Buffalo

Newish Star Shares New Single, “Magnetic Personality”

January 22, 2015

It’s rare that the buffaBLOG office comes to an absolute consensus. Our most recent agreement came when we all were blown away by last December’s Newish Star performance at Duke’s as part of our annual holiday showcase/party.  With that being said, we were delighted late yesterday when we received word that Newish Star released its new single, “Magnetic Personality,” off of a forthcoming full-length, set to be released “soon.” “Magnetic Personality” is a catchy 90’s pop-punk spliced Archers of Loaf-esque diddy about having a persona that people flock to. It also reinforces what everyone knows, north means up, south means down. Duh. Newish Star has a gift for putting together a song that makes you want to listen to it over and over again, even if it’s just over a minute.

Silo Sessions Premieres Latest Installment feat. Aaron Folmsbee

January 20, 2015

One of my favorite, although short lived, bands to emerge out of Buffalo over the last couple years was Marine Biologist, a emotional post-rock outfit that featured a revolving cast of musicians all based around singer/songwriter Aaron Folmsbee. Folmsbee, who also was a member of Bourbon & Coffee, recently moved out west for a year to serve as a musical apprentice (I think?), but before leaving town, managed to record a haunting clip for the Silo Sessions series, which has continued to release quality clip after clip on a weekly basis. Watch Folmsbee in the video below perform “Ballerina” while sitting on top of a ladder. P.S. Folmsbee recently hinted he may start recording some new Marine Biologist material so keep an eye out and fingers crossed. Silo Session 28 : Aaron Folmsbee from silosessions on Vimeo.

Chae Hawk Drops Video to “Dirty Gospel”

January 19, 2015

Chae Hawk, who has been in the game longer than some of his fans have been alive, does it again with the release of his latest effort, Dance Party for the Heavy Hearted. The album, an audio-visual journey now four years in the making, is well worth the wait. Like any great quest, it’s not just the destination, but how you actually get there, that makes it worthwhile. Anyone can churn out a record, but Chae chose to carefully curate this release, and it shows in the quality of the beats, lyrics, and visuals. Buffalo gets to claim his as ours, but with an ever-expanding fanbase, Hawk’s name is known almost everywhere, and not just for the music. Visually, his music comes to life via expressively personal and poignant videos, with his latest getting a hand through another Buffalo start-up, Vidbolt. “Dirty Gospel”, a standout track from DPFTHH featuring Jayce[...]

Made Violent Announces Debut EP, Premieres “On My Own” via Consequence of Sound

January 16, 2015

Between playing gigs in NYC and London over the better part of 2014, Buffalo trio Made Violent has been a bit quiet on the home front as of late. As it turns out, the three-some (which includes members of former Buffalo outfit Crush the Everlasting) has been working on its debut, self titled EP, set to drop on February 24th via StarTime International, an imprint of Columbia Records. Earlier today, Consequence of Sound debuted the EP’s first single, the brash “On My Own.” Lyrically, the song is pretty contemptuous, but the Made Violent way is all about fun. The single delivers the urgency while retaining that MV playfulness that makes them so fun to listen to in the first place. If this is your first encounter with Made Violent, think back to that neo Brit-Invasion a few years back that included bands like Kasabian meets the indie stylings of Drink Up Buttercup,[...]

Wolf Drops First Full-Band Single, “Infectious”

January 16, 2015

2015 is going to be a good year for Buffalo music. And I don’t need to be Don Paul to make a claim like that—between all the incredible shows coming up and forthcoming local releases, what other proof is needed? Just yesterday, local indie rock outfit Wolf dropped a fresh single off of their upcoming EP, It’s Electric, due March 21st via Steak and Cake Records. The song is called “Infectious,” and it’s, well, exactly that. The song’s 90’s-tinged summer-rock sensibilities channel a K’s Choice / Wheatus vibe, perfect for those who yearn for those sweet, sweet days of 3D Doritos and JNCO jeans. Singer / guitarist Chelsea O’Donnell sings flavorfully over the song’s bouncy progression and catchy choruses, and the result will have your toes tapping. Steak and Cake renaissance man Brandon Schlia, who recorded and produced the track, brings an understated charm to the jam in the form of subtle[...]

M.A.G.S. Signs to Admirable Traits, Releases “My Love” Single

January 15, 2015

M.A.G.S., an indie-rock trio fronted by former Malones bass player, Elliott Douglas, has signed to the Buffalo/Brooklyn rooted label, Admirable Traits, to release its forthcoming EP, Cellophane. Douglas, who debuted his new project late last year with a quick two-song demo, evolved M.A.G.S. into a full time band after the self-recording of Cellophane, recruiting former Young Suns drummer (and former ex-pat turned born again Buffalonian) Adam Lilley and Andy Wesner of Mosaics to round out the live group. Today, the three-piece released the first single from Cellophane, titled “My Love,” which you can give a spin at the bottom of this post. Admirable Traits has been on a bit of a roll lately, ending the back half of 2014 on fire with quality releases from Brimstone Blondes and Bryan Johnson & Family, and is primed to start the new year strong with the release of Cellophane. M.A.G.S. will be celebrating the[...]

Facility Men Release Futility Men

January 15, 2015

Technically, much of Facility Men’s new cassette, Futility Men, has been available for months. So forgive me if you’ve heard this one before: Facility Men trace their lineage back to Plates, who called it quits a few years ago. They recorded most of these songs and released them earlier this year, which caught the attention of Black Dots. The result: a remixed, remastered and expanded cassette of garage punky bangers. Facility Men can chug along with the best of them, but the most exciting moments of the cassette come when the guitars start rising and screaming and everything feels like it might crash wildly, like the cresting of the wave. It’ll keep you on your toes. Check out Black Dots’ Bandcamp, where you can buy the digital album or snag the cassette. Check out a sample below.

Dean Chatham Brings Wake Forest Experiences to Buffalo

January 14, 2015

College is a fun time for so many more reasons other than partying. In my experience, every decision you make either means nothing or ends up being way more important or influential than you could’ve ever imagined. New Buffalo-based rapper, Dean Chatham, has taken off with this idea of sorts on “Year 2.” Drawing inspiration from his experiences a year and a half into his Wake Forest education, Chatham jumps between his drive to succeed as a student and the inevitable urge to live the college life, especially being that he’s now a rapper. Chatham condemns himself and his classmates at times on the track for their university vices, rapping “My generation livin’ too fast, drop class for shot glass, I’ll be lucky if I pass.” But he knows he’s as scatterbrained and undecided as any 20 year old, going on to say “I’m in college, young and reckless is[...]

Ad Astra Debuts First Single

January 14, 2015

Buffalo-based electro-pop trio, Ad Astra, debuted the project’s first track this past week, to which we were very excited to post about. With past works in the band’s resume including buffaBLOG favorites, Ignorant Owl and FOTISPORN, Ad Astra already sounded promising. The band’s first single, “Pretty Pictures,” features producers Thomas L. Hunt and Wyle Lukow delivering a futuristic synth song with just over a minute and a half growing introduction capped off with Amanda Terranoli’s dreamily gentle LIGHTS-like voclas. With obvious comparisons to Purity Ring,  chilled out Crystal Castles, and even Phantogram, Ad Astra is definitely a band that should be on your radar in 2015. Perhaps they can start playing live with gigs with Passion in Constellation? Listen to “Pretty Pictures” below.

Symphonic Electronix Drops New Single, “Lila”

January 12, 2015

Electro-psych producer, Symphonic Electronix, has been dropping music on his bandcamp page since 2011, but it wasn’t until yesterday, after stumbling upon the new single “Lila,” that I started paying attention. The song itself is hard to peg. There is some Tame Impala, latter day Beatles, abstract Joy Division, maybe even some Tortoise all sprinkled in there. I’m still looking for a better comparison, but regardless, it’s a great tune, something that wouldn’t sound too out of place on a future Steak and Cake compilation. Anyways, take a listen to “Lila” for yourself below.

Passion in Constellation Releases Video for “Smash”

January 12, 2015

Passion in Constellation (aka Chris Alan) got 2015 started right releasing a dazzling clip for “Smash” at the end of last week that more than lives up to it’s name. Created by parties unknown and consisting of found footage and edited to the aggressive syncopation of Alan’s latest meditation on the EDM form, the clip calls to mind the Emergency Broadcast Network,  vintage MTV bumpers, and film class experiments out of UB’s Media Study Department. It’s also a bold visual step forward for this ambitious up and comer, and hopefully a sign of things to come.

Applennium Submits “The Race” to Tiny Desk Concert Contest

January 12, 2015

We frequently say here at the blog office that Applennium may be the best band in Buffalo you haven’t heard of, or maybe even the best band in Buffalo period. The four piece – Chris Groves, Stacey Stoll, and Dave and Mike Calos – play maybe twice a year, if you are lucky, and premieres new music about as quietly as any band in Buffalo. They are one of the city’s true musical treasures, releasing stunner after stunner when you least expect. The band dropped a pleasant surprise online last night in the form of an entry to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert contest. First off, if you don’t watch Tiny Desk Concerts, get on that now. Recently, the lucky NPR staff has been treated to some fantastic performances from Angel Olsen, Tweedy, T-Pain, Beirut, and the National. As for the contest, the station/series is asking bands to submit one video of[...]

Jacob Peter Releases Wind Song

January 6, 2015

Still catching up from the holiday lull, personally. Takes a lot out of you to get through another year and there’s some stuff that got lost in the mix. Jacob Peter’s Wind Song, for instance. He sent this over a while back and I’m just now getting to write it up. Jacob plays guitar with Humble Braggers, but his solo EP is a different beast. Much folkier, for instance, and much moodier. There are some very catchy pop songs on here (like the opener, “Stella”) but it’s definitely at its most interesting in its broodier, more Jeff Buckley-esque moments  (for example, “The Line Between Us and Being”). Check out the rest of the EP here. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/177561709″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

The Afterbirth Tycoon Releases Purgatory On Parade

January 6, 2015

Power trio, the Afterbirth Tycoon, have been at it for nearly a decade, however in the past year,we have seen more activity from the outfit. Late last spring, the three piece released Late Bloom, a 10 track studio recorded release, and then last week, they hit us with another garage blue nugget in the form of the six track, Purgatory on Parade. The EP was recorded with Matt Smith at his Hi-Lo Studio earlier this summer, and mastered by John Angelo at Slave Pit Studios in Richmond, VA. “Matt is actually going to be moving,” guitarist/vocalist Jason Pitcher says, “so that will be the last session in his barn, but I hope to continue working with him wherever he lands. It’s always a good time working with Matt: no stress, lots of laughs, and I never hesitate to ask his opinion.” For the most part, Purgatory picks up where Late Bloom left off.[...]

Space Cubs Releases New Single

January 5, 2015

One of the dilemmas I come across while writing for this blog is to what to categorize each artist in our internal database. For example, Space Cubs was raised in Buffalo, but now calls the backwoods of the south her home. Should I still categorize her “Buffalo” or should this be “New Music?” Should anyone who has ever lived in Buffalo always be considered Buffalo? Regardless, former Buffalo-based spacey electronica songstress, Space Cubs, the performing/writing moniker of Suzanne Lee Bonaficio, released a new single titled “The Eye.” Normally we are on top of these things, but with the year end round-ups, personal responsibilities, and all-around burning out of contributing to a blog, we missed it. “The Eye,” much like others in Space Cubs’ repertoire, is a new age climber topped soothing vocals. What’s different about “The Eye” is that the vocals are a little more R&B tinged, almost like a[...]