Preview

Today: Tony Flaminio/Spiral Scratch Sidewalk Sale

July 6, 2014

If I were hired to be a music supervisor for an HBO series dramatizing life in Western NY, the first person I would contact is Tony Flaminio. The second would probably be Nick Reynolds (Space Wolves, Aaron and the Burrs, Bad People). The third would probably be… I could go on forever, but that’s besides the point. Tony Flaminio is a longtime staple in Buffalo’s music scene, with a well respected resume which includes first and foremost Failures’ Union, as well as supporting roles in Malllwalkers and Returners.  If you have not taken the time to digest his incredibly earnest songwriting style. then make your way down to Spiral Scratch this afternoon. Word on the Facebook is that it started fifteen minutes ago (12:00pm ET) and goes til 6:30pm, but I’m sure Flaminio will go on later this afternoon as there are supporting acts. Get there by 4:30pm to be safe.

Tonight: Swans w/Xiu Xiu

July 5, 2014

“Bring earplugs.” This advice, from your friendly neighborhood buffaBLOG editor-in-chief, isn’t just a gentle suggestion. Noise rockers Swans swoop into the 716 tonight, touring for their latest studio album, the critically acclaimed To Be Kind, and it’s going to be loud. Intensely, insanely loud. Frontman Michael Gira, who describes their shows as “soul-uplifting and body-destroying,” has actually dialed back on his stage presence since the band reformed in 2010, but he hasn’t turned the volume down, and he just might turn the air conditioning in the venue off before they go onstage. He likens this experience to one of a Native American sweat lodge, so if you want to get spiritually sweaty, this is the show for you. Formed in 1982, Swans were a staple of the New York no wave scene, and one of the only bands to maintain a long-term presence. They disbanded in 1997, and after a[...]

Good Night, Gold Dust

Tonight: Good Night, Gold Dust

July 5, 2014

For those who like to rock, sway and think, I got just the bill for you at 362 Baynes tonight. Minnesota’s Good Night, Gold Dust will be passing through, supported by locals Difficult Night and Second Trip, and presented by our pals over at Steak & Cake Records. Good Night, Gold Dust plays dreamy indie folk consistently filled out by interesting textures and restrained-yet-catchy guitar lines.  Observant observers may remember Good Night, Gold Dust’s “Thirteen Goodbyes” from Steak & Cake’s Sampler V, though as the liner notes for that release note, that track was more of a collaboration between label founder Brandon Schlia and GNGD’s Colin Scharf (the two are old friends and former bandmates.) The most notable difference, listening to the band’s studio recordings, is that GNGD proper features Scharf and bandmate Laura Schultz swapping lead vocal duties. So take heart: there will be traveling dreamy folksingers of both the[...]

Today and Tonight: Red, White & Igloo – Queen City Cartel Boombox 003

July 4, 2014

America. Political stances aside, the Fourth of July is the one day a year where mostly everyone will bust out their patriotic attire, fire up the grills and shoot off those fireworks they scored from Pennsylvania (or trek downtown to watch regulated ones). For a while, my family and I had the same tradition each year. We would camp at Southwick Beach, which was just outside of Syracuse. I have the fondest memories as a child of chasing fireflies, spending time with my grandparents, the smell of the campfire and the exciting but almost terrifying feeling of holding a sparkler and running wild. My “Uncle Kenny” (we weren’t blood related) would gather the family, head to the beach and we would walk a decently far way down, where the campsites ended and there was hardly anyone in sight. My entire family and I, under the starlight ,with the sound of the[...]

Tonight: All American Music Party ft. Dear Rabbit

July 4, 2014

It’s an all American extravaganza, featuring none other than one-man-band Dear Rabbit, with his gypsy-like assemblage of accordion, guitar, cornet, and a fresh new album to top it all off. Joining the cast will be purveyors of Bela Bartok and other European folk jams Shubbaluliuma, as well as songwriter Joseph Murray Myers. It’s all going down tonight at 100 Plymouth Ave, 10:30 pm. $5 dollar suggested donation. Fireworks not included. BYOB. Dear Rabbit / When The Well Dries Out from HISTORIAN SESSIONS on Vimeo.

Tonight: Gord Downie & The Sadies

July 3, 2014

I generally loathe referring to Gord Downie as the “heart and soul of The Tragically Hip.” It’s a disservice to the rest of the guys in the band, and besides, Gord is so much more: an enigmatic frontman,  solo artist, poet, activist, and a beloved international righteous dude. Tonight at Canalside, he’ll be here in the role of esteemed collaborator when he and the Sadies perform songs from their 7 years in the making Conquering Sun album, released in April by Arts and Crafts. Opening the show will Newfoundland indie rock band Hey Rosetta and Australian folk rockers Boy & Bear. Like all Canalside shows the good times start at 6 and wrap up around 10. It’s been said that Buffalo likes it’s Canadian rock, and with this being an international holiday week, Canalside will be jumping. See you there.

Tonight: Lydia Lunch

June 30, 2014

After nearly 30 years, art-rock/jazz noir connoisseur Lydia Lunch will be performing in Buffalo’s Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center tonight at 8pm. She will be joined by opening acts equally experimental, Weasel Walter, Bob Bert, and Tim Dahl. Lunch was originally a pioneer of the no-wave movement, but has since moved across a multitude of genres too vast to list, inspiring a spectrum of emerging bands and artists over the years. Lunch employs these different styles for a wonderfully bizarre live performance, one not usually present in the pop or avant-garde scene. Tickets are $20, not a steep price when the result is having your mind blown. BLACK JUJU – Lydia Lunch – Retrovirus from Dominika M on Vimeo.

Tonight: Pinky Doodle Poodle

June 28, 2014

If you’re like me, you never need an excuse to go to a casino. They have booze, gambling, and all of that extra oxygen that they pump through the air vents, like a diabetic kid shoving candy corn into their pie hole after trick or treating. However, if gambling, booze, and arbor secretions aren’t reason enough to head to the Hard Rock Cafe Casino in Niagara Falls, then maybe Pinky Doodle Poodle is the push that you need. Pinky Doodle Poodle are the amped female fronted Tokyo rock band with ties to the Rust Belt. PDP are the perfect mesh of Detroit proto punk and retro DC hardcore. Fronted by former Honey Bee vocalist Yuri, PDP’s first full length album was released on Robby Takac’s (of Goo Goo Dolls fame) label Good Charamel Records, which was also recorded here in Buffalo. The 10 song self titled release hit the street[...]

Tonight: A Celebration of Pete Perrone

June 28, 2014

For the Buffalo music scene he was a key player; a fatherly figure who helped support a generation of bands simply by opening his doors and giving us weirdos an opportunity to be weird. In doing so he transformed an aging, somewhat dilapitated building into a musical mecca. Who would have thought that an aging Italian opening a small bar on the outskirts of downtown would play such a huge role in all of our lives? But that’s who Pete Perrone was, and for those who remember him those memories are only of the fond variety. I could launch into a huge diatribe about how Pete affected me personally and musically, but I’ll save that for another time (perhaps tonight?). In celebration of the man we all came to love, Town Ballroom will be hosting a remembrance tonight ($5 advance, 7pm) with music, words, and images. Many of the local[...]

Tonight: Matt Script

June 27, 2014

Catch a Buffalo native back in his natural habitat tonight as Matt Script will be preforming in a showcase with Lady Lush and the Vinyls, Soloman Dixon, and Julian Burgois at The Gypsy Parlor. Script has been preforming in these parts since his high school days, but if you haven’t managed to catch him live yet, now’s your chance. Script’s music would best be described as indie-folk, though his tendency towards the experimental makes me want to say he’s more avant-indie than straight up folk.  His sound is current, the type of stuff you feel cool listening to, like you’re on the ground-floor of some up-and-coming scene. His influences are varied, ranging from The National to Bibio to the Dodos.  Each of his songs seems to showcase the different ways he uses his inspirations to create something uniquely his own. Script plays guitar and keyboard, sings, and works with a[...]

Tonight: Well Rounded People’s Party Skate Jam [no. 1]

June 27, 2014

Damn, this is just about the best damn thing I’ve ever had the pleasure to do a write up for. Tonight, Skateland will be alive with beats, funk, and skating when PUSH Buffalo, The WASH Project and West Side Bazaar put on a skate party for the people, like the kind we used to have at Skateland back in the day. All of these magnificent organizations are doing tremendous work for the West Side, our city, and some of it’s newest residents (note: the West Side Bazaar has also been doing tremendous work for my love world gastronomy), and tonight’s party is an excellent excuse to support them and social justice while skating and getting down. DJ Sike and Baby Joe will be kicking out the jams, food vendors will be from the aforementioned West Side Bazaar, tickets are only $5, and the party’s from 6 to 11.

VYVYANS

Tonight: VYVAN

June 27, 2014

Wish I knew more to tell you about this one, but I’ll tell you what I know. Tonight (6:30, says Facebook) at Black Dots, we’ve got locals Max Weiss and The Patterns supporting Bloomington’s VYVYAN. VYVYAN, at least, is a known quantity, in the sense that their demo is quality. Imagine a world where bands going for a 90s college rock aesthetic pulled as much from Green Day as they do from Dinosaur Jr., and you’ll be in the ballpark. I hear lots of Superchunk in the vocals, but the songs themselves are infused with more jumparound punk energy than most of that group’s output. I’d bet a bottom dollar they’re a blast to see live. Max Weiss: I’ve never seen him live and I’ve been unable to find any substantial recordings, but I’m dumb: if you know some, post in the comments please. What I have found are a[...]

Tonight: Caddywhompus, Aircraft, and Zealot

June 26, 2014

Tonight will be a glorious night. A night full of experimental indie pop, psychedelica, and walls of sound. Caddywhompus will be blessing us Buffalonians with their presence after traveling all the way from New Orleans. I couldn’t describe their sound better myself: “With a daunting assortment of amplifiers and effects-pedal tweakery, the duo executes its incredibly loud and at times nearly overwhelming sets with an impeccable musicianship and live presence. Song structures alternate between sweet psychedelic indie ballads to the most intense, ear-splitting of noise-driven crescendos” Tonight’s support comes from the one and only Aircraft, known for their fine psychedelic-indie rock. Rounding out the pack will be one of buffaBLOG’s favorite younger bands, Zealot, and their fuzzed out lo-fi. The entrance fee to Dreamland (on Franklin) is only $5, and make sure you bring your own beer.

Tonight: Sam Roberts Band

June 26, 2014

For more than a decade now, Sam Roberts has been churning out dozens of memorable songs, both on his solo albums, and in recent years, his work with Sam Roberts Band. His work could fairly be described as power-pop, as exemplified on hits such as “Bridge To Nowhere,” and “Don’t Walk Away Eileen,” but he’s not afraid to venture into other realms, and have some of his longer songs – particularly 2006’s Chemical City – have some decidedly prog-rock tendencies. While the band has retained a cult following in the US, Roberts is huge in his native Canada, frequently topping the Canadian Indie Singles charts, and in 2007, winning a Juno Award for Video of The Year. Tonight, Roberts will be appearing for a free show show at Canalside, which figures to be well-attended by his ample cult following. Roberts is just one of several Canadian artists coming to town in the[...]

Tonight: Delta Rae

June 25, 2014

Delta Rae, a southern group with a unique, electrifying folk-pop sound, is coming to the Tralf tonight. I’ve seen them haphazardly dumped into the country category, but their hybrid style – one of their biggest songs consists of a chain, a tin can, a bass drum, vocals, and NOTHING ELSE – can not be defined by one or even two genres. I’ve been listening to them for months and I still don’t know what to call them; I only wrote folk-pop above because it sounded decent and sometimes you just have to commit. Ranging from explosive, downright chilling harmonies to smooth, soulful melodies, their sound is a convergence of all things great, and the Tralf is the perfect place to listen to it. There’s only room to post one clip but I’d love to post them all, so in addition to the one below, check out this song and this[...]