Preview

Tonight: The Soft Love

February 21, 2015

Don’t miss new-kids-on-the-block The Soft Love playing Nietzsche’s tonight at 9pm The young local group, which played its debut show at the same Allentown venue on Jan. 17 of this year, brings together members of the Buffalo-based rock groups Son of the Sun and the Thermidors. With The Soft Love being so young – and with next to no recorded material of theirs yet released – it’s still anyones guess what exactly they will bring to the stage tonight. But the Thermidors have a clear affinity for classic rock, blues and garage rock. Meanwhile, Son of the Sun – now defunct – were more informed by shoegaze and moody post-punk (think Interpol or Joy Division with more traditional rock vocals). Desert rockers Johnny Nobody and the garage rock trio, The Naturalists, will open the show. Nietszche’s is located at 248 Allen St. Cover is $5.

Tonight: Nausea

February 20, 2015

Tonight, Blanque Check, a local record label, is presenting a night of “music with a darker tinge” at Dreamland (8pm, $5), which seems appropriate given the week of mostly sub-zero temperatures we all just lived through. Nauseau, the solo project of Melbourne based musician, Andrew Dalziell, is headlining. This project takes brooding Bauhaus-esque vocals, slightly discordant and moody guitars and surrounds them with minimal tinny synths. Opening for Nauseau are 3 diverse Buffalo based acts. Space is Haunted is a raucous two piece with churning guitars and strident vocals. Bill and Jamie’s house is another two piece, providing the evening with gut wrenching folk songs. Finally, Brain Drain is spacey slowcore at times reminiscent of Galaxy 500. These 3 acts should further anchor an already solid night of music to warm your frozen souls. If not, standing in a crowd of people should at least help warm up your frozen[...]

Tonight: M.A.G.S. EP Release

February 20, 2015

M.A.G.S., better known as wunderkind Elliott Douglas’ solo project, will be releasing its highly-anticipated debut EP tonight. Chasing the positive reception from a two-song demo released late last year, Douglas has been hard at work on Cellophane, a six song EP full of garage rock with an indie-pop tinge (think Cloud Nothings or Tokyo Police Club’s earlier days). Cellophane comes to us via Admirable Traits Records. As if that weren’t enough, support tonight comes from The Slums (featuring Douglas’ ex-Malones bandmate, Steven Floyd), Kharlos (ex-Merchants and a current Space Wolf), and everyone’s favorite lake-pop band, Bryan Johnson & Family. A copy of Cellophane will be included with admission, which is $10. Doors are at 8:00, see you at Mohawk Place.

Knife the Symphony

Tonight: Knife the Symphony

February 20, 2015

Hang tight Buffalo; we’re slowly but surely rounding this hellish corner of freezing temps and heading toward springtime and sanity. If you’re feeling a little cabin feverish lately, consider expending some energy (or pent-up aggression) with some heavy jams. Catch Cincinnati-born band, Knife the Symphony, at Ocean Garden Oriental Foods tonight. These guys deliver discordant post-hardcore reminiscent of 90’s bands like Unwound and Jawbox, through a rhythmically driven punk filter. It’s dense and intense in all the right ways. Opening the show are locals Softlines, Alien Three, and Blobs. Doors are at 7pm, music starts at 8pm, admission is $5. You can check out the Facebook event here.

Tonight: Wild Gone Girls

February 19, 2015

Under the name Wild Gone Girls, Rochester audio/visual artists Martin Freeman and Cameron Farash have been performing shows presenting a kind of feedback loop between media where their electronic, often homemade sounds control the visuals being shown and vice versa. Described as an audio/visual dreamscape that morphs into an all sensory attack, the pair’s sets sit comfortably amidst this chaos, creating an atmosphere conducive to improvisation and spontaneity. Tonight, Wild Gone Girls will bring their idiosyncratic performance to Hallwalls Arts Center for a show with fellow Rochester experimentalists Pengo, a four-piece noise band who’ve drawn comparisons to Sun Ra, Throbbing Gristle, Suicide, and NNCK. Featuring synthesizers, drums, saxophone, guitar, and vocals, Pengo combine disparate styles of fringe genres to make for a consistently evolving sound that is rooted in the avant-garde ideal. Tickets for tonight’s show are $8 general admission, $6 students/seniors, $5 members. Show starts at 8pm. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/157079481″[...]

Tonight: Headshots! Vol IV

February 19, 2015

Looking for something fun (and free!) to do on yet another frigid Buffalo night? Gypsy Parlor has you covered with another installment of their Headshots! series. Featuring some of Buffalo’s best hip hop acts, the showcase, soundtracked by Covert and hosted by Wza, is the fourth in a series that shows no signs of slowing down. Doors for the 21+ show are at 10, and with so many performances on deck, you don’t want to be late. Whether you are a staple of the scene a la We Stole the Show, the duo comprised of Grand Phee and Rhyson Hall, or are newer to the game like Short Moscato featuring Death Picnic,  musically there is something for every hip hop head in the city. Headshots! also has performances by Koolie High and Drew Hartman aka Dr. OoO. There will be a merch table disguised as a popup shop, brought to[...]

Tonight: You Blew It! & Tiny Moving Parts

February 17, 2015

What might be considered one of the top “emo” showcases of the year is happening tonight at the Studio at the Waiting Room. The show is featuring two of the more popular bands in the indie-emo genre, You Blew It! and Tiny Moving Parts, as well as the indie band Rozwell Kid, who loves to bring the shred. Fresh off a new 2014 album, Match & Tinder, You Blew It! will definitely have the crowd singing along. Tiny Moving Parts is a fantastic combination of emo, math rock, flashy guitar work, and relatable lyrics, which makes for a very fun live show with a lot of crowd interaction. Rozwell Kid brings one of the most hilarious live shows I have ever seen. Stay tuned for an interview with them later today. Opening the show will be Buffalo natives Alleys and Well Kept Things, which will fit right in on the bill[...]

Tonight: Alex Berkley & Sonny Baker

February 16, 2015

Tonight Nietzsche’s will be set to host a fairly low-key night, featuring two of Buffalo’s best singer-songwriters doing what they do best – singing and playing original songs. On the line up is the man of a thousand bands, Sonny Baker, performing his Jim James-style ballads that have been perfected over his close to ten years in the Buffalo music scene. Also set to perform is Elmwood Village introspective songwriter, Alex Berkley. Perhaps Berkley will debut some of his newly-written tracks from his Fun-a-Day project? Get there around 8pm and there is no cover. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/190882198″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Tonight: Busman’s Holiday

February 16, 2015

What better way to escape the subzeroes than to warm up with Busman’s Holiday? The brotherly duo of Bloomington, Indiana craft wonderfully charming chamber pop ballads, and will bring that craft to Buffalo tonight. The show takes place at Ocean Garden Oriental Foods, next to Sugar City and across from Resurgence Brewing Co, for those of you who have yet to have the pleasure of seeing a good ol’ rock show there before. Local support on the bill includes a solo performance from Nick Gordon of JOHNS; his solo stuff channeling a slacker-y Lou Reed vibe, and CCDS (Death Squad), a drum duo (yes, drum duo) that is best witnessed with your own eyes and ears. Doors open at 7pm with a $6 cover

Tonight: Red Rovers Roll – Valentine Night Adult Skate

February 14, 2015

After hitting negative degrees yesterday, I am sure it was a welcome surprise to wake up to another few inches of snow this morning in the winter that just won’t quit. And with today being Valentine’s Day, those single Buffalonians are either faced with being holed up in their apt all day and starting at the walls, or doing something about it. So why not choose the later and head over to Skateland at 10pm tonight for Red Rovers Roll Valentines Night Adult Skate, put on by the fine folks behind the recent Well Round Peoples Parties. Sike and DJ Reazon will be providing the tunes while you “gracefully” skate around the rink all night long. $5 will get you through the door and skate rentals are only a buck.

Tonight: Flatsitter’s SAFE WOR(L)D

February 14, 2015

Let’s start with a brief mental exercise, run through all the possibilities one has for a Valentine’s Day activity, with a partner or with friends…Pretty cliche, pretty ‘done-to’death’ right? Well, tonight at The Foundry Lounge, there is actually something a little bit more unique, which is probably why it appears to be sold out. SAFE WOR(L)D is billed as a “shared virtual reality” experience. Guests receive a one-on-one session with an Oculus Rift, being placed in a series of utopian environments. For those unfamiliar with the Oculus Rift, it is a virtual reality headset that allows for full head movement and an overall immersive experience. This isn’t the Tron like virtual reality you remember from the ’90s. Presented by Flatsitter, this is sure to be an incredible experience for those in attendance. The first run of SAFE WOR(L)D was sold out, and from the looks of it, so is this[...]

Tonight: Heavy Rotation – Lonely Hearts Dance

February 13, 2015

Later on tonight, we will be taking over Allentown’s go-to movin’ and shakin’ venue, Hardware, in order to deliver you some of the best DJ’s Buffalo has to offer.  On the line-up is hiphop guru Cove, drum and bass sensation Camaican Sensation, multi-media artist Projex, and dance party expert DJ Teen Wolf. With just a $5 cover, this is the spot to be in Allentown. Cove will be starting things off at 11pm sharp, so make sure your “one more drink and we’ll leave” is around 10:15pm.

Tonight: The Public Presents Mr. Boneless

February 12, 2015

Buffalo’s new alt-weekly is holding its second installment of The Public Presents tonight at Nietzsche’s – and they’re serving up a night of simple, down-home American rock with fixings of blues, bluegrass, country, folk, Americana, and everything in between. For headliners, The Public brought out one of WNY’s best folk-rock outfits in Mr. Boneless. This Queen City via Fredonia quartet melds gentle, woodsy folk with hard guitar blues, noise rock, punk, and grunge. With a true, authentic revivalist spirit, this group brings the honest passion and grit of its classic influences while  invigorating it with all the muscular energy of 90s DIY punk. Opening the night is the bluegrass-influenced Rear View Ramblers (featuring former members of the CPX), country-rockers Leroy Townes Band, and Jaye Bartell, on first, who admirably takes after the stoic, gritty deadpan of Johnny Cash. The show starts at 8pm at Nietzsche’s, with a $5 cover.

Tonight: Tiny Desk Concert Contest Concert

February 12, 2015

For years, the NPR Tiny Desk series has been home to many artists from T-Pain and Macklemore to Adele and Foster the People. Some of the biggest artists in music today have played in the small cramped studio that NPR calls home. And thanks to NPR’s extensive reach, the search for new fresh talent has made it’s way to Buffalo. Tonight at Mohawk Place, there will be a showcase for Buffalo’s entries in the contest which includes some of Buffalo’s best bands, both young and old, like Parade Chic, the Observers, Applennium and Tiny Rhymes. Will NPR offer a Buffalo band this amazing opportunity to extend its reach? We’ll have to wait to find out. But either way, tonight’s showcase should be an incredible show of Queen City talent. The show at Mohawk Place starts at 8pm and tickets are $5 at the door.

Today : Bill & Jamie’s House, Difficult Night

February 8, 2015

Are you ready for some deathfolk?  Head down to the Nothrup House today for an early matinee show stacked with some awesome local talent. The show begins at 2pm and will feature Bill & Jamie’s House, Difficult Night, Velvet Alphabet, and Jacob Brockway, all from Buffalo.  Bill & Jamie’s House will bring some beautiful,  stripped down acoustic tracks while Difficult Night takes it a more electric route, and should result in a great show. There is no cost listed in the event page, but I would bring a few dollars for the bands just in case. If you’re into folk music, this gig is definitely for you.