A sneaky good show is going down at the Jungle Gym this evening. Boston based trio, Kal Marks, will be rolling through town with its early Modest Mouse meets sunny-laden acts like SW/MM/NG jams. Slouchcore if you will. Joining the bill this evening is Buffalo’s sludge rockers Sun Black Smoke, the space grunge of ronaldraygun, and some drunk group named Dudes. Entry is $5 bucks. Ask your one friend who washes his jeans once every other week for the address.
One of the most underrated bands to come out of the early death metal scene, Master was instrumental in bringing the classic death sound to the forefront of metal culture. The group found some success in the late 80’s and early nineties, releasing excellent albums like its self-titled release (the early version) and Collection of Souls, signing to Nuclear Blast and building a reputation as one of the fiercest bands in the scene. To this day, Paul Speckmann’s vocals represent a great stride in death metal as they are both crushingly brutal yet intelligible at the same time. Despite some breakups (and subsequent reformations) and waning popularity in the late nineties, the band appears indestructible and have been gaining quite a bit of momentum as of late. In the last few years, Master has released some excellent albums including the oft-thrashy The New Elite and The Human Machine. The Forvm in Amherst has become quite the haven for metal lately,[...]
If you need a little excitement to liven up your Easter weekend, you’d be wise to catch Well Worn Boot – possibly the most shocking band in town – at Nietzche’s tonight, for the release of their new EP and corresponding comic, Boot In Space. If you’ve never heard the band, you’re in for a completely unique experience. Imagine if Primus, The Cramps, Motorhead, and Jethro Tull were all put it a blender, and you’d have a reasonable idea of what their sound is like, but really, they’re unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Their music prominently features the flute alongside driving baselines, and old-school psychobilly guitar riffs, and they seem to take equal inspiration from punk, prog, and shock rock. The result is something wholly unique, and quite unsettling for those who aren’t prepared for it. The new EP figures to be yet another head rush of innovative, genre-bending music, and[...]
Local backwoods folk sensations, Honey Spine, will be bringing their intimately gritty bluegrass sound to shallow Black Rock’s Sportsmen’s Tavern tonight. The banjo-led trio could best be described as a Tom Waitsy- stripped down bluegrass stylings of William Elliott Whitmore. Lead singers Tim Martin and Brian Chieco grainy dual vocals emphasizes the group’s by-the-campfire-story-telling vibe. A $10 cover for a show with one local band advertised on the bill may be a little steep, but #yolo. Doors at 9:30pm. Photo Credit – Rik Napoli
Easter is still a few days away but talk about a basket of goodies: Hollerado and Wildlife will be at Town Ballroom this evening. We have a long way to go, but this lineup is a dark-horse contender for show of the year. I mean to take nothing away from Hollerado because I enjoy each and every 90’s flashback they intentionally and unintentionally provide, but this is one of those rare shows where I’m just as excited to see the opening act. I love Hollerado’s unabashed party-rock spirit, and Record in a Bag has taken up multiple, lengthy residencies in my car stereo, but Wildlife’s On The Heart was one of my favorite albums of 2013. It made me miss the 80’s even though I am pretty sure I was still in diapers. In my fawning review of it last March, I suggested, rather cringe-worthily, that “Bad Dream” might have been how the universe[...]
If you’re like me, you have a faux real job, such as a server, bartender or a barista. Not to say those aren’t real jobs, but let’s face it, monkeys could do our jobs, and probably with less attitude too. In our ‘desired’ vocations, we don’t get out to see shows all that often, considering a lot of shows fall of Fridays, Saturdays or the random weekdays we happen to work. However, tonight is a different case, Nietzsche’s has put together a show just for us (not really, but it’s nice to think so). Nietzsche’s will be hosting a plethora of talent this evening, most notably harmonium toating Brooklynite, Shilpa Ray, who, sans her Happy Hookers, will be bringing her own brand screaming indie roots rock to Allentown. Also on the bill will the Buffalo’s indie slacker rockers, Difficult Nights, The Coy Wolves and Nietzsche’s regular Pam Swarts. 7 bucks at[...]
Danny Brown is said to be one of the most unique voices in the rap game, he stays representing Detroit and is known for his engraving in Fool’s Gold Records. Rapping since he was a child, Danny Brown (full name: Daniel Dewan Sewell) went from the streets to the studio, after being arrested when he was 19 years old for drug distribution and manufacturing charges and possession with intent to distribute. His 2010 self-released album The Hybrid became a launching pad toward signing with acclaimed record label, Fool’s Gold. The following year he released his XXX free internet mixtape. “I’m just getting started,” he said. Now, the 33-year-old rapper is on The Old Danny Brown Tour, for Old, his October album release. It has been said that good hip-hop sheds light on personal experience. Danny Brown’s rhyme and content has always been inspired from his struggling youth and the city[...]
Man Forever is the alias of John Colpitts who the New York Times has called “a kabuki demon by night,” describing his project as a “tidal wave of percussion.” Colpitts usually performs under Kid Millions as the drummer of the Brooklyn based group Oneida but his outlet to experiment with uninhibited rhythmic feedback remains Man Forever. He’s playing at Dreamland tonight and joining him will be Brian Chase (drummer of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s). The lineup further includes Clarinet Panic, an up and coming Toronto based outfit featuring cello, drums, guitar and saxophone, alongside Richard Fills who plays “drums and guitar at the same time as if he were two separate people.” Admission of $8 will go to the artists. See ya there.
Baltimore’s Et al. will be touring through Spiral Scratch today, bringing their new-wavey guitar-driven pop along with them. In case you missed the Queen City Lottery Showcase, two of the bands have “made it” and are acting as support tonight. Nail School, featuring members of Space Wolves, Merchants, and JOHNS, and NELJÄ (who suggest they might be your favorite of the night) will be playing, as well as Deutscher Girls, who will probably be in drag. The show starts at 6:00pm and will feature free cookies, free beer, and plenty of sick vinyls to flip through while you enjoy some live music. A mere $5 will get you this fantastic experience.
I would like to compare Julie Byrne’s music to that of a bird in flight. The chords swoop in from the clouds, barely audible to the ear. Then, the wings of the track flap, move closer, creating a delicate ripple as the sweet trill of her voice is heard. It’s like she’s constantly walking further away from you, murmuring to herself, quietly expressing what’s suppressed within her mind. The nightingale is originally a Buffalo native, recently making the move from Chicago to Seattle. 2014 brings us her latest work, Rooms With Walls And Windows, that begins with a spacious balance between strumming and plucking, her words barely coming through until a more distinct ruffle bubbles up. Not every song of hers is a tease. “Emeralds” and “Holiday” clearly define Byrne’s ability to create a captivating melody in classic singer/songwriter form. Lyrically, she poeticizes about fleeting moments that suits her singing style[...]
To get to the point, The War on Drugs’ most recent record, Lost in the Dream, is one of the most universally likeable rock records to come out in awhile. It is an early contender for album of the year and will definitely make many top 10 lists barring some sort of truly miraculous run of records (which, by all means, is welcome to happen) between now and December. If you are like me and would only love Bruce Springsteen if he were a little more influenced by Neu!, then this record is a must listen. It is as precise and charging as it is dreamy and lyrical. If you ever wondered what would play if you were ever standing atop a train driving into the American West and looking towards your future, this is it. Don’t even try to act like you haven’t pictured this before. With that introduction, it[...]
There’s nothing quite like seeing an artist’s bold vision come to fruition as they carve out a space for themselves that feels comfortably unfamiliar, defying traditional genre classification, and most importantly, forcing us to think about music in a novel way. Through four albums as St. Vincent, singer/multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark has consistently kept listeners guessing, crafting a vividly experimental sound that often juxtaposes celestial arrangements with jarring, manic guitar solos. A supremely talented musician and visionary, Annie Clark has always had a “future is now” vibe about her, and on St. Vincent’s eponymous current album, she’s never been more daring. St. Vincent returns to Buffalo 2 years after her magnificent show at the Town Ballroom for a hotly anticipated and totally sold out show tonight at Babeville’s Asbury Hall. Doors are at 7 PM, with a mystery opener starting proceedings. See you there.
Tonight, Buffalo has a Black Numbers showcase to offer. Banquets will be coming through to visit (one of) our favorite local record stores alongside the equally emo, but ever-so-slightly grungier Placeholder. I’m positive I’m going to say the word “emo” several more times throughout this post, but hey, I’m not complaining. Its going to be a great show. Local support tonight comes from the dudes in Lancer (with a guest member from Brother Keep), as well as old-school emo support from Alleys (who have a similar connection to Buffalo emo-kingpins Figurehead). This one is an early one – $10 gets you into a show that ends by eight so you have time to party hard afterwards.
If you’re ready to set the pace for the upcoming months, as the weather becomes a little kinder, the electro-rock grooves of Jimkata would be the right place to start. Even though the quartet is a staple within the jam circuit, with the release of their album Die Digital they set themselves aside from the aimless sea of extended improvisations. Jimkata is EDM without overkill, indie without drab, and rock without the drama. This March the group released a singles collection Feel In Light, that carries throughout a blissful chord and is best heard with the volume up high. Cosmic Dust Bunnies, hailing from Connecticut, will be opening the night with their series of high-energy ‘wavetronica’ flow. Details: 10 pieces of gold to get you in, 21+ ID to seal the deal. 9 p.m., Nietzche’s.
Iron Chic is a band with an amusing tongue in cheek modesty, describing themselves as a “decent” band that plays “acceptable” music. They also go by the self deprecating title of, Your Previous Least Favorite Band, giving the impression that they’re not even important enough to be your current least favorite band, with the majority of their albums collecting dust in the 50 cent bin of forgotten thrift stores and the corners of basements across the country. Except of course, that totally isn’t the case. Iron Chic tackles cartwheeling Long Island pop punk that should turn audiences into a motion blur, and their music couldn’t be more alive. They released their new album, The Constant One, back in November, and now their touring trek leads them to Broadway Joe’s. Speaking of new releases and pop punk, two local acts are also slinging out new LP’s tonight. Longstanding Buffalo act Failures’ Union will bring[...]