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Tonight: Anklepants

June 28, 2015

Yes Virginia… that dude has a cock for a nose. Now that that’s out of way… tonight Sugar City will be the scene of an art and dance happening to end all happenings when it hosts controversial EDM artist Anklepants (known aliases: Dr. Reecard Farche, Josh Head). The Australian EDM wunderkind will be joined by local electro experimenters Ay Fast and Logan Locking, and word on the street has it that costumes and other manner of freakishness are HIGHLY encouraged at this Squeaky Wheel sponsored event. They want the wonkiest sesh ever, so if you’re going you’ve got to be ready to go all out. $10 gets you in and doors are at 7pm.

Tonight: Kal Marks

June 27, 2015

There are so many for cool shows to attend recently and if you haven’t made up your mind about tonight, then here’s another option: some rockin bands at a house on Hoyt. Kal Marks, heavy indie from Boston, will be rolling through with IAN playing dreamy fuzz from California in the vein of contemporaries Alvvays and Slutever. Political indie punk band Red Heat will be supporting. Lushes will round out the bill. So its 7pm at Hoyt House for $7 or whatever  you have.

Tonight: Soul Night

June 26, 2015

Word on the street is that there is a storm brewing this weekend. Meteorologists are yet unsure if it will be a real SOUL storm, but if you come down to Milkie’s tonight, you are sure to feel the thunder in your soles. By now, Soul Night is a Buffalo institution, a seasonal night of some of the best pop music ever recorded and one of the city’s sweatiest dance floors all organized to benefit the tireless work of Sugar City. This is fever pitch level stuff folks. Have you ever seen what this music does to people? Have you ever, say, listened to Sam Cooke by yourself? You know its power, you know what it can do. Now imagine it louder, in a bar full of some the city’s hippest kids. Yes, you see why you cannot miss this event right? The rain forecast tomorrow was ordained by the[...]

Tonight: Spoon

June 25, 2015

Indie rock legends Spoon stop by Canalside tonight for the fourth week of free music down at the waterfront. In what is bound to be one of the highlights of the series, Britt Daniels and Jim Eno bring their nearly two-decade old band around for the first time in a long time. Spoon will no doubt be playing songs off of their most recent LP, 2014’s fantastic They Want My Soul. Also worth checking out before you head down to the harbor is the band’s cover of The Cramps’ “TV Set” that they recently performed on Conan (see below). July Talk will precede Spoon with Battle of the Jam Bands winner Tomorreaux kicking things off at 6PM. VIP passes are $40 as is the usual for these shows. For the rest of us, it’s free.

Tonight: Schwervon!

June 25, 2015

So what’s in a duo, anyway? Schwervon! has an answer for that question. Armed with a guitar, a drumkit, and personality for days, Nan Turner and Matthew Roth craft deceptively simple yet deeply magnetic indie rock and makes it look as effortless as ever. And yet, somehow totally inimitable. With five albums and countless tours under their belts (some of which in support of some heavy-hitting names such as The Vaselines, Belle and Sebastian, Vampire Weekend), the NYC-bred, Kansas City-based art-rock power duo aren’t messing around. Schwervon!’s (yes Microsoft Word, the exclamation point is actually a part of their name) current tour makes a pit stop at Sugar City tonight on an expertly-arranged bill featuring blog-favorite slack rockers Difficult Night and rhyme-spitting funnyguy Jack Topht. Bring five bucks. While the show starts at 8pm, prime yourselves up beforehand with a Schwervon! music video produced by Difficult Night’s own Damian Weber,[...]

Tonight: The Blind Boys of Alabama

June 24, 2015

The Tralf will be a house of praise when it hosts the sublime sounds of The Blind Boys of Alabama this evening. Formed nearly 75 years ago, The Blind Boys of Alabama are true men of God. Their otherworldly vocal harmonies and graceful, gospel infused blues are a musical journey into the very heart of American music, and a balm for the soul for believers and non-believers alike. And in light of recent, nation shaking events last week, this could be just what you need. Tickets are $29, doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 8pm.

Tonight: The Kooks w/ Joywave

June 23, 2015

Brighton, UK indie-pop band, The Kooks, is known for its consistent output of straightforward, hook-heavy rock songs since the release of debut album, Inside in/Inside Out, back in 2006. With a jangly, retro-inspired sound, the band has cited The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie among its influences that contribute to infectious songwriting style. Most recently, 2014 album Listen borrowed stylistically from jazz, gospel, and R&B, successfully broadening the group’s sound. Tonight, the band will headline at Niagara Falls’ Rapids Theater with Joywave and Young Rising Sons opening the show. Joywave, the Rochester-based band, is touring in support of the five piece’s debut studio album, How Do You Feel Now?, featuring the breakout singles “Tounges” and “Somebody New,” both of which have received significant alt-rock radio airplay and interestingly blend indie rock and electronic production to achieve a refreshing sound that balances gritty elements with melodic hooks. Also opening tonight’s show are New Jersey alt-rock band[...]

Tonight: New Orleans Swamp Donkeys

June 23, 2015

Already a summer favorite, the Live at Larkin concert series offers Buffalonians a place to gather for drinks, food, and fantastic music for some mid-week relaxation and fun.  Tonight, attendees will be transported to the streets of Louisiana’s most beloved city by the New Orleans Swamp Donkeys. Kicking off a US and European summer tour, this vibrant sextet will deliver a mixture of traditional and modern jazz, blues, and New Orleans brass, reflecting the group members’ diverse backgrounds and musical experiences. The Swamp Donkeys’ audiences are raving this tour in cities like St. Louis, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit, and now they’re in Buffalo tonight only at Live at Larkin Square. (They’re having an open afterparty at Allen St Hardware too.) The music kicks off at 5 with opening Buffalo’s Black Rock Zydeco.  Don’t miss it. New Orleans Swamp Donkeys from NeueHouse on Vimeo.

Tonight: Zach Deputy

June 23, 2015

Performing while under prepared should be a musician’s worst fear…right? Apparently not! When it comes to Zach Deputy, imprecise planning is what makes his act so unpredictable. After realizing his bassist couldn’t make show a while back, Deputy went right on without him and began looping instrumentals and vocals: a real DIY. Performing as a one-man band with the energy of five, he characterizes his music as, “island-infused drum n’ bass gospel ninja soul.” What’s that mean? I’m not quite sure. I characterize his music as funky and bluesy experimental rock. Regardless, he’s bound to leave your jaw hanging to the floor, with the question in your mind: “How the hell did he do that?” Deputy will perform tonight at Buffalo Iron Works at 9pm. Tickets cost $15 at the door.

A Place to Bury Strangers

June 19, 2015

Quintessential Brooklyn band  A Place to Bury Strangers descends upon Mohawk Place tonight. The noise rock trio is on tour promoting its new album Transfixiation and the band is still not afraid to take any chances. The album comes off the heels of the closure of iconic Brooklyn venue Death by Audio, where APTBS was closely affiliated, and in the spirit of the scene, the band is maturing and evolving. With elements of spacey shoegaze to supplement its loud chaos, the band’s feedback laden wall of sound is an intense experience. Instrumental post-rock band Sannhet from Brooklyn and Buffalo cool crew Alpha Hopper are opening up the gig at 8pm. This show is special addition to Herd Fest and the first fifteen people to show up with Herd Fest wristbands get in for free! Otherwise its going to be $15 at the  door.

buffaBLOG Opening Ceremony

June 18, 2015

Even before last year’s inaugural Herd Fest was complete, we were already starting to think about what we wanted to do differently for year two. Shuffling up some showcases and venues were near the top of the list, but the first priority was to expand. And that’s exactly what we did, taking a two day, seven showcase festival and pretty much doubling it. In doing so, we were able to feature more acts, different genres, and team up with some of the most creative minds in the Buffalo music scene. Tonight at Mohawk Place, we will kick the festival off with our “opening ceremony,” the blog’s featured showcase. As with all of ours shows, we like to mix local and out of town acts on the bill, so joining local lake-poppers, Bryan Johnson & Family, will be Rochester’s Attic Abasement and a late add to the festival, Pleistocene. And we[...]

Tonight: Marion Walker

June 17, 2015

Dreamland is the best. In a city with plenty of great rooms to take in live music, the front room (parlour?) at the Franklin St. space has emerged as the front runner, with it’s intimate setting, color absorbing white walls, art on display, and a glorious chandelier presiding over all of it. It’s hosted some fascinating shows since opening, and that continues tonight with Seattle’s Marion Walker, with support from Buffalo’s own Saint Opal, Bobby Swayze, and Milsep featuring In and Out Music Group. Presented by the D.O.P.E. (Dismantling Oppresive Patterns for Empowerment) Collective, this show will be all about breaking down barriers and bringing peoples together. From the hip-hop beats from Bobby Swayze and Milsep and crew to the dreammy R&B of Saint Opal, and the towering psychedelic rock of Marion Walker, diversity will be key. Meanness, negativity, and your racial or gender baggage, on the other hand, will[...]

Tonight: Zak Ward

June 17, 2015

One of Buffalo’s newer summer music traditions, Larkinville’s Live at Larkin series, kicks off this evening down at the revitalized business neighborhood. Niagara Falls singer/songwriter and former Son of the Sun front man, Zak Ward, will be opening the night for long time Buffalo folk outfit, John & Mary & the Valkyries. John Lombardo, the “John” of John & Mary, is a founding member of 10,000 Maniacs, by the way, while “Mary,” that is Mary Ramsey, replaced Maniacs’ singer Natalie Merchant two decades ago. The more you know… Ward will be joined by fellow SOTS band mate and current Soft Love member, Jeremy Franklin, plus a backing band, and (hopefully) will be tackling tunes from his most recent release, the stellar, 2014 EP, That’s What You Get. Make sure to head right down to the Square as soon as you punch out this afternoon. Ward and Franklin kick the evening off[...]

Tonight: Blonde Redhead

June 16, 2015

Since the release of its self-titled debut in 1995, New York based trio Blonde Redhead has explored the melodic side of noise rock, emerging from the avant-garde scene that saw artists like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine flourish with a textured, experimental pop sound. Comprised of twin brothers Amedeo and Simone Pace along with singer Kazu Makino, the band’s ability to stretch conventional song structure and use stark atmospherics has defined its understated, groove-based style. With notably immersive live performances, Blonde Redhead is capable of combining vicious percussion and noisy guitars with celestial vocals making for a blissful, yet chaotic sonic attack. Last year, the band released its ninth studio album, Barragán, on Kobalt Music Group, marking yet another shift in aesthetic direction for the ever-evolving trio. Incorporating minimalist and electronic elements into their distilled songwriting, BR’s often poetic soundscapes have continued to make for some of the most consistently[...]

Tonight: Mike Gordon

June 16, 2015

Those who are looking to see something similar to a Phish show tonight, you might be in for a surprise if you’re heading to the Town Ballroom for Mike Gordon, although anyone who knows Phish already knows this. On the other hand, if you are part of the overwhelming majority of those who would rather live in a world without Phish or even jam music in general, you might still qualify as someone who would enjoy tonight’s show. A true master on bass, Gordon has been developing his own style since the early 80’s and over the last decade has spent more time working on his solo career, developing a unique style of folk fused with more contemporary styles to create a very appealing, fun, yet intricate sound that requires the audience to spend equal parts time listening as moving and shaking. His most recent album Overstep features favorites like[...]