Latest Posts

Hannah Weidner – Comfortable Existence

September 22, 2014

Rochester is having a good September as far as buffaBLOG is concerned. Earlier this month we saw the release of Cottage Jefferson’s fantastic new album B-Side, which deservingly snagged the blog’s first Album of the Week spot of September. This week we have another Rochester artist grabbing the spot—meet singer/songwriter Hannah Weidner. The DIY songbird’s debut album, Comfortable Existence, is a harmony-rich acoustic beaut, drawing comparisons to earlier tracks of sister-songwriter duo First Aid Kit. Now, as aforementioned, Comfortable Existence is an acoustic album at its core, consisting primarily of folksy acoustic tracks with beautifully-crafted vocal harmonies. (Take the ‘love-is-in-the-air’ album-opener “Your Essence” for example.)  A more focused listen reveals a certain intricacy to the songs that adds serious depth to the album, making Hannah Weidner and her songcraft stand out among other folk contemporaries. The subtle inclusion of horns and air organ in a few of the songs adds[...]

Overhand Sam Releases Debut EP

September 18, 2014

We’re a little late to the game on this one. Rochester multi-instrumentalist (and Maybird member) “Overhand” Sam Snyder released Debut EP back in July, a deliciously fresh take on contemporary blues rock that gives off a faint Besnyo vibe. The four-track banger contains a few previously released songs, including single “For Better / For Worse” and an excellent full-band version of the formerly acoustic “Feel So Bad.” Stand-out track, “Just Don’t Know,” pairs a light, ghostly piano riff with a soaring guitar lead comparable to the sounds of Fuse.tv-era band Snow Patrol. However, OHS’ studio effort comes off as more than your typical blues-tinged alt rock, blending lush, piano-peppered instrumentation (highlighted by Snyder’s quality guitar leads) with a wispy vocal style and elements of blues, folk, and even R&B. It’s refreshing how much ground the four tracks are able to cover. Check out the NYC-mobster vibes of “For Better /[...]

Rochester’s princess//princess Releases New EP

September 10, 2014

Call it punk, call it lo-fi, or call it tweemo, Rochester’s princess//princess’ new EP is full of it. Upon reaching my goal, I am completely underwhelmed. is a set of six raucous bedroom-esque recordings full of bouncy guitar and, at times, some surprisingly dark lyrics. My personal favorite was the brooding “BFF <3 (metacaricature),” full of minor chords and lyrical curses like, “I won’t be there when you’re drowning in the ocean. I’ll be drenched in suntan lotion.” A close second was the album’s second, albeit upbeat metacaricature, “The Girls School (another metacaricature).” They’ve offered it up for free – follow the link to bandcamp below.

Louis Bijoux Releases Debut Album

September 9, 2014

One of the more interesting releases we have come across this week is the debut project from Rochester based pop musician, Louis Bijoux. That’s about all we could find on the guy. His first release, Bijoux, is a collection of lo-fi, Cure-esque post punk backed by off-beat, Wesley Willis melodies, in particular on track four, “Tetra Town.” The album’s stand out song, the playful “Owe Ya,” sounds like Ariel Pink if he had to play an 80’s prom Check out the full album at Bijoux’s bandcamp page here, and if you know more about this project, let us know. Listen to “Owe Ya” below.

Genesee Live Debuts New Session feat. Buffalo Sex Change

September 8, 2014

We have been really enjoying Rochester duo Buffalo Sex Change lately in the blog offices. The pair’s brooding, self-titled debut, released via Roch label Dadstache Records, is a great blend of shoegaze, punk, and surf, and we liked it so much, it was named our Album of the Week last month. Late last week, Genesee Live, Rochester’s premiere live session series, debuted it’s latest video installment with BSC, much to our delight. You can watch the full Buffalo Sex Change session below, and for past installments, visit Genesee Live’s tumblr page.

Cottage Jefferson – B-Side

September 1, 2014

So, all good things must come to an end. Damn you, Chaucer—right again. Cottage Jefferson, Rochester’s favorite fuzz band, played what they announced to have been their final show back in May. Thankfully, that hasn’t stopped the quartet from tying up loose ends and putting out one last hurrah of an album. Titled B-Side, the exceptionally nostalgic 10-track album is a warm embrace, a phantom limb, a fist in the air. The songs have a good range of feeling and style without sounding scattered, sitting contentedly between the twinkly mood-jams of Built to Spill and the lethargic thickness of Dinosaur Jr. The record opens with “One Verse, No Chorus,” a gleeful three-chord jam with noodle guitar breakdowns, crunchy chords, and (despite what the title describes) what I consider to be a very catchy chorus. The song has a very casual feel to it and no shortage of hooks. For most,[...]

Faux Leather Jacket Releases Music Video for “Only I Can Break My Heart”

August 27, 2014

Rochester’s alt-country rockers, Faux Leather Jacket, released a music video late last week for “Only I Can Break My Heart,” the shining track on their debut EP, Sorry, Bud. In collaboration with Rocco Hagan, who shot and edited the video, it features a dreamlike montage of friends goofing off, dudes playing with hatchets, and, as many of us can relate to, a man on a mission to make things as hard as possible for himself. With a wisdom of the ages, this youthful group highlights the song’s title through the pointed words of a repeating chorus: “Don’t go feeling guilty/ Don’t even start/ It’s like I’ve told you once/ Only I can break my heart.” It only seems right, then, that the video’s protagonist (songwriter, lead vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Trevor Courneen) might be likened to something of Sisyphus, as he makes a hellish journey across town hauling a burlap sack[...]

midnight Releases Followup Single

August 26, 2014

Rochester R&B crooner, midnight,  is back with his followup single to last spring’s slow jam of the season, “Adonis.” His latest single, “1v1,” sticks to the same format, sensual falsetto vocals over downtempo electronic backing. Although the song title sounds like it’s about a basketball game, I’m pretty sure it’s about banging. Fans of Kanye’s A Twisted Dark Fantasy, D’Angelo, and How to Dress Well would be the pretty hip to have this on their playlist. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/164874486″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Cottage Jefferson Prep Final Album, Release “Trapper Keeper” Single

August 21, 2014

Rochester’s Cottage Jefferson appeared to call it quits earlier this past May  with an advertised final show  at the Bug Jar. One day after the group played their final show, they posted that they had enough material to produce one last album to be released later in 2014. Cottage Jefferson’s final album, titled B-Side, had its first single premiere this morning via CJ’s bandcamp page. “Trapper Keeper” continues the foursome’s crunchy, college rock tendencies, and should please fans of Yuck and minimalistic Dinosaur Jr.. You probably won’t be seeing Cottage Jefferson touring in support of the album. Members are scattered all over the state now, playing in different projects such as blog favorites Routine Involvements, Pleistocene, and Faux Leather Jacket. Look out for the full length when its released in full on September 4th. In the meantime, here’s “Trapper Keeper.”

Gay Angel Releases Under The Radar Album, Places I’ll Eat, People I’ll Meet

August 21, 2014

One of the more interesting releases to grace our mail box this month has to be from Rochester’s Gay Angel. The moniker of singer/composer Jake Bellissimo, the musician recently released his latest album, Places I’ll Eat, People I’ll Meet, in late July. My first thoughts when listening to this album were that it is busy as hell. Look at the liner notes on the bandcamp page. Aside from Bellissimo, nearly 25 musicians contributed vocals, horns, strings, and more to the nine track album, which, according to Bellissimo, is “a collection of stories, people, sex, food, and music collected over the past 3 years.” Here is the thing though. While some artists compensate lackluster song writing with busier complex sounds, Gay Angel is one of the few that can combine swamped audio with quality. Its wild and all over the place at times, but I never once listened to the album and[...]

PG: A Female Rapper with a Golden Era Steez

August 20, 2014

The Roc is in the building! Rochester’s own PG is a female emcee with a dope flow and a knack for storytelling. On “Brooklyn Girl,” the femcee narrates an encounter with a fly chick on the train tracks of NYC. It’s an old school-styled song that’s refreshingly focused on songwriting, that which PG s already very good at. We’ve all been there, wanting to talk to that cute person, waiting for that moment to actually speak while your nerves build. The song touches on that feeling we’re all familiar with. As PG actually tracks down the BK girl, the song doesn’t lose any of it’s honesty and relatability. Check it out, it’s a great introduction to a promising new femcee.

Harmonica Lewinski Releases First Single From Upcoming EP

August 20, 2014

We have been doing parties for the blog for nearly four years now, and I feel it’s safe to say that the set from Harmonica Lewinski at our fourth birthday party last March was my favorite yet. Making their debut Buffalo show, the band almost didn’t make it due to some out-of-nowhere snow that had them stuck on the I-90 for much of the early evening. Luckily for those in attendance, Harmonica showed up and delivered a tight, retro-tinged performance that lured everyone to a very crowded Duke’s dance floor. You can watch a clip from that performance right here. The band has been teasing some new material and subsequent tour all summer long, and early this morning, the wild Rochester surf punk crew released the first single from their forthcoming 7″ EP, Naked Brunch (9/11). Titled “Har Har Bizarre,” the song is a retro-synth based carnival-like track that maintains an eerie vibe[...]

Strawberry Boys Release First Single, “Got It”

August 14, 2014

Earlier this week, we received an e-mail from Rochester-based electro-pop twosome, Strawberry Boys. In the message, the sender described Strawberry Boys’ sound as a “boy band but serious.” The single, “Got It,” is slow building, but soon evolves into an Architecture in Helsinki-like backing coupled with vocals of Proto Zoa, the fictional band from Disney’s Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. Although Strawberry Boys prefer to release their music under a veil of mystery, I would not be surprised if familiar names are behind the project. Check out “Got It” underneath these words.

Buffalo Sex Change – Buffalo Sex Change

August 11, 2014

When I first heard of Rochester garage post-punk band Buffalo Sex Change and their self-titled, debut album, my initial reaction was mostly just trying to figure out their highly specific and provocative name. Fairly early into the album, however, I was having a hard time imagining the two-piece being referred to as anything else. With a gritty lo-fi drums, androgynous sounding vocals, and a distorted guitar sound that can only be described as dark and dirty, the band explores music rooted in a liminal phase, never quite clear of itself. And yet, the general mood of the record comes off confident, as if the members are aware of and quite comfortable with their own liminality. With only two members, BSS does well with filling in the space of sound, particularly with Phil Pierce’s guitar playing, which switches from Buddy Holly licks  in “Gender Unknown” to early Jesus & Mary Chain/Kevin[...]

Genesee Live Debuts New Session feat. Mike Brown

August 5, 2014

After a short breather, Genesee Live, Rochester’s live session series, returned late yesterday afternoon with a new installment featuring folk musician, producer, and Grammy nominee, Mike Brown. Shot at Brown’s Temperamental Recording Studio, a renovated country church in Geneseo, NY, the lastest session features a beautiful, stripped down performance from the long time musician that fans of Calexico, Iron & Wine, and Americana music would be wise to take a few minutes and check out. Watch the full session with Mike Brown below and for past installments, visit Genesee Live’s tumblr page.