Latest Posts

Tonight: Beck

August 13, 2019

One of the summer’s most interesting outdoor amphitheater tours featuring some of indie rocks biggest bands rolls through WNY tonight when Darien Lake hosts Beck, Spoon, Cage The Elephant and Sunflower Bean.  At this point Beck and Spoon are straight up elder statesmen, with the legendary Angelino prepping his fourteenth… yes fourteenth album Hyperspace, while tasteful Austin TX indie stalwarts Spoon are back in the area after that now legendary 2015 Canalside show in support of their recently released their first best of album, appropriately titled Everything Hits At Once and 2018’s bright and shiny Colors. Bringing down the median age of the bill will be Bowling Green Kenturcky garage rock conceptualists Cage The Elephant, and breakout NYC glam rock darlings Sunflower Bean, whose sophomore album Twentytwo in Blue brought together sexy T-Rex riffs, Fleetwood Mac worthy melodies, and righteous Gen Z angst  to make one of the best and downright inspirational albums of 2018.[...]

Sunflower Bean at Mohawk Place (5/6/18)

May 8, 2018

New York indie-rock trio Sunflower Bean blew the roof off Mohawk Place on Sunday, May 6th, marking their return to the Queen City since opening for Best Coast at The Tralf Music Hall two years ago. With indelible pop hooks, Fleetwood Mac harmonies, Mick Ronson riffs, and a bit of Johnny Marr’s jangle, Sunflower Bean played with confidence and charisma, invigorating the songs from their newest album, Twentytwo In Blue (Mom & Pop). The band even gave a shout-out to Buffalo’s own rock photographer extraordinaire Andy DeLuca, their friend and creative collaborator. Sunflower Bean were supported by feisty London punks Dream Wife and local psychedelic shamans Deadwolf. Deadwolf Dream Wife Sunflower Bean

Tonight: Best Coast

August 7, 2016

In 2009, Bethany Cosentino burst onto the indie rock scene as one-half of Best Coast, a hauntingly romantic homage to all things heartbreak, weed and cats. Irony-free, Bethany’s heart-on-her-sleeve lyrics, coupled with the amazing instrumentation of Bobb Bruno, her partner in crime, led to one of 2010’s most unlikely success stories; the Crazy For You album, a record that seemed to excite just about everyone. Equal parts fun-in-the-sun and reverb-drenched Beach Boys melancholia, this was an album the underground and mainstream could both agree on and wrap their heads around. The songwriting was just that strong. Since that time, Best Coast has released two more albums, reputation firmly intact. Tonight, along with Sunflower Bean, an utterly fantastic psych-pop band with influences ranging from the Smiths to more recent (and fellow Brooklyn based) Diiv, Best Coast will be hitting up the Tralf (7pm, $24) for a night of sheer audio bliss.[...]

Sunflower Bean at Mohawk Place (5/8/16)

May 11, 2016

Last Sunday, buzzing New York City three piece, Sunflower Bean,  rolled through the Mohawk Place.  With some support from locals Get Money Squad, I don’t think anyone in attendance walked away disappointed.  Check out some shots from the show below, and click here for a full gallery. Get Money Squad Sunflower Bean

Tonight: Sunflower Bean

May 8, 2016

If you can clear out some free time on your mother’s day, head down to Mohawk Place tonight for a short but sweet show.  New York City’s buzziest act, Sunflower Bean, will be in town in support of their debut record, Human Ceremony.   Coming from someone who has seen the band once before,  this is a live set you won’t want to miss.  The songs really manage to come alive in a way that the recordings just don’t do justice.  We had a chance to chat with with Nick Kivlen of the band about their new record, their tour, and much more, and you can click here to check that out as well. Kicking things off will be Buffalo’s own Get Money Squad, and doors are set to open at 6:30pm, with a show time of 7pm.  Tickets are available at the door for only 12 bucks.

Nick Kivlen of Sunflower Bean

April 29, 2016

You probably wouldn’t wholly believe me if I told you that Sunflower Bean, based out of Brooklyn, NY, has existed for a measly two-years-and-some-change and that all three members have either just broken into their 20’s or are about to cross that landmark threshold within the next year. Collectively, Julia Cumming, Nick Kivlen, and Jacob Faber have been dubbed “NYC’s Coolest Young Band” by Rolling Stone, among high praise from other widely known publications, but they don’t see their age as anything but a number that will inevitably change whether they want it to or not. Their primary focus is to simply play out as often as they can, and they sure have the show roster to prove that. I was recently able to chat with singer and guitarist Nick Kivlen to pick his brain a little about what this whole experience has been like for him so far. bB: You guys[...]