Latest Posts

Record Store Day 2017 is Tomorrow

April 21, 2017

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Record Store Day, the international celebration of vinyl, physical media and the indie record stores that sell returns tomorrow with celebrations happening locally at Buffalo’s surviving record shops. Whether you brave the early morning lines for the Record Store Day special goodies you’ve scouted in advance or plan on some leisurely shopping, bonhomie, and live music later in the day after the rush subsides, enjoy yourselves (“It’s a celebration!”) and be sure to spend some money to keep these treasured local resources going: Record Theatre will be having their annual Record Store Day blowout at their remaining location at Main and Lafayette from 9 AM til 9 PM with the line forming Friday night I imagine. They’ll have the RSD special releases, live music from 12pm-7pm, plus the R&R BBQ Truck for lunch, Lloyd’s for dinner, and Community Beer Works local brew throughout the[...]

Record Store Day Black Friday Preview

November 25, 2015

Ah… the filthy capitalists! In their unquenchable thirst for more dollars they finally managed to thoroughly bungle Black Friday last year, with ludicrous early AM opening times and worse, some retailers even opened on Thanksgiving Day. Consumers amazingly said “ya basta!” and the swine took a bath. It was beautiful. Independent record stores however eschewed the lunacy, instead continuing their own Black Friday tradition of Record Store Day specials and in store fun, a tradition that will be there for you, weary consumer, after you’ve done battle, or eschewed the scrum and saved yourselves exclusively for the pleasures of the record shop. In either case, enjoy yourselves at these following fine record merchants. Both Record Theatre locations (3500 Main St in University Plaza, 1800 Main St at Lafayette St) will be opening at 9am with Black Friday Record Store Day special releases, prizes, and surprises all day. Black Dots (223 Lafayette St[...]

Done Diggin’: Staff Grabs

April 19, 2015

Another Record Store Day came and went this past Saturday, and it turned out to be a great overall experience for many of us on staff here at the blog. The weather was fantastic, dozens of local bands were playing free shows all over Buffalo’s record shops, and we even bought some decent vinyl. Check out what a few of our writers had to say about Record Store Day 2015. Cliff Parks My football (soccer) team Arsenal was in the FA Cup semifinal, forcing me to bail on the prodigious line at the original Record Theatre at Main and Lafayette, which wasn’t specifically the end of the world because there weren’t too many RSD special releases this year that I considered “MUST HAVE.” Next year, hopefully I won’t such a conflict again, otherwise I’ll have to get in line at 5am like the brave souls at the head of the[...]

Today: Del Paxton

April 17, 2015

In case you’ve been ignoring our Still Diggin’ posts, today is Record Store Day.  As a sort of celebration, local independent record boutique Black Dots will be holding a show at the shop. Unlink every other show at Black Dots, instead of being held inside, the bands will play playing outside on a patio above the garage connected on the side of the shop. Genre wise, this showcase really hits all ends of the spectrum. Playing will be local indie lake-pop act, Bryan Johnson and Family,  avant-garde Black Dots signee, Cages, as well as indiemo rockers Del Paxton. This show will serve as the official release show for Del Paxton’s 7” split with Gulfer, out on Topshelf Records. The forecast is looking great for today, so its sure to be a great show.  If you have some spare time during your busy record store shoping,  Cages will be opening the[...]

Still Diggin’: I Hate Record Store Day

April 17, 2015

In the summer of 2002, I went and bought my first record at Home of the Hits. It was The Shins’ Oh Inverted World, and it cost me about 17 dollars (I really don’t remember the price to be honest). That day, I spent a sleepy afternoon flipping through all of the records, carefully weighing my limited budget against my nearly unlimited options. I took it home and must have listened to it nearly every day that summer. I have collected records and used it as my primary means of purchasing music ever since, and the question I sometimes ask myself, in the face of a wide variety of ways to listen to music from Pandora to Tidal (can anyone say Tidal with a straight fact by the way?), why do I still go with LPs as my preference? Thinking it over, I think my reasoning comes down to a desire to[...]

Still Diggin’: Spiral Scratch Records

April 17, 2015

Spiral Scratch Records is the kind of place that’s becoming increasingly hard to find in these times of big-box department stores and strip malls – a shop with character. The Bryant Street record shop is Buffalo’s only independent record store, and definitely one of the quaintest record joints around. Its entire retail space could fit probably fit into your living room, or a single studio apartment, so the place feels crowded with just a half a dozen patrons. But that’s also its charm – the personal, individualized feel of the place, and the chance to interact with hip people who probably share your tastes in music. While the store boasts a good collection of new and used vinyl records – along with various clothes, CDs, books, magazines, stickers and the like – they specialize mainly in punk, indie-rock, and various underground and cult acts. On a typical day you can[...]

Still Diggin’: Always Dancing

April 16, 2015

Another year has passed and my musical evolution has continued on. Record Store Day is coming up once again, and I have a story to tell. My grandparents introduced me to vinyl. When I was small, I was fascinated by their turntable. I would push the glass door gently so it would pop open. My grandmother, the matriarch of the Greco family, would come over and help me pick out a record. Their collection was filled with the classics, especially the beloved Frank Sinatra. Probably around three or four years old, I would always pick out Sesame Street Fever which she would then drop the needle on so I could dance around in the living room. The hilarious child-inspired rendition of Saturday Night Fever, SSF is a concept album made by Sesame Street in 1978. The album artwork is ridiculously and hilariously on point. Bert, Ernie and the Cookie Monster pose[...]

The Wayouts Record Exclusive Record Store Day 7″ for WAYO FM

April 16, 2015

With all this talk of Record Store Day in Buffalo, there is a pretty cool RSD related project coming out of Rochester for Saturday’s big day. Featuring members of SPORTS, No Glitter, Howlo, Faux Leather Jacket, and Pleistocene, the Wayouts recorded a two track pressing titled Way Out​/​Roses and Rainbows in Ben Morey’s Submarine Records studio. The “supergroup” of sorts fleshed out a new version of the track “Way Out,” originally featured on an episode of the Flinstones back in the 60’s, in addition to a cover of “Roses and Rainbows” by Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night. Pleistocene’s Katie Preston tackles lead vocals on the latter track. Those screaming teenagers you hear in “Roses and Rainbows” are original shrieks recorded from overwhelmed Beatles’ fans outside of one of the Fab Four’s shows. The 7″ is currently available for purchase on the band’s bandcamp page, in addition to a limited number of  physical copies[...]

buffaBLOG Record Store Day 2015 Preview (WNY Edition)

April 15, 2015

What began as an effort to save independent record stores has evolved into an almost full-fledged international holiday for music lovers, and 2015’s year’s Record Store Day this Saturday promises to be the biggest yet at our local record shops. Seldom does commerce and art and bonafide happening intersect so beautifully as on Record Store Day, and in shops all over Western New York music fans will converge in search of deals, new and esoteric special releases, and the bonhomie one finds when lovers of vinyl come together to celebrate something they hold special. Is it too much to call Record Store Day an almost religious observance? Certainly, but with the shared reverence, goodwill, joyful expectation, hand shaking and good tidings, it’s not far off. To help you get your good feels on this Saturday, here’s our annual guide to Record Store Day in WNY 2015. Of course many of[...]

Still Diggin’: To Buy or Not To Buy

April 15, 2015

I download a lot of music, like a lot, and not in the legal way (shhh). It’s just so easy to go on a torrent page and type in an artist/album, and within seconds, have that music at my finger tips. Last year, after owning one of the crappiest record players known to man (thanks for nothing Urban Outfitters), I finally bought a solid player from U Turn, based on the recommendation from a fellow Rochester music blog. Once I got my player/receiver/speakers finally step up (which was another headache in its own right), I started to put a conscious effort towards building a small record collection. I began with some of my all-time favorites: Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People, Wilco’s Being There, pretty much any Radiohead, but after that, I kind of just stopped. I would spend hours walking up and down aisles in shops like[...]

Still Diggin’: Shopping Local

April 14, 2015

I remember beginning to buy and collect vinyl about four years ago. Sure, since then, my taste has changed vastly, but the reasoning for buying is still the same. There’s just something weird about owning a record, something that I can’t easily put into words, and it’s something that definitely seems to confuse a lot of people. For me, records have always been sort of a ritual for me in a way. Having to pull one off the shelf, open it up, and read the liner notes after dropping the needle is what draws me in. Simply put, it’s the involvement that listening to vinyl requires that makes it special, the involvement that that other formats lack. That involvement has drawn me in and turned record shopping into a real money sink, but a money sink that I love and has made music a truly special aspect of my life.[...]

Still Diggin’: Record Store Relationships

April 13, 2015

With Record Store Day quickly approaching, I’m reminded how much the record industry has changed. What was one a booming industry has needed the adrenaline shot of Record Store Day to keep many of the institutions we hold dear afloat. And the act of buying records, which was once a rite of passage, has turned into a niche hobby. But for me, record stores played a massive role in my childhood. More than simply a place to pick up that new Wolf Parade 7′ or an Of Montreal shirt, these were places where I could meet people who actually liked the same things I did, these places were special. And no record store was more special to me than Toronto’s Sonic Boom. Before changing owners, locations, and even being immortalized in film over the past five years, Sonic Boom was something magical in its original Bloor street location. My first[...]

Record Store Day Celebrates Black Friday

November 25, 2014

After you awaken from your Thanksgiving dinner(s) coma this Friday, consider spending some of your Black Friday shopping and money at local records stores. The OTHER Record Store Day (the big one traditionally is in April) is still an important day for shops as special releases and deals will be available only this Friday. The Main St./Lafayette location of Record Theatre will be hosting an in-store, acoustic appearance from New Politics prior to the trio’s gig at Town Ballroom later that evening. Community Beer Works will be on tap and sold on site, and Alt Buffalo will be on hand as well. Check out full event details here. Black Dots, over on Grant and Lafayette, will also be offering some great deals on Friday including 15%-20% off new and used LPs. Visit the shop’s facebook page for a full list of specials. Other local shops like Spiral Scratch and the University[...]

Today: Record Store Day

April 19, 2014

As you prepare to roam Buffalo in pursuit of a tangible music medium to take home and cherish forever, you may first want to plan out your optimal Record Store Day experience, which should obviously involve live music. Both Spiral Scratch and Black Dots Records will be hosting such entertainment, and they are well within walking distance of each other. Spiral Scratch has been an important stop during Record Store Day for years. They’re offering great deals to music lovers, and have put together quite a solid line-up of bands which can be seen here. Customers who spend over 50 bucks are being offered a limited edition Spiral Scratch tote bag. The music starts at 12PM and the show is free, but it is recommendable to tip the acts. Black Dots is new on the scene, but has already kicked up quite a buzz. Black Dots also offers a tote[...]

Still Diggin’: Discover, Explore, Dance On It

April 18, 2014

Since my last Record Store Day post, my collection has taken on a life of its own. I have sought out vinyl from my wishlist, in addition to some records that have seemed to just come into my life. Initially, digging for records was a solo mission of mine; occasionally my little brother and I would go on an excursion to Sound Garden in Syracuse, my hometown. But just recently I experienced that camaraderie that can grow from a visit to the record store. A couple friends invited me to go to Record Theatre. Surprisingly, this was my first time there. I am shocked (and others as well) that it was my first, mostly because it’s located smack dab in my old neighborhood, when I went to Canisius College. I went seeking the newest Tycho album, but, to my dismay it was on backorder. So we wandered. Another group joined[...]