Latest Posts

Northern Spies – Autumn Chapter

Rochester-based indie rockers Northern Spies, a project featuring members of several other prominent Rochester bands, have been on the circuit for a few years now. Last year’s Nothing But Static EP wasn’t quite what the effort’s title suggested. The EP, with an armful of power pop hooks, soft spoken vocal harmonies, and a tinge of roots rock influence got the ball rolling for the 4 piece, and earned them some well-deserved local buzz. Fast forward to 2016, and we have the Spies’ debut full(ish) length, Autumn Chapter, out now via Dadstache Records. Everything we loved about the first EP is all here, the band having polished their sonic formula into something inherently unique for this day and age. Northern Spies’ sprawling list of influences knows no bounds. Harnessing the jangly charm of 60’s power pop bands like The Byrds and Donovan, the Spies use harmony to their advantage, sparking a[...]

Total Yuppies Release New Single “Dreaming”

Following the announcement of their new EP, Pleasantries, out July 1st, Rochester garage pop act Total Yuppies have released the lead single, “Dreaming.”  This will be the 585 quartet’s first official release, aside from a single “Normal Life,” which was released in late 2015. In the new track, Total Yuppies find the perfect level of simplicity.  “Dreaming” takes aim at the ever relatable post-college life, wasting your mornings,  avoiding people from your high school, and of course, drinking on the weekends.  The way dreamy sounding, clean vocals float over the bouncy guitar make the track nothing short of catchy as hell. Check out the track below, and pick up Pleasantries via Dadstache Records on July 1st.

The Naturalists

And to start your weekend off in a good way, we present to you the next installment of buffaBLOG Sessions. This time around, with the Naturalists. Craig Perno heads the band with twin brother Travis on the drums, accompanied by bassist Zach Russel. They’ve amassed a decent following in the area with their overtly grungey style that really, truly does take you back into the 90s for at least a couple of minutes. What they lack in flash and gimmicks, they make up for immediately with one of the tightest and most recognizable sounds of the city of Buffalo. This session was filmed last fallat Pizza Amore on Grand Island. “Fortune, Always Turning,” can be found on their latest EP, Home Honey, I’m Hi.  Enjoy!

The Fig Mints Reveal First Single From Forthcoming Split

In preparation for another well-anticipated split release via Dadstache Records, the Rochester tape label has graced us with a single on the forthcoming cassette from The Fig Mints (ongoing lo-fi indie rock project of ex-Comfy guitarist Bobby Rogan) / The Real Burnouts (Utica’s premiere psychedelic bedroom warriors). The track, titled “And So On” and delivered from The Fig Mints’ side of the tape, cashes in on the joys of lo-fi fuzz, bearing resemblance the likes of Sebadoh and Violent Femmes. The song leaves behind some of the bedroom vibes of The Fig Mints’ earlier material, but the indie charm still flows forth, blue and true. Screeching guitars, handclaps, and tambourine—what more could you ask for? The split, titled “Revitalized Parts / Halo Lacerations” drops on 3/25, and preorders for the tape are now active over at Dadstache. Slam play below to stream The Fig Mints’ “And So On,” and keep[...]

The Naturalists – Home Honey, I’m Hi

If you’ve ever seen The Naturalists live, you might know what I mean when I say their live set feels like a party scene straight out of a cult classic 90’s movie. They’re gritty, loud as heck, there’s a lot of fearless guitar riffs and hair being flipped back and forth. This three piece, grunge-soaked Buffalo band is the perfect lovechild of that golden era of 90’s alt-rock and modern, fuzzy garage rock. Lead singer and guitarist Craig Perno has this unique Raine Maida quality to his voice that is equally piercing as it is haunting. He has a solid grasp of when to kick it into high gear and when to hold back for a mysterious, brooding effect. The rest of the band, consisting of Zach Russell on bass and Perno’s twin brother Travis on drums, exudes the same confidence and dark allure when performing. The camaraderie between these[...]

Dumb Angel – Antenna

Bands are kind of like stars. A band is born, a band implodes or dissolves, and a new band is reborn. In the local sense, this cycle of dissolution and rebirth happens all the time. In the case of Rochester garage-pop trio Dumb Angel, their star was born four years ago from members of The Instruments Band, and the resiliency of the new project has shone through multiple rebirths (Howlo, Europa & The Great Red Spot, Rochester Chip to name a few) over the span of those four years. This is an impressive bout of longevity considering most of these projects are ongoing, and now, after years of writing, recording, and mastering, Dumb Angel has dropped its debut—an impressive eleven tracks of sunny psychpop titled Antenna. If you’ve listened to Howlo, you should immediately recognize the voice of vocalist Ben Morey; Antenna capitalizes big on soaring vocal harmonies similar to the[...]

The Huckleberry Fins – Pipe Dreams

Surf rock. It’s becoming harder and harder to avoid the corny blues based riffs and clean reverberating guitars of the brand. So it’s no surprise that our album of the week is a pure surf rock band out of Rochester. The Huckleberry Fins had a release party this past Friday for their debut LP, Pipe Dreams (Dadstache Records), and all I can say about it is this: Pure. Surf. Rock. That’s it. There’s your review. Another hard day of work here at the buffaBLOG office! But seriously. If you don’t have a soft spot for surf rock, you have no idea what is cool, and you probably don’t like to have fun. This album is not for you if that’s the case. It’s almost completely made up of instrumentals. It’s the soundtrack to any cool guy’s life, whether he be driving his hot rod with a hot babe in the passenger[...]

Dadstache Releases House Majority EP

It’s easy to play off garage rock as “easy.” Just get a couple of guitars, some loud shitty amps, your friend the drummer, and a buddy’s basement, and boom, you have a band. However it’s not that easy — try and tell that to John Dwyer or Ty Segall. Today, we have a release from House Majority out of Rochester. You see, they’d probably also be offended if you told them that, as their a pretty killer garage rock EP was just released in the physical form via Dadstache Records. House Majority rings true to classic garage rock. All four songs are high energy pieces with no frills. Just straight rock ‘n’ roll, reminiscent of the Stooges. Garage rock is facing a mild revival in some circles with guys like Ty Segall and Parquet Courts seeing the light of day. With songs like “And I Say” (the fourth song off[...]

Skirts Premieres First Single from Upcoming Comfy Split EP

After another week already full of relentless show announcements (now Built to Spill?!), it seems fitting that we near the end of our day with a post about something else that just won’t quit—Rochester’s 2015 music scene. With excellent and promising releases from artists like OHS, Howlo, Pleistocene, and Harmonica Lewinski (among many others) having dropped or on the horizon for this year, we’re happy to premiere another track worthy of your attention. Rochester garage-pop darlings, Skirts, have just dropped their first track from their upcoming split with Utica-based Comfy (that’s all of them in the photo being friendly), the tape slated for release later this summer on Miscreant/Dadstache. The song, titled “Indian Premier League,” does not disappoint, channeling an upbeat island sound similar to something you might hear from Cults or a chilled-out Vampire Weekend. The progression is fun and catchy, percussion is flavorful, and the vocal harmonies are[...]

Comfy – “Poetic”

Utica and Rochester BFFs, Comfy and Skirts, respectively, are set to drop a split EP later this summer on August 7th through Miscreant Records and Rochester tape label, Dadstache. While the first listen from Skirts’ half of the EP won’t come until next week (stay tuned…), the Comfy boys (who you may have caught at our firth birthday party last March) dropped a tease this morning through Impose in the form of the less-than-a-minute track, “Poetic.” With Cap’n Jazz like vocals and a touch of Tim Kinsella-esque depression, “Poetic” is a perfect little morsel of the Comfy world, one that appears to be changing a bit as the group goes through some line-up changes (drummer Zeno Pittarelli is exiting the group this summer). You can now pre-order the record over at Miscreant’s bandcamp page for the very fair price of $5. In the mean time, listen to “Poetic” below.

Scope & Figure Shares First Single From Forthcoming EP, Exemplary Sports Magic

Late last week, Rochester quartet, Scope & Figure, released the first single from its forthcoming EP, Exemplary Sports Magic, set to be released on May 1st via Dadstache Records. Titled “Cincinnati Fire Kites,” the track is pretty different from last spring’s single “Entropy Knows Best,” sounding like clean mathy indie rock (think Minus the Bear meets Two Door Cinema Club with a hint of Early November). The band seemed to take a nod from fellow Roch math rock act, Fowls, distancing its from the robust, folkier sounds of the previous single. Look for the Scope & Figure full EP to drop this spring. In the mean time, listen to “Cincinnati Fire Kites” below.

Buffalo Sex Change – Buffalo Sex Change

When I first heard of Rochester garage post-punk band Buffalo Sex Change and their self-titled, debut album, my initial reaction was mostly just trying to figure out their highly specific and provocative name. Fairly early into the album, however, I was having a hard time imagining the two-piece being referred to as anything else. With a gritty lo-fi drums, androgynous sounding vocals, and a distorted guitar sound that can only be described as dark and dirty, the band explores music rooted in a liminal phase, never quite clear of itself. And yet, the general mood of the record comes off confident, as if the members are aware of and quite comfortable with their own liminality. With only two members, BSS does well with filling in the space of sound, particularly with Phil Pierce’s guitar playing, which switches from Buddy Holly licks  in “Gender Unknown” to early Jesus & Mary Chain/Kevin[...]

Buffalo Sex Change Releases New Music Video

One of the new, WNY releases that we are eagerly awaiting in the blog offices is the debut LP from Rochester, post-punk duo, Buffalo Sex Change. Set to be released tomorrow on 585-based label, Dadstache Records, the album currently has three songs available to stream on the label’s bandcamp page to get a little taste before the entire album drops. Late last week, the pair released the music video for one of those three songs, “Holy Ghost Fire,” a gothic-folk number that would not sound too out of place on the new Mr. Boneless record. Check out the black and white video to the song below, which mostly features a woman lackadasically lassoing.

Buffalo Sex Change Premieres New Single, “Black Circle”

Upstart Rochester label, Dadstache Records, has been keeping busy this summer with solid releases from bands like Pony Hand and Fat Africa. Their next release will be the debut full length from post-punk act, Buffalo Sex Change, a Rochester based group (don’t let the name fool you) who has been on our distance radar for a little while as their inclusion on some solid 585 area bills has peaked our interest. The first single from Buffalo Sex Change, which is set to drop on August 5th, debuted today on bandcamp. Titled “Black Circle,” the crawling, reverb drenched track sounds like Okkervil River’s Will Sheff moonlighting with Crystal Stilts, or even Ariel Pink at his less weird of moments. Check it out below.

Fat Africa – Monroe

Fat Africa’s Monroe is a weekend album for malcontents. Get stoned, bitter and fired Friday afternoon; hopeful in the evening just to be left alone; hopeless, hungover and depressed by Saturday morning, just to laugh at yourself in the afternoon and stare cavalierly into the night as soon as the sun sets, with no place, in particular, to go. At least, that’s how I chose to read it. Noah Masters, the mind behind Fat Africa, would probably tell me I am wrong, and he is probably right. My impulse is to stretch the album over a weekend, but in real life, it took three years to put Monroe together. The first track recorded, the heartbreaker “Inch,” was put to tape in 2011, and the rest were jammed out on a loop pedal from the bottom up over the next few years. In the mean time, Masters moved around quite a[...]