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Tonight: Pleasure Leftists

November 12, 2015

Pleasure Leftists return to Sugar City tonight with JOHNS and Worst Gift. The Cleveland group is all post punk with a catchy goth vice you can dance to (always important.) Their bandcamp tags them as “deranged,” which is fun, and even better, their label Deranged also put out releases from White Lung and Fucked Up. Worst Gift will bring perfect glam metal from Toronto that calls back to certain Baltimore hardcore. JOHNS, Buffalo’s punk purists, will join. Get to the gig at 7pm with $8.

Tonight: Super American

October 1, 2015

Fresh super group Super American will take over Dreamland this evening. Equal parts defunct Thick Winter Blud (a name in and of itself a WKT reference) and I Can See Mountains, they are set to be your new favorite Buffalo Brand New worshipers as they celebrate the impending release of Golf Pop. These bros can be pop or glum and you never know which side you’re gonna get. If I believed in guilty pleasures (because why feel guilty about the things you like?) Well Kept Things’ pop punk would be mine. Along with Wild Things, the band is acting as support as Super American releases some tunes off a new album. Bring $5 to the doors of Dreamland at 7pm to hear what’s going on. Nevermind by Super American

Tonight: Built to Spill

September 21, 2015

There’s just nothing wrong with Built to Spill. The long running indie band is possibly the best thing to come out of Boise, Idaho besides my penpal and I guess the potato. Town Ballroom will once again host this important act tonight as the group tours for its eighth studio album Untethered Moon, which dropped this past April. As monoliths of indie, BTS still influences many of your modern emo faves. With soothing sounds and lyrics about getting high and first lusts, its easy to understand why they’re still rocking and rolling. Cool Toronto band Crosss will open. Doors are at 7pm and tickets are $25.

Tonight: ronaldraygun

September 18, 2015

ronaldraygun is finishing its Buffalo career tonight at Mohawk Place. The band plays spacey and psychedelic rock n’ roll almost reminiscent of Janice Joplin in attitude and sound, but tinged with punk and grunge moments. The departing group will be joined by enigmatic comedian and artist Clayton Williams. Having played together before, hometown classics and Mohawk royalty Irving Klaws and the raygun crew are no strangers. Their rockabilly meets Tony Hawk Pro Skater-core has been drawing fans to Mohawk for years and will be sure to make the farewell a memorable one. The BiPolaroids will round out the night beginning at 8pm. Cover is $5.

Tonight: Transmission’s 80’s Dance Party

September 12, 2015

Do you like swaying and bopping back and forth to obscure new wave pop songs? Do you love the 80’s or were you made in the 80’s? If yes, you might not want to miss DJ duo Transmission’s freshest 80’s dance party. After watching the Goo Goo Dolls at the sloppy Music is Art, head over to Mohawk Place for plenty of the Smiths AND the Cure; you don’t even have to pick a side this time. While you are bound to hear mainstays like New Order and Violent Femmes, the night usually gets more mainstream and raucous as they spin toward closing. The wild party costs $5 and starts at 10:30pm.

Tonight: Frank Hurricane

September 2, 2015

Bring $ or food for bands to Hickory Urban Sanctuary at tonight for an indiscernible gig. Frank Hurricane is less of a tropical storm and more of a wind through a field of wheat. The touring troubadour’s folkster Americana is pure good vibes and will surely feel fully supported by Buffalo acts. Bul Bul Tarang Gang will be gearing up and Lara Buckley’s a master of musical instruments who shines with the assistance of a loop. The unpindownable genre defying Jack Toft escapes definition and is also set to play some cool original tunes. Food and music will be served at 6pm.

Tonight: Mannequin Pussy

August 27, 2015

If Philly’s basements are shit holes, they still spring eternal. Phila’s own Mannequin Pussy is pretty dynamic, just like the scene: equal parts sassy shouts, surf rock, and compact punk. They are for fans of Chumped and The Le Sigh blog. Crosss from Toronto was set to play tonight with Mannequin Pussy at the Glitterbox, but sadly, passport issues will keep them off of the bill. If case you were wondering, Crosss sounds like Slow Warm Death meets Belle and Sebastian’s eerie grunge. This trio produces out there tunes with laid back vibes. Holding down the hometown is Hot Tip as well as cool duo Space is Haunted.  The night starts with bands at 7pm and don’t forget to bring some money for the now one touring band.

Tonight: Pawns

August 17, 2015

New York City’s Pawns and Rochester’s Hot Mayonnaise  will be bringing down the house at Sugar City tonight. Headliners Pawns sounds like a modern day Bauhaus channeling cool rockers with contemporaries like Perfect Pussy, Institute, and the latest from Ceremony. Nihilistic and anti establishment, Pawns vibe is very cool. Not to be overlooked is Hot Mayonnaise, who play straight up shredding punk rock with a 70’s vibe and look to match. Rounding out the bill are  new local act, Basement Rat will open. Tonight’s show begins at 7pm over at Sugar City with a $5 cover. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/161071418″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Tonight: Palberta

August 10, 2015

Mohawk Place continues to be the place to be with tonight’s line-up featuring Yonkers/ Bronx rockers, Palberta. The group sounds like the cool girls practicing fractured punk in the garage down the street from your parents’ basement. Known for on stage antics as well as frequent instrument changes to keep things loose, the newly four piece group will be joined by chaotic punk out-of-towners Big Neck Police from Brooklyn. Buffalo’s best friends Wax Mice, the mysterious Dildon’t, and Americonic Peter Kirsch with Toppus Bottomus round out a full Tuesday night bill. Bring $5 tonight plus some fun funds to Mohawk. Jams start at 8pm.

Today: Vaggie Fest

August 8, 2015

The sixth annual Vaggie Fest takes place today at the Adam Mickiewicz Library. Originally a riff on Veggie Fest, the all day festival is a celebration of women in punk from in and around the WNY  area. Groups from Pittsburgh, Montreal, Toronto, Rochester, and Buff will be on hand to shred. Canada is represented by VCR, weirdo Toronto wailers, on tour with eclectic group Tonka and Puma while Montreal offers up queercore hardcore (the best kind) band Pretty Boys. Seismic Thrust brings a different kind of Philly flavor with their jangly alt country,and PBGH neighbors Cruces dish out blues vocals with stoner doom instrumentals. Fellow Steel City act Brazilian Wax will bring some riot grrl flavor for a new generation. Chimes sounds like the NY/NJ indie scene they’re from with their psychedelic slacker jams while the familiar fuzzy garage sounds of Rochester friends Green Dreams will supplement the know em love[...]

Tonight: Mischief Brew

July 29, 2015

In 2009, I was listening to a lot of folk punk. I remember emailing Mischief Brew to see if they wanted to play a show at my college. It never came to fruition, but they still have a spot in my heart. This evening at Sugar City, the group, touring from the Philadelphia area, is back, set to pump out the kind of goofy folk punk you can sing along to. Tonight’s support begins with Pine Fever, a band of Buffalo buskers for fans of Defiance, Ohio that compliment Mischief Brew nicely. Also from Philly, Dark Thoughts offer Ramones style, snotty punk rock and roll. Rounding out the night is Aaron and the Burrs, two thirds comprised of members of the band Blobs. I love contemporary surf rock and this band puts their own spin on it, taking it back to pure instrumental. There is something for everyone tonight at Sugar City. Doors[...]

Blobs Drop Demo Via More Power Tapes

July 22, 2015

Blobs probably has the best band name in punk right now. Born out of the Buffalo scene and two fourths comprised of the now defunct hardcore outfit Bad People, Blobs makes an impressive impact with its 7-track debut demo, recently released over on local tape label, More Power Tapes. The short and sweet demo is pure punk, highlighting Amelia Martin’s vocals. With members in many other bands (Newish Star, Aaron & the Burrs) in addition to this project, the varying influences come together to reach a broader audience, kind of like hardcore punk for fans of Space Wolves. Catch Blobs at Hoyt House on August 2nd and give the EP a listen below.

Tonight: Wolf Eyes

July 21, 2015

Hardcore from all over converges tonight at Sugar City.  Wolf Eyes are from the “dead, dread-filled, haunted hills of Michigan” and have a way with electronic metal while LA’s Sissy Spacek plays noisey grindcore tracks all under one minute. Mid and West Coast meets the DMV with Pure Disgust and Barge, hailing from DC and Richmond, VA respectively. The Facebook event description for Barge says Infest for Generation Z and that’s pretty apt, for Pure Disgust as well. Representing Buffalo we have Modern Problems (members of Every Time I Die) and Black X(members of Harm’s Way and a million more bands) playing straightforward, straightedge hardcore.  Music will start at 6pm (hopefully) and be over by 10pm. All this for $10.

Tonight: Gulfer

July 18, 2015

If you have been on the internet recently you have probably read one of those “emo revival” list articles everyone’s been writing lately when in reality emo was never really over, at least not for everyone. It’s always the same list of popular contemporary emo bands and what I am saying is Gulfer, the band hitting up the Glitterbox tonight, would fit in with the listicle genre nicely. The four piece  from Montreal spits out twinkly math rock for fans of Brave Bird, or Texas is the Reason meets Algernon Cadwallader. People Like You, from Boston, will be adding some screams as well as spoken word parts. Comprised from members of I Kill Giants, People Like You continues the math music trend, mostly categorized with weird time signatures and focused more on instrumentals than vocals. Power pop punks Wild Pink from Brooklyn open while Buffalo’s prodigal sons Del Paxton are[...]

Tonight: Stiff Little Fingers

July 14, 2015

Grandfathers of punk Stiff Little Fingers take over Town Ballroom tonight with hometown band Governess. SLF formed in Ireland back in 1977 and these hooligans put the punk in punk rock. The band broke up in ‘83 but reformed a couple years later, and have been churning out records ever since with varying line-ups. To be honest, when I heard that Stiff Little Fingers was touring, I was surprised because I couldn’t believe they were still on the road after all of these years. the group’s current tour will bring these long time punks to the Ballroom tonight at 7pm. Tickets are $24 at the door. Their first single is still their greatest hit.