buffaBLOG Holiday Party Artist Spotlight

Radarada

December 19, 2014

Who got the jazz? Buffalo’s freshest hip hop outfit Radarada, of course. The unsigned group has a cult following in the 716, and with their blend of jazzy beats, mellow vocals, and sly samples, it’s easy to see why “DayQuil Nyquil” made the blog’s top 20 Buffalo tracks of 2014. The song, from their latest release First Edition, is one of seven head-nodding, shoulder-shimmying tracks that remind us of when hip hop was more about beats and less about bitches. Citing old school heavyweights like Pete Rock, Primo, Mos Def and Talib Kweli as influences, the group represents their musical muses well. They bring their highly listenable records to life when performing, and have a stage presence that is a present you can’t wait to unwrap. Catch them live tomorrow at buffaBLOG’s holiday party.

Newish Star

December 18, 2014

Every time I see Newish Star, I’m sort of entranced. This is mostly because of the way they careen through their set, packing 15 songs into half an hour with minimal bullshitting. You might get a “Double Super Jackpot” out of Jordan Nittoli before the band launches into the song of the same name, but for the most part, they just kind of barrel through and rip. You come out of the set in kind of a daze, but a good one. And if you’re smart, you pick up their tape, Look Both Ways. And when you actually sit down with it, you realize how good all those songs you just got pummeled with actually are. They’re clever, they’re catchy, they’re simple but superbly written. There are hyper-complex songs out there in the Buffalo scene, there are very interesting songs, but there aren’t many that flow as well as tracks[...]

Pleistocene

December 17, 2014

We’ve been doing it so long it’s not even mandatory when the blog’s party people book a Rochester band to a buffaBLOG party. It’s no secret that we love Rochester and the crazy on fire music scene it’s got going right now, and we love bringing some of it to you at our Allentown shindigs. This year’s Holiday extravaganza this Saturday at Duke’s will include one of Rochester’s next big things, fuzzed out surf pop shoegazers Pleistocene, in town to play some stoned out garage jams from their 2014 digital album Ontario Girls (included below for your enjoyment). Picking up wonderfully where Best Coast left off, Pleistocene has everything going for them, and their show this Saturday ought to be one of the highlights of the night.

The Slums

December 16, 2014

In the spirit of keeping things fresh, this year’s holiday party will play host to a band formed just this year. Though not a baby band by any stretch of the definition, Buffalo post-punk revivalists The Slums have only been around a few months, already having generated some noteworthy buzz around our fair city. The band’s four members are no strangers to the local music scene either, having come from a variety of different musical backgrounds including the likes of The Malones, Scales,  A Boy and His Machine, and Strangers. The amalgamation makes for a pretty satisfying blend of both hook and grit–a Thermals-esque urgency meets a hardcore fierceness that, at times, conjures influence from fellow Buffalo boys Every Time I Die. Rock. And. Roll. The Slums’ well-rounded three track EP (recorded by Paul Besch of Quiet Country Audio) is available for free download on their bandcamp page; check it[...]