Say Hello to Cosmic Shakedown [BUFFALO BAND OF THE WEEK]

Greetings! We are Cosmic Shakedown. On lead guitar and vocals, we have both Tony Nash and Josh Gartley. On bass guitar is Larry Gartley, and Shea Rayhn [is] on drums. We have been together almost two years now, and we just released our first full-length album, Fake American Dream, on August 11. We have copies on vinyl and CD, and it's available on Amazon and Spotify.

[Our music is] the fusion of so many influences from all genres. We like to call it Rust Belt Rock. Groovy, hard hittin', passionate, ready to turn you on and/or off, funky, Americana, alternative, soulful, trippy, sometimes scary, often sad, folky, bluesy, real...AND, most importantly it's all essentially ROCK N' ROLL. Yep.

We certainly have a plethora of bands and artists that have influenced our musical tastes and styles over the years.  When it comes to our writing, our influences are drawn from life. Everything we experience on a daily basis -- from happiness to sadness, love, hate, sickness and everything that encapsulates our lives.

Here's our track "High Noon":

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

Our dream tour would actually be a festival that toured from city to city. With tons of great talent. To name a few: The Band, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Janis Joplin, Humble Pie, Soundgarden, The Faces and The Black Crows.

What local music store do you stop in when you need equipment/strings/etc.? What about if you're buying an album?

Usually we will stop in at Guitar Factory or The Music Exchange for gear. All of us are huge collectors of vinyl, so naturally we hit the local record shops in Buffalo, like Record Theatre and Spiral Scratch. Supporting local talent at shows and stocking up on their latest albums and recordings is also a must.

If you could be a group of superheroes, what would your team name be, and what powers would you have?

We would be called "The Fake American Heroes," with the four powers of Wealth (Larry): the ability to make anyone rich or poor; Knowledge (Tony): the ability to manipulate truths; Governance (Josh): the ability to control all political and government endeavors; and Military (Shea): the ability to sum up the sheer power of an army into one.

What's next for the Cosmic Shakedown? Where are you performing next?

We are excited for our upcoming shows this fall. Our first one is on Friday, October 5 at Duke's Bohemian Grove Bar with Handsome Jack, The Tell Tale Signs and Velvet Elvis (from Rochester). The following night, we're packing up and heading out to Rochester to share the stage again with Velvet Elvis at Monty's Crown, a venue known for their great beer selections. Both shows have 9 p.m. doors, and our album will be for sale on CD and vinyl. We also have a show on Tuesday, October 23, at Mohawk Place and Saturday, November 17, at Mr. Goodbar, with more details that we will update on our Facebook page.

You can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Reverbnation 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.