Latest Posts

Borger Releases Debut EP Titled Camp

July 17, 2019

Lo-fi dream pop outfit Borger just released their debut EP titled Camp. With a healthy amount of fuzzy DIY vibes, it’s a must listen for fans of Beach House, Cults, and Real Estate. The album opens with “when you smile,” which features a gradually building texture, and does an excellent job of setting the vibe. On “nat geo,” lead singer Mackenzie Harris’ vocals float effortlessly over the hypnotic textures. “pollen,” drifts along with a gentle lilt as does “vineyard” although both songs achieve this through different means. “mr. rogers” brings us back to the subtle driving textures present at the beginning of the album. One of the most interesting tracks on the album is the closer “strawberry.” An instrumental ambient track, it stands in stark contrast to the rest of the album in the best way. In a way, it’s almost teasing “when you smile” in the way it gradually[...]

Canetis Reveals First Single “Warning Call”

July 11, 2019

The City of Good Neighbors is full of creatives, from artists, to poets, photographers and musicians. We clearly have a expansive and diverse group of people making contributions to the community to make it a better place. One of Buffalo’s newest band, Canetis (pronounced ca-nay-tis) is a recently minted quintet with who have released an equally shiny and polished single, “Warning Call’ to match. Their sound combines the angled jabs and cut of old-school alternative rock with the shimmer and sleekness of The Smiths or Gleemer. The group, consisting of Brendan Hoare, Mike Butler, Matt Sacha, Matt Broconier, and John Grennan, will make their live debut July 19th over at Nietzsche’s with SMUG and Hundred Plus Club. Written by Mike Rakiecki

Halo Nellie Debuts Second Single “Sick on the Floor”

July 10, 2019

Indie-rockers Halo Nellie have just released their new single “Sick on the Floor,” following up last month’s release of “Cold Room.” With a driving beat, the band creates an energetic texture that does an excellent job of showcasing the vocals. With the perfect amount of jangle and fuzz, it’s a very fun listen and a worthy addition to your Summer playlist. Hopefully this is leading up to the release of a full length, and that will definitely be worth checking out. Catch them at their next show on July 18th at Mohawk Place alongside The Vaughns, Clever Girls, and Velvet Bethany. Sick on the Floor by Halo NellieWritten by John Smigielski

Tonight: And the Kids

July 9, 2019

Northamptonites And the Kids are coming to the 9th Ward at Babeville tonight. The genre-bending indie act is currently on tour to support the release of their third album, When This Life is Over, which came out this past February. While you could definitely call them a pop band, And the Kids has been known to break the rules a bit. When This Life is Over is a testament to their ability to complicate a genre so unfairly pinned down for its simplicity. With powerful, warbling vocals, layered harmonies, glimmering synth, and the occasional string section, And the Kids shine in the buildup on this album. The sound grows and grows until we’re dying to know what’s going to happen next – and we rarely expect what does. Whether it be an alternating tempo, a complete instrumentation change, or a beautifully crafted wall of sound, throughout each song and into[...]

Tonight: The Beths

July 7, 2019

Indie pop New Zealanders The Beths will take the stage at the 9th Wardtonight, bringing L.A.’s Girl Friday along with them. The group is right at the beginning of the North American leg of their gigantic summer tour, which supports the release of their 2018 debut album, Future Me Hates Me. The Beths formed in 2015 in Auckland, New Zealand, where vocalist/songwriter Elizabeth Stokes, guitarist Jonathan Pearce, and bassist Sinclair studied jazz at the University of Auckland. Drummer Tristan Deck, who amazingly also studied jazz, rounded out the group’s live line-up in 2019. Though the band departed from its constituents’ jazz backgrounds to take on a guitar-driven pop sound, musical education shows itself in the group’s impressively tight debut album. The Beths have worked up their own brand of indie pop for Future Hates Me, pairing playful, infectious melodies with punchy lyrics to deliver ten danceable, relatable, re-playable tracks. The[...]

Tonight: Taking Meds

July 6, 2019

Tonight, some of Western and Central New York’s best pop punk music will be on display tonight as Rochester’s Taking Meds is set to headline at Mohawk Place as part of a tour kickoff that will last over a month. This show, and subsequently larger tour, will be in support of their new record, I Hate Me.  Supporting Taking Meds tonight will be local Buffalo emo-favorites, Ghostpool and Worse Things. This will be a “homecoming” show of sorts for these two, as they’re just getting back from a short run that started earlier this week. Also playing tonight are Rochester’s super-group Carpool, who’s last gig in the Queen City was at Town Ballroom. This super-stacked lineup is sure to be one to impress. You’re not going to want to miss this one. Doors open at 6pm. Tickets are $12. We’ll see you there. In the meantime, listen to Taking Meds[...]

Tonight: Handsome Jack

July 6, 2019

Happy Birthday America, land of the free home of the blues. Keep the celebration going with Buffalo’s own Handsome Jack, as they are poised to set off an explosion of their own this this even at Buffalo Iron Works. If you haven’t felt the ground rumble from Handsome Jack’s brand of boogie-woogie and blues then this is your last chance, at least for a short while. The love child of John Fogherty, Muddy Waters, and The Band head across the pond for a European to support their latest record Everything’s gonna Be Alright. Bring your sparklers, dancing shoes, and good vibes to Iron Works to properly bid this rock trio ‘adieu’. Doors at 8pm with a $12 cover. Get there early to check out First Ward. Written by Kevin Prentice

Tonight: Pentimento

July 5, 2019

The early 2010’s were a wild time for local music here in Buffalo, New York. It seems as if almost overnight, everyone you knew was in a band, and odds are they were pretty talented. You could spend pretty much every weekend at either Mohawk Place or Waiting Room (RIP) for a mind-blowing musical experience. One of the bands responsible for this cultural explosion was Buffalo’s own Pentimento. Shortly after forming, they quickly gained a following, were at the top of their game, and wore both their hometown, and their hearts on their sleeves as they helped put Buffalo’s emerging scene on the map. After the band had released one split, two EP’s, and two full length releases, it seems they had vanished at a time when they were at their peak, and one of the most beloved acts around. However, after years of waiting, you finally have your chance[...]

Maybird – Things I Remember From Earth

July 1, 2019

“Earth weighing you down? Take an intergalactic trip with the latest effort from Rochester’s very own Maybird. Things I Remember From Earth, the band’s first release since 2017’s ‘Unraveling’, which had The Black Keys’ drummer, Patrick Carney, at the producing helm, sends the listener on an upward trajectory that happens to be highly infused with technicolor, rock n roll riffs, and dance grooves. The second track, “To You,” and the first dosage of pop melodies on the album, displays a pleasant view of hedonism. Or better, what to do to reach a person who has become wrapped up in the world of pleasures. The vocal’s plead in a soft voice to “Stick around a little bit longer/Mix it up a little bit stronger/ This is the best I ca do to get through to you.” The sentiment becomes reinforced with high end back up vocals reminiscent of Motown, and then[...]

Tonight: Buffalo Sex Change

June 30, 2019

Tonight, catch two bands from the far-off city of Rochester, NY; Buffalo Sex Change, and honeymoonphase. While they may share a home base, they certainly each have a unique sound. Buffalo Sex Change is an energetic post-punk, garage rock duo, with a sound reminiscent of Buddy Holly fronting a shoegaze band. Their most recent release was 2018’s Searching Hands, which was released on Admirable Traits Records. Right out of the gate, the title track grabs you with a noisy riff, and really sets the tone for the album. While the tone may shift from track to track, there is an intensity and energy that is effortlessly carried through the album. With dirty, danceable hook, this will most certainly appeal to fans of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. Alternately, honeymoonphase brings a slightly darker, brooding sound to the table. They recently released two tracks in anticipation of their full album,[...]

Tonight: Tough Old Bird

June 28, 2019

The sun is starting to make more of a consistent presence as summer begins in Western New York, the time of year we start to remember just how beautiful the area we live in actually is. Blue skies and warmer temps make the perfect companions to good music, and folk locals Tough Old Bird will be bringing just that to Mohawk Place tonight to celebrate the release of their fifth album, The Old Great Lakes. Almost every piece of writing you’ll come across describing Tough Old Bird – a folk group started in Fillmore, NY by brothers Matthew and Nathan Corrigan in 2013 – mentions the word “landscape” at least once or twice. Tough Old Bird takes its surroundings and transforms them into beautifully crafted, traditionally modern folk music, using sophisticated acoustic guitar, harmonica, and hints of accordion and electric guitar to develop not only a dynamic, comforting shroud of[...]

The Burkharts Drop Debut EP Lazy Dazing

June 26, 2019

Alt rockers The Burkharts just released their EP Lazy Dazing. After dropping their single (also titled “Lazy Dazing,” back in November) the band has fleshed out their unique mix of lo-fi dreamy surf pop. Think The Beach Boys meet Beach House. The first track “Oh, Dreamer” floats along with a bouncy guitar riff, and gentle swells, before being joined by synths and luscious harmonies. This tune really seems to capture their aesthetic, and is a great way to kick off the record. “Flower City Nights,” a lo-fi dream pop tune, finds the band fusing their jangly surf rock with a driving beat that shows their versatility and ability to find diversity within their sound. The EP closer is their single “Lazy Dazing,” which once again finds the band melding their influences to create a bubbly song that is the perfect kick off to the Summer season. All in all, a[...]

Tonight: Car Seat Headrest

June 25, 2019

Seattle indie rock outfit Car Seat Headrest will stop by Asbury Hall tonight amid their Twin Fantasy 2019 tour with fellow Seattle rockers Naked Giants. The show comes to Buffalo on the back of 2018’s Twin Fantasy, a harrowing, dynamic album with a long and remarkable history of its own. Car Seat Headrest began in Leesburg, Virginia in 2010 as the bedroom solo project of a teenage Will Toledo, a major player in the modern, internet-based DIY scene. Toledo self-produced and self-released his first eight albums, using minimal equipment to record experimental, unrefined indie rock that would quickly gain an online cult following. The cult exploded with 2011’s Twin Fantasy – now titled Twin Fantasy (Mirror to Mirror) –, an ambitious and heartfelt concept album about a tumultuous first love, recorded with a laptop microphone, released for free on Bandcamp, and adored by thousands. Car Seat Headrest’s booming presence on[...]

Post Prom – Nothing Left for Us

June 24, 2019

Summer has officially hit in western New York and that means it’s time to dust off those songs to soundtrack your solstice. Luckily enough for you, Buffalo rockers Post Prom just dropped a new EP that captures that warm weather vibe, and epitomizes the phrase “windows down, music up.” The album Nothing Left For Us features six pop-punky songs that solidify the groups reputation as some of Buffalo’s premiere rockers. The record opens up with the energetic and hook-laden “Tunnel Vision”. That energy carries through “Tiger Beer,” where guitarist and vocalist Aidan Licker laments the loss of a friend who has moved to another city, while celebrating all the precious memories they have together. The nimble guitar work on this track is undeniable as well. Fast-forward to the mid-point of the record and we hit the poppy, moody “Hurt Somebody,” On this track, the band showcases their ability to slow things[...]

Tonight: Color Cult

June 22, 2019

It’s time to drink the Kool-Aid, folks, and to throw away all worldly possessions that happen to not be Color Cult’s new single “Invisible Monster.” Right off the bat, the song winks at you from the driver’s seat before taking off at warp speed on a course of punk/new-wave/alt-rock excellence. It begins with the chorus, played at an adrenaline fueled 140 beats/min, and lays out the concept of the song, “You’re my little invisible monster/ I know you’re around every corner/ It’s bringing me down/ I see you’re face in the dark, I feel you lurking around.” If a better tag for the human condition has been coined, please let m know. What makes ‘Invisible Monster’ a genuine triumph of the soul is the fact that the narrator (Russell Leone) of the song recognizes the problem, or monster, and he actively seeks to defeat it. In a world that seems[...]