Latest Posts

Heave – Pike

July 8, 2019

When Heave released their debut EP two years ago, it immediately made waves within the local singer-songwriter community. In the short time since, they have risen to become one of the most exciting new bands in Buffalo’s burgeoning indie scene. Initially the project of multi-instrumentalist Emily Finlan, they’re now a four-piece group with a cult of followers. Pike, Heave’s debut full length record, is a confirmation of their status as new standouts. The album opens with a quick instrumental intro track of gliding electric guitar that leads directly into the upbeat basement punk rocker “Boys”. Throughout the rest of the album, Heave churns through genre changes and tonal shifts seamlessly and with expertise. From breezy and bouncing jazz on “Bevels” to winding acoustic rock on “Paradigm” to apathetic bop “Big Shrug,” and all moments in between, the band turns in a masterful performance. Though it is varied and eclectic, Pike[...]

The Shallows Release First Single

December 26, 2018

Members of local bedroom folk acts Heave and Oats Holy Roller have teamed up to form a new group, The Shallows. In anticipation of their debut album, Hold Out For Love, they’ve released their first single. Titled “joan + lily” it’s an excellent foray into delicate and heartfelt Americana. Recorded at Sunwood Recording Studios in, Trumansburg, NY, “joan + lily” pairs multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Emily Finlan of heave with singer-songwriter Joe Myers of Oats Holy Roller. The song is a gorgeous modern folk ballad that chronicles two people who’ve grown apart, getting away from it all and working with your hands, and the feelings associated with trying to piece together a new life. Myers’ low gravelly voice and storyteller prose are the bedrock here, with Finlan providing ethereal backing vocals and haunting cello that gracefully adorn the compositional surface. Overall, its a contemplative and melancholic affair, and a brooding and stirring[...]

Tonight: Great Lake Swimmers

October 13, 2018

Tonight, Toronto indie group Great Lake Swimmers stops by Iron Works. The Juno Award nominated band is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2018, marked by the release of both an EP and full length record earlier in the year. The new album, The Waves, The Wake, was recorded in the 145-year Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church and released via Nettwerk. Opening the show is Newburgh, NY group Native Harrow. The folk duo recently released a 90-minute 2X album, Sorores, expanding their sound into a darker, more avant-garde realm. Doors are open at 8pm, with music at 9pm. Tickets are $18 at the door.

Tonight: Jacob Peter

September 27, 2018

Tonight, the Burchfield Penny Art Center will host an installment of their newly established concert series, ReSoundings. Designed as a live video recording session, the series focuses on providing a unique environment for composers and musicians to explore the acoustics of the Center. The session will be presented in the east gallery, where the ceilings are 28′ high and boasts a five and a half second reverb. Audiences are treated to the opportunity to witness the recording as an intimate performance within an unconventional space. The featured performer this evening is local composer Jacob Peter. A fixture among the Buffalo music scene, the multi-instrumentalist has meticulously crafted a body of intricate and delicate contemporary songs across 3 EPs (all of which are available for free via bandcamp). Jacob Peter will be joined live by keyboardist Harry Graser and drummer Gabriel Wells. Doors will open at 6:30pm with a show start[...]

Jong SL Releases New Track “Driving Away”

September 20, 2018

Alt. pop artist Jong SL is back this year with promising new material. The Toronto via Buffalo singer-songwriter is following up his 2017 EP Ice Cream with a new single, “Driving Away,” foreshadowing an upcoming full length project. Known for his cross-genre blending, the track is Jong’s most fine-tuned and musically diverse release to date. The once light and bouncy air of Jong’s music is now treated with a heavier shade. His previous sound of coffee shop pop meets blue-eyed soul is amplified here with darker and more ambient elements. The tune itself floats through different phases, borrowing from both alt. rock and contemporary R&B, and pairs acoustic guitars with electric ones, and ethereal synth embellishments with a tight modern R&B groove. Even from a lyrically standpoint, “Driving Away” moves in a more melancholic direction, hinting at what is to come from Jong in the future. In regards to the[...]

Tonight: J Roddy Walston and the Business

August 24, 2018

J Roddy Walston and the Business will make their return to Buffalo tonight. Taking the stage at Babeville’s Asbury Hall, the Baltimore rock n rollers bring an energetic bar room sound, bolstered by the rollicking piano of frontman J Roddy Walston. The band is touring in anticipation of their fourth LP, Destroyers of the Soft Light, which is due out on September 29th via ATO Records. Opening the show is Virginia alt rock duo Illiterate Light. The pair posses a commanding stage presence, featuring Jeff Gorman, who simultaneously sings, shreds guitar, and plays synth bass with his feet, and drummer Jake Cochran, who sings harmony vocals and plays drums while standing up. The show begins at 8pm, with doors at 7pm. Day of show admission is $21.

Tonight: Jenny Lewis

July 25, 2018

Celebrated singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis is making a stop in Buffalo tonight. Gracing the stage at Babeville (Asbury Hall), she’ll be bringing along two decades worth of influential music. Initially starting out as a member of indie rock favorites Rilo Kiley, Lewis has gone on to have an acclaimed solo career. In addition, she has appeared on projects by artists ranging from The Postal Service to Ryan Adams, as well as both acting and writing music for several films. Her most recent solo record, The Voyager, was released in 2014. Opening up the show is NYC-based artist Cut Worms, the project of Chicagoan Max Clarke. Their debut LP was released this year via Jagjaguwar. Tickets are $30 at the door with doors opening at 7pm, music at 8pm.

Katie Preston Drops Single “The Art of Falling Apart”

June 12, 2018

Singer-songwriter Katie Preston has officially released her first solo single. “The Art of Falling Apart” comes in advance of a full EP titled Soap Opera, due out later this year. Preston has been a fixture in the Rochester, NY music scene, appearing in various bands, but noticeable for her tenure with rock group Pleistocene. She now embarks on a solo journey, venturing to Nashville to record, both this track and the EP, at Sound Awake Studios and Tiny Tape Room. “The Art of Falling Apart” is melancholic and breezy, dripping in that kind of sunny-yet-sad vibe that dominated California pop in the ’60s and ’70s. There’s also something very modern here, too, with an ambient dream pop sound that cloaks the song’s tuneful, almost Beatles-esque bounce. Harp flourishes and a downward-descending bass line meld with wilting and reverb-soaked guitar and keyboard passages, while Preston’s laidback and understated croon sits perfectly[...]

Darth Nater – A Century Ago

April 30, 2018

Buffalo-based singer-songwriter Nate Noworyta is back with another release under the stage name Darth Nater. Titled A Century Ago, it is his 7th overall release of solo material through this outlet. The new record spins tales inspired by people, places, and events from the year 1917. Musically, A Century Ago is a varied tapestry, weaving elements of folk, Americana, pop, rock, jazz and even emo sounds. Acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, and ukulele all engage in passages of melodic, proficient, energetic and stirring instrumental interplay, adding up to a perfect collision of traditional folk instrumentation and contemporary alt. rock riffing. Drums and electric guitar make occasional appearances to supply heft, while flourishes of clarinet, flute and trumpet show up to adorn the surfaces. The vocals are slightly wild, yet smooth and polished, like early 2000s emo. When paired with the acoustic instrumentation, the overall sound is reminiscent of groups like AJJ[...]

Jon Lewis Band Drops New Video off Get Wild Somewhere

April 3, 2018

Rochester group Jon Lewis Band are back with some new music. After having released eight studio albums in just four years, the indie rock’n rollers are hitting early 2018 with yet another release, slated for May. In anticipation of the the new record, titled Get Wild Somewhere, they have released their first single “Cinnamon Only,” along with a music video. The track is a straight ahead rocker in a minor key, with deep distortion and a firm low end. There is a funky clavinet-like keyboard that is peppered throughout that balances against the guitars, reminiscent of psych-rock sounds from the late ’60s-early ’70s. Lewis’ mid range lead vocals are smooth and land right on top of the whole mix. There’s a good blend of classic and modern rock, with a slight griminess to it, too; essentially its Tom Petty meets Wilco with a splash of Primus. Check out the music[...]

Tonight: Wild Child

March 25, 2018

Tonight, Wild Child makes their return to Buffalo. The Austin-based group will be hitting Buffalo Iron Works, in a performance presented by Sunbeam Entertainment. Touring in support of their fourth full-length record Expectations, the indie-pop veterans will be touting their infectious melodies and a seven-piece band that looks more like a mini orchestral ensemble. Opening in support are Los Angeles indie folk act The Wild Reeds. The group signed with Dualtone to release their sophomore album last year, following a quick ascension in notoriety thanks in part to an appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series. The group boasts a wide range of instrumental versatility and gorgeous three-part harmonies supplied by Sharon Silva, Kinsey Lee, and Mackenzie Howe. The show begins at 7pm. Tickets can be bought day of the show for $18.

Tonight: Joe Pug

March 11, 2018

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Joe Pug makes a stop in Buffalo tonight. Hitting the 9th Ward @ Babeville, the folk crooner is still touring off the strength of his 2015 release, Windfall. Pug’s journey has taken him across the country, from Maryland to North Carolina to Chicago to Nashville, and now Austin. His music reflects the nomadic amble of a restless traveler, and conjures Walt Whitman in his literary-like prose. Buffalo native solo singer songwriter Eric Ruhlmann will be opening the show. Doors are at 6:30pm, with a start time of 7:30pm. Tickets are $17 day of the show.

Tonight: Andrew Bird

February 24, 2018

Multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird makes his long-awaited return to Buffalo tonight. The genre-bending singer-songwriter will be stopping by UB’s Center for the Performing Arts, for what’s sure to be an awe-inspiring performance. The show is presented as An Evening With Andrew Bird, so there will be no opener. Bird, who is a classically trained violinist, has made a long career of blending influences from all over the musical map, including jazz, pop, baroque, calypso, blues, folk, country, and rock. His most recent full length record, Are You Serious, was released through Loma Vista Recordings in 2016. Currently, he is working on releasing a series of EP-length audio-visual projects called Echolocations. Each one is recorded and filmed in a unique location, such as a canyon in Utah, an aqueduct in Lisbon, and the Los Angeles River. Doors are at 7:30pm, with a show start time of 8pm. Tickets are still available for[...]

Tonight: The Leones

February 3, 2018

Local dream-pop outfit The Leones hit Babeville’s 9th Ward tonight. The group is still riding the wave of their 2017 release, Songs From a Canyon, which features lush synth soundscapes and haunting ambience. The four slot slot bill will include three other indie pop acts. Dreambeaches are a Buffalo-based baroque dance rock outfit, who’s garage surf rock-tinged second EP Disappearing Act was released last year. Also sharing the stage is Richmond, Virginia’s Minor Poet, the brainchild of singer-songwriter Andrew Carter, who specializes in lo-fi throwback pop rock. Local singer-songwriter Jacob Peter is a late addition to the lineup, replacing The Demos. The show begins at 8 with doors at 7. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the door. Songs From The Canyon by The Leones

Eric Beeny – Glass, the Wall’s Ghost III

January 22, 2018

Local indie folk singer-songwriter Eric Beeny’s latest project is part three in a series of albums under the moniker Glass, the Wall’s Ghost. The self-titled record (Glass, the Wall’s Ghost III) is his most unified piece yet, with a cohesive and polished flow throughout. Using only an 8-track digital portastudio and a condenser microphone, the album was recorded entirely at Beeny’s home. Engineered, produced and performed completely by himself, the album feels inherently all his own and extremely intimate. The songs are meditative and melancholic, reckoning with themes of death and despair. Throughout his GtWG series of albums, he has brought the listener on an emotional journey through his own personal trials and tribulations. This third installment is no different, and finds his words more contemplative and story-like. Musically, the record is steeped in hushed bedroom folk akin to Bon Iver, with ornamental elements of dream electronica in the vein[...]