Latest Posts

The Slums – Bloodsucker

September 15, 2017

The Slums describe their band as ‘loud rock ‘n’ roll’ and their music as ‘loud songs,’ a pair of phrases that perfectly describe their latest EP, Bloodsucker. In fact, they’re pretty much the hallmarks of the record. Bloodsucker explodes like a house of fire on the opening title track; a barrage of powerful swagger, cacophonous screams and jarring cymbal crashes.. However, the Slums quickly pump the brakes on the subsequent “Black Dress,” proving they aren’t mere pomp and circumstance by tempering the pace with angular riffs and soaring hooks. This goes until the final 40 seconds or so, when the band brings the noise back to your speakers once the track devolves into a sea of discordant shrieks, wailing guitars and loud percussion. The closing “Eight Months” represents the best of Bloodsucker’s trio of tunes, effectively combining the bands ability to craft stirring melodies and still crank everything to 11[...]

M.A.G.S. & The Slums at Mohawk Place (9/8/17)

September 12, 2017

Two of Buffalo’s biggest local bands—righteous indie-punks M.A.G.S. and hardcore heavyweights The Slums—celebrated the release of their new, highly-anticipated albums with a stunning double release show at Mohawk Place on September 8th. MAGS’ self-titled debut for Admirable Traits Records showcases Elliott Douglas’ knack for razor-sharp riffs and hooks that deliver like a knockout punch. Likewise, The Slums’ latest EP, Bloodsucker, refines their signature amalgam of knotty math-rock riffs, driving rhythms, and Steven Floyd’s caustic howl. Having rigorously road-tested their new material for months, M.A.G.S. and The Slums blew the roof off Mohawk Place with unrivaled abandon. Joining them that evening were local synth-pop heroes (and M.A.G.S.’ labelmates) Humble Braggers, and the Albany-based “dreamo” quartet Jouska, making their return to Buffalo since their Dreamland show this past February. Humble Braggers Jouska The Slums M.A.G.S.

Tonight: MAGS and The Slums Double Release Show

September 8, 2017

You might want to clear up your schedule and head down to Mohawk Place tonight.  Two great local acts, MAGS and the Slums, are both dropping new projects today, and are having one big party to celebrate.  MAGS are dropping their first full length on Admitrable Traits Records, titled M.A.G.S., and the Slums are putting out their final(??) EP, titled Bloodsucker. If I were you, I’d show up early because this one will probably be packed. Buffalo’s own Humble Braggers will be kicking things off, and Albany’s Jouska will also be returning to Buffalo to perform. Doors open at the Mohawk at 8PM, and it is $12 at the door.  Admission comes with one free MAGS CD, and the first 50 people though the door get a free “mystery swag bag” via The Slums. Photo by Brendan O’Connor

Tonight: SMUG

May 12, 2017

Buffalo’s music scene is definitely fluid, with bands coming and going, frequent collaboration, and sometimes bands up and change names. Case in point: the reborn punk rock band Naturalists, now known as SMUG, who took a break, changed their sound, recorded a forthcoming debut album, and rebranded themselves with a nifty all caps name that’s got fans of Naturalists eager to see what’s next. What do these guys sound like now? Nobody knows but them, but the impenetrable mystery becomes clearer tonight at their debut show tonight the Mohawk with tuneful surf rock darlings Dreambeaches, punk rock machine The Slums, and space rock explorer Moody Cosmos. Doors at 8pm and cover is $5. Wicked Dreams/ Grown Up by The Naturalists

Tonight: Rock A Mile In Her Shoes

April 5, 2017

Tonight one of the best fundraisers in Buffalo returns as Babeville once again hosts the 3rd Annual Rock A Mile In Her Shoes show featuring The Slums, Morbs, Erica Wolfing, Del Paxton, and M.A.G.S.. The show benefits the Crisis Services Advocate Program which provides 24/7 support to victims of domestic and sexual abuse while working to reduce violence and to make our community a safer place. This year’s show brings together local heavyhitters The Slums, Del Paxton and Morbs with ethereal chanteuse Erica Wolfing and indie pop act M.A.G.S. for a night of crushing riffs, solidarity, love, respect, and fellas rocking in high heels (fellas in the audience who want to rock some heels in solidarity are encouraged to do so if the spirit moves them). Tickets are $10, doors are at 7pm with fun set for 8pm..

Tonight: Cooler

February 16, 2017

Tonight’s show, presented by our good pals at The Public, seems like a no-brainer in terms of quality. Between Cooler, The Slums and Ugly Sun, each band on the bill are local pioneers in their own right, respectably carving out their own pocket within the indie, fuzz-rock and post-punk worlds and consistently putting out thoughtful, well produced material. Cooler’s most recent full length release, Phantom Phuzz, re-affirmed the high standard that all three of these bands set for themselves. The album is a feel-good listen. It’s not super complex or difficult to digest, but it’s exceptionally catchy and radiates honest feelings. This band possesses an incredible amount of charm, which isn’t something I usually associate with fuzz-rock, but they manage to translate that charm pretty darn well from their recorded material to their live shows. Get to Nietzsche’s tonight at 8:30pm. $5 entry.

Tonight: The Slums

January 20, 2017

Put out a single, play a show… That’s exactly what Buffalo’s dirtiest, grimiest, and all-around badass-iest band The Slums are doing tonight. In an effort to flip our new president a gigantic bird, they’ve decided to donate all the money raised by tonight’s gig to Planned Parenthood. Joining The Slums in their middle-finger salute are the raucous indie surf punx in Slowcooker and the emotionally heavy male/female dynamics of honey COMA. ICYMI, check out “KREB” below so you can sing along. Later on, come hang out and let your middle fingers fly at the Modeling Factory at 7pm… Ask a friend for the address.

Tonight: Yellow House Tape Release

November 16, 2016

Scumbag Booking presents Yellow House (members consist of those from Skateboard, Love Canal, and Tomoreaux) at Dreamland this evening. Yellow House fronts shoegaze rock that will keep you bouncing off each others’ shoulders. The group is releasing their first album, Songs from Limbo, via cassette tape. The trio is backed by The Slums, Hypoluxo, and the Sonny Baker Band. As expected, The Slums will pound the hell out of your ears and brain. Hypoluxo is a dreamy post-punk group from Brooklyn. Though they keep it lighter than the others on the roster, they float unsteadily enough to stir you up and mesh with the lineup. Sonny Baker is a local favorite who reinvents the work of those like J Mascis. The fuzziness of Flesh It Out will be sure to stoke the fire. The show is at Dreamland and is at 7pm. Your night inside the building will end at 11pm. If you’re a kind soul,[...]

Tonight: The Slums

April 29, 2016

After 2 years of anticipation, we’re finally here, all the hype, all the teases of new material from this passionately loved artist who wears their heart on their sleeve and reps their city to the death; I am of course talking about the release of, Sorry by The Slums. Unless you’ve been completely oblivious to the local music scene, it’s been kind of hard to miss the local shout-rockers in our fair city, playing barn-burner of a show after barn-burner of a show. But tonight’s show is one of proper celebration, as the band marks the release of their buffaBLOG-approved, debut album. The Slums will be playing most (if not all) the tunes off their debut with I’m sure some room for old singles as well. The band’s trademark raw, aggressive, and wildly emotive punk sound, lends itself especially to the live setting, and if you’re like me, I know[...]

The Slums Release New Single, “Gospel Pt. II”

March 31, 2016

For such a loud band, the Slums have been uncharacteristically quiet for quite some time (except for maybe that extremely raucous show with fellow noisemakers, PUP). The silence has come to an abrupt end – The Slums have just dropped their first single from their new album, SORRY, entitled “Gospel, Part II” via soundcloud. The song is brash and beautiful, melding singer Steven Floyd’s unmistakable voice with just-barely-discordant guitar work. RIYL The Blood Brothers or Pile with the earnest songwriting of Lemuria. The Slums CD release show for SORRY will be held on April 29th. Pay attention to their social media for more juicy details very soon. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/256396787″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

PUP at the Studio at Waiting Room (2/11/16)

February 15, 2016

“It’s really cool to see you all here, because the last time we played Buffalo, we played to like 17 people in a giant amphitheater,” PUP vocalist/guitarist Stefan Babcock addressed the crowd a few songs into the band’s already raucous set last night at the Studio at Waiting Room.  It is clear that Warped Tour was to blame here (as usual), as PUP’s blasting, fun, punk tunes had already had the crowd on their feet by the first songs of the band’s set.  There was no rest within the crowd for the majority of PUP’s set, kids taking to the stage to sing along and stage dive during the band’s insane live renditions of their tracks, warmed up just right by sets from Buffalo natives The Slums and Toronto act Pkew Pkew Pkew. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again,  PUP is a band that is best seen live.  There is no[...]

Top 20 Buffalo Tracks: 5 Close Calls

December 14, 2015

It’s that time of year again, where we re-think and dissect every local song that we’ve come across organically or via submission. This is our fourth year counting down our top songs and this year, like every other year, has been difficult to whittle down. Like we always remind people, this list is subjective and not the end-all be all. I am sure there are amazing local songs that aren’t on our radar, but from what we have heard, we as a group have determined as the blog are our favorite songs of 2015. Here are five great songs ALMOST made our top 20. The Slums – “Plain Pine Box”  The Slums always deliver the perfect thrash song but “Plain Pine Box” might be the most perfect yet. “You can call me first and final nail in a plain pine box, I said I’d keep you separate but I guess[...]

Tonight: Painted Zeros

December 3, 2015

Hot off the release of their debut full length Floriography (Don Giovanni Records), Brooklyn-based dream fuzz trio Painted Zeros is set to hit Mohawk Place tonight on one of the coolest bills of the dwindling year. Floriography, written and recorded by Zeros frontwoman Katie Lau, is a beautifully textured record with a wide dynamic range–sometimes sweet and delicate, other times in-your-face gritty and explosive. Think Mazzy Star meets Smashing Pumpkins. The onstage iteration of the project is rounded out by drummer Jared Kaner and bassist Jim Hill, the latter formerly of Cottage Jefferson (Rochester!) fame. To make the show particularly homecoming-y, we have the Buffalo-bred, now Brooklyn-based Bethlehem Steel back in town, also hot off a fresh effort that snagged a slot as our Album of the Week last month. Can tonight’s show get any better? Yep. To top it all off, we have three of the best locals Buffalo’s punk scene[...]

The Slums Share First Installment of #Slumdays

October 5, 2015

It’s rare that a band stays active during a long hiatus from playing live shows, but the tail end of 2015 appears to be a busy one for the Slums. While gearing up for its Quiet Country Audio session at the end of October, the Buffalo post-hardcore four piece premiered a new month long video series yesterday called #Slumdays just as most of Buffalo shook its head at the Bills. Every Sunday this month, the quartet will drop a new clip, all shot by band photographer/videographer Corey Harris, and for the first installment, the Slums shared the video for “Son,” a previously unreleased cut filmed at a recent live performance. The band has also hinted that a new album will be released before the calendar turns, and along with the upcoming QCA session, the Slums appear ready to end the year on a strong note. Keep an on the band’s facebook[...]

Quiet Country Audio

June 20, 2015

For the second year in a row, our buddies over at Quiet Country Audio have curated a wonderful showcase for our Herd Fest festivities… They have handpicked a collection of acts that have worked in or recorded with QCA. Tonight’s show will feature the garage-pop of MAGS and their close, albeit hardcore-influenced buddies in The Slums. Rounding out the evening are the grungemen in The Soft Love, the alt-rockers The Naturalists, and American Low. Just like the rest of Herd Fest, entrance is free with an official Herd Fest wristband. Otherwise, DBGB’s will be collecting a reasonable $5 for your entrance fee. Tonight’s showcase starts at 10:00pm. See you on Allen.