Latest Posts

Skirts Premieres First Single from Upcoming Comfy Split EP

June 16, 2015

After another week already full of relentless show announcements (now Built to Spill?!), it seems fitting that we near the end of our day with a post about something else that just won’t quit—Rochester’s 2015 music scene. With excellent and promising releases from artists like OHS, Howlo, Pleistocene, and Harmonica Lewinski (among many others) having dropped or on the horizon for this year, we’re happy to premiere another track worthy of your attention. Rochester garage-pop darlings, Skirts, have just dropped their first track from their upcoming split with Utica-based Comfy (that’s all of them in the photo being friendly), the tape slated for release later this summer on Miscreant/Dadstache. The song, titled “Indian Premier League,” does not disappoint, channeling an upbeat island sound similar to something you might hear from Cults or a chilled-out Vampire Weekend. The progression is fun and catchy, percussion is flavorful, and the vocal harmonies are[...]

Tonight: Fourth Annual Neil Young Tribute

June 12, 2015

I’m going to preface this preview with the following statement: I don’t own a working record player. But there I was, a few Saturdays past, browsing a few milk crates of old vinyl in some dude’s garage at an East Aurora garage sale. The lot looked pretty picked over, there were a couple Neil Diamond albums, way too much Barbara Streisand (he claimed they were his wife’s), and—wouldn’t you know it—two classic Neil Young records. Despite my inability to actually spin them, I left that garage sale with clean copies of After The Gold Rush and Harvest, and a smile on my face. Why? Because if there is ass to be kicked, Neil Young is there to kick it. The folk musician’s extensive discography spans the late 60’s to today, with Young’s thirty-sixth studio album scheduled for release later this month. And tonight at Nietzsche’s, Buffalo will pay tribute to[...]

Sixties Future Drops Newest Single “Sugar”

June 9, 2015

Having just recently emerged on the local band circuit, Sixties Future is on a bit of a roll here, despite its infancy. Last month, the quartet dropped two introductory tracks in “Skeleton” and “Shot,” giving us a solid preview of what the band is all about: straightforward rock-and-roll that is handsome, catchy, and radio-ready. This week, the group brings us another freshie in the form of “Sugar,” an upbeat fireball of a track channeling Springsteen in his best moments. The song, recorded at GCR Audio with Buffalo boardlord Jay Zubricky, balances quick, tom-driven percussion and loud, urgent guitar playing for a high-energy sweet spot that makes me want to front-kick holes in drywall. Fans of The National or The Gaslight Anthem: you’d dig. Sixties Future will play its first gig this Saturday at the Humble Braggers’ EP Release Party; don’t miss out. Until then, give “Sugar” a spin below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/203939123″[...]

Tonight: YAWN

June 8, 2015

Sugar City has been tearing it up lately with excellent and affordable all-ages bills featuring some of the coolest indie/punk/whatever acts rolling through Buffalo, many times stacked with quality local talent. Tonight the newly revamped Niagara St. venue will follow that trend when Chicago’s indie-psyche sensation YAWN brings its freshness to the Queen City. The act’s latest LP Love Chills (via Old Flame Records) is blissful and weird, channeling catchy summer vibes through a pair of kaleidoscope binoculars. Recommended for fans of MGMT, Panda Bear, and Menomena. Though YAWN won’t be the only act peddling pandemonium from Sugar City’s freshly-built stage tonight, as the Buffalo-bred experi-tronic whiz kid Lesionread will be shaking things up with his own electro craziness to whip the crowd into shape. If you’ve never been to a Lesionread show you should probably remedy that tonight. Also on tonight’s bill are YAWN tourmates Blind Moon and Pleasure Hammer,[...]

Blonde Redhead

June 5, 2015

Blonde Redhead is a band whose music speaks for itself. And sure, by definition, that is what being in a band is all about—writing, recording, and performing something worthwhile. Yet there exist so many artists today who build their reputations on a foundation of publicity stunts (“Imma let you finish but…”), ceaseless social media interaction, and endorsements. A sad thought to think that perhaps that’s just the way the industry operates now. But in this current age, in which a quantifiable number of twitter followers may often times trump true musicanship, it’s refreshing to see a band like Blonde Redhead maintain consistent quality throughout the course of their 20+ year run. Amidst preparation for a full US tour, which makes a stop at The Waiting Room on June 16th, singer/drummer Simone Pace agreed graciously to answer a few questions we had about this ‘quality over quantity’ business, among other things.[...]

Tonight: Matt “MV” Valentine

June 1, 2015

Today is Monday. If you’re one of those people who just can’t seem to say goodbye to that sweet, sweet weekend (acute weekend separation anxiety syndrome, or AWSAS), then take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay. Tonight, underground-ish experimental psyche superstar Matt “MV” Valentine makes a return to the Queen City in support of his sprawling new double LP Midden Mound, an album that will probably make you forget what day of the week it is, anyway. Valentine, one half of folk duo MV & EE, is known for his mind-bending neo-psychedelia; his new album conjures up a good Dark Side of the Moon feel, albeit seared with his signature style of experimentation that will melt your weekday blues away. Opening talent for Valentine’s stop at Mohawk place includes indie folk singer/songwriter Chase Huglin (Fort Wayne, IN), Scott Valkwitch / Bill Nehill duo (of Mohawk Place royalty), Steve Baczkowski /[...]

Pappy Stardust Reveals Fresh Single “Want You to Know”

May 28, 2015

Pappy Stardust, the Buffalo based/Rochester bred psychedelic garage rock outfit for the solo work of songwriter Steve Leszyk, just unleashed a fresh track upon the masses last week. The leisurely track, titled “Want You to Know,” offers flavorful guitar riffage that grooves, shreds, evolves, combines, separates, and repeats. Leszyk peppers the track with his blues-tinged hound dog vocals, but usually lets the guitarwork do the singing for him, striking a satisfying balance of slack, garage, and psyche. The track reminds me of something an ambitious Devendra Banhart might put out, maybe if he started throwing back shots with Mac Demarco and hit the studio for a day or two. “Want You to Know” is the first single of the band’s upcoming album and is available for free download on their bandcamp page. Keep your ear to the ground for more from these guy(s) in the near future, and blast that[...]

Hania Yiska – The Beauty Within

May 25, 2015

You could be listening to one of two different artists if you’re giving our latest album of the week a spin. Well, kind of. One of Rochester’s primo electronica artists, Jeffery Hull, writes under a slew of various pseudonyms, his name contingent upon the style and mood under which he is writing. For the purpose of this article, which highlights his latest release The Beauty Within, I’ll be focusing on two: Hania Yiska, which explores his sonic creations with vocals layered on top, and Mad Hugs, which is the artist’s instrumental side of things. It should come as no surprise that Hania Yiska and Mad Hugs are actually very similar; both projects are brainchildren of the same brain. Yet, where there are obvious and innate similarities, there are also small differences that mark an interesting variety in Hull’s electronic craft. While Yiska delves into vocal territory with a pseudo-experimental fervor[...]

OHS – Long Legs

May 18, 2015

It stands to say that Sam Snyder is about as DIY as they come. The Rochester-based musician, commonly referred to as “Overhand Sam” on the local band circuit, is the emblematic jack-of-all-trades—writing, playing, recording, and engineering his own sonic outpourings. But his musicianship is not the only facet that defines him—Snyder also runs a local record label / production team hybrid called Turtle Phonic that records artists in his attic studio and subsequently promotes the shit out them. (Have a look at #turtlephonic on Instagram.) Snyder’s latest release under his OHS moniker—a “mini LP” titled Long Legs— is a stylistic potpourri, drawing influence from a grand multitude of artists and ultimately cohering into his most stimulating material to date. It’s tough to lay down an all-encompassing classification on such an eclectic bunch of tracks, though most of the songs share elements of psychedelia at its most basic of definitions. Sam[...]

Tonight: Great Lake Swimmers

May 16, 2015

Toronto-based indie folk sweethearts Great Lake Swimmers will make their return to Buffalo tonight in support of A Forest of Arms, their first album since 2012’s New Wild Everywhere. Taking cues from influences ranging Sufjan to Neil Young, Hank Williams and beyond, the rootsy charm of their craft has been beloved by many since their debut in 2003. Those attending will enjoy the comforts and high-end acoustics of The Tralf, as well as mystery opener “special guests” whom even I don’t know the identity of. Tickets for tonight’s show are now $15 at the door, and it serves to mention that the event is 21+. Sorry, kiddos. Doors at 7pm.

The Tallest Man On Earth – Dark Bird Is Home

May 13, 2015

“Every day a growlin’ storm, but they’re kind somehow…” chirps Kristian Matsson, or The Tallest Man On Earth as he is so endearingly known, on the title track of his newest record Dark Bird Is Home, his lyrics still soaked with the stoic isolation that so beautifully sets the man apart from his contemporaries. While modern ‘folk’ artists (I’m looking at you Mumford and Sons, Lumineers) set their scopes on hand-clappingly accessible sing-along hits, Matsson continues to write songs for himself—unearthing his inner poeticisms and bearing them over songs with increasingly lush instrumentation. Though I’m reluctant to compare Tallest Man to anything that can be considered “modern,” his newest album does re-embrace the full-band jubilance of 2012’s There’s No Leaving Now. That’s not to say Dark Bird is without the profound simplicities that Matsson is known for, but the album does strike an interesting balance between the two. That balance[...]

Tonight: Pam Swarts, Fashion Expo 1990, and many more

May 8, 2015

In what is probably the largest non-festival local bill so far this year, Mohawk Place will play host to a deliciously wide spectrum of musical talent tonight. Beginning at 8pm, with no definitive headliner, tonight’s performances are to include the eclectic klezmer vibes of Ahavaraba, the powerful acoustic songwriting of Lara Buckley, Different Planets’ electronoise lounge beats, Rochester’s Makeshift Letterbox and their thick and eerie post rock, abrasive feminist punkers Jamie and the Debt, Pam Swarts’ beautifully layered art rock expeditions, Buffalo’s favorite saucy alt rap duo Jack Topht and Little Cake, and finally electro/house duo Fashion Expo 1990, who will be closing out the night at 11:30. *Inhales deeply* Mohawk Place will be divided into two separate stages for the monster of a bill, with live music being played endlessly from 8pm until after midnight. I know it’s getting warm out, but don’t wear flip-flops—more than just a few[...]

CCDS (DEATH SQUAD) Drops New Video

May 7, 2015

One of Buffalo’s most unique musical projects comes in the form of local drum duo CCDS – DEATH SQUAD, and the pair just dropped a new video on the Buffalo DIY YouTube channel. Normally, CCDS (Cameron Rogers and Amber Kogut) makes use of a sampler which they use to inject brief, interesting sound bites and recordings into their craft. However, in this video, an acoustic (dual kits) performance of their song “Murdered By Ghouls” in Buffalo’s reverberantly spacious Silo City, they cut the electronics out altogether. The result still gives way to something completely fresh, their synchronized tribal beatdowns echoing through concrete halls of the abandoned urban hotspot. Check it out below.

Tonight: Robert Sarazin Blake

April 29, 2015

All you folkies put on your Wednesday’s best; Robert Sarazin Blake is coming to town. Queen City Cartel is hosting the travelling folk singer/songwriter and his band, The put-it-all-down-in-a-Letters, tonight in the back room of Hardware on Allen. Blake is known for his inviting live performances of highly improvisational story folk, and anyone who has seen him perform before knows that “seeing him perform” isn’t really an all-encompassing way to describe being an audience member at one of his shows. In addition to the neighborly vibes of his celtic-laced acoustic songs, Blake excels at involving the audience conversationally, transforming whatever room he happens to be playing into a congenial space with old friends a-plenty. And speaking of old friends, the Americana balladeers in Pine Fever will be providing tonight’s local support. If there’s a good time to be had anywhere in Buffalo tonight, it’s here. Show starts at 8pm, with[...]

Neutral Milk Hotel at Asbury Hall (04/21/15)

April 22, 2015

Neutral Milk Hotel is a band that needs no introduction; if you’re reading this, you probably know exactly what you clicked on and why you clicked on it. Either you were there, basking in the intimate glow of Asbury Hall, or, regretfully, you missed out on the sold out show and read now to salt your wounds. For the very few of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, allow me to fill in the blanks. Neutral Milk Hotel, a band whose eclectic freak-folk stylings has amassed a mammoth indie-cred and a highly dedicated cult following—almost autonomously, I might add, as the group disbanded in 1999 and didn’t retake the stage until 2013—rolled through Babeville last night on what frontman Jeff Mangum is calling the band’s “last tour of the foreseeable future.” Undoubtedly some heartrending news (as farewell tours tend to be) for fans of the underground neo-folk[...]