me want to hear the music to find out what Whiskey Reverb is all about. I'm sure there is a great story behind the cool, hip CD title.

Onto the music, the CD starts off with a very cool prelude called Shake The Cage. The piano sounds, provided by Wade Benford, are very melancholy and the backwards guitar fades in right at the perfect moment.

Shake The Cage continues on into a funky, steady flowing rock tune with a ton of great sound effects throw into the musical palette to keep the listener's ears engaged. A cool indian sound featuring a sitar introduces a rockin' guitar solo played by Mike Cassidy. There seems to be a positive message flowing throughout the song. My interpretation is that if you want to change your life you need to shake things up a bit and break out of your daily routine. Shake The Cage sets the tone and the mood for the rest of the music to follow.

Something Good is a strong and positive song that starts off with the droning sound of an A note. The songs' sound is reminiscent of a great Coldplay or Oasis song with some Whiskey Reverb juice thrown into the mix. Jim Candytree sounds great and he takes this one out with a awesome vocal outro.

Thank U sounds like a soundtrack for a party, with a intro by A2J and a sweet chorus sang by Megan Brown. Thank U is a uplifting song you should play when you want to have a good time, better yet cue this song up when you are havin' a party to lift it up that much higher.

Dreamsong is exactly as the title suggests, an ethereal, soft flowing song that features Megan Brown on lead vocals. Dreamsong has the sound and feel of a song that can easily carry you away into a different state of mind if you let it. A dreamy song featuring a beautiful voice.

Nathan Bates Rejects The Illuminati is proving to be a diverse soundscape full of different musical genres and talented singers mixed into one cohesive unit, the band has proven to bunch of highly talented individuals halfway through the CD.

Between The Veil is up next, this song is carried by a uptempo acoustic guitar groove and a great lead vocal by Jim Candytree. Mike Cassidy adds some color to the groove, strumming an electric guitar into the mix. This is a strong, uptempo rocker. The rhythm section of Scotty Harrington and Tony Bales lay down a solid groove with Tony Bales throwing in some quick bass lines to help push the song along.

The Way We Live sounds like it has the potential to be a great rap song. The rhythm section sounds as if they're holding back but the groove is still tight. I can hear a stronger rhythm track that could make The Way We Live an awesome rap song with A2J grabbing the spotlight with his words. The tempo twists around as the song morphs into a unique mix of original samples and a erotic gasp brings a lead guitar solo in. The Way We Live is a unique song, it takes a few listens to "get" the groove. Great performances by A2J, Megan and Mike are highlighted on this experimental track.

Letters is a straight forward, acoustic rock song driven by the vocals of Jim Candytree and the keyboards of Wade Benford. After a tasty guitar solo by Mike Cassidy a double vocal by Jim and Megan takes this song out.

The final song, Keep It Movin' (EDM Remix) is sure to get you dancin'. This song would sound just awesome in a crowded dance club on a Saturday night dance marathon.

Congratulations Whiskey Reverb! 
http://www.whiskeyreverb.com/

"Now that the cat is out of the bag, we (Whiskey Reverb) are proud to announce that we have officially signed on our first distribution contract with Projekt/Warner Bros. and a publishing deal with Seireenien/BMI. We are so excited for the opportunity to spread our music to a worldwide audience and feed that SoulFire. "

Buffalo Music Award winners and Tudor Lounge favorites, Whiskey Reverb are climbing the rock 'n roll ladder to success.
Whiskey Reverb can best described as "Psychedelic, sexy, funk rock from heaven" and they come highly recommended by JoTell.
With their recent Facebook announcement (goto https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whiskey-Reverb/262004595188) it's a fact that Whiskey Reverb have parlayed their back-to-back Hard Rock Buffalo Rising winnings (2012 & 2013) to even more juicy success...
W.R. combine a myriad of great musical influences, excellent musicianship and awesome stage presence into a complete rockin' party everytime they grace a stage. Good looks W.R.!

Now, just for you, here's Whiskey Reverb's "World's Greatest Hits"

FutureSight from 2012

Serendipity from 2012.

The Tyranny of The Mainstream SoulFire Volume I from 2011.

and Proverbs Bi-Polar & The Body Electric from 2010.

http://www.whiskeyreverb.com/

W.R. says "Thank You" for your support!

Special thanks goes out to Jim and Whiskey Reverb.

Wolf - Buffalo, NY

3/21 Wolf CD Release Show at Mohawk Place. 
Wolf is going to be joined by The Demos, Mink and Johnny Nobody. 
Facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/516211561851433/
Wolf Facebook http://facebook.com/musicbywolf 
Check out the new Wolf single on Bandcamp http://musicbywolf.bandcamp.com/
Soundcloud http://soundcloud.com/musicbywolf
Wolf homepage http://musicbywolf.com/
Thank you Chelsea and Wolf.

Sara Elizabeth - Buffalo, NY "On The Rise"

Sara Elizabeth "On The Rise" CD cover art.

www.saraelizabethmusic.com

Before I start the review I want to Thank Sara for submitting her new CD for review. Thank You Very Much Sara!

Now for the CD review...
Sara's strong vocal talents, unique lyrical phrasing and song writing skills are immediately evident as soon as "I Think I Better" begins. The lyrics reflect a young and positive outlook on life. Sarah's strong vocal performance overshadows the rhythm section on this song.
The second track, "He Smells Of Summer", is one of my favorites on Sara's CD debut release. The tempo, feeling and sound are completely different from the first song, revealing Sara's diverse musical talents and strong songwriting abilities. Her musical talent defies her young age.
The percussive eggshaker track carries this song along with a fingerpicked acoustic guitar. The eggshaker is a very cool, unique touch and the banjo playing is great. The vocals begin with a breathy, mellow sound that match the lyrical content. The emphasis on "wind" is a unique touch. The vocals continue along into a almost pleading shout then go back down after a musical interlude. I hear a distorted guitar track carrying the musical break along in my head or maybe a punchy bass track.
True to form "Willow Tree" has a feeling and sound different from the first two songs. I like this song even more than "He Smells Of Summer". The ukulele intro is refreshing and easy on my over-driven ears. The bongo and tambourine performance is excellent, they accompany the vocals and mandolin perfectly. The upright bass track is great as well. The vocals have a breathy, seductive quality that is easy on the ears. Sara has a very listenable and melodic singing voice. Sara's natural singing talent really shines through on "Willow Tree". This is my favorite song on Sara's CD.
The fourth song, "Today I'm OK" is a happy and uplifting song. Once again the vocal performance is outstanding. Again I have to comment on the listenable quality of Sara's singing voice. Sara's positive lyrics and engaging voice grabs your listening attention and keeps your ear focused on the song and melody. This song had me envisioning a girl dancing in my head and then I found myself looking at the sky. The bass track is a little busy which takes away from the melody.
"For You" is a piano driven track, which demonstrates Sara's talent at playing and composing on many different types of instruments. Once again this track proves Sara's diverse talents defy her age. The guitar/piano intro is great. The guitar figure during the chorus takes the focus away from the piano melody a bit, the guitar figure would make a great solo during the song. Overall "For You" is a great, melodic track.
The 6th track, "Carry Me Away" is yet another type of musical soundscape. The rhythm section has a calypso feel during the verse. The feel of this song is bouncy and jumpy. The drums are solid and they sound great, best percussion performance on "On The Rise".
"Knock Knocking" is an excellent and fun song. The music sounds like a classic, nursery rhyme and it's playful, child-like lyric is interesting. The lyrics sound like Sara may be reliving a few childhood memories through this song. Skipping along to the rhythm is highly recommended!
"Optophobia" first caught my attention because of the interesting song title. I looked up the meaning of the song title on the interwebs almost immediately. Most of the songs contained on "On The Rise" are positive in sound and lyric, this song, however is not. That doesn't mean it's not as good as the other tracks or bad in any way. The stark contrast is why I like this song so much. This song is very cool and quirky with it's odd noises and dark, piano filled soundscape. The vocal performance on this song is great, the vocal effect at 3:17 is a very nice touch but it's barely noticeable. My super hearing caught the effect after a few very focused listens.
I must say that (sometimes) I wish the sun wasn't so....bright.
The title track, "On The Rise" is a uplifting, positive song is sound and feeling. A perfect song for a young singer/songwriter who is definitely on the rise. Music can take people places and Sara's musical talents will take her places if she continues to grow and cultivate her many great talents through original music CD releases like "On The Rise". The vocal harmonies and mandolin playing on this particular song are excellent.
"And That's All" is a great song. I don't know if this song was specifically created to close out Sara's "On The Rise" CD but it is a great choice. The lyrics are interesting and entertaining and the vocal performance is once again, great. The sound and feel of the song is vibrant and happy.

Sara's debut release "On The Rise" is a great start to a promising music career. The rhythm section tracks on "On The Rise" could be mixed a little more prominently at times but overall "On The Rise" is a great sounding debut from a highly talented, young artist.

Once again I'd like toThank Sara for submitting her CD for review.
CD credits are as follows: Sara Elizabeth, Lead Vocals, Acoustic/Electric Guitars, Banjo, Ukulele, Piano, Mandolin and Sound Programming. Anthony Rideout, Electric and Upright Bass. Joe Thomas, Drums, Eggshaker, Congas, Tambourine and Body Percussion and Chris Jacobs, Sound Programming and Effects.
All songs written, arranged and copyrighted by Sara Elizabeth Genco. Produced and engineered by Sara Elizabeth Genco and Chris Jacobs. Recorded at SUNY and Buffalo Slee Hall Recording Studio. CD Photography by David Genco. Album art by Sara Elizabeth Genco.
Goto www.saraelizabethmusic.com to find out more about Sara, her music and how you can pick up your very own copy of "On The Rise".

   

Lightning Bolt

Thrill Jockey Records very own Lightning Bolt is coming through Buffalo in April. The band will be performing at Mohawk Place on 4/15.
Lightning Bolt are touring in support of their new album Fantasy Empire. This is their first album in five years and their first truly studio-produced album, more closely approximating the experience of seeing them perform live than ever before.

The two-man outfit of Brian Gibson (bass) and Brian Chippendale (drums & vocals) have been putting on their legendarily raucous live shows for twenty years; seeing the band perform live is an experience every Lightning Bolt fan lives for.
Lightning Bolt puts on a pretty crazy performance that's not to be missed: Brian Chippendale usually wears a crazy knit mask and Lightning Bolt they has be known to play shows on the floor in the crowd.
Here’s a link to an great interview the band did with Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/hear-lightning-bolts-first-recording-in-six-years-the-metal-east-20150210

Thank You, Allie!