This is the third time I’ve seen Rubblebucket. The first time a few years back was a similar chilly December evening at the former Water Street Music Hall, I was blown away by this performance. So much so that I traveled to NYC to see the group perform at the Knockdown Center in Harlem earlier in 2017. As a huge fan of their music when tickets became available here in Western New York I jumped at the opportunity to earn my three peat badge with ‘The Bucket’. I was very impressed. The venue Anthology I am very familiar with, and is run by a gentleman by the name of Phil. Phil told me the venue fits about 900 people and has a large bar and several stadium style benches for sitting. Sitting? Are you kidding me? We danced all night long. Rubblebucket opened up with songs from their “Survival Sounds” album. The sound was nicely balanced in the venue, lots of sound and a big stage. The music made my face want to melt off into a sea of happiness. A perfect balance of brass, synth and guitars. For those unfamiliar the band is trombone Adam Dotson, trumpet Alex Troth, Jacob Bergson on synthesizer, David Cole on drums, bass is Daniel McDowell, a new unnamed female guitarist and lead singer/sax Annakalmia Traver. A lot of instruments and a whole lot of sound. Their music could best be described as neo alternative fusion rock. Jams so tasty and delicious you’ll want to jump. The jumping was intense, a sea of smiling faces and tunes turned us in to a swirling mass of happiness. Rubblebucket has introduced an audio video element since the last time I saw them and Annakalmia danced , ripping on the mic as a light show blasted the stage. Confetti was in abundance.
The group played the most choice selections from their most popular albums. One thing about Rubblebucket, if you go, they will play your favorite songs and your favorite songs are the same favorite songs as the person next to you. And now we’re all best friends. Rubblebucket did grace the audience with a world premiere of a new song but we all dug it and they transitioned to some of their fan favorite tracks. The tunes kept coming as did lead singer Annakalmia crowd surfing above our heads. Our smiles began to relax when the band exited stage crowd cheers coaxed a three song encore which included a balloon drop and yet another Rubblebucket tradition the Congo line. It isn’t a proper night out without a Congo line. All in all Rubblebucket rocked. The Brooklyn based band performs in Rochester every December and Wilson says this is a must see act. Those interested in a tasty nibble try the track “Carousel Ride” from their self titled album on YouTube. Until next time -Wilson