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.
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.
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
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
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, 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.
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.
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.
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[...]
Buffalo americana act, Roger Byran and the Orphans, are back with their first new recording since 2014. Coming back from their break, the band just dropped a super catchy new track, titled “WhyLife.” While there’s no drastic changes sonically from their past releases, they remind us that they are still capable of writing an insanely catchy song. Bouncy and driving, the track is a perfect example of what Roger Bryan and the Orphans are all about. According to the band’s bandcamp, this version of “Whylife” is different compared to what will appear on an upcoming release, presumably out later this year. If you’re into alternative / americana acts like Ryan Adams or The Replacements, do yourself a favor and check out the track below.
Buffalo’s Tr38cho (Tre Ocho) needs just one verse to make waves on his single “Big Twinkie.” Taking influence from legendary lyricist Eyedea, Ocho fits in punchlines and commentary into the minute and a half track, with statements like “I’m from the part of the city they aren’t trying to gentrify.” The instrumental has a grimy 90s NYC feel to it, and the Ghostbusters Twinkie scene leads in and out of the song. Give it a listen below.
Buffalo’s Mega Powers is the tandem of emcee Ideal and producer Jacebeats. Their name calls to the legendary wrestling duo of Hulk Hogan and the Macho Man Randy Savage and they’ve got the talent to back it up. “Hit the Streets” is an idealist boom bap single with a call to action to take things back to the people. Ideal’s bars promote independent thinking and living in the moment, while Jace’s joyful production features show-stealing vocal samples and horns. The “Hit the Streets” music video continues the throwback vibes as Ideal takes center stage while Jace stunts stoically in the background. “Hit the Streets” is the debut single for the Mega Powers’ much-anticipated upcoming album 0 = 1. Press play below.
The year was 2009… A then 19-year-old me was excited to catch Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltisn at the Rathskellar, the on-campus bar at St. Bonaventure university. Little did I know, I would receive a local band’s demo that night, one full of still-relevant tracks with a fresh take on urgent indie rock. That band was Arctic Death, and the magical EP in choice was what they now refer to as DEMO 2009. My copy was burnt on a blank cd and hand-decorated with some abstract doodles and what I originally thought was the EP’s title… Tropical Life (Arctic Death/Tropical Life – it’s like opposite day). Don’t get me wrong, SSLYBY was great, but the true treat of the night was blazing this short and sweet EP over and over on the two hour drive home. Immediately, the plodding bassline of “Handprints?” had me hooked. Arctic Death specialized in angular rhythms, wonky guitar and bass[...]
“Half A Man,” the latest single from Buffalo psych rockers, blew my mind straight up. If you haven’t already gotten this towering, epic jam into your ears, you really need to do so immediately. Anchored by drums that conjure seventies Genesis, spaced out, Drozdesque guitars, and glorious California folk rock vocal harmonies, “Half A Man” achieves celestial liftoff and doesn’t come back, opting for sweet electronic oblivion instead. It’s B-side “To The Garden” is six minutes of nimble, psychedelic garage rock that simultaneously reminds me of Talking Heads and The Beach Boys and the American songbook these dudes are joyfully shredding on. Please check them out below and Deadwolf’s Bandcamp page for more goodness.
Rochester native Wren Williams has been an active WNY musician since the early aughts, but has recently been making lots of waves in our lovely, Buffalo music scene… With the help of his backing band, a trio of cousins affectionately named “The Sons of Luther,” Williams dropped an ambitious full-length last month in the form of the 11-song Venom & Sugar. Venom & Sugar is a telling title; the album starts out biting and menacing and gradually morphs into something sweet and pretty. Vitriolic songs “Inevitable Collapse” and “Conspiracy Theory” kick off the album with a one-two punch, introducing the listener to the band’s indie rock ‘n roll vibes with a hint of glam. The album has strong themes of duality and touches poignantly on issues of mental health, something the outspoken Williams should be proud of. Eventually the listener is greeted by the meat-and-potatoes triad of “Psycho Maniac,” “Out Of Touch,” and “Saving Grace.”[...]