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Today: Buffalo DIY Fest II

August 9, 2014

The Buffalo DIY Fest returns to Buffalo River Fest Park today, making this year two for the do-it-yourself oriented music and arts festival. The festivities start at 4pm, and feature a wide array of things to look forward to, including live music, art vendors, and food trucks. buffaBLOG got to pick the brain of festival organizer Cam Rogers, who answered a few questions we had about the event and the DIY community. buffaBLOG: So what exactly is DIY fest? Cam Rogers: To me, the DIY Fest is a gathering of people to celebrate the DIY spirit and culture in Buffalo. It involves people that make things, whether that is art, crafts, metals, paints, music, or noise, and celebrates creation. bB: What inspired you to organize the festival? CR: I guess what inspired me to organize the festival was the desire to bring people together. It’s tough to bring all the[...]

Facility Men Release New Four Song Collection, Futility Men

July 31, 2014

It really goes without saying that Buffalo’s punk / hardcore scene has been, and still is, one of the best around. From hardcore vets Snapcase and trailblazers Every Time I Die to the raw sounds of newer bands like Pentimento and The Traditional, B-town is home to some pretty talented acts. Maybe there’s something in the water. Local garage punks, Facility Men, a quartet including current and past members of White Whale and the Orphans, have just put out Futility Men, an energetic 4-song EP that fits in well with that Buffalo standard. The EP, recorded at Hi/Lo studios, sits somewhere between the old school punk vibe of Dead Boys and the discordant energy of The Vines. The songs all riff pretty hard and are surely capable of inducing some good whiplash at higher volumes. Check out the bass-driven hook of highlight “Strange Places” below, and head over the bandcamp[...]

Tonight: Weatherbox

July 22, 2014

San Diego’s Weatherbox will bring their cosmic brand of punk rock to The Waiting Room tonight in support of their most straightforward record yet, Flies In All Directions. The 13-track album covers a lot of ground, containing songs written as far back as 2006. Fellow buffaBLOGGER Nick Sessanna had an interesting conversation on the subject with the creative force behind the box, frontman Brian Warren. Check out the article here. Joining the flock of Weatherboxes on tour are the spacey emo mavens of Florida band Dikembe. Their newest LP Mediumship is set to drop August 1st, and it sounds promising based on the three songs the band is currently streaming on their bandcamp page. Local support comes from dedicated indie rockers Brother Keep, who have also just finished up recording some fresh material (keep your ears open!), and Del Paxton—a band you should know by now if you’re a fan[...]

Mac DeMarco at the Tralf Music Hall (7/18/14)

July 21, 2014

Before Friday, I had no idea how to describe Mac DeMarco. Well, I still don’t. It suffices to say that the guy is a complete anomaly; his music obviously speaks to people if his draw at Friday’s show at the Tralf is of any consideration. The place was packed with DeMarco look-alikes—a throng of carefree kids embracing the “I don’t give a shit” lifestyle. Unfortunately DeMarco was void of any backing musicians that night, but he was somehow still able to transform the packed venue into a wild party with just a guitar and his arsenal of caustic little anecdotes. Mac DeMarco is the party. I guess I can describe him after all. Opening support came from local electro whizkid Shawn Lewis of Lesionread, who got things started with his eclectic mix of experimental electronica. The music, comparable to that of Death Grips or Flying Lotus, certainly had a few[...]

City and Colour, Tokyo Police Club, & Young The Giant at Outer Harbor (7/11/14)

July 12, 2014

This year’s summer season has seen no shortage of rain. June saw the Canalside concert site become a giant mud pit after the skies opened up and down-poured on the concertgoers of Shaggy’s summer kickoff. With all the incredible acts playing outdoor shows this year in the queen city, all we can do is remain hopeful for nice weather, and that’s exactly what we got for Friday night’s show at the Outer Harbor featuring City and Colour, Young the Giant, Tokyo Police Club, and Clear Plastic Masks. The lineup was stacked, the skies were clear, the beer was flowing, and the vibes put smiles on just about every face that walked through those gates. Hailing from St. Catharines, Canadian singer-songwriter Dallas Green (who performs under clever alias City & Colour) can obviously pull a crowd, and his draw is no gimmick. His songs, often thematically centered on love and loss,[...]

Miniature Tigers

July 10, 2014

The guys of Miniature Tigers just can’t sit still. Originally from Phoenix, Charlie Brand, the lead singer of the indie-pop outfit, has called home to a number of places- including Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and Austin. Safe to say that the band’s musical style changes roughly as much as their home base, and that’s not a bad thing. Their latest album, Cruel Runnings – a confident summer record stuffed with solid synthpop songs that WILL get stuck in your head— paints an entirely different picture than that of their 2008 debut Tell It To The Volcano, but no matter how drastic the stylistic departure may be from album to album, Miniature Tigers always seem to wind up with songs worth grooving to. buffaBLOG was able to get a few questions in just before the band left for an extensive full US tour with The Griswolds. Brand discusses recording in the tropics, going[...]

The Get Money Squad – Nothing’s Wrong

July 7, 2014

A spanking-new collaboration from Network’s Quinton Brock and producer Jon Bap keeps it fresh and brings forth a batch of songs with an unexpected new sound. Dubbed The Get Money Squad, the duo gets summery with their debut EP titled Nothing’s Wrong. Think the carefree attitude of Mac DeMarco meets the poetic softness of Shuggie Otis. Bap’s jangly guitar riffs compliment Brock’s smooth vocals nicely, and the combination is cooler than John Stamos double-fisting a pair of large Slurpees. Damn, that’s cool. Nothing’s Wrong is our Album of the Week. “Bohemia” introduces the EP with a quick minute of dialogue before melting away into a hypnotic instrumental section that I wish was much longer. The opener bleeds right into “June666” (my favorite of the five tracks), which chronicles a relationship between the devil and his significant other while a simple drumbeat and a fun bass line carry the song through[...]

Besnyo – Worry

June 23, 2014

I was conned. The year was 2008, and I had made my way downtown to see my fellow Eden-ites in A Hotel Nourishing play a show presented by Harvest Sum at Nietzsche’s. Alex Berkley had just finished playing his acoustic solo set, during which he had repeatedly suggested that the audience buy his new record, Worry, at the merch table in the front. Having enjoyed his set and completely oblivious to his clever ruse, I weaved my way to the merch table and paid for my copy of Worry. It wasn’t until later that night that I realized, somewhat shamefully, that the CD that I paid for was not the work of Alex Berkley. It was the work of Harvest Sum heavyweights Besnyo, and I am happy to say that the embarrassment resulting from my gullibility dissolved away just a few short minutes into their set that night. Worry is buffaBLOG’s[...]

Steak & Cake Records

June 16, 2014

Let’s get this done! This Friday, Buffalo’s own Steak & Cake Records, the Potomac based DIY label, will host the very first showcase of the inaugural Herd Fest at College Street Gallery, featuring a stacked lineup of local favorites. Space Wolves will kick off the night at 7:00 with a set of their signature blend of surf / garage rock, followed by the rhythmic indie pep of the NYBRKFST (pronounced “New York Breakfast”) at 7:45. Next up on the menu of delicious sonic treats is Alex Berkley & the Atlanta Falcons at 8:40, which is bound to be bangin’ if their performance at the buffaBLOG Birthday Party earlier this year is any indication of what Berkley and the boys are capable of. I’m especially excited for the return of A Hotel Nourishing, closing out the showcase with their set at 9:25. You won’t want to miss this two-piece, consisting of[...]

Newish Star Releases Look Both Ways

June 12, 2014

I didn’t know what to expect when I dove into Look Both Ways, the early-June release from fresh Buffalo act, Newish Star. As I examined their bandcamp page, I noticed there isn’t a track on Look that touches the two-minute mark, so the moments before that initial listen-through were saturated with a nervous curiosity. Safe to say the songs—frenetic Dinosaur Jr-style explosions of noisy energy—warrant the quickness. It works. The opening track, “Super Double Jackpot,” touches on the all-too-familiar feeling of helplessness with lyrics like “So you tried, and you gave it your all / but the only thing that matters is the control of it all”, as the song races to the finish line, raucous and proud. Other highlights include the 36-second-long punk number “No Way Out”, the satiating riff-work of “Newbody,” and the whistle solo (yes, whistle solo) a midst the bumbling chug of “Runnin’ Rich.” Although proclaimed[...]

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Only Run

June 3, 2014

“How can I open up?” asks Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s Alec Ounsworth on “As Always”- the opening track of the band’s latest release. He seems to have answered his own question, as the song- a cosmic cascade of phaser synths and Ounsworth’s signature howl- introduces the soaring, synthetic atmosphere of Only Run– the band’s first LP since 2011’s Hysterical. CYHSY has come a long way since their humble beginnings as a DIY-oriented indie band, but the overly electronic Only Run seems to lack that idiosyncratic energy that made them so buzzworthy in the first place. 2012 marked the departure of guitarist/keyboardist Robbie Guertin and bassist Tyler Sargent, which could offer explanation to such a wild reinvention of their sound. Lineup changes aside, the new album lacks substance, and left my appetite for classic Clap Your Hands hooks completely intact. However, Only Run does not come without its merits. “Impossible[...]