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Tonight: Michael Parallax

September 30, 2014

Feeling Wreckless? Catch one of the scene’s favorite superhuman spellbinding pizza pal weirdos, the haplessly hopeful and spiritually (for)giving artist Michael Parallax ( frequent tour mate of Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt) tonight in support of his latest album, Wilderness Year. Released on on Spirit Cat Tapes, the ten track album is exactly what you would want/expect to hear at a space like Dreamland. He is supported by local honeys Jack Topht and Little Cake, as well as Strawberry Boys. Doors are at 8? There is no set ticket price;  a suggested donation of $5 (or whatever you can swing) is accepted. Michael Parallax – TRSH MTN from Michael Parallax on Vimeo.

Tonight: Hank & Cupcakes

September 25, 2014

There’s a difference between going to a concert and seeing a live show, and as fans of Brooklyn-based electropop duo Hank & Cupcakes know, their shows are LIVE. Whether they’re covering the crowd and themselves in DayGlo paint, stripping down as the show heats up, or assailing your ears with their “this can’t possibly be music created by just two people” wall of sound, the couple (they’re together, and they’re perfect) literally bring the noise to every show they have. Buffalo is the second stop on their Ca$h 4 Gold tour, and the album is available on iTunes. Like their previous releases, it’s full of synthy pop beats, heavy drums, lots of bass, and just a touch of disco. Check them out at The Gypsy Parlor tonight, supported by Carina & the Six String Preacher. Tickets are just $5 and doors are at 9.

Tonight: Matisyahu

September 22, 2014

Buffalo welcomes Matisyahu back to Town Ballroom as he takes his “Built to Survive” tour across North America to promote his latest album, the critically acclaimed Akeda. Streaming online now, the album is his most self-searching and raw release to date. Akeda is the Hebrew word for binding, and that’s exactly what this album does. It clings to you, and the reggae-tinged beats, at times triumphant, hopeful, scattered, and soulful, stick in your brain. However, the album is also about change and letting go, with Matisyahu acknowledging that “I think this period of my life has really been about letting go of everything, all the things I had set up form my image to certain relationships to making the kind of music that’s expected of you.” He does just this with his latest effort, and this is a tour that shouldn’t be missed, as those who were at the Town[...]

Tonight: Julien Lamb Benefit Concert

September 20, 2014

Julien Lamb is your typical Allentown kid, except that his battles aren’t with action figures, but with an aggressive type of cancer that, after chemotherapy, numerous spinal taps, and a bone marrow transplant, is still present in his young body. Tonight, Buffalo bands together to support this brave boy by throwing a benefit concert in his honor. According to the event’s Facebook page, you should “come out to Buffalo Iron Works where a night of magic, blissful folk music, and solidarity for this young warrior is in store.” There aren’t many ways to spend a better Saturday night in the city than this. Acts include Buffalo native Julie Byrne, Fredonia trio Dirt Commission, Oats Holy Roller, as well as an appearance from Red Man (not the one from Brick City) and some close magic with Justin Braddock. This all ages event begins at 7. Tickets are still available at Ticketfly[...]

Tonight: Foster the People

September 11, 2014

Canalside has hosted some of the best events in Buffalo this summer, and they are winding down the season with another banger. Foster the People is bringing its genre-spanning, indie-pop-based breed of music to the waterfront for the last concert of the season. It’s a bold move to name your album after one of the best dance songs of the 90s, but much like Ru Paul, these guys work. Right now, that work includes sashaying throughout the east coast to promote their sophomore effort, Supermodel. The band strutted onto the scene in 2011, thanks to the success of their crossover hit “Pumped Up Kicks,” and have been moving forward ever since. When this track came out, I hated it: it was too catchy, too poppy, and yet somehow too dark thanks to the grim lyrics disguised by a melodic hook. Last summer, though, my adorably unhip Pilates instructor described the[...]

Heavy Rotation: Rick Jameson

September 8, 2014

Artists love to have alter egos, and in this case, Spooky Business DJ Rick Jameson has many. If you want to call him by his government name, address him as Sean ‘Seabass’ Heidinger, who by day is the Classified Advertising Director for  Artvoice, a cover not unlike Clark Kent or Peter Parker. At night, however, he is saving people…from boring nights and bad music. As one half of “World-Class DJ Supergroup” Spooky Business, Spooky Sean got his start at a Buffalo mainstay of nights that are unforgettable yet you can’t remember them, the Pink. Like the DJ, the bar also goes by other names, including it’s the actual one, Allen Street Bar and Grill, inexplicably nicknamed The Old Pink.  From here, business only got bigger and better, and now the duo plays bars and clubs all over the 716. This Friday, the blog’s second installment of our Heavy Rotation series takes[...]

Today: Newbury Life Food and Music Festival

August 17, 2014

Need a palate cleanser from the five too many beers and late night fried food fest you inevitably went on last night? Stop by the Newbury Life Food and Music Festival, the first of it’s kind in WNY. The block is hot on Hodge, and from 12-6pm the space between Elmwood and Ashland will be filled with local vendors, restaurants, businesses and retailers who will be on site promoting a healthier, cleaner lifestyle. Organic food and fresh ways to prepare it, as well as a focus on non GMO products are just two of the highlights of the event. Pick up a tee from Pasteurized, chat with Oliver’s executive chef about the benefits of organic tofu, or grab a smoothie from the the juice bar tent. Bring your appetite, because Newbury Street will have rice and salad bowls inside their cafe, a recent addition to the Elmwood Strip that offers[...]

Girl Talk at Canalside (8/8/14)

August 10, 2014

Girl Talk’s Buffalo appearance two years ago at the Outer Harbor was easily the best show of the summer, and he did it once again with his Canalside show on Friday, even mentioning the fun he had the last time he was in the 716. Clearly our 412 neighbor is a fan of the Queen City, and we love him right back, feeding off the energy and the many interactions he had with the crowd. (To the person who caught the hoodie he tossed into the crowd shortly after taking the stage, I want/need it kthx!) For those of you smart enough to get a ticket, I hope you’re still finding bits of confetti in your hair and ringing in your ears from the fresh mixes he brought to the packed venue. Half the fun of a GT show is trying to identify the samples he throws at you, and[...]

Girl Talk

July 31, 2014

Mashup master Girl Talk is so gracious that he thanked *me* for doing this interview, as if the opportunity to talk with the world traveling beatmaker isn’t one of my not-so-secret hopes and dreams. The last time I saw Girl Talk (government name: Gregg Gillis) was on a sweaty summer evening in 2012, so it’s appropriate that two years later, he’s coming back to the 716 to deliver another night of sweat til ya bleed steez in the way that only GT can. For Gillis, “shows are actually difficult for me as far as performing the material, and they’re always physical. I always want them to go better, always trying to push, trying to move forward.” Push he does. At the onset of Girl Talk, Gillis would show up to house parties still clad in the suit he wore to his day job as a biomedical engineer, and while the[...]

Tonight: Kerfuffle After Party

July 26, 2014

Hosted at what is quickly becoming my new favorite local music venue, the Kerfuffle afterparty is the perfect way to end your day of outdoor music festivities here in Buffalo. Buffalo Iron Works welcomes everyone 21+ to keep the party going at this free event (make sure you bring your ticket stub from Kerfuffle) that kicks off at 11pm, and while having that stub is important to admission, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll get in. Once the venue reaches capacity, and I have a feeling it will, no one will be admitted. This is one time you won’t want to show up fashionably late, because acts from Utah to Rochester will be there to entertain you with a blend of unique sights and sounds. 585 favorites Joywave, who’ve collaborated with Kerfuffle act Big Data, take the stage, along with Meg Myers; Oh, Be Clever; and Panama Music.  

Tonight: Teamwork 2014 The BBQ

July 20, 2014

Dinner and a show for $10? And some of the proceeds go to a local youth organization? Sign me up. For the third year, Team Radio hosts this event, aimed at bringing the community together one artist and innovator at a time. Chae Hawk is one of Buffalo’s best backpack rappers, and his music with a message mission is clear in everything the multi-talented artist does. There are many facets to the music industry, and Chae and his team are educating local students on what it truly means to be an artist in varying capacities. From web design to press to designing and printing posters, there are a myriad of ways to express yourself without a mic in your hand, and this event brings them all together. This 16+ event, hosted by Billy Drease is being held at Buffalo Iron Works, and tickets are still available. BBQ begins at 7/music[...]

Tonight: 716 Sike-O-Delic Party Invational

July 16, 2014

Chill party. Great bands. Sound like something you’d like to get into tonight? All this and more at Jack Topht’s Sike-O-Delic 7/16 show, held at local music, ahem, venue, the Plymouth House. Like most shows held at Plymouth House, the start time is more of a suggestion than a rule, and doors open at 9pm for this house party turned musical showcase. Local music lovelies Jack Topht & Little Cake and Chauncey Tails, along with out-of-town act Schwarz & Kilbourne, who round out the evening with a late-night DJ set, comprise most of the bill, but Gangsta Love (aka Frank Hurricane) and Wume will also be in the building with their unique sounds. Following tonight’s show, Topht and Hurricane will be hitting the road for a short tour so make sure to send them off right. Because this isn’t a traditional venue, I recommend you BYOBeverage, as well as hand sanitizer[...]

Tonight: Deltron 3030

July 10, 2014

Go back to the future with hip hop supergroup Deltron 3030 tonight.  Their latest effort, Event 2, is an event 13 (human) years in the making, following up their self-titled debut released in 2000. Released late in 2k13, the album has both critical and celebrity cred, and according to Del, “..was one event, but those event can span centuries.” Translation: the well-produced record was well worth the wait. Comprised of Gorillaz emcee Del the Funky Homosapien, producer Dan the Automator, and turntablist Kid Koala, the group is a cunningly conceptual collaboration of music and media. Three men; infinite sound, and they are bringing it all to Waiting Room for your aural pleasure this evening. Tickets are still available for this all ages event for $25 at the door. Doors at 7/liftoff time TBD.

Tonight: Swans w/Xiu Xiu

July 5, 2014

“Bring earplugs.” This advice, from your friendly neighborhood buffaBLOG editor-in-chief, isn’t just a gentle suggestion. Noise rockers Swans swoop into the 716 tonight, touring for their latest studio album, the critically acclaimed To Be Kind, and it’s going to be loud. Intensely, insanely loud. Frontman Michael Gira, who describes their shows as “soul-uplifting and body-destroying,” has actually dialed back on his stage presence since the band reformed in 2010, but he hasn’t turned the volume down, and he just might turn the air conditioning in the venue off before they go onstage. He likens this experience to one of a Native American sweat lodge, so if you want to get spiritually sweaty, this is the show for you. Formed in 1982, Swans were a staple of the New York no wave scene, and one of the only bands to maintain a long-term presence. They disbanded in 1997, and after a[...]

Tonight: Cross Faded Tour f/ World’s Fair & Two-9

June 14, 2014

Get all the way turnt up tonight at Waiting Room with a fresh lineup of hip hop, brought to you by the good people at After Dark Entertainment. World’s Fair & Two-9 touch down in the Queen City for their Cross Faded tour, bringing their blend of alternative hip hop to the stage, along with Network, Bill $aber, Blair Copeland, and Devon Charles. This all ages show (if you’re under 16, bring a grown-up…this would be an excellent early Father’s Day present for the cool dad in your life) is $15 at the door, and doors open at 7. Pro tip: regardless of your age, don’t be a yung thug. There is a little to zero tolerance policy for fuckery at WR, and you will be asked to leave.