A few gigs slipped through the cracks while I was assembling this week’s Where the Bands Are column, but they’re more than worth noting.
First among them is the area debut of an uber-interesting project that finds multiple Native American Music Awards winner and virtuoso flutist Cody Blackbird, joining with veteran WNY musicians Ed Kokand and Matthew Knott, as the Blackbird 3.
The trio – which describes its sound as a combination of “Native American flute, world music drumming & percussion, and textured/layered sounds, to paint soundscapes that range from serene and ethereal to downright raging and bombastic” – recently tracked an album, Live from Studio A, at Robby Takac’s GCR Audio, where they captured their real-time improvisational acumen for posterity.
That ability to inhabit the musical moment is a key tenet of the Blackbird 3 ethos, according to guitarist Koban.
“Unlike improvisational jazz performances, where the music serves as a base for the individual players to do their thing musically, the Blackbird 3 musically interact in a very organic and interactive way It’s about painting soundscapes that happen spontaneously in the moment ,” Koban says.
We’ll be afforded the opportunity to witness all of this firsthand on Friday, May 3, when the Blackbird 3 take the stage at the Historic Taylor Theatre in Lockport, NY, beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 available here.
A few new show announcements crept in under the wire as well.
The fine folks at Asbury Hall @ Babeville announced a double-bill of blues legends, featuring Coco Montoya and Ronnie Baker Brooks, who’ll arrive at the venue for a 7 p.m. show on Saturday, November 23. Tickets are priced $42.50 GA and $62.50 limited Reserved Gold Circle. There’s a pre-sale today, Thursday May 2. (The passcode is COMBO24.) General on-sale kicks off on Friday, May 3, at 10 a.m. Grab them here.
In other Babeville news, Bruce Wojick & The Struggle will play the 9th Ward tonight, Thursday, May 2, at 8 p.m. $25 general admission seated tickets will be available at the door.
Finally, Electric City dropped a trio of new show announcements this week: The Halluci Nation on Sunday, June 2; Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on Tuesday, June 11; and El Alfa on Tuesday, December 3. Tickets can be found here.
Get out there and live, music lovers!