Latest Posts

Kelli Bobbi Releases Debut “Cruising”

Steak And Cake Records has a fresh new video and single out that’s destined to be your jam of the summer that’s also more than a little bit mind blowing. Going under the cheeky alias Kelli Bobbi, label mastermind and genuine artistic polymath Brandon Schlia and Jazmine Frazier (aka Hop Hop) go above and beyond on “Cruising,” a supernaturally crisp slab of urban funk that feels super good in your ears thanks to some choice next level grooves, frequencies, and techniques from each half of our dynamic duo. The video, directed by Schlia, is chill, pleasantly trippy, and a swell drive around town. If there’s more where this came from, yes please.

Hop Hop Delivers Video For “Scratch”

Premier Buffalo MC Hop Hop has a video for her latest single “Scratch” that’s a perfect showcase for her art and skills, and the city itself. Shot and edited by producer and co-conspirator Brandon Schlia, “Scratch” is an earworm in video form and a clever bit of DIY guerrilla filmmaking , utilizing a whole lot of the important new public art that’s sprung up over the last few years all over the city, our newly re-purposed post industrial decay, and various tasteful West Side doorways and rooftops as backdrops for the irrepressible brilliance of Hop Hop, who will most definitely not be defined by an old white guy like me anyways, so I won’t even try it (not that I’d try it anyway). From “The Freedom Wall” on Michigan and East Ferry to the Betsy Casanas mural on Niagara Street and the trusty Elmwood Avenue 24 Hour Store, “Scratch” is an inclusive,[...]

Hop Hop – Scratch

Hop Hop (aka Jaz Frazier) has delivered us from evil and boredom and into the future on her inspired and hypnotically irresistible new EP Scratch, and it’s our enthusiastic Album of the Week. A precision MC that bends time and space with her impeccable flow so that every consonant, vowel, word, and complex thought comes at you as if it (and you) are suspended in space like the visual effects in The Matrix movies and given a chance to inspect and savor all of it, Hop Hop does not play on Scratch, sharing and going deep while giving you the funky beats and jams you need. A concentrated headrush, Scratch comes at you fast with a fully realized sound that fills your ears with all kinds of incredible sonic sweetness courtesy of the pristine and ambitious production from Jaz and Brandon Schlia. There’s a fine sense of whimsy at work[...]

Stress Dolls Drops After the Party

Stress Dolls and Steak & Cake Records have teamed up on two tender, confessing gentle electronic tunes. These songs were written by  Chelsea O’Donnell of Stress Dolls  and punched up and arranged by label owner/producer Brandon Schlia. The first track on After the Party, “Bruises,” lights up the room with a like a light shining through flesh. The drums pop and bounces from the speakers with delay proving to be the most utilized effect. When the chorus comes in, O’Donnell’s unique vocals spill a message desperate with indecision. “Your bruises…” is ooh-ed delicately atop a failing synth note. Following “Bruises” is “Alaska 2.0,” a sub-two minute ticker that promises to keep your mind locked in space. The sound crawls, but the atmospheric synths are enthralling. This is the second incarnation of “Alaska,” previously released with an indie rock flavor on O’Donnell’s retired moniker Wolf. The new rendition of “Alaska 2.0”[...]

Rat v Cat v Bat Release Improvisational EP

Brandon Schlia just may be one of the hardest working people in the Buffalo music scene right now. It seems every few weeks he is releasing new music from a new project on his imprint Steak & Cake Records and this month is no different. Schlia with his cohorts Derick Evans and Nick Randall released Dress Rehearsal under the name of Rat v Cat v Bat. Dress Rehearsal is an all instrumental improvisational record that mixes elements of jazz and funk as well as rock. According to Schlia, Rat v Cat v Bat “came out of watching Donny McCaslin’s band and wanting to tap that musical space.” Schlia also sees the project as being “a personal challenge for him.” Listeners shouldn’t get too attached to the songs on Dress Rehearsal however, because Schlia is serious when he means Rat v Cat v Bat is completely improvisational, meaning that the songs on the four song release will never be replayed or recreated. “They won’t[...]

Wylie Something – untitled, unfinished, yet mastered?

The latest offering from Wylie Something is a compilation called untitled, unfinished, yet mastered?, presumably a take on Kendrick Lamar’s untitled/unmastered. Wylie Something is the moniker for Buffalo-native turned Philadelphia-based college student, Jacob Smolinski. If you have been exposed to Smolinski’s other works (The Cascos, or most recently Local Onlys), then you know the musician is keen to writing features catchy and danceable indie rock. Released through local label Steak & Cake Records, it consists of songs he wrote over the past few years but didn’t know what to do with, assembled and mastered by producer Brandon Schila. Schila’s work extends beyond the production. He lends a hand on the compositions as well, taking on the role of bassist and drummer. Also present are backing vocals from Maggie Maloney. These contributions help round out the songs and bring Wylie’s tunes to life. Virtually every song is tight and compact, with[...]

Guest Picks: Brandon Schlia

For our Best of 2015 coverage, we once again decided to reach out to some friends of the blog to get an idea of what made the year in music so great for them. For the latest installment in the guest series, Brandon Schlia, founder of local DIY label Steak and Cake Records, submitted his year end list. Earlier this month, S&C released its forth and final Christmas Meltdown compilation. Featuring holiday covers by Welks Mice, Beekeeper, RED HEAT, and more, the EP can be downloaded here. Make sure to follow all of the blog’s year in review coverage throughout the month of December. Thank you buffaBLOG for having me back for a third installment. Best Songs Homeshake – “Heat”* Don’t waste your time listening to this on laptop speakers. This is a headphone record. Peter Sagar shakes off the DeMarco skeletons and ends up sounding like a fever dream. And don’t forget about 2014’s[...]

Guest Post: Brandon Schlia

For our Best of 2014 coverage, we once again decided to reach out to some friends of the blog to get an idea of what made the year in music so great for them. For our first installment in the guest series, Brandon Schlia, founder of local DIY label, Steak & Cake Records, submitted his year end list. Schlia recently interviewed Jeannete Wall of Miscreant Records. You can listen to their talk here. BEST LOCAL BANDS These are the bands that I would go to see even if I’d just worked 10 hours and it was a snowstorm and I had to walk. 1. Hot Tip 2. Space is Haunted 3. Softlines 4. Cal Dripken 5. Newish Star BEST RECORDS 1. Celestial Shore – Enter Ghost I always liked them until Mink played with them at Mohawk and I realized that I actually loved them. I guess there might be[...]

Tonight: Steak & Cake Records Presents Parlor Trix #1

Local DIY label, Steak & Cake Records, is set to present an evening showcase featuring some of Buffalo’s very best up-and-coming talents in the comfort of the CEO’s living room (410 Potomoc). If the lineup correlates with the order given on the event page, first up is Joey Mason, an East Aurora raised one-man band who teeter between Phoenix influenced psych-pop with a healthy dose of Strokes vibes mixed throughout. Next is Sonny Baker, a musician that by now needs no introduction or writeup because he is mentioned here weekly via one of his many projects (solo, A Hotel Nourishing, Wooden Waves, Lazlo Holyfeld, Alex Berkley and the Atlanta Falcons). Just expect that he will be playing guitar and singing tonight. Third on the lineup is mumble core savant, Damian Weber. Fresh off the heel’s of March’s incredible You Don’t Need It (recorded with Steak & Cake), Weber will be[...]