Latest Posts

Ugly Sun Shares Debut Music Video

November 1, 2016

Ugly Sun is off to a good start – we last checked in with them when they sent us their rowdy debut single, “Mock Me Out.” In case you live under a rock, this power trio has been a part of several well-respected local bands (including Nelson-Type, Arctic Death, Father Baron, and Mandy K). They are certainly keeping up the momentum with their new music video for “Burned Alive.” Ugly Sun’s sound recalls the recent wave of lo-fi garage rock bands like FIDLAR and Wavves but with a more expansive dynamic and melodic sound. It’s wildly infectious and had a wonderful manic energy to it that’s utterly winning. The video for “Burned Alive,” features frenetic editing and images of indulgence and reckless abandon perfectly capture the youthful spirit of the band’s music. This is a fresh arrival on the WNY music scene but on the basis of their latest release,[...]

Tonight: No Parents

October 20, 2016

Tonight Mohawk Place promises one of the season’s funnest shows as Buffalo hosts a visit from West Coast punks, No Parents and White Fang. While both bands have their own unique charms, there is a certain like-mindedness in their manic energy and their bizarre and sly tongue-in-cheek lyrics. White Fang is a band that should remind you of a lot of other recent wonderful lo-fi west coast punk bands (Wavves, Fidlar) but still an entirely winning and infectious. No Parents maybe the slightly more bold of the two, at times almost reminding me of a youthful American answer to Mclusky. Whichever band you love though, if they can transfer their energy to the live stage, should be an absolute barn-burner of a show. Also on the bill are local garage rock act, The Pepperoni Boys. Doors at Mohawk Place start at 8pm with a $10 cover.

brat’ya Releases First Music Video

October 13, 2016

Just in time for Halloween, brat’ya has released an appropriately eerie video for their latest single, “Woods”. The video features brat’ya mastermind, Alek Ogadzhanov, mindlessly walking through the forest toward something we’re never shown. With it’s retro handheld aesthetic and setting, the video at times almost seems to recall films like The Blair Witch Project. Perfectly complimenting this is the chilly calm of brat’ya’s music; at once beautiful and dreamy but seemingly removed from an emotional state. It’s an impressive work from both brat’ya and local filmmaker Luis A. Ramos. If you’re looking for something to get you into the Fall spirit, you could hardly do better.

Tonight: Quilt

September 24, 2016

Tonight, New York-based four-piece Quilt bring their dreamy folk pop to Buffalo. The band are fresh off the release of their latest album, Plaza, which earned them much critical acclaim at the start of the year. Their latest album perfectly encapsulates the sound of this psychedelic folk band who at once sound like they could be from any era of pop music and yet like no other band in particular. Newcomers can expect a plethora of glorious layered folk sounds and beautiful harmonies, where long-time fans can expect lots of new material as well as old favorites. Quilt will also be joined by fellow New Yorkers/ Baroque indie rockers, Mutual Benefits. It all goes down tonight at Mohawk Place and should be one well worth checking out. Doors at Mohawk are at 7pm and tickets are $14.

Mutual Friends Release New Single “Always Thinking of You”

September 13, 2016

What really defines “knowing” someone in 2016? Friends, friends of friends, that girl who messaged me, that guy who added me, social media has made this question trickier. There’s people we may communicate with face to face that feel like strangers and those we’ve never even met who feel like they’ve opened their whole world to us. Is this a true connection aided by technology or a simple respite from loneliness? Mutual Friends don’t have the answers to the questions, but they’re willing to play with these ideas. The band is new to the Buffalo music scene but was formed by some of it’s biggest heavy-hitters including Nelson-Type’s Kevin Scoma and the ever prolific, Bryan Johnson. Right out of the gate the band has been smart about their presentation, from their band name to their hazy debut single, “Instant Gratification,” which was accompanied by a promo shot that shortened it to[...]

Tonight: Big Eyes

August 28, 2016

Tonight marks what could be one of the best under-the-radar shows of 2016. Fresh off the release of their third album, Stake My Claim, Seattle’s Big Eyes make their way to Buffalo with a plethora of new punk gems. Big Eyes is the brainchild of Kate Eldridge, a longtime stalwart of NY’s D.I.Y. scene, having notably played with Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) in her former band, P.S. Eliot. Big Eyes is Eldridge’s first lead project and they’ve been quietly creating buzz with outlets like Spin, Pitchfork and Brooklyn Vegan over their last few releases with their blend of hard rock and pop sensibilities. Fans of artists like Sleater-Kinney, Superchunk and the aforementioned Waxahatchee will find a lot to love in Big Eyes music and long time fans will relish the chance to catch them in our fair city. Seriously, don’t sleep on this show, it has the potential to be an[...]

Tonight: Passed Out

August 18, 2016

Tonight in what might be one of the jarringly different billings in recent memory, Passed Out will headline the afterparty for autotune superstar, T-Pain. But more importantly, local aggressive indie rockers, Passed Out will be premiering their debut EP, ‘Infinite Regresssion; a collection of panicked emo anthems that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Desaparecidos album. Lead singer, Andy Pothier has been a noteable mainstay in the local scene for awhile with well-regarded acts like Pine Fever and Deadwolf, so his new venture is well worth checking out. Passed Out recently released single, “Winnipeg,” as a thrilling teaser of what’s to come, with plenty more in store tonight. But they’re not alone, joining them are local singer-songwriter, Sonny Baker, the hardcore punk sounds of Albany’s Throat Culture, Rochester garage rock slackers, Total Yuppies, and the raucous noise punk antics of GLOVE. It’s such a great bill that as T-Pain would say[...]

Tonight: The Wombats

August 8, 2016

It would seem that The Wombats are developing a fondness for western New York, as tonight’s show marks the 3rd WNY show this calendar year for the Liverpudlian trio. And as someone who has been to these shows, I can attest that fondness has been returned as the previous occasions have been absolutely joyous affairs with a large vocal excitable crowd. The band will bring their particular brand of angst-ridden British ladrock back to The Waiting Room with a mix of material from their latest record, “Glitterbug” as well as their past indie rock anthems like “Kill the Director,” “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Anti-D.” When I spoke to the band last Fall, they stressed just how important each live show was to them as they gradually grow in prominence over here to the level they’ve already reached in the UK. If you’re looking for an absolute party tonight,[...]

Tonight: The Get Money Squad

July 21, 2016

Tonight marks a momentous occasion for one of Buffalo’s brightest up-and-coming bands, The Get Money Squad. After two years of impressive local shows the band made their label debut on Fresh Selects with their killer EP, Nothing’s Wrong. The project’s unique sound which they’ve dubbed “urban-surf” is an intoxicating blend of surf rock and classic R&B sounds. While these songs should be familiar to anyone who has seen them in recent years, tonight marks a new chapter as the band’s sound spreads outside our fair city to the world at large. And if you haven’t seen them live? You’ve been missing out, as the band could not sound any tighter and lead singer, Quinton Brock makes crowd participation key. But make sure to get down there early though, as local garage-rockers, Feverbox, will bring their raw anthemic rock sounds to Nietzsche’s. The band recently debuted one of their strongest releases yet,[...]

Tonight: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

July 6, 2016

There’s a lot of shows I write about for buffaBLOG with varying degrees of excitement, but it’s hard to hide just how excited I am for this one. Tonight Artpark plays home to a proper rock legend, when Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds come to town. Having made his name with his brother, Liam, as the songwriter and guitarist for Oasis, Noel Gallagher was one of the luminaries of the nineties Britpop movement. Across a span of number one hits and masterpiece albums, Oasis became, for a few years, the biggest band in the world. But after years of tension and public feuding with his brother, Oasis finally came to an end in 2009. Shortly after, keeping in the spirit of Oasis’s sixties-inspired British Invasion sound, Noel formed his own band with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. The band finds Noel in a more earnest and contemplative place than his earlier[...]

Tonight: Calliope Musicals

June 28, 2016

Tonight Buffalo will be greeted by the psych-pop sounds of one of Austin’s most exciting new artists, Calliope Musicals. The band are fresh off the release of their debut album, Time Owes You Nothing and have a sound that recalls everyone from Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros to Broken Social Scene, and even a tad Of Montreal. The band have made waves for their energetic and imaginatively immersive live show. With their multi-part harmonies and psych-inspired pop, the band are as creative as they are catchy. If you’re looking for a fun free-spirited live show on this beautiful summer evening, few bands would provide a better soundtrack. The Austin-band outfit will be complimented by Oklahoma City garage-rockers, Brother Gruesome, as well as Buffalo’s own alt-rappers Little Cake & Jack Topht and indie slackers Difficult Night. All this for just $5 at Mohawk Place tonight, fun starts at 8pm.

Tonight: Catfish and the Bottlemen

June 2, 2016

There’s a few styles of music that I hold a certain soft spot for, but perhaps none are as near and dear to my heart as British indie rock, whether it’s the pop-infused satirical musings of bands like Blur and Pulp or the working class rock of bands like Oasis or the Libertines. Catfish and the Bottlemen are definitely a band born out of the tradition of the latter; a capital-R rock band who’s anthems of being young, drunk, and in-and-out of love are custom built to sing along to at football stadiums and summer music festivals. Tonight, the Welsh lad rockers arrive in Buffalo fresh off the release of their impressive sophomore record, The Ride. An album which demonstrates the band continuing to grow their sound and ambition. Catfish and the Bottlemen are know for their dynamic and energetic live show which was the talk of Glastonbury when I[...]

Tonight: Born Ruffians

May 14, 2016

Tonight Buffalo’s Mohawk Place gets a rare visit from one of our next-door neighbors via Toronto’s Born Ruffians. The indie rockers originally made a name for themselves in the late 00s indie scene with their energetic jerky post-punk inspired debut, Red Yellow Blue. The album ended up on many critics Best of the Year lists and spawned a fairly popular single with “Hummingbird”. Since then, the Canadian quartet has continued to expand and explore this sound, with their fourth and latest album, “RUFF” showing the most-finessed version of the band yet. The album is rife with geniously-constructed pop hooks and a new-found playfulness to their sound. Born Ruffians arrive with a host of indie staples and exciting new work to jam out live.  This is definitely an early one, with doors at 6pm and a $15 cover.

Tonight: Holy White Hounds

May 6, 2016

It’s not rare that Buffalo hosts an album release party for our city’s finest, but marking the release of their debut here tonight is the sons of Des Moines, Iowa – Holy White Hounds. The band is one of the fastest rising bands in the alt-rock scene and just dropped their album, Sparkle Sparkle this morning. The band will be sure to play plenty of new material to mark the occasion, with their signature blues-y anthemic rock sounds. They’re not alone though, as they’re joined by local slacker rock greats, The Naturalists, and pop-punks, Debt to Nature. Will Buffalo mark a pivitol moment in Holy White Hounds young career? Tune in tonight to find out. Doors are at 6:30 at The Waiting Room and tickets are $10 at the door.

Tonight: New Madrid

April 21, 2016

One of the exciting thing about Town Ballroom’s recent Leopard Lounge shows is that it has provided the perfect venue for some of indie rock’s rising stars or best kept secrets. The latter is especially true of tonight’s guest, New Madrid. It’s almost difficult to describe the sound of these Athens-based indie rockers because they almost seem to pull inspiration from every major era of indie rock and do so with a sound that’s effortless and immediate. Given their hometown, it’s maybe too easy to label that as “College Rock” but if any band in recent memory deserves that label it’s them. Yet the band also seem to carry with them the lazy slacker rock vibes of the early 90s as much as the wandering experimental rock of the early 2000s. New Madrid sounds immediately familiar but like no one specifically, which in itself is an incredible feat. The band arrives[...]