Preview

Tonight: Red Devil Ryders

September 21, 2019

Get your thrills tonight on Main Street in Buffalo as the Hostel hosts an awesome lineup. Taking the stage and on the lam are Cleveland’s outlaw lo-fi power pop act, Red Devil Ryders. This trio will charm you with a catchy Southern throwback sound that will make you feel like an easy rider cruising into the sunset. Expect a stellar set filled with tangy BBQ riffs, piston-firing drums and free bird vocals. Check them out and get your engine revved. Sharing the bill and fresh off their latest tour are hometown punk rockers, Alpha Hoppers. Chaos will surely reign when these four hit the stage. Expect boisterous, experimental punk beats and in-your-face, wild-woman vocals that amount to some of the most righteous jams on the scene today. Show up and give them a warm welcome home. Rounding out the night is the Buffalo emo post-punk four-piece, Speed Dial. Doors at[...]

Tonight: Bethlehem Steel

September 14, 2019

Celebrated indie rockers Bethlehem Steel celebrate the release of their new self-titled album with a show tonight at Mohawk Place. The follow up to their much-lauded full length Party Naked Forever shows the band is continuing to evolve and hone their sound. With their loud, fuzzy punk ethos and cathartic lyricism, the band has become a mainstay of Brooklyn’s thriving indie scene. This release also showcases the addition of guitarist Christina Puerto, whose tasteful lead work fills out the band’s already established textures. The true standout on this record as always is lead singer Becca Ryskalczyk, whose soaring vocals continually ground the band. Her ability to seamlessly transition from a contemplative, reflective tone to suddenly channeling anger and frustration is thoroughly compelling. While a far cry from her days as a singer-songwriter, Ryskalczyk has an innate ability to captivate listeners, which is only highlighted by the outstanding musicianship of the[...]

Tonight: Aweful Kanawful

September 13, 2019

With lineups so consistently solid that it’s hard to tell who the intended headliner is, Nietzsche’s has been the place to be on recent Friday nights. This weekend, that trend continues with local acts Ex-Pat, Aircraft, and VR Sunset, along with a special visit from Rochester’s Aweful Kanawful. Here’s what to expect from each, in two sentences or less. Ex-Pat’s lo-fi synth pop is so soothing, it might as well be a blood pressure medication. Upon hearing the reverberating, ethereal guitar, keys, and falsetto, your breathing will slow to the beat of the music, your sneakers will melt into the floor, and you’ll float into a blissful waking dream – trust me, I’ve been there. Aircraft is perfect for trying to surf on Lake Erie (good luck). Springy, yet sinuous guitars, deeply layered harmonies, and beach-y drums build a kaleidoscope of psychedelic surf-rock that’s so fun and consuming, it’s honestly[...]

Tonight: Guerilla Toss

September 13, 2019

Tonight walk on the wild side at Sugar City when Boston by way of NYC avant garde funk band Guerilla Toss rolls through with Philly post punks Empath and local freaks Mallwalkers and Lesionread. Blending  arty NYC New Wave with noise, psychedelia and crazy funk, Guerilla Toss keeps your brain swimming in ideas and out there sounds that are simultaneously very listenable yet totally bonkers. Empath meanwhile, is psychedelic punk: raw yet freaky in the ear, and completely unbothered by your rules or your need for labels. Providing local support will be legendary punks Mallwalkers playing their penultimate local show, and avant provocateur  Lesionread. Tickets are $15 and doors are at 6pm.

Tonight: Boy Jr.

September 6, 2019

I don’t know about you, but to me this week feels like it crawled straight out of hell. The sun is shining, but the school buses clogging up Main St. are screaming, “Summer’s over!” We all need some good music to send the past few days whence they came. Luckily, Nietzsche’s is serving up the good stuff tonight. Boy Jr. is the musical brainchild of SUNY Purchase alum and current Rochestarian, Erica Allen-Lubman, a singer-songwriter with the know-how of a music school grad and the raw energy of a glam rocker. Her discography is a venture from soulful garage rock into sassy, glittery, guitar-driven pop, with one common, indispensable element – that voice. Allen-Lubman’s powerful vocals, cutting lyrics, and fun costumes combine to make Boy Jr. a meditation in self-expression – that is, if you can meditate and dance at the same time. Also on deck is Fredonia psych rock[...]

Tonight: Wild Once

August 24, 2019

Tonight, make your way on down to Nietzsche’s for what’s sure to be an amazing night full of talented performers. For starters, Wild Once will be making their return to the stage in Buffalo following a short run of out-of-town dates in support of their latest release, Perennials. Also performing tonight is the elusive, yet ever intriguing Brent Martone of Head North fame. It has been quite a while since we have seen him performing, but surely that means that he’s got a few tricks up has sleeve, and perhaps a few new tracks to follow suit. Supporting these acts on stage tonight are atmospheric rockers, Previous Love as well as your friendly neighborhood kids, West Ferry. Doors are at 9pm, cover is $7. We’ll see you there. Perennials by Wild Once Written by Mike Rakiecki

Tonight: Leggy

August 23, 2019

Get your kicks tonight at the 9th Ward in Buffalo who host buzzworthy Cincinnati garage rockers, Leggy. If you’re not in the know, Leggy released their new album, Let Me Know Your Moon, which features fantastically ragtag, punk-flavored garage rock. Dual vocalists, Veronique Allaer and Kirsten Bladh, who also double-up on guitar and bass, sing their hearts out over relationship woes while weaving no-nonsense riffs that will give you an adrenaline rush. Tying everything together with calamitous drumbeats is Chris Campbell behind the kit. With a song for every flavor of punk, don’t miss this irresistible trio who are sure to put on a great performance. Sharing the stage are hometown favorites, Velvet Bethany. A band that needs no introduction, this four-piece is still riding high off their latest album, Rock & Roll Vacation!, which saw them put out their best material to date. Prepare for an electrifying performance filled with[...]

Tonight: Another Michael

August 22, 2019

Everyone knows more than one Michael. In elementary school, we reduced the identities of the various Michaels in our class to their last initials – a Michael I., a Michael D., a Michael R., and a Michael N. Another Michael is playing tonight at Mohawk Place tonight, namely another Michael D. Michael Doherty, an Albany expat and newly Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter who normally plays with a full band, has traded his usual lineup this summer for a more intimate solo tour of the American northeast with Bruiser and Bicycle, who are touring in support of their 2019 album Woods Come Find Me. Another Michael is hard to pin down. Even without a list of bands in front of them, any listener can tell this group pulls influence from all over the place, spanning genre and time. Doherty’s versatile vocal style vacillates between powerful clarity and celestial resonance, often breaching R&B territory.[...]

Tonight: Rust Belt Brigade

August 21, 2019

One must pay dues in life, and that certainly holds true for the music scene. The two acts taking to the stage at Nietzsche’s tonight are paid in full. Both The Rust Belt Brigade and 20,000 Strongmen forged their respective paths through the time honored tradition of busking. This helped the Rust Belt Brigade transform from a punk-duo to a four piece Americana band with strong rhythms and a swamp folk style vocal. Meanwhile, 20,000 Strongmen, headed by everyone’s favorite banjo picker Mike Strongman, sound as though they just stepped off a back porch of 1940’s Appalachia. Leave your technology at home tonightand enjoy music stripped down to its bare bones being played by the finest acoustic musicians Buffalo has to offer. $5 at the door and the show starts at 8:30pm. Written by Kevin Prentice

Tonight: The Warp/The Weft

August 20, 2019

Tonight Poughkeepsie mythic folk rockers The Warp/The Weft bring their widescreen sensibilities to The Mohawk with local folk heroes Carmen & Lizzy and newbies Urban Planning. Straight up out of the depths of time and downstate, The Warp/The Weft is mindbending folk rock for a dark and stormy night at sea or the apocalypse, to such an extent that one can’t help but picture lead vocalist Shane Murphy belting out his epic shanties whilst lashed to the ship’s wheel during a gale or while holding a lantern, shrouded and pointing into misty darkness. It’s all pretty heady stuff and fun. Opening the show will be the exquisitely ethereal but always realer than real Carmen & Lizzy and left field but very laid back indie rockers Urban Planning. Doors are at 7pm, show’s at 8pm, and cover is $5. Dead Reckoning by The Warp/The Weft

Tonight: M.A.G.S.

August 18, 2019

Tonight, Buffalo-native turned California rock and roller M.A.G.S. makes yet another long-awaited pilgrimage back to the Queen City to dazzle us with a night filled with incredible music. Starting in 2015, the mind behind M.A.G.S., Elliot Douglas, has been steadily writing and recording some of the most anthemic garage-rocky songs with no signs of slowing down or downturn in quality. Head on down to Milkie’s on Elmwood this evening and you will catch not only him, but some of the best indie-riffage that Buffalo has to offer. Supporting M.A.G.S. on stage tonight will be some of our favorites in local up-and-comers Johnny & the Man Kids as well as the grungy-yet-catchy Nylon Otters. Doors open at 7pm, cover is $8. Written by Mike Rakiecki

Tonight: Laveda

August 15, 2019

Tonight your dreams will become real when Allentown’s Nietzsche’s hosts a very fine bill of lo-fi indie featuring Albany’s Laveda, Coral Collapse, and Michael Heubusch. Straight out of the Capital Districts and directly into your subconscious, Laveda (Ali Genevich, Jake Brooks) is shoegazey fun with a bit of British New Wave and M83 and thus ideal for emotively swaying in place to the pulsing beats. Coral Collapse, who only look like substitute math teachers, will be opening the show with their evocative, angular, and soaring dream pop along with the debut performance of singer-songwriter and rabble rouser Michael Heubusch. Doors are at 8pm and cover is $5. Better Now by Laveda

Tonight: Alpha Hopper

August 14, 2019

Stage dive into a mid-week treat tonight at Buffalo’s Mohawk Place for a killer punk rock show. Headlining are the noisy punk rockers, Alpha Hopper. This hometown four-piece will inject their experimental, power chord-heavy sound straight into your brain and leave you bouncing off the walls and the people around you. Their riffs are catchy and crunchy and their vocals are abrasive and female, it’s the perfect recipe for a good time. Expect old frenetic favorites and new sublime stuff off their recently released album, Aloha Hopper. Also performing is the Washington, DC rock and roll hardcore adrenaline rush, CDR (Crude Death Rate). If you’re having a bad week and hate your job, this set will be the perfect release to kick you over the hump. Fresh off their explosive new EP, Kill Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow, CDR pumps out pissed off hardcore that’s sure to get[...]

Tonight: Beck

August 13, 2019

One of the summer’s most interesting outdoor amphitheater tours featuring some of indie rocks biggest bands rolls through WNY tonight when Darien Lake hosts Beck, Spoon, Cage The Elephant and Sunflower Bean.  At this point Beck and Spoon are straight up elder statesmen, with the legendary Angelino prepping his fourteenth… yes fourteenth album Hyperspace, while tasteful Austin TX indie stalwarts Spoon are back in the area after that now legendary 2015 Canalside show in support of their recently released their first best of album, appropriately titled Everything Hits At Once and 2018’s bright and shiny Colors. Bringing down the median age of the bill will be Bowling Green Kenturcky garage rock conceptualists Cage The Elephant, and breakout NYC glam rock darlings Sunflower Bean, whose sophomore album Twentytwo in Blue brought together sexy T-Rex riffs, Fleetwood Mac worthy melodies, and righteous Gen Z angst  to make one of the best and downright inspirational albums of 2018.[...]

Tonight: Kill the Clock

August 11, 2019

It is with a heavy heart that we have to say goodbye to one of Buffalo’s great rock bands. Kill the Clock will be performing one last time tonight at Mohawk Place before they hang up their axes and finish the last chapter of what was a great a great career. The band, which has been active for close to a decade now, has released a multitude of records and EP’s, and has toured the country several times, capturing our hearts and becoming  a long time staple of the pop punk scene. Joining the gang on stage this evening are local emo boys Ghostpool, the always-entertaining Keep Flying, Ontario indie-poppers Harbour, and Pittsburgh pop-punkers Eternal boy. This is not going to be a show you’re going to want to miss. This is nearly a sell-out show, so if you haven’t gotten your ticket already, we suggest you get on that. Written by[...]