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.

Friday, February 21st @ 7pm

Steak and Cake’s 14th Anniversary Party @ Duende at Silo City

Local West Side label Steak and Cake Records celebrate their 14th Anniversary Friday evening. We’ve been covering Steak and Cake Records/label owner Bran Schlia’s discography since 2011. Throughout the years, we’ve been excited by a wide array of artists emerging from the label, notably The NYBRKFST, The Malones, Anthony DelPlato, Damian, and dozens of more notable acts that have made an impact on the music scene over the past decade and a half.

Friday’s showcase features experimental pop act Kelli Bobbi, heartfelt indie pop singer/songwriter Soyfruit, chill study beats provider DonutxSlinger, electro-pop solo artist Matches Laces *, and jazz pianist Harry Graser. Get there early and stay late as this is going to be a showcase of some of the most promising acts on the local scene. Doors are $15.

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Great Lake Swimmers w/ Tough Old Bird & Abe Partridge @ Buffalo Iron Works

Indie folk outfit Great Lake Swimmers makes a mid-week stop in Buffalo on Wednesday 9/25. Based out of Toronto, Buffalo might be the easiest gig logistically for the band to reach, so expect the Swim team to be on their A-game. Since forming in the early 2000s, Great Lake Swimmers have received high praise from critics and fans alike with their earnest and homespun Americana sound. If you’re a fan of Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens, or Fleet Foxes, plan on heading down to the Cobblestone District.

Opening up the night are Buffalo-based indie folk act, Tough Old Bird, and Alabama singer/songwriter Abe Partridge. Tickets are $25.

Thursday, 9/26 @ 7pm

The Japanese House @ Electric City

English pop star The Japanese House will be in town this week at downtown Buffalo’s newest venue, Electric City.  Amber Mary Bain, the brains and voice behind The Japanese House, has been working on the project since 2012, after partnering up with The 1975’s Matt Healy. Their sound is accessible, with an angsty Gen-Z Tiktok understanding, and the finger on the pulse for 2024’s indie pop market. If you’re a fan of Polachek, boygenius, or pre-fame Chappell Roan without a radio edit, then The Japanese House should be on your Thursday to-do. Tickets are somewhere between $30-$90… $30 if you want to stand in the GA, $90 if you want to eat caviar in the balcony on a throne.

Monday, 9/30 @ 7pm

Haley Blais w/ WORMY @ 9th Ward

This is your reminder to record Monday Night Raw on YouTubeTV because the 9th Ward has some quality counter programming planned in their cozy Delaware Ave. basement. Vancouver’s Haley Blais will make her first stop in Buffalo with tour mates Wormy. Signed to the record label Arts & Crafts (Andy Shauf, Broken Social Scene, Feist, & MANY MORE), Blais’ sound is lush with clever lyrics that navigate life in your twenties in the 2020s. Touring in support of their latest album Wisecrack,  fans of Caroline Rose, Soccer Mommy, or Snail Mail would be pleased with Blais’ sound.

Starting things off right is Wormy, the music moniker for Brooklyn singer/songwriter Noah Rauchwerk. He may look familiar as his other gig is the touring drummer for Samia. It will be $18 at the door.

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Buffalo brothers Matthew and Nathan Corrigan recorded the entire EP in their home while the rest of the world was shut down due to COVID-19. The intro to the EP, “‘The Jaybird Lives!’,” creates a very delicate, yet safe atmosphere for the audience to float through. With a breezy folk vibe that sways back and forth, A Mantle for the Lantern is akin to a rhythmic river running under the sunset. The only two words needed to sum up the ambience of the EP are peace and harmony.

First, preview “‘The Jaybird Lives!'” via YouTube below, but be sure to check their entire (lengthy!) discography on Spotify as well.

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East Gallery

heave – 4:05pm- 4:50pm
Carmen & Lizzy – 6:05pm – 6:40pm
Tough Old Bird – 8:45pm – 9:30pm

Reception Space

The Burkharts – 5:00pm – 5:50pm
TVMTN – 6:40pm – 7:25pm
Cooler – 8:05pm – 8:40pm

Margaret L. Wendt Gallery

Sidney Jeanne– 5:15pm – 6:00pm
MEDUSA – 8:05pm – 8:40pm

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Almost every piece of writing you’ll come across describing Tough Old Bird – a folk group
started in Fillmore, NY by brothers Matthew and Nathan Corrigan in 2013 – mentions the word “landscape” at least once or twice. Tough Old Bird takes its surroundings and transforms them into beautifully crafted, traditionally modern folk music, using sophisticated acoustic guitar, harmonica, and hints of accordion and electric guitar to develop not only a dynamic, comforting shroud of sound but a poetic narrative as well. From the title alone, we can see that the ever- present influence of landscape will no doubt continue into the group’s latest album, The Great Old Lakes, a motif that also shows itself in the two tracks already available on Bandcamp: “Lake Erie Come Home” and “Harbor Song.”

While Tough Old Bird’s music has a clear influence by the folk heroes of the second half of the 20th century, the group also is constantly evolving not only their own sound but the folk genre itself. Do yourself a favor and be one of the first to see what Tough Old Bird has been working on live and in person – the way folk music was meant to be enjoyed.

Oats Holy Roller (Fredonia), The Grand Low (Trumansburg), and coral collapse (Buffalo) will start the show. Doors at 8. $5 entry.

Written by Grace Trimper

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The track opens up with a soulful trumpet duet, which is soon joined by a gentle beat in the drums. Lead singer Nathan Corrigan’s vocals balance perfectly, with a lilt that carries a certain weariness. The track is extremely evocative, conjuring up images of dusty, yellowed photographs. As the track builds, the layers grow, but at no point overpower Corrigan. Perhaps this is the real beauty of Tough Old Bird; their ability to capture Rust-Belt languor and the weariness of the road without succumbing to it.

Aside from their expanding fanbase, this track will also appeal to fans of Buck Meek, The Avett Brothers, and Townes Van Zandt. Tough Old Bird will be releasing their album on June 28th at Mohawk Place. Learn the material below.

Written by John Smigielski

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Siblings Matthew and Nathan Corrigan formed Tough Old Bird back in 2013 in their hometown Fillmore, NY.  Since then, they’ve released 4 modern folk albums, the most recent being Where the Great Beasts are Buried in 2017.

Tough Old Bird demonstrates how folk music is evolving.  While the influences of classic musicians like Bob Dylan are clear, the genre is maturing.  The tone of the songs is taken from generations; the thoughtful stories carry the same weight as their predecessors.  But the instrumentals are clearer, the twang of the strings is noticeably decreased.  As a result, modern folk bands like Tough Old Bird create a more inviting genre than what it was previously.  In other words, folk music seemed a more niche genre for a select audience.

Joining tonight’s lineup is another Fillmore native Jordan Potter, and local bands Leyda and Over & Out.  Tickets are available for $5 with doors at 9pm.

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The duo of Matthew and Nathan Corrigan draw influences from traditional folk music that maps out dusty and sepia-tinted landscapes with its songwriting, as well as the modern context of rust belt melancholia. They achieve a full and rich sound despite this being a home recording, while still maintaining a stripped-down and raw nature at the core of their songs. Matthew’s instrumental work is delicate yet commanding, while Nathan’s vocals have a road-weary heft to them, especially when paired with the rustic poeticism of his lyrics

Americana, blues, indie and roots all blend together, adding up to a sparse and almost haunting quality. They posses the inherent sadness of Iron & Wine’s songwriting, the intricate guitar licks of Milk Carton Kids, and the persistent dancing banjo of the Avett Brothers.

Opening track “No One Knows Your Mind” is minor-key alt. country reminiscent of The Handsome Family. “River Iron Ohio” has a timeless feel to it, like a traditional railroad-folk lament. “That Welcome Day” is a quick stomp-clap blues noir tune that provides a change of pace placed between the other tuneful ballads. Some of the prettiest moments occur on the penultimate track “Where I’ll Be Found,” an idyllic rambler complete with light percussion, complimentary harmonica flourishes, and brief but integral vocal harmonies.

The homespun folk of Tough Old Bird has a dark quality to it, while ultimately serving as a testament to the Corrigan brothers’ synthesis of their surroundings. With these songs, they’ve captured the essence of familiar backroads meandering. Where the Great Beasts Are Buried is available now via bandcamp.

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Seeing Small Houses perform in one of Buffalo’s most intimate venues is going to be a real treat, especially with the folk leanings of the rest of the lineup. Sonny Baker & Alex Berkley, Tough Old Bird and poet Cayli Enders Enderton will be opening. Be sure to check out the show at Mohawk tonight. Doors are at 7pm, tickets are $6 at the door.

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