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!

Blogger business cards

Update: 2/18/15, I am currently looking for a new background to use on a new biz card. I am open to suggestions and artistic submissions.

Version 3.0 from 2013-2014...Thank You Maria and The Machine! 

There's a cool video on youtube of the song being performed in the picture.

Above is the 2nd version of my biz card from 2011/2012. Yes, Amy Z granted me permission to use her photo on the card! I thought it was a cool enough pic to use on the card. 

Typo: my comic book blog is now under a different web address.

Below is my original Biz Card, I gave out 250 of these and made some great connections. 

Les Paul logo was given to me through a blog piece contact. Typo: Google owns my blog I don't.

Bloggers are people too!

Gene Simmons - Cort Punisher Bass review

First off I'd like to sincerely thank the person who bought the Gene Simmons - Cort Punisher bass for me to use with the WNY KISS THIS! band. Thank You Jayme Hapeman!
This was the first time a new bass was bought by another person specifically for me to play.
I no longer have the bass in my possession so I thought I would share a few thoughts I have about the bass after playing it on a few gigs.
Bassically, I will be using my experience with the bass as an opportunity to "review" the bass.
I've never reviewed an instrument before so I also see this as an opportunity to do something new.

OK, here we go, the full-size gig bag looks cool with the Gene Simmons graphic on it, the look of the case sets the mood before you open the bag to play the bass guitar.
The gig bag looks like a hard case but it's not, it's just a big gig bag shaped like a guitar case.
I used the gig bag/case as a stage prop for a couple of shows.
At first glance the bass looks really cool, with it's black finish, 3 horns and white binding.
The bridge cover is classic Fender bass ashtray style, it's convenient for resting your picking/plucking hand on while playing the bass. The only drawback is you need to physically remove the bridge cover to change the strings.
The pickups and electronics are passive and the knobs are easy to figure out and use.
Here's the pickup breakdown, a double humbucker is in front and a single coil is in the back.
A simple setup which provides the best of both worlds as a far as bass pickup sounds go.
I found that the single coil pickup is noisy when used at a full treble tone setting, but if you're using this bass in a full band setting the buzz is unheard when everyone else is blasting away. The humbucker simply sounds great on its own. 
*I prefer a full treble tone knob setting and I would replace the single coil pickup to a buzz free/higher end model to kill the buzz.
The volume knob is in front, the 3 position toggle switch is next and the last knob is the tone control.
*I prefer 2 pickup volumes. 2 volumes would enable some Space Ace on/off toggling sounds.
The cord input was loose straight from the factory and the action was real high so I did invest a few dollars into the bass to have it set up to make it gig ready.
1 major problem I had about the bass is that is "neck heavy". This means that the weight of the neck and the length of the neck tend to pull the body of the bass upward when you wear the bass standing up with a strap.
This problem is easily solved by the bassists' fingering arm which supports the neck while playing.
*For me, the neck issue causes a ever so slight distraction. Holding the neck up takes my mind off the notes I'm supposed to be playing. This issue is easily overcome after you play the bass on a regular basis but I prefer a neck that stays in one place, especially when I take my fretting arm off the neck to play open notes. With a neck heavy guitar you need to constantly stay aware of the position of the neck so it doesn't bang on anything when moving around on a stage or a crowded rehearsal space. Strap locks are necessary to avoid the bass from slipping off the strap holders. Without strap locks the bass can easily slip off the strap and hit the floor because it is neck heavy.
The headstock looks cool, with the white binding and Gene Simmons signature. The tuning pegs work great and the fretwork made the neck comfortable and easy to play.
This bass would surely please a hard core KISS fan, but after playing the bass I would never buy one strictly from a bass player point of view.
I must add the bass completed the Gene Simmons look along with the costume perfectly. 
*If my goal was to be in a KISS tribute band full-time I would try to get my hands on a black Gibson Grabber or Ripper, (pictured below) that would be the bass I would prefer to play. 

The Cort Punisher fits the bill if you didn't have the budget to buy a vintage Gibson bass.

* comments with an asterisk notate my personal preferences when I play an electric bass in a live setting.

This post is dedicated to Jayme Hapeman.

Carina and The Six String Preacher - Liquid Think CD Review

First off I must tell a bit of a back story about the copy of Liquid Think that I received from The Six String Preacher (Vince). Vince invited me to the Sportmen's Tavern CD release party for Liquid Think (Thank You Vince!) awhile back and I couldn't attend. I had to visit Vince in person and ask him for a copy to review and Vince was gracious enough to forward me a copy of the CD (once again, Thank You Vince).

I have reviewed music that Vince has composed before and Vince was excited to read my review of Liquid Think. I still have many CD's to review so trying to get ahead of the game I forwarded my copy of Liquid Think to a friend of mine. My friend agreed to review the CD but unbeknownst to me my friend decided to forward the copy I gave him to a friend of his. So my attempt to get ahead brought me two steps back instead. I did not copy Liquid Think to my computer so I had to pay Vince for a new copy. I was happy to pay Vince but at the same time I was annoyed that I didn't copy the CD before I gave away my copy to my friend.

Now on with the review, Liquid Think is at first listen a jazz based CD with torch light singer vocals. But Liquid Think goes way beyond torch light jazz in it's musical scope. Carina & The Six String Preacher (C.S.S.P.) feature a couple of acoustic duo songs, a rockabilly song and a couple of melodic rock songs on Liquid Think.

Here's a little background on torch light singers, they're usually female and Billie Holiday immediately comes to mind when I think of torch light singing. She was singing along with jazz musicians in the 1930's, 40's, and 50's. Carina sings in a similar style to Billie Holiday and current jazz and rockabilly singer Imelda May. Les Paul and Mary Ford come to mind and C.S.S.P. can be compared to the very successful pop/jazz guitar duo from the 50's. C.S.S.P. combine retro, jazz styles, some pop sensibility and smooth as silk vocals to create a unique sound all their own. (new genre...Nu-Lounge?...jazz-noir.)

Liquid Think starts off with Champagne, Smoke, and a Light. The jazzy, guitar chord progression reminded me of the song, Stray Cat Strut when I first heard it. Carina's vocals are sweet and sultry and she even takes a scatting vocal solo during the opening track. The vocal sound is unique, maybe they were sung through a Shure 55 microphone? (see Lee Hoffman's recent photo below)

(Photo of Carina courtesy of Lee Hoffman) http://leehoffmanphoto.com/

The second track, Honey, highlights Carina's suggestive vocals. Carina shows off her great, jazz style, singing chops. Honey is a way groovy song and it reminds me of something I may have heard on the soundtrack of an old black and white movie. Some Like It Hot starring Marilyn Monroe comes to mind. The keyboard fills sound like a flute, and they add some sweet, melodic color to the song. The S.S.P. takes a guitar solo on Honey. The sound of the guitar and the solo chops are pure jazz.

The title track, Liquid Think, is a really funky, uptempo jazz track with some great keyboard and guitar playing. The chorus is very melodic and catchy, overall the song has a unique and fresh, pop, jazzy sound...(new genre...pop jazz?) The sweet vocals are full of innuendo and sass. The guitar riff right after the chorus vocal highlights the lyric and lifts up the melody perfectly. Great song!

One Way Lust is a melodic, uptempo, rock song. Carina's great vocal track is backed up by a sweet sounding backing track. The drums, keys, guitar and bass sound excellent. The overall sound on One Way Lust leans more toward alternative rock than jazz. Carina's vocals are just the cat's meow on One Way Lust.

My Baby's Got A Cadi is a rocker. The drum track performed by John Brady is absolutely hopping! The sound on this song is full out, 50's, rockabilly romp. The hand claps and vocal scatting on the outro sound great. The S.S.P. shows off his rockabilly chops on the guitar track, this guy can play it all!

Snowflake is different than all the rest of the songs on Liquid Think and this is my fave on the CD so far. The innovative guitar playing of the S.S.P. instantly creates a dreamy, ethereal mood with the opening guitar figure and the djembe playing by Carina creates the perfect rhythm to accompany the guitar. The vocals work well with the guitar to complete the spacey feel of the song. The chimes add a great musical touch to the song.
I can imagine and hear the opening guitar line turned full-up with distortion in my head, creating a heavy, hard rock song.

(Photo of The Six String Preacher courtesy of Julie Ann Schumacher Photography) https://www.facebook.com/julieanneschumacherphotography

Destiny starts off with a sweet guitar intro, the feeling is rock and the guitar sound reminds the sound Doug Pettibone frequently uses. Destiny has a pop rock feel and sound, it could be compared to Sheryl Crow at times but Carina's vocal accents and inflections bring a unique sound to the song.

4:39 sounds like a rock/jazz love song. Carina's vocal talents really shine through on this song. The music/backing track that support the chorus sounds really cool and unique, the vocal dubs come together to create a very listenable and melodic sound. The verses' sound like Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer. Great alternative rock/pop song!

Jack Ash is another bebop, nu-lounge, jazz jam that features some great singing by Carina.

Lullaby For Jonny is an acoustic duo song that is different from the rest of the songs. Carina's oohs, aah's and scats create a dreamy feel while the S.S.P. accompanies on acoustic guitar. This song reminded me of the Beatles classic Blackbird at certain points.

The last song, One Way Lust, is a acoustic duo version of the 4th track. The tempo is a little slower which allows to Carina to stretch out the vocals and sing a bit more than the 1st version.

I highly recommend Liquid Think to any jazz music fans out there in blog land.
I also would recommend Liquid Think to any local music fan seeking something new and different to listen to.

"Jazz Noir" Carina and The Six String Preacher Facebook link
https://www.facebook.com/CarinaandTheSixStringPreacher
Carina and The Six String Preacher SoundCloud link https://soundcloud.com/cssp

Stellar Lane - Tel-Aviv, Israel

Stellar Lane brings back the sound and spirit of 90's Rock, Alice in chains and Soundgarden meets Procol Harum.
The Brothers Fogelzang unique dual vocals define the band's sound along with their energetic drums, bass, keyboards and guitars.
Stellar Lane are currently in the studio recording their debut album.
The band recently released a new single called "Fairy Tale" produced by TIM PALMER
(Pearl Jam - Ten).
Listen to Stellar Lane online! goto
https://soundcloud.com/stellar-lane
http://stellarlane1.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Stellar.Lane.Music

Thank you Stellar Lane!

Hondo's Revenge

Hondo's Revenge CD review...

Hondo's Revenge is an independent release by 4 talented, Buffalo NY, rock music veterans. Each member of the band plays out on the Buffalo music scene in one form or another and I will be highlighting the other bands the members are involved in as I do the review.
I must Thank Nick Notaro for expressing his interest in my blog and submitting Hondo's Revenge for reviewing purposes. Thank you Nick and Hondo's Revenge!

The CD kicks off with "Conviction", the guitar intro is metallic and heavy.
A wah-wah pedal lead guitar solo brings the lead vocals in. I am immediately reminded of Jive Injection when Jody Velletta starts singing. The last time I heard Jody's voice was in the early 90's.

(Jive Injection CD art pictured below)

...I am initially distracted away from the music for a moment and I drift back into some musical memories but the music draws me back in.
The guitar driven music is punchy and tight, the guitar could been brought up a bit more in the mix.

"Captain Obvious" is an interesting song title, the title comments on the lyrical content of the song.
The opening guitar is played in an 80's hard rock style. I am reminded of Van Halen, Poison and KISS.
The lyrics are straight ahead and simple, the message is clear and the vocals are delivered in an 80's style.
...as Andrew W.K. would say...She really is Beautiful!

The third track is the best yet. "The Wild Mouse" reminds me of the old Crystal Beach roller coaster.

(Below is a photo of the old Crystal Beach Wild Mouse roller coaster with The Comet in the background)

This instrumental track is great and all of the solo performances are high energy and played with 80's flash, flair and urgency. This is my favorite track on the CD so far. The tempo is quick and the rhythm is solid, just right for a ripping guitar solo. Tim Unger absolutely tears it up on his guitar solos with quick pull offs, high note bends and fret-board taps.

The spotlight then turns to drummer Nick Notaro who bangs out a great, quick solo on the drums.

Joe Barush then takes a quick and sweet solo on the bass...which is barely audible in the mix, turn the bass up!

"Shoot The Label" once again features Jody Veletta on vocals. Jody's latest musical project is the original band DoDriver.
http://www.dodriver.com/home.cfm

The lyrics are for anti-music labeling or categorizing, which I agree with 100%. Music labels or categories are really just put on bands as a selling point by the music industry. Bands just don't play music, they play "Heavy Metal", "New Country" or "Classic Rock". The lyrics advocate listening to music you prefer to listen to, no matter what category or box the band has been placed in by someone else. Once again Nick and Joe take turns on a solo flight, but the bass is inaudible. I love a bass solo but it needs to be heard to be fully appreciated.

"Equinox" is a guitar-driven, rock instrumental that features Tim Unger on guitar.
Tim has been gigging frequently with the band eXit! for the last few years.

The guitar intro sets a slow, steady tempo. Ever so slowly, melodic and quick guitar solos slowly bring the tempo of instrumental up into a full-out rock jam. The punchy and solid bass punches through the mix on this song with some excellent fills and runs. The tempo rises up and falls a couple of times throughout on this rock jam. "Equinox" is my second favorite track on "Hondo's Revenge." Great jams!

"23 years" is a mid-tempo rocker with an easy flowing feel and classic rock sound.

Next up is a cool up-tempo guitar-rock instrumental called "Freakin' A". The song begins with a cool drum intro played by Nick Notaro. Nick's current musical project is called Blind Date.

"Freakin' A" features Tim Unger on lead guitar solos for this rocker. The sound of the rhythm guitar and many of the solos reminded me of Molly Hatchet.

"Too Many Talkin' Heads" is the best song with Jody on vocals.

I don't rate any CDs I review on a point or star system but I would recommend Hondo's Revenge to any 80's or classic rock fan and once again, I'd like to thank Nick and the band for submitting the Hondo's Revenge CD for review. Thank You!
I must also mention that the CD mailer included a special bottle of chicken wing sauce. Now I don't know if Nick's Spider Venom Chicken Wing Sauce is a new business venture for Nick but 1 thing I do know is that it tastes great and it adds a nice kick to anything that I would put hot sauce on.

Tantrum T.A. - Inglewood, California

If you're into hip-hop here's a new up and coming artist you need to check out...
https://www.facebook.com/TantrumTAMusic
http://tantrumta.bandcamp.com/album/94

High Horse - Buffalo NY

I recently caught High Horse at a corner bar in Tonawanda, NY and I was pleasantly surprised at the awesome sounds coming from the band. High Horse is a step above your average cover band. The band works very well together to create a great, cohesive, musical sound like a good band should. All the guys seemed to be enjoying themselves and it shined through in the music.

I sought out Pete and the High Horse band after a friend posted an old video of Pete singing live on Facebook. I believe the video has since been taken down.

My goal of going to see Pete was to politely ask him for a CD to post on this blog, never intending to review it.

As far as reviewing the High Horse CD goes I am somewhat biased having known Pete personally for quite a few years now. I agreed to give Pete a honest opinion of Escape From The Glue Factory upon Pete's polite request. 

Before I start the review I have to say that I was very impressed by the live guitar playing of Chuck DeRose. Clint Haycraft played keys, lead guitar and sang backup vocals all very well that night. The entire band sounded great and they closed out the night with a rip roarin' version of In The Light by Led Zeppelin.

OK here we go with the CD review. First up is "The Rider". The Rider is a great, upbeat opening track. The sound is classic rock all the way around, from the drums to the vocals. This song would fit right in on 97 Rock's playlist and nobody would bat an eye. I can picture a big pack of Harley's cruising down the road while I listen to "The Rider". Spectacular keyboard performance on this one.

   "Autumn Girl" is a pure classic rocker. High Horse have the 70's retro sound down pat. This song has a great guitar intro and an excellent farfisa organ track. The vocals provide the perfect, sweet icing on top of the great melodic track. "Clarissa" reminded me of a 70's pop nugget you might hear on AM radio back in the day. Great guitar slides... The vocals on Clarissa highlight Pete's talented, vocal stylings. "Sweet Baby Jane" features Chuck DeRose on guitar. The intro sounds like Stevie Ray and the melodic, lead guitar solo has some Duane Allman sounds sprinkled in. Eli Porter and Chuck crank out some nice, melodic, guitar lines on this rocker. The song tells of Jane and her drug problem. Best line of the song... "By nine'o'clock you're dragging your ass". Next up is "Remiss". I was immediately reminded of the 80's sound upon hearing the intro. Pete manages to change the sound of his voice and his lyrical phrasing to match an 80's style, highlighting his talented vocals. Chuck delivers some pure Fender strat guitar lines on this song trading up with the keyboard solos. "Four Winds" gives the rhythm section of Eli Porter and Sandy Belsky and chance to set a great tempo and really groove together. This song highlights Eli Porter, he is really popping and slapping the bass on this one. "Gone" is the love ballad of the CD. High Horse uses a secret songwriting trick to add even more melody to the song. The band moves up the musical key to give Pete a chance to stretch out on the outro. "Ballad of a Would Be Hero" shows just how well the band works together. Each member contributes a great performance to this "epic" mid-tempo rocker. "Stunner Rumbles" is a jazz fusion/progressive rocker that gives the musicians of High Horse a chance to let loose and "speak" through their instrument of choice. The intro is pure jazz fusion which leads into a melodic figure played by the keys and guitar. Great instrumental! "Earthshine" is a heavy rocker that starts off with some cool, guitar feedback. Pete's talent shows through on another great vocal performance, this High Horse CD is Pete's best recorded work to date. The final track, "The Emperor (Has No Clothes)" is a fun song proving that the High Horse band has a great sense of humor. Pete delivers some funny one liners on this track which also includes a hidden, bonus track. 

Great debut CD from an amazing band! 

Special thanks to Pete and the High Horse band.

The first person who comments on this review piece will recieve my review copy of Escape From The Glue Factory CD.

SUPPORT WNY MUSIC!!

Biography:

We're writing it as we go along...

-2010 Buffalo Night-Life Magazine Music Award Nominee (Best Niagara Falls Band)

-2011 Buffalo Night-Life Magazine Music Award Winner (Best Niagara Falls Band)

Description:

Classic covers & originals...

Genre: Good music

Members: Peter Vogt (lead vocals); Clint Haycraft (keyboards, guitar, vocals); Chuck DeRose (guitar, vocals); Eli Porter (bass, groove); Sandy Belsky (drums)

Check out High Horse on Facebook...

https://www.facebook.com/pages/High-Horse-Rock-Band/130858596925786?fref=ts