Latest Posts

Tonight: Quarterbacks

July 13, 2014 Dan Bauer

There’s a ton of great bands that call New Paltz home, and Quarterbacks is one of ’em. And they’ll be coming to visit us at the Hive today as an 11th hour addition to their tour, along with fellow New Paltzers Fraternal Twin. These last minute shows scare the hell outta me, because how can you be sure that people will even know that they should go? And Quarterbacks is certainly worth catching. Can’t help but compare Quarterbacks to Frankie Cosmos, maybe I’m a hack. But, like Frankie, Quarterbacks on the record is usually a single person (here, Dean Engle) singing poignant lo-fi folk tunes in an observational style that kinda make you wanna smile as you cry a single tear. And, like Frankie, Quarterbacks live is a different beast: Engle is joined by pounding, driving rhythm section and the songs take on new life (at least, if this Shea[...]

Tonight: The Tins Album Release Show

July 11, 2014 Dan Bauer

It wasn’t too long ago that The Tins had been so quiet for so long that they merited a “What Are They Up To?” post just a few months ago that ended with a strangely in-depth description of ice cream. In the last month, they’ve been all over the place: a new music video, a tour announcement, some decent press and now this album release show. Tonight at Iron Works, they’ll be teaming up with Aircraft, Brimstone Blondes and the quote-unquote “mysterious” duo that is The Actors. The Tins, if you believe fellow buffaBLOGGER Mike Torsell (and I have to, because I moved here at the end of last year) took the city by storm in 2012, and this album release show may be their first step toward taking over the country. They’ll be on the road for just under a month, starting in Buffalo and making their way all[...]

Tonight: Good Night, Gold Dust

July 5, 2014 Dan Bauer

For those who like to rock, sway and think, I got just the bill for you at 362 Baynes tonight. Minnesota’s Good Night, Gold Dust will be passing through, supported by locals Difficult Night and Second Trip, and presented by our pals over at Steak & Cake Records. Good Night, Gold Dust plays dreamy indie folk consistently filled out by interesting textures and restrained-yet-catchy guitar lines. Observant observers may remember Good Night, Gold Dust’s “Thirteen Goodbyes” from Steak & Cake’s Sampler V, though as the liner notes for that release note, that track was more of a collaboration between label founder Brandon Schlia and GNGD’s Colin Scharf (the two are old friends and former bandmates.) The most notable difference, listening to the band’s studio recordings, is that GNGD proper features Scharf and bandmate Laura Schultz swapping lead vocal duties. So take heart: there will be traveling dreamy folksingers of both the[...]

Tonight: VYVAN

June 27, 2014 Dan Bauer

Wish I knew more to tell you about this one, but I’ll tell you what I know. Tonight (6:30, says Facebook) at Black Dots, we’ve got locals Max Weiss and The Patterns supporting Bloomington’s VYVYAN. VYVYAN, at least, is a known quantity, in the sense that their demo is quality. Imagine a world where bands going for a 90s college rock aesthetic pulled as much from Green Day as they do from Dinosaur Jr., and you’ll be in the ballpark. I hear lots of Superchunk in the vocals, but the songs themselves are infused with more jumparound punk energy than most of that group’s output. I’d bet a bottom dollar they’re a blast to see live. Max Weiss: I’ve never seen him live and I’ve been unable to find any substantial recordings, but I’m dumb: if you know some, post in the comments please. What I have found are a[...]

Fat Africa – Monroe

June 2, 2014 Dan Bauer

Fat Africa’s Monroe is a weekend album for malcontents. Get stoned, bitter and fired Friday afternoon; hopeful in the evening just to be left alone; hopeless, hungover and depressed by Saturday morning, just to laugh at yourself in the afternoon and stare cavalierly into the night as soon as the sun sets, with no place, in particular, to go. At least, that’s how I chose to read it. Noah Masters, the mind behind Fat Africa, would probably tell me I am wrong, and he is probably right. My impulse is to stretch the album over a weekend, but in real life, it took three years to put Monroe together. The first track recorded, the heartbreaker “Inch,” was put to tape in 2011, and the rest were jammed out on a loop pedal from the bottom up over the next few years. In the mean time, Masters moved around quite a[...]

Tonight: Delay

May 28, 2014 Dan Bauer

I quoted a guy named Jordan Nittoli on Monday and goddamnit, I’ll do it again, if only because this is actually the gig he was talking about: “Buffalo rools cuz there are a lot of gigs every week : ^ ).” Tonight, another installment of Punk ‘N Tots goes down over at Broadway Joe’s. Columbus’s Delay will be making their way over from Akron on the second stop of a two-month tour. Their latest release, Circle Change, is a nice self-contained power pop package, one which I’m sure will come across with great fuzz and fury live. Along with Delay, we’ve got Space Wolves, who have likely already stolen your heart in the past with their poppy surfy goodness. We’ve got Mapmaker, one of podcast host Mike Moretti’s favorite bands of the year, who will hopefully have some copies of their recent album Critical Path on hand to be exchanged[...]

Tonight: Yi

May 26, 2014 Dan Bauer

As a wise person (at the top of the Facebook event) said, “Buffalo rools cuz there are a lot of gigs every week : ^ ).” He was teasing this week’s Punk ‘N Tots show over at Broadway Joe’s, but I’m going to steal his words to tease tonight’s show at Black Dots, featuring Oakland’s Yi, along with Alpha Hopper and Blackie & the Vanilla Sex. Right off the heels of yesterday’s doubleheader (which, at the time of writing, will be kicking off in a few hours), Black Dots is hosting another noisy, rock ‘n roll style extravaganza. YI will be visiting us on the third date out of their tour supporting their new release, Crying. Give it a listen. They’re some fuzzy punks that have the ability to bust out Yuckish pop (see “Going Dumb”), melodic, Cheap Trickish breaks (see “The Bus”) and harder fare that will make your[...]

RESCHEDULED: Aneides, Pine Fever, & The Pharaoh Moans

May 23, 2014 Dan Bauer

UPDATE 5:00 pm, 5/23/14: This show has been cancelled due to some “scheduling shenanigans.” Will hopefully be rescheduled for tomorrow night, venue TBA. We’ll update ya when we know more! Keeping the preview intact below, to be updated when the venue is announced. Why have good dreams when you could have twisted ones? Make it happen tonight at Dreamland with some folk, freaky and non. You’ve got Asheville’s Aneides, who sings piano ballads that make you can make you feel uneasy, and then suddenly touched. You’ve got The Pharaoh Moans, who, judging from the tunes on their ReverbNation page, play ripping folk from a darker place designed to get your body’s chemicals a-pumpin’. And you’ve got Pine Fever, bringing some toe-tapping, rough-around-the-edges Americana to the table. Good deal. Doors at 8, Facebook event here. Suggested $3-$5 donation. Check out Aneides below.

Joe Mason – Joe Mason

May 12, 2014 Dan Bauer

As technology has gotten more sophisticated and more accessible, it’s become harder to to nail down a bedroom record. I mean that in the sense that it sounds like it was recorded in someone’s bedroom, not in the sense that you could throw it on and screw. Excepting the people who seek out obsolete technologies, the bedroom record is no longer something you whisper into a four-track recorder while your parents are asleep. You get 255+ tracks, a whole Internet full of sounds and samples and maybe your own apartment. Which is great in its own way. I don’t necessarily agree with the notion that more music getting made is an unmitigated good, but I’ve heard some excellent tunes that never would have gotten produced if the cost of recording were greater than zero dollars. That said, some of the best creative advice I’ve ever heard was to “set limitations[...]

Tonight: Roz and the Rice Cakes

May 10, 2014 Dan Bauer

Tonight, the Jungle Gym will host Providence’s Roz and the Rice Cakes, some clever and friendly folks out on tour. They’ll be bringing a dose of pleasurable-to-the-ear indie folky music that has enough math-rock to it to consistently make your ears perk up before you drift too far into a reverie. They’ll be supported by local post-punk heroes Cross Stitch, unhyphenated local punk heroes Sleeptalker, and local surf-psych-pop princes Aircraft. Bring some dollars to support the touring band (suggested donation of $5) and enjoy yourself. First band will kick off promptly at 9, so get there on time and don’t be a loser. Facebook event here if’n you want to RSVP.

Tonight: Pine Fever

May 5, 2014 Dan Bauer

What says “Cinco de Mayo” more than an Americana band playing at a pizzeria? A ton of things. But given that so many people use Cinco de Mayo more as an excuse to drink tequila than to celebrate the Battle of Puebla, I don’t think it matters so much, as long as it’s fun. Pine Fever will be playing some tunes at Vera on Lexington at 10 pm. They’ll be joined by local burlesque heroes the Stripteasers. Check it out, try to keep the crass cultural appropriation to a minimum, and you’re sure to have a great Monday evening.

Tonight: Banned Books & Dead Words

April 28, 2014 Dan Bauer

Tonight we’ve got Philly’s Banned Books and Texas’s Dead Words joining forces at 100 Plymouth, supported by local winners Hot Tip and All of Them Witches. One of the joys about writing for this blog is that I get clued in to great things that otherwise I would miss completely. This show’s one of them. Wasn’t cool enough to catch a regular Facebook invite, but someone was kind enough to send it my way, and I’m totally into the lineup. If I wanted to be cute, I would say that Banned Books bridge the gap between All of Them Witches math-rock weirdness and Hot Tip’s jagged post-punk angles. But, in truth, something much stranger is going on. These guys play indie-rock music, but they also like to take a whole lot of left turns and make a whole lot of noise. Check out their Bandcamp and you, like me, will[...]

Tonight: Richard Album

April 26, 2014 Dan Bauer

Here’s one for all you folks who don’t feel like elbowing/getting elbowed at your weekend house shows: some folkier, more intimate fare at the Jungle Gym. Chicago’s Richard Album will be coming through tonight, supported by Buffalo’s own Difficult Night and Nick Gordon. Judging from the photo I snagged for this post, Richard had a pretty good time last time he was here. Check out his recordings on Bandcamp, or hell, just look at the album covers. I wasn’t familiar with him before this, but he’s definitely one of the more instantly likable artists I’ve encountered in quite a while. And musically, he’s definitely a great fit with those troubadours in Difficult Night that you’ve heard so much about. Facebook event here. $5 cover to support the touring artists. If you don’t know where the Jungle Gym is, ask someone who does. Check out Richard Album and the Singles singing[...]

Tonight: The Orwells

April 23, 2014 Dan Bauer

The reason, I think, for people obsessing about The Orwells’ age is resentment. I’m only 23, and I resent anyone a day under 23 who is an iota more successful than me (which is a ton of people). This kind of feeling is especially common with people who write about music. You might be a musician yourself, and here you are, constantly writing about people who are out there actually making it. It can feel like you’re a Salieri in a room full of Mozarts. So most of the press about The Orwells makes mention of the fact that they are young kids, that they formed in high school, stuff like that. There’s even a cool/creepy moment from their set on Letterman where David calls for an encore from The Orwells and get one from the house band, with Paul Shaffer so jazzed about the kids in front of him[...]

Check Out Routine Involvements’ Future Days

April 21, 2014 Dan Bauer

We don’t always cover music out of Rochester, but when we do, it’s because it’s that good. And Routine Involvements new tape, Future Days, is some of the best stuff we’ve heard out of Buffalo’s neighbor to the Northeast in quite some time. RI take cues from all kinds of guitar-rock greats over the six songs on Future Days. Fan of Weezer? Television? Sunny Day Real Estate? Big Star? You’ll find something to like. The last track, “Strange Dynasty,” even gave me some Beatles vibes at points. That said, Future Days is definitely situated in the loud-quiet-loud dynamic that I guess society has decided to attribute to the Pixies. The noise never feels aimless, though, and beneath all the fuzz, RI is always moving forward to the next new idea. Check Future Days out on Bandcamp, and if it appeals to you, give the band some of your money. If you’re[...]