Event

Date/Time
Date(s) - 26/07/2018
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Categories

Sportsmen’s Tavern
326 Amherst St.
Buffalo NY 14207
716-874-7734
Thursday July 26 @ 7pm

The Hi- Risers

$5
http://www.angelfire.com/music5/hirisers/home.html

https://www.facebook.com/hirisers

What the Experts Say…

“Their exuberant performances are reminders that Rock’n’Roll used to be a really simple thing.”
– Democrat and Chronicle

“By playing roots music with equal parts precision and abandon they truly shine. Go see the Hi-Risers and be entertained!”
– City Newspaper

“Their unrestrained Rock’n’Roll and uncomplicated take on life could be used to set off spontaneous beach parties!”
– After Dark

The Hi-Risers are a three piece, song oriented rock & roll band. The members are Greg Townson (vocals/guitar), Todd Bradley (vocals/bass) and Trevor Lake (vocals/drums). Drawing their inspiration from the 1950’s and early 1960’s, you’ll hear all the genres that influenced the creation of rock & roll in their music, from rockabilly to rhythm & blues, brill building pop to doo-wop, country to surf. The Hi-Risers energetic performances have been welcome in a wide variety of venues, from upscale niteclubs, to country bars, blues clubs, punk dives and outdoor family oriented festivals. They’ve released nine records and have toured extensively in the USA and Europe.

The Hi-Risers formed in their hometown, Rochester, NY in 1997 Founding members Greg Townson and Todd Bradley started the band with Christopher Earl on drums. Chris quickly left to be replaced by Jim Symonds. The band originally had no intentions of writing or recording, just playing obscure rock & roll covers for fun, but Jim convinced the band to record an album. Greg decided to write a few songs for the record, one of which, “She’ll Be My Ruin” became a live staple for the band. Panic, their first record, was released on 2-Bit Records and quickly sold out. Eddie & Melanie Angel of Spinout Records in Nashville heard the release and offered to put out the bands second record, In The Spotlight. After the release, Jim Symonds left the band and was replaced by Jason Smay. Through Spinout Records, a promoter in Spain heard In The Spotlight and hired the band for a festival in Gijon, Spain. Initially reluctant to go, fearing no one would know their music, the band was surprised to find a receptive and knowledgeable audience singing along with their songs. This began a ten year run of touring and recording for this lineup of the band, releasing 7 records of original songs on a variety of labels in the USA, Spain and Germany. One of their releases, Transatlantic Dynamite, a collaboration with Kaiser George from Scotland, hit number one on the Billboard Garage Chart. The band toured extensively in Europe and the USA and built up a loyal following for their original songs and energetic performances. The band has been reviewed favorably in Billboard, Guitar Player, Blue Suede News and many other publications. Their songs have been used in commercials, on NPR and have been covered by many bands. .

In 2012, Jason Smay left and the band went on a hiatus. Todd worked on a Bossa Nova project with his brothers and Greg began his solo career, releasing three solo records. He also continued his work with Los Straitjackets, including collaborations with Nick Lowe. In 2017, after a reunion with Kaiser George at a festival in Spain, Greg & Todd decided to revive the band. They wrote and recorded a new album, My Kind Of Fun and hired Trevor Lake to play drums. They are currently playing shows again and have a tour of Spain lined up for later in 2018. My Kind Of Fun was released on 2-Bit Records in the USA and Sleazy Records in Europe.