Latest Posts

Must See Shows (10/9/24-10/15/24)

Wednesday, October 9th @ 7pm Robert Ellis @ 9th Ward Houston-based singer/songwriter Robert Ellis makes a stop in the Babeville basement this Wednesday for an intimate performance. Touring in support of his latest album, Yesterday’s News, showgoers will be captivated by Ellis’ phenomenal story telling and alt country twang. Fans of Nick Drake, Justin Townes Earle, Jason Isbell, or Joe Pug should be up for a midweek foray onto the Delaware Strip. Tickets are $25. Friday, October 11th @ 7pm Ashford (Album Release Show) w/ Previous Love, The Weather Might Say Otherwise, & Robbery Club @ Mohawk Place Ashford are celebrating the release of their brand new full-length album, Pictures of Places I’ve Been, at what is bound to be the talk of Mohawk Ave. on Friday. The post-pop-punk project has been around for over eight years, but has really emerged as a a scene heavy-hitter after emerging from post-COVID[...]

Chris Scamurra and Nick Reynolds of Portland is the New Portland

The blog doesn’t voyage into the film realm often because, well, we are a music blog. However, Chris Scamurra and Nick Reynolds’ new short-film, Portland is the New Portland, blurs the lines too much for us to ignore. The duo was a staple of Buffalo’s music scene in the first half of the 2010s, and were heavily featured here on the blog with their project, Space Wolves. The short-film’s premise of a do-it-yourself musician juggling multiple projects has the potential to connect deeply with so many involved in the local scene. Moreover, the protagonist in the feature is Matthew Danger Lippman, another buffaBLOG favorite from the 2010s. We had a chance to speak with the co-creators of Portland is the New Portland  in the midst of their media blitz for the short film. The picture has been making the rounds for the past month in the national film festival circuit,[...]

Tonight: Space Wolves

You wouldn’t necessarily guess it upon first listen, but Space Wolves’ music offers up an interesting contradiction. The duo, comprised of Chris Scamurra and Nick Reynolds, pairs woeful lyrics with docile instrumentals, then runs it all through a sprightly, retro-pop filter. Of course, it’s a little naive to to think that happy sounding music always equates to happy subject matter, but SW’s version of this contradiction really resonates. To me, it’s the very real angst that a lot of us self-doubting, nervous ninnies feel, masked in the sunny tint of a 60’s sitcom. In a similar fashion to Newish Star, Space Wolves have very few songs over two and half minutes, making each one a quick jab that knocks you back because you’re either A) relating all too well to the tragedies of heartbreak and debilitating anxiety or B) you’re dancing your arse off to the rambunctious surf rock melodies.[...]

Tonight: Richard Album

Last time Richard Album came through town, a bunch of people crowded into the living room of the Jungle Gym. I think he was wearing black lipstick, and maybe a tie. There were candles and the lights were low, but Richard was up and down the aisle of people acting charming and sincere like a vulnerable lounge singer. Maybe my memory is filling in some blanks, but that’s the impression I got. Now he’s coming back for a repeat performance and I hope it’s just like that. His music is a bit punky, a bit surfy, occasionally a bit Ariel Pinky in its aesthetic and its earnestness, but more likable. He’ll be joined by surf-rockers Space Wolves, new two-piece Getting Dressed and established two-piece Space is Haunted, who will also be releasing a tape at the show. Doors at 6pm, show at 7pm, $5 for the touring band. Facebook event[...]

Space Wolves – Space Wolves V

There is something honestly comforting about Nick Reynolds’ guitar playing. It suggests an alternate world of infinitely catchy pop rock where everyone is walking down a sun filled street whistling Space Wolves. Given that Reynolds’ lyrics are as angst ridden as his guitar is bright and chipper makes it all the better. On Saturday, Space Wolves released their 5th full length, appropriately titled Space Wolves V, after an almost two year hiatus. The duo has returned as if they never left, with no loss of their original immediate appeal. I find it sometimes very difficult to write a review of music like this,  harboring personal suspicions that magazines that run 4 sentence reviews have it right in general. This is not a dig against Space Wolves, far from it, it is meant to underscore that this tape’s pleasures are simple and immediately apparent (again in my alternate world where everyone[...]

Tonight: Newish Star & Space Wolves

Space Wolves and Newish Star are both putting out new cassettes; They’re playing a release show today at the Glitterbox with Alpha Hopper and Space is Haunted; There are, reportedly, free beverages, cookies, clothing, and balloons; You’ll also be able to pick up the new Feral Kid Records mix tape, which features Mallwalkers, Plates, Resist Control, White Whale, Utah Jazz, and more; There’s a mixtape exchange going on, if you’ve got any to spare; It’s all free, bay bee. What god smiled on us to make this show happen? Pick one to believe in, at least for today, because this will be grand. Below: good songs from both bands releasing tapes. Facebook event here.

Tonight: The Shivas

Tonight Mohawk Place (47 East Mohawk) has a pretty bitchin’ bill that will appease both the DIYers and entry level plebs. Headlining the stacked bill is Portland-based dream-surf foursome, The Shivas. With releases on both K Records and Burger Records, the band’s sound could easily be compared to SW/MM/NG, Beach Fossils, and a pinch of Aaron and the Burrs.  Not to be forgotten is the killer support for the show, featuring lo-fi electropop outfit, Small Smalls, power-pop partners, Space Wolves, and in-your-face punk act, Mayday! Should start off right at 9pm with a $6 cover.

Tonight: Peterwalkee Records Fest – Day Two

Day Two is underway for Buffalo’s most talked about independent record showcase, featuring some of the city’s best DIY artists. Peterwalkee Records has put together a great lineup featuring a who’s who of interesting and creatively “free” acts, including hometown heroes, Lemuria, buffaBLOG favorites Space Wolves and Mallwalkers, as well as up and comers Cross Stitch and Newish Star and a host of several others. In addition to the music (doors at 6, first band at 7), the American Legion 1041 (533 Amherst St), will also feature an art show, including art from band members playing the fest. You can expect big sales, vendors from local record shops and all the best food and music this side of the border. If you appreciate the DIY ethic, or are just looking to hear some rad bands, make it down the Legion tonight and celebrate with the best of em.

Space Wolves and Lesionread Featured on Chicago Public Access

Last spring, two Buffalo acts, Lesionread and Space Wolves, ventured west to take part in Chicago-based public access show, Chic-a-Go-Go. The cult show has billed itself as a “dance show for kids of all ages,” having past guests such as Dan Deacon, Fugazi, TV on the Radio, and Everlast. With teased instagram videos leaked a couple months back, the performances have been anxiously awaited by many in the buffaBLOG office. In the first video, Lesionread and his merry band of morphsuits bring his converted work bench-turned technology holder to an audience of unaccompanied minors/cool dads. Spazzy and flamboyant, the performance is high-energy much like Lesionread’s usual routine. What is not par is the weirdo popper’s unusually shy demeanor post-performance interview. Perhaps all of the dancing children/TV cameras made him a little nervous. Following Lesionread (or the order I watched the videos) was fuzz-surf duo, Space Wolves. Although the band is already[...]

Steak & Cake Records

Let’s get this done! This Friday, Buffalo’s own Steak & Cake Records, the Potomac based DIY label, will host the very first showcase of the inaugural Herd Fest at College Street Gallery, featuring a stacked lineup of local favorites. Space Wolves will kick off the night at 7:00 with a set of their signature blend of surf / garage rock, followed by the rhythmic indie pep of the NYBRKFST (pronounced “New York Breakfast”) at 7:45. Next up on the menu of delicious sonic treats is Alex Berkley & the Atlanta Falcons at 8:40, which is bound to be bangin’ if their performance at the buffaBLOG Birthday Party earlier this year is any indication of what Berkley and the boys are capable of. I’m especially excited for the return of A Hotel Nourishing, closing out the showcase with their set at 9:25. You won’t want to miss this two-piece, consisting of[...]

Tonight: Delay

I quoted a guy named Jordan Nittoli on Monday and goddamnit, I’ll do it again, if only because this is actually the gig he was talking about: “Buffalo rools cuz there are a lot of gigs every week : ^ ).” Tonight, another installment of Punk ‘N Tots goes down over at Broadway Joe’s. Columbus’s Delay will be making their way over from Akron on the second stop of a two-month tour. Their latest release, Circle Change, is a nice self-contained power pop package, one which I’m sure will come across with great fuzz and fury live. Along with Delay, we’ve got Space Wolves, who have likely already stolen your heart in the past with their poppy surfy goodness. We’ve got Mapmaker, one of podcast host Mike Moretti’s favorite bands of the year, who will hopefully have some copies of their recent album Critical Path on hand to be exchanged[...]

Tonight: Screaming Females

There’s something ironic about having a band like New Jersey’s Screaming Females playing at Buffalo Iron Works. Something just doesn’t sit right with me. A band who has worked with the likes of Steve Albini playing at a venue that sells four dollar Pabst Blue Ribbons. Not that they have any say in a venue’s drink prices. It just doesn’t seem right is all. The Screaming Females scream Old Milwaukee and rot gut whiskey. They scream dirt, grime, and hepatitis. When you hear vocalist/ guitarist Marissa Paternoster belt out verses lines like, “I’m on a mission to smash the mirror/ Get myself off the scale,” you imagine it being in a dive bar in the deep swallows of the city. A place where you’d imagine to find an overdosed Iggy Pop, circa 1972, not in a bar in the cobblestone district with six dollar draft beers. I hope you made[...]