Latest Posts

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[...]

Today: Death Cab for Cutie

June 16, 2019

Music is art, and it’ll be on full display tonight at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The beloved Death Cab for Cutie is venturing out from the Pacific Northwest to grace the Elmwood Avenue gallery’s grounds in this year’s installment of the long-running Rockin’ at the Knox, which will also feature Tank and the Bangas and Phosphorescent. Considered one of the definitive indie acts of the aughts, Death Cab has gained and maintains a massive following over the 22 years since it started in Bellingham, Washington as frontman Ben Gibbard’s solo project in 1997. The group is well known for its sincere, often melancholy songwriting and catchy melodies, as displayed on the critically acclaimed Transatlanticism (2003) and We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes (2000). They’re currently on tour to support their latest album, Thank You for Today, which was released in August 2018. The show is happening rain or[...]

Tonight: White Reaper

June 16, 2019

Tonight, the Louisville garage-rock wonders White Reaper make their way down to Chip Strip at the Rec Room. This marks their first visit back to The Queen City since 2017, so make sure you see them this time around, because it might be a while before they decide to grace us with their presence again. Sharing the stage with them are Boston-based ethereal rockers, Twen, as well as Buffalo degenerate punkers, SMUG. Doors are at 7pm, tickets are $12. Written by Mike Rakiecki

Ian McCuen – Songs of Fleeting Permanence, Vol. II

June 10, 2019

Beware the quiet man. When others speak, he watches. When others act, he plans. When others rest, he strikes. Ian McCuen is our modern day quiet man. He began his journey almost a decade ago when he entered an intense six year period of self-reflection and discovery. The light at the end of that tunnel turned out to be an epic three volume set of indie-folk music entitled Songs of Fleeting Permanence. He recently released Vol. II. Volume II’s lead off track, “Drowning,” sets the emotionally heavy tone that serves as the release’s foundation. A vocal melody, reminiscent of a church choir in terms of depth and haunting feel, bolsters the melancholy lyrics. In a near-whisper, McCuen sings, “Keep your head up/treading water/keep your head up/just stay afloat.” “Facade,” the second track, gives the listener reason as to why one may find themselves struggling to not go under. In a[...]

Tonight: Sleep

June 6, 2019

For those who believed they would never live long enough to see a band carry on where Black Sabbath left off, fear not. We have Sleep. Emerging from the stoner rock capitol of the world, southern California, Sleep started in the early nineties with their meld of stoner rock and heavy metal. Bass player Al Cisneros tuned down to create hypnotic drone rhythms while guitarist Matt Pike layered in stoner-rock riffs and created Doom-Metal. The band found critical success that lead to battles with record labels who ultimately forced them to lay down their instruments. Again, fear not, for Sleep has woken up. They released their first full length album in almost twenty years in 2018 thanks to Jack White’s record label Third Man Records, and the result most definitely warrants the wait. The Sciences brings Doom Metal back to the forefront of rock ‘n roll, and combined with their[...]

Tonight: Ugly Sun

June 6, 2019

Summer is almost here in Buffalo and that means it’s time to crank out the tasty jams. In order to get a head-start on those summer vibes, we suggest going down to Mohawk Place on this evening as Ugly Sun will celebrate the release of their self-titled album. In the previous weeks, the boys released two absolute bangers in “Little Fire” and “Bury My Soul in The Garden,” both of which are included on the album. If you haven’t already, you need to listen to these tracks and get ready to sing them back. Joining Ugly Sun for their release is Johnny and The Man Kids, who have recently released an album of their own in You Made Me Hurt, as well as Cheap Peach. 

Advanced tickets are available for $10. Doors are at 7pm. See you there. 
In the meantime, listen to Ugly Sun below. Little Fire by Ugly[...]