Buffalo

Garrett Klahn Returns Home with New Solo Project

November 4, 2014

Garrett Klahn hasn’t lived in Buffalo in nearly 20 years. “I just moved back at the end of the summer.” Klahn says. “My mother is here, so for the past 20 years I’d come home for at least two holidays every year, and for weddings, babies all that normal shit. So I was here a lot.” Klahn is best known for his involvement in a little band from New York City, Texas is the Reason, as well as a multitude of other projects. Klahn is now back in his native city of Buffalo calling the Elmwood Village and Allentown neighborhoods home, which do not resemble the humble districts they once were in his younger days. “The changes are black and white really.” He says of the now bustling Elmwood Village neighborhood. “I left in ’93, and then you didn’t really venture much past Lafayette.” So what brings Klahn back to[...]

Silo Sessions Debuts Latest Clip feat. Bryan Johnson

November 3, 2014

We like to check in with local video blog, Silo Sessions, every so often. Since mid summer, the site has been premiering a new session, filmed within the grain elevator walls, of mostly local musicians delivering stripped down performances on a weekly basis. The last few weeks have featured some great clips from Andrew Biggie, T.J. Borden, and Mink, to name a few. For the 20th installment of the series, Bryan Johnson, lead singer of Bryan Johnson & Family, performed selections from his band’s forthcoming EP, Cool Your Jets, set to drop next week via Admirable Traits. Watch the Bryan Johnson session below, and for past installments of the series, click here.

Nevergreens Releases Latest Cinematic EP, it’s already paradise

November 3, 2014

Local chillwave producer, Matthew Reilly aka Nevergreens, released his latest EP, it’s already paradise, this past weekend. The musician has been quietly dropping cinematic, instrumental scores on bandcamp since early summer. EP opener, “graduation,” is a jubilant track backed by warm synths and live drums, recalling some of M83’s more uplifting pieces from Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Stream the entire EP here, and check out “graduation” below.

Baxter Roy Long Releases Acid-Folk Collection, Palms on the setting stone

October 30, 2014

Former Denver resident, Baxter Roy Long, recently moved to Buffalo, and upon settling in, released an 8-track collection of dreamy, yet challenging acid folk, titled Palms on the setting stone. While most of the album was recorded in the Pacific North West, the lone locally recorded song, “Whale calls at night,” may be the most ambient, sounding like early, ethereal Animal Collective or Young Prayer era Panda Bear. You can stream Palms on the setting stone in its entirety over at Long’s bandcamp page. Check out stand out, Collections of Colonies of Bees-esque, “March of Saginaw,” below.

Camp Counselors Releases “Sighs” on Halloween Compilation No. 2: Gatherings

October 30, 2014

Spookytacular WNY expat, Kyle J. Reigle, records under the moniker Camp Counselors and for the second year in a row, released another track to producer’s yet-to-be-created slasher flick. The creepy new single “Sighs” has the same feel as Camp Counselors previous works, pairing well with fog coming from the ground, being unsure you locked your door on a windy night, and irrational fears that Freddy Krueger is actually a real person that wants to kill you. The track is included on Halloween Compilation No. 2: Gatherings, the second annual seasonal collection released via Reigle’s Snowbeast Records label. Gatherings also includes contributions from Teen Daze, Psychic Twin, and Medina native, Seismograph. Listen to the full comp here, and check out “Sighs” below.

Spooky Stephen Drops “Boom Room” Session Mix

October 28, 2014

If you happened to be one of the many who attended our sold out Hamlin House Halloween Party this past weekend, you may have caught Spooky Stephen, one half of Buffalo party DJ duo, Spooky Business, keeping the party lively in between Soul Patch sets. The always busy DJ recently released a new mix cut at DJ Flo’s “Boom Room” studio in Brooklyn late last week, in addition to a fresh mashup on his SoundCloud page. With another round of Halloween parties going down this coming weekend, make sure to add Stephen’s mix to the docket of spooky soundtracks. Listen to the mix below, and catch Spooky Stephen on Saturday, November 1st at Epic along with Josh Yourmoms and MAXY NY.

Anthony Del Plato Covers Stepfriends’ “Strangers, Friends, and Pictures”

October 27, 2014

Batavia musician and blog all-star, Anthony Del Plato, has long been teasing his forthcoming local covers album. This weekend, he released the first track that could be a part of the project, a cover of “Strangers, Friends, and Pictures” from emo revisionists, Stepfriends. The original has been floating around bandcamp for a few months now, and was formally released this past Tuesday as part of Stepfriends’ debut album, All We’ve Got. Del Plato delivers a lush and gripping interpretation, departing from the bursting pep of Stepfriends’ initial take. Listen to the original over at Stepfriends’ bandcamp page, and check out Del Plato’s cover below.

Damian Preps Remix Album, Releases Re-Worked “They Fill The Space They Believe In”

October 27, 2014

Earlier this year, local mumblecore artist, Damian Weber, released one of our favorite local releases in You Don’t Need It, which, as the year starts to near its completion, has the staff over at the blog already arguing over which track should make our year end, best of list. I personally am pulling for the title track… Regardless, over the past weekend, Weber released a re-working of one of the album’s many standout songs, “They Fill The Space They Believe In.” The song is the first leaked track of a complete remix album he plans to release soon, titled You Don’t Need Shit. The new take is layered with nervy guitar picking and warm, subtle keys, adding a dreamy quality to the already celestial slow-burning rocker. Listen to the original take on “They Fill The Space They Believe In” over at Damian’s bandcamp page, and check out the remixed version below.

The Tins Release NSFW Video For “Let It Go”

October 23, 2014

Does a 4-song EP need a video for every song? Maybe not, but at least the Tins are making them interesting. From Freddie Mercury impersonators to violence on watermelons, the three-piece indie duo has been getting some major burn out of its latest release, Young Blame EP. The latest video comes from a pretty unlikely partnership in local motion picture artist, Malt Disney. The abstract visionary, who normally works with acts like Jact Toft and Dr. Ooo, took the reigns on the video for “Let It Go,” setting the single to sexy, topless shark girls walking around Outer Harbor/First Ward area, in addition to a lot of other really odd stuff. Regardless, its a fresh vision for the band, and anything Malt Disney gets his hands on is worth a peak. The video is NSFW so maybe wait a couple hours and watch the clip for “Let It Go” when you are safe at[...]

Andy Pothier Releases New Track, “Signs”

October 23, 2014

Earlier this week, local folk troubadour, Andy Pothier, released the first single from this forthcoming, untitled album. The bare boned “Signs” is another lovely number from the Pine Fever drummer, sounding like hushed Conor Oberst or weary, stripped down Hiss Golden Messenger. Keep an eye out for future tracks from Pothier’s new album, and in the mean time, listen to “Signs” below.

Stepfriends Releases New Album, All We’ve Got

October 22, 2014

The dudes (and dudettes) in Buffalo emo-pop collab-group Stepfriends have just digitally released their debut full-length album All We’ve Got. The eleven-track record, mostly recorded at The Square Studio in Syracuse, gives emo a little soul–think a jazzier Into It. Over It. with a dash of Circa Survive. Vocalist Johnny Lucas has a smooth and solid range, and his clear, handsome tenor takes the forefront in many of the songs. The tracks are expertly arranged; some of my favorite points on the record are the atmospheric bridges and breakdowns that give All We’ve Got it’s unique sound. Check out the angular riffs and crisp drumwork on track “Renovation” below, and go visit the band’s Bandcamp page for digital downloads and vinyl preorders.

Frigid Giant Releases Spicy New Video Complete with Luchadores and Tequila

October 17, 2014

There are very few things in the this world more entertaining than a good music video, and lucky for us rising Buffalo emcee Frigid Giant has released exactly that with “I Didn’t Wanna.” Following “Shuma Gorath” as the second video off of From My Cold Dead Hands, “I Didn’t Wanna” follows the adventures of Giant after he awakens from a deep booze slumber to find himself shirtless on Hamburg beach with an empty bottle of Patrón to his side. As he finds his way through “Tijuana,” he re-ups on more alcohol at Don Tequila, meets up with guest artist MCKP, and discovers his new identity through a lucha libre mask. In between this cinematic adventure we also get some spliced in luchador action, really helping drive home the south of the border vibes. The song itself narrates a lot of the vid, and features a killer hook that is now stuck[...]

Falconcat Releases Debut Single Via LIPS Records

October 14, 2014

This morning, Buffalo/Philadelphia based label, LIPS Records, announced the release of the debut album from Falconcat, the new project/moniker of Buffalo musician Tylor Colby (Imperials, Victory for Poland). The forthcoming album, titled Year of the Wooden Horse, is set to drop via LIPS on November 4th. Also this morning, LIPS debuted the album’s first single, “Death of a Patron St.” While the record was inspired by smaller pysch pop projects and folk rock acts, “Death of a Patron St.,” seems to favor the latter influences, ditching the youthful pop sounds of V4P for bouncy, folk stylings that recall stripped down yet uppity Okkervil River or Neutral Milk Hotel. Listen to “Death of a Patron St.” below.

Edwang and Duce return with some Gold

October 10, 2014

Buffalo producer Edwang is back with another dope collaborative effort with rapper Duce. A few months back, we covered The Duce Bootlegs, a wonderfully enjoyable project of happy hip hop. Their latest release together, Fifty Shades of Gold, switches things up a bit on the way to being another great tape.  Edwang kicks off the tracks with the title track, and a distinctly grimier beat than anything we heard last time ’round. Ed continuously keeps us guessing with his styles behind the beats. “Rumble Pack III” uses some traditional video game bleeps and bloops to create a base for which Duce to cram countless gaming references over a span of three and a half references. The name itself is a shout-out to the device that allowed your N64 controller to vibrate whenever you crashed in Tony Hawk Pro Skater, thereby making the game 20% better than it already was. Duce is particularly on[...]

DJ Pizza Pizza Serves Up “Slice 34”

October 9, 2014

Quickly becoming one of our favorite Buffalo personalities, DJ Pizza Pizza has released his 34th song this morning, aptly titled “Slice 34.” Yung Zza is not only a cut and splicer, but produces organic instrumental tracks a la Madlib or Flying Lotus. “Slice 34” turns it down a bit and seems more reflective in nature rather than previous DJ Pizza Pizza releases, which pair well with slinging shots at 2am in Allentown and saying “SWERVE” on repeat. Check it out below.