Latest Posts

Small Smalls – Things Can Only Get Worse

November 27, 2017

Time freezes in an eighties neon haze on Things Can Only Get Worse, the debut full length album from Buffalo synth pop trio Small Smalls, accompanied with a bittersweet awkwardness  that keeps it vulnerable and new. The bright lo-fi synth lines always lift off, but never drift too far from the emotional core that holds Colette Montague’s lyrics and vocal performances together on a set of songs that encompasses New Wave, sixties pop, noise rock, and surprisingly in the end, surf punk. “Brave Bird” is a perfect album opener with it’s beguilingly shiny and upbeat synths and vocals and  fuzzed out guitar, which give way to the angular yet pensive New Wave of “Falling Blossoms” and pleasing atonal robotic textures of “Polystyrene Girl,” both of which play beautifully off of Colette Montague’s warm and airy soprano. The offbeat sonic textures continue on “Hamster Lunch,” featuring vox from guitarist Stephen Malczewski, punk rhythms from Dave Borden,  and[...]

Dirt War - Loss

Dirt War – Loss

October 26, 2017

Cascading down from some place on high comes falling to earth, hardcore doom rockers Dirt War with  their newly released EP, Loss. Formed from the missing and severed limbs of various Buffalo groups, it’s possible you haven’t heard Dirt War yet. Their last recording was a Demo from 2015. But after giving Loss a listen, it won’t be easy to forget them. In the realm of doom, stoner, metal/rock, things can get both stale and confusing. With multiple different classifications and genres floating around, and a tendency for some bands to simply sit back and hash out a groove for 20 minutes, the realm has its fair share of bands that, well, tend to sound the same. Either by accident or design. But, on Loss, Dirt War go left instead of right. The band uses a dual bass setup and forgets about guitars all together. This isn’t a gimmick, it’s a[...]

dreambeaches Drop New Single “Trademark,” Ready New EP

September 27, 2017

Buffalo baroque surf rockers dreambeaches are getting ready to drop their newest EP in a few weeks and they’re getting us ready for it too with a hot lead single, “Trademark.”  A gorgeous riot of chiming guitars, a propulsive beat, irresistible hooks, and sunny harmonies that soothe the soul, it’s an excellent teaser for Disappearing Act due October 13th from Admirable Traits Records and the show they’ll be putting on at Milkie’s for their album release shindig that night.  In the meantime, enjoy “Trademark” below.

Pop Punkers Kill The Clock Release New Music Video

August 7, 2017

Buffalonian pop-punk act Kill The Clock are on fire right now. The quartet is buzzing, having just played a massive gig with alt-rock mainstays Theory of a Deadman at Canalside. With what seems like perfect timing, the group has just released a music video for their new jam “Ode to Cheating Death.” Fans of Knuckle Puck, New Found Glory, or Four Year Strong will definitely dig this one. Click play below and prep yourself for blistering punk riffs, major chord progressions, and urgent vibes. Do KTC a solid and head over to their Bandcamp page. There, you can pick up their latest EP, Southgate, for a very reasonable “pay what you want” rate.

Previous Love Releases Debut Single “Caffeine”

July 21, 2017

Buffalo based alternative rockers Precious Love released the first single “Caffeine” off their upcoming self-titled EP. Recorded with Jay Zubricky at GCR Studios, “Caffeine’s” guitar riffs come as dreamy, but carry an edge to them. The vocals hold the somber feel that captures the essence of glory days of emo music. Listen along with the single below and make sure to keep an eye out for Previous Love’s EP out July 25th.

Darth Nater – “The Western Lowland Gorilla Song”

July 19, 2017

Darth Nater (pun intended) is also known as singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nate Noworyta. The Buffalo-born musician recently caught our attention with “The Western Lowland Gorilla Song,” a tongue-in-cheek ditty that highlights his wry delivery, dry wit, and unique storytelling ability. Noworyta recently released his fourth full-length album, People Are Animals, which is (unsurprisingly) a collection of ten songs about people who act like animals. Fans of The Front Bottoms, Modern Baseball, or Dave Matthews will surely like this one. If you’re digging it, you can purchase People Are Animals via Bandcamp.

D.A Live Releases “Everything I Ain’t Been”

June 10, 2017

Buffalo-based rapper D.A Live provides complex wordplay through his release “Everything I Ain’t Been.” With a mixture of unpredictable flows and smooth melodies, Live brings an unconventional vibe to the track. Ski Beats brings a laid-back beat with a light snare and a slow, deep bass. The song goes into the struggles of everything that Live wants to be, but cannot reach in his present state. Listen to “Everything I Ain’t Been” via SoundCloud below.

Short Moscato Drops Music Video For “Steady”

June 2, 2017

Buffalo-based emcee Short Moscato dropped a trippy new visual for his song “Steady” which came off his recent project The Colour of Air. The video goes in an experimental film route with jump cuts between rainbow-dipped images to go along with the lyrics of the song which exercise Moscato’s ability as a wordsmith. The video adds to the sporadic nature of the song, jumping from sex, drug use and the quest to find a steady mindset. For anyone that listened to the EP, the video adds another dimension to the song. Check out the visual music video for the song below.

Tonight: Taking Meds

May 13, 2017

Sewing Souls is set to be a real rager with a stacked bill this evening. Coming out from Rochester will be math-rock/pop-punk outfit, Taking Meds. The band released their full-length debut record, My Life as a Bro recently and are an intoxicating cocktail mixture of math-rock elements with just a bit of punk/pop sound to keep things groovy. Filling out the night’s roster are Alleys, a punk/emo group that showcase solid guitar compositions and a high octane energy, Passed Out, who just released their newest single, “the inverse is true,” and Slow Cooker, who always bring it with fast, solid tunes that mash up surfer rock that sounds like it’s been dragged through the mud and back. The night’s tunes start at 8pm. Cover is $3. My Life as a Bro by Taking Meds

Suburbs Drop New Jam “48 Hour Scumbags”

April 6, 2017

Enigmatic Buffalo electronica act Suburbs released a terrific single that is chilled out perfection and profoundly satisfying.  Kicked off with a burst of howling bros, “48 Hour Scumbags” immediately downshifts into a sexy groove anchored by some godless church organs and the de-tuned and fuzzed out vocals from Kevin Stuitje. Time and space dilates  in the late night/early morning haze conjured by this endearingly skeezy and subliminally agitated jam before crashing in the end, and like a 48 hour scumbag, it left me needing more. 48 Hour Scumbags by Suburbs

Feverbox Release New Single “Victoria”

April 4, 2017

Kenmore garage rockers Feverbox are getting ready to release their first EP in the coming weeks and the release’s first single, “Victoria” shines bright. The indie rockers from Buffalo’s best first ring suburb announced themselves nicely with a few well received singles last year, but “Victoria” definitely shows a band tightening it up, with those dreamy vocal harmonies, driving riffs and shimmering synths flying higher than ever. On a side note what is up with all these local bands representing with impressive vocal harmonies? Must be a lot of Beach Boys and Fleetwood Mac fans around here. Anyway, Feverbox’s EP arrives April 14th with a show at Babeville with Deadwolf and Super American, and you can check out “Victoria” below:

KIN Release Video For “Try”

March 24, 2017

KIN, the infinitely charming side project from Eliot Douglas (M.A.G.S.) featuring himself and his lovely wife Julia Douglas, released the video for their debut single “Try,” and it is absolutely wonderful. A sweet ode to married indie rock domesticity, the joys of shopping at Home Depot, Brian Wilson’s mythic living room, and the quest for summer fun during a WNY winter, this clip is utterly irresistible. Director Corey James Harris truly makes this video seem naturally effortless, summoning a level of breezy, whimsical artifice reminiscent of The Flaming Lips, another band that does a lot of work in these here parts. Check it out, feel warm and fuzzy, and keep an eye out for more from KIN.

Ugly Sun Drop Latest Single “Marble Eye”

March 23, 2017

Buffalo garage rock power trio Ugly Sun are back with their latest single “Marble Eye,” and it’s a thrilling burst of triumphant goodness. For a band keen to keep things on the rough and wild side, the deploying of both discordant and mightily sweet harmonies behind John Crook’s plaintive wail and those epic riffs takes this whole enterprise to a higher level and almost flirts with beauty. In a city with a growing list of rock bands you can believe in, you can add Ugly Sun to the list. They’ll be playing the just announced Made Violent show at the Studio At The Waiting Room with Sixties Future May 5th, with tickets going on sale this Friday.

Today: House Of Pain

March 19, 2017

House Of Pain are one of those 90’s exuberances that’s simultaneously regrettable and irresistible, especially during Buffalo’s internationally renowned extended St. Patrick’s Day bacchanal, which reaches it’s apex today with the parade down Delaware Avenue, and House Of Pain at the Waiting Room. Giddyup fam, Everlast, Danny Boy and DJ Lethal will be presiding over an epic blow out in the Waiting Room’s parking lot featuring St. Patrick’s Day mayhem, 90’s covers from blog favorite Soul Patch, Slaine from La Coka Nostra, and DJ sets from Dovey and Rick Jameson. Tickets for this once in a lifetime Buffalo rager are still available for $15 general admission and $40 for VIP tickets. Rick Jameson starts it off at 12pm and House Of Pain caps it all off after the parade conclude’s at 4:30pm.

Tonight: Local Natives

March 17, 2017

With the Spring season fast approaching, Buffalo’s concert season begins to ramp up right alongside the nice weather. And what better way to help melt the remnants of Stella than a performance by SoCal indie heroes Local Natives? The band has made more than a name for themselves over the past seven years, having chiseled their own eclectic sound into the all-encompassing megalith that is ‘indie rock’. And to help celebrate the evolution of that sound and the release of their newest album–2016’s Sunlit Youth–the quintet will perform tonight at Town Ballroom. Now with three albums under their belt, it should be safe to say that the band is here to stay for a while. From the angular guitarwork of their debut Gorilla Manor to the cathartic transformation into their soulful, electronic-tinged new album, Local Natives have covered a lot of ground, sonically. The show tonight should display some of[...]