Iron Chic are an indie/pop-punk band from Long Island and tonight they will be bringing the house down at the Studio at Waiting Room. Iron Chic are known for their anthem like quality full of pounding rhythm and fast paced, slicing guitars. Playing alongside Iron Chic on this stacked bill are Unwelcome Guests and Del Paxton, with their recently released LP, All Day, Every Day, All Night. Tunes start at 7pm. $15 at the door. Ys by Iron Chic
Sewing Souls is set to be a real rager with a stacked bill this evening. Coming out from Rochester will be math-rock/pop-punk outfit, Taking Meds. The band released their full-length debut record, My Life as a Bro recently and are an intoxicating cocktail mixture of math-rock elements with just a bit of punk/pop sound to keep things groovy. Filling out the night’s roster are Alleys, a punk/emo group that showcase solid guitar compositions and a high octane energy, Passed Out, who just released their newest single, “the inverse is true,” and Slow Cooker, who always bring it with fast, solid tunes that mash up surfer rock that sounds like it’s been dragged through the mud and back. The night’s tunes start at 8pm. Cover is $3. My Life as a Bro by Taking Meds
Buffalo hardcore four-piece Orenthal offer up an energetic mix of melodic punk and thrash/hardcore riffs, full of emotion and moxy on their album, Rising. Released on Buffalo’s independent record label, Insidious Industries, Orenthal consists of Tim Ernst, Chris Delmont, Trey James, and Mike Smith. Rising opens with “Priorities,” a fast paced ride full of thumping bass, punk blast beats and trashing guitars. One of the elements that makes Orenthal stand out is how they throw together hardcore and melodic elements into a cohesive sound. They blend the harshness and abrasiveness found in the heavier stylings of hardcore, with the melodic tones of things closer to emo or pop-punk. Tracks like “Clear Skies” bring together this cohesiveness with precision, mixing the classic hardcore drum blast with a vocals and guitar riffs that drive you to start thrashing and jumping. This is balanced with sections throughout the song that are much lighter, some[...]
To look at the kinds of new and exciting music, both locally and nationally, that’s been emerging, one would have taken notice of the resurgence that post-punk of the late 70s and 80s has played. At the center of this has been The Jesus and Mary Chain. Fronted by brothers, Jim and William Reid, they released their first record, Psychocandy in 1985, but the band had been on hiatus since 1998/99, after their record Munki was released. However, The band have recently come back together and released a brand new record, titled, Damage and Joy, on March 24th. There’s always a certain trepidation when a band gets back together and releases a new album. The questions arise as to why; short on money, can they still play, what drives their creativity? One really interesting aspect of Damage and Joy is how it doesn’t sound dated, or more precisely, the way[...]
Brooklyn’s three piece outfit Decorum takes a hold of the post-punk revitalization movement and makes it their own. The often jangly, spindly guitars that are found throughout the genre are vacant, as Decorum consists of a dual bass set-up and drums. Taking the various flavors the low end has in post-punk and playing both at the same time creates atmospheric textures while still staying true to the genre. Swirling around, in almost a cyclical nature Decorum incorporates a dark, moody sound that’s strung out and made thin, wisp like, on top of which are early shoegaze, breath-like vocals. Supporting Decorum at Dreamland will be locals, Orations, who are just coming off their stellar post-punk LP, Wych Elm, along with Slow Mutants who always seem to bring a ton of energy to their shows, and post-punk trio, The Patterns. This is a post-punk night not to miss. Show at 7pm. $6 to[...]
Following up on their previous EP, Incantation, Buffalo quartet, Orations, have released their debut 12” LP, Wych Elm on March 17, through Custom Made Music. Showcasing the variance in 80’s post-punk, Orations’ debut is in part a look back, a revivalist endeavor so to speak, while also being a record that stands on its own merits. Orations is Jess Collins on vocals, Paul Morin on guitar, Jason Draper on bass and melodica, Matt Chavanne on drums and percussion, with additional help from Aaron Ratajczak and Rick Wright. Present on Wych Elm are some of the various iconic sounds that made up a chunk of the post-punk sonic aesthetic from the 80s. Like the jangly, sometimes airy and dreamy guitar, the dark, low, rhythmic bass, and the often brooding, dour vocal delivery. The reproduction of the genre is flawless and the band really wears their influences on their sleeves, including bands[...]
Dreamland will be hosting a night of high energy noise pop/post-punk full of thrills and chills (vibes that is), tonight. Coming over from Pittsburgh, The Lopez mash together noise pop and distorted synths to create a raucous, yet dream like sound. Think if Beat Happening and the electropunk style of Nervous Gender were thrown into a music blender. Also on the bill will be Philly’s Femsplainer along with local Buffalo act, Tina Panic Noise. It should end up being a full on party, perfect for a late Tuesday night. Doors open at 7pm, bands to start going up around 8. There will be meat and vegan tacos available for a dollar so get there early, and bring $5 for the door just in case.
Based out of Albany, shoegaze rockers Slowshine offer up a slick blend of new-wave elements and somber vocals, all with just the right amount of shoegaze haze on their recent self-titled release. Put out independently by the band on March 7th, the band is made up of Noah Bondy and Cameron Castan, who trade off on guitar, bass and vocals, Connor Dixon on drums, with additional guitar work by Nicholas Worchol. To talk about modern shoegaze would not accurately describe the kind of sound that Slowshine are bringing to the table. Instead of being a wall of sound, that’s been fed through a few dozen different pedals and distorted, fuzzed, and hazed out to near indefinability, Slowshine are much closer to the early 90’s variant of the genre, like Ride’s Nowhere. The band has more in common with Slowdive than in just their name, for instance. There’s a dream-pop like[...]
Alex Lewis, AKA, Turinn is an English electronic producer based out of Manchester. From his debut record, 18 1/2 Minute Gaps on the always stand out label, Modern Love, drops the single of the same name. The title is a reference to the 18 minutes of unexplained erased audio, that in part led to the impeachment of Nixon. The inclusion here makes sense, and plays with the idea of absence revealing truth. “18 1/2 Minute Gaps” doesn’t waste time, jumping right into a moody house style beat that sits on top of a rich and dark synth. A quick shot here and there of high pitched, feigned, jazz style synth notes cuts through the gloomy fog of the beat. It’s an incredible blend of textures and electronic genres. The jazz synth itself is a very mutilated James Blake sample from one of his early dub EPs, that’s almost been turned[...]
Rochester synth punk outfit, CD-ROM offer up a multi-textured and infectious on their debut EP titled, _001. Assembled together like Voltron from various Rochester bands, Green Dreams, Leus Zeus, and Sports, CD-ROM consists of Jesse Amesmith on vocals, Nate Briscoe on bass, Trevor Amesmith on drums, Mike Turzanski on mono synth, and Kevin Burns on poly synth. _001 was self released by the band on February 18th. With a run time of almost 25 minutes, _001 is pretty dense for a debut EP, and that’s a plus because there’s a lot to unpack with this record. For one the group does not have a traditional punk set up going. There’s really not much of a guitar to speak of. Instead it’s synths trading back and forth that are backed by solid drumming that keeps the tight rhythms locked in. The bass here is really interesting because at times it’s in[...]
It’s been over a year since local low-fi/indie group, Newish Star released their last record, 2015’s You Missed Everything – Part II. After ending their tour and with little noise coming from the trio in terms of new releases, there was the possible fear that we’d never hear anything from them again. Another tale of a local Buffalo outfit that ended up splintering band members and kind of fading off into the distance. But no, that’s not what this is about. Because on February 13th, the band put out a brand new release titled, American Angelica Tree. To say that it’s just a new release from the band wouldn’t quite do it justice. It is a collection of songs from the band released for us all to hear and enjoy, true, but really, it feels more than that. After a flurry of releases in 2015, it’s altogether possible that the[...]
If you don’t have someone to be with this Valentine’s or need a last minute date idea, then Mr. Goodbar (upstairs) is the place to be this February 14th. The night will be part punk showcase, part date auction with proceeds going to Planned Parenthood. It’s the perfect way to go about Valentine’s Day. Set to thrash around tonight are lo-fi punks, The Drains, who will also have their new release, “Easy to Love” available. Along with them will be Radiation Risks (who also have a brand new release as of today) and Slow Cooker, with appearance by indie folk crooner, Bill Nehill. After the music you can put in your bid to win a date with a number of people who will be available for a charity date auction. All in all, it should be a fun night. The fun gets started at 7pm with a $5 cover. 21+.
Baltimore based DIY indie pop outfit, trunkweed will be bringing their flavor of brash pop melodies and emotive lyrics to Mohawk Place tonight. This is the second stop on their first tour for 2017 and it’s likely not one to miss. Their newest record, you are a nice surprise has a subtle yet intense quality to it, like a compact, white hot flame that at times lashes out with a scorching intensity. Joining them on stage throughout the night will be Buffalo’s stripped down punk folk group, Velvet Bethany, psych rockers, Bold Folly, psychpop from Moody Cosmos, and some hardcore punk from The Drains. Doors are at 8 pm. and it’s $5 to get in.
Buffalo two piece, Green Slime construct an energetic throwback experience on their new EP, The Vesta Rose, a follow up to their self titled full-length LP from September. Blending together grunge, indie, and pop-punk, the duo consisting of brothers, Eric Ellman on guitars/vocals and Blake Ellman on drums, aim to recall a particular moment in rock history while also adding a bit of modernity. Green Slime’s primary vein on this new EP is grunge, and it’s something the band is able to manipulate well. The tone of the guitar has a guttural quality to it that really captures that 90s grunge grit that became a staple of the genre. Especially here, that tone is needed, not only to evoke the genre, but in order to fill up all the sparseness that exists. As a two piece, the band consists only of a guitarist and a drummer. Unlike a group like[...]
Funk punk collective, Mallwalkers are back from their hiatus, or self imposed exile? Either way, they’ve returned and have brought with them to Buffalo a new LP, “Dial ‘M’ For…” which is a follow up to their debut record, 2013’s Shake the Rust Off. Classic cinema fans will pick up the reference to the Hitchcock thriller, but unlike the director’s affection for putting his audience through a series of tense moments and plot twists, Mallwalkers places anyone who listens on a dance party crazed ride full of moments to get your heart pumping. A riotous mixture of musical genres ranging from hardcore, ska, funk, indie, soul and surf-rock, Mallwalker’s sound is hard to pinpoint. Even with their embracing of the funk musical aesthetic being as it is, they don’t sound anything like George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic. Instead, the band collaborates together to create a sound that’s very much their own.[...]