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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.

Today: Buffalo Porchfest

May 9, 2015

Porchfest could very weel bring a community together. It is finally nice outside and it’s a great opportunity to explore the two mile radius of Elmwood Village and Allentown. The fifty-four bands and performers staggered throughout the afternoon on porches all around the neighborhood are eclectic. Leaning heavily toward acoustic, Americana, and stripped down indie folk, the acts billed as synth or hip hop or even jazz seem most refreshing and exciting. Today’s event takes place 1pm-6pm at various locations. And its FREE Check out Chuckie Campbell (fresh off a set at SXSW) starting at 3pm @ 651 Elmwood Ave.  

The Lone Bellow at The First Niagara Center (5/1/15)

May 3, 2015

Best. Opener. Ever. If you don’t want just one opinion, let’s take a look at the audience from Friday night’s show at The First Niagara Center. When The Lone Bellow first took the stage, the crowd was distracted. Most seats were empty. The filled ones held texters and selfie-takers. Nobody planned on paying attention to the opening act. Then the music started. By the end of the first song, the audience was hooked. Slowly, everyone sat down or moved a few steps closer to the stage. When “Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold” concluded, the selfies had stopped and texting had ground to a halt. Why? Maybe the audience was shocked by the cohesive sound. Maybe the energy of Zach Williams and Brian Elmquist had captivated them. Maybe it was the fact that a 5-piece folk band had a sound big enough to fill the entire arena. Or maybe[...]

Tonight: Salad Days

April 28, 2015

Punk nostalgia has skyrocketed. Articles on “revivals” (emo) and documentaries of your faves (The Descendents) are everywhere around the punk and hardcore world recently, and the 2014 film, Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90), is the definitive look at where it all started. “I had heroes I would get nervous around. I know those dudes like Ian are just normal dudes, but those fucking people changed my life” says Dave Grohl in the preview, echoing my feelings pretty perfectly. I grew up and went to shows in and around Washington, DC, and it was always a bizarre experience seeing Ian MacKaye in a bar basement or at a summer concert series. The punk community owes a lot of gratitude to the people who created the hardcore movement in the nation’s capital, but isn’t part of DIY not worshipping idols? Why dwell in the past? Notably missing, at least in the trailer, is the presence of any[...]

Done Diggin’: Staff Grabs

April 19, 2015

Another Record Store Day came and went this past Saturday, and it turned out to be a great overall experience for many of us on staff here at the blog. The weather was fantastic, dozens of local bands were playing free shows all over Buffalo’s record shops, and we even bought some decent vinyl. Check out what a few of our writers had to say about Record Store Day 2015. Cliff Parks My football (soccer) team Arsenal was in the FA Cup semifinal, forcing me to bail on the prodigious line at the original Record Theatre at Main and Lafayette, which wasn’t specifically the end of the world because there weren’t too many RSD special releases this year that I considered “MUST HAVE.” Next year, hopefully I won’t such a conflict again, otherwise I’ll have to get in line at 5am like the brave souls at the head of the[...]

The Queers

April 1, 2015

Mohawk Place is the site for the night’s best punk bill. Long time, Portsmouth punkers, the Queers (an act that’s reminiscent of high school, Screeching Weasel, and juvenile boys who picked on you when they actually liked you), will be rolling through town. The band will be turning out its brand of bratty punk alongside Richie Ramone. Ramone, perhaps unsurprisingly, sounds like the Ramones if they had a different singer, and with one listen to the Atom Age, its pretty clear they belong on this bill. Buffalo buds Newish Star are opening. Tonight’s doors open at 7pm, show at 8pm, and tickets are $15.

Five Year Rewind: Staff Picks – Part 1

March 23, 2015

Since the blog debuted on March 28th, 2010, with a truly horrible post about a Passion Pit show (sorry Bill), our ever revolving staff of writers and contributors have spun hundreds of albums and songs, and attended more shows in and out of Buffalo than I dare to count. To commemorate our upcoming five year anniversary this Saturday night. we have assembled a cast blog writers from past and present, each discussing their favorite albums, songs, shows, and even some memories since the blog’s inception. Today is Part 1. – Mac McGuire Steven Gordon (Staff Writer) Favorite Album: Thee Oh Sees – Castlemania (2011) There are so many good things about Thee Oh Sees: an insane rate of musical output, notorious live performances, profoundly debauched aesthetics, and a propensity for gradual innovation despite inherent stylistic simplicity. The group started a decade or two ago as the artistic vehicle for guitarist/vocalist/flutist John Dwyer.[...]

Five Year Rewind: Staff Picks – Part 2

March 21, 2015

Since the blog debuted on March 28th, 2010, with a truly horrible post about a Passion Pit show (sorry Bill), our ever revolving staff of writers and contributors have spun hundreds of albums and songs, and attended more shows in and out of Buffalo than I dare to count. To commemorate our upcoming five year anniversary this Saturday night. we have assembled a cast blog writers from past and present, each discussing their favorite albums, songs, shows, and even some memories since the blog’s inception. Today is Part 2. – Mac McGuire Matt Moretti (Staff Writer) Favorite Album: Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) A masterpiece of a hip hop record, and probably my favorite of all time. The buildup included weeks of some of the best free music we’ve heard, in Kanye’s GOOD Friday series. It featured some of Kanye’s best songs of his career: his best rapping on “Gorgeous,” perhaps his[...]

Cold Blood MMXV

January 11, 2015

Editor’s Note: Guest interviewer, Ian Wardynski, recently caught up with Melody Seymour and Joshua Smith, co-founders and co-conspirators of COLD BLOOD MMXV, the first annual punk and hardcore fest set to take place January 17th at the Polish Library in sunny Buffalo, NY. Wardynski discusses with the two how and why they went about booking the festival, vegan hot dogs, and how the pair originally met. Ian Wardynski: So, you two, why go to all the trouble of booking a fest? Melody Seymour: I think that Buffalo’s a great place, and bands need to come into the city and experience that. I also feel that Buffalo needs to experience more hardcore from outside of this area. That’s kinda the biggest thing. It’s hard to get out of your own ass, ya know? Joshua Smith: We do get a lot of really great touring bands coming through, but I think it’s[...]

Guest Post: Pat Butler

December 23, 2014

For our Best of 2014 coverage, we once again decided to reach out to some friends of the blog to get an idea of what made the year in music so great for them. For the next installment in the guest series, Pat Butler, singer/guitarist for the Sleepy Hahas, submitted his year end list. The Sleepy Hahas will ring in the new year next Wednesday night, beginning at 10pm, at the Gypsy Parlor. Favorite Albums: 10. Death Grips – Niggas on the Moon I’m not going to lie. I wept deeply when I heard they were breaking up this past July. I hate to see a truly groundbreaking band die prematurely, but at least we’ll never have to listen to a crappy Death Grips album. Niggas on the Moon popped up out of nowhere for free, and boasted a slightly tamer side of the band, while maintaining all the psychotic ferocity that[...]

Top 20 Buffalo Tracks: 10 – 1

December 18, 2014

We know we say this every year but Buffalo had an amazing year. We haven’t been around long enough to know whether or not these things are cyclical, or if we are just hyper aware of the local scene, but since we’ve been established in 2010, 2014 was the most impressive year for the local scene. In 2013, things were looking grim, but the local music, like the city of Buffalo, knows a little something about overcoming adversity. This year saw the (re)opening of Mohawk Place, the debut of the Studio at Waiting Room Studio, and finally gave the nomadic Sugar City a place to call their own after being baseless for close to two years. Over the last couple of days, we have been highlighting our favorite 25 songs from 2014. We had 66 different songs that went into consideration for our writers favorite tracks, not to mention the hundreds and[...]

Top 20 Buffalo Tracks: 20 – 11

December 16, 2014

We know we say this every year but Buffalo had an amazing year. We haven’t been around long enough to know whether or not these things are cyclical, or if we are just hyper aware of the local scene, but since we’ve been established in 2010, 2014 was the most impressive year for the local scene. In 2013, things were looking grim, but the local music, like the city of Buffalo, knows a little something about overcoming adversity. This year saw the (re)opening of Mohawk Place, the debut of the Studio at Waiting Room Studio, and finally gave the nomadic Sugar City a place to call their own after being baseless for close to two years. Over the next couple of days, we’ll be highlighting our favorite 25 songs from 2014. We had 66 different songs that went into consideration for our writers favorite tracks, not to mention the hundreds and hundreds[...]

Top 20 Buffalo Tracks: Five Close Calls

December 15, 2014

We know we say this every year but Buffalo had an amazing year. We haven’t been around long enough to know whether or not these things are cyclical, or if we are just hyper aware of the local scene, but since we’ve been established in 2010, 2014 was the most impressive year for the local scene. In 2013, things were looking grim, but the local music, like the city of Buffalo, knows a little something about overcoming adversity. This year saw the (re)opening of Mohawk Place, the debut of the Studio at Waiting Room Studio, and finally gave the nomadic Sugar City a place to call their own after being baseless for close to two years. In the next couple of days, we’ll be highlighting our favorite 25 songs from 2014. We had 66 different songs that went into consideration for our writers favorite tracks, not to mention the hundreds and hundreds[...]