Latest Posts

Japanese Breakfast at Mohawk Place (4/23/17)

April 28, 2017

Japanese Breakfast’s dreamy indie-pop was met with rapturous acclaim at Mohawk Place on Sunday, April 23rd, at the band’s first live appearance in Buffalo. Equal parts shimmering and sinister, Michelle Zauner’s emotive songs express both harrowing loss and radiant joy over a bed of gossamer guitars and transcendent pop hooks. Supporting Japanese Breakfast that night was Rebecca Ryskalczyk, a singer-songwriter specializing in spartan guitar confessionals, and local act The Leones, a ghostly psych-rock quartet with a penchant for darkness. Check out the photos below. The Leones Rebecca Ryskalczyk Japanese Breakfast  

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[...]

Tonight: Rebecca Ryskalczyk

July 27, 2015

Rebecca Ryskalczyk, a current member of Bethlehem Steel and former member of the now defunct Paul’s Grandfather, is no stranger to the DIY music scene. As of late, she’s really taken the DIY attitude to heart by embarking on a solo tour. That solo tour has landed her in her home city tonight, to much anticipation from friends and fans alike. Ryskalczyk has a subtle approach to vocals and instrumentals, but there’s more to it than that. Though she successfully maintains a genuine vulnerability in her sound, total fragility doesn’t seem to be what she’s going for. This helps her music have it’s own alluring brand of dynamism, in that she can be gently whisper-singing one second, belting the next, and have it all dig at you in some intense way. This show is definitely a good one to check out, whether you haven’t made it out to any Infringement[...]

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[...]

Tonight: Steak & Cake Records Presents Parlor Trix #1

June 1, 2014

Local DIY label, Steak & Cake Records, is set to present an evening showcase featuring some of Buffalo’s very best up-and-coming talents in the comfort of the CEO’s living room (410 Potomoc). If the lineup correlates with the order given on the event page, first up is Joey Mason, an East Aurora raised one-man band who teeter between Phoenix influenced psych-pop with a healthy dose of Strokes vibes mixed throughout. Next is Sonny Baker, a musician that by now needs no introduction or writeup because he is mentioned here weekly via one of his many projects (solo, A Hotel Nourishing, Wooden Waves, Lazlo Holyfeld, Alex Berkley and the Atlanta Falcons). Just expect that he will be playing guitar and singing tonight. Third on the lineup is mumble core savant, Damian Weber. Fresh off the heel’s of March’s incredible You Don’t Need It (recorded with Steak & Cake), Weber will be[...]