Live Music Reviews and Photographs / NYC, Buffalo, Toronto, Pittsburgh
It was Pretty in Pink and 80s high school proms all over again last night at History in Toronto. If you were music aware in the 80s, there’s no way you could avoid not knowing Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark and their brand of electronic dance music. While they were not the first pioneers (like …
Continue reading "OMD brings back the 80s in a big way at HISTORY – May 3, 2022"
It was a hell of a night for punk rock at Mohawk Place on Thursday with a trio of Sad Place, Skating Polly, and Together Pangea. Whether you call it emo, ugly pop, or garage rock, it was hard, heart pounding punk rock. I had been following Skating Polly since their collaboration with Veruca Salt …
Continue reading "A Skating Polly punk sandwich at Mohawk Place in Buffalo – April 14, 2022"
Nation of Language is one of those bands that seems to have come from nowhere and exploded onto the music scene. That being said, they did form back in 2016 with Ian Richard Devaney on guitars and lead vocals, Aidan Noell on synthesizers, and Michael Sue-Poi on bass. Supposedly Devaney took inspiration from OMD's "Electricity" …
Continue reading "Dancing the night away with Nation of Language at Lee’s Palace – April 7, 2022"
With her new single "Shotgun" already out and her new album "Sometimes, Forever" about to drop in May, it almost feels like I'm seeing Soccer Mommy (aka Sophie Regina Allison) just a month early. That being said, this spring tour is really what we had expected back in 2020 in support of her then new …
Continue reading "Soccer Mommy thrills crowd at Mr Smalls – April 2, 2022"
When I saw that Wolf Alice was playing at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, I thought it was great that they were playing larger venues. They are an amazing band, especially live, and are not to be missed. When I arrived, I discovered that they were playing on Stage AE's "club stage", significantly smaller than the …
Continue reading "Wolf Alice rolls on in Pittsburgh – April 1, 2022"
If all you know about Gary Numan is his big 80s hit “Cars”, then you’re missing out. Yes, he was an icon back in the 80s but he’s been putting out new music and touring regularly ever since. If you’ve ever been to one of his shows, you’d remember it vividly. And his music has …
Continue reading "One of the best shows of the year? That’s right…Gary Numan! – Mar 12, 2022"
How old are the members of Sunflower Bean? "TwentyTwo in Blue" came out pretty recently, right? The pandemic and subsequent lockdown have caused us to lose two years so, yes, they're TWENTY SIX now!! After being somewhat radio silent since the "King of the Dudes" EP was released in January 2019, we finally have a …
Continue reading "Sunflower Bean previews new album at Club Cafe – Mar 6, 2022"
The last time I saw Tame Impala was at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY in 2017. At that show all attendees were asked to place their phones in Yondr pouches for the duration of the show. Fast forward five years; same amazing band, different restrictions (vaccination cards). The band opened up their 2022 …
In late 2019, I had just started to get into The Regrettes' sophomore album "How Do You Love?" after kicking myself for missing their show in NYC. I was hoping for another tour in 2020 but, unfortunately, that was not to be. However, the band stayed busy during the lockdown, releasing two stand-alone singles "What …
Continue reading "The Regrettes slay Rec Room Buffalo – Mar 2, 2022"
Did you know that on Tuesday 2/22/22 Pluto completed one revolution around the sun after 246 years? Ok, so we missed by one day and it hasn't really been that long since we last saw Grouplove. However, for some of us die-hard fans, it SEEMS that long. The band had just started doing promos in …
Continue reading "It was a GROUPLOVE birthday celebration at Brooklyn Steel – Feb 23, 2022"
I was just eighteen when “Human’s Lib” was released. With new wave music in full swing at the clubs and “What is Love?” being pondered by young men and women everywhere, Howard Jones and his music became an integral part of my college experience. I had said debut album, “Dream Into Action”, and “One to …
Continue reading "The Howard Jones Acoustic Trio re-ignites at the Hangar Theater – Feb 11, 2022"
James Taylor and Jackson Browne wrapped up a long US tour at the Key Bank Center in Buffalo on Monday. I was lucky enough to attend and photograph for QRO Magazine. All their respective hits were in play as well as a number of covers, evoking memories from my younger days. Taylor, at points, hopped …
Continue reading "James Taylor brings back memories at Key Bank Center – Dec 13, 2021"
It's been a rough two years for many but definitely not for UK artist beabadoobee (aka Beatrice Laus aka Bea Kristi). Besides releasing her amazing critically acclaimed debut album "Fake It Flowers" in 2020, she also collaborated with The 1975’s Matty Healy and George Daniel on 2021's EP "Our Extended Play" and, on Saturday December …
Continue reading "*beabadoobee wraps up tour at Stage AE – Dec 11, 2021"
How does a pop artist release an album in 2019, go through the pandemic and come out even more popular than she was going in? That's exactly what happened to Caroline Polachek. It seems that album "Pang" resonated with the public and brought her a huge following for her electro-dream dance pop. It's been a …
Canadian indie-band Tokyo Police Club was originally going to celebrate the ten year anniversary of their Juno nominated second full length album "Champ" in 2020. Unfortunately, the pandemic shut things down but when live music started to come back, the band immediately put together a "replacement" tour and a re-issue of that great record. The …
Continue reading "Tokyo Police Club celebrates “Champ” at Bowery Ballroom – Nov 19, 2021"
When talented Norwegian singer/songwriter/activist/fairy Aurora announced just two shows in the United States for 2021, I knew I had to be at Terminal 5 on November 14th. Having attended every one of her NYC shows since 2017, I've had the pleasure of watching her grow and evolve as an artist. Besides having a beautiful voice …
Continue reading "Aurora makes Terminal 5 the happiest place on Earth – Nov 14, 2021"
UK rock band Wolf Alice stopped by the Bowery Ballroom in NYC (Nov 12/13) as they wind down their first tour in three years. Their critically acclaimed third album "Blue Weekend", released last June, has the been the source of much press coverage and garnered them a nomination for the 2021 Mercury Prize. After attending …
Continue reading "Wolf Alice crushes two nights at Bowery Ballroom – Nov 13, 2021"
Blues/rock guitarist and singer/songwriter Samantha Fish, in the midst of a worldwide tour supporting her seventh studio album "Faster", stopped by Asbury Hall on Tuesday night. Winner of many awards for her blues albums and performances, her new record does skew a bit more pop. That being said, her consummate guitar playing is evident and, …
Continue reading "Samantha Fish was on fire last night in Buffalo – Nov 2, 2021"
What a night of constant searing guitar solos and good old rock and roll!! Are we talking about Eric Clapton? Led Zeppelin? Lynyrd Skynyrd? Nope! It was Larkin Poe who played an electric show at Asbury Hall/Babeville in Buffalo last night and wowed my socks off! The Nashville-based sister duo (Rebecca Lovell on lead vocals …
Continue reading "Larkin Poe rocks the house at Asbury Hall – Oct 12, 2021"
Shot for QRO Magazine. You can also view the gallery here. After seeing the crowd at the Sea Hear Now Festival (see my coverage here) singing along to every Billy Idol song just this past weekend, I kinda knew what to expect as I drove up to Port Chester for his headlining show at The …
This past weekend, I photographed my first festival. Pretty unbelievable, isn't it? Even fellow photographers I saw at the Sea Hear Now festival could have sworn they've talked to me at other festivals. As a last minute fill-in, I received my credentials through QRO Magazine. Not knowing quite what to expect, I took the long …
Continue reading "Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins anchor Sea Hear Now Festival – Sept 18-19, 2021"
Unless you are an indie rock fan, Phoebe Bridgers was a relative unknown (even though she had four Grammy nominations) until she played Saturday Night Live and smashed (up for debate) her guitar. All of a sudden, everyone knew who she was! Those of you already in the know had heard and loved her debut …
Continue reading "A Dreamy Night with Phoebe Bridgers at ArtPark – Sept 15, 2021"
When I shot my last show at NYC’s Mercury Lounge in March 2020, little did I know that it would be 18 months and a move up to the Buffalo area before my next concert. When Nashville-based Halestorm announced a nearby stop at the OUTDOOR amphitheater at ArtPark in Lewiston, I knew I had to …
Continue reading "Beautiful evening for Halestorm at ArtPark – Sept 1, 2021"
Synth-pop band, Erasure, has enjoyed a long and successful career ever since songwriter and keyboardist, Vince Clarke, posted an anonymous ad in Melody Maker looking for a singer. Clarke had already enjoyed tremendous success with Depeche Mode and Yazoo, although neither ended up providing him with what he was looking for. When Andy Bell (a …
Continue reading "Erasure takes us back in time with “The Neon”"
I seem to have been on the Echosmith promotion tour the last few months, having seen them at Paste Studio and Songkick even before they kicked off their Lonely Generation Tour at le poisson rouge in the Village in NYC. This sibling band (Sydney, Noah and Graham Sierota), with their dad as manager, producer, tour …
Continue reading "Echosmith leads young LA bands at LPR – Feb 13, 2020"
Swedish pop star Tove Lo (aka Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson), known not just for her danceable tunes and high energy live shows but also for her sexually direct lyrics and for flashing the crowd, hit NYC for two shows as part of her Sunshine Kitty Tour. Having celebrated her record release back in September at …
Continue reading "Tove Lo throws party at Brooklyn Steel – Feb 12, 2020"
East coast met west coast at Paste Studio on Feb 12th. We started with LA band Saint Motel with their cool LA vibe and finished the afternoon with soulful sounds from Brooklyn based Ron Pope. Both are on tour right now so catch them while you can. Click on photos to enlarge Saint Motel Ron …
Continue reading "Saint Motel and Ron Pope at the Paste Studio – Feb 12, 2020"
I always believed punk bands lose their anger as they get older, become more successful, etc. Sir Bob Geldof, Boomtown Rats frontman and the driver behind Band Aid, throws all of that out the window. He is still angry, whether it's about disco and "shit rock", as he calls it, or the political situation in …
Continue reading "Legendary musician and activist Bob Geldof talks to Paste Studio – Feb 11, 2020"
It's been a few years since Grace Potter hit the stage in New York. After a hiatus where she wasn't sure she would return to music, she took inspiration from the birth of her son, Sagan, and started working on a new record. "Daylight" was the result and she hit the Beacon Theatre on Feb …
Continue reading "Grace Potter returns to NYC with new record “Daylight” – Feb 1, 2020"
It was so good to see Grouplove on Thursday after an almost two year hiatus. After last seeing them perform at OzyFest in 2018 and hearing about Hannah Hooper's brain surgery, I wasn't sure if I would ever see one of the most fun bands again! YouTube was nice enough to bring them to a …
Continue reading "Grouplove is back with a bang at YouTube Space – Jan 30, 2020"
Having only recently discovered Your Smith, I was not ready for the amazing evening that awaited me at Rough Trade in Brooklyn on a cold Wednesday night. Caroline Smith had been playing music since she was a teenager in her native Minnesota and after performing under her name for years, she moved to LA in …
Continue reading "Your Smith rules Rough Trade – Jan 29, 2020"
You know you're doing something right when your debut LP is nominated for a GRAMMY award for Best Americana Album. At just 22 years old, Madison Cunningham has done just that with her record "Who Are You Now". While she did not win the award, it shows how mature and respected her music is within …
Continue reading "Madison Cunningham provides her fans a double dose in NYC – Jan 28, 2020"
Sibling band Echosmith got ready to kick off their "Lonely Generation" tour by surprising their fans with an intimate show at the Songkick offices. Those lucky enough to win entry braved the cold as they lined up on West 50th Street. They were rewarded when doors opened with snacks and drinks as they sat on …
Continue reading "Echosmith performs private show at Songkick – Jan 16, 2020"
What do you do when your high school rock band's members go to different colleges, making it difficult to continue to collaborate? Keep things simple with just two members and write some pop songs! That's exactly what Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin of Magdalena Bay did when they got back together one winter break. Named …
Continue reading "Magdalena Bay electrifies Elsewhere Zone One – Jan 15, 2020"
Songland contestant Sam De Rosa, a native New Yorker who now lives in LA, was visiting family for the holidays but took the time out to come over to Paste Studio to play a set. Recently signed to Monument Records, she played three songs including her first official single "Pill for This", which she wrote …
Continue reading "Sam De Rosa kicks off the new year at Paste Studio – Jan 6, 2019"
The annual Pandora holiday show is one of the most anticipated of the season. Previous performers of this huge free event have included Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, the 1975, Bastille, Post Malone and SZA. This year, the show moved from its previous location at Pier 36 to Avant Gardner in Brooklyn and …
Continue reading "Pandora presents Halsey at Avant Gardner – Dec 10, 2019"
If you miss the old days of don't give a fuck punk, you have to go to a Starcrawler show. But buyer beware...if you're near the stage, there is plenty of "band/crowd interaction". You might get water poured on you, a band member may blow their nose over you, your glasses or hat may get …
Continue reading "Starcrawler started Halloween early at Music Hall of Williamsburg – Oct 25, 2019"
When I saw Counterfeit at Knitting Factory last year, I didn't know the history of the band. I had heard their punk/rock debut LP "Together We Are Stronger" and wanted to see this band that had been voted Best Live Act in 2017 at the AIM Independent Music Awards. I had arrived early and discovered …
Continue reading "Counterfeit blows away Knitting Factory – Sept 10, 2019"
(still in catch up mode) You may be familiar with British punk band COUNTERFEIT lead singer and guitarist Jamie Campbell Bower from his acting work on the Twilight trilogy, Mortal Instruments, or Sweeney Todd. I wasn't but found out quickly as I waited on line with his many fans. Don't let that sway you into …
Continue reading "COUNTERFEIT gets down and dirty at Knitting Factory – May 1, 2018"