Just as some of the first polls were closing on election night November 8th, the opening act hit the stage at Iron Works. Upstate Rubdown is a seven-piece band based out of New York’s Hudson Valley Region. They hit the stage overflowing with energy and the three lead singers sang beautifully together. Their harmonizing was flawless. Expect to see these guys and gals around the circuit. They have such a unique sound that spans decades. Their 2015 album A Remedy is well worth the listen.
The Kitchen Dwellers took the stage shortly after 9:30 to everyone’s delight. Fresh off of a West Coast tour opening for Twiddle, they started the night off right with the “Cherokee Shuffle.” The Kitchen Dwellers are not, I repeat they are not your average, run of the mill bluegrass band. Their set in Buffalo had such a wide variety of sounds ranging from the beautiful interaction between all the stringed instruments to Torrin Daniels picking apart that banjo of his but with a Wah Pedal. Not to mention James Schlender making that fiddle scream but with different distortion effects.
A few covers were thrown into the mix that fateful election night. Their take on “Going Down The Road Feeling Bad” (Grateful Dead) was on point. Max Davies (guitar) took the lead shredding apart the solos while keeping pace all along. Hearing the Bob Marley cover “Bend Down Low” was one of the high points of the night. The reggae bluegrass fusion was strong and something about it just sounded so right.
Shawn Swain (mandolin/vocals) had this to say about the bands time spent in Buffalo: “Buffalo is a great town with an awesome scene. To me it was evident that the people there care deeply for the music and continue to show that devotion by coming out every time we play in the area. It’s awesome to see familiar faces as well as the new ones they bring along. Great scene.”
The Kitchen Dwellers continue on with their East Coast portion of their Fall tour that comes to an end November 19th in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Setlist: Cherokee Shuffle > Buckle Down , Visions of More, Going Down The Road Feeling Bad, Broken Cage > Five Candles > Bend Down Low > Five Candles, Ghost In The Bottle
Encore: Crying Holy Unto The Lord
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