Latest Posts

Newman Bros Presents – Camping Trip!

February 2, 2026

Camping Trip! is a reiteration of an interesting 2014 concept album by Newman Bros Presents, a funk-punk band from Ithaca. The album demonstrates creative storytelling with intricate musical accompaniments that spans a handful of genres. To say NBP is a multimedia project is an understatement – Camping Trip! will be released as an album, a play, an illustrated children’s book, and even a pinball game (including an accompanying iOS version)! To add, their friends at Well Worn Boot released some fan-fiction about this multimedia effort that can be read here.   The album starts off with “The Opening.” Here, we meet our main character, a camp counselor named Paul Blart Jr., and his pet monkey, Toto. An upright bass and horn ensemble play behind the narrator as Paul and Toto move through their morning routine. Paul’s voice is raspy and young-sounding – it’s comparable to the SpongeBob SquarePants opening theme[...]

Lazy Bones – “Take It Back”

November 14, 2017

We’re pleased to share a brand new band from Ithaca with y’all – Lazy Bones is here with a sparkling new single in the form of “Take It Back.” Their brand of low-key indie rock falls somewhere between the slacker vibe of Mac Demarco and the chorus-laden dream pop of a band like Turnover… Give it a listen below. “Take It Back” is available via Bandcamp for a “name your price” option… You know what to do. Take It Back by Lazy Bones

Sammus – “Song About Sex”

November 30, 2016

Ithaca’s Sammus hits a nerve with her single “Songs About Sex.” The fiery track speaks to sexual experiences (both good and bad) from a women’s perspective. The femcee talks about great sex with shitty people, poignantly expressed in the line “I can’t judge girl, I’ve been there I’ve done that, I’ve cum dumb hard so I run back.” She also details the all-too-real threat of assault, rounding the bases of a track ripe with emotion. The song’s beat flips an elevator music sample and brings it into the 2010s. I could explain this track front and back but Sammus’ words do it more justice on the chorus; “This is a song about sex in which I do not condemn women for the realities in which they are living. We should not be forgetting, we should be forward living, you should be for what we can’t afford to keep on forgetting.”[...]

Ithaca Underground Releases Fundraising Compilation

February 18, 2016

Earlier this month, Ithaca Underground released their second annual fundraiser compilation, featuring an array of artists that span many genres. If you are not in the know of Fingerlakes DIY community, Ithaca Underground has been promoting indie gigs since 2007 and is registered as a non-profit, think of it as something similar to if Sugar City did not have a home-base. The collective’s latest compilation has 51 tracks, ranging from Ithaca-based acts (Sammus, Izzy True) to some buzzing up-and-comers (Aye Nako, Cold Sweats)and even some bands with Buffalo roots (CCDS [Death Squad], Why The Wires [on local label, One Percent Press]). Ithaca Underground will be holding a fundraiser this Friday on February 19th at The Haunt, with sets by Anna Coogan & Willie B, Mary and Billy from Madder Rose, Circus Culture, Scopes Monkey Trial, and Viva Mayhem. If Ithaca is too far from you, feel free to donate to the cause either directly[...]

Sammus’ “Three Fifths” to be Featured in Independent Film Rodney

June 3, 2015

Music that comes from a place of social action is often some of the best. Amid a couple of years of perceived police brutality and persecution of African Americans, Ithaca rapper/producer Sammus releases “Three Fifths” for use in the forthcoming independent film Rodney. Sammus made the track to remind us “that black people are whole even though they are often treated like three-fifths of a human by law enforcement.” The “three fifths” element is in reference to the 18th century legislation that equated the lives of slaves to three fifths of a free man when determining representatives in Congress. Her message is represented in the lyrics of the chorus, where she raps “I wonder how much y’all judge is the worth of my soul? I seem to round up three fifths to a whole.” Sammus’ already-impassioned flow resembles that of fellow rapper-activist Kendrick Lamar when she approaches screams on lines[...]

Speak Daggers Post New EP

March 3, 2015

Our obsession with WNY music often takes us as far out as Ithaca, NY… A special place that has birthed many great bands. Speak Daggers is our newest discovery, fitting in somewhere between melodic punk, hardcore, and emo. In fact, Speak Daggers might be Ithaca’s answer to Buffalo’s own Lancer. The passionate slow-burn of “Get Up” is a particular highlight and leans more on the melodic side… But “My Light” and “Alan Ginsberg” make me want to mosh into my friend (chalk that up to things I never thought I’d say). Please click the play button on the widget below.

Brian Bishop Releases the Intimate Rock Songs for Slow Dancers

January 8, 2015

Last month, Ithaca based singer/songwriter, Brian Bishop, quietly released a startlingly intimate and powerful collection of original folk songs. Rock Songs for Slow Dancers covers a vast expanse of territory and each song seems to takes on a different mental landscape or setting, from the open and pastoral (“Meadow Love”)  to the maze like surroundings of a library, “Library Love Song,”  from the recesses of desire (“Wake Up”) to the detachment of an individual in a soundless glass elevator (“Like A Child”).  Bishop’s penchant for songwriting and his impressive lyricism is heard throughout.  Definitely an album to explore from start to finish, especially highlights “Wake Up” and “Flowers.”

Another M Gets a Clean Rerelease from Sammus

January 7, 2015

In June of last year, female rapper and Ithacan Sammus dropped Another M, a project reimagining the tale of classic video game character Samus Aran. The main character in the Metroid series, Samus was the first female protagonist for many gamers. Samus’ identity was ambiguous as she marched through the game, defeating anything in sight on her path of heroics. The artist Sammus drew parallels between herself and the character that had surprisingly profound affect of gender stereotypes on Another M. To kick off the new year, Sammus gave us another chance to discover a very cool, yet powerful project with a release of the clean version. The production of Another M has a distinct video game feel to it, a testament to Sammus’ past venture as a producer for games. It’s filled with arcade synths and blips and bloops, along with noises that sound just like action queues in a game. It’s as if[...]

The RealBads Drop “Prom Night” Music Video

October 3, 2014

Beyond paying attention to the music scene in Buffalo and Rochester, we like to explore a bit in Ithaca and Syracuse’s music scene. Today was a good day to poke around, because Ithaca’s the Realbads just released their debut video, “Prom Night,” off the forthcoming album, Here Come The RealBads (Sweet Baby God Records). The album was recorded with Binghamton producer Hunter Davidsohn, who also worked on the new Porches and Frankie Cosmos records. As for the song/track, “Prom Night” sounds like a fuzzed out yet dreamy version of Sharon Van Etten or Angel Olsen with a touch of Jefferson Airplane thrown in. The animated video is a bit of a mind trip, tracking a purple mannequin through a variety of scenes that someone less sober than I may be able to decipher. Check out the Realbads music over on their bandcamp page and watch the video for “Prom Night” below.

Big Mean Sound Machine Releases Contraband

June 3, 2014

Angelo Peters may be the hardest working man in the Ithaca music scene right now. Between recently taking over the booking responsibilities at The Dock (formerly Castaways), as well as booking at the Loft, and current recording and production work, his 13 piece band, Big Mean Sound Machine, has managed to release its eighth studio recording, Contraband, through Angry Mom Records. Peters and company get a little bit spacey on this one, and it works, as extra moog and synthesizer effects that accent the expanding horn sections fit in perfectly. Big Mean Sound Machine, who are known for elaborate percussion and horn sections, has managed to up the ante on Contraband. Where before the horns (Alicia Aubin -Trombone, Bobby Spellman – Trumpet, Jamie Yamen – Tenor Saxaphone, and Remy Kunstler – Baritone Saxaphone) were more of an accent, on this album, they are the centerpieces that drive songs like “Whoa[...]