HEaRD in WNY: Top shows for the week of Nov. 21 - 27

This week's featured event: Live Music is Back at Showplace: 8 p.m. Saturday

How many things have you heard "I miss [insert venue name here]"? How many times has someone come along and made that dream come true? Personally, this is the first time I've seen a wonderful new owner bring every single thing to the table to make an old venue that so many people have great memories at into a perfect & beautiful new place for music! If you've been under a rock, Showplace Theater has officially been declared as reopen and celebrated with their first event on Halloween which went over beautifully. Now it's time to take things back to their roots with some good ol fashioned Local Rock Bands who are poised to take the new stage at this iconic Buffalo location! But don't forget, this isn't the Showplace Theater you may remember. Joe Roxbury has gutted everything and replaced it with modern furnishings. Yes, that means the floor is no longer slanted, the seats are gone, there's no random pipes, or sketchy looking anything. This is Showplace for a new generation, and we're all really excited to see someone spending this much time and money on our local music scene! Doors open back up at Showplace at 8 p.m. this Saturday, November 26th and there's only a $5.00 cover! Show you support towards this great new/old venue and its hard working new owner who is quickly filling the calendar with much more awesome events to come!

/// other shows ///

• Metal Monday At Mohawk!: 7 p.m. Monday at Mohawk Place
• Caving & Jaclyn Heuser: 6 p.m. Tuesday at Mohawk Place
• Mockba Transit Authority: 7 p.m. Wednesday at Mohawk Place
• Intrepid Travelers & The Observers: 9 p.m. Wednesday at Nietzsche's 
• Exham Priory & The Rifts: 6 p.m. Friday at Stamps
• WNY Stands With Standing Rock: 2 p.m. Saturday at Evening Star Concert Hall
• Black Saturday with Darkapathy: 7 p.m. Saturday at Mohawk Place
• Left Behind & Skincarver: 5 p.m. Sunday at Sugar City
• Da Villy Kids: 6 p.m. Sunday at Evening Star Concert Hall

Greg Burt is a Concert Promoter/Sound Guy/Music Supporter/Keyboardist/etc. He can be reached at Greg@FTMPEvents.com. For the full FTMP show calendar, visit www.FTMPEvents.com.

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Billy Draws 2 draws a crowd for CD release show

NIAGARA FALLS -- After an extended hiatus, Billy Draws 2 returned to the stage Friday night, playing before a crowd at Evening Star Concert Hall for the release of their new CD, "Now With KungFu Grip."

The band, which had taken time off while drummer Mike Miller "beat fucking cancer," as lead singer Billy Horn so eloquently put it, returned with energy and their signature humor. Guitarist Doug Life and bassist Rosie Lorenti helped to get the already-excited crowd even more into the show.

Opening for BD2 were Mystic Ape and Exham Priory.

More photos of the show are available here.

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PODCAST: ThinkSoJoe Show for Nov. 16, 2016

It's an all new ThinkSoJoe Show with music from Mystic Ape, Billy Draws Two, Bruce Wojick, and Dream Spectrum!

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All WNY Radio looking for Christmas tunes

The stockings are hung in stores with care, the commercials have begun to take over television broadcasts and at least one radio station in Western New York has begun playing Christmas music. Yes, the holiday season is upon us.

Here at All WNY Radio, we're going to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start playing Christmas music. But before we can do that, we need Christmas music from local bands. So we're putting out a call to arms -- and legs if need be -- for Christmas tunes from WNY artists.

While All WNY Radio does not typically play cover songs, we understand that there just isn't much original Christmas music written by local bands. Plus, people want to hear the classics. That said, music licensing is tricky and we're allergic to lawsuits. So we're asking for only songs that are in the public domain. A list follows of some of the more popular ones.

• Adeste Fideles
• Angels We Have Heard on High
• Auld Lang Syne
• Away In a Manger
• Deck the Halls
• First Noel
• God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
• Good King Wenceslas
• Hark ! The Herald Angels Sing
• Here We Come A-Caroling
• I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
• It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
• Jingle Bells
• Jolly Old St. Nicholas
• Joy to the World
• O Come All Ye Faithful
• O Come, O Come, Emanuel
• O Holy Night
• O Little Town of Bethlehem
• Silent Night
• Toyland
• Twelve Days of Christmas
• Up on the Housetop
• Wassail Song
• We Three Kings
• What Child is This?

Some songs might seem like they'd be public domain, but they are not. They include:

• A Holly Jolly Christmas
• All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
• Do You Hear What I Hear?
• Feliz Navidad
• Frosty The Snowman
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
• Here Comes Santa Claus
• I'll Be Home For Christmas
• It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
• Jinglebell Rock
• Let It Snow
• Little Drummer Boy
• Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
• Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
• Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
• Silver Bells
• Sleigh Ride
• The Christmas Song
• White Christmas
• Winter Wonderland

Of course, we'd love to have original Christmas music as well. We'd also be happy to play Hanukkah music, Kwanzaa music, Festivus music, or any other recognized holiday of the season.

Our hope is that we can have enough music from enough artists to offer an hour a day of Christmas music beginning Nov. 25.

So bands, send in our tracks! Just go to http://www.allwnyradio.com/p/submit.html to submit your tunes. Be sure to fill out the pertinent information in the form.

-- Scott Leffler
-- All WNY Radio

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HEaRD in WNY: Top shows for the week of Nov. 14 - 20

This week's featured show is Jen's Student Recital at Hard Rock Cafe from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Jen Vanduzer is a wonderful lady who has devoted herself to her students at Boulevard Music Lessons and Performing Arts, and has just taken on the role as Owner of Performing Arts as well! Her smile, charm, and hard work are what has created a following for her teachings and she has all of her students coming together this upcoming Sunday at the beautiful Hard Rock Cafe for a wonderful recital!

Weather you're a family friend of one of her students, or just want to see the next generation of local musicians, reserve yourself a table before they are all taken. I promise you, these kids are going to blow you away!

Also, be on the lookout for some more awesome things under Jen's new lead at one of the best places for Music Lessons around at Facebook.com/PerformingArtsMusic.

/// other shows ///

• Yellow House Tape Release: 7 p.m. Wednesday at Dreamland
• Kill The Clock EP Release: 10 p.m. Wednesday at BJ's
• Local Hip Hop Showcase: 6 p.m.. Thursday at Evening Star Concert Hall
• Full Monty: 7 p.m. Thursday at Mohawk Place
• Billy Draws Two CD Release Show: 7 p.m. Friday at Evening Star Concert Hall
• First Ward EP Release: 9 p.m. Friday at Nietzsche's 
• Seven Faces & Ish Kabibble: 6 p.m. Saturday at Stamps
• Chris Squier Band Benefit for Buffalo CARES: 7 p.m. Saturday at the Buffalo Irish Center
• Chrissy Criss: 10 p.m. Saturday at Surrender

Greg Burt is a Concert Promoter/Sound Guy/Music Supporter/Keyboardist/etc. He can be reached at Greg@FTMPEvents.com. For the full FTMP show calendar, visit www.FTMPEvents.com.

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PODCAST: ThinkSoJoe Show for Nov. 9, 2016

It's a brand new episode of the ThinkSoJoe Show with your hosts ThinkSoJoe and Muller ...

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Tony Bennett to play UB Center for the Arts

Grammy Award-winning artist Tony Bennett will play a one-night-only performance at UB Center for the Arts on Dec. 17. The 8 p.m. show will benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charity.

Bennett's initial successes came via a string of Columbia singles in the early 1950's, including such chart-toppers as "Because of You," "Rags to Riches," and a remake of Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart." He had 24 songs in the Top 40, including: "I Wanna Be Around," "The Good Life," "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)?" and his signature song, "I Left My Heart In San Francisco," which garnered him the first two of his 19 Grammy Awards. Tony Bennett is one of only a handful of artists to have new albums charting in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's and 10's. He introduced a multitude of songs into the great American Songbook that have since become pop music classics.

Locally presented by The Derico of East Amherst Corporation, concert proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo. Since opening its doors to families of seriously ill or injured children, the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo has provided comfortable, affordable lodging for 18,000 families from Western New York and around the world. The Ronald McDonald House is a family's "home-away-from-home" when their child requires specialized medical care at a Buffalo hospital.

Tickets are available at the Center for the Arts box office (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays), online at www.ubcfa.org or by phone 1-888-223-6000.

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