Latest Posts

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Poison Touch”

September 18, 2014

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have reached that “can’t do wrong” status with me. Their fuzzy and sometimes reverb heavy take at indie pop is near perfection in my eyes, and it may not be better exemplified than on their latest track, the shimmering and peppy, “Poison Touch.” Set to be included in the expanded edition of 2014’s Days of Abandon, the song once again features Jen Goma of A Sunny Day in Glasgow on lead vocals. “Poison Touch” stands up well next to Days of Abandon‘s best track, “Kelly,” also featuring Goma after former member Peggy Wang moved on from the band. The expanded edition of Days of Abandon will be released next week on September 23rd. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/168036509″ params=”color=ff5500″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Just Announced: DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist

September 17, 2014

After a few weeks of rumors, local promoter, Mike T. Marshall, just confirmed on his facebook page that influential DJ/producer, DJ Shadow, will be playing the Town Ballroom on Tuesday, November 11th along with Cut Chemist. Born as Joshua Davis and referred to as the “Jimi Hendrix of sampling,” Shadow is best known for his genre defining, debut release Endtroducing…, and for the development of the experimental instrumental hip hop scene. The two DJs will be in town for the vinyl-only, Renegades of Rhythm tour, honoring Afrika Bambaataa. I am not much of a DJ guy, but even I know this is a big one. Tickets are on sale right now for $27.50 in advance, $30 day of. I am guessing this show never reaches that day of price so buy your tickets now.

Daniel Robinson Drops Latest Single, “Head Trauma”

September 17, 2014

Buffalo born electronic musician, Daniel Robinson, has just released his latest single, titled “Head Trauma.” The song, which is currently available for sale/download on iTunes, is tense cut of industrial synth pop gives off an NIN meets Postal Service feel. Robinson has popped up on a couple Dreamland showcases lately so keep an eye out for when he is back in town from recording in Toronto here and there. Listen to “Head Trauma” below, and while you are at it, head over to Robinson’s new website and browse around.

Handsome Jack Releases Music Video For “Right On”

September 17, 2014

Following the release of their new single “Echoes,” Buffalo retro rockers, Handsome Jack, have continued to tease their forthcoming record, Do What Comes Naturally, with a new music video for the song “Right On.” The Go Pro (?) filmed clip for the soulful, slow burner finds the band performing the single while making some late night stops around the city. If you like what you hear, make sure to join Handsome Jack at Mohawk Place on October 24th to celebrate the release of Do What Comes Naturally, or if you are impatient like me, head down to Nietzsche’s this Saturday to catch the boys open for Buffalo Killers. New songs will sure to be tackled. Watch the video for “Right On” below.

Yes Yes Performs On EBS’ Hello Rookie

September 16, 2014

Buffalo’s favorite ex-pat folk singer, Yes Yes Michael Ersing, recently appeared on the September installment of Hello Rookie, a musical competition airing on Korean network, EBS. The monthly program pits musicians against each other for the chance to advance and appear on the television special,  EBS Space 공감, with the opportunity to win 1 million won, which is roughly $970. While Yes Yes sadly did not win (the money went to MAN and Wings of the ISANG), the program certainly provided the relocated musician a great opportunity to showcase his unique brand of folk. Watch the video below. Keep an eye out for the transfixed audience members throughout the clip. Photo Credit – Douglas Vautour

Tonight: The Slums

September 14, 2014

Buffalo’s newest buzz act, The Slums, will be making its live debut tonight, in Frizzy’s back room of all places. The four piece, which features members of past Buffalo acts including The Malones, Scales, and The Boy and The Machine, dropped its debut, 3-track EP on bandcamp late this week. Highlighted by the stellar opening track, “The Devil,” the EP sounds like the Strokes if they went in a much more aggressive direction. Music kicks off this evening at 9pm. The Sleepy Hahas, who are in the process of recording their follow up LP to Dull Days, will also be playing. Entry is free of charge.

Like A Parrot Forms Royal Tongues, Releases “The Balance”

September 12, 2014

If you have been following the blog over the past few months, you should already be up to speed on the production/writing duo of Like A Parrot. After having decided to keep the Like A Parrot work as a behind the scenes endeavor, the tag team of Justin Gamella and Aaron Bonus have moved their catchy pop tunes over to a project called Royal Tongues. The first single from the new outfit is “The Balance,” a song that you should be familiar with as we featured back in November as our introductory post to Like A Parrot. The revisited synth pop jam has been starting to get picked up by alt radio stations, and may soon be a part of the regular rotation over at Alt-Nation on Sirius radio. Listen below and remember where you heard it first.

Just Announced: Turkuaz

September 10, 2014

Brooklyn party funk machine, Turkuaz, is set to return to Buffalo as the group has scheduled a date for the Waiting Room on Halloween night, Friday, October 31st. The ever growing collective will be touring along side of jam-tronic act, Jimkata. Those who have caught the band at their handful of Buffalo tops over the last couple years know they are in line for a high energy evening, and given that its Halloween night, who knows what the group will pull out. Tickets are now on sale for $12 in advance, $15 day of.

Strange Acres Release Music Video For “Minority”

September 10, 2014

Last seen as a part of the Harvestsum showcase at this summer’s Herd Fest, the dark pop outfit, Strange Acres, have just released the music video for “Minority.” Found on their self-titled 2013 debut album, the song sounds like Karen O taking a trip to the darker side. The elegant and eerie video, which is down right Lynchian at times, was shot by High Watermark Films, one of the minds behind the Mohawk Place doc, Bring Me Your Vultures. Watch the music video for “Minority” below.

Yung Zza Remixes “The Shout Song”

September 10, 2014

That breeze you felt over the greater Buffalo area yesterday was the massive sigh of relief coming from Bills fans as the team had agreed, in principle, to be sold to Buffalo Sabres owners Kim and Terry Pegula. When owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. passed away this spring, every Buffalonian’s fears of the Bills leaving town, especially once that meddling Bon Jovi got involved, were nearly met, but thanks to the Pegula family, the Bills will remain in Buffalo for a very long time, and maybe even win a couple more games. What does this have to do with music? Not much really, but DJ Pizza Pizza, who just so happens to be playing our Heavy Rotation: Back to School Dance on Friday, released a new remix version of the the Bills “Shout Song” on the 6th to ring in the new football season. While the song has be remixed[...]

Louis Bijoux Releases Debut Album

September 9, 2014

One of the more interesting releases we have come across this week is the debut project from Rochester based pop musician, Louis Bijoux. That’s about all we could find on the guy. His first release, Bijoux, is a collection of lo-fi, Cure-esque post punk backed by off-beat, Wesley Willis melodies, in particular on track four, “Tetra Town.” The album’s stand out song, the playful “Owe Ya,” sounds like Ariel Pink if he had to play an 80’s prom Check out the full album at Bijoux’s bandcamp page here, and if you know more about this project, let us know. Listen to “Owe Ya” below.

Elmwood Village Yet Again Looking For Bands, Porches

September 8, 2014

After two successful installments, the Elmwood Village’s Buffalo Porchfest will once again take over area porches and balconies on Saturday, October 4th. I remember taking a peak at the first batch of acts that signed up for last fall’s inaugural run, and it was a bit rough around the edges. Last May, though, saw the amount of porches nearly triple, hosting some of the more quality local acts like Radarada, Alex Berkley & the Atlanta Falcons, and Humble Braggers, to name a few, so hopes are high for Porchfest 3.0 next month. Sign up for volunteers, bands, and porches is currently live on Porchfest’s website. Keep an eye out for fest maps and porch/band pairings as we get a bit closer to the event.

Genesee Live Debuts New Session feat. Buffalo Sex Change

September 8, 2014

We have been really enjoying Rochester duo Buffalo Sex Change lately in the blog offices. The pair’s brooding, self-titled debut, released via Roch label Dadstache Records, is a great blend of shoegaze, punk, and surf, and we liked it so much, it was named our Album of the Week last month. Late last week, Genesee Live, Rochester’s premiere live session series, debuted it’s latest video installment with BSC, much to our delight. You can watch the full Buffalo Sex Change session below, and for past installments, visit Genesee Live’s tumblr page.

Handsome Jack Premieres First Single from Do What Comes Naturally

September 5, 2014

A slow week here in Buffalo finally got better today as some new music came to our attention. Long time Buffalo blues rockers, Handsome Jack, have released the first single off of their forthcoming album, Do What Comes Naturally. Titled “Echoes,” the track is a heavy, road house slow burner, touching on influences from the Rolling Stones to the Black Keys, and is best served in a dark bar with a shot of whiskey or two. Do What Comes Naturally is currently available for pre-sale on iTunes and will be officially released on October 7th via Alive Naturalsound Records. In the mean time, listen to “Echoes” below.

Just Announced: Merchandise

September 3, 2014

Buzzing post-punk outfit, Merchandise, will be bringing said buzz to Buffalo Iron Works this fall on Monday, October 13th. The Tampa based band is riding high on some great reviews of their latest album, After the End (4AD), which was released last week. Tickets will be available for sale at Iron Works’ box office and ticketfly beginning this Friday, September 5th, at 10am for $12 in advance, $14 day of. Lower is set to open the show. In the mean time, listen to song of the year contender, “Green Lady,” below. Photo by Tim Saccenti