arts

Marsha McWilson brought down the house at Batavia Downs on Thursday night with her high-energy soul, R&B, and funk Christmas-themed variety show.

Photos by Howard Owens

The set list for tonight's (Dec. 15) Christmas Concert at City Church promises to be as diverse as it is joyful, with more than just gospel and hymns but also hip-hop, R&B, and smooth jazz celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Ryan Macdonald also promises concertgoers will enjoy engaging and energetic performers and great musicians.

"We've done (the Christmas Concert) every year now, with the exception of COVID, for about five years," Macdonald said. "It's really been a wonderful night of really coming together and celebrating."

The artists, Macdonald said, are also personal friends.

"They are not just great artists but great people," Macdonald said.

Carlton Wilcox, Rufus McGee Jr, and Trellis Pore have all performed at previous Christmas concerts.  This is the Batavia debut for Kimera Lattimore (top photo).

Macdonald said he's tried to get her on the bill for years, but there was always a scheduling conflict.  He said he met her in Buffalo years ago, where she is the music director and worship leader of Renovation Church.  She is a national recording artist, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, rapper, vocal teacher, theologian and Elder of the gospel."

"She is really a great spirit, a great believer," Macdonald said. "She believes people matter. She believes humanity matters."

Her bio states that she believes, "We were all created, by the creator, to create."

The concert, Macdonald said, is intended to uplift the whole community, and all are invited.

"Our goal the whole Christmas season is the celebration of the birth of Christ, but beyond that, we're celebrating each other," Macdonald said. "The term that has really stuck with me is that we're not independent; we're interdependent. We need each other.  We don't only need each other as believers, but we need the whole community." 

The concert begins at 7 p.m. at City Church, 210 East Main St., Batavia. The concert is also live-streamed.

Submitted photos.

Submitted information:

Pastor Trellis Pore, multi-instrumentalist and Vocalist. A Western NY native. He started singing and playing instruments at the age of 5 with his family gospel group, The Cooper family Gospel singers. Singing traditional quartet Gospel music. Also was apart of the band Perifial Vision,  and The Glorious Sons of Rochester.  Currently, he leads The Trellis Cooper Band. Singing gospel music with a twist. Trellis has his own Signature series guitar with the company Mucho Guitars of Rockwall, Texas. Trellis is currently the Pastor of Shiloh Church Albion. 

Submitted information:

Rufus McGee Jr., son of Bishop & Lady Rufus and Linda McGee is Rochester’s best-kept secret, however, now the secret is out! His parents began molding him at age 2 years old to become a musician. Although he began as the church drummer at 6 years old, at 11, he progressed to becoming one of the most extraordinary organists/keyboardists that anyone has ever heard.

His ability is God-given, but can also be attributed to years of absorbing gospel music passed down through the classic COGIC style of music, and the music of the church that he attended growing up in his hometown, Rochester, New York. His drive and confidence developed from the challenge to rise above mediocrity. 

He is an exemplary musician, producer and the founder of RMJ Productions. He enjoys listening to George Duke, Chick Corea, Kevin Bond, Jason White, Mike Bereal and Eddie Brown. 

He has recorded with: Aaron Lindsey, Kathy Bowman, Ricky Dillard, Jason Wright, Serena Young, Shirley Murdock, Eddie Balltrip, Danell Daymon and Royalty, Malcolm Williams, Amar’rae Hill True Foundation and Jerome Francis and Divine Nature.

Rufus gives every ounce of his being to excelling and finishing well! Rufus has a great passion and love for gospel music and enjoys devoting his life to giving God his all. His greatest inspiration is God. He often says, “Without God, I would be nothing.”

Submitted information:

Carlton Wilcox has been creating a standard of excellence in music that embodies, style, quality, and substance. This singer, songwriter, and accomplished bassist has been entertaining Western NY for over two decades. Resounding melodies accompanied by rich voice make this crooner one of our area’s sought talents. With gospel, smooth jazz and R&B roots, Carlton wants to spread the message of hope through music. Carlton Wilcox is also a Monroe County Deputy Sheriff, event promoter and music instructor for the City of Rochester’s ROC Music Program. Carlton Wilcox wants to make a difference in the world, one day at a time, by giving back the love and support that he has been given.

Country music recording artist Claudia Hoyser, pictured left above with WBTA's Nici "Noir" Johnson, was at Mr. Wine & Liquor in Batavia on Friday evening to promote her coffee-whiskey blend, Drunken Bean Whiskey, during a special event at the store that included tastings of a variety of wine and spirits.

WBTA was on site for a live broadcast during the event.

Hoyser released a music video three months ago that was partially filmed at farms in Genesee County.

Photos by Howard Owens

Richard Ellingham won the "People's Choice Award" at the opening reception on Thusday for the Batavia Society of Artists annual Winter Show at the Richmond Memorial Library.

The show runs through Dec. 28.

Photos by Howard Owens

The Genesee Chorale performs its annual holiday concert -- From Star to Star -- at 4 p.m. on Saturday at St. James Episcopal Church.

Ric Jones is the director. Janine Fagnan is the associate conductor, and Doug Hanson is the accompanist.

Tickets are $10 and are available at the door or at www.geneseechorale.com/box-office.

St. James is located at 405 East Main St., Batavia.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Not naming all of the musical line-up ahead of time is not to be punitive, says conductor S. Shade Zajac.

But rather, it’s similar to how Christmas operates: there’s usually an element of surprise by not opening the gift until it’s time.

“The idea was, normally, we put all the pieces we're playing on the poster, or at least most of them, so people kind of know what to expect. But you know, I've been thinking that it's, it's really easy sometimes to fall into the trap of just doing the same things over and over again, especially for holiday concerts,” Zajac said about his orchestra’s upcoming concert. “And, you know, it'll just have to wait until Sunday when you come to the concert to see or to hear exactly what we're doing, just so that there's a little bit of mystery, kind of like getting a gift or something you can't open until the day of. ”

The gift of Genesee Symphony Orchestra’s Symphonic Holiday Surprise will be opened at 4 p.m. Sunday at Genesee Community College, 1 College Road, Batavia.

To be sure, there will be plenty of holiday favorites tucked into some new, and perhaps less familiar songs, he said. Zajac, now in his seventh season with GSO, takes his time to develop a concert menu and does so well in advance.

“I’m always looking ahead to what’s next, logistically and practically. We start planning things now for next year, especially when working with soloists,” he said, adding that next year’s soloist has been booked since 2020.

“There are a lot of different holiday pieces with different arrangements of the same piece. So, it always makes things a little difficult. I had this realization this is my seventh season. And I try to always change it up a little bit each year,” he said. “We are always exploring different music and sometimes in different avenues, and always wanting to bring a new experience and bring pieces that people haven't maybe heard before, or maybe the orchestra hasn't played before.”

After asking the orchestra how many have played a particular piece that he was considering, only a few hands went up, which meant the number would not only introduce a new melody to patrons but also create a challenge for versed musicians.

And they have earned it.

“I just feel us getting better and better. I can certainly feel it, and I know the orchestra is starting to feel it as well,” he said. “There are so many things I still want us to do together. This orchestra really has a special place in my heart.”

Zajac continues to strengthen his own professional chops by performing with other groups and, for a week in January, working with Baltimore Orchestra.

This concert also features a promising violinist, Hilton High School senior Luke Pisani, recipient of GSO’s Young Artist Competition award, among many others.

Pisani, whose LinkedIn account states that he is a motivated, straight-A student who demonstrates a strong work ethic and creative ability, put that hard work on display for the competition, Zajac said. Pisani had competed previously, and, although he did not win that time, his musical prowess was a teaser of what was to come.

When Zajac heard him this time around, he couldn’t believe it was the same person playing.

“Some years, it’s really, really challenging to pick a winner, the talent is so vast. And some years you have someone who comes in, and that’s it,” he said. “He blew us all away; he stood out from the rest of the competition. The Concerto (for violin and orchestra in D major) is a very well-known, very challenging piece of music. He's playing the first movement, and so our audience will absolutely recognize some of the tunes and will just be blown away by his playing, I'm sure.”

Pisani also won competitions with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Violin, Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra, Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra and the Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music. His versatility spreads over to jazz piano, basketball and serving at his church. His list of accomplishments is quite lengthy, and his performance for the GSO competition demonstrated that his “amount of growth is incredible,” Zajac said,

“He is very technically advanced, you have to be to be playing Tchaikovsky,” he said. “He has that little something extra that makes people pay attention. And that's, of course, something that we look for in these competitions. A lot of people can play the notes. And then there are people who can actually play the music and just kind of give it that little extra something that grabs your attention. And he did that for us, and we were engaged his entire audition.”

As for the remaining concert, there will be “plenty of holiday cheer,” Zajac said. It will include works by Tchaikovsky, Anderson, Rimsky Korsakov and Vaughan Williams.

“Of course, there's holiday favorites that everyone loves that I'm sure we'll be playing. And maybe a couple of other little pieces that people wouldn't expect," he said.

Click HERE for a sample of Pisani on violin.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and free for students with an ID, and are available at YNGodess, Holland Land Office Museum, The Coffee Press, from any board member or at GSO. 

Top Photo: Conductor S. Shade Zajac leads the Genesee Symphony Orchestra through rehearsal for its upcoming holiday concert. Photos by Howard Owens.

After performing twice before in the same Batavia Players show, Heather Ferris is now taking the baton, so to speak, as director of what’s become a holiday favorite for the group each December.

This year’s “A Christmas Carole” has not only made Ferris attentive to the script, but also to every other aspect of production — from auditions early on to the finishing touches of dress rehearsal.

“I definitely enjoy the directing versus being on stage. I’m a little shy. Sometimes getting on stage for me is, it can be a little overwhelming. It can be a little scary. But being able to direct, I feel like I can let my creativity come to life through the actors that are on the stage. So it's more of a creative outlet for me than actually being on stage,” she said prior to rehearsal Tuesday. “I just start thinking about how far we’ve come. My youngest cast member is 3 years old, and then I've got cast members all the way up into their 70s. And just to see them kind of blossom, and just really bring characters to life, for me, it’s just so fun to watch that. And so I get really excited for them when they're bringing it all together.”

Scrooge and his ghosts debut at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, followed by shows at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the makeshift theater at Batavia City Centre.

This isn’t a first-time directing for Ferris, who is co-directing this one with her husband Richard; however, it is her first experience off-stage guiding the action for the beloved Christmas classic.

“It’s a fun show, it’s very family-friendly,” she said. “You expect the change that Scrooge comes through, and see the spirit of Christmas come alive through him. To see how the story that was written almost 200 years ago can be so much like what we deal with today … money doesn’t always make you happy. It’s a feel-good story, and you go from bah-humbug to a time where people are happy; it makes you feel good at the end.”

Written by Charles Dickens and published in 1843, the story features Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly, penny-pinching curmudgeon whose ultimate life lessons come to him through ghosts of Jacob Marley and of Christmas past, present, and future. After learning about each phase and its impact on people and the community, Ebenezer’s moral compass and hardened heart are transformed.

Of course, before that idyllic ending takes place — just as with the storyline itself — there are the typical challenges with such shows, especially with a cast of 32 and half of which are youngsters, she said. School activities, sports practices and work schedules all must be juggled amidst a rehearsal timeline that began in October.

And even though the pandemic has rested in most everyone’s rearview mirror, there has been illness to deal with amongst the troupe, she said. But now, with a full dress rehearsal upon them for Wednesday night, it is, as they say, show time. And Batavia Players is ready to entertain, said Ferris, a retirement plan consultant.

“Tomorrow is really just making sure that our lighting is good, our sounds are good, that we have all the costuming in place and things like that,” she said. “So it's literally just the finishing touches, the little things that make the production a whole production.”

Although by day she crunches numbers and deals with accounting for clients, Ferris, a resident of Medina, can let her innovational nature flow in the after-hours of theater.

“It really allows me to have that creative outlet,” she said. “It’s a way to get away from my everyday challenges, and let that stress melt away.”

Filled with familiar music and traditional Christmas carols, the show is also augmented with pianist Kathy White and Kristin Gelia on violin.

Tickets are going fast, and folks are encouraged to get them sooner than later, said Patrick Burk, aka Ghost of Christmas Future. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for students and seniors, and may be purchased at showtix4u.com or possibly at the door for some dates, Burk said.

Photos of rehearsal Monday for "A Christmas Carole" by Batavia Players at Batavia City Centre. Photos by Howard Owens.

The main gallery at GO ART! is filled with wooly bright colors until Dec. 3 in an exclusive show for East Bethany artist Terry Webber. 

Webber's show of painted wool is unique.  The pictures are bright and vibrant but filled with texture and an element of 3D vision.

Webber, who owns East Bethany Arts and Antiques at 5769 Ellicott Street Road, Bethany, explained the involved process of creating her pictures.  It starts with a sheet of wool, called "pre-felt," and that becomes the background.  She then adds puff balls of color and everything is soaked in soap and water. The work is then placed in a felting machine that spins the felt 4,000 to 5,000 times. The pieces of wool then become one solid piece.  From there, she ads needlework as needed or ads "naps" that provide additional texture.

She's been working in the medium for about a decade. She found out in April she would have a show at GO ART! and began creating 40 new pieces -- she actually exceeded her goal, producing 44 pieces.  

"I like the vibrancy," Webber said.  "It also keeps you from being too nitpicky just because it's not paints and it's not pencil. It's more freeform but the colors are what I like the most."

It says right on the building, "Arts Council," but GO ART! Director Gregory Hallock has been concerned that people don't realize that Seymour Place at 201 East Main St. is a place anybody can come in and see art.

"I think a lot of people don't see our sign, and a lot of people still think we're a membership club," Hallock said. "Yes, we have members but you don't have to be a member to come in."

His solution: Install some works of art -- in this case, sculptures -- in the garden plots in front of the red brick building at the corner of East Main and Bank streets in Batavia.

Hallock and the GO ART! staff had become familiar with the work of Bill Schutt from his showing at the Ramble, what's on display at Eli Fish Brewing Co., his entries into an art competition there, and knew he worked in metal, which seemed like the perfect medium for sculptures placed outside the building.

It might come as a surprise to some that Schutt is an artist.  The Basom resident has been a volunteer firefighter for 32 years and spent a dozen years working for either Genesee County Emergency Management or Mercy EMS.

He often tinkered around the house, working with metal, installing bookshelves or other useful items for the house, often embellishing whatever he made with artistic touches. A few years ago he became inspired to make sculptures using scrap metal on his property.

He's recently branched out into making larger pieces, so the commission from GO ART! came at an opportune time to expand his portfolio.

Schutt's pieces are about "our shared humanity," he said.

The first one is a riff on a popular social media meme about the difference between equality and equity. In the meme, three people of different heights are shown standing on boxes, trying to see over a fence to watch a baseball game.  They're all on the same size box.  The tall person can see, the smallest person can't see at all. That is equality, according to the meme. When the boxes are restacked, so the tallest has no box, the medium-height person has one, and the shortest has two, all three can see.  The meme labels that configuration, "equity."

The second sculpture is of people in silhouette. Their faces look the same but they're all different based on hairstyle and the jewelry they wear.

"It's kind of a reminder that we are more the same than we are different," Schutt said. "We need to celebrate our differences and find our common humanity.  Art does that. It brings together all walks of life."

Hallock loved the work, he said.

"I didn't know what he was going to do, and I'm pleasantly pleased with the pieces," Hallock said.  "The message of equity and unity is there."

Submitted photos.

Onnalee Berrios was well-known for her compassion and generosity, her brother says.

Whether it was stopping to offer kids a ride to school, delivering homemade gingerbread cookies, buying extra groceries for someone in need, or spending time with family, Berrios had a kind way about her, brother Anthony Terrell said.

“She had very good instincts. My sister was wonderful,” he said by phone from his home in New York City. “I loved going to her house.”

Terrell is a native of Batavia and graduated from Batavia High School in 1967. He returned to the area after being drafted and serving in the Army for two years, though it was as a young teen when he first adored his sister for being so accessible, hospitable, and for being so easygoing with the house rules. He appreciated the little things that she did.

"She would let us watch a movie, we would still have to go to bed like around 11:30, 12 o'clock. But it was better than ... watching your parents watch Ponderosa at 9:30 and telling me, 'don't make so much noise when you go upstairs to your bedroom,'" Terrell said. "Whenever I would go over to the house, she would always have a few bottles of cold beer and pizza." 

Onnie, as she was called, died several years ago at age 64 after a battle with cancer. Terrell — one of the five remaining siblings out of the family’s whopping 17 —  plans to honor her memory with a set of six pastel paintings during a reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Haxton Memorial Library, 3 North Pearl St., Oakfield.

Why Onnie and why now? Terrell’s fondness for his sister while growing up in rural Genesee County is due to her friendly and accommodating nature. An infusion of Beatles mania encouraged kids to be independent, while adolescence brought on rebellion in wanting to break out of the small-town boredom he and his friends often experienced.

And there was Onnie — with her house full of homemade goodies, a few bottles of beer in the fridge for the taking, movies that were too risqué for their parent’s approval, and someone to talk with.

“She was pretty much my mentor,” he said. “There was nothing to do, and it was very, very boring. I would go over to my sister’s house; she had kids, and we’d play basketball and eat cookies. Boys started growing their hair long, which created problems for families. If you had someone that you could gravitate to, you did.”

Terrell had an art show at Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council last year and met up with former classmates and friends. He met Terry Kolb of Oakfield, a former art teacher -- and one of the recipients of his sister's famous gingerbread cookies -- and before they knew it, the artists agreed to have a show in the western part of the county. Since Onnie had lived there, Terrell thought it fitting to commemorate the show to her.

He then completed six pieces of art as a tribute to his beloved sister.

“Each one replicates what I did when I was there,” he said.

Those activities, illustrated in muted pastels of purples, pinks and blues, include the two of them sitting in rocking chairs that Onnie had restored and refinished herself; sitting in her amethyst-laden room of window sills lined up with the purple stones that reflected the sunlight, casting a violet-flavored veil over everything; and yet another of the two of them sitting in the dark, eating pizza next to a glowing fireplace.

Terrell plans to introduce each one with what it represents and how it came about, he said.

“I’m trying to convey that it’s a very, very rich, deep and rewarding feeling. I think about my sister spiritually,” he said. “She was very well revered. When you love somebody, whether they're here physically or they're not here. When you love somebody, it's continuous. It stays with you. That's the thing about love.”

The first half hour of the reception is for mingling, with the program to begin at 7 p.m., he said.

More about Terrell will be published Friday.

Photos of artworks painted by Batavia native Anthony Terrell will be featured in an art show debuting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Haxton Memorial Library in Oakfield. Photos by Howard Owens. Submitted photo of Anthony Terrell in his studio.

Alexander Middle School/High School presents Little Women: The Musical on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.

All performances will be in the Alexander District Auditorium and admission is free.

There will be concessions sold at intermission.

Students from 7 to 12 will perform, as well as work backstage, on lights and sound and playing with the orchestra.

The director and choreographer is Batavia resident Jacqueline Morrison. Mark Hoerbelt is the vocal music director and Drama Club advisor. Joe Paris is the set designer. Loretta Stratton is the costume designer.

It sure seemed like Sir. Elton John visited Batavia Downs on Friday night but in reality, it was actor and musician Jason Ostrowski, who headlined a tribute show to the British hitmaker as Bennie and the Rest.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Guitarist Tom Torrisi performed at the Richmond Memorial Library on Wednesday evening, entertaining the audience with pieces by Leo Brouwer, José Luis Merlin, and Francisco Tárrega, as well as his own compositions.

Originally from Clifton Park and now residing in Buffalo, Torrisi developed his love of classical guitar while in college and eventually studied at the Eastman School of Music.  

The video is of Torrisi performing "Ballad of a Woman In Love" by Brouwer.

The musical will hit the stage in March.

Video via Le Roy Central School District. 

The Genesee Valley Wind Ensemble will perform its first concert of the season at 4 p.m. Nov. 19 at Oakfield-Alabama High School on Lewiston Road, Oakfield.

Founder and conductor Philip J. Briatico will lead the ensemble through a program that features:

• "Ride" - Samuel Hazo
• "The Lion King" - Arr. Calvin Custer
• "Foundry" - John Mackey
• "Chicago" - Arr. Ted Ricketts
• "Mama Mia" - Roy Phillipe
• "National Emblem" – E.E. Bagley
• "Toccata for Band" - Frank Erickson o Children’s March - Percy Grainger

Tickets are $10 adult, $8 seniors 55+ and veterans, $5 students with an ID, free for children 5 and younger. There is also a $25 Family Deal for immediate family members and children (mother, father, up to four children). For more information, go HERE.

File photo by Howard Owens from 2018.

Five Finger Death Punch headlined a show Tuesday at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center that was supported by Megadeath, Fire From the Gods and The Hu.

Previously: Five Finger Death Punch brings AfterLife and familiar hits to Darien Lake tonight

Photos by Philip Casper.  Top photo: Five Finger Death Punch

Five Finger Death Punch

Five Finger Death Punch

Five Finger Death Punch

Five Finger Death Punch

Megadeath

Megadeath

The Hu

Fire From the Gods

Five Finger Death Punch singer Ivan Moody, in various recent interviews, has revealed that four years ago, he died for three and a half minutes before being resuscitated – his body’s reaction to quitting drinking cold turkey.

His bandmate, guitarist Zoltan Bothery, knows what Moody experienced, disclosing he briefly died when was 12 years old.

“I was on my bicycle and I used to get behind big trucks because I could go faster...You’re getting in the draft (of the truck),” Bathory recalled in a phone interview. “The bicycle started to get to a speed when it was really not stable anymore.”

That’s when Bathory briefly took his eye off of the truck.

“I just plowed into the truck,” Bathory said. “I spent some time trying to find it (the truck). And at first I noticed, I can look behind a wall and I can look behind a bush. So I realized in that moment I had an out-of-body experience.”

After a bit, Bathory regained consciousness, and he actually walked away from the scene, much to the astonishment of onlookers who had gathered.

Bathory said he is talking about the incident because the new Five Finger Death Punch album, “AfterLife,” deals in part with this unique experience he and Moody share.

Specifically, the album includes the song “Judgment Day,” which Bathory said was meant to be “a soundtrack to the process of dying.”  Moody’s reaction when Bathory gave him the music was all he needed to see.

“I gave the song to Ivan to write the lyrics,” Bathory recalled. “He freaked out. He said ‘I’m not writing this song. I don’t want to (relive it).’” 

Eventually, Moody remembered he was actually at peace while he was dying, and he completed the lyrics. With that, all 10 songs were done and “AfterLife” was ready to be the ninth studio album from this popular hard rock/heavy metal band – seven of which have gone gold or platinum.

Headlining at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center tonight, Five Finger Death Punch is bringing out a visually elaborate show and playing lots of the hits.

“When you put in new stuff that people are not familiar with, it changes the vibe (of the show),” Bathory said. “They can’t sing along because they don’t know the song ...So you can put in new songs, but you have to be careful and you have to be very smart where you put them in the set.”

Photo by Travis Shinn.

Spring 2020 saw Shinedown’s unplugged “Deep Dive” tour go up in smoke when the pandemic hit. It was going to be a rare opportunity for fans to see the hit-making group play a selection of rarely performed album cuts from across their career.

But fans probably aren’t complaining too much about the tour’s demise because Shinedown used some of the pandemic-instigated downtime to make the new album, “Planet Zero.”

The new album is a departure lyrically in that it’s the most topical of the seven studio albums from Shinedown, which formed in Jacksonville, FL in 2001 and has become one of mainstream rock’s most popular bands.

“When we started making this record, we were at a time when it was very uncertain. When we started writing, the world had just shut down,” Myers said. “It was supposed to be 10 days and it ended up being 16 months, and even more now. So when you’re in a place like that, you have all of this other stuff around you. You have people stating opinions that aren’t necessarily political or racial or anything else, and they’re still getting canceled for their opinions. So there was a lot to write about.” 

Indeed, tracks like “The Saints of Violence and Innuendo,” “No Sleep Tonight,” and “America Burning,” examine the divisions in today’s society. But Shinedown also offers moments of hope and spotlights the need for unity on songs like “Daylight,” “Dysfunctional You,” and “A Symptom of Being Human.”

A unique twist in the album is the introduction of a robot-like character, Cyren, who acts as a narrator and guides listeners through the album and helps connect the themes of the songs.

Shinedown, which also includes singer Brent Smith, bassist Eric Bass and drummer Barry Kerch, is on a tour that stops tonight at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, building a set list around a catalog that includes nearly 30 hit singles. 

“It gets a little dicey. When you try to make a set list, you want to make everybody happy,” Myers said. “Obviously, you have your, we call them the four corners. You’ve got to play ‘Second Chance.’ You’ve got to play ‘Simple Man.’ You’ve got to play ‘Sound of Madness’ and you’ve got to play ‘Cut The Cord.’ Other than that, you can kind of maneuver around a bit.”

Members of the Genesee Symphony Orchestra were in Oakfield on Thursday evening to talk with children about the instruments they play and how music is made.

The orchestra members, along with conductor and music director Shade Zajac, explained their instruments, the sounds they made, playing examples, and how the instruments are played and how they might fit into a piece of music.

Participating were Holly Hudson, Nicole Zajac (top photo), Shade Zajac, and Claudia Deibold.

The event was sponsored by the Haxton Memorial Library and held at the Oakfield Government and Community Center.