Check Out Aqueous [BUFFALO BAND OF THE WEEK]

This week's Buffalo Band of the Week is Aqueous, made up of Mike Gantzer (guitar/vocals), Dave Loss (guitar/keyboards/vocals), Evan McPhaden (bass) and Nick Sonricker (drums).

Lately we've been describing our music as "groove rock."  That's the best way we've found to sum it up.  However, improvisation is a big part of our sound.  We like to stretch out our songs live and take them to places we may have never envisioned when we first wrote them.  We're influenced by a lot of different artists, so you might hear some rock, funk, techno, bluegrass and reggae all in the same night at one of our shows.

Everyone in the band has really made an effort to have an appreciation for every style of music.  So our influences seems to fluctuate with every week!  The nice thing about listening to all types of music is that it gives us a lot of versatility when it comes to song writing and overall playing.  We don't feel as though we are restricted to one particular style or genre of music.  In the beginning bands like Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles were big influences for us.  They brought us together and we learned a lot from them early on.  The jam band scene, however, is what really has defined our music.  Contemporary artists like Phish, moe. and Umphrey's McGee have been huge influences for the foundation of our band because they gave us a totally different perspective on music and what could be done with it.  Even bands that aren't jam bands such as Radiohead or Weezer contribute to us as musicians greatly.

Check out our song, "Warren in the Window":

If you could create your dream tour, which bands would you bring along with you and why?

Interesting question!  Since we begun touring more, we have had the opportunity to meet and play with a ton of great bands and musicians.  If we could put together a dream tour with anyone we wanted to, we would pick bands that are currently playing in the scene that we really respect as musicians and people.  One band that we've played with a few times now that comes to mind is the band Dopapod.  They are incredible musicians and really great people, too.  Touring with a band like Umphrey's McGee or moe. would be absolutely amazing as well!  We have a wealth of respect for those guys, and it would be an honor to be on the road with them.  But honestly, since we all listen to a wide variety of music, I think every night we could come up with a new and improved "dream" tour!

Everybody has musical guilty pleasures. Name an album in your music collection that might shock your friends and fans.

DAVE: Eagles - Greatest Hits
NICK: Bernard Purdie - Lialeh
EVAN: John Mayer - Continuum
MIKE: The Chronic - Dr. Dre

What is the best concert or show you have ever attended?

I know a real game changer for us was seeing moe. for the first time at Thursday at the Square about five years back.  Prior to that, we didn't really understand or know much about the jam scene, so seeing that show really kind of blew our minds!  We had never seen a real jam band before, so it was an awesome experience and it inspired us to want to play live and discover more music like that.

What's next for the Aqueous? Where are you performing next?

We actually just finished up our new studio album, Willy is 40, and we are releasing it this Saturday (September 29) at Nietzsche's in Buffalo.  So we are definitely looking forward to that!  We are also doing another CD release in Rochester the following weekend (October 5).

Willy is 40 is our second full-length studio album and will be available to buy online soon, but until then you can download our latest live album, Live Nugs Volume 3.

You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Hey, local bands: Want to be featured as our Buffalo Band of the Week? Local music aficionados, got a band you want to nominate? Email angela[dot]stefano[at]townsquaremedia[dot]com with their name!

Jack FM's Buffalo Band of the Week is sponsored by Headspace Glass and Gifts.