Latest Posts

I Can See Mountains Has Gone Beachy

May 21, 2014

I thought I had viewed the last moments of I Can See Mountains last year. It was a bittersweet show full of catchy riffs, half sung/half spoken vocals, and even a display of acrobatics when Matt Cox jumped onto the rafters of the Waiting Room and swung himself around (much to the chagrin of club security). Much to our delight, ICSM isn’t quite out for the count. Cousins Matt Cox and Kevin Hoffman decided to continue on with the band and have just released a new EP called Gone Beachy. Recorded at Quiet Country Audio, the three song EP is full of the catchy wordplay and upbeat emo that made ICSM a fan favorite in the first place. “My Acquatic” sounds like a Hoffman/Cox fronted Cloud Nothings, bolstered by that huge beginning riff. Soon enough, “She’s My Bobby Orr Pt. II” brings us back to the ICSM we’re used to. “Bald”[...]

Tonight: Del Paxton Vinyl Release Show

May 17, 2014

Today is a busy day!  Between Porch Fest, graduations, and what seems like a billion other shows at your disposal, this one might take the cake. Del Paxton is releasing their fantastic EP, Worst. Summer. Ever., on vinyl and is throwing a show to celebrate.  I don’t know about you, but those mint green records/t-shirts are calling my name. Backing up the Paxt tonight will be their buds in Living Room, Real People, and Newish Star. Ask a punk where the Glitterbox is and get there by 6:00pm.

Tonight: Matt Pryor

May 13, 2014

Matt Pryor is one of those men who unintentionally became one of the founding fathers of a genre that would eventually come to be called “emo.” He and his band, The Get Up Kids, conquered the late 90s and early 00s with a string of passionate and critically acclaimed albums full of emotional indie rock.  He’s here in Buffalo tonight for an intimate acoustic show with a cast of other emo/pop punk greats. Joining Pryor is Bob Nanna (Hey Mercedes/Braid), Steve Soboslai (Punchline), Mark Rose (Spitalfield), and Anthony Musior from Buffalo-based band The Traditional. Doors are at 7:00pm, only $12 at the door. Tonight’s show has been moved to The Gypsy Parlor. All tickets purchased from The Waiting Room will be honored. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/112615180″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Seahaven – “Karma Consequential”

April 29, 2014

Seahaven have traded distortion for chilled-out guitars and effected drums on this ambient track from Reverie Lagoon: Music For Escapism Only. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/140537809″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Stepfriends Premiere New Song From Forthcoming LP

April 25, 2014

Lucky day! We here at buffaBLOG have recently stumbled upon an exclusive track from the new Stepfriends LP, set to drop by early summer. Stepfriends, of course, is a collective of sorts, featuring all sorts of musicians from the WNY area, but mainly focuses around the duo of Johnny Lucas (from Buffalo but currently based in NJ) and Greg McClure (who you might recognize from Buffalo-based band Del Paxton). “I Know You” blends a subtle horn section, some beautiful vocal harmonies, and nimble guitar lines.  Check it out below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/146290766″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Nelson-Type – Cycles

April 21, 2014

Nelson-Type is just one of “those” bands. Ever since the duo released 2011’s excellent Grow Homeless, Grow Unbound, we buffaBLOGGERs have been waiting anxiously for their next release. It’s been three long years and, yes… we admit (at times), we believed the rumors that grad school and the comforts of a full-time job had claimed Nelson-Type for good. But for a couple of yes-men who took their name from a man whose trademark is a long, exaggerated “yeeeeeeesssss,” it was hard to imagine a batch of songs going unfinished. Luckily for us, Cycles came out this week. Six songs of pure, unadulterated Nelson-Type glory, ripe for the listening. “Games” kicks off this EP, making use of swirly guitars, high gentle tenor vocals, and about just as much reverb as anyone could stomach. With no accompaniment from any percussion, Nelson-Type opted instead to fill out this song with just a touch of[...]

Tonight: Et al.

April 16, 2014

Baltimore’s Et al. will be touring through Spiral Scratch today, bringing their new-wavey guitar-driven pop along with them. In case you missed the Queen City Lottery Showcase, two of the bands have “made it” and are acting as support tonight. Nail School, featuring members of Space Wolves, Merchants, and JOHNS, and NELJÄ (who suggest they might be your favorite of the night) will be playing, as well as Deutscher Girls, who will probably be in drag. The show starts at 6:00pm and will feature free cookies, free beer, and plenty of sick vinyls to flip through while you enjoy some live music. A mere $5 will get you this fantastic experience.  

Delplato & Kujawski – Strings & Chords

April 14, 2014

I am treated to the best of the best of local music from week to week. Over the past few years, I have had an opportunity to objectively review and appreciate a wide variety of music that comes my way. That being said, nothing ever seems to grip me like a release from Anthony Delplato. This time he has a partner, Brad Kujawski. Together, Delplato & Kujawski have put together Strings & Chords. I might have already had a biased opinion going into this review… but let’s just say Deplato & Kujawski didn’t let me down. “We Sail” starts off sounding like We Have The Facts And We’re Voting Yes-era Death Cab For Cutie. Two clean guitars with a slight warble play in sync through most of this song – I was actually expecting nothing more than a pretty instrumental opening track… Not that there would have been anything wrong with that[...]

Tonight: Banquets and Placeholder

April 12, 2014

Tonight, Buffalo has a Black Numbers showcase to offer. Banquets will be coming through to visit (one of) our favorite local record stores alongside the equally emo, but ever-so-slightly grungier Placeholder. I’m positive I’m going to say the word “emo” several more times throughout this post, but hey, I’m not complaining. Its going to be a great show. Local support tonight comes from the dudes in Lancer (with a guest member from Brother Keep), as well as old-school emo support from Alleys (who have a similar connection to Buffalo emo-kingpins Figurehead). This one is an early one – $10 gets you into a show that ends by eight so you have time to party hard afterwards.

Manchester Orchestra – “Top Notch (Acoustic)”

April 11, 2014

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/142901285″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /] Manchester Orchestra offers a haunting acoustic take on the lead single from their new album, Cope.

Mapmaker – Critical Path

April 7, 2014

Mapmaker is probably one of the more underrated bands in Buffalo’s catalog. Their new release is called Critical Path and, while putting the finishing touches on this review on this fine Sunday evening, I realize what a real barnburner it is. The production is lo-fi, but not disarmingly so. It’s equal parts punk, emo, and indie rock. I’d like to compare them to The Gaslight Anthem but it’s not quite Americana enough… and I’d love to make a comparison to The Get Up Kids but it’s a little too punky to be flat-out emo. Maybe I’m allowed to call it “old school emo” like Sunny Day Real Estate or Mineral. Either way, they occupy a unique spectrum in that regard and I really enjoyed this particular Album of the Week for that reason. Critical Path kicks off with “Preoccupied,” an apt opener full of passionate yelps and fast guitars. That’s[...]

Tonight: Queen City Music Lottery Showcase

April 5, 2014

Tonight’s the night! One of the most novel ideas to come out of Buffalo’s music scene is the Queen City Music Lottery. With an initial showing of 62 members and 15 bands, it has proven to be a force to be reckoned with. Some bands have fallen along the way, but here is the most updated order for tonight: 1. RAINBOW TRASH (Stage One) 2. PLOSIVE (Stage Two) 3. MOVE REAL FAST; STOP(Stage One) 4. BEAST COAST(Stage Two) 5. NAIL SCHOOL (Stage One) 6. WALRUS AVULSION & THE NARWHALS(Stage Two) 7. SQUIRT (Stage One) 8. SCAJAQUADA CREEPS (Stage Two) 9. NELJÄ (Stage One) 10. PONYTAIL JASS (Stage Two) The show starts at 6:00 and is only $5.  It’s at the Foundry.