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Tonight: Arkells

June 11, 2015

The second installment of Thursday at Canalside 2015 keeps it going tonight with a visit from Hamilton, ON’s Arkells along with Robert DeLong and Milo Greene. Local favorites who almost qualify as local, Arkells have been journeying down the QEW to Buffalo for the last few years, gradually building a sizable audience for its potent power pop, currently showcased on most recent album, 2014’s High Noon. Rounding out tonight’s hodgepodge of acts will be Washington state EDM starlet Robert Delong and Los Angeles indie folk rockers Milo Greene. Tonight’s Thursday at Canalside will also be interesting to see how Canalside handles the crowds as amenities like beer, food, and port-a-potties that were lacking at last week’s kick off. Will supply satisfy demand? Will the NO FUN police break up excessive freedom? Will the crazy fun times continue? Find out tonight. Gates open at 5pm.

Tonight: Matt & Kim

June 4, 2015

It’s that time of year again. As the weather gets warmer and the days grow longer, the Thursday at Canalside series has returned, and kicking off the year is none other than Matt & Kim. While the Brooklyn act might not find its names on any year-end lists, few would argue with the pair’s incredible live shows. Bringing to the stage a catalog of shimmering catchy pop gems and raucuous energy, the duo has become a staple of summer music festivals and concert series. Even those who aren’t fans of the band’s catalog will be able to enjoy Matt & Kim’s series of enthusiastic covers and general sense of fun that few live acts these days can match. The band has played Buffalo more than a few times with the crowd growing on each successive visit, so expect to get down there early tonight (gates open at 5pm). And if that’s[...]

Staff Picks: Most Anticipated Shows of the Summer

May 22, 2015

The Public kind of beat us to the punch with its whole “Best Summer Ever” proclamation in this week’s issue, but we have to agree with the paper on this one, at least in a live music sense. Every year, the city’s summer music schedule seems to get better and busier, with bands coming to town they may have passed us for Toronto or Cleveland in the past. Between the revitalized Canalside schedule to the endless club shows that get announced on a seemingly daily basis,  this very well may be the best (music) summer ever. Below are a list of staff picks, selecting our most anticipated Buffalo shows of the season (Spoiler: a bunch of us are pretty hyped for Spoon). For more summer options, make sure to check out our events calendar here. Jon Krol Ceremony w/ Pity Sex at Mohawk Place (7/5/15) Anyone who’s ever seen Ceremony[...]

Tonight: Foster the People

September 11, 2014

Canalside has hosted some of the best events in Buffalo this summer, and they are winding down the season with another banger. Foster the People is bringing its genre-spanning, indie-pop-based breed of music to the waterfront for the last concert of the season. It’s a bold move to name your album after one of the best dance songs of the 90s, but much like Ru Paul, these guys work. Right now, that work includes sashaying throughout the east coast to promote their sophomore effort, Supermodel. The band strutted onto the scene in 2011, thanks to the success of their crossover hit “Pumped Up Kicks,” and have been moving forward ever since. When this track came out, I hated it: it was too catchy, too poppy, and yet somehow too dark thanks to the grim lyrics disguised by a melodic hook. Last summer, though, my adorably unhip Pilates instructor described the[...]

Tonight: Moby

August 14, 2014

Born Richard Melville Hall, Harlem-born electronic musician Moby is one of the leading artists responsible for bringing underground sounds like house, techno, and electronica to a larger audience, when his 1999 album Play broke through and eventually became the best selling album of it’s genre. With a career that spans 13 studio albums and nearly 25 years as well as sounds as diverse as hardcore punk, trance, breakbeat, and ambient, the artist has become an icon not only for his musical legacy, but for his animal rights activism and establishment of the Area:One festival which created a blueprint for the eclectic style of dance music festivals that currently reign supreme. Tonight, Moby closes out the Thursday concert series at Canalside along with an opening set from local dance music veteran DJ Xotec. After releasing his latest LP, Innocents, last July to favorable reviews, it was clear that the musician had not lost[...]

Girl Talk at Canalside (8/8/14)

August 10, 2014

Girl Talk’s Buffalo appearance two years ago at the Outer Harbor was easily the best show of the summer, and he did it once again with his Canalside show on Friday, even mentioning the fun he had the last time he was in the 716. Clearly our 412 neighbor is a fan of the Queen City, and we love him right back, feeding off the energy and the many interactions he had with the crowd. (To the person who caught the hoodie he tossed into the crowd shortly after taking the stage, I want/need it kthx!) For those of you smart enough to get a ticket, I hope you’re still finding bits of confetti in your hair and ringing in your ears from the fresh mixes he brought to the packed venue. Half the fun of a GT show is trying to identify the samples he throws at you, and[...]

Tonight: Girl Talk

August 8, 2014

Tonight, Pittsburgh mash-up guru, Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis), brings his brilliant dance party back to Buffalo for a highly anticipated show at Canalside. A party for the body and the mind, Gillis creates a full on sensory overload experience that also manages to simultaneously stimulate the brain with thought provoking and frequently hilarious mash-ups while driving crowds positively insane with delight. Tickets are $15 for the rabble and $55 for the hoi poloi, and if you missed it here’s Vanessa Lyne’s interview with the man himself. If you manager to arrive at Canalside early, make sure to catch the urban surf vibes of The Get Money Squad. The buzzing, Buffalo act, comprised of members of Network, recently released their debut EP, Nothing’s Wrong, capturing our album of the week honors. Music kicks off at 7pm.

Kerfuffle at Canalside (7/26/14)

July 27, 2014

Considering that Alternative Buffalo 107.7 is only nine months old, it’s a bit of a miracle that their inaugural one day festival was as much a success as it was. After gestating for three full trimesters, the fledgling radio station has given birth to something that should, realistically, become a part of Buffalo tradition. The day’s execution had its flaws: the beer tents periodically ran out of water at an event where no outside water bottles were allowed and it was not made clear that the food trucks wouldn’t accept Canalside food/beverage tickets. But overall, given 107.7’s youth and that it was a virgin voyage for the station, the experience offered was incredible. Not only did the rain mostly stay away in spite of weather reports to the contrary, the acts themselves were sharp, lively, and remarkably well-connected to the crowd of ten thousand. After showcasing the ecstatic old-timey ramble[...]

Today/Tonight: Kerfuffle

July 26, 2014

Back in mid-April, I remember seeing a lot of tweets from Alt Buffalo and their DJs filled with the hastag #Kerfuffle. Twitter had a minor buzz storm on its hands. To the surprise of some, Kerfuffle turned out to be a one day festival curated by the radio station. And as of yesterday, the damn thing was sold out. It’s not easy to sell out Canalside. That’s a big space. But when you have a hand full of alt-rock buzz acts, coupled with the strong following that Alt Buffalo has built in its first year, I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked. The first annual (I would assume) Kerfuffle bill is highlighted by acts like Cage the Elephant, Bear Hands, and Bleachers. If you are reading this post and have a ticket, I take it you know these acts. Bear Hands, though, is an act that has been on our radar[...]

Tonight: Gord Downie & The Sadies

July 3, 2014

I generally loathe referring to Gord Downie as the “heart and soul of The Tragically Hip.” It’s a disservice to the rest of the guys in the band, and besides, Gord is so much more: an enigmatic frontman,  solo artist, poet, activist, and a beloved international righteous dude. Tonight at Canalside, he’ll be here in the role of esteemed collaborator when he and the Sadies perform songs from their 7 years in the making Conquering Sun album, released in April by Arts and Crafts. Opening the show will Newfoundland indie rock band Hey Rosetta and Australian folk rockers Boy & Bear. Like all Canalside shows the good times start at 6 and wrap up around 10. It’s been said that Buffalo likes it’s Canadian rock, and with this being an international holiday week, Canalside will be jumping. See you there.

Just Announced: Foster the People

June 23, 2014

Man did the Tralf ever strike gold when they booked Foster the People a few years back. Their mega single, “Pumped Up Kicks,” had just started to blow up, resulting in a sold-out (I think) show in 2011 that I imagined left the Tralf promoters feeling pretty, pretty good. Just today, the pop trio, along with Alt Buffalo, announced its impending return to Buffalo with a show scheduled for Canalside on Thursday, September 11th. Back when the Canalside lineup was announced, there was an open date which was rumored to be filled with a bigger name act, and as it turns, that act is Foster the People. Could have been worse I suppose. Tickets will be available to purchase from $15-$55, starting this Friday, June 27th, at noon. Those free Thursday shows aren’t looking all that bad now, are they?

Tonight: An Evening With moe.

June 19, 2014

Earlier this week, I put out an article featuring an interview with moe. drummer Vinnie Amico. Tonight, he and the band will be coming to Canalside for a free show at Buffalo’s waterfront venue. To see the part of the interview where he reminisces about his Buffalo roots, and for a preview of moe.’s impending show, check out the article beyond. With their first Buffalo appearance of the year, moe. will be spending an evening at the Harbor, in the city where their humble beginnings as a local bar band first brought them into the public eye. In a conversation I had with Vinnie a few weeks ago, we spent some time talking about Buffalo as the city that fostered both his and moe.’s growth as musicians. They’ve come a long way since playing in those dingy bars littered around the city, so I asked him what kind of meaning[...]

Just Announced: Girl Talk

May 9, 2014

In other Canalside news, the promoters announced their ticketed events last night as well, a lineup that is headlined by a performance from mashup king Girl Talk. After having played a highly-anticipated Outer Harbor show a couple summers ago, Pittsburgh-born Greg Gillis will slide down the canal to the inner harbor for a show on Friday, August 8th. Tickets will go on sale for the show on Monday, May 12th, for $15 in advance, $20 day of.

Just Announced: Kerfuffle

April 30, 2014

After some teasing through social media over the last couple weeks, Alternative Buffalo 107.7, one of the city’s newest radio stations, announced this evening it’s first big splash on the scene in the interestingly titled Kerfuffle. Yes Kerfuffle. The station, which has had its name on various shows over the last couple months from acts like the Whigs to the Orwells, will be throwing a one-day fest down at Canalside on Saturday, July 26th beginning at 3pm. Kerfuffle features some buffaBLOG approved artists, including Bear Hands (a former “You Heard It First” showcased act of the station), the semi-Rochester based BIg Data, Bleachers, and the Crystal Method. Cage the Elephant appears to be the headliner. Well, you can’t win them all… Anyways, ticket are $25, $40, and $150 for VIP, and will be available for purchase on Friday, May 2nd, starting at 12pm via TicketFly. Full event details can be[...]