Latest Posts

Blonde Redhead

June 5, 2015

Blonde Redhead is a band whose music speaks for itself. And sure, by definition, that is what being in a band is all about—writing, recording, and performing something worthwhile. Yet there exist so many artists today who build their reputations on a foundation of publicity stunts (“Imma let you finish but…”), ceaseless social media interaction, and endorsements. A sad thought to think that perhaps that’s just the way the industry operates now. But in this current age, in which a quantifiable number of twitter followers may often times trump true musicanship, it’s refreshing to see a band like Blonde Redhead maintain consistent quality throughout the course of their 20+ year run. Amidst preparation for a full US tour, which makes a stop at The Waiting Room on June 16th, singer/drummer Simone Pace agreed graciously to answer a few questions we had about this ‘quality over quantity’ business, among other things.[...]

Five Questions with Kassie Carlson of Guerilla Toss

May 1, 2015

Editor’s Note: Local musician John Toohill (JOHNS, the Hamiltones, Alpha Hopper) will occasionally sit down with touring bands and ask them five questions. For his latest installment, he spoke with Kassie Carlson of Boston’s Guerilla Toss, set to play Buffalo Sunday night at Sugar City. John Toohill: Kassie! Hi! Sorry to start this interview so late. Irene and I were drumming up some good voodoo for the show this weekend while down in New Orleans. Which brings me to my first question: Do you believe in ghosts and have you seen some lately? Kassie Carlson: Of course I believe in ghosts. We saw a few when G-Toss was in Upstate NY recording. I guess it all started when we were practicing and I saw a white dog on the second floor. I didnt say anything until later and then Pete goes, “Oh yeah, I’ve seen that dog,” very nonchalantly. The next morning,[...]

The Lone Bellow

April 30, 2015

Tonight, Eric Church and The Lone Bellow are set to take over First Niagara Center. At this point, Church is a household name and one of the biggest stars in country, but The Lone Bellow, despite extensive blog coverage of the band, including a good from us here at buffaBLOG, isn’t quite as well-known. “Music does pay our bills,” singer Brian Elmquist said in a recent interview. “But we’re still in the fight.” Playing with Eric Church tonight in front of 15,000 people should help deliver a few blows. The last time the Brooklyn trio played in Buffalo was at a well-attended yet intimate show at The Tralf. This time, they’ll be playing an arena as big as any other in the country. “This will actually be the biggest venue we’ve played in to date, and we don’t really know what to expect,” Elmquist admitted. Certainly, they can expect a[...]

Alex Kerns of Lemuria

April 6, 2015

Tonight, our local indie rock heroes, Lemuria, will be playing at the Studio at Waiting Room with Tigers Jaw. I had a chance to exchange a few questions with Lemuria’s drummer and Western New York native, Alex Kerns, about the bands history, future, and all things Buffalo related. buffaBLOG: Let’s start with a little history.  How did you and Sheena first meet and decide you wanted to start Lemuria? Alex Kerns: Sheena and I had been friends from high school, although we didn’t go to the same school. I went to Ellicottville and she went to Allegany, but the closest punk shows were in a town called Olean, NY. There were a lot of house shows and then eventually a place called Cobra La that brought through a lot of touring bands, even though it’s a pretty small city.  Sheena was learning how to play guitar and I was learning[...]

Lotus: Pioneers in a Gilded Age

March 31, 2015

After finishing up a seven week tour, Lotus is back on the road to celebrate over a decade of music, what they have dubbed The Gilded Age Tour. Jesse Miller gave us some insight on the band’s evolution, process, and latest material. The group has grown not only as musicians, but also as an impetus in the culture of ‘mindful’ music. A culture that encourages and believes in music itself, as a powerful, motivating force that keeps us going day in and day out. The feeling and belief, that, yes, if you see a Lotus show, your life more than likely will change. That is the vibe Lotus creates–they unconsciously shift your aura, uplifting it into a blissful experience. Lotus has solidified as a band, taking great dedication to keep making music. Each album seems to analyze the prior, taking and pulling it apart, reorganizing the sound into more electronic, or[...]

Ben Walsh of Tigers Jaw

March 17, 2015

Since it’s inception in 2005, Tigers Jaw has become a mainstay in the punk/indie scene. After an armful of full-lengths, EPs, and splits, the band is still powering right through. This rings true to this day, despite the unexpected departure of three of the five band members in 2013. After an event that would normally crumble the foundation of any band, Tigers Jaw (now a duo feat. Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins) has adapted and proved to be one of the most resilient bands in the industry. A full US spring tour, featuring the buzzing melodic punk act Somos and Buffalo indie royalty Lemuria, is set to roll through the Studio at Waiting Room on April 6th. buffaBLOG caught up with Ben Walsh, founding member and now half of the momentous Tigers Jaw, for an in-depth Q&A covering a handful of topics, including: adaptability, future plans for the band, touring essentials,[...]

Solidisco

February 26, 2015

Considering that both members of the funky dance duo, Solidisco, were born and raised – even recorded material – here, it’s pretty strange to hear their show tonight at Waiting Room is their debut home performance. But that is what it is. Though the disco house duo has played shows and festivals around the world in its three-year history, members Don Skotnicki and Matt McGurn have yet to play the Queen City. The reason: Buffalo is (arguably, of course) just too small a city for aspiring musicians to really get a career off the ground. Skotnicki explains that, while they have nothing but admiration for their hometown, it has neither the resources nor the venues you’d find in a larger city like New York or L.A. In New York, where they’re half-based, you have clubs that play dance music every night of the week. You also have thousands of talented[...]

Jordan Hudkins of Rozwell Kid

February 17, 2015

Since its  2014 new record, Too Shabby, Rozwell Kid has been making waves in the music community. Fresh off of a tour with The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die,  Rozwell Kid is now hitting the road with You Blew It!, including a show with them tonight at the Studio at the Waiting Room.  I had a chance to ask vocalist Jordan Hudkins a couple questions about the band’s music, live show, hummus tendencies, and whats next for the band buffaBlog:  If you were going to explain your sound to someone who had never listened to Rozwell Kid before, how would you describe it? Jordan Hudkins: I guess Indie Rock is the most appropriate blanket term? Powerpop? It’s all Rock and Roll at the end of the day. bB: On first listen, many people would probably peg Weezer as your clearest influence. What are[...]

Zach Miller of Dr. Dog

January 21, 2015

Touring the US in support of their first live album, Live at Flamingo Hotel, Dr. Dog will bring their high-spirited folk rock to Buffalo again this year at the venerable Town Ballroom. After eight albums and a truckload of tours, the boys have undoubtedly hit a comfortable stride, and show no signs of slowing their roll. It seems fitting that Dr. Dog finally put out a live album; their electrifying live performances generate nothing but good vibes and an undying respect among their cult-like die-hards, first time attendees, and everyone in between. buffaBLOG caught up with keyboardist Zach Miller and talked touring tips, special memories, and the conception of their new live album, out now via Anti Records. buffaBLOG: Dr. Dog is about to hit the road for tour… Besides your gear and good attitudes, what are some essential items you bring along with you? Zach Miller: Folding bicycle, barbecue grill, DVDs,[...]

Cold Blood MMXV

January 11, 2015

Editor’s Note: Guest interviewer, Ian Wardynski, recently caught up with Melody Seymour and Joshua Smith, co-founders and co-conspirators of COLD BLOOD MMXV, the first annual punk and hardcore fest set to take place January 17th at the Polish Library in sunny Buffalo, NY. Wardynski discusses with the two how and why they went about booking the festival, vegan hot dogs, and how the pair originally met. Ian Wardynski: So, you two, why go to all the trouble of booking a fest? Melody Seymour: I think that Buffalo’s a great place, and bands need to come into the city and experience that. I also feel that Buffalo needs to experience more hardcore from outside of this area. That’s kinda the biggest thing. It’s hard to get out of your own ass, ya know? Joshua Smith: We do get a lot of really great touring bands coming through, but I think it’s[...]

Cages

January 4, 2015

“Have you heard Cages?” Josh Smith asks. I shake my head no. “Oh they’re awesome. They are this weird…I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s this avant-garde noise, neo-folk fusion of sorts. The first time I saw them was at the Sugar City Metro Show.” When Smith talks about Cages, his eyes light up like a redneck showing off his new thirty-aught-six at his daughter’s wedding. With excitement like this, it’s no wonder that he decided to put out Cages new record, Vivpary, on his imprint Black Dots Records. Vivpary is Cages follow up studio release to 2009’s, Folding Space. It was written in 2011 and recorded in 2012 at GCR in Buffalo. “The sound is really amazing. It’s the closest picture of what we have been working on. Definitely different than anything else we have recorded,” guitarist David Bailey says, adding, “This is the most fully realized[...]

Crying

November 10, 2014

What do you get when you mix a Gameboy, three musicians with a penchant for writing endearing indie music, and a heaping pile of dream-worthy nostalgia? This is not a rhetorical question. You get Crying. The indie-electronic outfit out of Harrison, NY is raising eyebrows and drawing attention for their wildly unique blend of chiptune indie rock, and their fans are riding high on anticipation of their next release, Get Olde Second Wind, due out on Run for Cover records November 18th. buffaBLOG caught up with guitarist and Gameboy wizard Ryan Galloway before the band embarks on a full-US tour supporting Modern Baseball, set to hit Buffalo this Wednesday at the Waiting Room. buffaBLOG: Level 99 Modern Baseball tour approaches! How do you prepare? Ryan Galloway: We haven’t practiced as a band since some time before the last tour. We still need to put tires on our car. bB: What are[...]

Nick Zammuto

November 6, 2014

Leaves cover the ground in a rural area of Vermont, where musician Nick Zammuto—known for the wildly collaged pop music he made with indie rock band The Books in the early 2000s, and for his heart-achingly beautiful and weird solo material—wakes up and feeds his kids. After having breakfast with his family he takes a short walk to a small cabin a few yards away—originally an unfinished tractor garage, which he converted into a studio by adding everything from a floor to insulation and soundproofing—where he’ll spend the day combining basslines and chopped up vocals, cryptic samples and driving drums. On a nicer day, he might chop some wood first or check on his bees. He harvested his own honey for the first time this fall, with the help of his wife and mailman. Zammuto lives a homesteader life, in which everything from his music to his music videos are do-it-yourself and produced in a self contained[...]

Diarrhea Planet

October 23, 2014

Diarrhea Planet is the best rock band out of Nashville right now. And I realize ‘rock’ is a relative term, but you would be hard-pressed to find another band out there currently that embodies the spirit of rock and roll more than Diarrhea Planet does. Their shredtastic blend of torrential punk rock packs some serious heat, and the band’s four guitarists, bassist, and drummer are slinging it across the Northeast as you read this intro. Diarrhea Planet makes their stop in Buffalo on October 27th at the recently reopened Mohawk Place. buffaBLOG had some words with guitarist Evan Bird before their arrival in the Nickel City, highlighting their current tour, Nashville’s music scene, and, uh.. Keegan Hestdalen. Enjoy. buffaBLOG: How is your tour going? Evan Bird: This tour has been going really well! It’s nice to be back on the road in the northeast and even nicer to be back[...]

Pile

October 7, 2014

Editor’s Note: Local musician John Toohill (JOHNS and Alpha Hopper) will occasionally sit down with touring bands and ask them some questions. For his latest installment, he spoke with Matt Becker of Boston’s Pile, set to play Buffalo this Sunday, October 12th, at Ocean Garden Oriental Foods (1235 Niagara Street). John Toohill: Hello Pile. Are you a particular pile of anything or can any old heapin’ mass of whatevers load on up and climb aboard? Matt Becker: Hey John. This is Matt, the guy who promised you a show, dropped the ball, and Rick picked up the pieces for me. Sorry about that again. I’m dumb. That’s why Rick takes care of stuff. Basically, we’re not a pile of any one thing. I don’t think a pile should really be one thing. It’s like, if you have a whole bunch of chocolate chips, you have a mound of chocolate chips. Or if[...]