Preview

Tonight: WSADA 11

May 23, 2014

Ever wanted to dissolve into a bubble of sound and feel effaced by the grains of noise? Tonight, The Wash Project presents a throng of experimental sound and noise artists both from Buffalo and parts of Ohio that connect and twist the notion of what music is and how it can be manipulated. You may recognize Buffalo native Needles Numark who runs The Upstate Soundscape, a blog focusing more on experimental and associative music. The other Buffalo artist is the group Low Prospects, a duo working with deep drone tapes and “experimental onions” (looking forward to what those will sound like looped). From the Midwest, we have Church Slut, Fanngface, and Karl Vorndran. They are all working with harsher sounds that grit and grind down the foreground and then let up to encourage space. Karl Vorndran’s latest release, Thawing, uses a modular synthesis to produce stretching tones that produce a[...]

Aneides

RESCHEDULED: Aneides, Pine Fever, & The Pharaoh Moans

May 23, 2014

UPDATE 5:00 pm, 5/23/14: This show has been cancelled due to some “scheduling shenanigans.” Will hopefully be rescheduled for tomorrow night, venue TBA. We’ll update ya when we know more! Keeping the preview intact below, to be updated when the venue is announced. Why have good dreams when you could have twisted ones? Make it happen tonight at Dreamland with some folk, freaky and non. You’ve got Asheville’s Aneides, who sings piano ballads that make you can make you feel uneasy, and then suddenly touched. You’ve got The Pharaoh Moans, who, judging from the tunes on their ReverbNation page, play ripping folk from a darker place designed to get your body’s chemicals a-pumpin’. And you’ve got Pine Fever, bringing some toe-tapping, rough-around-the-edges Americana to the table. Good deal. Doors at 8, Facebook event here. Suggested $3-$5 donation. Check out Aneides below.

Tonight: Like A Parrot

May 23, 2014

Earlier this year, the indie-electronic duo Like A Parrot was victorious in early round campaigning of Artvoice’s B.O.O.M. (Battle Of Original Music) tournament, and tonight, they’ll be trying to advance once again, as B.O.O.M. hits Nietzsche’s tonight at 9pm. The band has an instantly catchy new-wave/electronic sound, similar to Phoenix, Passion Pit, or Two Door Cinema Club, as heard on tracks like “The Balance” and the brand new “No Sleep” (listen below). For a fairly young band, the tracks featured on their soundcloud page are not only quite well-developed, but very slickly produced as well. Despite having existed for less than two years, the band already has a well-defined sound, and will be difficult to beat tonight. For those looking to catch on a talented young band that could be on the cusp of big time fame, as well as to hear some of the other talented young artists our[...]

Tonight: SMART HOUSE and Mooses

May 22, 2014

We usually don’t cover events at the Forvm (4224 Maple Rd), as the venue is inconveniently located if you are in the heart of Buffalo and the booking is usually wash/rinse/repeat, but this evening’s showcase is fairly noteworthy. Tonight the Forvm will host two bands we have been hyping, Mooses and SMART HOUSE. Mooses, if you haven’t been paying attention to our content for the past month, are a buzzing  psychrock band with a knack for ooo’s and aaah’s. Also on the bill is SMART HOUSE, an electro-pop band fronted by Alek Ogadzhanov (also of Brat’ya).  You may be familiar with SMART HOUSE based on the band’s landing of the song “Car Ride” on the blog’s top 20 countdown of Buffalo-based jams for 2013. Cover is a beyond reasonable $10 and doors are at 6pm, so I hope you brought a change of clothes in your car.

Tonight: Night Shift

May 22, 2014

After two DJ and dance-centric installments, Artvoice’s monthly Night Shift series switches gears tonight for a more laid back affair of jazz, folk, and art. The dinner crowd will be greeted to the sounds of the Ellen Pieroni Jazz Quartet, and once drinks start to flow, stick around for some dirty Americana courtesy of Pine Fever. In addition, the bar will be hosting the opening of the new series from local artist Justin Tartick, guitarist for the newly resurrected I Can See Mountains. Night Shift kicks off this evening at 7:30pm and is free of charge.

Tonight: Brain Tumors

May 21, 2014

There are very few things in life more unpleasant than a brain tumor. Hell, just the thought of a tumor hanging out on a big ol’ brain is creepy. If I’m going to avoid anything in life, I hope it’s brain tumors. But there’s this band from Minneapolis called Brain Tumors, and they’re actually pretty cool. Perhaps they have brain tumors and that’s whats responsible for their general punkness?….or not. They’re pretty hardcore either way and that’s what tonights show is all about. Hardcore. Along with general weirdness from Big Suze, some Philly punks in Bad Energy, Queen City Lotto product Scajaquada Creeps, and No Prevail we have a pretty rad show, brought to us by the fine folks at Shaken Stylus. Hoyt House (6 bucks, 7pm). You know where it is, so go.

Tonight: Manchester Orchestra

May 20, 2014

Town Ballroom has been positively on fire this year, and the momentum will continue tonight at the Manchester Orchestra show. Skip ahead real quick and watch the clip below: they’re playing one of their new songs, “Cope,” on Letterman, and they just go after it. They’re playing loud as hell in front of a dead studio audience; yes, they are still on national TV, but after watching this, you can’t help but get excited about tonight’s show. It’s just not possible. I first heard Manchester Orchestra’s “I’ve Got Friends” back in 2009 and it quickly became one of my favorite songs. I don’t normally “do” angst, but there was an underlying substance and grittiness about the band that I loved. Unfortunately, having just graduated from college and still carrying around a good bit of residual laziness, I didn’t bother following them any further. Then they released Simple Math in 2011 and[...]

Tonight: The Moon

May 20, 2014

Gotta love impossible-to-Google jazz ensembles. And you gotta love idiosyncratic, downtown art spaces that bring them to you, live, so you can leave all the Googling at home or in your pocket and just enjoy the show. The Moon is the NYC-based, free-form team of Adam Caine and Federico Ughi, whose guitar/drum duets are at once reminiscent of the deep psych of Brainticket, the soothing melodiousness of Cluster, and the off-kilter math of Ponytail, and they are performing at the new(ish) art-show space Dreamland tonight at 7pm. I’m not sure exactly what local composer/performers T.J. Borden and Kevin Cain have in store for their support sets (though the former has already warned attendees to bring earplugs for his set with Zane Merritt, Steve Baczkowski, and Jim Abramson, which will probably be noisy as fuck, and the latter is no stranger to strange acoustic experiments [as an aside, check out his upcoming[...]

Tonight: Annie Girl & The Flight

May 19, 2014

A last minute tour addition will bring San Francisco-based Annie Girl & The Flight to the Ninth Ward tonight. With their hypnotic blend of folk-tinged experimental rock, their music often drapes focused build ups with floating melodies that leave the door open for listeners to come in and get lost in the trance of their sound. That is, through all of the droning instrumental psychedelia and dark melodic whisperings of the band’s leading voice, Annie Girl and The Flight seem to carry the uncanny ability of pulling you along for their ride from the very first notes they play. To be accompanied by local folkies The Observers. It’s all going down tonight at 8pm, $7

Tonight: Killswitch Engage

May 18, 2014

After years of touring and a steady stream of innovative and punishing releases, Killswitch Engage has finally found their way into the mainstream. Perhaps the most popular “metalcore” band of our time, Killswitch’s combination of soaring melodies and crushing breakdowns, coupled with the return of original singer, Jesse Leach, has proven itself to be a successful formula, credibility still intact no less. A KE show is high-energy; windmill kicks, pit bashing, and fist-pumping chants galore. I’d suggest checking them out tonight at Town Ballroom (7pm, $28) to see what I mean. It’s hard not to get charged during their sets. Opening are Battlecross and Nothing More.

Tonight: Del Paxton Vinyl Release Show

May 17, 2014

Today is a busy day!  Between Porch Fest, graduations, and what seems like a billion other shows at your disposal, this one might take the cake. Del Paxton is releasing their fantastic EP, Worst. Summer. Ever., on vinyl and is throwing a show to celebrate.  I don’t know about you, but those mint green records/t-shirts are calling my name. Backing up the Paxt tonight will be their buds in Living Room, Real People, and Newish Star. Ask a punk where the Glitterbox is and get there by 6:00pm.

Tonight: Pearson Sound

May 17, 2014

Part two of Club Phenomenology will stir up Buffalo tonight. It’s subtitle? “The Grid.” Put on by Sean Feiner and Nick States of Infinite Zone Productions, in addition to their other crew Cool Dad Records, which additionally comprises Kyle Tatum and Brian Doyle of Eyes Everywhere and Alex Morrison, the tight-knit group is out to bring an aspect of music that is not new to the dance scene. Rather, they’re out to enhance it further, and explore the opportunities. Headliner Pearson Sound, a UK producer and DJ, will take the stage at Buffalo Iron Works. Originally, this event was planned to be at The Wastelands (located at 700 Main St.) but due to unfortunate – and uncertain – circumstances, that venue closed. Execution of the event was shaky, but only momentarily. In the same day that it was “cancelled,” it was announced to be back on and taking place at Iron Works,[...]

Tonight: Radarada

May 17, 2014

McGarret’s will be where it’s at tonight when blog favorites Radarada unleash their patented infectious brand of soul infused hip-hop. Featuring live instrumentation reminiscent of Brand New Heavies and Digible Planets and a Native Tongues vibe, Radarada has been making serious noise in these parts leading up to the release of their debut EP, First Edition, next month, and this is a damn fine opportunity to check them out and get down. Cover is $3 and it all goes down at 10 PM.

Today: Buffalo Porchfest

May 17, 2014

Well, maybe we can have good weather for the third installment of Buffalo Porchfest. Last October, for the first go around, I hosted a band on my balcony and didn’t have power until an hour before they all showed up. This year is just kind of blah outside. No matter. The music will go on all over the Elmwood Village today from 12pm – 6pm. If you didn’t tune in with us yesterday, check out the five bands we think you should make an effort to check out today.  If none of those do it for you, the full map and schedule can be found here. Physical copies of the map are also available at the Elmwood Village Association offices at 1068 Elmwood Ave.

Tonight: Marco Benevento

May 16, 2014

Much like the rambling drags of his jazz-infused keys, Marco Benevento has wandered among the ranks of a star-studded list of musicians with whom he has shared both stage and studio. Anastasio (Phish), Chamberlain (Pearl Jam), and Traver (Rubblebucket), just to name a few. Through his genre-transcending sets steeped in everything from elegant classical compositions to psychedelic jams and vibrant dance electronica, Benevento creates a free-flowing experience of a live show that one should find themselves hard-pressed to miss. He’ll be bringing it all to Nietzsche’s tonight at 10pm, $15 Door