Latest Posts

Hawker M. James Shares Latest Track, “Here’s A Love Song”

October 16, 2015

Hawker M. James, the solo moniker of Demos’ drummer Mike James, is prepping to drop his new, self-titled cassette, set to be a part of this weekend’s Cassette Store Day batch of special edition releases. And to whet the whistle of Hawker fans, the long time Rochester musician shared the first single from the cassette, “Here’s A Long Song.” Whereas James’ previous track “Pleasure Part” teetered more into a moody and atmospheric Roxy Music territory, the catchy “Here’s A Long Song” is led off by some glammy riffs and toe tapping percussion. Fans of Guided by Voices and The Soundtrack of Our Lives should dig the new single. Copies of the limited edition tape, which will be self released on James’ Bête Noire label, can be purchased at Rochester area record shops Record Archive, Lakeshore Record Exchange, and The Bop Shop starting tomorrow, while the digital version of Hawker M. James will hit the webs sometime this[...]

Passive Aggressives Anonymous Release “Ninja” Music Video

October 13, 2015

Rochester tongue-in-cheek crooners Passive Aggressives Anonymous have premiered the music video to the previously unreleased song, “Ninja.” A heartbreaking tail of a ninja who can’t take a hint, the PAA front man John Valenti and crew deliver the slightly creeper-esque number in the most charming way possible. The clip was shot by Alex Freeman of Studio 73 Productions and directed by Valenti himself, and features cameos by the just-asking-for-it members of Buffalo Sex Change as Valenti’s ninja wisely keeps his stealth skills at bay inside Rochester’s Small World Books. No word on whether the track will show up on a future PAA record, so in the mean time, watch “Ninja” below. Ninja from John Valenti on Vimeo.

midnight Drops XII Labors EP

October 9, 2015

Rochester singer midnight (or mdnt) has been dazzling of late, feeding his listeners spectacular electronic r&b tracks for much of the past year. Singles like “Adonis” and “Baptize” drew expansive acclaim for midnight, building hype up to his release of debut EP XII Labors. Featuring seven tracks of his crooning falsetto and ear for great production, midnight’s debut is a wonderful introduction to the talented artist. The project kicks off with “Baptize,” produced by Buffalo’s YLXR. The track, indicative of its title, sees midnight birth a new attitude and confidence, “standing up to fears that haunt me, can’t no one stop me now.” On “Floating and Falling,” the singer takes on a surprisingly bright beat. Producer craves’ bouncing, lively instrumental syncs up nicely with midnight’s dark vocals as he pleads with a lover to take whatever he has. “Cool Kids (DFWU)” has more of an edge to it than some of midnight’s[...]

Total Yuppies Drops First Single

October 5, 2015

Freshly-formed Rochester unit Total Yuppies, featuring members of Skirts, Jon Lewis Band, and Full Body, dropped its first single over the weekend. The garage pop quartet channels the dreary vibes of Neva Dinova with an accessibility akin to The Front Bottoms on the new track, titled “Normal Life.” The whole package is lonesome and catchy, highlighted by the song’s pitch-perfect vocal harmonies sung longingly over the sprightly drum work. Keep an eye out for this impressive new formation on the live circuit and an ear to the ground for future releases. For now, relish in the rainy day that is “Normal Life,” streaming below.

Tonight: Kill The Noise

October 3, 2015

Tonight After Dark & Factory NightLife present Jake Stanczak, more formally known as Ewun or Kill The Noise. He returns to his hometown Rochester, N.Y. to rock the stage at Anthology. Kill The Noise kicked off his album tour Thursday night in Atlanta, making his hometown show the third stop. The release of his first album Occult Classic is set for Oct. 9 on OWLSA, the record label founded by Skrillex. The ten track album features artists like Dillon Francis, Tommy Trash and rock favorite, Awolnation. His innovation and unique sounds come from inspiration all over the musical charts. In a recent article published by Rolling Stone, Kill the Noise explains how Nine Inch Nails, a favorite of his, gave him the inspiration behind his album. Stanczak has won two MTV Music Video Awards, one in 2012 for his “Kill The Noise Part 1” video and the second in 2013 for his[...]

California Cousins – George’s Bridge

October 2, 2015

Rochester emos California Cousins are no stranger to buffaBLOG. We’ve been following them and theirs since the dissolution of Keeler last year. Luckily, Cali Cousins are still hanging around, blessing us with a new EP full of noodly emo jams that they’ve christened George’s Bridge. I’m sure you can all reminisce of a time where you and your high school friends jumped off an old derelict bridge or had a clandestine rendezvous by a graffiti-laden abandoned structure. California Cousins tug on your nostalgic heartstrings in that way (and boy am I a sucker for some good emo jams). “Soft Earth” kicks off this EP with some twinkly guitar riffs reminiscent of Snowing, Del Paxton, or Tiny Moving Parts. Guitarist Christian Ortiz is a twinkle daddy for sure (it’s a Facebook group for twinkly guitar-riff lovers, so get your mind out of the gutter). Drummer Juan Ortiz skillfully weaves his rhythms in between  Christian[...]

The Ongoing Concept and ’68

October 1, 2015

Tonight, Norma Jean are celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the group’s landmark album O’God the Aftermath at the California Brew House in Rochester (402 W. Ridge Rd). To say the album was pivotal in the metalcore landscape would be an understatement. Norma Jean were some of the innovators in a field wrought with imitators, and their impact is felt all over today’s modern metal scene. I’d rather talk about two brilliant and vastly under appreciated bands that will be opening the show, though: The Ongoing Concept and ’68. Former Chariot and Norma Jean frontman, Josh Scogin, has teamed up with Michael McClellan to present a beautifully disjointed rock-hardcore hybrid in ’68. Picture pure-gravel vocals over discordant, violent riffage, and sinewy guitar lines. This here is music that is loose, blue-sy, soulful, and ferocious, all at once. ’68 display a kind of raw aggression that is missing from heavier music these days. And[...]

KOPPS – The Sound of Music

September 27, 2015

One of my favorite shows this year was easily !!! with Rochester’s KOPPS downstairs in the Ninth Ward at Babeville this past May. If the acoustics in Asbury Hall are dodgy, the acoustics in that brick basement are downright sublime, and that was a show you felt in every cell of your being, the energy created by both bands a thing felt that night. After being dogged by sound issues earlier in the week at Waiting Room, KOPPS in particular sounded spectacular, getting the crowd moving and playing new songs pointing to an even denser, ambitious sound to go with their never secret weapon, vocalist Patricia Patron. This latest iteration of blog favorite KOPPS is on full display on The Sound Of Music, a four track EP co-written with Joywave’s Daniel Armbruster released last Friday via Cultco which fulfills those ambitions and then some. “My Gold” was a huge hit live[...]

The Fox Sisters Release New Album Under The Stars

September 25, 2015

Ever wish you could get away with doing the mashed potato or the hitch hike at a show nowadays? The Fox Sisters provide the perfect musical backdrop for some old-timey jivin’ of that variety. The Fox Sisters are a big band with a big sound. This seven piece group out of Rochester will transport you to a different time period with their zippy rock ‘n’ roll tunes that are reminiscent of King Kahn & BBQ Show. Their newest full length release, Under The Stars, combines 60’s R&B with a lo-fi, garage sound to give us a retro frat-rock feel. It’s a feel good record that brings about the ruckus of a full fledged 60’s dance club in the best way possible. Grab your sweetheart and/or your dancing shoes and give it a listen below.

Buffalo Sex Change Shares Video for “Gender Unknown”

September 22, 2015

Over a year after dropping their self titled, debut LP via Dadstache Records, Rochester post-punk garage duo Buffalo Sex Change has shared the music video for one of the record’s stand out tracks, “Gender Unknown.” The lo-fi, VHS-esque clip, which was directed by Brooklyn visual artist Kristen Felicetti, finds members Phil Pierce and Clayton Eddy performing the rockabilly flavored tune under colorful video glitches while spliced with retro work out tutorials. Check it out at the bottom of the post. In further BSXC news, the pair contributed a new track, titled “Glori Ann,” to the recently released KNDY benefit compilation. All proceeds from the album sales go towards the recovery of Glori Alexander, the sister of vocalist/guitarist Pierce, following her successful kidney transplant. Listen to the song and get further info here. Catch up our review of the band’s Album of the Week honored debut here and watch the video for “Gender Unknown” below. Photo by[...]

Dumb Angel – Antenna

September 21, 2015

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 Young Couples Release Debut Single

September 21, 2015

Rochester is always bringing us tasty tunes these days. From the neighboring land of indie gems comes the Young Couples, a hodge-podge super group of sorts led by former SPORTS front man Ian Proper which features contributions from members of Howlo, Pleistocene, Passive Aggressives Anonymous, and Amateur Radio Club. The debut single “Carnivores” from the band’s upcoming debut EP is an upbeat fusion of styles. It’s a little Vampire Weekend-ish with a unique 80’s inspired twist of their own. The super singable chorus and crunchy guitar solo makes it the perfect cruise-around-in-the-T-Bird-I-don’t-have type of song. Definitely expecting awesome things to come from TYC. Listen to the single below and keep your eyes and ears peeled for their upcoming release near the end of 2015.

Buffalo Sex Change’s Phil Pierce Releases KDNYLUV Compilation

September 10, 2015

Musicians from Rochester and beyond are coming together to help a family member of one of their own. Glori Alexandar, the sister of Buffalo Sex Change guitarist/co-vocalist Phil Pierce, recently underwent a successful kidney transplant this past weekend. While she is recovering well from the surgery, Glori still has a long and unfortunately expensive road ahead of her. In order to help with the mounting medical bills, her brother Phil has curated a 16 track benefit compilation in hopes to aid with the costs. The compilation features tracks, many which were previously unreleased, from some of Rochester’s top acts in Pleistocene, Howlo, Auld Lang Syne, MD Woods, Passive Aggressives Anonymous, and more, in addition to contributions from BSXC buddy Shana Falana, Buffalo native and Asthmatic Kitty artist DM Stith, and other acts from around New York State. Dave Drago of 1809 Studios, as well as Pleistocene’s Stephen Roessner, handled the[...]

Cantelope Drops 2-Track for ours

September 10, 2015

Lo-fi Rochester act Cantelope, which features Doorway Talkers’ Hannah Weidner on drums, released a couple new tunes onto bandcamp earlier this week. The fuzzy for ours is a short, two song EP that joins a small but growing digital catalog from young trio. The EP’s lead track, “R’N’R P Hole,” is a solid cut of Yuck inspired jangle rock. The three-piece will kick off a five date fall tour on Saturday, October 3rd in Fulton, NY with Utica’s still buzzing Comfy. The short outing will take Cantelope from Central NY to a few gigs down south. In the mean time, check out “R’N’R P Hole” below. for ours by CANTELOPE

Genesee Live Premieres Latest Session feat. Secret Pizza

September 9, 2015

After teasing a full fall of new session clips, Rochester’s Genesee Live made good on its promise yesterday with the release of its 26th installment, this time featuring the grungy post-rock quartet, Secret Pizza. After a summer that saw the group take a short tour of the North East and finish up its soon-to-be-released debut LP with Pleistocene’s Stephen Roessner, the busy band managed to fit in a recording session at Rettner Hall on the campus of the University of Rochester. Check out the full clip below and for past sessions, you can catch up at Genesee Live’s Youtube page.