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Herd Fest 2015: Day 1

This past Thursday night, local haunt Mohawk Place hosted the opening ceremonies to Herd Fest 2015, featuring performances from Bryan Johnson & Family, Attic Abasement, Pleistocene, and DJ sets from Mohawk regulars, Transmission Dance Party. Herd Fest photographer, Canadace Camuglia, was on hand to catch all of the action. Browse through some select photos below and visit Herd Fest’s facebook page for a full gallery of day 1. Check back in all this week for the remaining festival galleries.

Sugar City

Ease into your Herd Fest comedown today as Sugar City is set to close out the festival with a pair of much needed relaxing events. Those looking for that last minute Father’s Day gift should head down to the Niagara St. space’s record fair starting at 1pm to grab some vinyl to add to the big guy’s collection. Over 1,000 records will be for sale from various local shops and distros, so leaving empty handed is not an option. Later on this evening, a local music video showcase will run, featuring clips from Alpha Hopper, Every Time I Die, Mink, Orations, Healer, and more, plus the debut of a brand new music video from grunge trio Kharlos. The screenings will begin at 7pm and are set to be hosted by comedy pair Dan Firestorm and John Toohill (JOHNS, Alpha Hopper). Both events are free of charge so feel free to remove[...]

Quiet Country Audio

For the second year in a row, our buddies over at Quiet Country Audio have curated a wonderful showcase for our Herd Fest festivities… They have handpicked a collection of acts that have worked in or recorded with QCA. Tonight’s show will feature the garage-pop of MAGS and their close, albeit hardcore-influenced buddies in The Slums. Rounding out the evening are the grungemen in The Soft Love, the alt-rockers The Naturalists, and American Low. Just like the rest of Herd Fest, entrance is free with an official Herd Fest wristband. Otherwise, DBGB’s will be collecting a reasonable $5 for your entrance fee. Tonight’s showcase starts at 10:00pm. See you on Allen.

Black Dots

Continuing with this weekend’s Herd Fest festivities, local record shop Black Dots will be hosting another rooftop show this evening.  The show will feature all local acts.  Kicking off the showcase will be fem punk outfit Boy Scouts, followed by fresh local act Alien Three, featuring members of Dream Journal and Failure’s Union.  Up next will be Black Dots imprint Facility Men, and the showcase will be closed out by the psychedelic beatdown hardcore act, Junk Drawer. As usual, the showcase is free if you have a Herd Fest bracelet, but if not it will be five dollars.  Black Dots is on the corner of Grant and Lafayette.  If weather does not permit the outdoor porch show, the gig will be held inside the store. If you can’t find your way up to the porch,  come down into the shop and someone will direct you. Black Dots is on the[...]

Tonight: Real Estate

You know what’s boring? Talking to Real Estate agents. You know what’s not boring? Going to see the band Real Estate at the Tralf tonight!  The New Jersey band’s easy going guitar driven music is the perfect vibey accompaniment to the eve of the summer solstice. Opening for the band is the excellent guitarist, William Tyler, whose instrumental pieces are reason enough to show up for the show early. But, if you have a Herd Fest bracelet, you should already being showing up early because the first 30 bracelets get in for free. Local sunny songwriter Bryan Johnson has just been added for local support, so celebrate the summer and head to the Tralf tonight. Doors open at 7pm and tickets are $23.

Steak & Cake Records

The Herd Fest-ivities continue on this glorious Saturday! Make sure you’re ready to rally by noon today, so you can head over to Record Theatre on Main Street for the Steak & Cake Records showcase. Steak & Cake Records is a DIY indie-rock label founded by Brandon Schlia (Mink, RED HEAT) that offers professional recording, production, mixing and distribution services for local artists. In other words, it is both a staple and accurate representation of Buffalo’s self-sufficient nature and synergistic music community — separate projects coming together to form something much greater than the sum of the individual parts. Dozens of wonderfully crafted records have been birthed through Schlia’s studio since its conception in 2011. If you haven’t explored S & C’s catalog on their bandcamp page, I highly suggest doing so now. This year’s showcase features seven Buffalo (and Philadelphia) based artists that support and are very much apart[...]

Silo Sessions

Today is going to be a busy Saturday. If you’re looking to get the most out of your all-access Herd Fest bracelet, your itinerary will take you to Record Theatre in the afternoon, Black Dots in the evening, and the Buffalo bustle of Allen Street to cap off your fat schedule at a number of Allen’s finest watering holes. And if you tough it out and stay up and at ‘em for the final show of the night, you’ll find yourself at Nietzsche’s for the stacked, jacked and packed Silo Sessions showcase. Thanks to weekly videos of Silo Sessions—one of the local music scene’s newest and most unique upstarts—the cavernous natural reverb of Buffalo’s old grain silos has proven to be a valuable sonic entity in one of the city’s coolest new music spots. Since its inception last year, Silo Sessions has recorded over thirty musical performances in the Silos,[...]

Deep Thinka Records

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,[...]

Harvest Sum

For the second year in a row, Nietzsche’s will be the site for a Harvest Sum reunion as the widely influential collective of musicians and friends will come together for the label’s Herd Fest showcase. Since forming in 2004, HS has featured some of Buffalo’s finest bands, including the Old Sweethearts, Besnyo, Sleeping Kings of Iona, Roger Bryan & the Orphans, and more. As groups have called it quits, band members have come and gone, and children have arrived, HS shows have started become a rare occurrence. The temporary closing of Mohawk Place, the surrogate home to most of the bands’ members, certainly didn’t help either. But once or twice a year, a handful of the acts get together and remind you how special each of them still are to the city. For this year’s showcase, the label will feature performances from Roger Bryan, Applennium, Bearhunter, Strange Acres, and Jonny Nobody,[...]

Cool Dad Records

The Cool Dad Records crew takes over Allen Street Hardware tonight for Herd Fest, uniting and presenting as the punny and well-played Rave Matthews Band. Members of Cool Dad Records gather as a collective of friends, music fiends, and artists. Comprised by Eyes Everywhere (Brian Doyle and Kyle Tatum), Nick States, and Alex Morrison, each have curated and established his own sound through productions and sets. The crew has thrown parties and BBQs in off the grid spots and have helped further expose Buffalo by booking artists like Doug English, Ross Regs, ADMN, and Pearson Sound. If you didn’t go to the Cool Dad County Fair last month at Glow Gallery, you missed an outdoor patio party that was fueled by a crawfish boil, fresh squeezed juices and the enticing sounds of Detroit. Tonight, the fellas will be bringing in special guest Colin Boardway, a Buffalo native who has been[...]

A Place to Bury Strangers

Quintessential Brooklyn band  A Place to Bury Strangers descends upon Mohawk Place tonight. The noise rock trio is on tour promoting its new album Transfixiation and the band is still not afraid to take any chances. The album comes off the heels of the closure of iconic Brooklyn venue Death by Audio, where APTBS was closely affiliated, and in the spirit of the scene, the band is maturing and evolving. With elements of spacey shoegaze to supplement its loud chaos, the band’s feedback laden wall of sound is an intense experience. Instrumental post-rock band Sannhet from Brooklyn and Buffalo cool crew Alpha Hopper are opening up the gig at 8pm. This show is special addition to Herd Fest and the first fifteen people to show up with Herd Fest wristbands get in for free! Otherwise its going to be $15 at the  door.

Michael Mulley’s “People That Rock”

With night one of Herd Fest 2015 in the books, we next turn out attention to Niagara Street, where Sugar City will host the opening of Michel Mulley’s “People That Rock” exhibit. For the last 25 years, he has been shooting everywhere from festivals to basements, while capturing everyone from Dee Dee Ramone to Social Distortion to Henry Rollins. His massive collection of photos, each with its own great story, will be presented to the public later this evening and open for sale beginning Sunday at 1pm. Mulley, who last year hosted the Steak and Cake showcase at his former College Street Gallery, has since relocated to the Market Arcade building to display his impressive portfolio. The opening exhibit will be one of three special presentations from Sugar City during Herd Fest, the latter two will come on Sunday in the form of a record fair and local music video[...]

buffaBLOG Opening Ceremony

Even before last year’s inaugural Herd Fest was complete, we were already starting to think about what we wanted to do differently for year two. Shuffling up some showcases and venues were near the top of the list, but the first priority was to expand. And that’s exactly what we did, taking a two day, seven showcase festival and pretty much doubling it. In doing so, we were able to feature more acts, different genres, and team up with some of the most creative minds in the Buffalo music scene. Tonight at Mohawk Place, we will kick the festival off with our “opening ceremony,” the blog’s featured showcase. As with all of ours shows, we like to mix local and out of town acts on the bill, so joining local lake-poppers, Bryan Johnson & Family, will be Rochester’s Attic Abasement and a late add to the festival, Pleistocene. And we[...]

Michael Tripi of Buffalo Beer Mug Co.

Last week, we had the chance to grab a pint with Buffalo Beer Mug Co. founder Michael Tripi at one of his old watering holes, Mohawk Place, to talk music and beer. Tripi’s company creates custom branded barware for local businesses and breweries. In addition to working with local craft brewers, Tripi also sells his own line of fictitious beer branded bar ware inspired by local icons, people, and places. This month, his company launched some new products including a pint glass titled “East Mohawk Punk Bock.” And with our Herd Fest Opening Ceremonies just a couple days away at, you guessed it, Mohawk Place, we figured this was as good as a time as any to talk to him. buffaBLOG: So tell me about East Mohawk Punk Bock? Michael Tripi: I’ve always been one for nostalgia, and Punk Bock is a tribute of sorts to my college years when[...]

Lesionread Unveils Massive Summer Tour

The ever restless pop artist Lesionread has unveiled a summer tour itinerary that is frankly ridiculous. The nearly 50 city, 10,000 mile cross-country tour (see route map here) begins next Monday, June 8th, and will feature fellow local (and formally local) musician friends – Space Cubs, Logan Locking, and Kristachuwan – joining Shawn Lewis on various legs of the summer tour. The just announced tour will include a couple Buffalo dates to start out, beginning Monday night supporting Yawn at Sugar City and an afternoon set at Record Theatre on June 20th as part of the Steak & Cake Herd Fest lineup. In addition, while not a Lesionread show, Lewis’ lotto band, ELVIRA, will makes its live debut at the Queen City Music Lottery #2 Showcase this Saturday, also at Sugar City. PUSH by Lesionread + Jon Bap