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Tonight: Mac Sabbath

November 16, 2018

There is no better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the formation of Birmingham UK rock/metal gods Black Sabbath than with tonight’s Mac Sabbath show at the Tralf. Equal parts skull crushing Sabbath tribute band and trenchant parody of fast food and consumer culture, Mac Sabbath kicks a profound amount of ass channeling the ur metal majesty of Ozzie, Tommy, Bill and Geezer while hilariously sending up modern life and shamelessly beloved pop culture iconography with a properly Sabbathesque live show that is all satisfyingly sweet sensory overload. And for a band that hails from Los Angeles California (pronounced “Californ-ay-yeh”), Ronald Osbourne really has a tremendous midlands accent. Doors are at 7pm, mayhem begins at 8pm, and tickets are $22.

Tonight: Old 97’s

May 15, 2016

Tonight Buffalo gets a visit from original 90’s alt rock stalwarts Old 97’s when they play the Tralf with Heartless Bastards and BJ Barham. Gritty yet lyrical country rockers Old 97’s hail from Dallas and are essentially the last men standing of that still vital musical movement, still going strong and touring behind their most recent album Most Messed Up.Opening will be Austin-based garage rockers Heartless Bastards, promoting their fifth album, last year’s Restless Ones, along with American Aquarium frontman BJ Barham. Tickets are $24 with doors opening at 7pm.

Tonight: Mac Sabbath

March 27, 2016

The concept of people dressed as McDonalds fast food characters playing Black Sabbath songs, whilst condemning the wrongs of the fast food industry, shouldn’t work. It’s so over the top; so patently ridiculous, that if I was to tell you there was such a group, you would probably say the juggalo’s are running out of ideas. But for some strange reason Mac Sabbath not only works it’s caught on like wild fire. The purveyors of “drive thru metal” have certainly found a niche in the world of “let’s party while we take a satirical approach to metal music and parody some pretty bad-ass songs”. A Mac Sabbath show is like a true nightmare wrapped in a day dream; equal parts Manson as it is Andrew WK, and this clash of ideas, makes it work. The Tralf hosts our viral heroes (Mac rose to power through their impact on metal media[...]

Tonight: The Felice Brothers

February 12, 2016

Tonight the Tralf is all about truly American music when Palenville, New York’s Felice Brothers bring their roots rock Americana to town, aided by local rock revivalists and blog favorites Sixties Future. From humble beginnings in the wilds of the Catskills to the subway stations of New York City, busking at Union Station, Grand Central Station and in Greenwich Village to touring the world, The Felice Brothers will challenge us with their aggressively folky rock and notoriously tetchy stage presence. Sixties Future meanwhile will convene the evening’s entertainments with their always captivating fusion of National post punk, Springsteen infused Americana, and dad rock. Tickets are $20 and doors open at 8pm.

Tonight: In The Valley Below

October 20, 2015

Buffalo will be greeted with the first solo show from popular LA pop act In the Valley Below this evening at the Tralf. The duo previously visited town for both Kerfuffle and UB’s Springfest, but are now back to the city that’s shown them so much love over the past year. The band is made up of the mid-western pair of Jeffrey Jacob Mendel and Angela Gail Mattson who met while playing in the Los Angeles to form In the Valley Below. You can hear the duo’s history in its music as their specific brand of pop music effortlessly blends the more twangy sounds of the group’s Americana and blues origins with the hazy synth-pop of the LA music scene. ITVB shot from relative obscurity to mass popularity seemingly overnight off the strength of the winningly romantic single, “Peaches.” The song’s breezy nature and subtle sensuality found the duo a plethora of new fans[...]

Tonight: The Moth & The Flame

October 15, 2015

The Tralf seems to be the place to be right now, at least in terms of October gigs. Tonight, the venue plays host to alt-rock rising stars The Moth & The Flame. TMTF are currently out on tour in support of their recently released EP, Young & Unafraid, whose title track has seen a ton of success as the band’s first release with Elektra Records. Tonight’s performance is a last minute addition to the group’s tour, and will be  a part of Alt Buffalo’s ongoing “You Saw Them First” series. Local acts The Get Money Squad and Wolf are set to open. Doors open at 7pm with a $10 cover.

Tonight: Mac DeMarco

August 16, 2015

Mac is back! The reigning king of jizz jazz, Mac DeMarco, will make his welcomed return to Buffalo tonight at The Tralf, hopefully this time with full band in tow. Following last year’s excellent Salad Days, the goofball crooner’s latest mini-LP Another One continues his ultrachill slacker rock sounds, but this time draped in full love-song garb. It’s an interesting juxtaposition between love, compassion, and DeMarco’s typical “take-it-sleazy” approach—expect to hear a lot of that tonight. Last year we were graced with swigs of Jameson, crowd surfing, and a ten-minute cover of “Smoke On The Water.” What does the Pepperoni Playboy have in store for us this year? Doors at 7pm, show starts at 8pm—get there early to loosen up with the unconventional synthpop of supporting act Jerry Paper. And from what I could gather on the show’s Facebook event, the show is now a SOLD OUT affair. So if[...]

Tonight: The Both (Aimee Mann and Ted Leo)

August 14, 2015

Individually, a chance to see either Ted Leo or Aimee Mann is a no brainer. Both musicians have had long and consistently solid careers and continue to make great music. So, having the opportunity to see their collaborative project, The Both, is a double no brainer(?), which, I know is not the best way to say attending this show is a good idea but it is Friday and we have all had a long week. What started as a one off collaboration between good friends has evolved into a fruitful creative endeavor and the band is touring in support of their debut LP, released earlier this Spring on Aimee Mann’s label. Fans of either artist’s solo material, as well as solid power pop, catchy hooks and clever lyrics will find a lot to like here. Opening for The Both is Bryan Johnson and the Family. Bryan Johnson is a very[...]

Just Announced: Neon Indian

August 14, 2015

After two memorable shows at the still missed Soundlab back in 2010, Neon Indian will be back in town this fall at the Tralf Music Hall on Friday, October 23rd. With Toro y Moi also set to hit Buffalo later next month, the Queen City will have the chance to see two of the major players of the often criticized, formerly buzzed about chillwave genre. Like Chaz Bundick, Alan Palomo has also seen his project shift in sound over the years, now settling in on a more dance driven version of vaporwave. Neon Indian’s latest album, VEGA INTL. Night School, the follow up to 2011’s lush Era Extrana, will drop one week before the show on October 16th. Along with the tour announcement, Palomo shared the album’s latest cut, “Slumlord,” late last night. Listen below. Tickets will go on sale this Tuesday, August 18th, for $17 in advance/$19 day.

Just Announced: In The Valley Below

July 29, 2015

After appearing as a featured act at this past weekend’s Kerfuffle down at Canalside, the electro-pop duo of In The Valley Below will return to Buffalo this fall with a headlining performance at the Tralf Music Hall on Tuesday, October 20th. The Echo Park  pair dropped its breakthrough hit “Peaches” WAY BACK in the early fall of 2013, and that song is still getting serious burn on alternative and indie rock stations. Whether they have other material or not, I do not have the answer, but I suppose you will find out if you grab a ticket. Speaking of tickets, they are currently on sale for $13 in advance, $15 day of.

Strand of Oaks at the Tralf Music Hall (7/25/15)

July 27, 2015

Let me start this review with a gripe of mine. I really do love the Tralf as a venue. It’s a good space, the booking is on point, and the staff there is awesome. That said, they inexplicably decide to put up table seating arrangements for the majority of shows. Oft I would say 75% of the time this just leads to the crowd pushing the tables back and standing in front anyway. Other times, it just completely depletes the energy from the crowd and totally ruins the vibe. I start my review this way though not to complain, but to praise the adaptability of Timothy Showalter. I’ve stated that I thought HEAL, Showalter’s latest release as Strand of Oaks, was one of the purest rock albums I’d heard in a while. So watching he and his band mates take the stage, prepping to rip into the songs from that album, I[...]

Tonight: Strand of Oaks

July 25, 2015

About this time last summer, I remember hearing a genuine surprise of a record, one that seemingly came out of nowhere but was one of the purest distillations of rock music I’d heard in some time. That record was Strand of Oaks’ HEAL, a deeply personal and at times harrowing record but one so incredibly full of life. I hadn’t known of Tim Showalter’s previous releases but after being blown away by that record, I quickly became a fan. A year later, the Indiana-native makes his way to bring his signature soulful rock sound to Buffalo at the Tralf Music Hall. After a year of much praised festival and late night appearances, the band seem to be as well-tuned a force as they’ll ever be. To say that I’m excited for tonight’s show would be an understatement, this will be one show not to miss. Doors open this evening at[...]

Tonight: Benjamin Booker

June 16, 2015

Benjamin Booker is certainly far from the first to mix the power and passion of blues with the vigorous energy and attitude of rock ’n’roll. But few in modern music seem as committed to the rawness and simplicity of their respective influences – which, in this Virginia Beach singer-songwriter’s case, is mostly DIY punk and bluesy garage-rock revival, with a dash of gritty, Joe Cocker-esque soul. And what better place to catch Booker’s intense, lo-fi rock approach than at Buffalo’s Tralf Music Hall tonight? From here he’ll be heading home, south to Virginia and then to Dover, Del. for the Firefly Music Festival. There he’ll be right at home with the likes of Hozier and Gary Clark, Jr., and hopefully find new fans amongst the 80,000 in attendance. For the blues-buff who finds someone like the aforementioned Hozier or the the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach too slick, too pop-oriented, Benjamin[...]

Just Announced: The Both feat. Aimee Mann & Ted Leo

May 29, 2015

So Aimee Mann and Ted Leo have a band together called The Both? But when? How? Upon further research, the two longtime singer/songwriters (the former began her career with ‘Til Tuesday and the latter frequently records/performs with the Pharmacists) paired up in 2013 and released their self-titled debut last year. And upon even further research, I really like what I hear. This is very interesting. What is even more interesting is the duo will be bringing The Both to the Tralf Music Hall on Friday, August 14th. Tickets are set to go on sale Monday, June 1st, at noon for $25 in advance, $27 day of.

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.