Buffalo’s own 14 Trapdoors comes through with their hyped-up new hip-hop single, “Ghosts.” This three-headed crew is comprised of emcees, Bendyface, WZA and Short Moscato, who skate on a banging squeegee trap beat like big baller figure skaters. If the production doesn’t catch your ear, their slick and dizzying flows and raps will. Bump this fresh listen below and keep your eyes on 14 Trapdoors via their SoundCloud here.
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.
Michael Angelakos brought Passion Pit, his beloved indietronica passion project, back to Western New York to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the band’s acclaimed debut, Manners, with a stunningly euphoric show at The Rapids Theatre on May 20th. An exuberant collection of magnificent pop hooks and gossamer synthesizers, Manners unflinchingly chronicled Angelakos’ struggles with mental health, while earnestly pursuing the unabashed joy of human connection. Released the same year indie rock began its breakthrough into the mainstream, Manners still holds up as a gorgeous pop record with a very real human heart underneath the synthetic sheen. For the adoring fans in the crowd, watching Angelakos and his bandmates rekindle this magic onstage was a moment of pure joy and emotional catharsis, with every lyric recited in unison and every grand gesture met with applause. The giant halls of The Rapids Theatre weren’t big enough to contain the love and excitement[...]
Creeping out of the shadows for some fun in the sun are spooky surf rockers, The Hamiltones, with their tubular new instrumental EP, The Shape of Walter. Having risen out of the Buffalo party scene like a Chubbies-clad Dracula from his coffin, this cheerfully eerie trio has crafted a rad 4-track record that perfectly captures their upbeat and gothy surf rock sound. The release features three killer original tunes and a special cover of “Without You” from the Son of Dracula (1974) soundtrack, all courtesy of maestros Richard Reynolds on bass and organ, John Toohill (Science Man, Alpha Hopper, Radiation Risks, Night Slaves) on guitar and Chris Scamurra (Kharlos, Space Wolves) on drums. As soon as you drop the needle on this bad boy you’ll feel like you’re catching a wave with the Munsters on their summer vacation. Each vibrant track stands out with its own identity and is a[...]
Buffalo’s Younger Then ended a five-year hot streak with their final show at Mr. Goodbar on Friday, April 27th. Channeling their love of outsized alternative rock––U2, Arkells, Cage The Elephant, Kings of Leon, The Strokes, among others––the band combined richly-textured riffs with propulsive grooves, soaring vocals, and hooks as massive as the Grand Canyon. Playing to a packed house, the band pulled no punches, tearing through their greatest hits and fan favorites from their full-length album, “Bad Life” (Standby Records), and their self-titled debut EP. Though it was certainly bittersweet to commemorate the end of a talented group, the members of Younger Then––singer Zack Dupuis, guitarists Michael Wirth and Austin Dorr, drummer Jeremy Shields, and bassist Matt Dudek––are already planning their next moves, with a series of new projects in the works. Supporting acts included rust-belt rockers The Eaves and Rochester’s power-pop purveyors The Demos. The Eaves The Demos Younger Then
Newly-minted Buffalonian indie rockers Wild Once are due to release their debut EP later this spring. Until then, they’ve come out swinging with the brooding title-track, “Perennials.” The quartet shows off a decidedly mature and atmospheric guitar-driven sound, while not straying too far from their emotional and punk rock roots – think The National meets The Get Up Kids with a hint of The Killers. Perennials is due out this spring via Admirable Traits records. Make sure you catch Wild Once’s EP release – it’s at Mohawk Place on May 10th. Perennials by Wild Once
Buffalo ex-pat Ryan Luce has hit a vein of pure Americana goodness on his new single “California Gold” off his forthcoming album and you should get it in your ears pronto. Shuffling earnestly with just a sweet whiff of melancholy, some killer slide guitar lines and intertwined harmonies that conjure sensations of 70’s country and Buckingham Nicks, “California Gold” is indeed AM radio gold; timeless and bittersweetly irresistible. “California Gold” is the title track of Luce’s forthcoming album that comes out April 26, with a homecoming show scheduled for May 4th at The Tabernacle.
Feminism is punk rock. If you don’t think so, you don’t know punk. Punk rebels against the status quo and focuses angst and anger to inspire change for the better. And in 2019, women have plenty to be pissed off about. Enter Velvet Bethany and their brand new full-length, Rock & Roll Vacation!. The latest is the band’s fifth release and stuffed with ten catchy tracks of garage punk rock that’s an absolute blast from start to finish. What started as singer and guitarist Allison Mitchell’s solo project evolved over the past five years into a four-piece powerhouse with the additions of Vivian on lead guitar, Lux Arnold on bass and Mike D behind the kit. These four bring out the best in each other to create candy-coated, sweet ‘n’ sour punk rock with badass and irreverent feminist attitude. After a brief 8-bit musical masterpiece, the album opens with the[...]
Beloved psychedelic rockers Aircraft have some new music on the way and our first taste has arrived with an atmospheric video for their new single “Bad Things.” Filmed live at Mammoth Recording Studio, “Bad Things” is more than a tad appropriately bleak, with some groovy underwater guitar sounds maybe a little bit reminiscent of “The Rain Song” and 90’s R.E.M. and hauntingly plaintive vocals from our man Justin John Smith that synch up rather nicely with the prevailing disquiet. You can check it out below, and definitely stay tuned for new Aircraft material incoming this year.
Buffalo’s Feverbox takes to the rooftops in the video for their dynamite indie rock protest anthem, “Dear Leader.” Hot off their 2018 EP, Political Theater, Feverbox pulls no punches in their catchy critique of our Commander-in-chief. Politically charged and defiant lyrics are delivered with fire by lead singer/guitarist Griffin Smith over a raucous and exploding rock beat. Watch the video for this presidential indie rock diss track below and give Political Theater a listen on Bandcamp here.
Buffalo trio, Green Slime, are back and in full effect with their new speaker blowing and truly excellent 10-track stoner garage rock album, 2. Their sophomore full-length can best be described as the perfect combination of heaviness and melody. It’s the kind of songs Rivers Cuomo circa the Blue Album would have wrote had he snorted a mountain of coke and bit the head off a bat. The wonderfully raw and crunchy garage grooves from guitarist Eric Ellman and bassist Mike Euscher are so thick they practically ooze from their amps. The two shred at their heaviest and doomiest on “Survival,” a boisterous track that will possess you to throw up your lighter while headbanging deeply and lethargically along. Ellman also works double-duty as Green Slime’s lead singer with crooning vocals reminiscent of the ones you’d hear on a nostalgic 90’s alt-rock single. They’re an absolute blast to sing along[...]
Buffalo expat Rocco Of The Snow aka Rocco DellaNeve is back literally and proverbially: proverbially in that he’s got a juicy new single out by the name of “Big Riddle,” and literally because he’s back home for the holidays with a cd release show tonight at the fairly brand new Imagine Event Center in Black Rock. First things first: “Big Riddle” is ideal for those of us prone to seasonal affective disorder, an unseasonably bright slice of electronic r&b perfect for our troubled times, gray, sunless winter days and cold nights in need of funky beats and soaring, fuzzed out synths that broadcast some joy and solace directly into your heart (it’s also a tonic for the soul for those of us who miss Forealists). You can see and hear what Rocco has been up to tonight when he plays a show celebrating his new cd release Prime Mover at the newish Imagine[...]
Local dark electronica duo Night Slaves have returned with a killer live show and sophomore full length album in Night Slaves III that brims with soaring ambition, darkness, and evil, genre defying grooves that lift it above the noise. From start to finish musical polymath David Kane astonishes on III, bending so much to his will to create varied backdrops for his cohort John Toohill to summon some serious mojo, channeling Bowie, Nick Cave, 90’s Michael Stipe and Paul Banks to impressive effect, while the incredible guest vocals from Lucy Bell throughout kind of echo in your soul like ye old fairy magic… if that fairy magic wore boots and kicked ass. III crushes immediately with a bleak yet defiant drive through a post apocalyptic wasteland on “The Last Elephant” that grooves with menace and a Spectoresque wall of sound, layering haunting vocals among the droning guitars, loops, organ, etc to fill your ears.[...]
Buffalo emcee, JC (AYAM), drops the video for his foreboding new head nodder, “N.I.P. TOO.” This ominously hypnotic cut traps you down in a shadowy dungeon tormented with executioner’s horns, drippy finger snaps and skittering hi-hats. (AYAM) lurks through this bumping and doomy beat with faded brag raps that echo down dark, cavernous passageways. It’s a mesmerizing record to chill to, especially when laid up in the torture rack, so fall under (AYAM)’s trance below. Look out for JC (AYAM)’s debut album next year and be sure to follow him on Twitter here.
In the interest of fairness I’ve got to preface this review by firmly making the point that I’m not shading anybody else or their art while talking about the bold as brass new EP Political Theater from the beautiful fellas of Feverbox. There’s a number of ways to process these… interesting times personally and through one’s art, and there’s more than a few local acts speaking to the tumult politically and existentially raging in these United States, and representing for what they believe in, and it’s valued and appreciated. But what Feverbox (Griffin Smith, Nico Kelly, Josh Little, Drew Lazelle) is doing on Political Theater is something else altogether because it’s one of the most urgently direct and plaintively honest responses to the Trump era yet. There’s just very little left to interpret when Feverbox kicks off an ep titled Political Theater (featuring our beloved President in photoshopped Queen of Hearts drag)[...]