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Tonight: A Giant Dog

May 22, 2016

Following the release of their newest album, Pile, Austin, TX based rock band, A Giant Dog will be making a stop at the Mohawk Place tonight.  On their major label debut on Merge Records, A Giant Dog finds the perfect balance of good old loud, aggressive, hard rock, but with stellar, meaningful lyrics to boot. After spinning the record a handful of times, there’s no doubt in my mind that they are going to put on a straight up boisterous live set. Kicking things off on the local side of things will be Uniform OPR and JOHNS.  Doors are set to open at 7pm with a showtime of 8pm, and it’s only five bucks.

Tonight: Chain & the Gang

May 8, 2016

Some might call them the last great rock and roll band. Some might call them gritty punx. Either way, Dischord record’s band Chain & the Gang are here to bring some tongue-in-cheek (or is it?) punk rock to Buffalo tonight. This particular show has an incredible staff of backing bands. Enjoy some punk-funk from Mallwalkers, some very dark indie rock from JOHNS, improv madness from Much Band, and some surf punk from Nicky Reynolds & His Pushers. Doors are at 6:00, bring $7 to get in.

Tonight: Painted Zeros

December 3, 2015

Hot off the release of their debut full length Floriography (Don Giovanni Records), Brooklyn-based dream fuzz trio Painted Zeros is set to hit Mohawk Place tonight on one of the coolest bills of the dwindling year. Floriography, written and recorded by Zeros frontwoman Katie Lau, is a beautifully textured record with a wide dynamic range–sometimes sweet and delicate, other times in-your-face gritty and explosive. Think Mazzy Star meets Smashing Pumpkins. The onstage iteration of the project is rounded out by drummer Jared Kaner and bassist Jim Hill, the latter formerly of Cottage Jefferson (Rochester!) fame. To make the show particularly homecoming-y, we have the Buffalo-bred, now Brooklyn-based Bethlehem Steel back in town, also hot off a fresh effort that snagged a slot as our Album of the Week last month. Can tonight’s show get any better? Yep. To top it all off, we have three of the best locals Buffalo’s punk scene[...]

Tonight: Pleasure Leftists

November 12, 2015

Pleasure Leftists return to Sugar City tonight with JOHNS and Worst Gift. The Cleveland group is all post punk with a catchy goth vice you can dance to (always important.) Their bandcamp tags them as “deranged,” which is fun, and even better, their label Deranged also put out releases from White Lung and Fucked Up. Worst Gift will bring perfect glam metal from Toronto that calls back to certain Baltimore hardcore. JOHNS, Buffalo’s punk purists, will join. Get to the gig at 7pm with $8.

Tonight: JOHNS

September 24, 2015

The West Side basement scene is in for a treat tonight. Ohioans Goldmines and Uno Lady will be stopping through Buffalo. Resident brooding rockers JOHNS are headlining the show tonight. Female-fronted noise-rock outfit, Hot Tip, will be rounding out the bill. Expect an interesting evening that inspires a range of emotions. Ask a punk where the Glitterbox is (and deal with it when you figure it out). $5 cover, music will be going from 7pm-10pm.

Night Slaves Share Video for “No Blinding Light”

September 17, 2015

After a quick introduction at the beginning of the summer, industrial duo Night Slaves (David Kane and John Toohill) have been making up for lost time. First, the pair dropped its second demo a couple weeks ago for the track  “Into The Nowhere,” and now have a brand new video courtesy of FLATSITTER. The audio/visual head trip for the duo’s latest shared track “No Blinding Light” is best viewed with those old 3-D glasses you have lying around, and should be a nice holdover while the band puts the finishing touches on its debut cassette. FLATSITTER, by the way, has been quietly building a nice collection of local music videos for the likes of Jax Deluca, Nick Gordon and Frankie NP, as well as the trailer for Torn Space Theater’s much buzzed about production of They Kill Things. Catch up on the pair’s growing digital catalog here. Check out the[...]

Night Slaves Share Demo Track “Into the Nowhere”

August 31, 2015

Earlier this spring, Night Slaves, a new industrial duo featuring John Toohill (JOHNS, Alpha Hopper) and Dave Kane (Them Jazzbeards), shared the unnerving first track from a soon-to-be released demo. Now, with summer almost over, the pair has quietly released a second track from the demo upon bandcamp, the dark yet strangely soothing “Into the Nowhere.” Night Slaves are still prepping said demo, but hopes to have it ready to go this fall with a physical cassette release as well as a live performance and a FLATSITTER produced music video. Keep an eye out for the duo’s fall performance and release date, and in the mean time, check out “Into the Nowhere” below. Into the Nowhere by Night Slaves

Tonight: Liturgy

July 20, 2015

The barrage of shows at Mohawk Place this year just keep on coming, and this week is no exception. This evening, the venue will host black metal (??) outfit Liturgy as the four piece continues to tour in support of its 2015 release, The Ark Work. Following a fairly substantial sonic departure from transcendental black metal sound on previous releases, the band took a more gothic, brooding electronic based approach on the newest record, which actually makes for an incredibly interesting listen. I have a feeling that these varied styles will make for a very off the wall and strange live performance. Performing on tour with Liturgy tonight is experimental / industrial duo, Yvette. Opening up the show will be the stellar local garage / noise rock act, JOHNS.  The show is set to take off tonight at 8pm, with tickets available at the door for $14.

Tonight: Pile

May 17, 2015

Man, am I upset I have to miss this show. Tonight, the Boston four piece, Pile, will be bringing its live show to the Mohawk Place. The band is fresh off of its new album, You’re Better Than This, and with an extreme amount of buzz surrounding the group these days, is set to take off in popularity. With an absolutely mind numbing combination of post-hardcore sounding vocals, infectious riffs, and pummeling drums, Pile’s live show will have ears buzzing and your feet moving. Pile is not the only reason to check this show out though, as the locals on this bill are not to be missed. Opening the show will be newly formed act, Rosy, featuring members of Newish Star.  Following Rosy will be local post-harcore infused indie act, The Slums, and finally, taking the stage right before Pile will be one of my personal favorite local acts, JOHNS: a[...]

Tonight: Pale Angels

April 19, 2015

Tonight: Pale Angels come through the Glitterbox with local support from JOHNS, Kharlos and a “v. new” Alien Three. Pale Angels put a fuzzy sheen on what are, at their core, solid guitar-driven pop songs. Reminds me of the appeal of bands like Nirvana a bit: they rip and tear through their songs, but you can still hum the melodies to yourself for a while after the fact. Doors at 6pm, music at 7pm, $7 for the touring band. Check out “In The Sunset” below.

Just Announced: Pile

March 31, 2015

This afternoon it was announced that Boston-based heavy indie rockers / 2015 tour warriors, Pile, will be taking the stage at Mohawk Place on Sunday, May 17th. The band has literally been all over the country in 2015, playing for four months straight in support of the highly praised album You’re Better Than This. After listening to the album over and over again this afternoon, I would best describe it as meeting in the middle venn diagram between Cursive, Pissed Jeans, and Attic Abasement. The bill will definitely be the best line-up on Buffalo that night. Support for Pile comes from spooky locals, JOHNS, who are still high on their very successful release show for Grift Marks as well as buzzing heavy-hitters, the Slums. No word on doors, but I imagine it would be on the early side and well worth your money.

JOHNS – Grift Marks

March 30, 2015

The melodic dissonance of JOHNS’ new album, Grift Marks (released this past Saturday via Peterwalkee Records), comes from a dark, post-industrialized corner of the world. Imagine Joy Division’s Ian Curtis growing up in the rust belt. Still, every track, every note on the newest release demonstrates a high level of precision. JOHNS may conduct a pathos of unbridled terror, but it is with great care, rather than sloppy angst, that quintet does this. Multiple guitars from John Toohill and Nick Gordon leave their trademark scrape on the surface of every song, but with delicate harmony rather than chaotic noise. The dueling leads in “Wasteland,” for instance, intertwine to create a pallet for the track’s chanting, gang vocals. The guitar and bass hits in the chorus of “Erase Them” hit so hard because of the band’s attention to melody and countermelody. While uniform in mood and composition, each track employs a[...]

JOHNS Begin Grift Marks Pre-Sale, Debut Music Video for “Thrust”

March 12, 2015

Buffalo’s resident dark garage rockers, JOHNS, are prepping the release of their full length debut, Grift Marks, set to drop on March 28th through local imprint, Peterwalkee Records. The album is now available for a limited edition pre-sale (you can purchase here), and is set to include some pretty nice incentives for dropping your money ahead of time. $20 snags you a pristine white vinyl copy of the record (only 50 have been printed) with a digital download for that one friend who still doesn’t have a player. Also included is a copy of the band’s bonus 5-track EP, House of No Lungs, a JOHNS t-shirt, poster, sticker, and a button. Now that is how you spend $20. In addition, the band premiered its latest music for the track “Thrust,” yesterday afternoon. Shot by Frank Napolski and Jeff Mace in the old Kitchen Distribution basement, the clip features some very[...]

Tonight: Handsome Jack Album Release Show

October 24, 2014

With their Southern blues-rock sound, some might mistake Handsome Jack for one of the host of bands from the Nashville rock scene, but rather this talented four-piece hail from our very own Lockport, NY. The local retro-rockers will take the stage tonight at Mohawk Place to celebrate the release of their new album, Do What Comes Naturally. The album is already receiving early acclaim and even landed them a shout from Rolling Stone. Tonight offers a rare chance to hear the self-described “boogie-soul” band debut their latest record in an intimate venue while you still can. The band will also be joined by a local acts Bearhunter, JOHNS, and Pine Fever. Doors opens at Mohawk Place at 8pm and tickets are $7.

JOHNS Drop Exclusive New Track

September 8, 2014

Buffalo trash rockers, JOHNS, have just dropped a new single on their Bandcamp page. The song, titled “Palace of Ill Control,” offers the first taste of the band’s forthcoming LP Grift Marks. The new album has an anticipated winter release via Peterwalkee Records, the label responsible for Mallwalkers’ Shake the Rust Off. (It has also been rumored that PW is to have a hand in cross stitch’s new 7 inch—fingers crossed.) JOHNS’ new single hits pretty hard and sounds like something you might hear if you decided to bust out an old Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game—a driving punk rock number fit to grind the tops of buildings to. The cryptically charged lyrics are sung with an urgency that brings stampedes and landslides to mind. Better be along for the ride. Check it out below.