Latest Posts

Tonight: Steak & Cake Records 9th Anniversary

February 15, 2020

The brainchild of local musician, producer and budding impresario Brandon Schlia, Steak & Cake Records has been a vital to the Buffalo music scene, and tonight area record label Steak & Cake Records celebrates nine years at Curly’s with a killer lineup of acts from their troupe of artists and an album release from Buffalo by way of Philadelphia grunge rockers Wylie Something. Spacey and pleasingly gnarly, Wylie Something is the latest project from Jacob Smolinski, previously of Cascos and Local Onlys, and he’s back in town to celebrate the release of his sophomore LP Welcome? which arrives today for your listening pleasure. Tonight’s lineup also features indie pop duo Olmsted, indie power pop duo Patchwork (one half of which is the boss Schlia himself), budding rock heroes Johnny & the Man Kids, garage punks Personal Style, and soulful art rocker outfit The Best Strangers will also be on hand to[...]

Tonight: Izzy True

February 1, 2016

When it comes to medium blending, Izzy True of Trumansburg, NY doesn’t disappoint. Front-woman Isabel Reidy is both parts songwriter and cartoonist, but as an artist she’s one hundred percent muscle. I heard about her newish band (the Troll EP was released June of 2015) when I saw a preview for their record release with the excellent Painted Zeros from NYC, and after checking out the fascinatingly bizarre music videos for songs “Swole” and “Absolute Troll,” I was hooked. Reidy combines sweetly masochistic imagery–such as greasy elbows during cake baking or rotten fruit–on the EP, while evoking dissonant tones and melodic hooks that bigger-time artists like Alex G or Waxahatchee would dig. With her brother Silas Reidy on bass and Chris Ploss on drums, the tunes are smooth in their transitions and timing, but conundrums on a deeper level. Don’t think too hard. Catch Izzy True at Curly’s tonight with[...]

Tonight: Kristachuwan

November 27, 2015

Yeah, we know it’s easy to let a perpetual state of lethargy take over post food coma, and yeah, we know it might still be fun to encourage that food coma by seeing how many T-day leftovers you can fit in between two slices of bread, but as the popular DJ-singer duo J.M.Silk first said in ’87,  let the music take control. Curly’s will be host to a stacked bill tonight, including Kristachuwan, the brain child of former Buffalonian and Cinnamon Aluminum member, Chris Svoboda. Currently on an East Coast tour, Kristachuwan offers hauntingly complex electro music that paints an otherworldly type of atmosphere for listeners. The subtle jazz-infused melodies create a hypnotic yet textured ambience. If you enjoy the unconventional approach of Aphex Twin’s stuff, this is right up your alley. Also on the bill for tonight are locals  Welks Mice, Toppus Bottomus, Nicky & The Vibrations, and Mal.a.Mute. The show kicks off at[...]

Tonight: Moody Cosmos

November 7, 2015

Tonight at Curly’s, we have a banger of a show for you to check out. Sonny Baker, Moody Cosmos, Kimmy, and Dreambeaches will be be convening at the basement venue for a good mix of music with all kinds of influence, from surf to psych to shoegaze. Moody Cosmos is a relatively new psych/krautrock outfit currently residing in Fredonia. It’s the most recent brainchild of Peter Cahlstadt, who also happens to be the creative force behind Fredonia’s Mooses. Sonny Baker is bringing his solo act to the show, along with Kimmy, and also the surf-ey alternative outfit Dreambeaches. This one’s an early one; doors are at 6pm with Sonny Baker going on first. Cover is $3.

Tonight: Tundrastomper

October 19, 2015

The freshly reopened West Side basement spot Curly’s will host a night of solid indie and punk tunes. The show boasts some great local acts, including the wildly unique drum duo CCDS, the new lady quintet known as Basement Rat, and the thinking man’s punk trio, Red Heat. The touring act is Ardsley, New York’s Tundrastomper, a band which cooks up just the right mix of surf rock, punk, and indie into something that is just plain fun. Things are set to take off right at 7pm with CCDS with a cover of only $5.

Tonight: Radarada

September 2, 2015

The OTHER Curly’s is set to host the laid back hip hop group Radarada this evening in the venue’s West Side basement. The collective has made quite an impression since its debut LP First Edition dropped late last spring, boasting some of the city’s finest lyricists in Toomy Too, Wza, and Little Cake. Joining the Rada crew tonight will be neo R&B act Hop Hop, the newish project from Mallwalkers and Mink vocalist Jaz Frazier, in addition to the regrouped indie rock act the Etchings and dreamy Boston slackers Harmoos. Music is set to kick off sometime around 7pm with doors opening around 6pm. Bring a few bucks to cover the touring act, and if you have find yourself at the Blasdell Curly’s later on, you took a wrong turn. First Edition by RADARADA

Tonight: Curly’s Grand Re-Opening

July 8, 2015

The West Side’s newest basement venue is set to reopen its doors. Over the last couple months, Curly’s, the home base to Steak and Cake Records, was forced to relocate a handful of shows and go dark due to some residential conflicts, but now that matters have sorted themselves out, the DIY space will celebrate a grand re-opening this evening and smoother sailing for here on out. Tonight’s show will include the debut performance from Sonny Baker’s new trio. The group premiered its first single from the upcoming Flesh It Out EP on Monday, and is set to break in some of the new tunes for the eager audience. This evening will also feature the regrouping Queen City Lotto band Beast Coast, the return of basement super group Hot Tip, and the welcoming of Halifax’s psych pop act Walrus. Doors open at 6pm with a cover of $5. Music kicks[...]

Tonight: Parlor Trix #3

May 29, 2015

Buzzing Purchase, NY pop act, Adult Mom, will be one of the highlights of tonight’s latest installment of Steak & Cake’s Parlor Trix series at the label’s home base venue of Curly’s (note: this is not the Lackawanna restaurant). The group’s latest single,”Survival,” has been getting some serious burn over at Pitchfork. I would have compared the act to Rilo Kiley if the P4K crew didn’t meet me to it first. Rounding out tonight’s bill will be Alex Berkley, whose most recent release, Shuffled, premiered as part of Sugar City’s annual Fun-a-Day art installment this past March, Helen, the haunting folk project of Bourbon and Coffee’s Andrew Biggie, and the extremely unknown act/musician Thelma. Seriously, I found nothing on them. $5 is all it will cost to figure out who Thelma is, in addition to catch an on-the-rise touring act in Adult Mom, and two of the city’s finest songwriters[...]

Tonight: Divers

April 2, 2015

With temperatures reaching the mid-60s, today offers Buffalo’s first real taste of spring this year. And I couldn’t think of a more perfect bill to celebrate the dawn of the new season than that at Curly’s (note: not the Lackawanna restaurant) tonight. The bill is headlined by Portland-natives, Divers. The band has made a huge impact in its home city, know for raucous live shows and is fresh off the release of the impressive new album, Hello Hello. Divers has an Americana punk sound that reflects artists like the Gaslight Anthem, Ted Leo, and Okkervil River, perfect anthemic rock for such a summery day. Divers will also be joined by a trio of local acts. First off, the melodic retro-punkers, Unwelcome Guests, who are playing their last show before embarking on a West Coast tour. Also make sure to get there early for the lo-fi slacker rock sounds of Difficult Night,[...]