Buffalo

The Slums Share First Installment of #Slumdays

October 5, 2015

It’s rare that a band stays active during a long hiatus from playing live shows, but the tail end of 2015 appears to be a busy one for the Slums. While gearing up for its Quiet Country Audio session at the end of October, the Buffalo post-hardcore four piece premiered a new month long video series yesterday called #Slumdays just as most of Buffalo shook its head at the Bills. Every Sunday this month, the quartet will drop a new clip, all shot by band photographer/videographer Corey Harris, and for the first installment, the Slums shared the video for “Son,” a previously unreleased cut filmed at a recent live performance. The band has also hinted that a new album will be released before the calendar turns, and along with the upcoming QCA session, the Slums appear ready to end the year on a strong note. Keep an on the band’s facebook[...]

Today: Buffalo Porchfest

October 3, 2015

Now that the hubbub from the Gates Circle hospital implosion (and all of the Facebook group notifications about it) is over, you can ready yourself for a musical explosion of sorts. This afternoon marks the 5th installment of the beloved bi-annual Porchfest music showcase and celebration, which is exactly what it sounds like. Around 52 bands are scheduled to play porch-side at various locations in the Elmwood Village this year. This includes bands like The Tins, Wolf, City Under Seige, Bagel Jesus, Wood Bois, and dozens more. Not only is this a great excuse to wander around, it’s an event that highlights both the variety of talent our music scene fosters and how rad the Buffalo community is for pulling something of this nature together in such an organized way. We rule. The whole fest starts around 1:00pm and you can view official times and schedules here or at http://buffaloporchfest.org/.[...]

ASlaveNamedDot & Don Scuzz Drop “Sixes” Video

October 2, 2015

Buffalo rapper ASlaveNamedDot dropped a video for the single “Sixes” following the August release of his mixtape, #SlaveTalk. “Sixes,” a project highlight featuring Hooligan rapper Don Scuzz, is a great mesh of smokey chill vibes building to up to some hyped rapping. Dot leads the track off with a great verse that show off the Rich $lave crewman’s versatility behind the mic. Alternating his flows throughout, Dot gets into some clever rhyme schemes right away with a play on words involving Allah and his music. Dot goes on to talk on whipping, women, and ambition on a verse that hits everything. Don Scuzz’s baritone voice on a killer hook gives off the presence of something between Nate Dogg and Chief Keef. Scuzz goes on to deliver fire on the closing verse, coupling flow with bars on lines like “If they Facebooking thuggin’, Imma block that bitch, hoe’s on my shoulders, I[...]

Sleepy Hahas – Fall 2015 Tour Video Log (Part 2)

October 2, 2015

As you can tell from this video, all we really care about right now is that Drunk Phil just gave himself just about the greatest mustache we’ve ever seen. In regards to the tour… Oh yeah that… Part 2 deals with the New England shows we’ve played on 9/28 in Boston, 9/29 in Providence, and 9/30 in New Haven. We played with two of our very favorite Northeastern bands, Milk from Boston and All Riot from New Haven. We also spent a ton of time cooking at Kevin’s dads house in Boston, as you will see a ton of. – Pat Butler (vocals/guitar)

Short Moscato Releases Debut Full-Length Whatever / Forever

September 30, 2015

Short Moscato has been fervently involved in the Buffalo hip hop scene. Whether it’s showing other acts love on Twitter, or collabing on tracks with some of the city’s other great artists, the Good Hueman remains ever-present and dedicated. His full-length debut Whatever / Forever is a fine testament to city and craft, boasting a whose-who of features and great new Buffalo music. The feature list is really something, with appearances from Dr. Ooo, Komorebi, Hitch Burney, Gaines, M-A, Illusive, WZA, and Truey V. The Dr. Ooo-assisted “Swishers” is a project highlight as Ooo’s signature jazzy flow pairs perfectly with the gruffness of Moscato’s voice. “Face It” with M-A is the project’s banger, as Moscato and the MileHigh rapper take exchange frantic flows over a knocking beat. Though packed with impressive features, Moscato’s solo tracks stand as some of the project’s best. Opener “Steady” sees his wordplay on full display, with clever[...]

Cooler Releases Debut EP 1993

September 29, 2015

Cooler’s debut EP is nothing less than a power statement. The Buffalo four-piece has brought a hard hitting slice of 90’s infused fuzz-rock to the table in the form of 1993, and it certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed. With wailing vocal melodies and smoky undertones, you’re given something to latch onto right away as a listener. The fuzzed out guitar riffs top off their entire sound, which I can only imagine is intensified in a live setting. The whole outfit is reminiscent of Pity Sex but with discernible vocals, mixed with the grit of local rock trio The Naturalists (whom Cooler make the perfect counterpart to in my opinion). At three songs long, the EP is short and sweet, but still a cutting testament to the natural craft they have. Give it a listen below.

Deadwolf Shares First Single “Now & Then”

September 29, 2015

The revamped psych rock outfit Deadwolf, now featuring singer/songwriter Andy Pothier on drums, made its live debut this past Friday supporting Sleepy Hahas’ tour kick off show at Nietzsche’s. And because timing is everything, the five piece shared its first single, “Now & Then,” online prior to shaking the stage. The track features bluesy riffs and just enough retro swagger for fans of acts like the Black Angels and the Bright Light Social Hour. The single’s groovy artwork comes courtesy of Peter Cahlstadt’s Moody Designs. If you like what you hear, you can catch Deadwolf next live at Mohawk Place on November 25th with Second Trip and Malarchuk. In the mean time, listen to “Now & Then” below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/225396742″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Sleepy Hahas – Fall 2015 Tour Video Log (Part 1)

September 28, 2015

We here at Sleepy Hahas have made the decision to document all of our shenanigans as we embark on our Fall 2015 U.S. Tour. We’re very excited to team up with buffaBLOG in releasing a series of videos that follow us on an 18 show trek that will take us all over just about all of the country east of the Mississippi. This is the first of the series, which includes video from the Fredonia, Buffalo, Rochester, and Burlington VT shows! – Pat Butler (vocals/guitar)

Chill Ali Drops New Track “Free Energy”

September 23, 2015

Buffalo rapper Chill Ali is an artist who has the ability to keep his flow “chill” at all times. His latest track “Free Energy” is a testament to that, as Ali takes on real life hardships while still committed to the style that we’ve come to love. While speaking of friends and family who are users (“you give em what they’re asking for, but now they’re coming back for more.”) and watching other rappers stretch the truth (“a bunch of actors, how you play that tough?”) Ali’s flow is composed as ever. It’s one of his realest songs to date, and an exciting hint at future material from one of the city’s coolest. Keep an eye out for a Chill Ali project in the near future, and check out the track below.

Night Slaves Share Video for “No Blinding Light”

September 17, 2015

After a quick introduction at the beginning of the summer, industrial duo Night Slaves (David Kane and John Toohill) have been making up for lost time. First, the pair dropped its second demo a couple weeks ago for the track  “Into The Nowhere,” and now have a brand new video courtesy of FLATSITTER. The audio/visual head trip for the duo’s latest shared track “No Blinding Light” is best viewed with those old 3-D glasses you have lying around, and should be a nice holdover while the band puts the finishing touches on its debut cassette. FLATSITTER, by the way, has been quietly building a nice collection of local music videos for the likes of Jax Deluca, Nick Gordon and Frankie NP, as well as the trailer for Torn Space Theater’s much buzzed about production of They Kill Things. Catch up on the pair’s growing digital catalog here. Check out the[...]

Del Paxton Films Session with 1809 Studios

September 10, 2015

While in Rochester earlier this summer for a gig, Buffalo based indiemo trio and still fresh Topshelf Records signees Del Paxton paid a visit to Macedon’s 1809 Studios to record session with studio engineer Dave Drago and videographer Jon Lewis. The three piece broke out the previously unreleased, from the vaults “Loose Leaf” for its installment to the ever growing series. The addition of the track to the band’s growing digital repertoire continues to push Del Paxton to the forefront of Western New York’s burgeoning music scene while eager fans await a proper LP. Watch the clip below and keep an eye out for the trademark McClure “O-Face” at the 1:06 mark.

Pentimento Shares New Song from I, No Longer

September 9, 2015

One of Buffalo’s shining stars is getting us all psyched for their new album. The emotive punks in Pentimento have just released “Sink or Swim,” one of two shared song’s from the band’s upcoming album I, No Longer (10/23). The track is an upbeat jam packed full of the cathartic lyrics we’ve come to love from this Buffalo four-piece. This time around, legendary emo-punk engineer Paul Leavitt (Yellowcard, Cute is What We Aim For, All Time Low) has left his mark on the project. Musically, Pentimento is staying true to form while vocally, singer Jeremiah Pauly has polished his trademark growl into a smooth croon. Fans of The Wonder Years or The Dangerous Summer are sure to be pleased. Check it out below.

Parade Chic Shares First Single from One and Only Secret Dream

September 8, 2015

Local chamber pop outfit Parade Chic shared the lead single from the group’s upcoming debut LP, One and Only Secret Dream, earlier this morning. Titled “New Lines,” the neo-psych number features a bouncy, retro pop melody along with new wavey keys and gentle yet nervy guitars backing Colin Griffin’s lead vocals (think Stuart Murdoch meets Alex Berkley). Fans of Belle and Sebastian, the cassette culture movement, and even Ariel Pink should give a song a spin. Keep an eye out for One and Only Secret Dream sometime this fall (we think), and in the mean time, listen to “New Lines” below. New Lines by Parade Chic

Brimstone Blondes Release “Do U Wanna Make-Out?” Music Video

September 8, 2015

Brimstone Blondes, the now-defunct former high school turned collegiate all-stars, resurfaced out of nowhere last last week with the music video for the track “Do U Wanna Make-Out?,” a cut from the band’s 2014 release AGE OF CONSENT. The quartet had a very busy start of 2015, embarking on an ambitious multi-city tour and picking up weekend dates and festivals well into the spring. The video for “Do U Wanna Make-Out?” is spliced between two realities – one is the backyard goofiness of the Buffalo suburbs featuring the most recent lineup, complete with synchronized swimming, rooftop guitar playing, and numerous costumes. The other shows snippets of lead man Matthew Danger Lippman’s more psychedelic side, featuring a longer-haired, makeup-clad, seen-a-lot-of-shit version of himself. Watch the clip below, and make sure to follow the Blondes on FB for any further surprise announcements.

Spring Service Shares Debut EP Concrete Prayer

September 8, 2015

Spring Service, the acoustic bedroom folk project of Tom Dennis, is music for the quiet observer. The Sun Kil Moon-esque instrumentals and story-like lyricism wring you out in an emotional but overwhelmingly appeasing way. All four tunes on Dennis’ debut EP Concrete Prayer carry a really beautiful earthy quality to them, but also incite an astral feel when it comes to the overall production. My favorite tune, “Polylonliness,” makes use of a twinkling, dizzying electric guitar part while Dennis describes striking terrestrial images of Capulin Mountain, volcanic bone and ribbons of smoke. Something about the melody reminds me so much of Band of Horses with its soaring progression and impassioned vulnerability. Concrete Prayer is more than just a union of earth and cosmos. It is also a union of East and West, a collaboration that bridges great distance. Dennis is a former resident of the Queen City and a former[...]