Preview

Tonight: The Moth & The Flame

October 15, 2015

The Tralf seems to be the place to be right now, at least in terms of October gigs. Tonight, the venue plays host to alt-rock rising stars The Moth & The Flame. TMTF are currently out on tour in support of their recently released EP, Young & Unafraid, whose title track has seen a ton of success as the band’s first release with Elektra Records. Tonight’s performance is a last minute addition to the group’s tour, and will be  a part of Alt Buffalo’s ongoing “You Saw Them First” series. Local acts The Get Money Squad and Wolf are set to open. Doors open at 7pm with a $10 cover.

Tonight: Tragedy (All Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees & Beyond)

October 15, 2015

New York City glam-metal tribute band, Tragedy, will be making a stop at the Studio at Waiting Room tonight on their tour.  Equal parts 80’s Metallica, Poison, and Dethklok, the band’s hilarious takes and exploits make Tragedy one of the most entertaining  tribute bands on the market. Tragedy has expanded their initial Bee Gees centered setlist to put a metal hairband spin on pop classics of yesteryear. Not to be overlooked is Metalachi, a mariachi band that hails Satan and snorts horse tranquilizers. Doors open at 7pm with a $15 cover.

Tonight: Sonny Baker

October 14, 2015

Sonny Baker is set to celebrate the release of his new EP tonight at Mohawk Place. Baker’s Flesh it Out is soulful like, well, Pavement meets Ryan Adams. Baker (member of lots of bands) will perform will perform with his new trio which features members of Lazlo Hollyfeld, Rhubarb, Gravy, and more. I’ve loved Softlines from first listen and they don’t play enough shows. On the other hand, the ever prolific Newish Star just dropped a newish album and will be playing this gig too. Bright Eyes-esque Andy Pothier will also be there. Honestly, I heard him at Herd Fest and thought he was Conor Oberst. Mohawk opens its doors for the gig at 8pm and its $5 to get in.

Tonight: Meat Wave

October 14, 2015

Tonight might turn out to be quite a raucous Wednesday… Actually, I take that back. Tonight’s officially gonna get pretty rowdy. The Dirty Nil and Meat Wave will be stopping through the Waiting Room tonight; both bands will be slinging their brand of loud, aggressive, indie-punk. If you would like a comparison, both bands are contemporaries of METZ, Pissed Jeans, Single Mothers, or even Cloud Nothings. Opening the show are the Rochester-based post-hardcore/screamo dudes in DRUSE and the Fredonia-based alt-rockers in Ellsworth. Tickets are $12 and doors open at 6pm.

Tonight: Tiger Hatchery

October 14, 2015

If there’s anything the haphazard nature of Tiger Hatchery‘s music proves, it is this: chaos can be just as much a refined art as it can be an all-out disorderly rage fest. The  Chicago based free jazz group has been described from other sources as harsh, destructive, explosive — pretty much any adjective that incites some sort of discord. Upon listening, it all might initially seem senseless, but after awhile it seems quite the opposite. Every crazed run of notes seem to have a place after one another, and it just keeps going and going until you’re totally engulfed in the chaotic bubble they create. Their specific brand of sound reminds me of a class I took in my college days. It was called Free Improv and it was exactly one and a half hours of chaos. We did everything from use shopping carts as instruments to flail our arms around to short bursts[...]

Tonight: Saintseneca

October 14, 2015

Stellar indie folk crew, Saintseneca, will be rolling through Buffalo for an incredibly intimate performance at Babeville’s Ninth Ward tonight. The Columbus, OH outfit’s new album, titled Such Things, just dropped on Anti Records and while most critics have yet to weigh in, it is just as special and unique as their previous releases, still managing to avoid the label of just another bland indie folk band. Doors are set to open at 6pm with music starting at 8pm. Tickets will be available at the door for $15, and touring acts the Sidekicks and Yowler are set to open the show at the intimate venue. This is one you won’t want to miss.

Tonight: Plack Blague

October 11, 2015

Get your treats and beats tonight at Sugar City featuring six acts with at least two collabos. With a headliner like Plack Blague, who sports song titles like “Sarcastically Erect” and “Disco for Satan, you literally cannot go wrong. This is probably the best gay industrial noise out of Lincoln, Nebraska. Streetcleaver from Jamestown sounds like if Death Grips played through a bad connection, while Gainsville rap Brrat Boys and Big Whatever will join Baltimore rapper Height. Local beats by UBV-76 and a collaboration from local usuals Jack Topht and Fleshtrade will round out the bill. Music begins 6pm at Sugar City. Bring $8 to help out the touring bands. Leather Band by Plack Blague

Tonight: What the Beck

October 10, 2015

After performing to packed crowds at Nietzsche’s, What the Beck, the pun-ey tribute group to alt-rock’s favorite genre-bender, is performing at the Tralf tonight. While Beck songs normally dabble in rock, alternative, funk, west coast folk, hip hop, country, and latin music – in other words, pretty much everything – the group itself is a 10-piece big band. It’s a welcome reimagining of one of rock’s most fluid and experimental song-writers. In fact, it’s surprising Beck himself hasn’t tried big band renditions of his own songs, given his flair for reinvention and bold, difficult performances. As an added bonus, the opener will be local cover group Pockets, performing the music of Modest Mouse. It goes practically without saying that the indie-rock darlings, headed by the always frenetic and sarcastic Isaac Brock, are great local favorites, purportedly selling out their April show at Babeville within minutes. Doors will open at 8pm,[...]

Tonight: Blitzen Trapper

October 10, 2015

Portland roots rockers Blitzen Trapper make a welcome return to Buffalo tonight at the Town Ballroom along with Jesse Malin. After excellent shows at the Mohawk and Tralf over the years, the PAC-NW country/folk rock five piece will be bringing songs off their most recent release All Across This Land, a return to form that finds the band refocusing themselves on their sound after the progressive yet somewhat unsatisfying VII, while the acclaimed singer songwriter and man of the people Jesse Malin will be celebrating the release of of 2015, Outsiders, which just dropped  yesterday. This will be a celebration of the best kinds of American music: raw, soulful, exuberant, inclusive, joyfully real, and a really good time. Tickets are still available for $16. Doors open at 7pm while the show starts at 8pm.

Tonight: Joywave

October 9, 2015

The series of great shows making their way to Buffalo this fall continues tonight as local heroes return for another glorious homecoming. It was just a little over a year ago that Rochester’s Joywave were just starting to make small waves outside of the Western New York music scene but little beyond that. Then came their breakthrough single, “Tongues.” The song almost immediately begun rotation on alternative radio around the country, and the band’s sudden popularity even scored their debut album a spot on the Top 40 charts and catapulted them to appearances on late night shows such as Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers. Joywave now returns to the music scene that birthed them with their collection of infectious synthpop jams. If the band’s live show is nearly as high-energy and fun as their record, then tonight’s show show should be nothing short of an absolute blast. But while Joywave might be riding the[...]

Tonight: Eskimeaux

October 9, 2015

Eskimeaux is conscientious music for the attentive listener. Started as a solo effort by Gabrielle Smith, the project has recently evolved into a four piece outfit on the road. The band’s latest full length release, O.K., has been held in high regard by major publications like Stereogum, Pitchfork, and NPR, to name a few. Stark honesty is littered throughout, but it’s dressed up in a silk case. The album really does a good job of taking a bare-boned look at what it’s like to feel scared, unsure and alone in a quiet, humble way. It also successfully breaks the mold of traditional, soft-toned indie singer-songwriter type music in terms of instrumentation. There’s a real clarity to the heavily layered songs, and one that brings the whole collection to a much more poppy level. It’s less lo-fi bedroom rock, more crystal clear, heartfelt stuff that’s carefully constructed. I have a hard time imagining Eskimeaux playing anywhere else in[...]

Tonight: Mac Miller

October 7, 2015

Coming off of last month’s release of his third studio album, GO:OD AM, Pittsburgh-born rapper Mac Miller has emerged as one of the leading figures in hip hop in recent years, collaborating with artists like Lil B, Ab-Soul, Chief Keef, Schoolboy Q, and Earl Sweatshirt. His recent work has found the MC working through his troubled past, resulting in clear artistic growth and some of the most infectious tracks of his career. Having managed to outgrow the “frat-rap” label of his early releases, Mac has found himself at the center of many discussions about the relationship between race and hip hop today and has remained an unpredictable artist capable of transcending stereotypes. Tonight, the rapper will perform to a sold-out Town Ballroom in Buffalo with support from Los Angeles rapper and Odd Future affiliate Domo Genesis along with quickly rising singer/rapper GoldLink, whose danceable, funky style draws from 90’s r&b as well as golden-era[...]

Tonight: Lydia

October 6, 2015

Yet again, another stacked indie/emo lineup will be hitting Waiting Room tonight. Indie veterans Lydia will be bringing their “Run Wild” tour to Buffalo in support of their new album of the same name. Support for the show includes Seahaven and Turnover, as well as the Technicolors. Both Seahaven and Turnover have recently changed their sounds from a more pop/punk related one to a far more distant and dreamy variety, and far more indie in nature. Tickets will be available at the door for $17, and doors are set to open at 7pm, with music starting at 7:20pm.  All ages are admitted, but under 16 need a guardian, as usual.

Tonight: Rochester Invasion Pt. 2

October 3, 2015

In what is shaping up to be one of the hottest weekends of local music since Herdfest, there exists a bill so Rochesterian, it just might work. Well—actually—it has worked already once before. Tonight, Nietzsche’s will host part two of our Rochester Invasion series, featuring more of the finest talent our neighboring city has to offer. Joining us tonight we have 60’s-tinged party-all-the-timers Harmonica Lewinski, tongue-in-cheek lounge crooners Passive Aggressives Anonymous, multiinstrumental virtuoso Sam Snyder (or OHS, his endearingly shortened project name), and stone-cold rock and rollers The Ginger Faye Bakers. Each of these four acts bring their very own compelling flavor to the table, so don’t miss out. Swing by after Porchfest, the party doesn’t start until 9pm. This lineup is stacked, so bring five bucks so we can get our Rochester friends home safe and sound after closing time.

Tonight: Comfy

October 2, 2015

Yace Booking is having one hell of a weekend. After the “Golf Pop” extravaganza at Dreamland tonight, please head straight to Nietzsche’s for an incredible lineup showcasing Utica buzz-magnets Comfy. Comfy specializes in that special sort of self-deprecating indie rock; think a lo-fi version of Weezer’s Blue Album with all the shredding and ooh-oohs you can stomach. Support tonight comes from Modest Mousy newcomers Passed Out, Sonny Baker’s solo project, and the Geneseo-based Comfy contemporaries in Soft Cough. Doors are at 9pm, music starts at 10pm. Bring $5 and be sure to tip your bartender.