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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.

Record Store Day Celebrates Black Friday

November 25, 2014

After you awaken from your Thanksgiving dinner(s) coma this Friday, consider spending some of your Black Friday shopping and money at local records stores. The OTHER Record Store Day (the big one traditionally is in April) is still an important day for shops as special releases and deals will be available only this Friday. The Main St./Lafayette location of Record Theatre will be hosting an in-store, acoustic appearance from New Politics prior to the trio’s gig at Town Ballroom later that evening. Community Beer Works will be on tap and sold on site, and Alt Buffalo will be on hand as well. Check out full event details here. Black Dots, over on Grant and Lafayette, will also be offering some great deals on Friday including 15%-20% off new and used LPs. Visit the shop’s facebook page for a full list of specials. Other local shops like Spiral Scratch and the University[...]

SHEER MAG – “WHAT YOU WANT”

October 10, 2014

While perusing the calendar for upcoming events in the next couple of weeks this morning, we finally gave South Philly’s SHEER MAG a listen, and are ecstatic we did. It’s been the soundtrack of the office all morning. SHEER MAG is a relatively young band, starting just in February but already creating some interstate buzz. The band’s sound is power-pop all the way, think The Nerves meets King Khan and the Shrines and a dab of Chastity Belt. Mark your calendar for next Saturday (10/18), as the band will be playing an early show at Black Dots in support of NANCY along with local indie-rockers, Softlines.

Cages – Vivipary

July 24, 2014

Under the tag of “punk” on bandcamp, but self-described as a “cohesive and undefinable act,” Buffalo-based Cages exists outside of any typical structure or classification. The group consists of vocalist Nola Ranallo, guitarist David Bailey, and now bassist Patrick Bolger, but until recently, Cages has had no major release. Their previously unreleased 2012 album Vivipary has just made it’s debut through Black Dots record shop, however, and it is considered by the band to be their their “most defining output to date.” Void of any specific form of style, Vivipary draws more upon the experimentation of tonal harmonies, shared primarily by the guitar and vocals. Immediately from the start, Ranallo’s vocals stand out as highly expressive, sometimes exploding into shrill cries, other times resolving in low end atypical melodies that fade in and out of the mix. The harmonies present in many of the tracks (particularly “Into Germination”) personally bring[...]

Cages Share First Single From Vivipary LP

July 14, 2014

Last month, in an interview with Black Dots owner Josh Smith, the shop runner told us that his label, also called Black Dots, would be released the forthcoming album from Buffalo’s free-form, noise collective Cages. Those familiar with Smith’s punk roots would be surprised to find the band on his label, but as he told us “they are one of the best live bands that I’ve seen in the past couple of years.” Late last week, Cages and Black Dots shared the first single, “First Seed,” from the group’s Vivipary LP. The track is challenging and beautiful, like Bjork or Sigur Ros embracing folk music while sprinkling in eerie and unsettling bits of electronic effects. Keep an eye out for the digital and physical release of Vivipary later this summer, and in the mean time, listen to “First Seed” below.

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[...]

Herd Fest: Day 2

June 25, 2014

Day 2 of Herd Fest began with back-to-back punk shows at record stores Black Dots and Spiral Scratch. Black Dots owner Josh Smith swooped in with his band Vanilla Sex after Ranch’s cancellation, which was meant to be in order to catch the captivating Kat Delfosse on lead vocals. Once the Black Dots show wrapped up, most of the crowd wandered over to Spiral Scratch. White Whale closed out the show with the lights out and the volume cranked up. Brimstone Blondes survived a year of college to kick off the buffaBLOG stage at Duke’s with their rowdy pop. Strange Acres played a packed room at Nietzsche’s thanks to their loyal Mohawk Place crew. In between sets, the Only Comrades DJs at Hardware provided a green room-type atmosphere to unwind and grab a classy drink. Check out some of our favorite shots from Day 2 below and for a full gallery,[...]

Tonight: Herd Fest Day 2

June 21, 2014

Day 1 of our inaugural Herd Fest is in the books, and if you happened to miss last night, or just wanted more, then you are in luck. Day 2 is bigger, and depending on your tastes, maybe even better. If you missed any of our spotlights on today/tonight’s showcases, lets once again get you up to speed: Black Dots Spiral Scratch Records Harvest Sum @ Nietzsche’s buffaBLOG @ Duke’s Only Comrades @ Allen Street Hardware Music kicks off earlier today at our first of two bonus record shop showcases. Black Dots will begin at 4pm, while Spiral Scratch gets things going at 6pm, then head back to Allen for another long night of music. All showcases today are $5. If you already bought a pre-sale bracelet, then you are all good.

Black Dots

June 18, 2014

Josh Smith deserves a lot of credit, and not just because he’s a walking, talking encyclopedia of underground punk knowledge. Or because he owns and operates a basement record store, Black Dots, on the West Side of Buffalo. Or just because he runs a local label by the same name, or even because he also supplies a space for shows on the West Side. No, he doesn’t deserve credit for any one of these things, he deserves credit for all of these things. On paper, Smith should totally be Barry from High Fidelity. He’s been embedded in the underground scene in Western New York for years now. He’s shared the stage with members of Syracuse’s Perfect Pussy, among others. He knows about all of the bands you’ve never heard of, and can speak of them coherently and articulately. However, Smith is not that guy. “So I’m going to be releasing[...]

Joshua Smith of Black Dots

June 10, 2014

You have most likely walked by it a thousand times. You’ve probably totally ignored it, like it was invisible, like a vagrant. If it was a two headed mythological serpent of the future, it would have offered you it’s forbidden fruit. It sits drunkenly on the corner of Grant Street and Lafayette Avenue, like Dylan Thomas over a typewriter, directly across from Sweetness 7 Cafe. I am of course talking of Black Dots record shop. If you have ever wandered into the basement record store, you are familiar with it’s owner Joshua Smith. Smith can usually be found sitting behind the counter with the glow of his laptop dancing across his scruffy face.  Always sporting jeans and an obscure punk T-shirt, Smith will give a gentle nod as you enter the store, and calmly go back to his computer. He has a quiet demeanor, but if you can engage him,[...]

Tonight: Yi

May 26, 2014

As a wise person (at the top of the Facebook event) said, “Buffalo rools cuz there are a lot of gigs every week : ^ ).” He was teasing this week’s Punk ‘N Tots show over at Broadway Joe’s, but I’m going to steal his words to tease tonight’s show at Black Dots, featuring Oakland’s Yi, along with Alpha Hopper and Blackie & the Vanilla Sex. Right off the heels of yesterday’s doubleheader (which, at the time of writing, will be kicking off in a few hours), Black Dots is hosting another noisy, rock ‘n roll style extravaganza. YI will be visiting us on the third date out of their tour supporting their new release, Crying. Give it a listen. They’re some fuzzy punks that have the ability to bust out Yuckish pop (see “Going Dumb”), melodic, Cheap Trickish breaks (see “The Bus”) and harder fare that will make your[...]

Today: Record Store Day

April 19, 2014

As you prepare to roam Buffalo in pursuit of a tangible music medium to take home and cherish forever, you may first want to plan out your optimal Record Store Day experience, which should obviously involve live music. Both Spiral Scratch and Black Dots Records will be hosting such entertainment, and they are well within walking distance of each other. Spiral Scratch has been an important stop during Record Store Day for years. They’re offering great deals to music lovers, and have put together quite a solid line-up of bands which can be seen here. Customers who spend over 50 bucks are being offered a limited edition Spiral Scratch tote bag. The music starts at 12PM and the show is free, but it is recommendable to tip the acts. Black Dots is new on the scene, but has already kicked up quite a buzz. Black Dots also offers a tote[...]

Just Announced: Herd Fest

April 14, 2014

Spring has arrived in Buffalo, and just like that, things are on the up.  With summer in the city nearly here, we are happy to announce our next big party plans. Rather than do another stand alone showcase, we decided to be a bit more ambitious this time around.  On June 20th and 21st, the first weekend of summer, we are proud to present Herd Fest. What is Herd Fest? Well, think of it as our own version of CMJ/SXSW. Nine showcases over a two day period in Allentown (and slightly beyond). And for this party, we invited a few of the blog’s closest friends around to be a part of the festivities by hosting their own showcases and personally selecting some of their favorite Buffalo acts to play. While final lineups and schedules won’t be released until May, here is a taste of what Herd Fest will be offering:[...]