Many is the music exec who has sat a band down and imparted some version of the following: “You gotta find your sound, your niche, and run with it. You simply can’t be all things to all people.”
When it comes to the curious case of Buru Style, however, such conventional wisdom may have met its modern match.
After all, whether you hale from Northampton, Middletown, Conn., Boston or New York City, you could technically call Buru your hometown band, since that’s where its members reside. And their latest CD—The Omnidenominational Holiday Experience—not only offers seasonal classics from a multitude of faiths, but does so while running roughshod through a spectrum of musical styles, too.
From the N’awlins-funk inspired “Dreidel, Dreidel” to the reggae-meets-Run DMC “Jingle Bells,” few religions or genres escape Buru Style—who officially celebrate the release of said product at Bishop’s Lounge Nov. 26.
“Since I was a little kid, I’ve absolutely loved holiday music,” says Buru founder/percussionist Bill Carbone of Omni’s origins. “I can remember my mom busting out Alvin and The Chipmunks or Beach Boys Christmas albums while we decorated, and being giddy about it.”
Rounding out the Buru bill this Friday is the fast-ascending Tidwell’s Treasure. Doors open at 10 p.m. for this 21-plus show, and admission is $5.
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Similarly celebrating new studio product is homegrown blues siren Susan Angeletti, who’ll debut her freshly minted Wisdom at the Iron Horse Nov. 28. After turning to Nashville for her last recording—2004’s Bittersweet—the artist who has since opened for/performed with B.B. King, George Thorogood and Johnny Winter (to name a choice few) says she literally returned to her roots this go-round—tapping Jim Fogarty of the local Zing Studios in Westfield to crystallize the sonic sugarplums that had been dancing in her head.
“I’m really pumped about the new disc,” Angeletti adds. “Jim, as everyone knows, works with Killswitch and really knows his rock. And while this disc rocks pretty darn hard in certain places, it also includes a couple nice ballads, too.”
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In other news, local notable Keith Hopkinson checked in to report that while his once-signed Thirty Stones outfit never officially broke up, its prolonged absence—or perhaps we should say Grace period—from the local circuit appears to have ended.
“Despite our band’s success and members going off to play with George Lynch and The Offspring, I had pretty much stopped playing locally because of what appeared to be dwindling support for local music,” Hopkinson explains. “Then, I was at a Three Days Grace concert in Springfield earlier this year, and saw a lot of old familiar faces and one recurring question: ‘What is up with Thirty Stones?!'”
Keith and company answer the public outcry this Saturday, Nov. 27, with a reunion show planned at Maximum Capacity that will feature an assortment of hard-rockin’ covers and many originals, including a couple that have never been heard before.
Next up, Thirty Stones is slated to play at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) in Anaheim mid-January, then hunker down in the studio to begin work on a new album proper.
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Lastly, it’s been a long time since the Crawler himself rock ‘n’ rolled—a good half decade, at least. But in response to the dozens of inquiries fans have sent in during his child-inspired hiatus— he once again does have a gig on the books. This Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 24, he’ll dust off his trusty Guild for a couple sets of classic rock/originals at the Hazard Grille (hazardgrille.com) in Enfield with Summer’s High—a new project that features the familiar faces of Ben Simborski (Bravo Sierra), Joe Whalen (Jus Us, Souled Out) and Scott Silvia (Off The Clock). Admission is free and the show runs from 7 to 11 p.m.”
Catch the Nightcrawler every Wednesday at 8:50 a.m. on the Steve Cantara Radio Show, WRNX 100.9 FM. Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, PO Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email garycarra@aol.com.
