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Mac DeMarco & The Flaming Lips at the Rapids Theatre (09/13/17)

September 22, 2017

If you were one a the lucky ones who was able to score tickets to Wendesday’s Mac DeMarco and Flaming Lips show at the Rapids Theatre, consider yourself lucky.   Mac DeMarco’s boyish charm was in full effect, cursing his way through a set in which he played some real smooth cuts off his most recent LP, a rippin’ Steely Dan cover, and cuts from his earlier LPs, including “Chamber of Reflection” and “Ode to Viceroy.”  The Flaming Lips brought along their usual extreme level of stage production, and kicked their set off with and explosive version of “Race for the Prize”, turning the Rapids Theatre into some sort of ethereal party, letting huge balloons into the crowd and blasting off an insane amount of confetti into the crowd.  Their set included songs from their latest LP, a cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”,  some deep cuts for the freaks, and an unforgettable[...]

Tonight: Mac DeMarco & The Flaming Lips

September 20, 2017

What will probably be one of the best indie shows of the year is happening tonight in Niagara Falls. The Rapids Theater will host two enormous acts, Mac DeMarco and the Flaming Lips, who will soon be releasing a split record where they cover each other’s songs. The two giants are only playing seven shows together, and the Buffalo area is lucky enough to be home to one of them. Mac recently dropped a fantastic full length, titled This Old Dog, so expect to hear some cuts off of that, the usual cuts off of his other records, as well as his some of his famous live classic cover tracks, of course. The Lips also had a great record drop early this year, titled Oczy Mlody. Be prepared for lots of bonkers stage antics and sublime moments throughout the crowd. If you were unable to score tickets, you might be out of luck.[...]

Mac DeMarco – “This Old Dog”

February 3, 2017

The wonderful, “jizz jazzy” Mac DeMarco just announced the release of a new album called This Old Dog. Along with the release came a few teasers including the title track. Noticeably different is the acoustic guitar found in this song. It’s still very chill Mac DeMarco, but there’s something more serious about it. After Another One, this was to be expected. The chorus is ordained with either slimy keys or an effected slide guitar. Whatever the instrument, it bounces between ears. Easy going bass rumbles your ear drums. The percussion is simple. The ride really carries the listener away – its sizzle like popcorn kernels against a metal bowl. DeMarco’s tessitura falls within its usual range. “This old dog ain’t about to forget all we’ve had and all that’s next,” is the most alluring line of the new tune. It is simple but endearing and enough to ring true to[...]

Tonight: Mac DeMarco

August 16, 2015

Mac is back! The reigning king of jizz jazz, Mac DeMarco, will make his welcomed return to Buffalo tonight at The Tralf, hopefully this time with full band in tow. Following last year’s excellent Salad Days, the goofball crooner’s latest mini-LP Another One continues his ultrachill slacker rock sounds, but this time draped in full love-song garb. It’s an interesting juxtaposition between love, compassion, and DeMarco’s typical “take-it-sleazy” approach—expect to hear a lot of that tonight. Last year we were graced with swigs of Jameson, crowd surfing, and a ten-minute cover of “Smoke On The Water.” What does the Pepperoni Playboy have in store for us this year? Doors at 7pm, show starts at 8pm—get there early to loosen up with the unconventional synthpop of supporting act Jerry Paper. And from what I could gather on the show’s Facebook event, the show is now a SOLD OUT affair. So if[...]

Mac DeMarco – Another One

August 11, 2015

So the Pepperoni Playboy has done it again. Who is the Pepperoni Playboy, you ask? And what exactly has he done? He is none other than the slacker king of “jizz jazz” (self-proclaimed), Mac DeMarco, and he’s just put out his first release since 2014’s Salad Days. DeMarco brings back his inner goofball on his newest mini-LP Another One, and lays it on thick this time. The new album is polished and tight, and doesn’t stray too far from the jangly wryness of its predecessor. Though it does stray a little. I remember first listening to Salad Days and thinking to myself how brilliant and engaging each of the album’s eleven tracks were, how each song told a different story and how I just wanted to lay in a dirty field somewhere and listen to the album on repeat. It’s an excellent album. Another One falls a bit short of[...]

Just Announced: Mac DeMarco

April 22, 2015

After a sold yet, yet unexpected solo show last summer at the Tralf Music Hall, indie rock class clown, Mac DeMarco, will make a return appearance later this summer, hopefully with band in tow, to the downtown venue on Sunday, August 16th. Earlier this morning, both Rolling Stone and Stereogum announced DeMarco’s MASSIVE tour, which kicks off tonight in Portland, as well as a new “mini album” titled Another One, set to drop sometime this summer. On-sale dates and prices were not available at the time of this writing, so keep an eye out. Photo by Candace Camuglia

Mac DeMarco at the Tralf Music Hall (7/18/14)

July 21, 2014

Before Friday, I had no idea how to describe Mac DeMarco. Well, I still don’t. It suffices to say that the guy is a complete anomaly; his music obviously speaks to people if his draw at Friday’s show at the Tralf is of any consideration. The place was packed with DeMarco look-alikes—a throng of carefree kids embracing the “I don’t give a shit” lifestyle. Unfortunately DeMarco was void of any backing musicians that night, but he was somehow still able to transform the packed venue into a wild party with just a guitar and his arsenal of caustic little anecdotes. Mac DeMarco is the party. I guess I can describe him after all. Opening support came from local electro whizkid Shawn Lewis of Lesionread, who got things started with his eclectic mix of experimental electronica. The music, comparable to that of Death Grips or Flying Lotus, certainly had a few[...]

Tonight: Mac DeMarco

July 18, 2014

Mac DeMarco gets called a slacker a lot, but that’s only half the story. He reminds me of this kid I went to high school with: let’s call him Mike. Mike, I imagine, was a precocious little youngster, and very bright. Rolling with ease right over the kindergarten curriculum, it didn’t take long for lil’ Mike to get tracked into the gifted program. The gifted program was not much more than a get-out-of-jail-free card. Gifted students, it was assumed, didn’t have much to gain by attending regular classes. Give them a place to go that’s free of structured drudgery and their little minds would flourish all on their own. Mike, bless him, was gifted enough to see not only the pointlessness of his general education classes, but the pointlessness of signing up for field trips and academic triathalons and all the other carrots that the gifted program offered. And, given[...]

Just Announced: Mac DeMarco

April 21, 2014

The Tralf Music Hall is back with its “Summer of Indie” series. After the closing of Mohawk Place in early 2013, the Tralf really stepped up in booking quality indie acts that normally would have been playing the defunct music venue. For the 2014, the first big land of the summer series appears to be Mac DeMarco. The Montreal born indie jokester, who just released his very good and very laid back Salad Days record, will be playing the downtown venue this summer on Friday, July 18th. If memory serves me correctly, the Tralf announced these “Summer of Indie” shows are a pretty nice clip last year, so keep an eye out for future lands. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, April 25th, at noon for $14 in advance, $16 day of

Mac DeMarco – Salad Days

April 1, 2014

NOTE: This review was written immediately after returning from a Mac DeMarco concert in Cleveland, in which he and his touring bassist licked me in the face (I gave Mac a Valentine and asked for a kiss in return. He obliged me.) and then I talked to him and essentially stared at him as he smoked outside the venue. So what I’m trying to get at is that this may not be the most objective review. But does objectivity have any place in rock criticism anyway? Mac DeMarco has had a busy year. The Montreal-born, Brooklyn-inhabiting indie rock prankster (who has described his sound as “jizz jazz,” a mix of surf rock textures, jangle pop guitar tones, and soft-spoken crooning) found himself an indie sensation after releasing debut album 2, working with Tyler, the Creator, and developing a beloved live act, known to feature spontaneous nudity and bizarre, profane covers of[...]