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Cooler – Buried

January 29, 2018

If the late 2000’s were a type of coming of age for the skinny jeans wearing, flatiron worshipping scene kids of the world, right around now is their approaching quarter-life crisis, and Buffalo trio Cooler is here to provide the soundtrack with their recently released EP, Buried. Cooler’s brand of indie-emo wears its careful cultivation like a fine wine, funneling that youth-driven angst into rigorous precision, vocal interplay, and a healthy layer of fuzz. As the band’s third release, it’s clear they’ve shot through the polite awkwardness of a new band learning their way and are joined at the head in a synchronicity that’s iron-tight. The EP shows off modern emo as multidimensional, if not more accessible to the mainstream. Through its five tracks, the band broods over a complex array of emotions, each with their own individual flavor and essence. “Will-o-the-Wisp” starts the ball rolling with hearty group vocals,[...]

Cooler at Mohawk Place (1/12/18)

January 16, 2018

Despite the frigid winter storm raging outside that evening, Mohawk Place was absolutely brimming with excitement for Cooler’s EP Release Show on January 12th. Playing to a hometown crowd of their friends, family, and peers, Cooler opened their set with stripped-down renditions of fan favorites, before premiering new material from their latest Admirable Traits release, Buried EP, the band’s first as a trio. By dialing down the “phantom phuzz” that characterized their earlier music, Cooler emphasized the heartfelt songwriting, cathartic hooks, and taut musicianship that forms the essential core of their sound, played onstage with raging intensity and emotional conviction. The band were supported that evening by Honey COMA’s spartan confessionals, Post Prom’s disaffected anthems, and Into the Wake’s volcanic nightmares. Honey COMA Post Prom Into the Wake Cooler

Tonight: Cooler EP Release Show

January 12, 2018

With their high-level energy and expertly crafted melodies at the ready, alternative rock three-piece Cooler will be performing tonight to a hometown crowd at Buffalo’s historic venue Mohawk Place on 47 Mohawk St., heralding in the release of the band’s new EP entitled Buried. Over the course of the show’s suspected five-hour runtime, Cooler will be joined by fellow Buffalo-based rock acts Post Prom, Into the Wake and Honey COMA. The show starts at 8 p.m. It will allow entry for those 18 or above with proper identification and parental guidance if younger. The cover is $10, a cost that includes a copy of Cooler’s new cassette, which includes a digital download. Check out the eponymous single off the trio’s new release below:

Cooler Release Single off Buried

December 20, 2017

Emotive Buffalo trio Cooler packs a lot of punch in the fleeting yet effective  “Buried,” a touchstone for the confident avoidance of life’s burdensome trials and tribulations. The lyrics point to a mind overpacked with anxiety brought on by a grueling, task-filled day ahead. The narrative fastens itself to the desire for a simple alternative capable of upending such a mindstate, its chorus announcing the line “I wanna spend my day buried in your sweater.” With cool assertiveness and distortion-laced power chords abounding, “Buried” harkens back to Exile in Guyville-era Liz Phair. A high spot of the track is its simmering down into an acoustic bit shortly after the two-minute mark, which is rejoined by surrounding instruments in a seamless flash. Cooler’s brand new EP, on which “Buried” will appear, is due out January 12th through Admirable Traits Records.

Tonight: Ugly Sun

August 14, 2017

A night of heavy and hard charged music is in store for visitors to Sewing Souls Studios. Ugly Sun headlines a set of four acts in celebration of the release of their new EP Painted Post, with support from two up-and-coming  local groups and touring rockers Retirement Party. Ugly Sun’s offers a brand alt rock dripping with grunge and garage rock influences. Covering the pop punk side of things are both Buffalo’s Super American and Chicago’s Retirement Party. Cooler specializes in the emo realm, with layers of indie and fuzz. Things kick off at 7:30pm, with a $5 charge at the door. If you’re over 21, the event is BYOB (no glass). Painted Post by Ugly Sun

Tonight: Herd Fest Day 2

June 16, 2017

After a successful night one of Herd Fest where we saw Sammus take the crowd in the palm of her hand and Award Show burst our eardrums, we are psyched to continue on to night two. Mohawk Place starts early at 6pm with loop artist Griffin! and indie folk singer Kerry Fey playing Happy Hour. If you are there before 8pm, there is no cover and $2 PBRs and $2 off all drafts. Doors start at 7:30pm with a $7 cover. Slotted to open the night is atmospheric producer qwelis, followed by raw indie rock act Jack, and Rochester slackrockers Big Fred. At 10pm, soaring synth rock act Humble Braggers hits the main stage followed by up-and-coming indie rockers Nylon Otters, cavernous experimental rock act Bold Folly and  hip hop wordsmith Dean Chatham capping of the night. Milkie’s is set to host a night of local hip hop with sets[...]

Tonight: The Traditional

April 8, 2017

Buffalo’s own The Traditional are back on home turf in honor of their latest album release. The band is celebrated as an angst-ridden, emo alt-rock ray of hope for the Western NY music scene, honing in on an organic, authentic sound that’s often hard to come by. The trio holds true to the ideal of producing genuine, soul-bearing music for anyone willing to listen, and their hardworking, grassroots mentality shows. With a sound similar to The Used, Brand New, and The Wonder Years, The Traditional pride themselves on having many influences but holding true to their very own unique sound. This band has a reputation for creating energetic, raw, and honest material, and their live performances are no exception. In honor of the March 17th release of their latest EP The Queen of Heaven, The Traditional have decided to lend their time and talents at The Waiting Room this Saturday[...]

Tonight: Cooler

February 16, 2017

Tonight’s show, presented by our good pals at The Public, seems like a no-brainer in terms of quality. Between Cooler, The Slums and Ugly Sun, each band on the bill are local pioneers in their own right, respectably carving out their own pocket within the indie, fuzz-rock and post-punk worlds and consistently putting out thoughtful, well produced material. Cooler’s most recent full length release, Phantom Phuzz, re-affirmed the high standard that all three of these bands set for themselves. The album is a feel-good listen. It’s not super complex or difficult to digest, but it’s exceptionally catchy and radiates honest feelings. This band possesses an incredible amount of charm, which isn’t something I usually associate with fuzz-rock, but they manage to translate that charm pretty darn well from their recorded material to their live shows. Get to Nietzsche’s tonight at 8:30pm. $5 entry.

Cooler – Phantom Phuzz

November 21, 2016

Through being cool? Well try being Cooler. Buffalo’s emogaze-alternative all-stars return for round two with Phantom Phuzz, a six-track EP of regret, carbonated soft drinks, and that sweet, fuzzy thickness. The album’s carefully crafted tones compete vigorously with lyrical prowess and song structure for prominence, bringing relevant elements of juxtaposition to Cooler’s sophomore effort. Recorded with Jay Zubricky of GCR Audio and mastered by Anthony Delplato, Cooler’s Phantom Phuzz is our Album of the Week. Phantom Phuzz opens appropriately with quiet-loud sweller “Pave Age,” a wordless eruption of articulate guitar leads, volatile drum statements, and of course, the album’s principal element—the phantom phuzz itself. That’s just the thing about the album’s title, it perfectly encapsulates the overarching sonic theme—apparition-esque reverb paired with generous amounts of thick, fuzzy distortion. The resulting combination is largely impenetrable and pure ear candy for fans of early 90’s alternative and the shoegaze subgenre that reached[...]

Tonight: Cooler EP Release

November 19, 2016

Phantom Phuzz, the newest six song release from Cooler, comes as a follow up to their hard-hitting EP 1993 released last September. From beginning to end, it’s easy to hear growth in musicality from the local four-piece. The EP opens with a haunting post-rock influenced jam that does its job setting the tone for what follows. Dynamics and harmony between male and female vocals is this EP’s strong suit. The conscious approach to bringing out each lead vocalist’s natural abilities  is evident. I’m a huge fan of Run For Cover Records’ shoegaze all-stars, Pity Sex, who Cooler reminds me a lot of. But in contrast to them, it’s really nice to hear deliberately crisp vocals paired with all the fuzz. It amplifies the melodic hooks and adds a whole new element of charm to each tune. “Days”, the second track on the EP and also my favorite, is the best illustration of this. In celebration[...]

Tonight: Pinkerton 20th Anniversary Show

September 30, 2016

Tonight celebrate the 20th anniversary of Weezer’s sophomore classic Pinkerton with some of Rochester’s best musicians at DBGB’s on Allen Street.  The frankly terrific Rochester scene will be represented by members of Pleistocene, the Ginger Faye Bakers, Talking Under Water, FM Green, and Down To Earth Approach, who will be in town to convene a tribute to the dark and abrasive cult hit, a favorite of Weezer obsessives. Local indie rock quartet Hundred Plus Club, celebrating the release of their debut EP will be opening the show with harmonious Buffalo grunge rockers Cooler. Doors open at 9pm and cover is $5.

Tonight: Super American

September 10, 2016

Another solid mix of bands is slated for Nietzsche’s. Tonight, Buffalo staple Super American headlines the evening’s 4-band lineup. Fresh off their latest single, “Sloppy Jazz,” the group brings their amped up, reformed pop punk to the table. Joining them will be fellow Buffalo rockers Cooler, who combine grunge and fuzz with early 2000’s emo undertones. Rounding out the bill are two Albany based groups. Jouska just released their debut album, full of DIY and lo-fi garage rock. County Mike combines indie and emo with a stripped-down alt-folk approach. Doors open at 9pm, with a $5 cover. The show is 21+.

Tonight: The Slums

April 29, 2016

After 2 years of anticipation, we’re finally here, all the hype, all the teases of new material from this passionately loved artist who wears their heart on their sleeve and reps their city to the death; I am of course talking about the release of, Sorry by The Slums. Unless you’ve been completely oblivious to the local music scene, it’s been kind of hard to miss the local shout-rockers in our fair city, playing barn-burner of a show after barn-burner of a show. But tonight’s show is one of proper celebration, as the band marks the release of their buffaBLOG-approved, debut album. The Slums will be playing most (if not all) the tunes off their debut with I’m sure some room for old singles as well. The band’s trademark raw, aggressive, and wildly emotive punk sound, lends itself especially to the live setting, and if you’re like me, I know[...]

Tonight: buffaBLOG’s 6th Birthday Party

March 26, 2016

There’s something great to be said about the camaraderie that has formed between buffaBLOG, Buffalo musicians and honest music lovers over the past six years. We’re celebrating the all-around enthusiasm for the local music scene as well as the DIY essence of that camaraderie tonight at Nietzsche’s, and the lineup couldn’t be doper. Helping to kick off the night are Telempathy and The Get Money Squad, both of which maintain a surfy tone, though Telempathy has a more 60’s rock-infused lo-fi sound while TGMS has a breezier groove to them. Also slated to play are Cooler, one of our favorite fuzz rock bands who seem to be gaining enormous momentum lately, Moody Cosmos, psychedelic garage rock act who are gearing up to deliver new material this summer, and The Leones, whose dreamy, ethereal tunes are every bit atmospheric as they are ruminative. The only sad bit of news to report on is the cancellation of Bethlehem Steel’s set for the night.[...]

Just Announced: buffaBLOG’s Sixth Birthday Party

February 26, 2016

It seems like just yesterday that buffaBLOG was obsessively writing about Love Scenes, The Bird Day, and Arctic Death, but after checking the site stats, it seems as though this was five plus years ago. This means we are turning six. It’s time to celebrate. Please join us on Saturday, March 26th at Nietzsche’s where we celebrate our existence as an all-volunteer blog that is just really into the Buffalo music scene. On the main stage this year we have trippy-sunrock act, The Get Money Squad, along with support from Brooklyn-based fuzzy sweetness Bethlehem Steel (fronted by former Buffalonian Becca Ryskalczyk), dreamy psych-folkers The Leones, and the night started off by scene newcomers straight from 2002, Cooler. On the way to bum cigarettes we got you covered. At the front stage we will have a karaoke set by psych-y Fredonia art student, Moody Cosmos. Starting off the night we will have super[...]