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Tonight: Iron & Wine w/ Ben Bridwell

My experiences at Iron and Wine visits to Buffalo over the years have been a bit mixed. Sam Beam’s sort of solo show (his sister was on hand to play cello) at Babeville’s Asbury Hall back in 2008, despite being rather beautiful, was down right sleep inducing while his face saving, big band backed performance at Town Ballroom in 2011 was quite possibly my favorite show at the venue that year. I missed his Spring Fest show at Buff State the following year, but I recall that being a solo show too, so maybe it was for the best. As for tonight, I think its safe to assume this show will be a busy one as Beam, a former Florida State film professor, takes on his biggest Buffalo audience yet at the Thursday at Canalside concert series with Band of Horses front man Ben Bridwell by his side. The pair[...]

Know Your Opener: Midlake

With free music offered on nearly every night of the week throughout the summer, it’s hard to justify dropping $35 on a show when I can practically hear live music from my balcony on many nights. Having a worthy opener, one that could easily be headlining on another night, certainly helps cushion the cost. That’s what we have facing us tonight as Band of Horses rolls through town with Midlake playing the role of table setter for an eager group of Buffalonians who want more out of their ticket price than simply getting out of the sweaty night and into some AC a few minutes early. I first heard about the Texas group after stumbling across their haunting, Fleetwood Mac-esque single, “Roscoe,” a few years back. Then front man Tim Smith’s tender vocals gave what could have been a cold number a beating heart, becoming one of the best singles[...]

Tonight: Band of Horses

“I’m coming up only to hold you under And coming up only to show you’re wrong And to know you is hard; we wonder… To know you all wrong; we warn. Really too late to call, So we wait for morning To wake you is all we got To know me as hardly golden Is to know me all wrong, they warn. At every occasion I’ll be ready for the funeral At every occasion, once more, it’s called the funeral At every occasion, oh, I’m ready for the funeral At every occasion, oh, one billion day funeral” These iconic lyrics from Band of Horses track “The Funeral” are some of the most recognizable and cherished words ever sung in indie rock, and for good reason. They come from a place we have all, at one time in our lives, visited; a dark, inward vestige, the hole that we had to[...]

Just Announced: Band of Horses

Fresh to our inbox this afternoon is the news that Band of Horses will be making a Buffalo stop this summer on Tuesday, July 22nd at the Town Ballroom. Truth be told, I fell off the Band of Horses bandwagon a few years back, but did manage to catch the group open for Pearl Jam at the First Niagara Center when it rolled through town during the spring of 2010, and the live show was pretty tight. BoH’s first two albums, Everything All The Time and Cease to Begin, are still holding up nicely. Think Built to Spill and My Morning Jacket teaming up and you have a good place to start. Joining Band of Horses will be Texas’ Midlake, a band who successfully survived the replacement of its lead singer and may have come out all the better after the release of 2013’s moody Antiphon. Tickets will go on sale[...]