News

Punks or Terrorists

July 8, 2014

The life of a small venue booking agent can be a trying one at best. You book the show and promote the show. If there’s a low turnout, you foot the bill, and you have to deal with your neighbors and the local authorities accusing you of harboring terrorist. The latter was the real life of St. Petersburg, FL booking agent and promoter, Kat Lynes. On Sunday June 29th, a concerned neighbor of Lynes’, Keith Coleman, called the police after he saw what he considered to be suspicious individuals, three men and three girls coming out of Lynes’ apartment. The ‘nefarious’ looking individuals were members of Nevada punk band, Vampirates. They had played a show at St. Petersburg’s Fubar the night before, a venue Lynes books shows at regularly. As per their agreement, Lynes had supplied them lodging at her apartment. Coleman had mistakenly had thought he had seen a[...]

Just Announced: Kishi Bashi

June 30, 2014

This morning, buzz band bookers ESI Events announced an additional act to their already packed indie summer lineup. On Sunday, August 24, the Tralf will play host to anti-pop, orchestral mastermind, Kishi Bashi. Reigning as one of NPR’s golden children, Kishi Bashi’s performance at the Tralf will be one of the numerous “gotta be there” summer shows wedging into your already packed calendar. Tickets are available via TicketMaster for $14 advanced or if you find yourself walking around Main Street, pop into the Tralf’s ticket office.

Just Announced: This Will Destroy You

June 24, 2014

Only three days into summer 2014, the Tralf continues to flesh out its fall schedule, this time booking the Texas instrumental four-piece This Will Destroy You for a Wednesday, October 29th stop. Fans of fellow Texas post-rockers Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, or pretty much any band that is heavy on the emotions while saving on the vocals will want to catch this show. Expect the word “epic” to be used often. Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 27th, at noon for $12 in advance, $14 day of.

Just Announced: Foster the People

June 23, 2014

Man did the Tralf ever strike gold when they booked Foster the People a few years back. Their mega single, “Pumped Up Kicks,” had just started to blow up, resulting in a sold-out (I think) show in 2011 that I imagined left the Tralf promoters feeling pretty, pretty good. Just today, the pop trio, along with Alt Buffalo, announced its impending return to Buffalo with a show scheduled for Canalside on Thursday, September 11th. Back when the Canalside lineup was announced, there was an open date which was rumored to be filled with a bigger name act, and as it turns, that act is Foster the People. Could have been worse I suppose. Tickets will be available to purchase from $15-$55, starting this Friday, June 27th, at noon. Those free Thursday shows aren’t looking all that bad now, are they?

Just Announced: Pinback

June 16, 2014

Earlier today, long time San Diego indie act, Pinback, announced a tour to commemorate 10th anniversary of the release of their Summer in Abandon album, and luckily for us, the tour is set to include a stop at Buffalo Iron Works on Tuesday, September 16th. Led by Rob Crow, Pinback’s bass-heavy groove has been soothing their listeners for over 15 years. Their arrival in Buffalo should put a nice cap on an already packed WNY summer season. Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 20th, at noon for $16. Tera Melos will be providing support.

Just Announced: Deafheaven

June 11, 2014

Buzzing black-metal/shoegze act, Deafheaven, will put a cap on the Tralf’s summer season as they roll through town on Thursday, September 18th. After releasing one of 2013’s best reviewed albums in Sunbather, the San Fran based act will make its Buffalo return after playing Soundlab a couple years back, joining fellow heavies like Boris and Swans in the downtown venue’s diverse summer schedule. Supporting Deafheaven on the bill will be No Joy and Indian Handcrafts. Tickets go on sale this Friday for $14 in advance/$16 day of

Just Announced: White Fence

June 3, 2014

The Tralf continues to fill up its 2014 schedule as the downtown venue is set to welcome White Fence, the solo project of lo-fi psych rocker Tim Presley, on Sunday, October 19th. Set to release its latest record, the Ty Segall produced To The Recently Found Innocent, this summer, White Fence would be best suited for fans of fellow San Fran garage acts like The Oh Sees and Segall. Australian punk collective King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard will be providing support. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, June 6th, at noon for $12 in advance, $14 day of.

Just Announced: Lorde

June 2, 2014

Continuing to support her 2013 mega album Pure Heroine, current pop It-Girl, Lorde, will be making her WNY debut at Artpark’s Mainstage Theatre on Sunday, September 7th. Hailed as one of the biggest indie-pop crossovers in the last couple of years, Lorde will be sure to please the closet music elitists fans, and lure the suburbanites out to Lewiston like the Pied Piper. Supporting Lorde will be moody indie duo Majical Cloudz. Tickets will go on sale Friday, June 6th at 10am for $39.50, $49.50, and $59.50.

Just Announced: DIIV

May 20, 2014

After visiting Buffalo as part of the Tralf’s “Summer of Indie” series last year, Brooklyn dream-pop act, DIIV, will be returning to the downtown venue on Tuesday, July 15th. The band is set to be working on the follow-up to 2012’s Oshin, so expect some road testing of new material this summer when they roll through town. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, May 21st, at noon for $12 in advance, $14 day of.

Just Announced: Miniature Tigers

May 20, 2014

Buzzing Brooklyn four-piece, Miniature Tigers, will be making a stop at the Waiting Room on Monday, July 14th. Touring in support of forthcoming new album Cruel Runnings, the bouncy synth-pop quartet, who has most recently taken a turn towards a soaring Smith Westerns vibe, will be bringing fellow buzz act, the Griswolds (think Two Door Cinema Club), along for the ride. Tickets go on sale today at 1pm for $12 in advance, $14 day of.

WNYBAC Designs Latest of Montreal Gig Poster

May 12, 2014

With the exception of the stellar design work over at Your Cinema and the now west-coast based Hero and Sound, the Western New York Book Arts Center has been producing some of my favorite gig posters in Buffalo over the last few years. Better known as WNYBAC on the streets, the Washington St. printing center has been producing prints for the likes of Godspeed You Black Emperor!, the New Pornographers, First Aid Kit, tUnE-yArDs and my personal fav, the Broken Social Scene poster for their last gig in Buffalo on their “final” 2010 tour. I have a pair of these hanging in my apt. WNYBAC’s most recent commission is for tomorrow night’s of Montreal show at the Town Ballroom. Samantha Epps, WNYBAC’s retail manager, filled us in on the design process: “This is a 5 color letterpress print produced using metal and wood type exclusively from the collection at the[...]

Herd Fest Announces Full Lineups & Schedule

May 12, 2014

So about a month ago, we announced our inaugural Herd Fest, a two-day, nine showcase festival centered in Allentown and slightly beyond on June 20th-21st. We invited some of the blog’s closest friends – Sugar City, Quiet Country Audio, Only Comrades, The Good Neighborhood, Steak and Cake, Black Dots, Harvest Sum, and Spiral Scratch – to get in on the festival fun by presenting their own curated showcases in the hopes of providing you with a weekend full of variety, eclectic genres, and sounds. Today, we want to share Herd’s full schedule and lineups for all nine of our festival showcases, which you can check out below, and to be honest, if you don’t see even a few acts on that lineup that interest you, then I don’t know what to tell you. If you wish to purchase a pre-sale bracelet, which will grant you all-access entry to of all[...]

Just Announced: Girl Talk

May 9, 2014

In other Canalside news, the promoters announced their ticketed events last night as well, a lineup that is headlined by a performance from mashup king Girl Talk. After having played a highly-anticipated Outer Harbor show a couple summers ago, Pittsburgh-born Greg Gillis will slide down the canal to the inner harbor for a show on Friday, August 8th. Tickets will go on sale for the show on Monday, May 12th, for $15 in advance, $20 day of.

Just Announced: Mutual Benefit

May 8, 2014

One of the more sneaky good, under the radar albums of 2013 was Mutual Benefit’s Love’s Crushing Diamond. A revolving project led by Jordan Lee, the act sounds like Daniel Rosen or maybe the Antler’s Peter Silberman crossed with Broken Social Scene at their most tender. Lee will bring his project to Buffalo Iron Works next month on Thursday, June 19th. While you may not be familiar with the act, you will most likely be down town at Canalside anyways, so take the quick stroll over to the Cobblestone District after and you may leave with a new favorite act. Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 9th, at 10am for $10 in advance, $13 day of