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Herd Fest 2015: Day 3 (Part 2)

June 27, 2015

Herd Fest 2015 returned to Allentown Saturday night with three more loaded showcases sprinkled on to the block. With Silo Sessions setting up shop at Nietzsche’s, Quiet Country Audio taking over Duke’s, and the Wax Museum crew manning both rooms in Hardware, the final evening of the 2015 edition of the festival featured something for everyone. Tireless festival photography, Candace Camuglia, was able to capture the evening. Check out some select shots below, and for the full gallery from Day 3’s night time showcases, head over to the festival’s Facebook page.

Herd Fest 2015: Day 2

June 24, 2015

Herd Fest 2015 officially kicked into its second gear last Friday night with three loaded showcases littered over Allentown. First off, though, long time local photog, Michael Mulley, opened up his “People That Rock” exhibit over at Sugar City on Niagara St.. The 20 + years in the making gallery featured photos of Henry Rollins, David Bowie, Social Distortion, and more. Later on that night, Nietzsche’s, Duke’s and Hardware were taken over by showcases from Harvest Sum, Deep Thinka Records, and the Cool Dad crew, respectively. Our festival photographer, Candace Camuglia, was once again deep into all of the action. Check out some select shots from the night below, and for a full gallery of Day 2, visit the festival’s facebook page.

Deep Thinka Records

June 19, 2015

Buffalo-based independent hip-hop label Deep Thinka Records has been a leading local institution since 1997 for discovering forward-thinking, inspiring MC’s dedicated to furthering the eclectic, socially conscious tradition of the genre. The label’s current roster boasts some of the city’s finest rap talent with artists like Mad Dukez, Billy Drease Williams, Chuckie Campbell, and Tanya Morgan each bringing a unique vision to the Deep Thinka camp. Tonight, Duke’s on Allen will host a hip-hop showcase for Herd Fest curated by the Deep Thinka crew, who have brought together the most exciting local rap talent, including members of prolific collectives EVC and Koolie High. Rapper Toneyboi of Koolie High, whose video for his latest single “Guacaroni & Cheese” was featured here at buffaBLOG earlier this week, will host tonight’s event. The MC is set to release his latest album, Leaders of the New Kool this summer featuring abstract production and the artist’s signature gritty,[...]

Tonight: Soul Patch

May 8, 2015

It takes a lot for a 90’s cover band to be news; they’re basically a dime a dozen in Buffalo. But when local hardcore legend Keith Buckley of Every Time I Die comes crashing back into town to play a few tunes, ears perk up. Tonight, Keith and his 90’s cover band, Soul Patch, will take the stage at Duke’s (site of SP’s first show) for an evening of pure nostalgia. The group comes with a catalog of everything from Nirvana to The Cardigans. The band even gleefully stands on neutral ground, playing jams from Britpop rivals Blur AND Oasis. If you want to spend an evening side by side with friends in a mass singalong and catch what might be one of the year’s most fun shows, then this is one not to miss. And hey, if none of that appeals to you, then we got two words for[...]

Tonight: Afrika Bambaataa

April 25, 2015

Legendary DJ Afrika Bambaataa is making his debut performance in the Queen City tonight at Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar. While the South Bronx DJ has scarcely a popular hit to his name, his fusions of hip-hop, funk and electro house made him one of the most ground-breaking DJs of the early 80s. Bambaataa (real name: Kevin Donovan) is widely as an originator of breakbeat DJing and electro-funk, and is widely referred to as the “Godfather of Hip-Hop” (not to be confused with the Doggfather – Snoop). His classic tracks include such old-school hip-hop staples as “Jazzy Sensation,” “Planet Rock” and of course, “Renegades of Funk” (which 90s babies may remember for its excellent funk-metal cover by Rage Against the Machine in 2000). But Bambaataa’s influence has largely overshadowed his relatively obscure hip-hop funk classics. Among his legacy is the Universal Zulu Nation – a hip-hop awareness group that helped spread[...]

Pleistocene

December 17, 2014

We’ve been doing it so long it’s not even mandatory when the blog’s party people book a Rochester band to a buffaBLOG party. It’s no secret that we love Rochester and the crazy on fire music scene it’s got going right now, and we love bringing some of it to you at our Allentown shindigs. This year’s Holiday extravaganza this Saturday at Duke’s will include one of Rochester’s next big things, fuzzed out surf pop shoegazers Pleistocene, in town to play some stoned out garage jams from their 2014 digital album Ontario Girls (included below for your enjoyment). Picking up wonderfully where Best Coast left off, Pleistocene has everything going for them, and their show this Saturday ought to be one of the highlights of the night.

The Slums

December 16, 2014

In the spirit of keeping things fresh, this year’s holiday party will play host to a band formed just this year. Though not a baby band by any stretch of the definition, Buffalo post-punk revivalists The Slums have only been around a few months, already having generated some noteworthy buzz around our fair city. The band’s four members are no strangers to the local music scene either, having come from a variety of different musical backgrounds including the likes of The Malones, Scales,  A Boy and His Machine, and Strangers. The amalgamation makes for a pretty satisfying blend of both hook and grit–a Thermals-esque urgency meets a hardcore fierceness that, at times, conjures influence from fellow Buffalo boys Every Time I Die. Rock. And. Roll. The Slums’ well-rounded three track EP (recorded by Paul Besch of Quiet Country Audio) is available for free download on their bandcamp page; check it[...]

Tonight: Organic James Brown Series Featuring Bernard “Pretty” Perdie

November 7, 2014

Tonight Duke’s Bohemian Groove Bar kicks off a series of shows dedicated to the sheer awesomeness of the late but still great Godfather of Soul, James Brown. A joint effort featuring the Allen Town bar, Alien Life Form Entertainment, and Critt’s Juke Joint, Organic James Brown: An American Funk Experience promises to be an ongoing 3 month exploration of funk and groove featuring world renowned masters of funk as Brownman Ali, Freakbass, and Parliament/Funkadelic vocalist Kim Manning. Joining them will be a band including some of Buffalo’s funkiest motherbleepers like Eric Crittenden, Zuri Appleby, Michael DiSanto, and DeRay Jackson, while the Motha Funkin’ Friday Crew makes sure the funk is flowing all night long. Legendary funk drummer Bernard “Pretty” Perdie gets the series started right with a veritable history of funk tonight starting at 8pm. This is an incredible opportunity to get to the heart of modern American music while[...]

Tonight: Sauced

May 24, 2014

As one of Buffalo’s most diverse and creative music scenes, the instrumental hip hop and beat producer community has long needed a continual event to showcase some of the city’s vibrant, unsung talent. Tonight, Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar will host the first installment of Sauced, an event aimed at featuring local as well as touring producers, providing an opportunity for their studio heat to be brought to a live setting. Veterans of the Buffalo hip hop scene, Shuteyes and Tone Atlas, will be rocking live on the MPC with local MC Mad Dukez and DJ Charlie the Butcher hosting the event. Also on the bill tonight are Oakland producer Durazzo, whose jazzy, sample-based tracks have a reflective, soulful feel and New Orleans producer AF The Naysayer as a part of their “Back on the Pads” tour.  Music starts at 10pm. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/87419866″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]    

Tonight: We’re Talkin’ Plowed

April 30, 2014

In the words of M-E-T-H-O-D Man: “it ain’t nothing like hip-hop music/you like it ’cause you choose it/most dj’s won’t refuse it/a lot of sucka MC’s misuse it.” One of those DJs is Buffalo’s own LoPro, who plays classic hip hop on a classic format: records. Every Wednesday night at Duke’s, he spins old school hip hop while the bartenders serve up $1 beer and $2.50 shot specials. Bonus points for having late-night kitchen hours and the best eggplant wings in town since Off the Wall (RIP). This weekly event starts at 10 and goes til 4, and there’s no cover. If you’re looking for a place to talk proud and get plowed, this is it.

Real People

April 30, 2014

Our final installment of buffaBLOG Video from our recent 4th birthday party at Duke’s comes from Real People, the long time, ever evolving emo/punk four piece  who closed out our party. One last thank you to Dan Bauer and Tom Etu for capturing and editing the footage. Past birthday video installments featuring Mr. Boneless, Harmonica Lewinski, and Alex Berkley & the Atlanta Falcons, can be viewed at our Youtube page. Watch a clip of Real People’s performance below. Photo Credit – Robert Emhof

Alex Berkley & the Atlanta Falcons

April 23, 2014

Next up for this week’s video installment from our 4th birthday party at Duke’s last month is a clip from Alex Berkley & the Atlanta Falcons.  Reuniting after a five year “off season” (because football), The Falcons, which features past and current members of Bear Exchange, Lazlo Hollyfeld, Besyno, Wooden Waves, and more, are fronted by local singer/songwriter Alex Berkley. Watch the video below, complete with an ultra charismatic intro by yours truly. You can also check out past sets from Harmonica Lewinski and Mr. Boneless here. Tune in next week with our final birthday party video with Real People. Photo Credit – Robert Emhof

Harmonica Lewinski

April 16, 2014

The second installment in our 4th birthday party video series comes from Harmonica Lewinski. The Rochester based surf-garage act barely made it to our party as the snow had better ideas that evening. But luckily for us, and everyone in attendance, the band made it and performed one of the best sets in blog party history. Not a bad time for their first area show.  Check out the video (courtesy of Dan Bauer and Tom Etu) below of a couple songs from the band’s set. And if you missed last week’s video of Mr. Boneless, you can catch that here. Stay tuned next week for a clip of Alex Berkley & the Atlanta Falcons’ set. Photo Credit – Robert Emhof

Just Announced: Herd Fest

April 14, 2014

Spring has arrived in Buffalo, and just like that, things are on the up.  With summer in the city nearly here, we are happy to announce our next big party plans. Rather than do another stand alone showcase, we decided to be a bit more ambitious this time around.  On June 20th and 21st, the first weekend of summer, we are proud to present Herd Fest. What is Herd Fest? Well, think of it as our own version of CMJ/SXSW. Nine showcases over a two day period in Allentown (and slightly beyond). And for this party, we invited a few of the blog’s closest friends around to be a part of the festivities by hosting their own showcases and personally selecting some of their favorite Buffalo acts to play. While final lineups and schedules won’t be released until May, here is a taste of what Herd Fest will be offering:[...]

Mr. Boneless

April 9, 2014

If you happened to miss our 4th birthday party a couple weekends ago at Duke’s, thanks a lot. I am sure you had a good excuse. Kidding of course. For those who could not make it though, we did happen to capture some footage of all of the acts performing, and over the next couple weeks, will release some clips featuring a couple songs from each birthday band. Today, we start with the Fredonia bred Mr. Boneless, a band who sounds like early Modest Mouse had they come out of the back woods rather than the Pacific Northwest. Thanks to blog contributors Dan Bauer and Tom Etu for tackling the footage. Stay tuned next week for a clip of Rochester’s Harmonica Lewinski’s incredible set. Photo Credit – Robert Emhof