Buffalo Rising Online

In a recent conversation with Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Resident Conductor Robert Franz, he described the orchestra’s programs for children and families. Listen to his descriptions of the programs in the pod cast. The experience of hearing music performed by over 70 live musicians in Kleinhans Music Hall is terrific, and these programs ensure that young people will find the orchestra as impressive as do their grandparents.

The Family Concerts are designed for families with children aged between 4 and 10, and continue in December with a concert titled “A Visit from St. Nick,” which includes performances by the Greater Buffalo Youth Ballet and the Buffalo Jugglers Club on December 16 at 2:30pm.

February boasts a science discovery program, “Professor Checkerhead.” Dinosaurs are the topic for the March concert, including music from…

When we met with JoAnn Falletta, Music Director for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra last month, we asked her for her favorite things about Buffalo, and what she likes to do when in town. She appreciates the open minded and supportive audience, and the warm and generous musicians of the Orchestra. She also loves riding her bike and off-the-beaten-path restaurants.

Falletta grew up in New York and enjoys being closer to home. Currently, she divides her time between Western New York and Virginia, where she leads the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. She also spends a lot of time traveling in order to guest conduct with some of the stellar orchestras of the world year round. While in Buffalo, she frequents the Albright Knox Art Gallery and the Burchfield-Penney Art Center. Mostly she enjoys the generous and friendly nature of the people, and the beauty of the architecture. List…

Looking for something fun to do with you kids that will take you back to your Saturday mornings spent wrapped in a blanket in front of the TV watching cartoons? The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra presents Cartoons in Concert this Sunday, September 23 at 2:30 pm.

Remember that animated music that accompanied Tom and Jerry and the Pink Panther? Well, the BPO, under Resident Conductor Robert Franz will take you on that fun journey through cartoon music this week. A part of their family series, the animation will be projected during the concert, and classical favorites by Liszt, Beethoven and Strauss will also be performed. What a great way to get your kids hooked on live music!

Buffalo Rising visited the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra during rehearsal in Kleinhans Music Hall for their Opening Night Gala this weekend. A rare opportunity to see our area's finest musicians and conductor dressed down. Maestro JoAnn Falletta spoke about the Opening Night Gala with Van Cliburn, which sold out with standing room only remaining. She also gave us the highlights for the Classics Series through December. A beautiful season, she tells us much of the music selected is from the 19th Century, and speaks of the romance of that Century.

The BPO has updated their website, and expects more improvements soon. Already, you may go on the site and select the seat you wish to sit in when making reservations.

Later this month, we will post Falletta’s thoughts on Buffalo and news about their numerous recording projects, and cds to be re…

Boston's Marissa Nadler writes songs exclusively about heartbreak. If you've never heard her sing, that statement might be enough to turn you off--I mean, how many cry-baby singer songwriters can we handle, right? However, if you can spare some time, and perhaps a few tears, Marissa's velveteen voice and sparse instrumentation will convince you otherwise.

Nadler's music is true American Gothic – heart-wrenching, sometimes horrific, stories delivered in a sleepy-eyed, yet almost chirpy manner. Her latest offering, Songs III, isn't a horribly depressing record per se. Sure, the songs deal with heartbreak, and often death, but there's beauty in all that decay. The depression isn't obvious all at once; instead, the feelings of sadness and pain spread from one song to the next like thick honey. Nadler's rich voice that ranges from…

The local music scene seems to have been overrun by a slew of garage rock bands in the recent years. From the now defunct Roadhouse Gypsies, to local favorites Johnny Nobody, Whiskey Suicide, Pink Tiger, and many more, rock'n'roll is back with a vengeance in the Queen City. Perhaps it's fitting--like the city itself, the music is raw, unpretentious, never perfect, and yet...you can't help but love it.

This Friday's show at Merlin's presents a perfect opportunity for those in the know, and the uninitiated to check out some of the best bands in Buffalo and beyond. Local foursome Handsome Jack embodies what is best about the scene, and the genre in general. Gritty, loud, and fun, the band puts the raw essentials of rock'n'roll first, and everything else second. Sexually charged lyrics and half-in-the-bag swagger can become cliché …

Since 2003, The Roadhouse Gypsies have been bringing their brand of Faces and Stones inspired, tight-panted, sweat-dripping rock'n'roll to the bars of Buffalo. After four years of good times and great music, the band has decided to call it quits. But tonight, the boys are getting together for one last show to insure that their exit from the scene is a memorable one.

A Gypsies show is always a party, complete with a killer soundtrack. The band's hip-shaking sounds inspire even the most timid wallflower types to dance along. The Roadhouse Gypsies never fail to draw a huge crowd and their raucous performances always pack a punch. If your idea of a good time is gentle strumming on an acoustic guitar, then maybe Merlin's won't be your kind of place tonight. But if you're in the mood for pure, unadulterated rock'n'roll swagger, then this is the place for you.

Perhaps…

The Music Is Art Fair is ready to continue its annual tradition, but has been forced to change venues. In previous years, the Fair has coincided with the Allentown Art Festival, but due to logistical problems, is setting up stage at the Erie County Fairgrounds on August 11th. In an interview with Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls, I had the opportunity to hear the underlying causes of the change. Robby also divulged his favorite places to visit during a stay in his hometown.

LS: How do you feel about not being a part of the Allentown Art Festival this year?

RT: I look back over the past 5 years and I see that the Music Is Art Fair has grown from a street party, to a community group which has affected tens of thousands of lives in WNY in a positive way. Our outreach programs like, UB, the WNY high schools, the battle of the bands program and the Buffalo Performing arts program, …

In early winter 2006 I found David Granville in the parlor practicing a song on his piano and singing along * and if you know David, that's not an unusual experience. However, I was struck by the beauty of the music and its message. It reminded me of a well crafted and moving folk song, the kind that would have been heard frequently during 1960s-era of musical and political empowerment.

I asked David "who wrote that song?" He responded, "I did!" I was surprised only because I had never known David to write a song before, and as he is quick to point out, although he has written music before and poetry before, he has never before had the inspiration to put the two together.

In the days that followed, David played the song for a few friends, who, like myself, were impressed by the song's beauty and clarity. The song is called "Peace Prints" and is inspired by the PeacePrints …

Combining the timeless sounds of 60s Motown classics with the swagger of modern garage rock, the Detroit Cobras have created a rock' n' roll sound all of their own. Beginning with their first album, 1998's Mink Rat or Rabbit, the Cobras have established themselves as one of the most important and interesting bands in the Detroit garage scene. Though the band's material consists of reworked versions of lost Motown gems, to call the Detroit Cobras a cover band would be an injustice. Digging deep through their record collections, the Cobras uncover a slew of fantastic material and give the songs a new life, making them sound fresh, not dated.

Though the band's line up has changed over the years, the deep husky voice of singer Rachel Nagy has remained a constant. Described by All Music Guide as “Peggy Lee…

Joel invited me into his home and his studio, a pop surrealism playground that was as anti-establishment as it could be. I found Simpson action figures, a painting of a killer mummy hanging above the fireplace and a skateboard.

Upstairs his studio is full of the trappings of street culture--punk zines, comix, tattoo sketches and paintings that are anything but mainstream. What a relief. Joel leaves me to my picture taking, which I admit does his work no real justice.

I realize at once that fine art rendering is not lost on lowbrow artists like Joel. His sketches are animated, yet developed and precise. They may appear simplistic once painted, but the groundwork requires a tedious and well thought out precision that accompanies proportion and appropriation. This is not to mention Joel's endlessly creative subject matter, such as his depiction of octopuses, meant to represen…

Those of us who yearn for the golden age of shoegaze and dreampop (it can't just be me, right?) are in for a treat this Saturday night. Buffalo's own La Cacahouette offer up a dazzling blend of psychedelia, dreamy vocals and swirling guitars that just make you think it's 1990 all over again. The band first caught my attention at last year's Music Is Art, and it was love at first note. In a scene that has become over saturated by metal and pop-punk rejects, La Cacahoutte is a welcome breath of fresh air. Influenced by 60s psychedelia, shoegaze and prog, the band's distinct sound ranges from sleepy-eyed dream pop to grandiose wall-of-noise epics - both extremes often found in the same song. Fans of My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Cocteau Twins take note – this just may become your new favorite band.

Led by a husband and wife team …

Last night, a crowd gathered at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center for the screening of DISCS, a new Buffalo based television series pilot. Among the crowd were media types, cast and crew, family members, investors and even representatives from VH1.

Upon arrival at the screening, these privileged viewers were welcomed with a great selection of wine and hors d'oeuvres. J.J. Alfieri, Co-Producer (3C Multimedia) stood by the main lobby door and greeted every one of the one-hundred and fifty guests viewing the pilot. When I approached him, he gave me a warm handshake and grinned from ear to ear. “This was a great collaboration between two local companies, Bidwell Productions and 3C Multimedia,” he told me. “I believe there is an underground movement of young filmmakers. I'm proud to be a part of that…