Columns

Must See Shows (4/9/25-4/15/25)

Thursday, April 10th @ 7pm Moon Hooch @ Buffalo Iron Works   One of New York City’s most successful (former) busker acts, Moon Hooch, returns to the Queen City Thursday for a night of dance, positivity, and woodwinds. Moon Hooch emerged from the Bedford L platform in the early 2010s and their live set was so mesmerizing, the band was actually banned from playing the platform because it became a standstill and was too dangerous to gather. From their early days, the project has mastered the upbeat, live dance looping sound that gets the crowd moving and grooving into the palm of their hand.   Opening the show will be space funk duo Future Show. Iron Works has really cornered the market on saxophone-centric dance acts. $25 and it’s well worth it.   Red Sky by Moon Hooch Friday, April 11th @ 7pm Bright Eyes @ Buffalo Riverworks   This[...]

Must See Shows (4/2/25-4/8/25)

Thursday, April 3rd @ 8pm Stephen Babcock @ The Caz   Buffalo-based indie/singer-songwriter Stephen Babcock headlines a great bill at the Caz in South Buffalo Thursday evening with support from two additional bands we are excited about. The Caz (on Seneca St.) has been open to the public for just about six months now, with a variety of programming ranging from jam to jazz to cover shows. The venue has barely dipped it’s toe into the local indie scene, so Thursday’s showcase will undoubtedly be a testing ground for the genre.   Like many of the current artists we are jazzed about in Buffalo, Babcock found his footing in a post-COVID landscape, emerging into the scene in 2021 with his debut album Monroe. Babcock’s songwriting is vulnerable and has range, with the ability to channel a somber Paul Simon or James Taylor feel with indie-pop contemporaries such as Matt Pond PA[...]

Must See Shows (3/26/25-4/1/25)

Saturday, March 29th @ 7:30pm buffaBLOG’s 15th Birthday Party @ Milkies   We are turning 15! It seems like yesterday we were logging into blogger after a 27 minute crash course in HTML at Spot Coffee on Elmwood. The blog has shared the sounds of hundreds of local bands over the past decade and a half and we are excited to continue for the foreseeable future. After a very successful holiday party, we are happy to put quality music on your radar and share our passion for live music and the local community again.   With that, we are excited have our first birthday celebrattion since 2016. On Saturday,  Milkies on Elmwood is set to host new-coming indie rock act Fear of Sleep, which features some former members of Feverbox. Also on the bill will be powerpop veterans Matt Smith’s Nervous System *, Tony Hawk’s Pro-Skater ska band Skamagotchi *,[...]

Must See Shows (3/19/25-3/25/25)

Thursday, March 20th @ 8pm Kenzie Cait @ Rec Room   Erie County repatriate/Nashville-based emerging sad girlie act Kenzie Cait will be returning to the stage on Thursday. After an impressive showing last summer with her gig at Buffalo Iron Works, the city was clamoring to see the buzzing pop singer/songwriter return. Cait’s sound is familiar, as it would nestle nicely on a playlist with Taylor Swift’s later repertoire, Olivia Rodrigo, or even Chappell Roan.   Ultimately. Kenzie Cait’s discography is full of bangers that could easily super-break into the super-mainstream – the project is swelling and about to burst. This may be your last chance to see Kenzie Cait before graduating to Terminal B. $21.06 doors.   Friday, March 21st @ 8pm Elemantra * @ Milkies   Milkies is set to host a certified banger™ on Friday evening with a loaded local lineup that will surely be worth your[...]

Must See Shows (3/12/25-3/18/25)

Wednesday, March 12th Haley Blais @ 9th Ward   Vancouver’s Haley Blais will make her first stop in Buffalo with tour mates Wormy. The band had originally planned to stop here in late September, however, the concert gods felt otherwise and Blais had to reschedule. Now here we are, with the same lineup and a new opportunity to check out the singer/songwriter’s cheeky sound.   Signed to the record label Arts & Crafts (Andy Shauf, Broken Social Scene, Feist, & MANY MORE), Blais’ sound is lush with clever lyrics that navigate life in your twenties in the 2020s. Touring in support of their latest album Wisecrack, fans of Caroline Rose, Soccer Mommy, or Snail Mail would be pleased with Blais’ sound.   Starting things off right is Wormy, the music moniker for Brooklyn singer/songwriter Noah Rauchwerk. He may look familiar as his other gig is the touring drummer for Samia. It will[...]

Must See Shows (3/5/25-3/11/25)

Saturday, March 8th @ 8pm Chores @ The Cave Rochester indie outfit Chores plays Buffalo this Saturday in support of their new cassette, Tender as a Wound. For those who follow the blog closely, you’ll remember Chores as they were our Album of the Week back in December 2024. Grunge-y locals Stress Dolls will share the stage and are the only representative from Buffalo on this one, with Syracuse indie-pop act Paper Rabbit making the 11 exit trip down the 90 for this goodwill exchange. The three bands will be trading off gigs between The Cave, the Bug Jar in Rochester on March 21st, and ending the run with a show at Syracuse’s famed Funk’n Waffles on April 4th. So if you like what you see, you can do this two more times. $10 for this one and it’s a steal.   Tender As A Wound by Chores   Sunday,[...]

buffaBLOG Announces 15th Birthday Party Lineup

We are turning 15! It seems like yesterday we were logging into blogger after a 27 minute crash course in HTML at Spot Coffee on Elmwood. The blog has shared the sounds of hundreds of local bands over the past decade and a half and we are excited to continue for the foreseeable future. After a very successful holiday party, we are happy to put quality music on your radar and share our passion for live music and the local community again.   With that, we are excited to announce our lineup for our first birthday part since 2016. On Saturday, March 29th Milkies on Elmwood is set to host new-coming indie rock act Fear of Sleep, which features some former members of Feverbox. Also on the bill will be powerpop veterans Matt Smith’s Nervous System *, Tony Hawk pro-skater ska band Skamagotchi *, and sun-soaked indiejammers Hartwell Hospice House[...]

Must See Shows (2/26/25-3/4/25)

Thursday, February 27th @ 7pm Ted Leo and the Pharmacists @ Rec Room   Time flies in the indie rock universe. Just 20 years ago, Ted Leo released his highly acclaimed album Shake the Sheets, which tore up the early blogosphere and nestled nicely into the airwaves of many college radio stations. This Thursday, Leo and his gang of Pharmacists celebrate the anniversary at the Rec Room.   Formed in Washington, D.C. in 1999, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists is head songwriter Ted Leo’s most recognizable outfit. Although the singer/songwriter has been a constant creative for over 35 years dabbling in more than a dozen projects, the Pharmacists is the longest spanning project and may be Leo’s north star, with over eleven years worth of material in the project.   Go for the nostalgia and expect to see many of Buffalo’s music scene of yesteryear in attendance. $38.51 SHAKE THE[...]

buffaBLOG Sessions: Makeout Tactics

We are so excited to unveil our latest iteration of buffaBLOG sessions to the public. Previously, the blog had done different live sessions series, ranging from simple cell phone videos, to live-to-tape recordings, to DIY pop-ups with a temporary set-up. This batch of sessions will be the first time we’ve partnered with a studio, Mammoth Recording Studio, based out of the First Ward. The videographer from the series is the very talented Devin Chavanne, whose work spans across Buffalo and beyond. Likely, if you pay attention to anything coming out of Buffalo’s start-up industry, you’ve seen his handiwork.   This past fall, we gathered 22 people to execute the session which went off seemingly flawlessly and it excites us to continue the project and continue to showcase up-and-coming musicians from Western New York that need to be on your radar.   Our third session features Elmwood Village indie pop collective act[...]

Must See Shows (2/19/25-2/25/25)

Thursday, February 20th @ 8pm Tough Old Bird @ Milkies   Thursday is a banger for any local indie-folkheads finding their way down the Elmwood Strip with four excellent acts joining forces to combat the inevitable cabin fever we will all have after this bone-chilling week. The lineup will feature local indie folk project Tough Old Bird *, a project headed by siblings Matthew and Nathan Corrigan, who have been playing the Western NY circuit for close to ten years. Recently, the band has expanded from an acoustic act to a fuller sound. Also on the bill is a rare appearance for busker-Americana act Jungle Steve with a full band, singer/songwriter John Herr and improv avant-garde trio plantwater. Doors at 7pm with a $10 cover.   Garden Dream by Tough Old Bird Friday, February 21st @ 7pm Steak and Cake’s 14th Anniversary Party @ Duende at Silo City   Local[...]

buffaBLOG Sessions: echolocator

We are so excited to unveil our latest iteration of buffaBLOG sessions to the public. Previously, the blog had done different live sessions series, ranging from simple cell phone videos, to live-to-tape recordings, to DIY pop-ups with a temporary set-up. This batch of sessions will be the first time we’ve partnered with a studio, Mammoth Recording Studio, based out of the First Ward. The videographer from the series is the very talented Devin Chavanne, whose work spans across Buffalo and beyond. Likely, if you pay attention to anything coming out of Buffalo’s start-up industry, you’ve seen his handiwork.   This past fall, we gathered 22 people to execute the session which went off seemingly flawlessly and it excites us to continue the project and continue to showcase up-and-coming musicians from Western New York that need to be on your radar.   Our second session features North Tonawanda indie act echolocator, who[...]

Must See Shows (2/12/25-2/18/25)

Friday February 14th @ 7pm Hot 8 Brass Band @ Rec Room   New Orleans-based 8-piece brass band, the Hot 8 Brass Band,  will be bringing their Mardi Gras party sound to Chippewa this Friday. Since forming in 1995, the Hot 8 have made a name for themselves reimagining classics and putting their own unique and engaging spin on very familiar songs such as “Sexual Healing,”and  “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” The band will be sure to bring their hits and slip in some familiar re-worked covers along wth some of their own original material. If you’re feeling romantic, bring your partner. If you aren’t feeling romantic, bring a co-worker. $29.27.   Love Will Tear Us Apart by Hot 8 Brass Band Saturday, February 15th @ 7pm Lowspot @ Hot Mama’s Canteen   Traveling Cleveland grunge-punk quartet, Lowspot, makes a stop in Black Rock Saturday night. The Ohio band combines[...]

buffaBLOG Sessions: Addisyn Logan

We are so excited to unveil our latest iteration of buffaBLOG sessions to the public. Previously, the blog had done different live sessions series, ranging from simple cell phone videos, to live-to-tape recordings, to DIY pop-ups with a temporary set-up. This batch of sessions will be the first time we’ve partnered with a studio, Mammoth Recording Studio, based out of the First Ward. The videographer from the series is the very talented Devin Chavanne, whose work spans across Buffalo and beyond. Likely, if you pay attention to anything coming out of Buffalo’s start-up industry, you’ve seen his handiwork. This past fall, we gathered 22 people to execute the session which went off seemingly flawlessly and it excites us to continue the project and continue to showcase up-and-coming musicians from Western New York that need to be on your radar. Our first session features singer/songwriter Addisyn Logan, who has been steadily[...]

Must See Shows (2/5/25-2/11/25)

Friday, February 7th @ 8pm The Spit Sisters w/ Racehearse, Catspurr, and Sleep Debt Ceiling   Milkies has an accessible local ripper on Friday with some bands that should be on your radar if you are paying attention to the local scene. Sharing the bill will be riot grrrl redux rockers The Spit Sisters (who you may have caught night 1 of Mohawk Place’s curtain call), folk-punk aficionado Sleep Debt Ceiling, multi-genre experimental outfit Catspurr, and raw surf punkers Racehearse. 8pm doors with a $10 cover.   Saturday, February 8th @ 7pm Brooke Surgener & the Bandits w/ Star Theory, Nancy Dunkle, and akloh.   Erie, Pennsylvania indie pop artist Brooke Surgener and the Bandits heads north on the 90 Saturday evening in support of their latest release, “Got it Good.” Surgener’s sound has a bit of a cheeky Alex Lahey meets a smokier-voiced Lucy Dacus vibe. Joining the lineup[...]

Must See Shows (1/29/25-2/4/25)

Thursday, January 30 @ 8pm Wishy @ 9th Ward   Indiana-based indie quintet Wishy makes a stop at the coziest basement venue in town this Thursday.  Formed in 2021, the project has exploded onto the blogosphere with their accessible shoegaze sound that rivals some of the most buzzed-about college radio standouts. Wishy is touring in support of their latest full-length release, Triple Seven, which came out during the dog days of summer via Winspear Records. Fans of Wild Pink, Girl Scout, or Ducks Ltd would be into this one. Local one-man R&B psych-pop act Ex-Pat opens the night up. The fun starts at 8pm with an $18 cover. (photo by Alexa Viscius)  Planet Popstar by Wishy Friday, January 30th  @ 6pm Mohawk Place’s Farewell Show Night 2 Well, it’s happening again. Mohawk Place shuts its doors for the second time in buffaBLOG history. In 2013 with the initial closing, there was[...]