Buffalo

Tonight: All Them Witches

December 10, 2015

Psychedelic rockers All Them Witches are passing through Buffalo today. The Nashville quartet are quickly becoming front-runners in the underground heavy rock scene, seeing as how they masterfully blend blues, sludge, and stoner rock into long, droning songs. RIYL The Black Angels, Kyuss, or Pink Floyd. Support tonight comes from New Madrid and Rochester stoner rock group (and perfect fit for this particular bill), King Buffalo. Tickets are $12, doors are at 7:00pm, and music starts at 8:15. Clarification: you should not confuse All Them Witches with Buffalo-based mathy duo All of Them Witches, although that would have made for a pretty awesome lineup.

Tonight: Indie Rock Office Holiday Party

December 10, 2015

Tonight at Mohawk Place hosts a local bill that’s as local and awesome as you can get– Sleepy Hahas, The Naturalists, Aircraft, and Humble Braggers. It’s like Christmas is here early! Or something like that. While these bands really don’t need much of an introduction, we’ll do it anyway. Sleepy Hahas have undergone a couple of lineup changes in the past year, and are poised for the release of a new album on the heels of the “Deep River” single, which has a very cool video to go along with it. The Naturalists are riding high right now on the local attention that they’ve been getting from their latest EP, Home Honey, I’m Hi. If you like grunge, or pizza, give them a listen. (They really like pizza.) Psych garage rock group Aircraft is up next. Their most recent release being an EP, 7 Gems From The Sparkling Void. And[...]

Tonight: Sleater-Kinney

December 10, 2015

Asbury Hall at Babeville plays host to one of the biggest shows of the year when the Sleater-Kinney reunion tour swings through Buffalo tonight with indie folk darling Waxahatchee. Hard charging from Olympia, Washington, Sleater-Kinney – Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein, and Janet Weiss – became  one of the most vital and important bands of the late 90’s and early aughts (2000’s), and with their excellent 2015 release No Cities To Love, they’ve returned in a big way. Katie Crutchfield’s Waxahatchee, from Birmingham, Alabama, will be opening  the show in support of her third LP Ivy Tripp. Tickets are $31 at the door, which opens at 7pm.

Tonight: Andrew W.K.

December 7, 2015

Motivational speaker, weatherman, political commentator, advice columnist, and of course, noted party animal, Andrew W.K., will bring his annual holiday show to Broadway Joe’s this evening. The songwriter has been one of rock music’s most engaging forces since the early 2000’s, constantly clad in his signature white shirt/pant combo (and maybe a touch of blood), and finely riding the line of seriousness and stupidity. His arena rock meets nu-metal style has gone on to soundtrack a variety of films, cartoons, and video games, all while maintaining a feel good, carefree and endless party lifestyle. W.K. will once again be traveling solo for his show in the Heights, normally armed with only a microphone, keyboard, and backing tracks, just as he did at Waiting Room in 2013. While nostalgia heavy, that show left audience members confused, angry, and wanting more, but with the holidays around the corner, perhaps the rocker will[...]

Tonight: Painted Zeros

December 3, 2015

Hot off the release of their debut full length Floriography (Don Giovanni Records), Brooklyn-based dream fuzz trio Painted Zeros is set to hit Mohawk Place tonight on one of the coolest bills of the dwindling year. Floriography, written and recorded by Zeros frontwoman Katie Lau, is a beautifully textured record with a wide dynamic range–sometimes sweet and delicate, other times in-your-face gritty and explosive. Think Mazzy Star meets Smashing Pumpkins. The onstage iteration of the project is rounded out by drummer Jared Kaner and bassist Jim Hill, the latter formerly of Cottage Jefferson (Rochester!) fame. To make the show particularly homecoming-y, we have the Buffalo-bred, now Brooklyn-based Bethlehem Steel back in town, also hot off a fresh effort that snagged a slot as our Album of the Week last month. Can tonight’s show get any better? Yep. To top it all off, we have three of the best locals Buffalo’s punk scene[...]

Tonight: And The Kids

December 3, 2015

The 9th Ward at Babeville will be hosting yet another under the radar show, this time featuring Western Mass’ And the Kids and Upstate New York’s PWR BTTM. And The Kids released a new record this year, titled Turn to Each Other, and with grand instrumentals and unique vocals, the group has created something insanely catchy and special. PWR BTTM is a whole other game, though. The garage punk / indie duo weaves their queer identifying problems and issues into their music, creating not only something that is unlike I have ever heard before lyrically, but something that is just straight up FUN. Every video I’ve seen of this band live seems like an absolute party. Doors open for the show tonight at 7pm, with music starting at 8pm.  The show is sure to end on the earlier side, as there are no locals on the bill.  Tickets are available at[...]

Tonight: Dreamers

December 2, 2015

Tonight, The Studio at Waiting Room plays host to touring Brooklyn-based band, Dreamers, as part of their nationwide tour in support of their forthcoming album set to be released in 2016. The band’s name might ring a bell as they were in town last September in support of Atlas Genius. If you weren’t at the show (or late), then expect Dreamers’ sound to be a mix between poppy garage-rock, surfy hooks, and gritty 70’s retro vibes. Fans of The 1975, Broncho, or even Muse would be into Dreamers. Also on the bill are locals Darling Harbor, Daniel Robinson, and No Vacancy. Doors open at 6pm with a $10 cover. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/233365889″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Tonight: Nik Turner’s Hawkwind

November 28, 2015

Tonight, legendary flutist and vocalist Nik Turner will be bringing his edition of the legendary UK space rock band Hawkwind to Buffalo’s own Mohawk Place for a special show featuring San Francisco kraut rock outfit Hedersleben. Nik Turner’s Hawkwind will without a doubt melt some brains at the Mohawk with their heavy sound, science fiction and metaphysical explorations, avant-garde use of strings and wood instruments, and otherworldly vocalizations of the guru-like visionary Turner. Don’t plan on operating heavy machinery for a while after this show. Fusing Tuetonic Krautrock stridency and their own sci-fi apocalyptic space rock musings, the Bay area’s Hedersleben will get the mood set right, along with local favorites Handsome Jack and Hawkwind fans Malarchuk. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that Hawkwind featured a young Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, so nostalgic Motorhead fans won’t want to miss this. Tickets are $10, with doors at 7pm and show at 8pm.

Tonight: Kristachuwan

November 27, 2015

Yeah, we know it’s easy to let a perpetual state of lethargy take over post food coma, and yeah, we know it might still be fun to encourage that food coma by seeing how many T-day leftovers you can fit in between two slices of bread, but as the popular DJ-singer duo J.M.Silk first said in ’87,  let the music take control. Curly’s will be host to a stacked bill tonight, including Kristachuwan, the brain child of former Buffalonian and Cinnamon Aluminum member, Chris Svoboda. Currently on an East Coast tour, Kristachuwan offers hauntingly complex electro music that paints an otherworldly type of atmosphere for listeners. The subtle jazz-infused melodies create a hypnotic yet textured ambience. If you enjoy the unconventional approach of Aphex Twin’s stuff, this is right up your alley. Also on the bill for tonight are locals  Welks Mice, Toppus Bottomus, Nicky & The Vibrations, and Mal.a.Mute. The show kicks off at[...]

Tonight: Lazlo Hollyfeld & Friends do Talking Heads

November 25, 2015

After dropping a crowd stirring performance at the Night Lights Festival this past September, long time experimental rockers Lazlo Hollyfeld (& Friends) will once again tackle their reoccurring tribute series to the Talking Heads this evening at McGarret’s. Since its debut at Pearl Street’s New Years Eve covers party in 2009, the tribute show has seen many different variations at venues and events all over town. Playing the part of the always revolving “Friends” role this evening will be Dave Calos (Bearhunter, Applennium), Chris Groves (Fourem, Applennium), both of whom joined Lazlo at Night Lights for the performance, and Ryan Campbell, currently drumming in Lazlo lead guitarist’s Sonny Baker’s fleshed out solo project. Music kicks off at 10pm and will go long into the night as the band plans two long sets. Cover will be $5 at the door.

Tonight: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic

November 22, 2015

It is not an overstatement to say that George Clinton’s impact on popular music is “incalculable.” As the band leader/ring leader of the brilliant musical collective that gave the world Funkadelic and Parliament, he took the funk originated by James Brown, Sly Stone, Tower Of Power, and The Isley’s in the 60’s and used it as a palette to take the genre and African American music and art further than anybody could’ve possibly imagined. The funk itself became the thing: a vehicle for psychedelic exploration and conceptual adventurism that combined ass shaking grooves, ambitious production and stagecraft, humor, and biting social commentary to create a sc-fi parallel universe of African American expression, the original Black Superheroes (before the arrival of Public Enemy, also Clinton disciples). And that’s not even getting into the inescapable fact that P-Funk became the musical foundation for the Golden Age of Hip-Hop of the late 80’s/early 90’s.[...]

Tonight: November Reign

November 21, 2015

With an evening full of shows, Mohawk Place is definitely a spot to include in your Saturday night itinerary. Starting at 9pm, local DJs Ryan McMullen (JOHNS, Alpha Hopper) and Patrick Simons will be spinning a large variety of tunes into the night, with hardcore heavy sets that will include punk, post-punk, thrash, garage, psych, and everything in between. Not to mention, its all on vinyl. Doors open at 8pm, with tunes at 9pm.  With a cover of only $2, how could you go wrong?

Tonight: The Leones with Applennium

November 20, 2015

Headlining their first show in Buffalo, local shoegaze/dream-pop band The Leones are a newly formed duo comprised of singer/songwriter Justin Bachulak and guitarist Dustin Lau, who met at show at Babeville’s 9th Ward while Bachulak was playing with Americana act Crows and Jays. Combining ethereal, contemplative guitar tones with jazzy keys and dark atmospherics, the pair plan to release their debut LP, Ghost In The City early next year after a string of regional tour dates to promote the new material. Tonight, the band will perform at the Studio at Waiting Room along with local indie rock acts Applennium and Hundred Plus Club. Tickets for the all ages show are $8 and can be purchased here. Music starts at 7pm.   [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/183040349″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Tonight: 80’s Party for the Food Bank

November 20, 2015

It’s that time of year. As the holidays approach, families and friends are getting together to celebrate the season and each others’ company. But obviously, for many stricken by poverty, this is a difficult season. So while sharing good will with your loved ones, it’s important to remember to help those who need it, and thankfully, the Food Bank of WNY is putting on a fantastic benefit event tonight to do just that. DJs Rick Vallone and Sal Sciandra will be spinning the best in 80’s music for one hell of a dance party, with cuts including the new wave sounds of Talking Heads and Blondie, the pop classics of Madonna and Whitney Houston, and the origins of hip-hop from N.W.A. and Rakim. Handlebar will also be featuring 80’s-inspired drinks specials and be showing the best (or worst) in 80’s movie goodness. So prepare to bust out the leg warmers[...]

Tonight: Sixties Future EP Release Party

November 20, 2015

After stoking serious interest about town with some impressive shows at the Mohawk Place this summer and fall, not to mention at Dreamland opening for Made Violent’s last local show before their UK tour with Wolf Alice and Drenge, Buffalo’s next big band, Sixties Future will be celebrating the release of their highly anticipated debut EP tonight at Nietzsche’s. If that wasn’t enough, the release party also features from newbie emo/grunge locals Cooler, the soaring beach punks of Rochester’s Skirts, and the always excellent Aircraft. For my part, I don’t think I’ll ever forget that first time seeing Sixties Future at Mohawk this past summer, watching these guys unload a pleasing and distinctly Rust Belt tinged brand of American rock with notes of Springsteen and The National, and exchanging incredulous looks with fellow staffers Brendan O’Connor and Ron Walczyk while Mike Moretti stood at the back smiling beatifically like a happy papa.[...]