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Tonight: Monophonics

April 16, 2015

Buffalo Iron Works will be grooving hard this evening to the gorgeously psychedelic, R&B stylings of San Francisco soul outfit Monophonics along with Albany’s hard rocking Wild Adriatic. In town in support of its recently released sophomore album, Sound Of Sinning, the mighty five-piece from the Bay Area is known for an intense and towering sound, reminiscent of The Isley Brothers, Edwin Starr, The Guess Who, and Shuggie Otis, that grandly fuses classic soul with the psychedelic rock of the 60’s and early 70’s to intense effect. Meanwhile, Albany power trio Wild Adriatic channels the bar band stadium rock sound of 80’s stalwarts The News and Bryan Adams with unabashed enthusiasm and a minimum of irony. There’s going to be a wild and heady dance party at Iron Works tonight, and $15 gets you in. Show starts at 9pm.

Tonight: Start Making Sense

March 31, 2015

Buffalo Iron Works will be the place tonight when Talking Heads tribute band Start Making Sense “burn down the house” with the music and spirit of that elusive and seminal new wave powerhouse. Endorsed by Bernie Worrell, the godlike genius and legendary keyboardist for Parliament/Funkadelic as well as the Talking Heads in the early 80’s, Start Making Sense gets Talking Heads right without the karaoke, while frontman Jon Braun tastefully handles the difficult chore of channeling David Byrne with a less is more approach that works. Get ready to dance with your neck, elbows, and knees… but please be careful with the sudden hand gestures as you might poke somebody’s eye out of spill his or her beer. Getting things going will be Hall & Oates tribute band HMFO. $12 is day of ticket price and doors are at 8pm.

Update: Date Change For WBNY’s Battle of the Bands

March 9, 2015

Due to a scheduling conflict, WBNY’s highly anticipated Battle of the Bands at the Buffalo Iron Works has been moved up a night to Friday, April 24th. Submissions closed yesterday, while the finalists who will be competing at Iron Works will be announced in the next few weeks. Stay tuned…

Tonight: 12th Annual Cure vs Smiths Dance Party

February 7, 2015

Tonight is the latest in an ongoing battle, a war stretching back to 80’s Britannia before finding a contemporary home in Buffalo. This is The Cure vs The Smiths Dance Party. Originally stemming out of the indie/new wave-centric Transmission Dance parties, the Cure/Smiths’ night, which began at Mohawk Place over a decade ago, has become an annual Buffalo tradition. With the temporary closing of Mohawk and the event’s growing popularity, the clash has found many different homes in recent years, the latest at Buffalo Iron Works. Tonight, as he has for years, DJs Bill Page and Jason Draper will spin nothing, but the biggest hits to the most obscure deep cuts from the two iconic 80s bands. And while to some an entire night of wall to wall Smiths and Cure may sound like a cause for “Panic,” I can assure you, it’s “Just Like Heaven.” The undercard begins at 9:30pm[...]

Tonight: Eliot Lipp

January 14, 2015

With the seemingly countless number of artists incorporating some form of electronic music into their sound, the challenge of creating a concise, unique style while still maintaining an ear for pop accessibility is as important as ever. Brooklyn-based producer Eliot Lipp has built his career around an inclusive approach to songwriting, incorporating elements of funk, electro, hip-hop, indie rock, soul, acid house, and various other dance genres into his tracks. As an avid analogue synth enthusiast and noted crate digger, Lipp incorporates a wide array of samples into his work along with his original sounds. Since debuting his first LP, S/T, on Eastern Developments back in 2004, the producer has continued to grow as an artist, releasing six full lengths, the latest of which was released in 2012, titled Shark Wolf Rabbit Snake. Tonight, Eliot Lipp will perform at Buffalo Iron Works along with local live electronic band Sonder. Doors open at 8pm, show starts[...]

Tonight: Merchandise

October 13, 2014

Big night of indie rock tonight at the Buffalo Iron Works  when Tampa post punkers, Merchandise, and Copenhagen’s Lower play that excellent Cobblestone district stage. 4AD Records buzz band are on tour in support of the well received After The End, an ambitious arena rocker, released this past August, that ought to translate well in Iron Works’ excellent brick performance space, while Danish noise rockers Lower will continue to make inroads with American audiences in support of their current Matador Records release, Seek Warmer Climes. Tickets are still available at the door for $14 and doors open at 7:00 PM.

Tonight: Cliffs

September 25, 2014

Buffalo Iron Works is sporting a formative bill of indie rock later on tonight, highlighted by Columbus duo, Cliffs. The pair is on night two of its first tour and Iron Works is as good of a place to keep the good times rolling. Cliff’s crunchy brand of garage pop and shouting vocals evoke bands like Jeff the Brotherhood, Free Energy and a touch of Japandroids. The local support is all over the place in terms of sounds. You have the manic, steamfolk Mr. Boneless, some looping singer/songwriter material from Matt Script, and the always pleasing peppy surf-rock from Bryan Johnson & Family, who just yesterday finally announced their long awaited, new EP. Music begins this evening at 8pm. Cover is probably $5.

Tonight: André Obin

September 24, 2014

Massachusetts based electronic musician, André Obin, will be playing Buffalo Iron Works this evening. Hailing from Cambridge and stopping in Buffalo as part of a tour which includes San Francisco, Brooklyn, and Boston, Obin‘s musical weapon of choice is the synthesizer. And he’s not your ordinary synth-smith. The melodies he creates paired with the sounds he chooses give way to dense, evolving, and lustrous song-scapes. It’s exceedingly catchy synth pop on the distant end of the spectrum: bright chord progressions shrouded in a metallic glaze like some sort of contemporary artifact from the 80s. Obin’s brand of synth pop calls to mind the decade when the genre sounded ostensibly more sinister and the lyrical delivery, more confessionary. Furthermore, his live career has brought him to play alongside synth pop heavy weights like Matthew Dear, Washed Out, and M83. Consider him an up and coming counterpart, tonight at Buffalo Iron Works[...]

Tonight: Julien Lamb Benefit Concert

September 20, 2014

Julien Lamb is your typical Allentown kid, except that his battles aren’t with action figures, but with an aggressive type of cancer that, after chemotherapy, numerous spinal taps, and a bone marrow transplant, is still present in his young body. Tonight, Buffalo bands together to support this brave boy by throwing a benefit concert in his honor. According to the event’s Facebook page, you should “come out to Buffalo Iron Works where a night of magic, blissful folk music, and solidarity for this young warrior is in store.” There aren’t many ways to spend a better Saturday night in the city than this. Acts include Buffalo native Julie Byrne, Fredonia trio Dirt Commission, Oats Holy Roller, as well as an appearance from Red Man (not the one from Brick City) and some close magic with Justin Braddock. This all ages event begins at 7. Tickets are still available at Ticketfly[...]

Pinback at Buffalo Iron Works (9/16/14)

September 17, 2014

With this odd polar vortex framing our upcoming winter, my sense of nostalgia has been going crazy. I have always felt like Buffalonians are allowed only a few short weeks of crisp sweater weather before we get annihilated with snow… So on went my flannel and my dollar store beanie – as I headed out my door to go see Pinback last night, I had a feeling it was going to be a night worth remembering. Luckily for me, Pinback was coming to Buffalo. I have resigned myself to the fact that I have to occasionally drive to Pittsburgh or Cleveland to catch my favorite bands. It’s just a fact of life… And when a soul-crushing shift at my job cost me a chance to see Cloud Nothings earlier this year,  I had been determined to get to Iron Works ever since. The cobblestone streets are a nice touch (maybe not[...]

Tonight: Pinback

September 16, 2014

Who ever said Tuesday night is usually uneventful happens to be absolutely wrong when it comes to this Tuesday night. To be fair, I should say, they happen to be wrong if your idea of a good time includes treating yourself to a quality show. And they’re extra wrong if you want to witness a performance from seasoned indie veterans. If you haven’t heard, tonight affords an opportunity to fulfill all of the above. Iconic indie-rock group, Pinback will be hitting the stage at Buffalo Iron Works where they’ll be gracing all those in attendance with a live rendition of their 2004 home-recorded album, Summer in Abaddon, in it’s entirety. The album is a collage of breezy and catchy melodies saturated with a shadowy ambiance; a full display of the exquisitely raw resonance that launched the duo into the ranks of lo-fi sensations. Even if you are only a casual listener,[...]

Just Announced: Merchandise

September 3, 2014

Buzzing post-punk outfit, Merchandise, will be bringing said buzz to Buffalo Iron Works this fall on Monday, October 13th. The Tampa based band is riding high on some great reviews of their latest album, After the End (4AD), which was released last week. Tickets will be available for sale at Iron Works’ box office and ticketfly beginning this Friday, September 5th, at 10am for $12 in advance, $14 day of. Lower is set to open the show. In the mean time, listen to song of the year contender, “Green Lady,” below. Photo by Tim Saccenti

Mikaela Davis at Buffalo Iron Works (7/25/14)

July 28, 2014

This was a show that our fair city had waited six months for. Mikaela Davis was scheduled to come to the Tralf on January 3rd, but the show was canceled due to a pipe bursting at the venue. The weeks and months continued to build up, and we were left to wonder if the brilliant harpist from Rochester would be headed back any time soon. Thankfully, our prayers were answered, as Davis and her band played a fantastic show at Buffalo Iron Works on Friday. Davis’ band, consisting of drummer Alex Cote and guitarist Cian McCarthy (who played several other instruments during the evening), was extremely tight throughout the evening, providing the perfect compliment to Davis’ harp. Early this year, Davis released the EP Fortune Teller, and the tracks from it were featured prominently in the set list. “When The White Worse Takes Me Away” and “Feels Like Forever” in[...]

Tonight: Kerfuffle After Party

July 26, 2014

Hosted at what is quickly becoming my new favorite local music venue, the Kerfuffle afterparty is the perfect way to end your day of outdoor music festivities here in Buffalo. Buffalo Iron Works welcomes everyone 21+ to keep the party going at this free event (make sure you bring your ticket stub from Kerfuffle) that kicks off at 11pm, and while having that stub is important to admission, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll get in. Once the venue reaches capacity, and I have a feeling it will, no one will be admitted. This is one time you won’t want to show up fashionably late, because acts from Utah to Rochester will be there to entertain you with a blend of unique sights and sounds. 585 favorites Joywave, who’ve collaborated with Kerfuffle act Big Data, take the stage, along with Meg Myers; Oh, Be Clever; and Panama Music.  

Tonight: Mikaela Davis

July 25, 2014

If you want to be able to say you saw a huge star before she was famous, you would be wise to get yourself the Buffalo Iron Works tonight and catch Mikaela Davis. Davis is a harpist from Rochester who has recorded two fantastic albums. The first was 2012’s self-titled record, and her January release, the Fortune Teller EP, was one of the best albums of 2014 so far. The manner in which Davis blends classical and pop is remarkable. Tracks like “I Wouldn’t” and “Lady Lavender” blend immediately catchy melodies with lush, intricate orchestration. Davis has an incredible ability to create complex, intricate music, and make it seem immediately accessible. After her show at the Tralf in January was canceled because of burst pipe, it’s wonderful to have this brilliant performer back in our fair city. As someone who was planning on attending that show, I was sorely bummed out.[...]