Latest Posts

Harmonica Lewinski – Naked Brunch

February 16, 2015

Rochester deviant surf rockers, Harmonica Lewinski, are back with a hot new EP Naked Brunch (Reel Time Records) that’s sharp, delightfully nasty, and our Album of the Week. Four hot cuts of off color 60’s inspired psychedelic surf rock engineered to make you feel funny while riding your long board or shaking your thing at a swingers party later that night, Naked Brunch offers some interesting glimpses into what this always entertaining band of misfits might have up their sleeves down the road. While “Titty Citty” and “Black Pussy Blues” are restatements of the HL ethos: wildly careening, off kilter surf rock that’s over the top lewd and sleazily dangerous, “Har Har Bizarre” blows everything up with some superbly wicked vocals and some joyfully licentious lyrics reveling in all manner of bad behavior. Naked Brunch ends with the straight up garage rock of “Boy On Fire,” a super tight single that clocks in[...]

Genesee Live Premieres Latest Session feat. Sea Planes

February 13, 2015

We have been following Rochester’s Genesee Live for about a year now, catching up with some of our favorite sister city acts like Ben Morey, Skirts, and Buffalo Sex Change. It’s been a great way to see some of those musicians in a live setting without having to make the hour drive east. One band that we have yet to see in person yet is Sea Planes, a synth pop trio who we have been writing about on a frequent basis since late 2013. The band sounds huge, polished, and frankly fantastic on recordings, but could easily be one of those studio acts whose sound doesn’t quite translate live. So when we found out that the duo would be showcased in the latest Genesee Live session, we were happy to finally see them in a live setting of sorts. The trio channels bits of latter day M83 in its session[...]

Just Announced: Cloud Nothings

February 12, 2015

When you think of Fredonia’s BJ’s, you normally think of college bands, bands like Mooses and Zealot, playing to the loyal local audiences and co-eds. In fact, one of Plainsman’s many phallic objects is still probably lying around the bar from a past Well Worn Boot show. What you don’t think of when you think of BJ’s, at least not initially, is the band Cloud Nothings. This is one of the biggest acts in indie rock right now. But, just over a half an hour ago, the bar announced via FB and Twitter that the Cleveland three-piece will be playing the college town haunt on Friday, May 8th. The bar then channeled  Almost Famous with a follow up status of “ITS ALL HAPPENING.” The bar is clearly ending the semester on a high note. The now trio followed up its breakthrough album, Attack on Memory, with 2014’s equally impressive Here and Nowhere Else last[...]

Brass Palace Begins 50 Bands, 50 Weeks Project

February 11, 2015

So after a busy day in the office yesterday (jk, we didn’t post anything), I was happy to see the continued progress in the “50 Band, 50 Week” project from Brass Palace, a Rochester based recording operation led by producer and engineer Chris Vandeviver. You may remember Brass Palace when we posted about the studio’s recording of Secret Pizza’s “Not a Lover” for the Shark Tank Sessions earlier this fall. Anyways, the Brass Palace crew has premiered three recordings so far in the near year long, fairly self-explanatory project, so far including songs from post-hardcore band, Druse, chill-hop MC, Benny Beyond, and most recently, prog-rockers, Edge of Jupiter. If all goes as planned, a new song should be added to the comp every week. No word yet on what bands will contribute future recordings, but you can follow the project at the 50 Bands, 50 Weeks’ bandcamp page for Brass Palace.[...]

the gifted children – my museum pieces

February 9, 2015

For a band that’s been around for almost 20 years, it’s commendable that the gifted children are still on their A-game. The Rochester art-rock collective is fresh off the release of my museum pieces, a genre-spanning full length that channels the likes of The Decemberists and self-referential influences Guided By Voices. Highlighted by swirling instrumentation, rich harmonies, and the eclectic  songwriting style the band is known for, my museum pieces is not only a noteworthy collection of songs, but a captivating story record that has more than earned buffaBLOG’s Album of the Week. Taking a look at the roster/credits for the album on the band’s bandcamp page is dizzying to say the least; an impressive seventeen musicians contributed in some way to the album’s eleven diverse tracks. Much in the spirit of Broken Social Scene, the gifted children have a perpetually rotating cast of musicians that varies from record to[...]

Cooling Card Drops Shoe-Gaze Track, “All of Lost”

February 6, 2015

A rather mysterious band/artist popped on up Rochester’s bandcamp today in the form of Cooling Card. The artist page has no links to any other forms of social media, and the song doesn’t even have a date stamp on it. Is this even new? No matter. Whoever Cooling Card may be, the act delivered a solid cut of shoe-gaze in the track “All is Lost.” Droning vocals and reverb heavy guitars with the occasional jangle, pretty much the key ingredients to a good shoe-gaze, are all present on “All is Lost.” The song recalls a less mopey Smiths, a less poppy Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and even a touch of local act Spirit Choir. Check it out below and if you have an extra $666 lying around, you can purchase the track over at Cooling Card’s bandcamp page.

Full Body Releases Debut Demo, “World Famous”

February 3, 2015

We woke up this morning to some solid new Rochester material to pick through, one of which being the first track from the new college rock trio, Full Body, which made its FB debut just at the end of 2014. Recorded by Hayden Ford of Skirts, the slackerish “World Famous” recalls a mixed cast of bands from long time lo-fi’ers Guided by Voices to Weezer to even some fuzzier Sloan. Check out the track below and keep an eye out for forthcoming new material from Full Body.

MD WOODS Drops First Single From Young and Vain 2. EP

January 29, 2015

Winter usually kicks my seasonal folk obsession into high gear so I was pleased to see that stand out Rochester folkie, MD WOODS, dropped the first single from his forthcoming album, the sequel to his summer released Young and Vain 1. EP, earlier this week. On the passionate “Finally in Love,” WOODS’ pleading and somewhat broken down vocals recall Heartbreaker and Gold era Ryan Adams, so if that peaks your interest, give the song a spin. “Finally in Love,” which can be streamed below, will be featured on Young and Vain 2. in the near future.

Theodore Maxwell Robinson Carr Debuts Electronic Project

January 29, 2015

If you’ve been listening to the buffaBLOG Podcast over the past two weeks, then you are well aware of my latest audio obsession, “Maiden (Glas House),” by Rochester’s Theodore Maxwell Robinson Carr. For those unfamiliar with Carr’s previous works, he was operating as a solo acoustic solo artist, with sounds that were somewhere in between an early Bon Iver and an endearing Bright Eyes. Most recently, Carr was dabbling in jam-tronica project, Poetry for Thieves. His tenure with Poetry for Thieves must have inspired him for his latest three-song batch, which land somewhere in between Ghostland Observatory, MGMT, and Joywave. Carr will be playing some songs from the project next Friday at the Bug Jar under the band, Fyrewerx, sharing the stage with Brian Kozlowski  (Heroic Enthusiasts) and Dexter Redic (Roots Collider).  Check out “Maiden (Glas House)” below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/186171983″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Pappy Stardust & The Eclectic Moon Sandwich Drops the Grimy EP, Your Local Lizard Band

January 27, 2015

After seeing the title for the new Pappy Stardust & The Eclectic Moon Sandwich EP, Your Local Lizard Band, I had to ask myself, what exactly is a Lizard Band? Pappy Stardust, by the way, is a lo-fi, messy, garage rock collective from our good friend and neighbor city, Rochester. After listening, it really made sense to me in an odd way. The group of revolving members’ latest tracks are an overall grimy combination of really cool, psychedelic instrumentals with heavily echoed vocals, and at times, even a bit of a surf rock. Your Local Lizard Band starts off with the incredibly groovy “The Lizard #3,” highly due to the prevalent plucked bass line and the catchy repeated guitar riff, and ends with the nearly 8 minute, mostly instrumental track, “The Wave,” which is truly a psychedelic monster. Your Local Lizard Band is an overall incredibly fun listen, and is highly recommended. It is available[...]

SPEIRS Releases Debut Single, “Headwarm”

January 26, 2015

Despite the “buffa” in our name, we definitely have a soft spot for our neighbors in Rochester. One of the sister city’s newest offerings comes from SPEIRS, a female-fronted post-rock group a la The Appleseed Cast. The group’s debut single, titled “Headwarm,” is a five-minute sweller, full of effected guitars (coming from some really tasty looking gear) and chill out vibes. According to the band’s facebook page, we can expect the rest of their EP in a few weeks. Until then, click the widget below to enjoy “Headwarm…” After all, the Northeast could use some extra warmth today.

St. Vincent – “Bad Believer”

January 21, 2015

In advance of the release of a deluxe edition of her eponymous 2014 album, St. Vincent aka Annie Clark, just dropped one of it’s four bonus tracks, “Bad Believer.” Soaring, accessible, and a tad victorious, “Bad Believer” makes for a fine coda to an incredibly successful 2014 for Annie, which included a critically acclaimed album and tour (including a memorable stop at Asbury Hall) and an excellent appearance on SNL. The deluxe edition of St. Vincent arrives in stores February 9, and Annie returns to Western New York March 5 for a show at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester.

Maybird Reveals “Down and Under” Video

January 20, 2015

The Netsky brothers have done it again with the video for “Down and Under,” the title track and album closer to Rochester indie band Maybird’s intense 2013 debut. Featuring the stark and plaintive vocals of Josh,  evocative direction, and heartbeat like drums from Adam, not to mention some fine pedal steel guitar from Kurt Johnson, “Down and Under” is pure upstate / downstate New York like the band itself now that they’ve since partially relocated to Brooklyn: walks in snowy woods in a red flannel jacket, art happenings, and listening to records in Christmas light lit city dwellings, all meditatively shot by brother Adam. The band is currently working on new tunes for the follow up to Down and Under, which can be listened to and purchased from Maybird’s Bandcamp page.

ice bar – ante meridiem

January 19, 2015

There is something to be said about the type of songwriting that doesn’t require a full band to make it work. Making use of just an acoustic guitar and her voice, Rochester singer songwriter Camille Tharp, or ice bar, as she is so endearingly known, has put out ante meridiem, a collection of wonderfully emotional acoustic songs recommended for those who enjoy the likes of Sharon Von Etten or Daughter. Despite their simplicity, each of the EP’s five tracks channel a strong element of genuineness that makes it abundantly clear that a lot more went into ante meridiem than what initially meets the ear. It is that emotional authenticity that makes these songs such heavy-hitters, and with that, I welcome you to our Album of the Week. ante meridiem, in living up to its name, really capitalizes on the mellow vibes of early morning with delicately-plucked acoustic guitar progressions that would[...]

KOPPS Debuts New Single, “Dumb”

January 19, 2015

It’s been a minute since we’ve last heard from Rochester-based electro-pop quartet, KOPPS, although they have been sharing the radio waves (specifically the infectious scat from lead singer Patricia Petrone) with Rochester breakout act, JOYWAVE, with the 2014 breakout single of the 2013 single “Tongues.” If you have been following KOPPS on social media, then you should not be surprised to find a new single debuting this morning. Titled “Dumb,” the track is a brief, 90’s club banger with hushed paranoid backing vocals from co-member Kyle O’Hara. The single is currently streaming via Soundcloud below.