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  • Richie Kotzen can’t wait to show off his new power trio (2013)

    When a 19-year-old guitarist named Richie Kotzen released his eponymous debut in 1989, the industry was dealt yet another ambitious player poised to turn heads with his blues-based burst of instrumental exertion. His technique defied the issue of age, and…

  • Raven at The Forvm (2013)

    While the rest of Amherst was off exploring the inner recesses of their eyelids, 30 or so brave souls ventured out to The Forvm on a Wednesday night to see if one of the forgotten gems from the New Wave…

  • Ralphie May at The Bear’s Den (2014)

    Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette’s 2005 documentary, “The Aristocrats,” is remembered for pulling back the covers on what is widely acknowledged as being the dirtiest joke never to set foot beyond the hallowed walls of the dressing room.  Here was…

  • Raine Maida talks OLP’s return to western New York (2011)

    In 1995, Our Lady Peace (OLP) scored one of its first major gigs as the opener for Britpop legends Blur and Elastica as part of Toronto-based radio station 102.1 the Edge’s annual summer concert.  Despite having released its debut album,…

  • Puscifer takes The Riv on a ride it won’t soon forget (2012)

    When critic Martin Esslin coined the expression “Theatre of the Absurd” in 1960, he couldn’t have imagined just how far Maynard James Keenan would take it in 2012. Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle) has engineered a multimedia side project called…

  • Pixies at the Rapids Theatre (2015)

    Standing front row for the Pixies during their recent scorcher at The Rapids Theatre was what I like to refer to as a cultural colon cleanse. When Frank Black unleashed his primal scream during “Caribou,” it was as if all…

  • An Interview with Paul Thorn (2012)

    On April 14, 1988, then-middleweight boxer Paul Thorn stepped into the ring against the “Hands of Stone” himself Roberto Durán, so something tells me that his upcoming show at Buffalo’s Sportsmen’s Tavern on June 19 will be just another audience.…

  • Audiences are still mad about Paul Reiser (2013)

    From 1992 to 1999, NBC’s “Mad About You” endeared viewers with its weekly glimpse into the lives of neurotic thirty-somethings Paul and Jamie Buchman. Created by Paul Reiser and Danny Jacobson, the show utilized strong performances and keen observational humor…

  • Our Lady Peace at Club Infinity (2012)

    As someone who has been enamored with Canadian alt rock icons Our Lady Peace since 1997 and even interviewed lead singer Raine Maida in 2011, Friday night’s sold-out stunner at Club Infinity marked the first time I had actually experienced…

  • Nick Cassarino takes music to The Nth Power (2016)

    The Nth Power was formed in the wake of a late-night jam session at the 2012 New Orleans Jazz Festival by five people whose raison d’être is elevating the medium with every breath they draw. For them, a song signifies…