Latest Posts

The Tallest Man on Earth at Asbury Hall (7/22/15)

July 23, 2015

Having apologized for not being back to Buffalo for five years, Kristian Matsson recalled his last visit at Babeville: “Last time I was here I played in the basement. I haven’t improved as a person,” he paused. “…but I have friends now.” The Swedish songwriter flashed a proud smirk as he caught the members of his backing band in an over-the-shoulder periphery. In addition to his new backing band, Matsson—or The Tallest Man On Earth—brought a particular liveliness to the stage of Asbury Hall this past Wednesday night. With a fresh album on his fingertips, the NC folk outfit Hiss Golden Messenger in support, and the beautiful Asbury Hall packed with adoring fans, Matsson had a few things to be excited about. Opener Hiss Golden Messenger got the night rolling with an impressive set of their folky alt-country mash. I’ll admit to not knowing much about HGM before just a[...]

Hiss Golden Messenger

July 22, 2015

Rare is the bill on which the opening band draws as much (or more, in even rarer cases) anticipation as the main act. Last year’s Band of Horses / Midlake show comes to mind (still sore for missing that), or perhaps the stacked My Morning Jacket / Wilco / Bob Dylan roster at Darien Lake a few years back, if that even counts. Well that aforementioned phenomenon repeats itself tonight at Asbury Hall (for myself, anyway), where Swedish folk top-dog The Tallest Man on Earth will have his stage warmed up (or set ablaze) by the excellent Hiss Golden Messenger, a folk duo out of North Carolina. I use the term ‘folk’ as loosely as I can in this case; HGM—consisting of primary songwriter M.C. Taylor, recording partner Scott Hirsch, and a rotating cast of touring musicians—evades traditional “call ‘em as I hear ‘em” classifications with their soul-warming blend of[...]

Soft Cough – Soft Cough

July 13, 2015

Geneseo’s Soft Cough has been hard at work. Their tunes may be slackish (deliciously so, I might add), but I wouldn’t jump to call them slackers. The garage-pop quartet takes a well-deserved pride in the flourishing Geneseo music scene that they support, and that support does not go unrequited. Over the past year the band has developed quite a following in the college town to which they call home base, following a barrage of house/living room/basement/campus/other shows, many of them self-organized. There is a commendable DIY ethic surrounding these guys, and it is that ethic that shines through and makes their fresh self-titled debut such a charming effort. Now, on to the music. Recorded by the band members themselves in the living room of Mute City (their house), and mixed by Ben Freiman (their drummer), the sound is naturally lo-fi in nature. And lo-fi is as lo-fi does. But let[...]

MD Woods Drops Volume Two of Young & Vain Series

July 7, 2015

“Folk” has gotten a bad rap lately. It’s easy to blame bands like Mumford and Sons and Of Monsters and Men—some of the so-called pioneers of the neo-folk movement—for saturating the genre with their pseudo-inspirational pop-folk tedium, formulaic songs custom-tailored for the mainstream. (Does M&S bashing ever really go out of style?) But mainstream disenchantment aside, folk is just one of those genres I can’t help but hold near and dear to my heart. The truthfulness of a good folk song is a special weakness of mine, and it’s refreshing to know that some artists can still do the ill-fated genre a little justice. With that said, it is my pleasure to introduce Young & Vain Vol. 2, the newest release from Rochester singer-songwriter MD Woods. Building on the warm and earnest foundations of last year’s Vol. 1, Vol. 2 delivers four more solid tracks to Woods’ four-part Young &[...]

Tonight: Strange Acres & Orations

July 2, 2015

Anyone looking to get a head start on their holiday weekend should find themselves at Allen St. Hardware Café tonight. In Queen City Cartel’s third installment of their bi-weekly Thursday series, Orations and Strange Acres will be taking over the intimate confines of Hardware’s back room. Orations’ brooding post-punk has a pumping heart similar to that of Joy Division or Siouxsie and the Banshees, while the chilling arrangements and emotional outpourings of Strange Acres will have you laying horizontal on the floor in a contemplative tizzy. For those of you who haven’t seen one (or both) of these dark local heavyweights, tonight is your night. The best part about this show? Well, the bands (along with Dante Velour spinning tracks in the gaps). But the second best thing? It won’t cost you a thing. Unless you plan on getting sauced, in which case you should bring some cash. Just tell[...]

Tonight: Schwervon!

June 25, 2015

So what’s in a duo, anyway? Schwervon! has an answer for that question. Armed with a guitar, a drumkit, and personality for days, Nan Turner and Matthew Roth craft deceptively simple yet deeply magnetic indie rock and makes it look as effortless as ever. And yet, somehow totally inimitable. With five albums and countless tours under their belts (some of which in support of some heavy-hitting names such as The Vaselines, Belle and Sebastian, Vampire Weekend), the NYC-bred, Kansas City-based art-rock power duo aren’t messing around. Schwervon!’s (yes Microsoft Word, the exclamation point is actually a part of their name) current tour makes a pit stop at Sugar City tonight on an expertly-arranged bill featuring blog-favorite slack rockers Difficult Night and rhyme-spitting funnyguy Jack Topht. Bring five bucks. While the show starts at 8pm, prime yourselves up beforehand with a Schwervon! music video produced by Difficult Night’s own Damian Weber,[...]

Pleistocene – Space Trap

June 22, 2015

I probably shouldn’t even be surprised anymore; at this point it’s safe to say that Rochester has officially raised the bar. Our I-90 neighbors have been churning out quality release after quality release, and their latest surge of fresh local music has given no sign of relent. This week we bring your attention to Space Trap, the latest EP from jangle pop superunit Pleistocene. The EP, officially released earlier this month via Cherish Records, finds itself amongst some of the best material in Pleistocene’s growing discography and proves itself worthy of inclusion with a confident bite to back up its bark. For those of you unfamiliar with Pleistocene as anything other than the ice age epoch of mammoths and sabretooths, it’s in your best interest to refamiliarize. The band’s jangly surf pop/shoegaze blend frequents our blog often (their 2014 song “Secular” snagged a top 3 spot on our ‘best of’[...]

Silo Sessions

June 19, 2015

Today is going to be a busy Saturday. If you’re looking to get the most out of your all-access Herd Fest bracelet, your itinerary will take you to Record Theatre in the afternoon, Black Dots in the evening, and the Buffalo bustle of Allen Street to cap off your fat schedule at a number of Allen’s finest watering holes. And if you tough it out and stay up and at ‘em for the final show of the night, you’ll find yourself at Nietzsche’s for the stacked, jacked and packed Silo Sessions showcase. Thanks to weekly videos of Silo Sessions—one of the local music scene’s newest and most unique upstarts—the cavernous natural reverb of Buffalo’s old grain silos has proven to be a valuable sonic entity in one of the city’s coolest new music spots. Since its inception last year, Silo Sessions has recorded over thirty musical performances in the Silos,[...]

Skirts Premieres First Single from Upcoming Comfy Split EP

June 16, 2015

After another week already full of relentless show announcements (now Built to Spill?!), it seems fitting that we near the end of our day with a post about something else that just won’t quit—Rochester’s 2015 music scene. With excellent and promising releases from artists like OHS, Howlo, Pleistocene, and Harmonica Lewinski (among many others) having dropped or on the horizon for this year, we’re happy to premiere another track worthy of your attention. Rochester garage-pop darlings, Skirts, have just dropped their first track from their upcoming split with Utica-based Comfy (that’s all of them in the photo being friendly), the tape slated for release later this summer on Miscreant/Dadstache. The song, titled “Indian Premier League,” does not disappoint, channeling an upbeat island sound similar to something you might hear from Cults or a chilled-out Vampire Weekend. The progression is fun and catchy, percussion is flavorful, and the vocal harmonies are[...]

Tonight: Fourth Annual Neil Young Tribute

June 12, 2015

I’m going to preface this preview with the following statement: I don’t own a working record player. But there I was, a few Saturdays past, browsing a few milk crates of old vinyl in some dude’s garage at an East Aurora garage sale. The lot looked pretty picked over, there were a couple Neil Diamond albums, way too much Barbara Streisand (he claimed they were his wife’s), and—wouldn’t you know it—two classic Neil Young records. Despite my inability to actually spin them, I left that garage sale with clean copies of After The Gold Rush and Harvest, and a smile on my face. Why? Because if there is ass to be kicked, Neil Young is there to kick it. The folk musician’s extensive discography spans the late 60’s to today, with Young’s thirty-sixth studio album scheduled for release later this month. And tonight at Nietzsche’s, Buffalo will pay tribute to[...]

Sixties Future Drops Newest Single “Sugar”

June 9, 2015

Having just recently emerged on the local band circuit, Sixties Future is on a bit of a roll here, despite its infancy. Last month, the quartet dropped two introductory tracks in “Skeleton” and “Shot,” giving us a solid preview of what the band is all about: straightforward rock-and-roll that is handsome, catchy, and radio-ready. This week, the group brings us another freshie in the form of “Sugar,” an upbeat fireball of a track channeling Springsteen in his best moments. The song, recorded at GCR Audio with Buffalo boardlord Jay Zubricky, balances quick, tom-driven percussion and loud, urgent guitar playing for a high-energy sweet spot that makes me want to front-kick holes in drywall. Fans of The National or The Gaslight Anthem: you’d dig. Sixties Future will play its first gig this Saturday at the Humble Braggers’ EP Release Party; don’t miss out. Until then, give “Sugar” a spin below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/203939123″[...]

Tonight: YAWN

June 8, 2015

Sugar City has been tearing it up lately with excellent and affordable all-ages bills featuring some of the coolest indie/punk/whatever acts rolling through Buffalo, many times stacked with quality local talent. Tonight the newly revamped Niagara St. venue will follow that trend when Chicago’s indie-psyche sensation YAWN brings its freshness to the Queen City. The act’s latest LP Love Chills (via Old Flame Records) is blissful and weird, channeling catchy summer vibes through a pair of kaleidoscope binoculars. Recommended for fans of MGMT, Panda Bear, and Menomena. Though YAWN won’t be the only act peddling pandemonium from Sugar City’s freshly-built stage tonight, as the Buffalo-bred experi-tronic whiz kid Lesionread will be shaking things up with his own electro craziness to whip the crowd into shape. If you’ve never been to a Lesionread show you should probably remedy that tonight. Also on tonight’s bill are YAWN tourmates Blind Moon and Pleasure Hammer,[...]

Blonde Redhead

June 5, 2015

Blonde Redhead is a band whose music speaks for itself. And sure, by definition, that is what being in a band is all about—writing, recording, and performing something worthwhile. Yet there exist so many artists today who build their reputations on a foundation of publicity stunts (“Imma let you finish but…”), ceaseless social media interaction, and endorsements. A sad thought to think that perhaps that’s just the way the industry operates now. But in this current age, in which a quantifiable number of twitter followers may often times trump true musicanship, it’s refreshing to see a band like Blonde Redhead maintain consistent quality throughout the course of their 20+ year run. Amidst preparation for a full US tour, which makes a stop at The Waiting Room on June 16th, singer/drummer Simone Pace agreed graciously to answer a few questions we had about this ‘quality over quantity’ business, among other things.[...]

Tonight: Matt “MV” Valentine

June 1, 2015

Today is Monday. If you’re one of those people who just can’t seem to say goodbye to that sweet, sweet weekend (acute weekend separation anxiety syndrome, or AWSAS), then take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay. Tonight, underground-ish experimental psyche superstar Matt “MV” Valentine makes a return to the Queen City in support of his sprawling new double LP Midden Mound, an album that will probably make you forget what day of the week it is, anyway. Valentine, one half of folk duo MV & EE, is known for his mind-bending neo-psychedelia; his new album conjures up a good Dark Side of the Moon feel, albeit seared with his signature style of experimentation that will melt your weekday blues away. Opening talent for Valentine’s stop at Mohawk place includes indie folk singer/songwriter Chase Huglin (Fort Wayne, IN), Scott Valkwitch / Bill Nehill duo (of Mohawk Place royalty), Steve Baczkowski /[...]

Pappy Stardust Reveals Fresh Single “Want You to Know”

May 28, 2015

Pappy Stardust, the Buffalo based/Rochester bred psychedelic garage rock outfit for the solo work of songwriter Steve Leszyk, just unleashed a fresh track upon the masses last week. The leisurely track, titled “Want You to Know,” offers flavorful guitar riffage that grooves, shreds, evolves, combines, separates, and repeats. Leszyk peppers the track with his blues-tinged hound dog vocals, but usually lets the guitarwork do the singing for him, striking a satisfying balance of slack, garage, and psyche. The track reminds me of something an ambitious Devendra Banhart might put out, maybe if he started throwing back shots with Mac Demarco and hit the studio for a day or two. “Want You to Know” is the first single of the band’s upcoming album and is available for free download on their bandcamp page. Keep your ear to the ground for more from these guy(s) in the near future, and blast that[...]