Preview

Tonight: Desmadrados Soldados De Ventura

April 17, 2015

Sugar City plays host to Manchester’s Desmadrados Soldados De Ventura tonight, joined by Flesh Trade, Cages and trio Baczkowksi/Abramson/Sack. Desmadrados Soldados De Ventura create huge walls of sound and fuzz that could properly be called “psychedelic.” I don’t mean the brand of psych-rock that entails putting on sunglasses and singing about ghosts on the beach, either. These are full-on improv freak outs with shades of bands like Can as well as modern counterparts like The Mars Volta. And they’ve been kind enough to bring these sounds all the way from the UK for the likes of us to indulge in. With support from Cages, Flesh Trade and Baczkowksi/Abramson/Sack, it should be a noisy, experimental, unhinged night over at Sugar City. Music starts at 8pm for $7. Facebook event here. Check out Desmadrados Soldados De Ventura below.

Tonight: Buffalo Rap Round Robin

April 16, 2015

What began as an annual Baltimore tradition has made its way to Buffalo, where three local acts meet three touring acts for a nonstop rap action in an innovative presentation of music. The Gypsy Parlor hosts tonight’s event, which begins at 9pm. The aim of the Rap Round Robin is to eliminate the “dead air and general lameness” of rap shows by creating an environment where there is continuous music throughout the show. Three stages are set up, and each act performs a single track before passing the mic to the next group. The audience is literally surrounded by music, and with three local favorites representing, this is a can’t miss show for hip hop heads. Jack Topht & Little Cake will take a stage tonight, along with Dr. Ooo, and Short Moscato. The touring acts for the tour are Passalacqua, Height Keech, and Eze Jackson, along with special guest PT[...]

Tonight: Monophonics

April 16, 2015

Buffalo Iron Works will be grooving hard this evening to the gorgeously psychedelic, R&B stylings of San Francisco soul outfit Monophonics along with Albany’s hard rocking Wild Adriatic. In town in support of its recently released sophomore album, Sound Of Sinning, the mighty five-piece from the Bay Area is known for an intense and towering sound, reminiscent of The Isley Brothers, Edwin Starr, The Guess Who, and Shuggie Otis, that grandly fuses classic soul with the psychedelic rock of the 60’s and early 70’s to intense effect. Meanwhile, Albany power trio Wild Adriatic channels the bar band stadium rock sound of 80’s stalwarts The News and Bryan Adams with unabashed enthusiasm and a minimum of irony. There’s going to be a wild and heady dance party at Iron Works tonight, and $15 gets you in. Show starts at 9pm.

Pleasure Leftists

Tonight: Pleasure Leftists

April 16, 2015

I was able to see Pleasure Leftists for the first time last year at Buffalo Iron Works as an opener for Cloud Nothings. The venue was jam packed and teeming with anxious attendees awaiting their opportunity to thrash around to the nihilistic, lo-fi punk of the headlining band. The members of Pleasure Leftists were a quiet presence while setting up and playing, mentioning only that they were from Cleveland and throwing polite thank you’s in between songs. But they had this way of commanding the entire room as soon as they struck a note. The dark, but alluring howl of lead singer Haley Morris worked in perfect harmony with the steadfast rhythm section and somewhat ominous guitar parts. The blend definitely had me (and everyone else) deeply entranced for their entire set. You can catch Pleasure Leftists tonight at the Glitterbox, along with Aaron and the Burrs, Softlines and Corliz[...]

Tonight: Lightning Bolt w/ METZ

April 15, 2015

Tonight’s Lightning Bolt show at Mohawk Place may be so sold out. There were ten tickets for $15 each left at midnight, so if you haven’t already purchased a ticket, now is your absolute last chance. I really encourage you to do so because the last time Lightning Bolt was in town, it was absolutely bonkers and amazing. Lightning Bolt have recently released their first album in over 6 years, Fantasy Empire, through the always solid Thrill Jockey records. Lightning Bolt’s music is a blistering attack of noise and sound but, as their live performance makes abundantly clear, one in which the duo has total control over. This is as much a physical accomplishment as it is a musical one and you have to wonder how they manage to keep pace with what they are doing and how they don’t collapse from exhaustion after a few songs. If the show they played[...]

River City Extension

Tonight: River City Extension

April 14, 2015

River City Extension’s sound is anything but stale. With the addition of melodic guitar, strings, keys, and refreshing structural changes, this New Jersey based group offers an invigorating approach to rootsy blended indie rock. Though unique in their own respect, they share the same propulsive, positive feel that a band like The Mowglis possesses, and have similar rhythmic variance of 2011 era Bombay Bicycle Club on their newest release, Deliverance. There is this overall pleasant assuredness that shines through their tightly wound sound that is quite contagious for a listener. Naturally, if I were to make one suggestion for what you should do on this lovely Tuesday, it would be to stop by the Studio at Waiting Room for this show. Philly natives, Cold Fronts, will be opening with their bedroomy riff rock, along with locals, Our Modern Moloch. Doors are at 7pm, and you can still get a ticket[...]

Tonight: BRC and RRC Present UNITY!

April 11, 2015

The Buffalo Rage Community and the Rochester Rave Community have joined forces to present a quarterly event of music and local talent that will encapsulate the title itself: Unity. Talent from the two cities will share stages at Waiting Room, with each community drawing a crowd of loyal followers. The last BRC event held at the venue was so full to capacity and was energetic beyond belief, there was a line winding out the door which is hard to come by for Buffalo events these days. The lineup for tonight is stacked and there will be a taste of any genre. For those that hoop, poi, glove, and any other visually stimulating trip trick toy, the BRC and RRC encourage you to bring them. Note: Just please be mindful and respectful of those around you. Sneak a peak at the time slots below. 8-9pm: MatKa B2B Chucks 9-10pm: Miosi B2B[...]

Tonight: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad

April 11, 2015

To the uninformed, Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad is Rochester’s premier dub reggae crew. That may sound like a particularly narrow and unessential niche to reign over, but the decade-old quintet is, in fact, one of the most popular and skillful live acts to emerge from The Flower City in recent years. With their mix of chill Caribbean rhythms, spaced-out soundscapes, and heavy low-end sounds, it’s easy to see why the band is so well loved by everyone from dub fanatics (as in the sub-genre of reggae, which is a world apart from the EDM atrocity that is dubstep) to college-aged stoners and reggae aficionados. Though Giant Panda has only put out a handful of studio LPs since their 2004 formation, the group has nursed a sizable and much-deserved cult following due mainly to the strength of their live shows. You can hear tons of their performances for free, and[...]

Tonight: Smart House

April 11, 2015

Tonight Buffalo’s hottest free weekly newspaper, The Public, and The Good Neighborhood will be presenting a show at Nietzsche’s featuring two of Buffalo’s most ambitious and exciting bands: Smart House and Strange Acres, in addition to Brooklyn’s The Vine Brothers. Working backwards, the eclectic lineup actually traces a fascinating history of popular music, from the gritty yet delicate Americana infused folk rock of The Vine Brothers to the aching, David Lynch inspired retro chill-rock of Strange Acres to the less is more future pop of Smart House (including blog alumni Brian Gorman). $5 or the donation of a used musical instrument gets you in.

Tonight: The Common Music Collective Presents: The Juliet Letters

April 10, 2015

It’s slower nights like tonight that force one to think a bit outside the box and seek something different if one wants to get its music fix. Tonight at Pausa Art House may be one of those events as The Common Music Collective, a group of artists featuring members of Wooden Cities, Tiny Rhymes, and other classical musicians from in or near New York State, will take on Elvis Costello’s The Juliet Letters.  Recorded and released with the Brodsky Quartet in 1993, The Juliet Letters, Costello’s 14th studio album, is a collection of 20 songs written for both voice and string ensemble, “inspired by the story of a professor who responded to letters written to Shakespeare’s Juliet Capulet.” The Common Music Collective will begin its take on The Juliet Letters this evening at 8pm. Cost is $7 for the general public or $5 for students.

Wilder Maker

Tonight: Wilder Maker

April 9, 2015

Sometimes the best musical landscapes are painted through the most seemingly simple songs. With all the pleasantries of easygoing alt-country mixed with harmonious folk influences, Wilder Maker steadily leads you through that landscape, introducing you to the treasure-like intricacies along the way. This Brooklyn based group is unmistakably good at capturing a sweeping and pensive Americana vibe. The band’s founder and lead vocalist, Gabriel Birnbaum, shares a similar baritone croon to Matt Berninger of The National, which is both vulnerable and inviting. Catch Wilder Maker at Mohawk Place tonight, along with Sharon Mok of Tiny Rhymes, another solid alt-folk artist. Doors for the show are at 7pm, and admission is only $5. (Note: Hussalonia was originally scheduled to play but will not be on the bill tonight in case you were expecting them.) Check out the Facebook event for more information.

Tonight: Shana Falana

April 8, 2015

The Hive is set to host one of the most impressive bills of the month tonight in its tiny DIY attic. Headlining the bill is buzzing Kingston, NY-based duo, Shana Falana. The act is currently on a multi-month tour, supporting the April 7th release of Set Your Lightning Fire Free via Team Love Records (Tilly and the Wall, Roz and the Rice Cakes). If you are a fan of shoegaze with powerful female vocals, you should probably be at The Hive. Supporting Falana is Rochester lo-fi tag team, Buffalo Sex Change, indie-pop trio, The Tins, and a stripped down acoustic set from a hibernating Aircraft. $6 doors and it’s super early. Like 7pm early. If you don’t know where the Hive is, I would ask someone who does.

Tonight: Parlor Trix #2

April 8, 2015

Curly’s will host Steak and Cake Record’s second annual Parlor Trix tonight, offering a bill of returning artists, as well as fresh faces. One of thos faces, Karima Walker, is coming to us all of the way from sunny Tucson, Arizona. In between shows in New York City and Toronto on her spring tour, she promises an elegant voice and a soft acoustic packed in her luggage. The other performers include: Max Weiss, a local indie favorite, Nick Gordon of Nicky & The Hall of Fame, JOHNS, a brand new hip-hop project titled Hop Hop, and returning favorite Damian Weber. Weiss offers a very complex perspective on indie rock, and is surely not an act to miss. Curly’s will provide Weiss with a setting that will allow him to shine as a solo artist. Listening to Nick Gordon, one cannot mistake distinct influences from Mick Jagger and Jeff Buckley. A powerful combination if delivered the right way.[...]

Tonight: Big Data

April 7, 2015

The past decade has certainly seen no shortage of underground artists melding electro-rock, psychedelic rock, alt-dance and synthpop – from MGMT to Ratatat to alt-J and beyond. But Big Data – a relatively new project helmed by Brooklyn DJ Alan Wilkis – displays enough intensity and virtuosity to stand apart, if not above, many of its peers in such a crowded field. Big Data’s music is at turns heady and danceable, abrasive and poppy, upbeat and frighteningly paranoid. His debut, 2.0, released this March, features vocal appearances ranging from Rivers Cuomo to Rochester indie-rockers Joywave to indie-pop artists the world around, from Kimbra to Twin Shadow. But their lyrics are pretty universally manic – Cuomo croons about Edward Snowden on the blaring noise-pop of “Snowed In;” White Sea sings about a relentless lover over Europop synths on “The Business of Emotion;” and on the bass-heavy debut single, “Dangerous” (which peaked[...]

Tonight: Will Johnson

April 7, 2015

A couple months ago, long time Denton, TX rockers, Centro-matic brought their farewell tour through the Sportsmen’s Tavern, putting a cap on a nearly 20 year career, one that adopted Buffalo as a home away from home for the band. If you happened to miss the Centro-matic’s Buffalo goodbye, you sort of have a chance for redemption tonight at front man Will Johnson (Monsters of Folk) will be back in town, performing at the first house concert of the year in the living room Marty Boratin and Susan Tanner’s Hamburg home. Many people point to the first Canalside show as the beginning of summer, but in my mind, despite the weather not doing a very convincing job, Marty and Susan’s house concerts are the real start to the summer concert season. While Johnson isn’t set to go on until around 8pm, guests are encouraged to arrive around 6pm, with a[...]