Latest Posts

Raybees – Reaper, Take My Life For Free!

January 9, 2025

It’s a new year, and what better way to shed that holiday lethargy than with a blast of sonic mayhem? Buffalo’s own basement psych-rockers Raybees are here to deliver just that with their sophomore EP, Reaper, Take My Life For Free!, out January 3rd. This self-released, self-recorded, six-track onslaught picks up where their debut left off, but cranks the intensity and noise up by a good margin. If you’re a fan of the noisy, psychedelic punk rock of bands like Osees and The Jesus Lizard, then buckle up. Reaper, Take My Life For Free! is our album of the week.   Raybees is led by the core duo of Jacob Smolinski (guitar/vocals) and Dan Keegan (who replaced the drum machine of the project’s debut), along with featured players Matthew Danger Lippman (guitar), Kam Plotner (synth), and Brandon Schlia (bass). Something of a star-studded side project, Raybees showcases a completely different[...]

Must See Shows (10/9/24-10/15/24)

October 8, 2024

Wednesday, October 9th @ 7pm Robert Ellis @ 9th Ward Houston-based singer/songwriter Robert Ellis makes a stop in the Babeville basement this Wednesday for an intimate performance. Touring in support of his latest album, Yesterday’s News, showgoers will be captivated by Ellis’ phenomenal story telling and alt country twang. Fans of Nick Drake, Justin Townes Earle, Jason Isbell, or Joe Pug should be up for a midweek foray onto the Delaware Strip. Tickets are $25. Friday, October 11th @ 7pm Ashford (Album Release Show) w/ Previous Love, The Weather Might Say Otherwise, & Robbery Club @ Mohawk Place Ashford are celebrating the release of their brand new full-length album, Pictures of Places I’ve Been, at what is bound to be the talk of Mohawk Ave. on Friday. The post-pop-punk project has been around for over eight years, but has really emerged as a a scene heavy-hitter after emerging from post-COVID[...]

Chris Scamurra and Nick Reynolds of Portland is the New Portland

October 7, 2024

The blog doesn’t voyage into the film realm often because, well, we are a music blog. However, Chris Scamurra and Nick Reynolds’ new short-film, Portland is the New Portland, blurs the lines too much for us to ignore. The duo was a staple of Buffalo’s music scene in the first half of the 2010s, and were heavily featured here on the blog with their project, Space Wolves. The short-film’s premise of a do-it-yourself musician juggling multiple projects has the potential to connect deeply with so many involved in the local scene. Moreover, the protagonist in the feature is Matthew Danger Lippman, another buffaBLOG favorite from the 2010s. We had a chance to speak with the co-creators of Portland is the New Portland  in the midst of their media blitz for the short film. The picture has been making the rounds for the past month in the national film festival circuit,[...]

Matthew Danger Lippman – “Set Up”

April 30, 2023

Matthew Danger Lippman (henceforth MDL), currently residing in NYC but also an erstwhile Buffalonian (anyone still around from 2014? You may remember Brimstone Blondes) and buffaBLOG contributor, brings his single “Set Up” from his upcoming full length Once You Get Low You’ve Gotta Start Flying Baby for your listening pleasure. MDL has previously opened for such artists as Foxygen (a personal favorite of mine), Shonen Knife, and Active Bird Community. We tried to get him to write this review himself but he threw a guitar at the editor when asked. [Editor’s note: this is actually not true, it was a snare drum.] “Set Up” is soulful fucking (soulfucking?) pop-rock ear worm that rewards multiple listens. Carefully curated guitar and a rollicking bass track give way to fun synth interludes and backing vocals a la a gospel revival choir. MDL, ever the enigmatic frontman, opens up his thesaurus and points out the[...]

Tonight: Matthew Danger Lippman

April 19, 2019

Tonight, Buffalo to Brooklyn transplant Matthew Danger Lippman brings his glammed out, soul man jive home for a special show at Sugar City with Welks Mice and Lesionread. Matthew just released Sadomania hot on the heels of last year’s trippy and surprisingly soulful Ill, which found MDL leaning hard into melodicism and confessional turns to find some real catharsis; also, it’s always real interesting to see what he’s got going on. Actually that’s also true for good vibes prophets Welks Mice and the always provocative Lesionread, who’s taking a night off from Space Cubs to offer artistic support to a fellow troublemaker comrade in arms. Cover is $7, doors are at 7pm,  and don’t forget Sugar City is all ages and a drug & alcohol free venue, so please be cool. Sadomania EP by Matthew Danger Lippman

Tonight: Matthew Danger Lippman

April 8, 2018

Matthew Danger Lippman returns to his hometown with some swagger headlining a seriously tight lineup tonight at the Mohawk. The former Brimstone Blondes frontman, current New Yorker, and eternal art rock spaceman is passing through on his way home to an undisclosed location in the Five Boroughs and will be playing selections from his tripped out but supremely soulful Refresh 2 Death EP. Opening the show will be The Get Money Squad’s Quinton Brock featuring Feverbox, slowcore mind shredders Award Show, and up and coming local indie darlings Johnny and the Man Kids, all for the tidy sum of $8. Doors open at 7pm. REFRESH 2 DEATH [EP] by Matthew Danger Lippman

BLEEDERS

Tonight: Bleeders

September 4, 2017

Tonight Deep Space 8 will be home to a chaotic night of jams when Bleeders come through town. Bleeders are a feminist punk band out of Kutztown, PA and are coming off their latest release, We Hate Men. They are a group you got to experience live as their profound energy isn’t something to pass on.  Playing alongside Bleeders for the night are hardcore punks, Radiation Risks, Matthew Danger Lippman, and Grain Assault. Doors at 7pm. Donations of $5 for the touring band. WE HATE MEN by BLEEDERS

Tonight: Herd Fest Day 2

June 16, 2017

After a successful night one of Herd Fest where we saw Sammus take the crowd in the palm of her hand and Award Show burst our eardrums, we are psyched to continue on to night two. Mohawk Place starts early at 6pm with loop artist Griffin! and indie folk singer Kerry Fey playing Happy Hour. If you are there before 8pm, there is no cover and $2 PBRs and $2 off all drafts. Doors start at 7:30pm with a $7 cover. Slotted to open the night is atmospheric producer qwelis, followed by raw indie rock act Jack, and Rochester slackrockers Big Fred. At 10pm, soaring synth rock act Humble Braggers hits the main stage followed by up-and-coming indie rockers Nylon Otters, cavernous experimental rock act Bold Folly and  hip hop wordsmith Dean Chatham capping of the night. Milkie’s is set to host a night of local hip hop with sets[...]

Tonight: Little Baltimore Christmas Extravanza

December 17, 2016

Tonight get your groove on  while keeping Christmas weird at Little Baltimore’s Christmas Extravaganza featuring The Curls. The dreamy Chicago indie dance pop outfit (think Siouxsie and the Banshees meets Talking Heads) will be joined by garage pop duo Suburbs, the cranked up Strokes goodness of Ugly Suns, Brimstone Blondes frontman Matthew Danger Lippman, with a DJ set by Allen Nieves to wrap it all up nice. Show starts at 8pm, bring $3 for the visiting Curls along with Christmas cookies, beer and what have you.

Ariel Pink – pom pom

November 18, 2014

For all the thinkpieces, accusations of misogyny, and clickbait-facilitated outrage his words have inspired this year, LA rocker Ariel Pink’s message is quite simple. It’s not trolling or mean-spirited publicity-hounding so much as a deeply-felt need to tow the line for the rock ‘n’ roll outcasts. He is of a lineage with both Frank Zappa and Kim Fowley (the latter of which has two co-writing credits on this new record), contrarian sonic experimentalists with a knack for combining irreverent language, ingratiating melodies, and harsh noise experiments. The publicity campaign Pink launched this year around his new double album pom pom – which included everything from singing with a New York childrens’ choir to asserting in an interview, facetiously, that he was “raped in the ass” by a dominatrix – has proven oddly perfect for setting the tone of the record. While pom pom offers no apologies for Pink’s irreverent behavior,[...]

The Flaming Lips – With a Little Help from My Fwends

October 27, 2014

Trashing an album like this is not easy, mainly because of how insanely easy it is. That Wayne Coyne, amidst accusations of cultural appropriation, unchecked egomania, and sad self-parody, would record an acid-damaged track-for-track cover of fucking Sgt. Pepper’s with Miley Cyrus reveals either a profound lack of self-awareness or an eager attempt to destroy his band’s legacy. It sounds like a joke your skeptical friend might have made about the band when you tried to get him to just hear The Soft Bulletin. As a long-time Lips defender and fan, I found the move exciting in its sheer audacity, and went into my first listen of the album with much hope. I’ve always been secretly kind of psyched about the Wayne-Miley friendship, and figured that the ballsiness of the project would warrant its existence. And it’s never fun to hate on something this ridiculous. But when I first listened[...]

Weezer – Everything Will Be Alright in the End

October 7, 2014

Make no mistake: despite the well-trodden narrative of 21st century Weezer as the sad, emotionally dead carcass of a once-great rock institution, the past 14 years have been good to Rivers Cuomo and co. Though critical and fan consensus regards their work in the 2000s as unequivocally terrible (which it is, by and large), none of that really affected the band in any discernible way, either commercially or emotionally. They continued to pump out shit albums with shit covers and shit lyrics, and even managed to find their biggest hit along the way with 2005’s “Beverly Hills.” They continued to tour, they sold Snuggies, they had their own goddamn yearly musical cruise. You saw them live when they came to town, you rolled your eyes as they played “We Are All on Drugs,” and then you started screaming when the iconic opening drum fill to “Undone (the Sweater Song)” kicked[...]

RIFF RAFF – NEON iCON

June 26, 2014

Gonzo internet rapper RiFF RAFF has achieved the kind of success that is uniquely 21st century; his distinctive look, humorous Twitter account, and cartoonish brand of materialism have made him something of an absurdist icon within the rap community, despite his remaining unsigned for the majority of his career. In this way and others, he is similar to Lil B – both have become popular through Twitter, developed a distinct lexicon (RiFF RAFF with his constant Versace references, and Lil B with his Based terminology), and been given beats by Mac Miller. Another thing the two have in common is the skepticism with which they have been greeted by rap traditionalists. Neither have much in the way of technical skills, and volley between serious rapping and humorous swag rap. But while Lil B has a clearly defined personality in his music, RiFF RAFF has always been harder to peg –[...]

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[...]