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Radarada

Tonight: Radarada & Death Picnic feat. Short Moscato

September 18, 2015

Radarada, one of Buffalo’s most prolific hip-hop ensembles, promises to get you turned up tonight at Nietzsche’s. They’re playing all the old favorites that most fans know by heart. It’s no secret these guys are a lot of fun on stage and put on a high-energy show that keeps you buzzing for hours afterwards, but I have to say since I first saw them perform last summer, the band has grown significantly more confident and comfortable in their sound. This forward mobility breaths new life into songs I’ve heard before, making them sound more rich and dynamic with each performance. If you miss out on seeing them tonight, catch them tomorrow at the Elmwood Village Associations’ 20 Block Bash (between West Utica and Hodge) from 5pm -10 pm. Also featured in tonight’s showcase is one of Buffalo’s freshest hip-hop outfits, Death Picnic featuring Short Moscato. They offer no lulls in the[...]

Tonight: Matt Script

June 27, 2014

Catch a Buffalo native back in his natural habitat tonight as Matt Script will be preforming in a showcase with Lady Lush and the Vinyls, Soloman Dixon, and Julian Burgois at The Gypsy Parlor. Script has been preforming in these parts since his high school days, but if you haven’t managed to catch him live yet, now’s your chance. Script’s music would best be described as indie-folk, though his tendency towards the experimental makes me want to say he’s more avant-indie than straight up folk.  His sound is current, the type of stuff you feel cool listening to, like you’re on the ground-floor of some up-and-coming scene. His influences are varied, ranging from The National to Bibio to the Dodos.  Each of his songs seems to showcase the different ways he uses his inspirations to create something uniquely his own. Script plays guitar and keyboard, sings, and works with a[...]

Tonight: Mutual Benefit

June 19, 2014

When I first heard Mutual Benefit, I was sitting in my room in China alone, drinking Tiger beer, eating the best fried rice I will ever eat, and feeling a little too far away.  Let me tell you, Jordan Lee’s debut LP was a welcome visitor. Listening to the self-released, Love’s Crushing Diamond, you feel like you’re having a conversation with Lee. You are not alone, never isolated or marginalized.  You can sense the collective memory of our generation in his post freak-folk ambient sound. It’s a relatively new genre, sort of orchestral-folk meets Elliot Smith. Everything about the album screams hope and community, from the way the wind chimes balance out the electric drum which in turn is balancing out the banjo, to how they all sort of walk then run together to drive the song safely in the exact direction it always needed to go. The album is kind[...]

Spiral Scratch Records

June 18, 2014

There’s something pretty special going on at Spiral Scratch Records this Saturday, June 21st. The independent record shop is hosting an afternoon showcase for our inaugural Herd Fest this weeks, so you might want to step outside your normal Allentown routine and check this bill out.  Headlining the afternoon showcase is Bill Nehill and The Poison Arrows along with White Whale, Dream Journal and Fleshy Mounds.  While Nehill and crew have a very early 90s singer-song-writer vibe (feels kind of like Counting Crows or the Wallflowers with some Rust Belt grind) the other three bands are much more high-energy, creating a wonderfully balanced and eclectic experience for concert-goers. Dream Journal is a punk, hard-core band with intelligent lyrics and a velocity to their tunes that makes it nearly impossible to stand still, while Fleshy Mounds kick up the volume and the violence, you can’t really decide if you wanna punch someone, or dance with them listening to their tunes but whatever[...]

Radarada – First Edition

June 9, 2014

A little over a year ago, I ran into Radarada‘s bassist, Colin Brydalski, and guitarist, Fran Coyne, at a bar.  They told me they were forming a band.  I laughed and responded, “Of course you are.”  Something about Radarada seemed meant to be, like this group of people were always going to make music together.  With the addition of  Ana Vafai (vocals), Tommy Too  (emcee/vocals), wZa (emcee/sampling), and Bryan Segarra (drums), the band took on a dynamic and extremely versatile vibe. Their music appeals to a wide variety of listeners. You’re gonna want to compare them to the Roots, Tribe Called Quest, or the Brand New Heavies with a little Sam Cooke/Miles Davis feel in the details, but I’d caution you against categorizing their sound. The more I listen to their debut EP, First Edition, the more I’m convinced that Radarada’s something different, perhaps influenced but never confined by their inspirations. Radarada’s[...]

Tonight: Graph Rabbit

June 4, 2014

Graph Rabbit is a dreamy indie rock act based out of Brooklyn that combines the talents of Austin Donohue, a filmmaker as well as musician and composer, producer Allen Farmelo (The Cinematic Orchestra, Talk Normal), experimental pianist Shy Kedmi, and sound engineer Valgeir Sirgurosson (Bjork, Sigur Ros). You get a blurry, fairy-tale-Icelandic vibe when you listen to the band (performing live as a duo) with some Thom York influences thrown in for good measure. Graph Rabbit’s debut LP, Snowblind, is literally defined as damage to the eyes caused by excessive exposure to highly reflective snow fields. You go blind and you can not see. Now that’s a concept Buffalo can wrap its head around. Using analog synths, glockenspiel, strong vocal leads, and lots of sleigh bells, Snowblind tells the story of an aimless wanderer searching for harmony. The LP is all about escape, and Graph Rabbit make an effort to transport[...]