For anyone attending high school in the 2000s, Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin were staples on any mix tape. Even just the nine-minute epic “Konstantine” was enough to knock any teenager into a lovesick coma. The man behind the piano is Andrew McMahon, touring to Buffalo tonight under his new moniker, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. Opening tonight is Badboxes. Doors are at 7:00pm at the Waiting Room. Tickets are $25 at the door.
Unfortunately, New Jersey’s Brick Mower could not make it to this wonderful showcase at one of our favorite local record stores, Spiral Scratch… But there is some good news. On the bright side, tonight’s show is now free! Newish Star and Difficult Night, acts that both contain was distinct, yet different 90s influences, round out tonight’s impressive local bill, with a debut performance from Technochronic and an opening set by Space is Haunted. Doors are at 6:00pm tonight and music will start promptly at 7:00pm.
In case you somehow haven’t heard by now, today is the day that Edgefest rolls through town. It’s hard to ignore such a prime opportunity to people watch at one of the most “accessible” shows of the summer… but enough about that. We here at buffaBLOG are here to bring you information about music, so here goes: Pentimento are the opening act tonight, and for good reason. Often compared to co-headliners Brand New, Pentimento are one of Buffalo’s strongest musical exports now. With a new wave of hardworking bands riding the resurgence of punk and emo, Pentimento are enjoying the benefits that come from several successful tours and the hype from their latest EP Inside the Sea. The Sheila Divine are an alt-rock band from Boston. They have a philosophy of following something called “the three b’s” – Boston, Buffalo, and Belgium. Having been a cult band here in Buffalo[...]
Fresh off of a huge show with Pentimento and currently on a summer tour, California Cousins have just released a new three-song demo. The Rochester emo band has been on our radar since the dissolution of the now-defunct buffaBLOG favorite, Keeler. This set of songs is perfect for fans of riff-heavy emo and hardcore. The demo is currently free, but only for the duration of California Cousins’ summer tour. Listen to opening track “Your Backyard” below or follow the link to Bandcamp for a free download.
Normally we try to feature brand new music videos, but some unfortunate events happened in Buffalo this weekend and we felt like an exception should be made. Topshelf Records band Have Mercy was robbed Saturday night while they were staying in Buffalo. Although they have since recovered most of their gear (the man who stole their gear was caught trying to sell it to a Guitar Center in Rochester), they are still missing two guitars and some drum gear. We here at buffaBLOG thought it was only right to spread the word to show that Buffalo really is The City of Good Neighbors. Anyone who is a fan of music knows how detrimental this is to the well-being of a hard-working touring band. If you want to help Have Mercy, you can order some merch or donate to their PayPal account – HaveMercyOfficial@gmail.com. We’re sure they’d appreciate some new Buffalonian fans[...]
Buffalo NY’s Alleys are a band that embraces sadness, and judging by the recent successes of quasi-discordant emo bands like Dads or The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, their new EP is bound to bring them places. Running Around Records has just released One Day I’ll Find A Solution To All Of My Problems, yet another great EP recorded at GCR with Jay Zubricky. The five-song EP highlights Alley’s penchant for hyper-depressing lyrics over blasts of clean-ish guitar and spastic drums (with only a hint of a bassist, who they tend to borrow from other Buffalo emo kingpins Figurehead). Check out the quick finger work in “Dusty Sings the Blues” below.
Buffalo’s own The Traditional have announced that they have inked a deal with Los Angeles-based Anchor Eighty Four Records. This welcome announcement comes after the band spent a large majority of last year touring in support of their debut EP. It seems like the countless weekend dates and the full-US tour have really paid off. The Traditional recently completed recording their new album here in Buffalo with Jay Zubricky at GCR Studios. Anchor Eighty Four will release How To Live Without Blood on August 5th. Until then, you can enjoy the sampler of their next single, the anthemic “Miss Me Yet.” Check it out below.
In honor of their show next week at the Waiting Room, we sat down with Weatherbox frontman Brian Warren for an intimate look into his life since the release of their stellar new album, Flies in all Directions. You can catch the band this upcoming Tuesday, July 22 with Dikembe and local support from Brother Keep and Del Paxton. buffaBLOG: You guys are playing in Buffalo on July 22… have you ever played here before? Brian Warren: I have to admit that I don’t recall… you can Google it? We had a drummer from Buffalo. He was in the band from 2009 to 2011, so I think we stayed there on tour. bB: Well, you guys are from San Diego right? Do you think that living there has a lot of effect on your music? BW: Um… There are definitely a handful of my favorite bands that are from San Diego… For[...]
Not just everyone in the world gets to be in two wildly successful bands… But then again not everyone is Dallas Green – he’s the man with the golden voice that you hear singing in those beautiful City and Colour songs. Buffalo’s Outer Harbor series nailed it earlier this year with Vampire Weekend and Cults – tonight is poised to do the same. City and Colour is supported by alternative radio mainstays Young the Giant and the upbeat, keyboard-driven indie rock of Tokyo Police Club. This particular date at the Outer Harbor is sponsored by Alternative Buffalo 107.7 and seems to be one of the ones to appeal to a younger crowd. The show is all ages, but plenty of beer will be flowing for the 21+ crowd. City and Colour, Young The Giant, Tokyo Police Club, and Clear Plastic Masks Outer Harbor All Ages Gates at 6:00pm $45 Day[...]
Do I really need to introduce Every Time I Die? Maybe I should, because every person who listens to them winds up with a melted face. I’m not kidding, check any comment section on any reviews of any of their albums. Anyone who has ever been to their perpetually sold-out Christmas shows knows what ETID is all about: brutal, guitar smashing, oft-hilarious dudes playing ugly chords on Lisa Frank guitars. What isn’t amazing about that? All that aside, ETID is nothing short of legendary. Album number seven is called From Parts Unknown, and this time around, ETID have enlisted Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou as a producer. Let me tell you something. It shows. This is ETID’s heaviest stuff yet. Album opener “The Great Secret” was my personal favorite song, probably because it was like two minutes of getting punched in the face. I like to listen to music to relax and drown out the[...]
Tonight will be a glorious night. A night full of experimental indie pop, psychedelica, and walls of sound. Caddywhompus will be blessing us Buffalonians with their presence after traveling all the way from New Orleans. I couldn’t describe their sound better myself: “With a daunting assortment of amplifiers and effects-pedal tweakery, the duo executes its incredibly loud and at times nearly overwhelming sets with an impeccable musicianship and live presence. Song structures alternate between sweet psychedelic indie ballads to the most intense, ear-splitting of noise-driven crescendos” Tonight’s support comes from the one and only Aircraft, known for their fine psychedelic-indie rock. Rounding out the pack will be one of buffaBLOG’s favorite younger bands, Zealot, and their fuzzed out lo-fi. The entrance fee to Dreamland (on Franklin) is only $5, and make sure you bring your own beer.
If you follow buffaBLOG at all, you should be familiar with Quiet Country Audio. Although it functions as a full-blown recording studio, the men at QCA specialize in high-quality live video sessions of local and national bands. As one of our curators for Herd Fest, they have picked several local artists (and one out-of-towner) with QCA sessions under their belts. Their showcase will be held on June 20th at DBGB’s beginning at 10pm and mostly features bands from the emo and pop punk spectrum. Ghost House is QCA’s pick from NJ and fits in nicely with the other emo/punk heavyweights from Buffalo. Cedar Kites is next up, reminiscent of Brand New and Balance and Composure. Rust Belt Lights is the punkiest of the bunch, riding fast tempos and crunchy guitars. The Traditional are just coming off finishing their new album, and will probably have plenty of new, heavily-emotional material to show off. Wrapping[...]
This is one busy Friday! With shows happening all over the city, one particular destination that should be of note is M&T’s Second Friday series in front of the Burchfield Penny. Tonight’s showcase features performances from Aircraft at 5:30pm and Bearhunter at 7:00pm. The bands will be playing in the front yard until the sun goes down. Of course the event is free – the gallery will be open until 8:00pm. There will also be art-making workshops, book signings, and a movie screening at dusk.
Has it really been a year already? Tonight is the 2nd Annual B-Lo Invasion Homecoming Show featuring the same star-studded lineup as last year. Jacob Smolinski will be taking a break from his tenure in his new band, Local Onlys, to reprise his role with The Cascos, and there is bound to be excitement from the Matt Danger Lippman-fronted Brimstone Blondes. Last but not least is Victory For Poland, who have been crashing our top 20 lists since we discovered them. In case you weren’t already sold, here is a quote from Smolinski himself: “Last summer, it was wild. This summer? Wilder. Be there or be square.” The show is $10 at the door and starts at 7:00pm at Babeville. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/62242753″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
American Stories is an interesting band. Their new album Horse Beard is a mashup of genres, namely psychedelic, folk, punk, americana, and emo. The opening track, and perhaps Horse Beard‘s strongest, is “Programmed.” The song is reminiscent of something Beck would have written in the late 90s, or even blissful indie rock like Built to Spill. At times, it dips into something 60s influenced, but it maintains the sort of loose slacker vibe you would expect from a musician like Beck, or the fuzzy warmth from a jangly BTS jam. “All The Same” takes these already strong sensibilities and wraps them in a shroud of the kind of emo you’d come to expect from Sunny Day Real Estate. I’m only two songs in but if you’re guessing you might find a pattern here, you’re right. American Stories are genre hoppers, and typically, it would make an album sound like it lacks direction. That[...]