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Tonight: Michael Parallax

November 11, 2015

Dreamland’s living room is one of the best and most innately interactive spaces in Buffalo. Beyond ideal for shows that blur if not smash the barriers that traditionally exist separating artist and audience, special experiences are known to jump off underneath that magical chandelier, and this will certainly be true tonight when Orlando’s Michael Parallax returns to Buffalo. A frequent tour mate of Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!, Parallax’s celebratory pop art happening revival meeting freak out is perfect for the venue, so be prepared for some togetherness with your fellow humans after sets from an impressive lineup of local electronic arts including, the always fine Armageddon Party, Hooked On Casiophonics, and Logan Locking. The “suggested” donation is $5 and the show starts at 8pm. WHO WE ARE by Michael Parallax

Tonight: Friendship

October 21, 2015

If punk by way of Brooklyn or Japan isn’t your thing tonight, head down to Dreamland on this unusually busy Wednesday night for a set from Philadelphia’s Friendship. Friendship has a Weakerthans meets Bonnie Prince Billy with a touch of Magnetic Fields vibe and could easily be an alt-country counterpart to Buffalo slackers Difficult Night. The group’s new album You’re Going to Have to Trust Me was released this past weekend on New Hampshire label Burst & Bloom Records. You can give it a spine here. Joining Friendship will be fellow Philly, well, friend Abi Remold. The folk artist has a Sharon Van Etten thing going on and should be a fine compliment to Friendship’s laid back tawng. Buffalo’s own chamber pop six piece Parade Chic will open the show. Music begins this evening at 8pm with a $5 suggested donation to cover the touring acts.

Tonight: Super American

October 1, 2015

Fresh super group Super American will take over Dreamland this evening. Equal parts defunct Thick Winter Blud (a name in and of itself a WKT reference) and I Can See Mountains, they are set to be your new favorite Buffalo Brand New worshipers as they celebrate the impending release of Golf Pop. These bros can be pop or glum and you never know which side you’re gonna get. If I believed in guilty pleasures (because why feel guilty about the things you like?) Well Kept Things’ pop punk would be mine. Along with Wild Things, the band is acting as support as Super American releases some tunes off a new album. Bring $5 to the doors of Dreamland at 7pm to hear what’s going on. Nevermind by Super American

Tonight: Circuit des Yuex

September 11, 2015

Help ease in a busy Saturday here in Buffalo by paying a visit to Dreamland and spending the evening with Haley Fohr’s experimental folk project, Circuit des Yeux. The Thrill Jockey recording artist and NPR favorite combines electronic minimalism with organic strings, woodwinds, and percussion for a meditative yet challenging style of folk that fans of Chealsea Wolf and Zola Jesus should be drawn to. Expect the Indiana native to tackle selections from her well received and powerful 2015 album In Plain Speech. Joining Fohr this evening will be the rather busy Cages. The avant-garde folk outfit has had a busy summer, including performances at the Burchfield Penny and tomorrow’s Music is Art festival on the Sugar City stage. The evening’s set should be the proper format to catch the act: intimate and intense. Music begins tonight at 8pm with a suggested donation of $10.

Tonight: Kharlos

September 10, 2015

Dreamland on Franklin Street is hosting a proper Buffalo blowout that’s not to be missed in honor of the release of the debut cassette from post grunge troublemakers Kharlos. Assembled for the occasion of the release of Don’t Think About Dying At My Party (More Power Tapes) will be [redacted; secret] and buzz band Sixties Future, with a special vinyl DJ set from Queen City Cartel’s Dante Velour, a keg of beer, and a piñata. With Kharlos, a local super group of sorts, and [redacted; secret] about to [redacted] for [redacted] to tour the [redacted] with [redacted], it’s going to be a hell of a party.  Admission is free. Show starts at 7pm.

Tonight: Iris Lune

August 12, 2015

Since it’s debut as a new art space, Dreamland has put a special effort into bringing exciting new and upcoming artists to a receptive Buffalo public. Tonight is no different as as the Brooklyn-based indie rockers, Iris Lune, make their way to Buffalo. Still on the cusp of finally releasing their debut EP, Iris Lune’s exact music identity remains still much a mystery, but the glimpses we’ve gotten thus far are quite promising.  Lead single “Triplets” and live track “Bring Me the Moon” suggest a band with a unique blend of instrumentation, producing work massive in scope on a micro level. Iris Lune’s music has a sweeping majestic quality to it, one remiscent of artists like Bjork and Bat for Lashes. Dreamy but formidable, this band could be one to watch in the coming year. Joining Iris Lune will be a host of local bands, including local grunge rockers, Circular Logic.[...]

Tonight: Cop Circles

August 6, 2015

If you’re into classic throwback electro sounds, then Dreamland has quite the bill for you tonight. Kicking off the party is Buffalo’s very own UVB-76 and Fashion Expo 1990. And the year in Fashion Expo 1990’s name is no misnomer; this is an artist who’s sound is almost completely influenced by the house sounds of yesteryear when artists like 808 State and The KLF ruled the rave scene. Following that is the electro-funk synth-pop jam of Cop Circles. The Denver-based electronic artist brings a sound that calls on the funk sounds of the 1970’s and the synthesizer music of the 80’s, essentially delivering some Random Access Memories before Daft Punk ever started hanging out with Nile Rogers and Giorgio Morridor. The show is sure to be one of the finest dance parties you’ll find in Buffalo this summer. The doors at Dreamland open at 8pm, and a $5 donation is appreciated.

Tonight: Bourbon and Coffee

July 30, 2015

Freak-beat poetry unit Bourbon and Coffee is taking on the task of tackling Neutral Milk Hotel’s seminal album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea in full tonight at Dreamland. Those who attended the now defunct Inventory Mondays at Hardware a couple years back may remember B&C leader Ian Be performing the occasional selection off of the album on his ukulele in what appears to be some sneaky foreshadowing to this evening’s event. Joining the group will be Tins’ drummer Dave Muntner and Space Cubs herself, Suzanne Bonifacio. In addition, B&C will be their own opening act, delivering a set of original material before diving into the Neutral Milk Hotel masterwork. Music begins tonight at 6pm while the first strum of “King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One” should ring sometime around 7pm.

Tonight: Proxemia

July 16, 2015

Sound is as malleable as silly putty. Bend it, twist it, or hit it, audio frequencies have the superpower to make you shake that ass or run screaming for your hanky. The setting is Dreamland. The theme evokes the kind of ambient, experimental content that the venue has become so beloved for amongst those that appreciate the avant-garde. This particular exposition takes full advantage of the spatial environment, and how sound reacts within it. Bouncing and reverberating off walls, straight into your inner ear. Proxemia is the brainchild of multimedia artist Jose Rivera. Taking full advantage of his background in architecture and music, he composes layered soundscapes by way of samples and field recordings. Be transported away to places not of this earthly realm, but inherently grounded within it. The environments that only exist in the concentrated thought patterns of Rivera and his utilities. Rivera also recorded a song with[...]

Tonight: Marion Walker

June 17, 2015

Dreamland is the best. In a city with plenty of great rooms to take in live music, the front room (parlour?) at the Franklin St. space has emerged as the front runner, with it’s intimate setting, color absorbing white walls, art on display, and a glorious chandelier presiding over all of it. It’s hosted some fascinating shows since opening, and that continues tonight with Seattle’s Marion Walker, with support from Buffalo’s own Saint Opal, Bobby Swayze, and Milsep featuring In and Out Music Group. Presented by the D.O.P.E. (Dismantling Oppresive Patterns for Empowerment) Collective, this show will be all about breaking down barriers and bringing peoples together. From the hip-hop beats from Bobby Swayze and Milsep and crew to the dreammy R&B of Saint Opal, and the towering psychedelic rock of Marion Walker, diversity will be key. Meanness, negativity, and your racial or gender baggage, on the other hand, will[...]

Prawn

Tonight: Prawn

May 25, 2015

I saw a separate Prawn/Del Paxton show last March at The Lair, and it was an experience I can most closely (and I guess weirdly) compare to cracking a fresh egg on the rim of a frying pan. It was my first time seeing Del Paxton live, my first time really getting into Prawn, and I was genuinely excited about everything I was hearing. The show did not disappoint. If you weren’t at that show last year, fear not. Prawn and Del Paxton are headlining Dreamland tonight. Prawn’s post-rock sound is hypnotic, but not without inciting some type of visceral response, which makes for the perfect type of band to see in such an intimate setting. Del Paxton has recently joined the Topshelf family along with Prawn, and it is a well deserved membership. I’m consistently impressed with the trio’s live set and I’ve seen these guys a handful of times[...]

Jacob Peter

Tonight: Jacob Peter

May 8, 2015

With his most recent EP release Wind Song in circulation, and a handful of acoustic solo shows under his belt, local indie-soul act Jacob Peter is finally debuting his new material with a full band in tow at Dreamland tonight. It’d be tough to not call attention to the similarities in song stylings that Jacob shares with John Mayer (more so during his Born and Raised days), though there is a slightly more theatrical quality to this EP. The lyrics deliver honest sentiments about navigating through the often ambivalent landscape of love, loss and exploration of oneself — moving forward from it, being pushed backwards by it, and standing still through it all. The instrumentals are anything but uncertain. They are warm, they are haunting, they are demonstrative of all the intricacies hiding between those two things. They effectively bring listeners on a journey; one that I can only imagine[...]

Tonight: Boyharsher

April 1, 2015

Wednesday seems like a good night for music on the darker side, which is good as Dreamland will be host to 3 excellent acts. Tonight’s Boyharsher show is a great fit for those looking brooding, moody music that is at times danceable. Boyharsher fills out the danceable card, performing minimal wave songs with an industrial edge. Combining sparse synths with droning vocals, the Georgia based duo is sure to put on an excellent show. Local post-punks, Orations, offer a guitar driven counterpoint playing music reminiscent of Bauhaus and early Cure. Heart Brains are billed as “thoughtful’ noise-drones. Oddly enough, they are the harshest sounding band in a show featuring another band with ‘harsh’ in their name. For only a $5 donation to the awesome space at Dreamland, this is a great way to spend a Wednesday or any day really. Show begins at 8pm.

Tonight: Lesionread

March 20, 2015

Lesionread, the brainchild of local performance art prodigy, Shawn Lewis, is as much of a physical experience as it is a musical statement. His newfangled approach to electropop marries sensory stimulation with authentically catchy production (pepper in a little haphazardness for good measure). Lewis cites influences from the likes of Death Grips, Bjork, St. Vincent, J Dilla, and a slew of other artists that are fairly distinct from one another. Surprisingly, I feel as though I can differentiate the hodgepodge of influences in his music, though the blend may seem chaotic at times. Somewhere in that Frankenstein-esque mix, you get a pretty confident sense that he has a knack for organizing that chaos. The show is a “re-release” of his latest album, Lesionread’s Great Hits! Vol. 1, as the original date for the album release was postponed due to sub-zero weather conditions back in February. Equally dynamic openers, Ay Fast,[...]

Tonight: Poison Arrows

February 28, 2015

Dreamland’s putting on a showcase tonight of what the Facebook event calls “experimentalpostpunkdeathfolk.” Sounds about right. Poison Arrows, Hot Tip, and Scott Valkwitch are all playing, and I’d say all three have a penchant for darkness and noise. Bill Nehill’s Poison Arrows fill out the “deathfolk” part of the equation. Hot Tip will provide the “postpunk,” and Scott Valkwitch and his walls of guitar-generated noise are probably the “experimental.” Then again, all three probably experiment with death, punk and post in lesser and greater amounts, so don’t sweat: your demons will be represented across the board. Show starts at 8pm. Facebook event here. Hot Tip jams below.