Latest Posts

Vampire Weekend at the Outer Harbor (6/9/14)

June 10, 2014

To begin with the obvious: last night could not have been a more beautiful evening for an outdoor concert. Though I apparently am Buffalo-illiterate, confusing Canalside with the Outer Harbor, a ride on the water taxi over to the event, shuttling me from one part of the harbor to the other, was more than pleasant given the conditions. With all good weather factors in place (a light breeze, moderate summer temperatures, plenty of sun), Vampire Weekend had the elements working to their advantage. The band did not squander their opportunity to shine. After a solid but somewhat lackluster opening performance by Cults, Vampire Weekend were quick to take the audience by the throat, jumping immediately into the exuberant “Diane Young.” Frontman Ezra Koenig, despite maintaining a Twitter account worthy of a stand-up comedian, is straightforward on stage, keeping banter at a minimum, diving directly into his songs. Vampire Weekend require no banter to entertain, however, and[...]

The War On Drugs at the Town Ballroom (4/13/14)

April 14, 2014

Last night, the Town Ballroom hosted one of Buffalo’s more anticipated live shows at the quarter mark of 2014 in Philadelphia’s The War on Drugs. Riding high off of the band’s acclaimed album, Lost in the Dream, front man Adam Granduciel and crew delivered a triumphant set of hazy heartland rock that is as much Springsteen and Henley as it is J. Spaceman. Wasting no time, the band dove right in Lost in the Dream opener “Under Pressure.” Since first listen, the meticulous kraut rock stylings of the song reminded me of Wilco’s “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” but where Wilco lets “Spiders” absolutely rip live, The War on Drugs keeps “Under Pressure” under control, albeit a driving control. Buffalo concert crowds are funny in that you never really know what kind of turnout you will get at certain shows. Here we have one of 2014’s breakthrough acts coming through town, something that[...]

St. Vincent at Asbury Hall (4/12/14)

April 13, 2014

Saturday night, the packed house at Babeville was privileged to experience a magical night of music and art when indie wunderkind St. Vincent returned to Buffalo with Brooklyn ambient guitarist Noveller. Folks from far and wide (a few blokes were up from Dallas specifically for the show) and local devotees converged on the re-purposed old church on Delaware and Tupper for worship of a different kind and were given ample reason to from start to finish. Brooklyn based guitarist Sarah Lipstate, aka Noveller, took us to church early with an enchanting set of ambient guitar rock, building a sea of sound with her lone guitar with loops, effects, drone, and reverb that took full advantage the acoustically vibrant space. The emotion drenched and deeply melodic compositions swirled and mesmerized while building to an impressive climax reminiscent of Sigur Ros at their most dramatic, with Lipstate deploying a bow to get[...]

The Hold Steady at Town Ballroom (4/8/14)

April 9, 2014

As advertised yesterday, The Hold Steady played the Town Ballroom last night. Cheap Girls opened (though I arrived too late to catch them) and dozens likely woke up with hangovers on this Wednesday morning. Though the band’s set wasn’t as strong as their harbor show last summer, they did pull off on an extended encore that felt even more invigorating than the main bulk of the concert. And they were, as always, The Hold Steady. Much of the fun and sense of community that surrounds a Hold Steady show comes from the way frontman Craig Finn physically embodies his music. Every song is presented as a tale Finn himself is absorbed by the details of. At times, he is seemingly incredulous at his own narratives. Finger quotes accompany certain lines. Lyrics are repeated away from the mic as if they were side notes. Yet Finn is never detached from the[...]

Cloud Nothings at Buffalo Iron Works. Photo credit: Erica Morano of Buffalo.com.

Cloud Nothings at Buffalo Iron Works (4/4/14)

April 5, 2014

Last night’s Cloud Nothings show at the Buffalo Iron Works was a great experience. The bands played well, the crowd was into it, but it was the synergy between the two that pushed things over the top. I admit I was worried at the beginning. Openers Pleasure Leftists, who will be joining Cloud Nothings for a few dates before coming back through Buffalo next week for your listening pleasure, were awesome, but the crowd barely seemed to move. They clapped hard, but they seemed a little sleepy. Even when the headliners came on, I was concerned. The crowd only started to pick up a few songs into the set, when singer Dylan Baldi started strumming out the first few chords of “Stay Useless.” Lyrically, “Stay Useless” is all aching ennui, wishing for “Something to do/somewhere to go.” The crowd, at least the first few rows of it, seemed to know[...]

Cut Copy at Town Ballroom (3/25)

March 26, 2014

From the moment they took the stage with a vocal excerpt of Rhythm Control’s classic track “My House” playing faintly, it became clear that Tuesday night’s Cut Copy show at the Town Ballroom would be yet another memorable and celebratory performance from the Melbourne synthpop band. Touring in support of their latest record, Free Your Mind, co-produced by Fredonia based studio maestro Dave Fridmann, the band showed an effortless ability to incorporate house and Madchester influences into their eclectic, pop oriented sound.  Opting to play the album’s spectacular title track early in the set, “Free Your Mind,” was projected behind the band in Facebook’s signature font before a blue background, making for an interesting juxtaposition and provoking statement on independent thought in the digital era. Given frontman Dan Whitford’s background in graphic design, the show had a strong and concise visual element that ranged from hypnotic black and white spirals during “Let Me[...]