Latest Posts

Hieronymus Bogs Releases First Single from The Angel

July 21, 2015

Man what is in the water in the Genesee River lately? We have been doing this blog for over five years now, and over last couple, expanding our focus past just Buffalo and into other areas of WNY. With that said, I have never seen such a run of quality new music than we have out of Rochester over these last few months (and more is on the way). One of those acts, which until now has sadly flown under our radar, is folk musician Alex Bogs, who performs under the moniker of Hieronymus Bogs. Yesterday, Bogs released the startling first single from his upcoming new album The Angel. “I Wonder” is a wonderfully haunting mix of Devandre Banhart freak folk, subtle touches of Antony and the Johnsons’ theatricality, and the vulnerability of Buffalo’s own Andy Pothier. The Angel should be a nice addition to what is shaping up to be[...]

Dadstache Releases House Majority EP

July 20, 2015

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[...]

Rebecca Ryskalczyk of Bethlehem Steel

July 20, 2015

Next week will see the return home of Rebecca Ryskalczyk, the front woman of the Brooklyn based, Fredonia bred indie trio Bethlehem Steel. The Buffalo born musician is currently on a solo tour that will bring her back to town for a pair of Infringement Festival dates. We recently caught up with the songwriter to discuss Buffalo and Brooklyn, her new label and upcoming EP, and her some of her favorite local music memories. buffaBLOG: Over the last couple years, we have seen some pretty great acts, including Zealot, Mr. Boneless, and Well Worn Boot, come out SUNY Fredonia and the surrounding town. What was the scene like when you were going to school there? Rebecca Ryskalczyk: There was a very tight knit DIY scene when I went to school there. I met all my current band-mates through the music scene there. Jon played in Longitude and Zephyr in Zona Mexicana. House shows[...]

The Loner(s) – I Wish Shit Would Stop Spinning

July 20, 2015

To a certain degree, there is something voyeuristic about any deeply personal album that someone decides to put out in the open. But it’s the combination of James Keegan’s forthright lyricism and “bedroomy” sound quality that provokes something especially voyeuristic. I Wish Shit Would Stop Spinning is the recent full length release from The Loner(s), a one man band out of Rochester. You can put this album on and have it totally stitch itself into the background while simultaneously feeling like your ear is pressed to James’ wall, listening to him play muffled guitar and grapple with some form of despondency. There are little foot notes under all 10 songs on Bandcamp that detail what day each song was recorded and how the song was recorded — all have been recorded on a digital portastudio or 4-track cassette recorder. I don’t get the immediate sense that perfect sonic balance is[...]

Animal Sounds Releases New EP

July 15, 2015

Animal Sounds is an instrumental quartet out of Rochester. The foursome’s new EP, Fling Mingus, is a three-song, funk-tinged adventure through twinkly guitars and interesting rhythms. Since releasing a debut demo last summer, Animal Sounds seems to have ditched some of its funk background for an “indier” sound. Still, “Money Is A Mind Game” is a great example of AS’s genre-defying tunes, blending mathy, Minus the Bear-like emo with a tinge of classic rock like Blue Oyster Cult and a pinch of start/stop fury of a band like Buffalo’s A Hotel Nourishing. Check it out below.

The Ginger Faye Bakers Drop Latest LP Smoke Signals

July 14, 2015

Smoke Signals, the second album from Rochester power trio the Ginger Faye Bakers, is a sinful and ridiculously enjoyable slab of instant classic rock that’s ideal for late night reckless driving, going camping with a case of Genny Cream and [redacted], and cutting school to get wasted. It’s also a perfect example of the amazing music floating around the increasingly local-centric internet in the post music industry 21st Century. Driven by a death metal guitar sound that swings between the heaviest Queens of the Stone Age and the glorious Black Sabbath riffage of Tony Iommi, and wild vocals reminiscent of Black Mountain’s Stephen McBean, Smoke Signals is like so many releases from our neighbors on the 90 East — heavy on tunes and riffs, and irresistible. The Baker boys (Nathan, Timothy, and Billy) take it even further however, taking illicit joy in their pleasantly dangerous heavy duty abandon. There’s a[...]

The Huckleberry Fins Return with New Single and Video

July 13, 2015

We got pretty hyped back at the end of 2013 when we came across the Rochester surf trio, The Huckleberry Fins. The group’s French Kiss flavored “Wild Blue Yonder” was like fire over at the blog office (ranking #10 on our favorite Rochester songs of the year), and we couldn’t wait to here what would come next from the threesome. After flying under the radar for what was quickly approaching two years, the band is back with a great new single and an accompanying music video for the track “The Sun is Setting.” The song could easily be included on a future Captured Tracks compilation as it brings to mind early Beach Fossils, while the video find the Huckleberry boys showing off some skate boarding moves through the streets and parking garages of Rochester. “The Sun is Setting” is the first single on the band’s upcoming 11-track LP, Pipe Dreams,[...]

Passive Aggressives Anonymous Releases New Single “Many at Once”

July 10, 2015

Tongue-in-cheek, Rochester crooner John Valenti and his band Passive Aggressives Anonymous have released a new single this morning, titled “Many at Once,” the follow up to the group’s late 2014 EP, Not so long songs of longing. If this is your first introduction to Valenti, think laid back Father John Misty showmanship meets Jens Lekman heart on his sleeve charm. Valenti and crew have the ability to romance you right off your feet, all while grinning ear to ear. PAA’s whimsical new song details the pros to keeping your options open when it comes to the opposite sex, all while striking riffs and fluttering strings back the dreamy, lounge ready number. In other Valenti news, the songwriter recently directed a clip for Kingston, NY musician Shana Falana. The video features appearances by fellow Roch musicans and Valenti buddies Buffalo Sex Change and just premiered yesterday on Paste. Check it out here.[...]

MD Woods Drops Volume Two of Young & Vain Series

July 7, 2015

“Folk” has gotten a bad rap lately. It’s easy to blame bands like Mumford and Sons and Of Monsters and Men—some of the so-called pioneers of the neo-folk movement—for saturating the genre with their pseudo-inspirational pop-folk tedium, formulaic songs custom-tailored for the mainstream. (Does M&S bashing ever really go out of style?) But mainstream disenchantment aside, folk is just one of those genres I can’t help but hold near and dear to my heart. The truthfulness of a good folk song is a special weakness of mine, and it’s refreshing to know that some artists can still do the ill-fated genre a little justice. With that said, it is my pleasure to introduce Young & Vain Vol. 2, the newest release from Rochester singer-songwriter MD Woods. Building on the warm and earnest foundations of last year’s Vol. 1, Vol. 2 delivers four more solid tracks to Woods’ four-part Young &[...]

1809 Studios Releases Latest Session feat. Skirts

July 6, 2015

Though its gritty garage punk sound is poppy enough to dance to, Skirts also have this old-fashioned, summer heartbreak sound that’s hard to get out of your head. The Rochester-based band released an 1809 Session for the track “Swimming” late last week, making it the latest installment in the series. 1809 Sessions is a recurring video series filmed at 1809 Studios in Macedon, NY that has recorded live sessions for a variety of Rochester and touring bands. With the popularity of visuals in the music realm rising, tons of bands are filming live sessions these days. That being said, not every band’s energy translates well through video, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem in the slightest with Skirts. The band has plans to release a split EP with garage-pop band Comfy from Utica through Miscreant and Dadstache Records. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for that in early[...]

Jon Lewis Drops Music Video for “Let It Slide”

June 25, 2015

Rochester singer/songwriter Jon Lewis has released the music video for his new song “Let It Slide.” The highlight of the three shared tracks (so far) from his upcoming album, Panic Rock, “Let It Slide” finds the musician sounding rather Gibbard-esque on the mid-tempo number. Lewis paired the track with clips from Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, a cartoon I don’t remember being quite as eerie until just now. Panic Rock is set to drop in mid July. You can stream the album’s first three tracks here and watch the video to “Let It Slide” below. Jon Lewis – Let it Slide from Jon Lewis on Vimeo.

Pleistocene – Space Trap

June 22, 2015

I probably shouldn’t even be surprised anymore; at this point it’s safe to say that Rochester has officially raised the bar. Our I-90 neighbors have been churning out quality release after quality release, and their latest surge of fresh local music has given no sign of relent. This week we bring your attention to Space Trap, the latest EP from jangle pop superunit Pleistocene. The EP, officially released earlier this month via Cherish Records, finds itself amongst some of the best material in Pleistocene’s growing discography and proves itself worthy of inclusion with a confident bite to back up its bark. For those of you unfamiliar with Pleistocene as anything other than the ice age epoch of mammoths and sabretooths, it’s in your best interest to refamiliarize. The band’s jangly surf pop/shoegaze blend frequents our blog often (their 2014 song “Secular” snagged a top 3 spot on our ‘best of’[...]

Skirts Premieres First Single from Upcoming Comfy Split EP

June 16, 2015

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[...]

Howlo Announces Debut LP, Shares “Bleary”

June 15, 2015

We awoke this morning to the pleasant news that one of our favorite Rochester foursomes, Howlo, is prepping the release of its debut, self-titled LP for late July. Comprised of busy songwriter/producer Ben Morey, Justin Pulver (Europa and the Great Red Spot), Jane Bryant, and Christine Benincasa, the group shared a couple album teases over on its bandcamp page to keep us busy until next month. The first, the newly recorded “Blanka,” was on the band’s short and sweet Attic Tapes EP last spring. Howlo‘s second tease, though, comes in the form of the fantastically dreamy “Bleary,” the first new recording we have heard from the band in over a year. Led by the sweet and tender boy/girl vocals of Morey and Bryant, the song is a melancholy cut of 90’s jangle pop, recalling the likes of Polaris, Flake Music, and early Cloud Nothings. Simply put, “Bleary” is one of my[...]

Tonight: Northern Spies

June 11, 2015

Lately it seems like some of Rochester’s best and up-and-coming acts have been making frequent stops to Buffalo and the trend continues tonight as ROCH foursome, Northern Spies, will take the stage at Sugar City. The power pop group, which features members of KOPPS and Quarries, recalls acts like Elvis Costello, the Byrds, REM, and Stephen Malkmus. While the band only has a short EP to its name, the late 2014 released Nothing But Static, its spring released Genesee Live session should give a nice indication of what to expect later on from NS. Music begins this 8pm with a cover of $5. Indie rock trio turned quartet, Wolf, and Steak & Cake’s politically minded act, RED HEAT, will round out the bill. And please remember to leave the booze and drugs at home as Sugar City is a substance free space.