Latest Posts

Tonight: The Wonder Years

March 5, 2016

Tonight, one of the biggest pop punk bands around right now will be rolling through the Town Ballroom.  After dropping a new full length last year, pop-punk veterans The Wonder Years, are bringing a crew of bands with that are sure to make all the sad boy attendees happy, if only for a night. Sharing the stage with the Wonder Years will be post hardcore act Letlive., indie / post rock act Microwave, and Buffalo favorites Tiny Moving Parts. This week Tiny Moving Parts announced the release of a new album, Celebrate, out 5/20.  The trio, boasting the perfect mix of emo, math rock, and indie, are sure to put on one of the most enjoyable sets of the night. Expect to hear the new single off of celbrate, titled “Happy Birthday,” tonight. Doors open at the Ballroom at 6:30pm, with tickets still available at the door for $23.

Tonight: Snapcase 25th Anniversary Show

February 26, 2016

Buffalo has a long, rich history of solid hardcore bands from Zero Tolerance, Slugfest and Envy to Every Time I Die, and Buried Alive. There’s countless more I could name, but it would be a lesson in futility. There must be something in the water here. One of the best of these best has been around for 25 years and have released so many legendary albums, it would be pointless to try and pick out the high marks. Snapcase are, in many ways, Buffalo’s pride and joy. Throughout their history they’ve set the benchmark for great songs…. style for days. In the last few years they’ve been largely inactive, playing sporadic reunion shows, but the kids still get excited whenever they hear Snapcase will be lacing up again. Tonight the band celebrate their 25th anniversary at Town Ballroom ($28) with Grade (late 90’s fellow Victory alum and pretty f’n excellent[...]

The Arkells @ Town Ballroom (12/11/15)

December 23, 2015

It was nothing but love on Friday, December 11th, between the crowd at Town Ballroom and musical act The Arkells. High-energy would be an understatement to describe the emotions of the band and audience. Hailing from Hamilton, ON., the Arkells started the show with “Cynical Bastards” from their latest album, High Noon, setting the tone for the concert. They did not disappoint with a variety of hits from their current album and past albums Michigan Left and Jackson Square. It seems Buffalo has fallen in love with these Canadian boys, but the feelings are mutual. Lead singer Max Kerman says they wanted to return to Buffalo before the year was over with mentions of returning to Canalside in 2016. Kerman gets sentimental talking to the crowd about Buffalo, the Town Ballroom and the people involved behind the scenes at the famous spot. “Music brought us together and it’s been love ever since,”[...]

Every Time I Die at Town Ballroom (12/20/15)

December 22, 2015

Well, it’s another Every Time I Die Christmas show in the books.  At this point, you should probably know of ETID, being one of the bigger exports out of Buffalo music in a while. The band’s heavy, pummeling sound never disappoints to create an absolutely raucous crowd, and this show was no exception.  While I was a little bummed out by how much flat out fighting I saw going on in the pit, the band absolutely played to their fullest, serving as a reminder that they will always be Buffalonians at heart. Check out some shots of Revealer, Harms Way, Stick to Your Guns, and Every Time I Die below, and click here for a full gallery of shots from the night. Revealer Harms Way Stick to Your Guns Every Time I Die

Tonight: Every Time I Die’s 11th Annual Xmas Show

December 20, 2015

2015 was something of a banner year for Every Time I Die, Buffalo’s favorite sons. In addition to the usual, relentless pace of touring, and international travels (this band really, REALLY loves being on the road), band members found time to expand on their personal interests. Keith wrote a novel and released an EP with his synthwave side project, Tape, Andy dedicated himself to the pumpatorium and positioned the strategic rise of Pythons, Daniel Davison joined the band as the new drummer and Jordan continued to expand on the JBWW brand. Despite all of the new ventures, it always, seemingly, comes back to tradition. And nothing say’s tradition like an Every Time I Die, Christmas party. Now in its 11th year, ETID’s Christmas bashes have become legendary for their chaos, and fun surprises. Whether at Mohawk Place, Waiting Room, Town Ballroom or elsewhere, it’s guaranteed to be a great time,[...]

Pentimento at Town Ballroom (12/11/15)

December 16, 2015

To celebrate the release of their new LP, I, No Longer, Pentimento played their first set at Town Ballroom, opening for the Arkells. The band performed the new record in full to a huge, sold out crowd, proving that it would most definitely not be the last time they would play on that stage. Check out some pictures from the show below, and click here for a full gallery. Pentimento 

Lowest of the Low at Town Ballroom (11/25/15)

December 9, 2015

On Thanksgiving Eve, we sent contributing photographer, Mike Sansano, to catch reunited Canadian rock legends, Lowest of the Low, at Town Ballroom.  As Buffalo is basically an extension of Canada, the crowd was rowdy and in the palm of lead singer Ron Hawkins. Below are a selection of pictures Sansano sent over to us. Make sure to check out his website to catch his latest adventures crisscrossing the border in the pursuit of live music. Photos by Mike Sansano

Surfer Blood at Town Ballroom (11/21/15)

November 23, 2015

After speaking with singer and guitarist JP Pitts over the phone for an interview earlier in the week, I had a preconceived expectation of what they would both look and sound like live. Pitts was concise, very pleasant and efficient in answering every question I posed to the fullest. I was not wrong in assuming that these attributes would carry over to their live show. Sonically, the entire band sounded spot on and almost identical to their studio recordings (with a healthy dose of live nuance). It’s safe to say that in the short five years of this band existing, they’ve toured enough and written enough material to have perfected their deliverance. Their stage presence reminds me a whole lot of Real Estate, but slightly more adventurous. If you’ve seen Real Estate live, you know that they pretty much stick to playing the songs as is and, for the most[...]

Tonight: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic

November 22, 2015

It is not an overstatement to say that George Clinton’s impact on popular music is “incalculable.” As the band leader/ring leader of the brilliant musical collective that gave the world Funkadelic and Parliament, he took the funk originated by James Brown, Sly Stone, Tower Of Power, and The Isley’s in the 60’s and used it as a palette to take the genre and African American music and art further than anybody could’ve possibly imagined. The funk itself became the thing: a vehicle for psychedelic exploration and conceptual adventurism that combined ass shaking grooves, ambitious production and stagecraft, humor, and biting social commentary to create a sc-fi parallel universe of African American expression, the original Black Superheroes (before the arrival of Public Enemy, also Clinton disciples). And that’s not even getting into the inescapable fact that P-Funk became the musical foundation for the Golden Age of Hip-Hop of the late 80’s/early 90’s.[...]

John Paul Pitts of Surfer Blood

November 21, 2015

Surfer Blood’s career kind of seems like a one giant surfing metaphor. They hit the ground running in 2010 with the help of the CMJ Music Marathon and have continued to tour and consistently release quality material since then. From playing huge bills like the ATP festival curated by Pavement, to coping with news of longtime band member Thomas Fekete having a rare form of cancer, you can bet that they’re learning to ride the rip current as gracefully and professionally as possible (despite none of them actually being surfers). I was able to speak with singer and guitarist of the band, John Paul Pitts, earlier this week about how life as an industrious band has been since taking the drop down the face of indie success. You can also catch Surfer Blood tonight at the Town Ballroom opening for Nate Ruess of Fun. More details and tickets for tonight’s show can be[...]

Tonight: Cash Cash and Tritonal

November 5, 2015

After Dark Entertainment and Factory Nightlife welcome Cash Cash and Tritonal to Town Ballroom as the Untouchable Tour hits Buffalo tonight, Thursday, Nov. 5. With the release of their most recent collab, “Untouchable,” the two groups joined forces for a North American tour. Both Cash Cash and Tritonal are no strangers to the Queen City with their last show in town at LiFT nightclub this past March. The American DJ duo Tritonal was on MTV Clubland’s Artists To Watch In 2013 and has been widely successful ever since. Their worldwide fanbase has grown so large that they have titled themselves “Tritonians.” Cash Cash, the brotherly collaborative, originated in 2007. They have evolved to be one of the hottest groups in dance music, with their most popular hit “Take Me Home” dominating the charts their success has only skyrocketed. Both DJ duos have played at festivals and nightclubs around the world alongside some of EDM’s biggest producers. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/204218148″[...]

Just Announced: Dr. Dog

October 20, 2015

After a handful of memorable area appearances over the years, including a eulogizing set for Mohawk Place a couple years back, the Philadelphia based, Queen City loved psych-folk rockers, Dr. Dog, will be once again gracing the stage of Town Ballroom, this time on Wednesday, March 9th. While the band does not have a new record under its belt (at least yet) to tour on, the group did release its first live album, Live at a Flamingo Hotel, earlier this year, so if you have yet to catch Dr. Dog’s raucous, and sometimes shriek inducing, live show, that would be a good place to start. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, October 23rd, at noon for $25.

Tonight: Blitzen Trapper

October 10, 2015

Portland roots rockers Blitzen Trapper make a welcome return to Buffalo tonight at the Town Ballroom along with Jesse Malin. After excellent shows at the Mohawk and Tralf over the years, the PAC-NW country/folk rock five piece will be bringing songs off their most recent release All Across This Land, a return to form that finds the band refocusing themselves on their sound after the progressive yet somewhat unsatisfying VII, while the acclaimed singer songwriter and man of the people Jesse Malin will be celebrating the release of of 2015, Outsiders, which just dropped  yesterday. This will be a celebration of the best kinds of American music: raw, soulful, exuberant, inclusive, joyfully real, and a really good time. Tickets are still available for $16. Doors open at 7pm while the show starts at 8pm.

Tonight: Mac Miller

October 7, 2015

Coming off of last month’s release of his third studio album, GO:OD AM, Pittsburgh-born rapper Mac Miller has emerged as one of the leading figures in hip hop in recent years, collaborating with artists like Lil B, Ab-Soul, Chief Keef, Schoolboy Q, and Earl Sweatshirt. His recent work has found the MC working through his troubled past, resulting in clear artistic growth and some of the most infectious tracks of his career. Having managed to outgrow the “frat-rap” label of his early releases, Mac has found himself at the center of many discussions about the relationship between race and hip hop today and has remained an unpredictable artist capable of transcending stereotypes. Tonight, the rapper will perform to a sold-out Town Ballroom in Buffalo with support from Los Angeles rapper and Odd Future affiliate Domo Genesis along with quickly rising singer/rapper GoldLink, whose danceable, funky style draws from 90’s r&b as well as golden-era[...]

Just Announced: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic

October 6, 2015

Legendary soul/funk innovator George Clinton will land the Parliament Funkadelic Mothership onto the Town Ballroom stage for a ridiculous, one-night-only event on Sunday, November 22nd. I don’t need to give a history lesson on Clinton, the definitive artist of the funk movement, and his P Funk All Stars, as if you are reading this post, you should know the deal by now. What you do need to know is that tickets go on sale this Friday, October 9th, at noon for $30 in advance/$35 day of. I wouldn’t expect that day of price to really be needed…