Artist: Chris Caffery Title: “Faces” Label: Black Lotus Records Release Date: 1/18/2005 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 8.5/10
Chris Caffery. The name will ring a chord in the minds of those who enjoy the music of Savatage and The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This past year the guitarist has been hard at work – not only has he had time to record a new Trans-Siberian CD, but he also did a Savatage semi-reunion at this years ProgPowerUSA Festival and also to record and produce his first solo CD. The disk is called “Faces” and all fans of this mans work will be more than pleased with the fruit of his labors. The performers are Chris’ TSO bandmates Jeff Plate (drums) and Dave Z (bass) as well as Paul Morris on keyboards. The vocals are handled by Chris himself and this struck me as one of the most impressive aspects. I had seen Chris sing numerous times during Savatage performances doing backups, yet never imagined he had as powerful and as good a voice as he ended up having. In my opinion he holds up along the likes of Sebastian Bach and singers within this range. Continue reading “Faces”/”God Damn War” by Chris Caffery→
Artist: Chris Caffery Title: “Music Man” EP Label: Black Lotus Records Release Date: 11/2004 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 8/10
I have to give the guy credit for delivering a lot of music in a short amount of time. Chris Caffery not only recently released his double CD solo piece “Faces”, but has also made sure to give the fans some extra stuff on the EP versions for particular singles he wants to showcase. This EP for “Music Man” is a welcome addition to the CD pile. It hightlights one of the more radio friendly compositions from “Faces”. He also includes 4 new tracks as well. There is a clean version of “Pisses Me Off” which by making clever use of bleeps for the cursing, makes it a humorous listen. It also makes me find things that piss me off to compare notes to Chris’ ranting and raving. Continue reading “Music Man” [EP] by Chris Caffery→
Artist: Chris Caffery Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY) Opener: Alex Skolnick Trio, ZO2 Date: 4-28-2005 Label: Black Lotus Records
Savatage’s own Chris Caffery was onstage once again and this time it would not be with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Supporting his debut solo CD “Faces”; Chris would be joined by his band and be kicking some serious Hard Rock ass tonight. Here’s how it all went down at this show which was billed as “It’s All Good”. The title held in back of it the fact that all of the featured bands would have players that are in some fashion associated with the holiday juggernaut that is the TSO in some fashion. It was a great idea but you really had to understand the logic behind this mini festival of friends before going in. If you had reservations about it you clearly did not get the point that they were trying to make. The roster for the night would be Steve Broderick, Katrina Chester, Z02, Alex Skolnick Trio and Chris Caffery. Continue reading Chris Caffery @ B.B. King Blues Club (4/28/2005)→
Artist: Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Venue: Madison Square Garden NYC
Date: 12-27-2004
For several years now, I have made the music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra a Holiday tradition. It is a show that I look forward to each time it makes it’s way to New York. In the past, the scene had been the Beacon Theater but this time it would be the famous Madison Square Garden. A sold out show with just over 13,000 fans in attendance. I wanted to point out that they always start out with a donation to a charity based on $1 from every ticket sold. An admirable act and one worth mentioning. This year would hold the most visible changes for the TSO as “Diamond” Darryl Pediford had passed away just before the tour was to begin. In addition, two other male vocal leads would not be present. On the upside, this year marked the return of Alex Skolnick on guitar and Mee Eun Kim on keyboards. Continue reading Trans-Siberian @ Madison Square Garden (12/27/2004)→
Artist: The Trans-Siberian Orchestra “Christmas Eve & Other Stories Tour 2003” Venue: Beacon Theater, NYC Date: 12-10-2003
Every Holiday Season, The Beacon Theater in New York City has been the place where the power symphony known as Trans-Siberian Orchestra makes its home for a couple of nights. This year will mark the 5th Anniversary of such performances. The venue itself holds a little over 3,200 people and every seat in the place is terrific. On top of excellent views, one cannot mistake the quality of the sound in the room. Among the best acoustics I have ever experienced. This will be my 4th year in a row attending a Trans-Siberian Orchestra performance (The TSO for short). It is officially a Christmas Tradition for my Friends and I. Each year it’s a spectacle that gets bigger and better each time. Continue reading Trans-Siberian Orchestra @ Beacon Theater (12/10/2003)→
![“Music Man” [EP] by Chris Caffery](https://www.piercingmetal.com/wp-content/uploads/2005/03/EP-Chris-Caffery-Music-Man-e1457846598928.jpg)
