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Must See Shows (2/19/25-2/25/25)

February 18, 2025

Thursday, February 20th @ 8pm Tough Old Bird @ Milkies   Thursday is a banger for any local indie-folkheads finding their way down the Elmwood Strip with four excellent acts joining forces to combat the inevitable cabin fever we will all have after this bone-chilling week. The lineup will feature local indie folk project Tough Old Bird *, a project headed by siblings Matthew and Nathan Corrigan, who have been playing the Western NY circuit for close to ten years. Recently, the band has expanded from an acoustic act to a fuller sound. Also on the bill is a rare appearance for busker-Americana act Jungle Steve with a full band, singer/songwriter John Herr and improv avant-garde trio plantwater. Doors at 7pm with a $10 cover.   Garden Dream by Tough Old Bird Friday, February 21st @ 7pm Steak and Cake’s 14th Anniversary Party @ Duende at Silo City   Local[...]

Guest Picks: Brandon Schlia

December 18, 2015

For our Best of 2015 coverage, we once again decided to reach out to some friends of the blog to get an idea of what made the year in music so great for them. For the latest installment in the guest series, Brandon Schlia, founder of local DIY label Steak and Cake Records, submitted his year end list. Earlier this month, S&C released its forth and final Christmas Meltdown compilation. Featuring holiday covers by Welks Mice, Beekeeper, RED HEAT, and more, the EP can be downloaded here. Make sure to follow all of the blog’s year in review coverage throughout the month of December. Thank you buffaBLOG for having me back for a third installment. Best Songs Homeshake – “Heat”* Don’t waste your time listening to this on laptop speakers. This is a headphone record. Peter Sagar shakes off the DeMarco skeletons and ends up sounding like a fever dream. And don’t forget about 2014’s[...]

Jawbone Releases Follow Up Record, 2

October 13, 2015

Jawbone, a dream team act of sorts featuring some of Steak and Cake’s regular players – Elias Van Son (Beekeeper), Ben Randall (the Etchings), Brandon Schlia (Red Heat, Rackmastas), and former Batavia native turned LA transplant Adam Steinbrenner – have re-teamed to release their follow up record to last year’s contribution to the label’s 2014 improv trilogy.  Recorded over a three hour writing/recording session at the S&C homebase of Curly’s, 2 is an impressive and very well flowing album, one that is especially remarkable given the record’s short turn around time. The lyrics were scavenged from old, unused poems written by Van Son, while the layered harmonies are provided by the Beekeeper front man, Schlia, Steinbrenner, and fellow S&C mainstay, Jaz Frazier. Creepy Clues-y keyboards, rugged early Saddle Creek instrumentation, and Paul Banks meets Aaron Weiss (mewithoutYOU) vocals, make 2 an album that you need to download immediately and cherish on your mobile devices. Check[...]

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: Curly’s Grand Re-Opening

July 8, 2015

The West Side’s newest basement venue is set to reopen its doors. Over the last couple months, Curly’s, the home base to Steak and Cake Records, was forced to relocate a handful of shows and go dark due to some residential conflicts, but now that matters have sorted themselves out, the DIY space will celebrate a grand re-opening this evening and smoother sailing for here on out. Tonight’s show will include the debut performance from Sonny Baker’s new trio. The group premiered its first single from the upcoming Flesh It Out EP on Monday, and is set to break in some of the new tunes for the eager audience. This evening will also feature the regrouping Queen City Lotto band Beast Coast, the return of basement super group Hot Tip, and the welcoming of Halifax’s psych pop act Walrus. Doors open at 6pm with a cover of $5. Music kicks[...]

Sonny Baker Premieres First Single from Upcoming Full Band EP

July 7, 2015

Today we have a release from Steak and Cake that is certainly worth noting. Sonny Baker, member of a bazillion other bands (Lazlo Hollyfeld, Wooden Waves, A Hotel Nourshing, etc.), has released the first single from his new project that’s bound to rock your face off. The song is called “You’re a Disaster/I’m a Disaster,” and will be featured on his upcoming, full band EP, Flesh It Out. It’s very reminiscent of old Japandroids: loud, simple, lo-fi, and just plain fun. The single opens up loud and throws dynamics out of the window. Immediately, we have the framework for the song  — a droning rhythm guitar with a short repetitive riff floating on top of it. The first verse comes in hot with slightly distorted vocals. There are a couple of different time changes in the song giving it a tiny bit of a math-y feel, but overall this is[...]

Zinnicimo Films Releases “A Rackmastas Dream”

July 7, 2015

Buffalo turned Las Vegas animator and filmmaker Robert Zinni of Zinnicimo Films recently released his latest project, a “visual remix” of Sax Appeal, the 2014 EP from the on-going grab bag duo of Rackmastas (Brandon Schilia and Jordan Jones of RED HEAT). ‘”A Rackmastas Dream” follows two inter-dimensional brothers, Harvie & Onezie, as they take a trip across time and space,” explains Zinni. “It took me about eight months to complete. Every movement, texture, and animation, I did myself. I took images or videos and manipulated them to create a world.” With the meticulously crafted, 8-bit inspired stop motion clip in the bag, Zinni will next team up RED HEAT as the politically minded punk trio is set to provide the score for his upcoming film Murphy 2. In the mean time, watch “A Rackamastas Dream” below.

Red Heat Shares Follow Up EP, Poisoning the Grand High Witch

February 17, 2015

Valentine’s Day is a time of love and passion (and mindless consumerism, but I digress), so it seems almost poetic–ironic, even–that Red Heat put out a fresh slew of political punk songs to digest this February 14th. The EP, titled Poisoning the Grand High Witch, is red hot (heh) and dirty, channeling the emotional rawness of an early Cursive or Desaparacidos and the discordant dance vibes of Death From Above 1979. The new release is currently streaming over on Steak and Cake’s bandcamp page and is available as a pay-what-you-want download. Check out “CHOMSKY” below and follow the link for more of this biting goodness.

James Rapp – “In Your Tomb”

June 30, 2014

Steak and Cake Records is to set to release the debut solo LP from James Rapp, whose primary band, The Rotaries, you may or may not remember was part of a SnC anniversary show a couple years back at the Vault. Titled Islander, the self-recorded album is set for release next Tuesday, July 8th, and features Rapp on every instrument. Lead off track and first single, “In Your Tomb,” sets the tone for the laid back affair: think Little Joy without the international flair or a less beat driven Islands. Islander is pleasant, summer soundtrack whether you are sweating out your Saturday Night at Bidwell Park or cooling off over at the harbor (pro tip: the best spot is behind the Outer Harbor stage). Keep an eye on Steak and Cake’s bandcamp page next week for the full album stream/download, and in the mean time, listen to “In Your Tomb” below.

Mink Releases Debut EP, Point Break

June 27, 2014

From the brains behind Inquiring Mind comes Mink, a new three piece band featuring members of the former said band and Tony Rocky Horror. The trio’s debut EP, Point Break, a surf rock nod to the great(?) Patrick Swayze/Keanu Reeves vehicle, is a fun, yet tense collection of attitude filled vocals and playful bass lines. With a growing surf rock scene on Buffalo’s West Side (Aaron and the Burrs, the Hamiltones), Mink will be in good company. Surf’s up.

Herd Fest: Day 1

June 22, 2014

This past weekend, buffaBLOG threw its inaugural Herd Fest: a two day, nine showcase festival scattered around Allen Town (and just beyond). With showcases at College Street Gallery, Nietzsche’s, Duke’s, and Hardware, each fit a certain taste and scene in Buffalo. Whether you like punk, roots, emo, or indie, Friday night had something for you. Check out some of our favorite pictures from Day 1 below and head over to our FB page for the full gallery. Photo Credit: Candace Camuglia

Just Announced: Herd Fest

April 14, 2014

Spring has arrived in Buffalo, and just like that, things are on the up.  With summer in the city nearly here, we are happy to announce our next big party plans. Rather than do another stand alone showcase, we decided to be a bit more ambitious this time around.  On June 20th and 21st, the first weekend of summer, we are proud to present Herd Fest. What is Herd Fest? Well, think of it as our own version of CMJ/SXSW. Nine showcases over a two day period in Allentown (and slightly beyond). And for this party, we invited a few of the blog’s closest friends around to be a part of the festivities by hosting their own showcases and personally selecting some of their favorite Buffalo acts to play. While final lineups and schedules won’t be released until May, here is a taste of what Herd Fest will be offering:[...]

Rackmastas Release Return of the Rack LP

April 3, 2014

Rackmastas, a long time duo born out of the basement of Gates Circle Wine & Liquor, recently released its long awaited LP, Return of the Rack. Spanning 17 tracks, the record has a lot going on, although don’t be misled by the long tracklist as a handful of those songs are fun little radio station under writings. The long form tunes cover many genres, including R&B, hip hop, dream pop, experimental post-rock, jazz, and pretty much you name it. Stand out tracks include “Girl Watcher,” a pretty cut dreamy computer pop that would please Dntel fans, and “H.H.G.M.T Zoppity,” which sounds like what Collections of Colonies of Bees might sound like on a sugar high. You can stream the entire Return of the Rack, which features contributions from members of Inquiring Mind, Crows and Jays, and more, at the band’s bandcamp page. In the mean time, listen to “Girl Watcher” below.

The New York Breakfast Releases DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK

April 1, 2014

Anyone who takes even a brief dip into the waters of Buffalo’s live music culture quickly realizes that Steak and Cake founder Brandon Schlia is one of its proudest captains. On the eve before his label’s third anniversary show (which also happened to be Valentine’s Day), he was part of an unforeseen and harrowing turn of events that left him hospitalized. Showing perseverance in the face of adversity as well as true rock n’ roll diction, the two part show went on, and even included Schlia, home from the hospital and sitting on a chair in his living room.  Last Friday, Steak and Cake released a 4-track album titled DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK by his personal solo project, The New York Breakfast. The New York Breakfast has always been an intimate vessel, and these songs make the listener feel as if they’re spying on Schlia in his bedroom while he plays[...]