Alison Pipitone
By Joshua Maloni
http://www.wnypapers.com/
I don't know what I like more about Alison Pipitone: her effortless ability to rock out on stage, or the beautiful, amazing, angst-ridden lyrics she confesses to her fans and onlookers.
Fortunately, I don't have to pick. It's a package deal, and a wonderful package at that.
Pipitone just gets it. She knows how to grab a crowd's attention; with her guitar - standing, sliding, strutting and strumming - she stands out as the center of the universe. And yet, when she opens her mouth, her words make her a truly relatable performer.
She's not just entertaining, but poignant and relevant. Love, loss, loneliness: Pipitone understands human nature so well, you'd swear Dr. Phil was penning her songs.
It's a rare gift, indeed. And yet one that doesn't garner the attention it should.
To the shame of the music business, Pipitone is not a national artist. Sure, she's played some impressive gigs and opened for some great music legends. But, she's not as well known outside of Buffalo as so many lesser-qualified artists - and you know who you are, Top 40.
Whether Pipitone ever achieves fame and fortune ... I dare say she doesn't care. At this point in her life, she seems content creating incredible songs and performing them for the people of her hometown.
Her current album, "Me and Miss Grimes," is filled with delightfully up-tempo, heart-wrenching numbers that you'll love dancing to (as you cut that "special someone" out of all your pictures).
In the pantheon of great things about Western New York - Niagara Falls, chicken wings, Mighty Taco, neighborly kindness - Pipitone is right up there. That the world doesn't know that yet is to our advantage.
Music has become this region's pastime. On any given night, you'll find your friends, neighbors and co-workers lining smoky clubs or sitting under the stars while camped out on the lawn at Artpark, the Square or Darien Lake.
Without Pipitone, that local concert experience just wouldn't be the same. So, while I'm rooting for her to find new and higher levels of success, I'm secretly hoping she sticks around town just a little bit longer.
We might not have an indoor pool, a barbecue, a solarium, an aquarium, or a petting zoo. But, we do have jokes, some beer, a radio and imagination ... and we adore Pipitone.
Alison Pipitone opens for the Willie Nile Band at Artpark on Wednesday, Aug. 11, as part of the "Coors Light Wednesdays@Artpark" concert series.