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Tonight: Boyharsher

April 1, 2015

Wednesday seems like a good night for music on the darker side, which is good as Dreamland will be host to 3 excellent acts. Tonight’s Boyharsher show is a great fit for those looking brooding, moody music that is at times danceable. Boyharsher fills out the danceable card, performing minimal wave songs with an industrial edge. Combining sparse synths with droning vocals, the Georgia based duo is sure to put on an excellent show. Local post-punks, Orations, offer a guitar driven counterpoint playing music reminiscent of Bauhaus and early Cure. Heart Brains are billed as “thoughtful’ noise-drones. Oddly enough, they are the harshest sounding band in a show featuring another band with ‘harsh’ in their name. For only a $5 donation to the awesome space at Dreamland, this is a great way to spend a Wednesday or any day really. Show begins at 8pm.

Tonight: Newish Star

March 24, 2015

Whenever Mac assigns me to write a preview, I quickly listen to a few songs to get a feel for each band and go on writing. I mean, I am sorry, I only have time to listen to so much. It is actually a little unusual that I will get so caught up in the music that I just go and listen to a band’s new cassette from start to finish. This is what happened with Newish Star, playing tonight at the Glitterbox with a host of other bands. For those unfamiliar, Newish Star plays guitar driven music reminiscent of Jawbreaker and Archers of Loaf. The trio’s latest cassette, How Soon We Forget, was released this month. It is excellent. Hailing from New Paltz, Diet Cig also recently released an excellent cassette of earnest, guitar music featuring declamatory vocals. The group is currently on tour in support of the release, Overeasy. Over easy happens[...]

Space Wolves – Space Wolves V

March 9, 2015

There is something honestly comforting about Nick Reynolds’ guitar playing. It suggests an alternate world of infinitely catchy pop rock where everyone is walking down a sun filled street whistling Space Wolves. Given that Reynolds’ lyrics are as angst ridden as his guitar is bright and chipper makes it all the better. On Saturday, Space Wolves released their 5th full length, appropriately titled Space Wolves V, after an almost two year hiatus. The duo has returned as if they never left, with no loss of their original immediate appeal. I find it sometimes very difficult to write a review of music like this,  harboring personal suspicions that magazines that run 4 sentence reviews have it right in general. This is not a dig against Space Wolves, far from it, it is meant to underscore that this tape’s pleasures are simple and immediately apparent (again in my alternate world where everyone[...]

Tonight: Kevin Morby

March 7, 2015

Fans of singer/songwriters have a great night ahead of them should they decide to head down to Mohawk Place to see Kevin Morby. Formerly of Woods and The Babies, Morby has recorded two albums as a solo artist. The most recent, Still Life, was released last Fall by Woodsist Records. Morby’s music is easy going and similar to Cass McCombs, before he got all jammy. Ryley Walker is currently touring in support of his upcoming third album, Primrose Green, coming out at the end of the month through Dead Oceans. Mixing elements of jazz and folk, Walker’s performance promises to be an engaging one. The Rochester based two piece, Buffalo Sex Change, rounds out tonight’s lineup with garage-y shoegaze. All in all, seems like a great way enjoy the balmy weather we are having today. Doors open for tonight’s show at 8pm with a cover of $12

Tonight: Sound Series w/ Meridian 7 & Patrick Cain

February 25, 2015

Squeaky Wheel launches its <SOS> series tonight, a 4 part series centered around the sharing and demystifying of techniques by a variety of innovative sound-based media artists. Held at Squeaky Wheel’s new location, the old Market Arcade Theater, the series opens with Brooklyn based project, Meridian 7. Meridian 7’s project focuses on the use of old telephone switchboards. Inititally, if you wanted to make a phone call you could not make a direct phone call, early callers had to first connect to an operator. Switchboards were originally used by telephone operators to physically connect callers to their intended destination.  This obsolete physical device has been modified into a synthesizer by Meridian7, who will be performing pieces composed with this technology tonight. Buffalo native Patrick Cain will also be performing tonight. Cain’s audio-visual pieces feature hand painted 16mm, no input feedback loops, tapes, and saxophone, thus rounding out what is sure[...]

Tonight: Nausea

February 20, 2015

Tonight, Blanque Check, a local record label, is presenting a night of “music with a darker tinge” at Dreamland (8pm, $5), which seems appropriate given the week of mostly sub-zero temperatures we all just lived through. Nauseau, the solo project of Melbourne based musician, Andrew Dalziell, is headlining. This project takes brooding Bauhaus-esque vocals, slightly discordant and moody guitars and surrounds them with minimal tinny synths. Opening for Nauseau are 3 diverse Buffalo based acts. Space is Haunted is a raucous two piece with churning guitars and strident vocals. Bill and Jamie’s house is another two piece, providing the evening with gut wrenching folk songs. Finally, Brain Drain is spacey slowcore at times reminiscent of Galaxy 500. These 3 acts should further anchor an already solid night of music to warm your frozen souls. If not, standing in a crowd of people should at least help warm up your frozen[...]

Tonight: Flatsitter’s SAFE WOR(L)D

February 14, 2015

Let’s start with a brief mental exercise, run through all the possibilities one has for a Valentine’s Day activity, with a partner or with friends…Pretty cliche, pretty ‘done-to’death’ right? Well, tonight at The Foundry Lounge, there is actually something a little bit more unique, which is probably why it appears to be sold out. SAFE WOR(L)D is billed as a “shared virtual reality” experience. Guests receive a one-on-one session with an Oculus Rift, being placed in a series of utopian environments. For those unfamiliar with the Oculus Rift, it is a virtual reality headset that allows for full head movement and an overall immersive experience. This isn’t the Tron like virtual reality you remember from the ’90s. Presented by Flatsitter, this is sure to be an incredible experience for those in attendance. The first run of SAFE WOR(L)D was sold out, and from the looks of it, so is this[...]

Sparklebomb – Bring in the Night

February 2, 2015

Last year, I was taken aback by just how haunted I was with Funeral Beats, the debut cassette from Sparklebomb, the alias of Angie Conte, one of the city’s more unique and intriguing electronic musicians. Mixing synth beats and textures with samples from found phone recordings, the mini album was a seance, a conjuring of ghosts that has stayed with me since I heard it. So when I heard there would be a follow up tape, Bring in the Night, I was excited to see what Conte had in store next. As I sit with it now, this new tape is as much a step forward as it is an exciting return to these haunted spaces. On the whole, there is something much brighter about Bring in the Night than the anxious spaces of Funeral Beats. This is not to say the sense of anxiety that hangs over the synth drones has been fully excised nor[...]

Tonight: Alpha Hopper, Orations, & Soul Butchers

January 30, 2015

As we all know, January is seemingly endless string of cold, dark days, the never melting coating of snow a reminder of our own growing despondency and claustrophobia. Shame it only comes but once a year. To help celebrate the coming end of this month, Mohawk Place has a pretty solid bill of local bands beginning at 8pm for only $5 later on tonight. Starting things off will be Alpha Hopper, a band quickly building momentum for their debut LP, set to be released this Summer. Abrasive garage rock anchored by amazing vocals, this is definitely a band to watch. From there we move on to the brooding post punk of Orations. Whose ep from last year was a definite highlight. Fans of Joy Division, Bauhaus, and early Cure do not want to miss this performance. Finally, rounding things out is the frantic and wholly entertaining punk of Soul Butchers. So really,[...]

Tonight: Rachel Ries

January 6, 2015

Tonight, take refuge from this frigid January at Mohawk Place (8pm, $5) for a night of warm melodies performed Rachel Ries with local openers Tiny Rhymes and Wolf. Ries’ music mixes folk with something more expansive, reflective of her rural background (Ries is the daughter of Mennonite missionaries and grew up in South Dakota) and current urban home base (Brooklyn). Her songs are earnest and searching. On the Buffalo end of things, we have Tiny Rhymes and Wolf both playing  stripped down versions of their work. All in all this is a great opportunity to catch some great music and emerge from your usual January hibernation before it even starts. The best way to forget how cold it is it is to ignore it completely right? And if that isn’t enough, there will be jam for sale at Ries’ merch table. So, you can do some grocery shopping while you[...]

Tonight: Cactus Truck

December 19, 2014

Recently, I thought to myself, “I really hope the apocalypse has a saxophone.” So it seemed well-timed that the Ninth Ward is hosting Cactus Truck tonight (8pm, $10). The Amsterdam based trio make music that is best described as intense. Comprised of drum, guitar/bass and saxophone, Cactus Truck’s music engulfs the listener in an enthralling cacophony. Mixing free jazz with no wave and noise, the result is a  total experience for the audience. This is not a show for talking with friends as music plays in the background.

Tonight: Wooden Waves LP Release Party

December 5, 2014

Wooden Waves have been around for a few years so I was surprised to see they are just now releasing their debut full length, Wilder Dreams, on December 9th. This is sure to be a welcome addition to winding down year of great Buffalo music. Tonight, they will be celebrating the record’s release on One Percent Press at Mohawk Place. To really make this a party, they have invited a few friends, making for a very strong, all local bill. Starting promptly at 9pm and for the low price of $5(ish), tonight’s bill opens up with indescribable styling and creative mind meld of Little Cake & Jack Topht. As if that was not enough, Mallwalkers and TMMC round out the bill. This promises to be a real humdinger of a night, so you have no excuse for missing this. And, if these bands were not enough, DJ-about-town, Eric Kendall, will be DJing between[...]

Tonight: Well Rounded People’s Party [no. 3]

November 26, 2014

The night before Thanksgiving is sometimes thought of as one of the biggest party nights of the year as people goad themselves for the coming onslaught of awkward family interactions. Well, instead of the usual bar crawl or at least before the usual bar crawl why not take some time for some positive fun that goes toward a good cause at the third annual Well Rounded People’s Party. Even more exciting…you can have this fun on wheels! The Well Rounded People’s Party is an “all ages/all peoples” event and a rare opportunity to get your innovative media, great DJ sets, delicious food provided by West Side Bazaar, and an old-fashioned roller skating fun in one place. With sets by DJ Cutler, UVB76, Greg Howze, and DJ Dana Dancehammer, as well as an interactive live video projection by Chris Svoboda, this is sure to be a great time. So take some[...]

Mallwalkers

November 20, 2014

The only Buffalo band on the bill for this week’s roadtrip/showcase, Mallwalkers, may have to be airdropped into Rochester. Luckily blog editor, Mac McGuire, is a licensed pilot* and master of the skies.* That said, Mallwalkers will be rounding out this lineup by bringing their gritty brand of punk funk to Shelbyville…I mean Rochester. Mallwalkers have spent the year since releasing their debut LP, Shake The Rust Off, continuing to refine their sound and dominating whatever bill you put them on. Recently the band added two new members, Jaz Frazier (buffaBLOG alumni) and Mario Fanone (one half of UVB76), making the band perhaps the closest thing Buffalo has to an all-star band (way better than the Travelling Willburys). In addition to Saturday’s show at the Bug Jar (8pm, $7), the band has played and will be playing a few upcoming album release shows. I recently spoke with lead singer, Dan[...]

Bryan Johnson and Family – Cool Your Jets

November 10, 2014

Local cult leader, Bryan Johnson (that is why he calls his band ‘Family,’ right?) is one of the hardest working musicians in the city. His band has been a mainstay at local shows for years and with good reason, they are jittery, poppy crowd pleasers. And with the weather quickly cooling, the band has released a last burst of sunshine with its latest EP, Cool Your Jets. Joyful might be the quickest way to describe the bulk of Johnson’s music. Most of the songs on Cool Your Jets move quickly, featuring a bouncy beat and jangling guitars. That beat becomes the driving force behind the EP and really is one of the key features of the band’s unique sound. Impressively, Bryan Johnson and David Hamilton’s guitar playing is equally percussive, driving that bounce forward, and complimenting it well. In step with this is Johnson’s own good natured vocals. The EP evokes scenes of late[...]