Latest Posts

Werid Al at UB’s Center for the Arts (7/15/15)

July 15, 2015

Weird Al is typically viewed as a comedian more often than a musician. In the public’s eye, musicianship is hard for any comedian to earn, especially one that parodies. So before going to Weird Al’s sold-out show at the Center for the Arts last night, I thought of it more as a chance to see a legendary comedian than a rock star. But then again, would I be this excited to see a comedian who I could recite (sing along with?) most of their punch lines? With an extensive songbook spanning decades of musical genres and pop references, the show was not only a culmination of Weird Al’s career, but also a two and a half hour history lesson of our modern culture—from Jeopardy to Forrest Gump to eBay. And like many artists who have too many hits to play, songs would run into one another in long, tightly choreographed[...]

Tonight: Weird Al

July 15, 2015

You know that moment when you hear the first few notes of “Gangster’s Paradise” and you aren’t really sure if it’s Coolio or Weird Al’s “Amish Paradise” yet? Then subsequently start singing Weird Al anyway because those are the lyrics you know better. As a child of the 90’s, this was my experience, but I’d bet children of both the 80’s and 00’s have similar experiences with Weird Al songs, whether it’s “Eat It” (“Beat It”), “White & Nerdy” (“Ridin’ Dirty”), or one of his new hits like “Handy” (“Fancy”). After decades of his satirical wackiness, Weird Al doesn’t just parody culture, he helps shape it. Coming off the huge success of his latest album, Mandatory Fun, Weird Al will play the Mainstage Theater at UB’s Center for the Arts for a sold out show tonight. He has always had a dedicated following here, and with Weird Al’s career reaching his[...]

Tonight: Stiff Little Fingers

July 14, 2015

Grandfathers of punk Stiff Little Fingers take over Town Ballroom tonight with hometown band Governess. SLF formed in Ireland back in 1977 and these hooligans put the punk in punk rock. The band broke up in ‘83 but reformed a couple years later, and have been churning out records ever since with varying line-ups. To be honest, when I heard that Stiff Little Fingers was touring, I was surprised because I couldn’t believe they were still on the road after all of these years. the group’s current tour will bring these long time punks to the Ballroom tonight at 7pm. Tickets are $24 at the door. Their first single is still their greatest hit.

Tonight: Little Ruckus

July 6, 2015

Mohawk Place has been killing the gig game lately with a jam packed calendar and it isn’t stopping anytime soon. The extremely prolific and eclectic Little Ruckus, a sort-of collective from Iowa, is hitting Mohawk tonight on tour with Calliope Musicals. Calliope churns out classic rock and roll with twinges of folk and psychedelic landing on a happy, feel good vibe. Little Cake and Jack Toft is simple, catchy, and weird.  Self described as Kool Keith meets Crass plus a classically trained music teacher, the duo is undeniably alluring. Catch them with their experimental rap tonight at 8pm for $5. I think I just talked myself into going.

Tonight: Difficult Night

July 2, 2015

Mohawk Place will host an all-locals show tonight to enjoy this long Buffalo Fourth of July weekend with some American music. Hometown mainstays Difficult Night plays rock and roll that falls somewhere between Violent Femmes and either the White Stripes or the Goo Goo Dolls, maybe some Springsteen. Lifemusik Mit Andre is making his way downtown with his experimental home recording sound, while the gritty and spooky girls of Space is Haunted thankfully have taken a break from their summer hiatus. Finally, Peter Kirsch, kinda weird and kinda dance-y, rounds out the night. Doors are at 8pm and for $5, you can kick off, or continue, your weekend.

Best of 2015…So Far: Staff Picks

June 28, 2015

Just like that, 2015 has reached its half way point, and what a half its been. The year so far has seen releases of fantastic debuts (Jamie xx), stellar discography builders (Father John Misty, Kendrick Lamar), and welcome returns from some of music’s finest (Blur, Sleater-Kinney), and with the second half of 2015 in sight we looked back at what made the first six months great. Tim Fenster Favorite Album Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly I know I’m not being terribly unique here, but it’s practically impossible to have a meaningful conversation about the best record of 2015 without first addressing the elephant-sized butterfly-whore in the room. Kendrick Lamar’s third album is not only the (as of yet) magnum opus of the most talented rapper of the post-millennium world, it’s everything you could ask for in a hip-hop record and then some. It’s provocatively political (“The Blacker the[...]

Tonight: Kal Marks

June 27, 2015

There are so many for cool shows to attend recently and if you haven’t made up your mind about tonight, then here’s another option: some rockin bands at a house on Hoyt. Kal Marks, heavy indie from Boston, will be rolling through with IAN playing dreamy fuzz from California in the vein of contemporaries Alvvays and Slutever. Political indie punk band Red Heat will be supporting. Lushes will round out the bill. So its 7pm at Hoyt House for $7 or whatever  you have.

A Place to Bury Strangers

June 19, 2015

Quintessential Brooklyn band  A Place to Bury Strangers descends upon Mohawk Place tonight. The noise rock trio is on tour promoting its new album Transfixiation and the band is still not afraid to take any chances. The album comes off the heels of the closure of iconic Brooklyn venue Death by Audio, where APTBS was closely affiliated, and in the spirit of the scene, the band is maturing and evolving. With elements of spacey shoegaze to supplement its loud chaos, the band’s feedback laden wall of sound is an intense experience. Instrumental post-rock band Sannhet from Brooklyn and Buffalo cool crew Alpha Hopper are opening up the gig at 8pm. This show is special addition to Herd Fest and the first fifteen people to show up with Herd Fest wristbands get in for free! Otherwise its going to be $15 at the  door.

Tonight: White Lung

June 15, 2015

White Lung is a cool band from Vancouver, British Columbia which reminds me of Nardwuar and gets me wondering what he might show the four piece about its past albums and sounds. Maybe it’s that Canadian Indie Music Award nomination or all that good press from music magazines about 2012’s Sorry (because every song on that release is a jam). White Lung plays gritty punk for fans of RVIVR, The Measure [SA], and Priests. Obliterations, hardcore from Los Angeles, are on tour with White Lung, and local band Utah Jazz (with members from Mayday! and Brown Sugar) have the garage punk niche covered for tonight. Be at Mohawk Place tonight at 8pm with $12 at the door or you might be sorry.

Arkells at Canalside (6/11/15)

June 12, 2015

After leaving the Arkells show at Canalside last night, it was difficult to decide who had had more fun: the band or the audience. Like poutine, Tim Horton’s, and everything else that’s considered “good” in Canada, Arkells have established themselves in the Buffalo culture. With roots in nearby Hamilton, Ontario, the band has seen its massive success in Canada transition smoothly into the American music scene. Of course, the band (made up of front man Max Kerman, Mike DeAngelis, Nick Dika, Tim Oxford, and Anthony Carone) is no stranger to Buffalo, or even to Canalside. Max spoke fondly of intimate shows performed in the city, like the one at Town Ballroom in April. He also reminisced about the first time they played at Canalside in 2011, when they opened for the Tragically Hip. Arkells’ ascent from opener to headliner in a four-year span mirrors their burgeoning success. Despite the Hip[...]

Tonight: Sebadoh

June 4, 2015

Sebadoh is hard to describe. The trio’s career, and subsequent sound, spans over a decade. They are kind of lo-fi, kind of all-American rock and roll, sometimes screamy, and a little experimental. I can only liken listening to their discography to that Dinosaur Jr. cover of “Just Like Heaven:” chaotic. But I am probably projecting; founding member Lou Barlow took a hiatus from Dinosaur Jr. to start Sebadoh in 1989. The lo-fi Cleveland act, Total Babes, which feature members of Cloud Nothings, open the show. The group sounds like it records in your bedroom, which is a good thing. Total Babes are cool, effortless, and clever. This should be a sweet start of summer gig. Sebadoh and Total Babes play at Mohawk Place tonight for $15. Doors open at 7pm.

Tonight: Downtown Boys

May 25, 2015

She’s brown, she’s smart, and she’s leading the saviors we didn’t know we’d been waiting for. This Memorial Day, get pummeled by a wave of political dance-punk from the Victoria Ruiz fronted Downtown Boys at Sugar City. The Providence based unit mixes punk and Spanish with jazzy sax parts to make a dance party that is also a learning experience. This is a band that gets back to punk’s political roots, a band that again makes punk a gateway to cultural and social consciousness. Downtown Boys has been around for a few years, but are creating a real buzz recently with the new album Full Communism that dropped this month, and I am excited about them. Downtown Boys is unstoppable. Green Dreams from Rochester and Buffalo’s own Boy Scouts are rounding out the show ($6, 6pm) with a lot of non-male representation, which is always best. Watch this must see[...]

Staff Picks: Most Anticipated Shows of the Summer

May 22, 2015

The Public kind of beat us to the punch with its whole “Best Summer Ever” proclamation in this week’s issue, but we have to agree with the paper on this one, at least in a live music sense. Every year, the city’s summer music schedule seems to get better and busier, with bands coming to town they may have passed us for Toronto or Cleveland in the past. Between the revitalized Canalside schedule to the endless club shows that get announced on a seemingly daily basis,  this very well may be the best (music) summer ever. Below are a list of staff picks, selecting our most anticipated Buffalo shows of the season (Spoiler: a bunch of us are pretty hyped for Spoon). For more summer options, make sure to check out our events calendar here. Jon Krol Ceremony w/ Pity Sex at Mohawk Place (7/5/15) Anyone who’s ever seen Ceremony[...]

Tonight: Mastodon

May 19, 2015

Mastodon has been a monolith of rock for over a decade. Hailing from Atlanta, but with members from Western New York, they are pioneers of heavy metal with strong influences of hardcore, groove, progressive rock, and stoner metal (Think early 2000’s radio hard rock). Obviously psychedelic with inspired lyrics and known to have elaborate live presentations, this should be a stellar show.  Fans of Mastodon are probably fans of Clutch which makes this line up a heavy metal nightmare made in hell. Mastadon will bring its “Missing Link Tour” to the Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls tonight. Tickets are still available to purchase for $36 at the door at 6pm. Clutch and Swedish opener Graveyard will start the night off.

Tonight: Full of Hell, The Body, Red Death, and more

May 14, 2015

Tonight at Sugar City, six bands – Full of Hell, the Body, Buffalo based Gas Chamber/Cages, UK bad boys The Flex, Red Death, and Black Houses – will be bringing a pulverizing bill of sludgy hardcore to the venue’s newly built stage. Red Death, members of DC’s finest, churns out brutal tracks of hardcore thrash metal along the lines of what has been coming out of the capital recently. And in personal experience, no Red Death set would be complete without frontman Chad Troncale‘s commentary about smoking weed and jerking off. Full of Hell (from everywhere–MD, PA, and currently, temporarily Buffalo) puts on a sick show. Their relentless grind and noise is cathartic and the Body is just as chaotic. Doors open at 5pm for this stacked line-up. Black Houses is scheduled to go on at 6:15. Cost is $10 to lose your hearing for the forceable future.