Latest Posts

Bethlehem Steel – Docking

November 9, 2015

This isn’t the first time we’re writing about Bethlehem Steel (BS), so by now, Becca Ryskalczyk’s move to Brooklyn has been well-publicized. We like to take care of our own, even when they move out of town after all. In case you’re unfamiliar, Becca was Buffalo-born and educated at SUNY Fredonia. You may have caught her several years ago on a solo trek across the US with fellow Buffalonians A Hotel Nourishing. Either way, we consider Becca an honorable Buffalonian, even as she’s busy making waves in the Brooklyn independent scene. Docking is the new EP (out via Brooklyn’s Miscreant Records) from this talented three-piece. Though they’ve always had a knack for fuzzy indie-pop (see “Guts” from their last EP, Grow Up), BS has really stepped up their fuzz game on Docking. Opening track “One Giant Fuck Machine” is a poppy, apt introduction to this EP, showcasing the groups’ loosely-wound, borderline lo-fi tunes. Most notable is Becca’s[...]

Comfy // Skirts Split

August 10, 2015

It can be difficult to view a split release as a singular piece of work, and in some sense, it’s much more common and appropriate to view each artist’s contribution of songs as an individual creation. Comfy and Skirts’ latest joint EP release from Miscreant and Dadstache Records seems way more accessible as one harmonious album than usual. These two bands work well on their own, but are also incredibly compatible with one another. To me, Comfy is the unkempt, rebel of a sibling and Skirts is the slightly more ordered, quirk-ridden one. Both are deliberate in their sound. Both are equally expressive. I saw Comfy, a lo-fi garage pop band out of Utica, for the first time at Nietzsche’s not too long ago. Their live performance involved swaddling a fake baby fashioned from a blanket full of red string and disassembling it in a frenzied manner (the fake baby was[...]

Rebecca Ryskalczyk of Bethlehem Steel

July 20, 2015

Next week will see the return home of Rebecca Ryskalczyk, the front woman of the Brooklyn based, Fredonia bred indie trio Bethlehem Steel. The Buffalo born musician is currently on a solo tour that will bring her back to town for a pair of Infringement Festival dates. We recently caught up with the songwriter to discuss Buffalo and Brooklyn, her new label and upcoming EP, and her some of her favorite local music memories. buffaBLOG: Over the last couple years, we have seen some pretty great acts, including Zealot, Mr. Boneless, and Well Worn Boot, come out SUNY Fredonia and the surrounding town. What was the scene like when you were going to school there? Rebecca Ryskalczyk: There was a very tight knit DIY scene when I went to school there. I met all my current band-mates through the music scene there. Jon played in Longitude and Zephyr in Zona Mexicana. House shows[...]

Skirts Premieres First Single from Upcoming Comfy Split EP

June 16, 2015

After another week already full of relentless show announcements (now Built to Spill?!), it seems fitting that we near the end of our day with a post about something else that just won’t quit—Rochester’s 2015 music scene. With excellent and promising releases from artists like OHS, Howlo, Pleistocene, and Harmonica Lewinski (among many others) having dropped or on the horizon for this year, we’re happy to premiere another track worthy of your attention. Rochester garage-pop darlings, Skirts, have just dropped their first track from their upcoming split with Utica-based Comfy (that’s all of them in the photo being friendly), the tape slated for release later this summer on Miscreant/Dadstache. The song, titled “Indian Premier League,” does not disappoint, channeling an upbeat island sound similar to something you might hear from Cults or a chilled-out Vampire Weekend. The progression is fun and catchy, percussion is flavorful, and the vocal harmonies are[...]

Comfy – “Poetic”

June 9, 2015

Utica and Rochester BFFs, Comfy and Skirts, respectively, are set to drop a split EP later this summer on August 7th through Miscreant Records and Rochester tape label, Dadstache. While the first listen from Skirts’ half of the EP won’t come until next week (stay tuned…), the Comfy boys (who you may have caught at our firth birthday party last March) dropped a tease this morning through Impose in the form of the less-than-a-minute track, “Poetic.” With Cap’n Jazz like vocals and a touch of Tim Kinsella-esque depression, “Poetic” is a perfect little morsel of the Comfy world, one that appears to be changing a bit as the group goes through some line-up changes (drummer Zeno Pittarelli is exiting the group this summer). You can now pre-order the record over at Miscreant’s bandcamp page for the very fair price of $5. In the mean time, listen to “Poetic” below.

Comfy Releases New Singles

October 29, 2014

Utica, New York’s Comfy is a band that’s buzz, unlike Ebola, has been spreading all over New York State, from the jampacked DIY shows in Brooklyn to the dimly lit basements of Buffalo and every cool house show in between. Last week, while prepping for their super legit slot on the Miscreant & Father/Daughter co-sponsored showcase at Silent Barn, Comfy released two new tracks, “Dreamy” and “People Talking.” The band’s sound is in the same realm of Swearin’, The Babies, and Krill with a hint of Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. With a forthcoming EP set to be released soon via Miscreant Records, Comfy is a band that you should have in your band vocabulary because there is a chance they may be playing top secret show in Buffalo at some point this week.