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Tonight: Hundred Plus Club

April 17, 2016

Mohawk Place is set to host a sleepy Sunday show this evening, headlined by touring indie power-pop musician, Sam Vicari,  but the band that has really caught out eye is Buffalo-based quartet, Hundred Plus Club, who will be on support. Hundred Plus Club’s got a sound like Tokyo Police Club: matter-of-fact drums, near spoken singing, and exciting, colorful riffs on both the bass and electric guitars. The band recently released an EP recorded at World of Noise sSudios titled Three Songs.. The brief three song snapshot of the band’s repertoire are all equally upbeat, despite some dwelling lyrics. New listeners will appreciate the dance-and-sway vibes of Hundred Plus Club. Also on the bill are Small Smalls and Andrew Kothen. Doors at  8pm with a $5 cover.

Tonight: TORCHE

April 11, 2016

TORCHE is set to play Studio at The Waiting Room this evening for undoubtedly one of the best sleeper shows this year. Upon releasing their fourth full-length album, TORCHE received many blessings from their stoner rock forefathers in Sir Lord Baltimore and Kyuss. The songs and videos they’ve been slinging certainly hit that psychedelic-metal atmosphere, and I have to admit, I played the TORCHE VS. ROBOTS video game for quite a bit. The Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game-like recreational computer game was utilized to forward their latest release, Restarter. Songs like “Annihilation,” “Minions,” and”Blasted” grant listeners a provocative taste of TORCHE’s most current offer. “Barrier Hammer” plays exactly how the words are interpreted; get together with your desert rock brethren and have a hell of a time invading each others’ spaces via headbanging, moshing, or just standing around. Doors are at 8pm with a $15 cover. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWt7V-E9S7U]

The Loner(s) / Drive Me Home Please Release Split

March 29, 2016

Rochester’s The Loner(s), Drive Me Home Please, and label, Bangkok Blend combined efforts to release a split last Friday, aptly titled the loner(s)/ drive me home please. For new listeners, The Loner(s) is a more lo-fi, sometimes strictly instrumental version of All-Time Quarterback or Secret Stars, while Drive Me Home Please combines simple synth pop mixes with depressed, Jordan Dreyer-like (La Dispute), self-conscious spoken word poetry. The mixing of the two artists proves fruitful, displaying the bands’ likenesses and potentials for further opportunity in the music industry. Stand out track from The Loner(s)  is “How To,” a song driven by the lonely despair that accompanies all loners. A kind acoustic guitar riff supporting a two-note analog synth flourish provides a chill environment. Unfortunately, the singer’s low coo croons of unrequited, incommunicable love – “I like you, but I don’t know how to.” “Drive Me Home Please” by Drive Me Home Please is[...]

Tonight: BAMBARA

March 28, 2016

Brooklyn’s BAMBARA are finishing up their largely southern and midwestern SWARM-promoting tour circuit within the Empire State. This noisy three-piece plays punk, noise rock with a bluesy, southern twang. BAMBARA, at its core, sounds like a less sibilant METZ mashed with Dads’ ballsy instrumentals. Their songwriting and live performances earned them a spot in this year’s SXSW roster, and they achieved a third place rating in Paste Magazine’s “The 20 Best Bands We Saw at SXSW 2016.” This might make up for fellow SXSW buzzband, Bethlehem Steel, and their bad luck last weekend by being unable to play at Nietzsche’s due to van trouble. Tonight’s show is at The Glitterbox. Supporting acts include Pretty Girls Make Graves-like Alpha Hopper, the garage delinquents in Hot Tip, and the punk rockers forming Facility Men. Doors are at 6. Bring $6.

Kvlt Ddy – Springing Graves

March 22, 2016

Kvlt Ddy (pronounced “Cult Daddy”) is a band native to Syracuse that issued their fifth release, extended play Springing Graves, a little more than a week ago. The EP’s cool color schemed cover art looks like a beautifully violent fuse of Avatar‘s prettiest foliage and The Terminator’s skinless skull –  an accurate visual for the music, oddly enough. Kvlt Ddy’s self-proclaimed pop bummer rock and lo-fi emo genres justly portray their songs. Kyle Beam, Alex Palumbo, and friends composed shoegaze with two different stylistic foci: synth-heavy, effect-drenched shoegaze, and a fuzzy, distant, noisy variant. Admittedly, the group’s duality helps give the three song-EP an overall lost feel. Springing Graves makes it easy for you to keep your head down and bob about half-wittingly, forgetting your troubles. “Lingering Will” is the first song off this boisterous crew of recordings, the name providing effortless foreshadowing for what is to come. The tune begins with a clean,[...]

PineSheets – Casual Frustrations

March 16, 2016

… Think a completely synthetic Elvis Depressedly meshed with the trippy-ness of Youth Lagoon. The previous ellipse is necessary as it reflects Casual Frustrations‘ tendency to slow your breathing as you become entangled in its dizzying churn. For PineSheets’ new EP, sole songwriter/producer, Joseph Vita, wrote six cohesive songs, their simplicity bordering on nothingness. The songs as a whole represent the stale depression Vita experiences throughout his daily affairs. Via R&B, soul, and experimentation, PineSheets succeeds in creating an attractive EP. Casual Frustrations kicks off with the whimsical, fluttering “Can’t Wait.” About a minute in, the piece transforms into a noticeably jazzier mix, in which Vita sensually creeps forth eventually singing about his excitement to give his love some sugar. The lead single, “Sunday Afternoon,” takes you on a twisting journey through the latter half of the weekend (typically the less exciting half). Vita exclaims, “I need to find something to occupy[...]

Kimmy Reveals Debut EP

March 11, 2016

Pear, by Kimmy, is a recent release by the Buffalo group deeply immersed in the thrashing indie rock scene.  With vocals that sound like a punk-y Kevin Drew (sometimes even King Krule), the band sports an interesting dynamic for listeners here, there, and everywhere.   Instrumentally, Kimmy is the younger brother of The Blood Brothers, and a cousin to Pissed Jeans.   Unafraid of technical dynamics and rhythms, the newly formed band teamed up to record with Steak & Cake Records’ head honcho/producer, Brandon Schlia.  Kimmy writes mosh-worthy tunes meant to shake off whatever parasite’s within.  One listen through will make you wonder why the pear on the album cover isn’t skinned and leafless. The EP kicks off with “Parasite,” which cuts like a dirty, rusted blade.  The artwork continues onto “Mutt,” a six-and-a-half minute song with plenty of intense instrumentals.  The lyrics, “… sometimes, this is not enough,” give the musical piece[...]