Last year, Thin Man Brewery hit a home run with its inaugural Summer Solstice Street Festival. The street fest drew hundreds of people to Elmwood Avenue to listen to a killer line-up of bands, that played throughout the day and into the evening. It was quite a scene, right smack dab in the middle of the street, which is why they’re doing it again!
This Saturday, June 16, Thin Man is going to host an epic music adventure in front of its Elmwood brewery. “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the way that last year’s event turned out,” said Josh Mullin, who is orchestrating the affair. “Our customers, staff, and bands that played have been talking about it ever since. We can’t wait to throw a bigger, better, and more fun version of that again this year.”
Following is the line-up of bands and musicians scheduled to play at the street festival:
Radarada
Buffalo’s freshest hip hop outfit, Radarada brings together precision musicianship with electric stage presence and just enough attitude.
Members:
Ana Vafai aka Littlecakeoh – Vocals
Tommy Too – Emcee/Vocals
wZa – Emcee/Sampling
Bryan Segarra – Drums
Jared Tinkham – Guitar
Colin Brydalski – Bass
The Jumpers
The Jumpers are one of those bands that helped define an era in Buffalo.
That era was roughly 1977-1981 in Buffalo, when the Jumpers crushed the audiences with a combination of power pop hooks and just plain rock ‘n roll power. They were concurrent with the punk rock movement, but were never narrowly defined by it.
And the band was simply electric on stage. The Jumpers are mentioned by some as contenders for the best live band in Buffalo – ever.
That contention might be the subject of countless bar arguments, but legendary DJ Gary Storm could buy it. In “Bflo Pnk 1.0,” he described seeing the Jumpers as a “unforgettable, absolutely miraculous gig; Terry Sullivan, when he smashed the maracas at the end of the show, is one of the great moments in rock ‘n’ roll … ever.”
The band’s final official recording was “Hello Girl,” a Meylan/Sullivan song that was included on 1980’s “Waves, Vol. 2” compilation on the legendary BOMP Records from Los Angeles.
The band had four writers (Kozak, Meylan, Sullivan, Miklasz) and its live sets were filled with great originals such as “Blown Out on the Thruway,” “South of the City” and “100 MPH,” but many never got recorded and released.
The band just predated the “get in a van and sleep on sofas” movement of the 1980s, so when a move to New York City didn’t result in a major label contract, the group dissolved again.
There were a few reunions over the years, but in 2016 the band reassembled (with Eric Van Rysdam replacing Meylan, who had moved to the Dallas area) to play a Sperrazza memorial show. The band has made several appearances since, showing they’ve still got the power.
“I think everyone’s performing as well, if not better, than we ever have” said Kozak. “And we’re having fun. I think there’s less of the angst you have when you’re younger.”
Members:
Terry Sullivan
Bob Kozak
Scott Miklasz
Roger Nicol
Eric Van Rysdam
Funktional Flow
Since the bands establishment in 2010, Funktional Flow has graced the stages of several music festivals such as Catskill Chill, The Great Blue Heron, A Bears Picnic and Night Lights Music fest. They also host their own music festival called “Flow Fest” on Woodlawn Beach in Woodlawn, NY. Funktional Flow has shared the stage with many notable acts including; Warren Haynes, The Wailers, Railroad Earth, Rusted Root, New Riders of the Purple Sage and members of Little Feat. The Flow has succeeded in making a name for themselves throughout the North East and beyond; continuously earning recognition from musical publications. Recently the band was voted “Best Original Alternative Band” out of Buffalo, NY. Also featured in Relix magazine’s “On the Rise” section and was a previous winner of the coveted Artvoice “Best of Buffalo” award. Dubbed a multi-genre monster, Funktional Flow is best experienced in its natural state, a live performance.
Members:
Jeff Kuebler – Vocals/Guitar
Joey Lewis – Vocals/Guitar
Matt Lester – Vocals/Keys
Ben Whelan – Bass
RJ Acanfora – Drums
Dreambeaches
Members:
Corey Bzibziak
Gabe Wells
Jacob Peter
Andrew Kothen
+ Friends
Humble Braggers
Since summer of 2013 Humble Braggers has release 3 EPs and most recently a full length album entitled “I Know Better, I’m No Better” in spring of 2017. In the past 5 years they’ve opened for national acts such as Metric, The Naked and Famous and Joywave while their music has been licensed in tv shows such as Teen Mom 2, The Flash and iZombie.
The bands sonic routes are oriented in groups like Tears for Fears, M83 and Friendly Fires, combining electronic music with large sonic reverb laden landscapes. With a newly matured synth-focused sound, the band will be releasing a fourth EP in 2018 entitled “Cycles”.
Members:
Tom Burtless (singer)
Tom Stoklosa (keyboards)
Matt Chavanne (drums)
Bryan Zells (bass)
Leroy Townes
Leroy Townes is an original roots rock band originally hailing from the hills of Allegany County. After three albums and lots of whiskey under the bridge, the band’s lineup now consists of Rob Mazurkiewicz on bass, Rob Mayhle on guitar, Harmony Griffin on guitar, Jeff Schaller on drums and Ashley and Beave Sorensen on lead vocals. The band marries the influences of folk and country with rock and roll and has been building up a following over the past decade in Buffalo – it’s like hearing the needle drop on your favorite vinyl record.
The CPX
Blending a multitude of influences and styles, The CPX has created a unique style that must be seen to be believed. With a perfect combination of musicianship and electric stage prescence, The CPX has quickly established itself as one of the finest bands in Buffalo.
Members:
Andrew J. Reimers: Guitar/Vocals
Katie Panfil: Fiddle/Vocals
Eric Rovner: Lead Guitar
James Warren: Bass
Josh Mullin: Drums
PA Line
The sound of PA Line proves that in the current musical world of repetition and catchy leads, music can still hit you in the heart. By combining dedication and raw talent, lead vocalist/guitarist/percussionist Trever Stribing and vocalist/bassist Lucas Honig have created a unique brand of alternative folk music influenced by artists ranging from Mumford and Rusted Root. Their high-energy creations have received recognition around the country and in the UK. They currently have two albums—Liar and Breathe—and are starting to record a third. Stribing and Honig have been playing music together for almost a decade; their parallel drive and catchy rhythms are something you’ll never forget.
Members:
Trever Stribing – Lead Vocals/Lyrics/Rhythm Guitar/Misc Instruments/Bass Drum/Tambourine
Lucas Honig – Bass/Vocals
Jeremy Shields- Special percussions/Vocals
Bold Folly
Members Brian McKenna, Bennett Wisher, and Timothy Zdrojewski formed Bold Folly about two years. It was a cold winter day in April when the lads decided to give up their previous ambitions of being Buffalo’s premiere Duran Duran cover band and begin writing their own music. Thusly a combination of noise and texture was born and is, to this day, way too stubborn to die.
Members:
Brian McKenna – drums & vocals
Bennett Wisher – bass & vocals
Timothy Zdrojewski – guitar & vocals
Max Muscato
Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Max Muscato’s alt rock tone has launched him in to a successful path thus far. 2017 marked the release of his highly anticipated album Act One, which quickly gained popularity. Originally born in Germantown, MD, him and his family relocated to Buffalo, NY where he developed much of his music roots. His father, Marc Muscato (percussionist) was involved with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra which lead to Max growing up around the orchestral scene – a major influence for his style of music. However, rock from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Stone Temple Pilots and John Mayer played a major role in his influence.
Although he was born percussionist from his father influence he started to dive in to other instruments which included the trombone, marimba, flute and others; but it wasn’t until age 13 he picked up his first guitar and the rest is history. Max started playing out at venues by the time he was 15 and instantly fell in love with being on stage. Over the years he was part of several bands but found his true calling as a soloist by the age of 24. Shortly after the release of his album he was signed by Castle Group Records and has begun touring across the country ranging from venues in NYC, Nashville, Austin, LA and more.
Max has currently been working in the studio on several singles as well as his follow up album Act Two. In addition to his singer-songwriter career, Max founded a non-profit organization known as Rock Autism Music Festival. The inspiration spawned from his brother Sonny Muscato, a percussionist who was born with autism. The organization holds a recurring music festival to raise money for arts and music programs in the autism community.
Members:
Max Muscato – Vox/Guitar
Gabe Birkby – Vox/Guitar
Marc Muscato – Drums
James Chudy – Keys
Anthony Kosobucki – Bass
The Observers
Born out of the Allentown neighborhood in Buffalo, NY, Josh Gage, Allen Greystone and Ben Perrello have blended their original Folk, Indie and Americana compositions to form what is now the Observers. With the addition of Tyler Westcott on banjo, Dan Schwach on drums and washboard, and Patrick Jackson on bass they have they rounded out their unique sound. Their shows allow you to travel from tear in your beer ballads, to remain in your brain melodies and strip to your panties hootenannies
Members:
Allen Greystone – Guitar, Harmonica and Vocals
Benjamin Perrello – Mandolin, Guitar and Vocals
Josh Gage – Ukulele, Guitar and Vocals
Tyler Westcott – Banjo, Guitar and Vocals
Dan Schwach – Percussion, Washboard and Vocals
Patrick Jackson – Bass and Vocals
12/8 Path Band
The mighty Twelve Eight Path Band has been making Buffalonians dance since 1993. Their exciting sound is based on festival music from New Orleans, Cuba, Brazil and the Balkans, filtered through a lens that’s 100% Buffalo. Playing festivals, parties, protests, parades and wedding; benefits, bars, or even just busking on Allen Street, Twelve Eight Path Band has always aimed to revive the energy, fun, and history of the Street Band.
Members:
Steve Baczkowski – bari sax
Ringo Brill – bass drum
Dan Carr – trombone
Sami Cirpili – trombone
Cyd Cox – percussion
Greg Horn – trumpet
Dave Mussen – clarinet
Jon Nelson – sousaphone
Tiffany Nicely – djembe
Naryan Padmanabha – percussion
Ravi Padmanabha – snare drum
James Whitefield – trombone
Thin Man Second Anniversary Summer Solstice Street Festival
Saturday, June 15, 2018
12 PM – 10 PM
After party with Basha!
Food by Chef Nick (fireman’s style chicken), Dino and Todd (grilling Allen Burger Venture burgers), and Lloyd taco.
Thin Man Brewery | 492 Elmwood Avenue | Buffalo, New York 14222 | Facebook event
All attendees must be 21 and over