Latest Posts

Philip Stephen – Field Guide For Loneliness Vol 1

July 24, 2026

Philip Stephen (more formally known as Philip Sivecz) has been at it for, like, two decades now (ask me how I know). Having long been a mainstay at open mics, acoustic showcases, and any other type of performance really (especially across his many other projects like Skamagotchi, Threefold, and stints in a ton of other local bands), it would be surprising for any Buffalo music connoisseur to not have stumbled upon one of his many projects. For as prolific a songwriter as Sivecz is (just take a look at his IG feed, or stay up with his stories), his solo recordings have been few and far between – which is why we were delighted to stumble upon Field Guide For Loneliness Vol 1. (FGFL) Alongside frequent collaborator (and fellow first-name/middle-name monikered) Sara Elizabeth, Sivecz has crafted an album that highlights his stellar acoustic guitar playing and folk/alt-country roots. As per Sara[...]

Amateur Hockey Club – “Ted”

July 13, 2026

Amateur Hockey Club aim for summer anthem status on their latest single, “Ted.” A bona fide diss track about a landlord who doesn’t care (landlords, amirite?) and a drum set rotting in an inch of standing water, “Ted” is surprisingly breezy for its background rooted in hatred. There’s an island-y acoustic guitar chiming behind the typical AHC-style guitar chugging, but by the time they sing “I guess that I won’t see you around my dude,” you realize this one’s less about chilling poolside and more about telling someone to rightfully eff off.   “Ted” is out now – peep the Soundcloud embed below and then add it to your favorite Spotify playlist.   Amateur Hockey Club · Ted

Mother Nature’s Son – The Seven People You Meet In Heaven

July 9, 2026

Mother Nature’s Son (MNS) are an injection of fresh energy into Buffalo’s music scene. Their synth-meets-guitar music is as intriguing as it is energizing, and they’ve just released a magnum opus of an EP into the world. The Seven People You Meet In Heaven is perhaps unsurprisingly inspired by Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet In Heaven – a novel that talks about interconnectedness, life meaning, and purpose. Those themes are found all over this EP – wide-eyed in an over-informed (and probably chronically online) kind of way, The Seven People You Meet In Heaven is less your typical pop punk album and more a reflection on what it means to be human, especially in a our post-pandemic, questionably apocalyptic existence that is 2026.   “Wrong Jazz” is the album opener, and it’s a perfect introduction to Mother Nature’s Son’s sound. A cross between the glasses-wearing, Moog-tickled pop punk of Motion City Soundtrack and[...]

Tough Old Bird – “Wednesday’s Child”

July 8, 2026

Brothers Matthew and Nathan Corrigan, perhaps known best around Buffalo as Tough Old Bird, are back, this time with a few extra musicians in tow. They’re joined by Ricky Bechard on drums and Brendan O’Shea on bass for a refreshing new take on their already storied catalog. “Wednesday’s Child” is a full-bodied jam making use of twangy guitars, soulful vocals, and a distinctly Americiana-based sound. It’s the first in a string of singles-to-come that were captured at Sunwood Studios in Trumansburg, NY, mostly live-in-studio, which encapsulates the band’s live sound perfectly.   You can listen to “Wednesday’s Child” via the bandcamp embed (below) or via Spotify.   Wednesday’s Child by Tough Old Bird

Autoignition – Against The World

May 28, 2026

Autoignition has been quietly… actually, no, loudly taking over Buffalo’s pop punk scene since their inception in 2021. We’ve been excited to hear what they’ve been up to since we heard a brand new single, “Not For Nothing,” a few months ago. After three (3) years between releases, the band has finally dropped a five-song EP, Against The World, a collection of songs that’s probably exactly what you’d be expecting from this super raucous quartet. Plan for full-throttle pop punk with angsty vocals around a massive, guitar-driven core… And a few big bass lines that would make Mark Hoppus proud. We can’t ignore the sheer energy found here on Against The World, so for that reason (and a few more), it’s our Album of the Week this week.   Speaking of Hoppus-esque bass lines, the album starts out strong with the aforementioned “Not For Nothing.” This song is Autoignition at their most[...]

Beach Glass – Closure

May 15, 2026

Who would have ever thought that a band making real music would be… refreshing? Beach Glass is a Buffalo-based duo doing just that. Harkening back to the halcyon days of Tascam recorders, honest feelings, and no autotune, their latest offering is the five-song Closure. Supremely ’90s-influenced and sincere as all get out, these songs are sure to end up on some obscure IG post touting the latest and greatest in real emo… We’ll put it this way – fans of bands with a Kinsella brother in them are going to like Beach Glass.   Opening song “Second Largest City (In New York)” is an ode to Buffalo in all its rotting, rusty glory. Twanging guitars stumble over rolling drums. Heartfelt vocals sing and scream about the (arguably) dilapidated state of our beautiful city – and it’s hard not to notice the parallel’s to the singer’s mindset. Sure, talking to therapists[...]

War Bond – An Act of Treason

May 7, 2026

Politically-charged Buffalo hardcore recruits, War Bond, take your ass to boot camp with their irreverently outspoken debut, An Act of Treason.   Born from the scene in February 2025, War Bond is vocalist Ky Reynolds (Brain Dead, Raggedy Anne), bassist Richard Bertucca, guitarists Shanahan Roach (Immolated) and Cole Blasz (Havana Syndrome, Monomaniac) and drummer Nick Haring (Detemps/Entemps). In its short existence, the band has been busy grinding out gigs and boosting its profile thanks to an angry artillery of crossover hardcore punk calloused with political animosity. The headstrong five-piece stands up for basic human rights and staying true to yourself while standing against ICE goons and the continued assault on Palestine. On An Act of Treason, the band channels this ideological rage and more into ten bombastic tracks of old school melodic hardcore that will leave you shell shocked.   The record begins with the groovy, mid-tempo warm-up track “March[...]

Barz Banga – “Crack Era”

May 4, 2026

You can almost hear the latest single from Buffalo rapper Barz Banga the moment you get eyes on the cover art. Bills-era Marshawn Lynch, branded with “Beast Mode” text down by his galloping cleats greets you as the most powerful horns you’ve ever heard trot out to kick off the beat. “Crack Era,” the new single from the Brooklyn-born, Buffalo-bred artist is appropriately declarative, boldly announcing a fearlessness that stems from when and where Barz grew up. Perfectly timed for windows-down weather, “Crack Era” is punctuated with booming bass – your neighbors might get transported to 2009 when they hear you coming. If you’re looking for more of this throwback hip hop style, make sure to check out Barz on Spotify, and while you’re there, give our Best Hip Hop 2026 playlist a spin.

Autoignition – “Not For Nothing”

April 29, 2026

Buffalo punk rockers Autoignition are ready to blow out your speakers with a new EP – they’ve started strong with new single, “Not For Nothing.” After three long years of waiting, this is exactly the kind of song you want to hear from your local punk mainstays – lyrics barked with such ferocity that you can almost feel the spittle flying at you from the Mohawk Place stage, set off by blistering drums and huge guitars. These are the kind of songs you need to sit down and form your own bond with, so if you’re into emotional stuff that’s supremely guitar-driven, Autoignition is definitely going to be your thing.   “Not For Nothing” is out now – all the different ways to listen can be found here.    

Personal Style – Garbage Can E.P.

April 23, 2026

It’s not often we’re met with a release that has everyone standing up from their figurative seats, but Buffalo-based band Personal Style continues to exhibit the kind of skill that only builds on their hype with their new four-song Garbage Can E.P. – a pulsating post-punk serenade that scratches all the right itches and further cements the group as one of the most exciting outfits in the region.   Formed in the fall of 2019, the project brings together Bryan Johnson, Evan Wachowski, and Stephen Floyd, a trio of local scene stalwarts. With a collective 15+ years spent cutting their teeth in Buffalo’s DIY circuit under various monikers (Mapmaker, Patchwork, Bryan Johnson and Family, Mallwalkers, many more), these veterans have traded their individual histories for a cohesive new chapter with the project. Garbage Can E.P. was recorded with Jay Zubricky (GCR Recording Studio) and Justin John Smith (Mammoth Recording Studio),[...]

Kill Uncle – We Are the Wicked

April 16, 2026

Buffalo harcore punk quartet Kill Uncle lash out with ten new tracks of perpetually pissed-off hardcore punk on their killer debut album We Are the Wicked.   Founded by lead vocalist Billie Page (Lockjaw, Wrong the Oppressor) in the Spring of 2023 at the encouragement of a friend, the line-up solidified with the recruitment of Khari Waits (Onnpoint, Disrepair, Hostile Thoughts), bassist Sean Reverie (Reverie, Makeshift Graves) and drummer Dan Marin (Coterie of Stern, Skags). Since then, Kill Uncle has wasted no time building up a profile with a steady stream of Black Flag and horror punk-inspired releases while rocking stages across the 716.   We Are the Wicked opens with the squealing dissonant strings of “I Am in Hell Help Me,” a previously released single and excellent table-setter to the band’s abrasive buffet. What stands out instantly are Page’s distinctive barking vocals; delivered with enough force and ferocity to[...]

Robbery Club – “Never Better”

April 15, 2026

Robbery Club can add breaking and entering (and probably trespassing) to their list of crimes – the evidence is clear in their new video for single “Never Better.” In the video, the sharply-dressed band plays a squiggly, Joyce-Manor-meets-Weezer brand of indie punk on some random Buffalo rooftop. Crunchy guitars and melodies aplenty, the song isn’t so much a departure for them – moreso an evolution. Lyrics like “I’m not a child anymore” and “everything is okay” offset the more angsty material from their past, with just enough vagueness to keep you guessing on whether they’re tongue-in-cheek. The visual motifs in the video are cheeky, but cool – keep your eyes peeled for an omnipresent smiley balloon, cowboy hats, and… chickens?   Check out the music video for “Never Better” embedded below. While you’re at it, check out our previous features of Robbery Club here and here.    

Mikayla Manke – I Want to Feel Like I’m Home

April 9, 2026

The best music, whether written quickly or slowly, is never created urgently; instead, it unfolds naturally, with care, and over a period of time representative of the artist’s present circumstances. This sentiment is especially reflective in Buffalo-based singer-songwriter Mikayla Manke’s debut solo record, I Want to Feel Like I’m Home – a vulnerable, eclectic exploration of the different places and people we leave, visit, and return to in an attempt to ultimately return to ourselves. Permeating with intention, Manke leverages the very songwriting ability that platforms her band Spiria’s success while simultaneously pulling across electronic, acoustic and lofi influences to produce a body of work entirely unique to her.   Outside of the dreamy “Exiting the Maze,” a sonic anchor made years prior in her childhood bedroom, Manke wrote the majority of the record during a temporary stay in Binghamton, NY. It is this very sense of impermanence that translates[...]

Sleep Debt Ceiling – Worship the Disease

April 2, 2026

Sleep Debt Ceiling (SDC) is a folk-punk act from Buffalo, serving sardonic lyrics over raw instrumentals. Their latest offering is the four-song EP Worship the Disease, a perfect continuation of their previous releases like Demo EP, which we picked up on in late 2024. There’s nothing truly more punk/diy than a bunch of home recorded jams, filled with vitrol and angst – Worship the Disease was recorded last winter “between snowstorms…” And as any true Buffalonian knows, there’s not much more to do during a snowstorm than to drink, shovel, and write songs. For these reasons, Worship the Disease is our next Album of the Week.   Song one, “Plank Over Constant Slaughter” will give you perfect insight into SDC’s modus operandi. Literate lyrics delivered in a sneering sing-speak over a near constant acoustic guitar jangle – it’s not a stretch to compare it to Neutral Milk Hotel, or even late 2010’s emo acts like[...]

The Burkharts – “Please Don’t Wake Me Up”

March 24, 2026

The Burkharts have done it again – another retro-inspired, beach-pop jam they’re calling “Please Don’t Wake Me Up.” As always, the band’s image (and imagery) is on point – superimposing images of lighthouses and the ocean over their finely-tuned, red button down aesthetic. The band themselves appear comfy and cozy in a bedroom, adorned with wood paneling and bold colors, not unlike something you’d see in one of those legendary JC Penney photoshoots from the ’80s. Juicy harmonies, jangly guitars, and a 3:4 time signature help to give this one a slow dance vibe – Fans of The Beach Boys, Real Estate, and Best Coast’s lighter fare are in for a treat on this pretty little waltz.   Check out the video embed for “Please Don’t Wake Me Up” below, or, stream it on Spotify.