Preview

Tonight: Bryan Johnson & Family

January 2, 2015

The folks over at Admirable Traits have put together a juicy bill for the first weekend of 2015, a line-up stacked with local greats to take place at Mr. Goodbar at 10pm. If you’re like me, come January 2nd, a serious break from the holidaze is needed. That’s exactly where Bryan Johnson & Family comes in. Armed to the teeth with energetic surf-pop songs, these kings-of-all-things-fun will clean your holiday slate and teleport your tired soul into that sweet, sweet summer breeze. I can almost smell the toxic waters of Lake Erie already. Also on tonight’s bill you’ll find the electro-pop stylings of ambient rockers Humble Braggers and the delicious raw-retro sounds of Rochester post-punk duo Buffalo Sex Change. First Friday of 2015 + Mr. Goodbar’s tantalizingly extensive beer selection + just a buck-a-band cover? Don’t be a fool.

Tonight: Transmission Dance Party

December 31, 2014

Time travel back to the future this New Year’s Eve at Mohawk Place. Just two years ago, it was the end of an era when they closed their doors, but now you can dance your way into 2015 for just $5 at the famed venue. Doors for Transmission, a long-storied Buffalo dance party tradition, are at 10pm, and if you want to catch your favorite tracks from everyone from Robert Smith to Robert Palmer, you’ll show up on time and ready to dance. It’s a New Wave, New Order kind of evening, and while there’s no dress code, you should definitely come dressed to impressed in your best black and sexiest scowl. Bill Page and Jason Draper might call themselves the worst DJ’s in Buffalo, but the consistently packed dance floor at their events say otherwise. Ring in the New Year right tonight with the best dance party in Buffalo.[...]

Tonight: Aircraft Welcomes The Future

December 31, 2014

Tonight the future will be now when blog favorites Aircraft, The Tins, Equality Knowledge & Light (Dr. Ooo, Sleep Close Death, Goodman Brown, Truey V, WZA, and Whoizzy), and Lesionread polish off 2014 and ring in 2015 at Nietzsche’s. This all star line up will be transforming that well worn and venerable Allentown venue into a psychedelic starship that’s going to take us all into the future and showcase some of the finest and forward thinking acts in Buffalo. $5 gets you in the door, champagne at midnight, plus some of the best hip hop, psych-pop and future pop in the city. Music starts at 9:30. See you there.

Tonight: Rabbit Rabbit

December 29, 2014

There are so many different kinds of ghosts. You’ve got your vengeful spirits, your floating sheets, your ancestral phantoms, your Caspers. So when I describe Rabbit Rabbit‘s music as kind of spectral, I should clarify that I am thinking of a playful poltergeist. Doesn’t mean you any harm, but probably doesn’t bear any good will, either: just spooking you for the sake of entertainment. Check out “Holyoke” below to see what I mean. The vocals range from whispers to haunting wails while the song bounces around of its own accord. Wanna see it all for yourself? Rabbit Rabbit’s playing tonight at Black Dots with Grout and Jamie & The Debt. Doors at 7, show at 8. Six bucks. Facebook event here.

Tonight: Cruelster

December 28, 2014

Cleveland has a long history of cool, aggressive bands. See: Any of Tony Erba’s projects, Integrity, list goes on and on. Add Cruelster to that list; part rock’n’roll, part punk, full on aggression. They’re playing tonight too. Ocean Garden Oriental Foods on Niagara for a measly $fiver. Surf birds, Aaron and the Burrs, and lady elves, Cross Stitch, open the thing. Working on elf time, not punk time. 8pm sharp for a sunday night. Get it out.

Tonight: Rotten EP Release Party

December 27, 2014

The boys in Rotten have been called a lot of things but nice isn’t one of em. Glue splattered, filth-punk with some anarchistic flare, England’s favorite sons have been laying down a path of slime-strewn indecency since their inception. Whether live or recorded on wax these boys deliver the goods and do so in spades, inspiring sweet, sick madness. BUT BEWARE. They will ruin anything they touch and consume anything they can get their filthy hands on. They’re just a wee bit off-kilter. It makes sense then that their new EP is titled Bat Shit Crazy. You have to be a little crazy to inspire the kind of punk as hell attitude that these fellas cop. Do yourself a favor and head down to Mohawk Place tonight (6 bands for 6 bux!) and pick up a copy. It’s their release show and it would really make them happy. Then again,[...]

Tonight: Brimstone Blondes w/ The Demos

December 22, 2014

Are you sick of shopping malls yet?  I’ll bet you’re not sick of  abandoned Asian food markets and rock and roll! And if you’re saying to yourself “But I am sick of rock and roll…,” then why are you even reading this? I digress. Brimstone Blondes will be kicking off their “Red White & Blonde” Christmas tour tonight with a Chanukah bonanza at Ocean Garden Oriental Foods (1233 Niagara St.). If you didn’t catch them at their release party at Iron Works a few months back, now is your chance to catch their signature blend of charismatic post-punk for yourself. If you did make the release party, you probably know enough not to miss out. You know what they say: go Blonde or go home! (They don’t actually say that.) Two other bands share the bill with The Blondes tonight– Rochester’s power pop pros The Demos will be bringing it along with[...]

Tonight: buffaBLOG Holiday Party

December 20, 2014

Less than a week until Christmas and what better way to spend the evening with friends than to head down to Duke’s for our 4th annual holiday party. The place is always well decorated, bound to get even the biggest Scrooge into the festive spirit. If you missed any of our artist spotlights during the week, take a minute to brush up. The Slums Pleistocene Newish Star Radarada Plus, pizza loving DJ, Yung Zza, will be keeping the party going in between sets and all night long. Music kicks off at 10pm. $5, 21+

Tonight: Cactus Truck

December 19, 2014

Recently, I thought to myself, “I really hope the apocalypse has a saxophone.” So it seemed well-timed that the Ninth Ward is hosting Cactus Truck tonight (8pm, $10). The Amsterdam based trio make music that is best described as intense. Comprised of drum, guitar/bass and saxophone, Cactus Truck’s music engulfs the listener in an enthralling cacophony. Mixing free jazz with no wave and noise, the result is a  total experience for the audience. This is not a show for talking with friends as music plays in the background.

Tonight: Breakout

December 19, 2014

In this day and age hardcore and punk bands are a dime a dozen. It takes a special something to capture the ear, beyond the slosh and genre-defining milieu…we’re looking to be inspired. Breakout have all the intangibles to make them stick out from the pack. Their songs are bloody good; hooky and slightly unhinged. You can hear them pull elements from early SoCal punk bands, and make the link to modern hardcore. All with style and poise. Tonight you can find the lone star punks at Ocean Garden Oriental Foods (1233 Niagara St.) along with locals Pissing Match, New Vision, and out of towners Pure Disgust and Hard Stripes. A solid bill filled with some great bands and it’s only $8. Get down to the spot tonight. 7pm for doors, 8pm for punk.

Tonight: The Tins

December 18, 2014

With the advent of 107.7’s Kerfuffle event becoming the start of a Buffalo tradition, so too is the local after-party that surrounds the event. These after-parties have been marked by bands much in-tune with indie/alt-pop sound of the Kerfuffle events themselves and often by artists who easily could be slated for the event itself. This season that after-party takes place at Buffalo Iron Works with local act, The Tins, headlining. The band has increasingly making a name for themselves with their brand of indie rock, gaining attention from major UK trendsetter, NME, and popular indie blog, PopMatters. The band have a tight-layered pop sound reminiscent of bands like The Shins and Peter, Bjorn, and John. The local act’s arrives on the strength of their highly-impressive new Young Blame EP, a hint of things to come from a Buffalo-based band well and truly on the rise. Doors at Iron Works open[...]

Tonight: Bro Safari

December 16, 2014

Texas based producer Nick Weiller, better known as Bro Safari, has been producing trap, dubstep, and moombahton tracks since 2008 and has since become a mainstay in the American EDM scene with appearances on Mad Decent’s Jeffree’s imprint and BBC Radio 1’s Diplo and Friends mix show. With a versatile approach to production, Weiller is able to create sinister, stark sounding tracks with an underlying melodic sensibility that makes for a maximalist, relentless listening experience. Tonight, the DJ/producer with perform at Buffalo’s Town Ballroom along with Miami turntablist and DMC world champion DJ Craze. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here. Doors open at 8pm. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/73982474″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Tonight: Centro-matic

December 14, 2014

After 17 impressive years of relentless touring and songwriting, alt-country kings, Centro-matic, will be bringing their craft to Buffalo for the last time tonight as part of their 2014 Farewell Tour. “This time feels as good a note as ever to go out on and I feel safe in saying that Mark, Matt, Scott, and I would like for this tour and for these shows to be a celebration of our work and time together,” notes singer/songwriter Will Johnson on Centro-matic’s website. This particular gathering of friends (as the prolific Johnson suggests the shows on this tour should be) will take place at the Sportsmen’s Tavern (326 Amherst St.) with local support provided by long-time Buffalo favorites Roger Bryan and the Orphans. As aforementioned, this is last call for Centro-matic, I repeat: last call. Don’t miss out on this. Show starts at 7pm, tickets are $15 at the door, 21+.

Tonight: Class Acts w/ Tiny Rhymes, Cadaver Country, and more

December 12, 2014

Dreamland will truly be the land of dreams tonight, if you’re of the indie folk predilection. Local class acts, including Tiny Rhymes and Cadaver Country, are teaming up to offer a night of heartfelt songwriting and emotive and lyrical wisdom. Tiny Rhymes’ full ensemble is assembling for tonight’s performance, which means audience members can look forward to experiencing the band’s three-part vocal harmonies. We can only hope to also catch Cadaver Country’s notorious tambourine of certain doom. The show begins at 7:00 PM at Dreamland, 387 Franklin Street. You can show up for free if you’d like, but it would be cool to heed the event’s $5 suggested donation.

Tonight: Lil Debbie

December 11, 2014

California sweetheart and lean queen Lil Debbie brings it to Buffalo tonight as part of her White Clouds tour. Supported by Caskey, the tour also features Godz, Chi City, Big Tim, and 716 entertainer Aj Jordan The-Crescendo. The Cali born and bred rapper, born Jordan Capozzi, is a former member of the now defunct White Girl Mob, whose members included Gucci Gucci viral video creator Kreayshawn and culturally inappropriate appropriator V-Nasty. While these not so basic bitches don’t talk anymore, fans still speculate on Debbie’s departure and Kreay’s role in it. Queen D began her solo career in 2012, and has since released four EP’s.  Her November 2014 effort, aptly titled Young B!tch, is her boldest record to date, brimming with bass, beats, and Bay Area pride. The Studio at Waiting Room welcomes the tour to the upstairs lounge, allowing for a more intimate concert experience than their downstairs venue.[...]