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Mallwalkers Say Farewell With First Single from Final LP, “Wasting Away”

July 26, 2021 Nick Sessanna

There’s no band quite like Buffalo’s own Mallwalkers – the nine (?) piece band has been shattering eardrums with their punk/funk raucousness for essentially the last decade. Before they hang up their menagerie of brass/whistles/strings for good, they’re saying farewell with a final LP, Do Something Drastic. We’re highlighting the first single from the record, “Wasting Away;” expect fuzzed-out guitar antics, a full horn section, and bratty punk energy from this one-of-a-kind act. There’s going to be a nonet-sized hole in the Buffalo music scene for quite some time, but at least they’re going out the way they came in… Having fun making noise. Mallwalkers’ final LP, Do Something Drastic, comes out on August 6th via One Percent Press. Preorder it here, and until then, stream the new single via Spotify.

Tonight: Mallwalkers Farewell Show

December 6, 2019 Cliff Parks

They did what they set out to do, and now local DIY punk heroes Mallwalkers are saying goodbye tonight after nine years with a full scale blow out at the Mohawk with Providence disco punk La Neve and DJ Reazon. This last waltz will feature two epic sets from the band, the first spotlighting the core (Jaz Frazier, Dan Carosa, Stephen Schmidt, Stephen Floyd, Bob Fullex, Norelle Merlo, Tony Flaminio, Chelsea Merlo, Mario Fanone), with an expanded Stop Making Sense lineup featuring Bryan Johnson, Ethan Hayden, former MW drummer Jason Bauers, and Jenny Kubicki bringing it all home to end this Mallwalkers decade in art punk funk style. But fear not, Mallwalkers do have a posthumous final album due out next spring, so they’ll never be far from our hearts or record collections. Opening the show will be La Neve, the avant-garde disco punk solo project of Downtown Boys songwriter and guitarist[...]

Tonight: Guerilla Toss

September 13, 2019 Cliff Parks

Tonight walk on the wild side at Sugar City when Boston by way of NYC avant garde funk band Guerilla Toss rolls through with Philly post punks Empath and local freaks Mallwalkers and Lesionread. Blending arty NYC New Wave with noise, psychedelia and crazy funk, Guerilla Toss keeps your brain swimming in ideas and out there sounds that are simultaneously very listenable yet totally bonkers. Empath meanwhile, is psychedelic punk: raw yet freaky in the ear, and completely unbothered by your rules or your need for labels. Providing local support will be legendary punks Mallwalkers playing their penultimate local show, and avant provocateur Lesionread. Tickets are $15 and doors are at 6pm.

Tonight: The Messthetics

July 13, 2018 Cliff Parks

Tonight fans of beloved punk legends Fugazi will be congregating in the 9th Ward to catch the intense power trio The Messthetics, which features Joe Lally and Brendan Canty, the late band’s rhythm section along with DC based jazz guitarist Anthony Pirog. The trio released their self titled debut back in March, a surprisingly proggy and psychedelic slab of intensely evocative rock that ought to sound real good in the perfect acoustic confines of that intimate concert space. Opening the show will be the ever delightful future punk of The Mallwalkers. Tickets are $12 and doors open at 8pm. The Messthetics by The Messthetics

11 Acts to Catch at Trimania 2018

April 13, 2018 Michael Moretti

Trimania returns Saturday, April 14th for its every three year take over of the TriMain building. The multi-faceted program is a hard dive into the local arts and music scenes, allowing the opportunity for the regional creatives to convey their art and the thousands of attendees to consume it. The event will almost overwhelm your senses, with artists, poets, musicians, and DJs performing in various rooms and corners throughout the six stories of the building. With that, here are 11 musical performances we suggest checking out Saturday night. 8pm Hop Hop @ Insight International (Suite 556) Experimental hip hop artist Jaz Frasier performs under the moniker Hop Hop to deliver smart lyrics with abstract instrumentals Scratch by Hop Hop 9pm Little Cake @ First Floor Stage Avant garde multi-instrumentalist and front woman Little Cake dips her toe into a variety of genres and styles to produce an undoubtedly commanding performance.[...]

Tonight: Sheer Mag

September 5, 2017 Cliff Parks

Philadelphia punk band Sheer Mag takes over tonight at the Mohawk with Lost Balloons and Mallwalkers. If rock is indeed the new punk, Sheer Mag and their magnificent front woman Tina Halladay has it turned up to 11, taking the proto cock rock of the 70’s and the DIY ethos and abandon of punk to the hungry masses minus the misogyny and nascent dude bro connotations endemic of 70’s hard rock and it’s cultural legacy to create something meaningful, righteous and vital for today’s increasingly diverse audiences. In town in support of the their very buzzworthy debut LP Need To Feel Your Love and one of the subjects of a New York Times feature on women in rock over the weekend, this is Sheer Mag’s time… and a big get for the Mohawk and for local audiences. Opening the show will be Madison Wisconsin’s Lost Balloons flying the flag for the international garage[...]

Screaming Females at Mohawk Place (4/30/17)

May 4, 2017 Zach M Anderson

Screaming Females returned to Buffalo after a lengthy absence to play a packed house at Mohawk Place on Sunday, April 30th, in support of their latest album, 2015’s Rose Mountain. The New Brunswick, New Jersey trio played an eardrum-obliterating set of serrated rock defined by its sheer intensity and lockstep precision. Marissa Paternoster’s full-throated voice and blaring guitar found the perfect foil in Michael Abate and Jarrett Dougherty’s robust rhythmic thunder. Opening that night were Buffalo’s own funk-punk freaks, Mallwalkers, whose horn-driven, new wave madness (literally) turned up the heat. Mallwalkers Screaming Females

Tonight: Selector Dub Narcotic

April 7, 2017 Admin

K Records founder Calvin Johnson heads to Sugar City tonight under the flag of his latest project titled Selector Dub Narcotic. The brains behind Beat Happening, Johnson has had a notable career in independent music scene, collaborating and discovering many independent bands that had went on to national limelight (Modest Mouse, Built to Spill to name a very few). Selector Dub Narcotic’s playful dance punk will be sure to get you moving. Also on the bill are local funkpunk collective, Mallwalkers, and xylo-core duo Welks Mice. Doors at 7pm with a $7 cover.

Mallwalkers – “Dial ‘M’ For…”

January 23, 2017 Mike Powell

Funk punk collective, Mallwalkers are back from their hiatus, or self imposed exile? Either way, they’ve returned and have brought with them to Buffalo a new LP, “Dial ‘M’ For…” which is a follow up to their debut record, 2013’s Shake the Rust Off. Classic cinema fans will pick up the reference to the Hitchcock thriller, but unlike the director’s affection for putting his audience through a series of tense moments and plot twists, Mallwalkers places anyone who listens on a dance party crazed ride full of moments to get your heart pumping. A riotous mixture of musical genres ranging from hardcore, ska, funk, indie, soul and surf-rock, Mallwalker’s sound is hard to pinpoint. Even with their embracing of the funk musical aesthetic being as it is, they don’t sound anything like George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic. Instead, the band collaborates together to create a sound that’s very much their own.[...]

Tonight: Mallwalkers

October 29, 2016 Cliff Parks

The expression “family friendly” and punk rock don’t generally go together but they might tonight when Mallwalkers celebrate the release of Dial ‘M’ For at Sugar City with special guests for an all ages show that also happens to be free. With doors opening at 6pm and music at 7pm (sharp) you can pack up the whole crew and see what’s going on at Sugar City while thrilling to the punk shenanigans of the 9 member local gang known as Mallwalkers; who will be joined by sharp indie rocker M.A.G.S., punk rock warriors Gun Candy and Trinkit, twee pop minimalists Welk’s Mice, and Pat Kewley, who will be doing stuff. Because it’s an all ages space Sugar City is a drug and alcohol free space, so please, do all that at home. There might be some punk rock loving families present!

Mallwalkers Debut Video for New Single

October 18, 2016 Shauna Presto

The first time I saw Mallwalkers, my cheeks hurt. I must’ve been smiling for a half hour straight. Not that their performance was comical, just incredibly infectious. There were about nine people on the stage (including horns, my favorite part of any ensemble), all seemingly under a moonstruck, punk-driven craze. Mallwalkers have this riotous ability to rally all the energy in the room, in their own bodies, and throw it all on the floor. By the sounds of “Dial ‘M’ For…”, that’s exactly where the new album is headed, too. The music video for the new tune, directed by FLATSITTER and choreographed by Michelle Merlo, is just as amusing. It features the band’s two main vocalists, Daniel Carosa and Jaz Frazier, cavorting around the city. There’s this flashy, desaturated overlay throughout the entire video that lends itself to the gritty, abrasive nature of the song. The band’s new album, which[...]

Tonight: Drug Party Tapes 5 Year Anniversary Show

May 27, 2016 Brendan O'Connor

Over the course of the past five years, local DIY cassette label, Drug Party Tapes, has put out some absolutely essential releases from some incredible Buffalo bands. In celebration of the first five, an all local show for the ages will be happening at Mohawk Place tonight, exclusively featuring bands somehow affiliated with the label. All in attendance will be treated to sets from Scajaquada Creeps, Space is Haunted, Hot Tip, Mallwalkers, Big Suze, and the Utah Jazz. This gig is stacked from start to end, so you’ll want to be on time for this one. Doors are set to open at 8pm, and music will probably kick off shortly after. For only five bucks, this is a dream gig. As an added bonus, if you’re under 18, you get in for free if you bring along a legal guardian.

Tonight: Chain & the Gang

May 8, 2016 Nick Sessanna

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: Bleached

April 18, 2016 Shauna Presto

The L.A. based trio, Bleached, knows how to pen an appetizing punk song. Comprised of sisters Jessie and Jennifer Clavin and bassist Micayla Grace, the band capitalizes on propulsive power chords, chunky bass lines, and uncontrived, fuzzed out vocal melodies that call upon traditional punk music from the 70’s and 80’s. There is a genuine attitude about it that is probably best captured and shared in a live setting between plugged-in band and audience. Even with a clear old school punk influence, there are distinct elements of modern lo-fi thrash rock tossed in, and it’s all tightly packaged in a pop sort of way. No Parents, another L.A. based thrash punk band, are offering support for Bleached on this tour. They’re a bit sludgier and more boisterous than Bleached, but still incredibly melodic and fun to listen to. There’s an aspect of unashamed comicality to their stuff but none of[...]