It was another music packed weekend for the books, but in spite of my disjointed sleep schedule this one may have been the most meaningful yet.

Over the past three weekends Cold Lazarus has played five shows in Erie, Westfield, Jamestown and Buffalo. For starters, I’m starting to witness firsthand how a consistent practice schedule along with regular gigging can do wonders for the overall cohesiveness of a band.

Whenever I’d watch videos of my favorite groups growing up, particularly those I’ve long admired like Led Zeppelin, Genesis and Queen, I would always marvel at just how professionally and extremely well they were able to perform in a live setting; in front of hundreds and even thousands of fans, no less. Well, I’m starting to get a little taste of how that can come about with Cold Lazarus.

Sure there will always be some kinks to work out, or just the occasional flub in the midst of a song. But you’ll have that when the music was purposely written to be both entertaining and challenging to perform. Listening back to the audio recording we got from our show at Nietzsche’s on Saturday, there are some specific song segments that I feel could use some polishing. But underneath those blemishes, which in the scheme of the show could be considered fairly minor (though I am a bit of a perfectionist) I do hear the makings of a band that has drastically improved its live performance in the past couple months.

The aforementioned Nietzsche’s gig was a huge step for me, personally. This was our third appearance at that club since we first played there in September and hardly anyone in Buffalo had even heard of us. I recall the butterflies in my stomach throughout that entire first performance in spite of the fact that only five to 10 people actually made their way up to the stage area to watch us perform.

By comparison, Saturday’s show was in front of a nearly packed house. I would estimate we had upwards of 200 people in front of us as we played our opening set. But, perhaps even more exhilarating than the fact we had a sizable crowd watching us was the fact that those butterflies have dissipated significantly.

I’ve become so much more comfortable on stage and with the songs we’re playing that I’ve developed a new confidence in my abilities, which then translates to a more precise performance on my part. In other words, I now have the time to enjoy the moment rather than be anxious about it.

The most meaningful aspect of the weekend, however, was what happened right before the show. I mentioned last month that we would be opening for Boss Tweed and the Carpetbaggers, the ridiculous but extremely entertaining side project for members of the very popular Aqueous. From the formation of Cold Lazarus, Aqueous was always right at the top of our list of bands who have inspired us, and we have largely modeled our band and brand after the way Aqueous did in their earlier years.

While we were waiting in the green room before our show we had the extremely rare opportunity to sit and chat with Mike Gantzer, Aqueous’ lead guitarist, in an intimate, one-on-one setting in which we had each others’ undivided attention. This, I had always thought, could never be possible as the only other opportunities I’ve ever had to speak with him were directly following Aqueous shows and the band was swarmed by dozens of friends and fans each demanding their own private conversations.

To say we were honored to have this experience is a bit of an understatement. Mike Gantzer is a hero of ours, as are the rest of the Aqueous guys, and so we jumped on the opportunity to tell him a little about our project and pay close attention when he would offer some wisdom or priceless advice about how to grow as a group. He told us of Aqueous’ struggles when they were first starting out and how they persevered and persisted until they got over those early hurdles and momentum took over.

It was an altogether educational and humbling experience, and definitely a highlight of my out-of-town playing career to have had that opportunity presented to me. Now we are officially on Aqueous’ radar, and they know us by sight and by name. This, I must say, can only be good for us moving forward.

So, as of now, I’m feeling pretty good about where things are going on the Cold Lazarus front. I can’t wait to see where we’ll be even six months from now at the rate we’re going. I had so many people coming up to me after we finished playing and telling me how much they loved our set. I even had some people shouting out to me from across the parking lot that they’d see us at Flow Fest, a mini-music festival in Blasdell in which we will be performing at the end of May.

Things are definitely starting to roll for us in the Buffalo area, and that was always my goal from the beginning. I figured if we could establish ourselves up in that area we would be in much better shape when it came time to start expanding out further westward into New York state; which is something that looks likely to happen in the coming few months.

See

I’m feeling very grateful and fulfilled right now. I know I’ll always be wanting to achieve bigger and better things, but all that we’ve accomplished in only 15 short months has been pretty monumental for a group of Jamestown musicians who had been previously familiar to hardly anyone outside the greater Jamestown area.

I couldn’t ask for a better band, and a better group of friends to share in the experience.

And now, here’s some of what you can expect to find in the area this week.

HIGHLIGHTS

Infinity To Host Comedy Workshop Friday: Infinity Visual and Performing Arts Center will hold a Comedy Workshop hosted by local comedians Paul Clemente and Jeremy Little from 4:30-6 p.m. Friday at the Infinity Arts Cafe. Participants will learn about major facets of comedy, joke writing, character building, stage presence, and more. The workshop is open to Infinity students and participants ages 13 and older.

For more information or to register, call 664-0991 or stop in to the Infinity Center at 301 E. Second St. in Jamestown.

‘Earth/Air/Water/Fire’ Exhibit To Open At 3rd On 3rd Gallery Friday: 3rd on 3rd Gallery, located on the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts upper mezzanine, will hold an opening reception for its new exhibit, “Earth/Air/Water/Fire,” Friday at 8 p.m. “Earth/Air/Water/Fire,” which will run through April 27 features art from a mix of new and emerging artists from the region including Rise Peacock, Nicole Pattison, Catherine Walsh and Stephanie Zwyghuizen. Each artist uses their preferred medium to represent one of the elements in the show’s title. More art shows are being planned for the mezzanine in the coming months as the 3rd on 3rd Gallery is in the process of being relocated to street level on Third St. The next exhibition in May will feature young illustrators and animators from the area.

For more information visit reglenna.com/events/earth-air-water-fire.

RTPI’s Chadakoin River Walks Series To Begin Wednesday: Twan Leenders, Roger Tory Peterson Institute president, and other area naturalists will present a series of walks through the Chadakoin River outlet forest to discover birds, turtles, wildflowers, and other surprising flora and fauna that calls Jamestown home. The first walk will be held Wednesday from 9-10 a.m. Enjoy the Chadakoin River Walk system’s newest asset, a mile-long, easily walkable and bikeable path along the river, in the company of expert nature guides. Explore the city’s biological diversity that once inspired one of the world’s greatest naturalists, Roger Tory Peterson, and learn about ongoing environmental conservation and education efforts.

Those interested in participating are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes, dress appropriately for the weather conditions and bring binoculars. For more information, visit RTPI’s website (rtpi.org) or Facebook page, or call 665-2473.

HAPPENINGS

To include an upcoming show or event in this column, email gpaterniti@post-journal.com or call 487-1111, ext. 243 by Monday.

Tonight

The Karl-Marks Show: 7 p.m., Good Time Saloon, 590 Fairmount Ave. in Jamestown

Comedy open mic: 8 p.m., Labyrinth Press Co., 14 E. Fourth St. in Jamestown

Karaoke with DJ Xcite: 9 p.m., Bullfrog Hotel, 1414 E. Second St. in Jamestown

Karaoke with Felony Entertainment: 10 p.m., Forte, 114 E. Third St. in Jamestown

Friday

Charity Nuse: 6 p.m., The Wine Cellar, 309 N. Main St. in Jamestown

“Ferdinand” screening: 7 p.m., Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, 116 E. Third St. in Jamestown

Sabrina White & Co.: 8 p.m., Jamestown Moose, 405 E. Fifth St. in Jamestown

Karaoke with Felony Entertainment: 9 p.m., Shawbucks, 212 W. Second St. in Jamestown

Splitfoot: 9 p.m., Good Time Saloon, 590 Fairmount Ave. in Jamestown

Steelhorse: 9 p.m., ig Shots, 674 Route 394 in Kennedy

Highway Lines: 10 p.m., Bullfrog Hotel, 1414 E. Second St. in Jamestown

Phantasm with Slow Motion Breakdown and Feverhawk: 10 p.m., Mojo’s Music Bar, 104 E. Second St. in Jamestown

Saturday

“Ferdinand” screening: 2 p.m., Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, 116 E. Third St. in Jamestown

Press House poetry slam: 8 p.m., Labyrinth Press Co., 14 E. Fourth St. in Jamestown

Ryan Buzzetto: 8 p.m., Busti Tap House, Busti-Sugar Grove Road in Busti

Radio Age: 8:30 p.m., Celoron Legion, 26 Jackson Ave. in Jamestown

Strange Kind of Sunshine: 9 p.m., Big Shots, 674 Route 394 in Kennedy

Jules-R-Us Karaoke: 9 p.m., Good Time Saloon, 590 Fairmount Ave. in Jamestown

Porcelain Busdrivers: 10 p.m., Shawbucks, 212 W. Second St. in Jamestown

Tuesday

Karaoke with DJ Felony: 10 p.m., Mojo’s Music Bar, 104 E. Second St. in Jamestown

Wednesday

“I, Tonya” screening: 7 p.m., Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, 116 E. Third St. in Jamestown

Open Mic Night: 10 p.m., Mojo’s Music Bar, 104 E. Second St. in Jamestown