Latest Posts

Tonight: The Kooks w/ Joywave

June 23, 2015

Brighton, UK indie-pop band, The Kooks, is known for its consistent output of straightforward, hook-heavy rock songs since the release of debut album, Inside in/Inside Out, back in 2006. With a jangly, retro-inspired sound, the band has cited The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie among its influences that contribute to infectious songwriting style. Most recently, 2014 album Listen borrowed stylistically from jazz, gospel, and R&B, successfully broadening the group’s sound. Tonight, the band will headline at Niagara Falls’ Rapids Theater with Joywave and Young Rising Sons opening the show. Joywave, the Rochester-based band, is touring in support of the five piece’s debut studio album, How Do You Feel Now?, featuring the breakout singles “Tounges” and “Somebody New,” both of which have received significant alt-rock radio airplay and interestingly blend indie rock and electronic production to achieve a refreshing sound that balances gritty elements with melodic hooks. Also opening tonight’s show are New Jersey alt-rock band[...]

KOPPS Premiere Music Video for Single “Dumb”

May 6, 2015

Yesterday morning, Joywave BFFs, KOPPS, saw the music video for the electropop quartet’s new single, “Dumb,” premiere via All Things Go. The song has passed one million listens on Spotify so a video was most certainly in order. The Cultco Music presented clip, which was directed by Joywave guitarist Joseph Morinelli, finds a female runner becoming quite nauseous after listening to what I would assume is pretty unfavorable music. Even KOPPS’ own record doesn’t seem to help settle her stomach. KOPPS will be back in Buffalo later this month, opening for Priory at Waiting Room on May 18th, and perhaps maybe they’ll find themselves back at some point this summer. In the mean time, watch the clip for “Dumb” below.

Joywave – How Do You Feel Now?

April 20, 2015

Since the band’s inception, Joywave has been somewhat of a buoyant hot air balloon, steadily gaining altitude with every move they make. These Rochester natives can more-than-safely say that they’ve stepped beyond the realm of the local music scene, and even the regional music scene. They’ve saturated the alt-rock airwaves, successfully pinned a number one song on the alternative Billboard charts, been name dropped by Tony Hawk on Twitter, and have late night TV performances on both Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel tucked neatly under their belts. The explanation for this rapid emergence is simple. Joywave is a lure that will reel you in one way or another — if the incredibly catchy synth lines don’t get you, the adrenalizing dance beat or the slick mystique of singer Daniel Armbruster’s falsetto will. Their recently released full length album, How Do You Feel Now?, strongly supports this claim. The album opens[...]

Joywave Premieres Music Video for “Somebody New”

February 25, 2015

Rochester’s Joywave (or JOYWAVE, we don’t really know these days) is becoming dangerously close to being too big for our regional coverage categories, but the five-piece continues to remain loyal to WNY, in particular its home town of Rochester. The group frequently comes home for special appearances at the Bug Jar, the band’s home away from home, so at least for now, we will continue to cover them within our Rochester posts. Last week, we posted that the band finally announced the release of its debut album, How Do You Feel Now, set to drop on April 21st, and just yesterday, Joywave premiered the music video to the LP’s first single, “Somebody New,” via Stereogum. The clip finds the Joywave boys hitting the streets with a crew of skateboarders doing some rather aggressive moves that rival some The Office level parkour feats. No confirmation on whether the band performed its[...]

Joywave Annouces Debut LP, How Do You Feel Now?

February 17, 2015

After exhausting every ounce of airplay out of the breakout single, “Tongues,” Rochester’s synth pop five-some, Joywave, have finally announced the release of its debut full-length How Do You Feel Now?, set to drop on April 21st via Cultoco Music/Hollywood Records. The band has a couple area appearances coming up between now and then, including opening for Big Data, whose hit single, “Dangerous,” featured Joywave frontman Dan Armbruster on lead vocals, on Saturday, April 4th at the Showplace Theatre. The five piece is also set to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday, March 2nd The band’s latest single, “Somebody New,” has been getting some serious burn on Alt-Nation lately. Originally included on the 2014 EP, How Do You Feel, which also featured “Tongues,” the song will be the lead off track on the forthcoming LP. Listen to “Somebody New” below.

Just Announced: Big Data

January 23, 2015

One of 2014’s major breakout acts was Big Data, the project of Brooklyn electronic musician, Alan Wilkes. We like to think that JOYWAVE’s Dan Armbruster taking lead vocals on the hit song, “Dangerous,” certainly didn’t hurt either. You couldn’t go through a single commercial break without hearing the track pop up on TV. The Rochester musician was featured on Big Data’s sneaky good first single, “The Stroke of Return,” as well (listen at the bottom of post). After making its Buffalo debut this past summer at Kerfuffle, Big Data will be returning to to town on Thursday, April 7th at the Showplace Theater. Raise your hand if you thought shows were still being held there. Exactly. The show is being presented by Alt Buffalo so if you happen to follow the radio station on social media, expect A LOT of reminders about this one. You have been warned. Tickets go[...]

Just Announced: Bleachers

December 3, 2014

Following a co-headlining performance at Alternative Buffalo’s inaugural Kerfuffle, breakout indie-pop act, Bleachers, will make a return to Buffalo next spring on Saturday, April 4th. Presented by After Dark, Bleachers is the solo project from former Steel Train front man and current fun. guitarist Jack Antanoff. You can expect daily posts from Alt Buffalo regarding this show for the next five months, so be warned. Joining Bleachers in Buffalo, and all spring for that matter, will be Rochester’s buzzing dance rock act, JOYWAVE, and Night Terrors of 1927. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, December 5th, for $20 in advance, $25 day of.

JOYWAVE – “Tongues” (Giorgio Moroder Remix)

December 2, 2014

JOYWAVE’s meteoric rise just keeps going, and now it’s getting kind of weird. Now the Rochester NY indie electronica outfit, fresh off their invasion of Brooklyn’s Rough Trade Records, is slated to appear on Giorgio Moroder’s 2015 comeback album 74 Is The New 24. The Italian producer, who is best known for his collaborations with Donna Summer and last seen on Daft Punk’s 2013 blockbuster Random Access Memories, has remixed JW’s runaway hit “Tongues” (featuring another Rochester favorite KOPPS, also back from storming Brooklyn) into something darker and old world gothic. 74 Is The New 24 hits stores in January. Joywave and Kopps meanwhile are everywhere…

JOYWAVE Makes Network TV Debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers

July 31, 2014

After the explosion of their 2013 track “Tongues” and a couple of opening gigs for the Killers, Rochester’s JOYWAVE continued their excellent 2014 last night as the band made their network television debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers. The electro pop quintet, led by Daniel Armbruster, closed out the show with a head bobbing rendition of said single, sadly without fellow Rochester siren Patricia Petrone of KOPPS providing her infectious scat in person. Armbruster also joined electro cohorts and recent Kefuffle act, Big Data, earlier in the program to play “Dangerous,” a song that you can not escape as of late if you have any alternative music channel or Doritos commercial on. While we are unsure where JOYWAVE will ride this high next, we over at the blog sure wouldn’t mind a proper full length down the road. Until then, we will continue to wear out Koda Vista over in the[...]

Tonight: Kerfuffle After Party

July 26, 2014

Hosted at what is quickly becoming my new favorite local music venue, the Kerfuffle afterparty is the perfect way to end your day of outdoor music festivities here in Buffalo. Buffalo Iron Works welcomes everyone 21+ to keep the party going at this free event (make sure you bring your ticket stub from Kerfuffle) that kicks off at 11pm, and while having that stub is important to admission, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll get in. Once the venue reaches capacity, and I have a feeling it will, no one will be admitted. This is one time you won’t want to show up fashionably late, because acts from Utah to Rochester will be there to entertain you with a blend of unique sights and sounds. 585 favorites Joywave, who’ve collaborated with Kerfuffle act Big Data, take the stage, along with Meg Myers; Oh, Be Clever; and Panama Music.  

JOYWAVE Premieres Video For “Tongues”

June 3, 2014

In April 2013, all-around WNY favorite electro-pop act, JOYWAVE, released the incredibly catchy single “Tongues” featuring a scatted sample Patricia Patrone of KOPPS (both buffaBLOG party artists I might add).  In between locking up their summer on the festival circuit and two opening gigs for the Killers, the band got around to dropping the video for the single, which at the time of this writing, is sitting pretty on the Billboard’s Top 50 Dance Club songs. Dubbed the number one song out of Rochester in 2013 on our top ten count down, “Tongues” has made waves across the blogosphere and eventually demanded the attention of satellite and commercial radio. Watch the boys shoot clothes on naked people below. Oh yeah, probably NSFW unless you have a chill boss.