Buffalo Rising Online

Eric Crittenden

In today’s digital age the opportunities presented for aspiring artists have never been greater and there is no end in site, in fact it’s forever evolving and will continue to grow as long as technology does. Jeff Garbacz is a pillar of the musical community here in his hometown of Buffalo NY. On the surface, he is an All-American man, with a family; in a modest house; on a modest street…blah, blah, blah. But underneath it all he is a visionary and a well-rounded artist, whose visual works has been a main stay on the national music scene for 10 years.

Jeff Garbacz was always a creative kid and always was on the cutting edge of life. While on the football field or basketball court he would think of the most unique and creative things to do or say to give him self an edge and often it would lead to some disciplinary action.

But it wasn’t until he was in his twenties tha…

Joseph DiDomizio

In an email conversation with Dan Dwyer, a former Buffalonian who now lives in Manhattan and manages the Dublin band Stand, I came across a quote from Hunter S. Thompson: “The Music Business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.” As colorful as Thompson is with his description of an industry that is trying to re-imagine itself for the 21st century (gee, that sounds familiar…), the quote wasn’t surprising to find amidst the rest of our conversation.

Formed by childhood friends in 1994, Stand does not see the floundering music industry as troublesome, but as an opportunity. David Walsh, composer and lead guitarist, says the band measures its success by the “overwhelming buzz we get from stepping on pedals and playing our instruments to the fans we have …

Melissa Lockwood

Buffalo's own Terry Sullivan will be featured on WBFO's “Wednesday Night Free Concerts” series. The Buffalo native got his first taste of rock n' roll in high school, with a little help from some of his older brother's records and Buffalo music's soulful past. The modest, yet prominent singer-songwriter has spent the last three decades dabbling in a range of musical genres and tastes, and has collaborated with numerous distinguished musicians.

His CD, THEErthMoovsaroundTHESun, brings forth some of the seasoned artist's best works, spanning his musical career. Sullivan instituted a few collaborations in the making of his first record, yet the album reflects his legendary work, serving as a collection of highlighted excerpts from his notable body of work.

WBFO will broadcast Sullivan's “Live at Allen Hall” performance live on t…

Susan Marie

Before the terms "underground" and "alternative" became mainstream, McCarthyizm was pounding out a blend of 60's garage and 80's rock with undertones of Celtic folk. Buffalo's own has shared the stage with the The Goo Goo Dolls, 10,000 Maniacs, Eddie Money, John Waite, They Might Be Giants, The Smithereens, The Proclaimers, Spirit of the West, The Crash Test Dummies, and Lowest of the Low.

This 6 piece rock/pop mix has traveled the Northeast enlightening Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New York City, Boston, Toronto and LA. They have earned numerous Music Awards and have taken Best Original Rock Band for 2006 and 2007 for the Buffalo Music Awards.

McCarthyizm consists of: Joe McCarthy, lead vocals and acoustic guitar; Paul Ceppaglia, guitar, mandolin, vocals; Dave Mucha, bass and vocals; Joe Suplicki, percussion; Helen Butler, fiddle; and Nate Schneekloth, keyboards.

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buffalorising

Before you settle in to your outdoor patio seat today or get started on that lawn project, think about heading over to the Albright-Knox to view the entries for Art Alive.

According to Knox planners, this year's is the largest grouping, with 40 entries. It amazes the senses when you see life imitating art in ways that boggle the mind. See how ingeniously these artists pay homage to the masters of the art world in emulating 3D replicas of instantly recognizable works. Click here for a slideshow of some of last year's entries.

No matter how jaded you may be, there's always a surprise at Art Alive. As you can see from the photo above, some of the artists' poses are very difficult. Hurry to the Knox befor…

Elena Cala Buscarino

Our Generation - The Visual Voice is the name of the student exhibit opening tonight at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and continuing until June 15.

This exhibit of student works, curated by fellow students, is a prime example of the talent and energy of area youth on both sides of this progressive show. Through the gentle guidance of Anna Jablonski Program Coordinator of the Education Department, the 15 curators, from several area high schools, picked 26 works of art from student artists and planned every aspect of the show.

"They set up their own judgement system and picked from over 200 submissions," Jablonski said. "They wrote the wall cards and text, framed and matted the work, designed the invitations and learned everything it means to be an art handler. One of the future curators, Cliff Wadsworth, de…

Joseph DiDomizio

Fresh off their powerful performance at this year’s Artists & Models, Stephen Goss (Vocals), Nick Gordon (Guitar/Vocals) Tim Staszak (Drums) and Dan Ratel (Bass), better known as Buffalo’s preeminent punk outfit London Vs New York, will be opening for the Black Lips on Friday night at Mohawk Place.

The Black Lips are Joe Bradley (vocals & drums), Jared Swilley (vocals & bass), Ian St. Pe (guitar) and Cole Alexander (vocals & guitar), out of Atlanta, Georgia. They’ll be bringing a number of albums and a lingering reputation for raucous and wild live shows onto Mohawk Place’s stage. Packing their energy from the stage and earlier records into dark corners of solid 1960s punk songs, the Black Lips' new album Good Bad Not Evil, explores a growth in sound that can't be considered a taming of their chaotic performances, but rather a growth from them. Given nati…

Doug Sitler

The Essex Arts Center’s AMP Party, this coming Saturday, June 7 adds to the excitement to the blossoming Essex and Rhode Island Street neighborhood. Event organizers are hoping many people attend the festivities while simultaneously discovering the tremendous changes in the West Side neighborhood.

“We have been fighting the good fight over on Essex Street since 1969, and it is exciting to see the major transformation of the surrounding neighborhood” said Mark Griffis, Executive Director of the complex, “One of the reasons why we wanted to host this event was to get more people down to see our facility and become more familiar of the neighborhood.”

Essex will feature a slew of bands, dancers, drummers, artists, poets for an event titled The AMP Party. Cost is $10 and will benefit the center and its arts and education programming. Headlining the band stage will be Buf…