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Tonight: Born Ruffians

May 14, 2016

Tonight Buffalo’s Mohawk Place gets a rare visit from one of our next-door neighbors via Toronto’s Born Ruffians. The indie rockers originally made a name for themselves in the late 00s indie scene with their energetic jerky post-punk inspired debut, Red Yellow Blue. The album ended up on many critics Best of the Year lists and spawned a fairly popular single with “Hummingbird”. Since then, the Canadian quartet has continued to expand and explore this sound, with their fourth and latest album, “RUFF” showing the most-finessed version of the band yet. The album is rife with geniously-constructed pop hooks and a new-found playfulness to their sound. Born Ruffians arrive with a host of indie staples and exciting new work to jam out live.  This is definitely an early one, with doors at 6pm and a $15 cover.

Protomartyr at Mohawk Place (5/10/16)

May 13, 2016

After my introduction to Protomartyr last year at Pitchfork Festival, I was immediately hooked.  The dark, churning, yet insanely catchy style of post punk that the band boasted caught my ears, and after buying their commercial debut, Under the Color of Light, I had it on repeat for months.  The band also release a new record last year, titled The Agent Intellect, which was not only just as phenomenal, but the way the songs translated live was nothing short of fantastic.  While the band kept it quite serious on stage with minimal crowd interaction,  they were able to create a live sound that was damn near perfect. Check out some photos from the show below, featuring Buffalo act Facility Men, Philly post punks Psychic Teens, and Protomartyr.  Click HERE for for a full gallery. Facility Men Psychic Teens Protomartyr  

Sunflower Bean at Mohawk Place (5/8/16)

May 11, 2016

Last Sunday, buzzing New York City three piece, Sunflower Bean,  rolled through the Mohawk Place.  With some support from locals Get Money Squad, I don’t think anyone in attendance walked away disappointed.  Check out some shots from the show below, and click here for a full gallery. Get Money Squad Sunflower Bean

Protomaryr at Pitchfork Festival 2015 shot by Brendan O'Connor

Tonight: Protomartyr

May 10, 2016

Following Sunday’s stellar Sunflower Bean show, the Mohawk Place is once again the place to be tonight.  Detroit post punk act Protomartyr will be headlining a stacked bill, still on tour in support of their well received 2015 album, The Agent Intellect.   Also on the bill is be another dark post punk act, Psychic Teens, from Philidelphia, who have a brand new record, NERVE, to be released in three days. The local situation is no joke either,  with both Gun Candy and Facility Men will be playing opening sets.  Doors are set to open at 7pm, with a showtime of 8pm.  Tickets are only 12 bucks at the door.

Tonight: Sunflower Bean

May 8, 2016

If you can clear out some free time on your mother’s day, head down to Mohawk Place tonight for a short but sweet show.  New York City’s buzziest act, Sunflower Bean, will be in town in support of their debut record, Human Ceremony.   Coming from someone who has seen the band once before,  this is a live set you won’t want to miss.  The songs really manage to come alive in a way that the recordings just don’t do justice.  We had a chance to chat with with Nick Kivlen of the band about their new record, their tour, and much more, and you can click here to check that out as well. Kicking things off will be Buffalo’s own Get Money Squad, and doors are set to open at 6:30pm, with a show time of 7pm.  Tickets are available at the door for only 12 bucks.

Tonight: Freddie Gibbs

April 27, 2016

Tonight, the Shadow of a Doubt Tour will be making a stop in Buffalo. Gary, Indiana native Freddie Gibbs is bringing his aggressive and personal style of rap to Mohawk Place for an intimate evening with the rising artist. Fans of hardcore hip-hop are sure to enjoy the rapper’s versatile blend of influences (ranging from DMX  to ODB), something he displayed on his most recent release, Shadow of a Doubt. Two local rappers will join Gibbs tonight. Short Moscato is coming off of his 2015 release of laid-back hip-hop, Whatever | Forever. Opening the show is Lucky Seven, who founded local label Howhood University Records, under which he has released several mixtapes. Doors are at 7pm at Mohawk Place. Tickets are $17 in advance and $20 at the door.

Tonight: Red Francis

April 21, 2016

The Chicago natives in Red Francis will be gracing Buffalo with their presence this evening. Red Francis simply describe themselves as “rock-n-roll” but there’s a more subtle nuance to their jams… Think Kurt Vile with a little retro flavor. Tonight’s show also has a strong opening crew. Slacker rockers Difficult Night are sure to add to the vibes, and newcomers Coral Collapse have been sitting on a bit of buzz lately. Either way, tonight’s show is a solid three-band line up. Doors open at 8:00pm tonight – bring $5 for admission and a few bucks for beer.

Tonight: Bleached

April 18, 2016

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[...]

Sheer Mag at Mohawk Place (4/3/16)

April 6, 2016

From packing Black Dots Records a year ago to playing Coachella this spring, Sheer Mag is undoubtedly a success story.  There are VERY few “hype bands” that are actually worth hyping up, and Sheer Mag is number one on the list.   The band has managed to create a formula that not only the punks can get down with, but make a style of straight up rock music that is aware and accessible enough to break into the “normal” music scene.   Backed by Buffalo natives Uniform OPR and Radiation Risks, as well as touring act Laffing Gas, the venue had to have been near sold out. Boasting their Thin Lizzy-esqe riffs and all around commanding presence on stage, the 5 piece absolutely tore down the Mohawk Place, making this a show for the ages.  Check out some photos from the show below, and click here for a full gallery. Radiation Risks Laffing Gas Sheer Mag

Tonight: Sheer Mag

April 3, 2016

Philadelphia punk rockers Sheer Mag are more than a fresh voice to the scene. Their freshness precedes them—the 80’s tinged beefy riff slinging, frontwoman Christina Halladay’s Joan Jett-ish tigress growl, exceptionally grooveable rhythms, all of this coalesces into one of today’s hardest hitting punk rock bands still able to churn a dance floor. The quintet is in for a snowy surprise when they make their way to Mohawk Place later tonight (welcome to Buffalo) in support of their latest 4-track release, III, so let’s show them a warm, queen city welcome. Their electrifying live show comes highly recommended. Tourmates Laffing Gas, and locals Radiation Risks and Uniform (OPR) are all set to bring the heat before the Mag, so get there early. Or when the doors open, which is scheduled for 7pm. Presale tickets were $10, so if you plan on getting one at the door, bring some extra cash[...]

Tonight: Acid Mothers Temple

April 2, 2016

Tonight Mohawk Place will be home to one of the most tripped out, mind-bending experiences to hit Buffalo in a long time. Japanese cult legends, Acid Mothers Temple, will stop by to bring their unique conscinousness-expanding psyc-rock to the unexpecting public. With nearly 100 albums to their name between their live and studio work, this is a band that never ceases working or experimenting. Acid Mothers Temple mix everything from loud distorted guitars to jazz instrumentation to electro breakbeats and howled vocals. Rather than make music for the general public or even as a means of self-expression, Acid Mothers Temple founder, Kawabata Makoto, has said that he aims to immerse people into a world of collected sounds he hears through life. With an incredible live reputation behind them and a sound that’s this wholy unique, it’s safe to say that tonight show at Mohawk Place will be like nothing you’ve ever[...]

Tonight: SLUGS

March 23, 2016

LA rockers SLUGS make a triumphant return to WNY tonight as they swing through Mohawk Place tonight. Buffalo and Rochester natives might recognize Marissa and James Longstreet, formerly of High Drags fame. With roots in both Rochester and LA, the band specializes in slacker rock vibes a la Exile In Guyville-era Liz Phair, Courtney Barnett, or Colleen Green. Joining SLUGS tonight are the Buffalo punx in Basement Rat, the surf-punks in Slow Cooker, and Rochester indie pop royalty Pleistocene. Doors are at 8pm. Bring $5.

Tonight: Kopps

March 4, 2016

Kopps, a four piece electronic dance group from Rochester, have proved themselves to be a potent force within the electro-pop scene. They are yet another Rochester band to break through the regional seal and go national (I like to think of them and Joywave as partners in crime on the road to success). Just recently, their sultry jam “Thermometer” was featured on the Netflix revival of Full House, aptly named Fuller House. How many people can say the gawky but loveable Kimmy Gibler busted a move to one of their original songs? The band has no doubt found their niche and are unbreakably confident in their sound, but at the same time they aren’t totally defined by their genre either. Each and every show, they dish up something fresh, along with infectious beats, sweat and a whole lot of sexiness for good measure. The rest of tonight’s bill is stacked to[...]

Tonight: El Ten Eleven

February 26, 2016

El Ten Eleven, an L.A.-based band who have been at it since 2002, are the humble giants of the post-rock world. They make use of fairly unconventional setups, some of which include a seamless blend of acoustic and electric drums and a double-necked guitar/bass combo with an elaborate spread of effects pedals. This same band also runs on the manpower of just two people; bassist Kristian Dunn and drummer Tim Fogarty. This feat registers impressive when you hear the mesmerizing fluidity of their vocal-less tracks in full — each one more expansive than the next, each one telling a story and putting you into a groove simultaneously. For some instrumental bands however, the inclination for “complexity” has the potential of becoming nothing more than a cumbersome distraction from any deeper meaning to the music, but I don’t think that’s the case with Dunn and Fogarty. The duo have mentioned in[...]

Tonight: Night Slaves

February 5, 2016

You may be living under a rock if you aren’t aware of the show that every local media outlet is talking about – Night Slaves release show at Mohawk Place. After much anticipation, the industrial duo, comprising of Johnny Toohill (JOHNS, Alpha Hopper) and David Kane (Them Jazzbeards) is set to release their self-titled debut six-song cassette via Bad Drone Media. Night Slaves makes some dirty industrial pop that sounds like it came out of a grimy basement (in the best way possible). This dark electronica is flavored with a psychedelic sound that has a pretty blatant punk influence. Toohill and Kane deliver on their own name, bringing out a specific yet dark atmosphere. The music is refreshingly produced in the provocative spirit of the avant-grade, and intensely immersive. Also on the bill are locals CAGES, VWLS, and Malaria control, with Flatsitter taking care of the atmosphere. Show starts at[...]