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Tonight: Shonen Knife

Legendary Osaka, Japan garage rockers, Shonen Knife, return to the Queen City to kick off their North American tour at a special benefit show tonight at Waiting Room for beloved community enterprise Music Is Art. Local punkers and post-punkers Healer, Lost Elysium, and Orations will open the show with Tokyo’s DJ Sashimi spinning records throughout the evening. With the Music Is Art Festival only a few months away on September 12th, this is a mightily good cause to get behind, in addition to a terrific bill featuring a band with a long history playing our city. Tickets are $15 at the doors and show will kick off at 7pm.

Tonight: The Early November

These damn bands from 2004-06 keep going on such great tours… Tonight you can catch a few forerunners of 2000s emo at Waiting Room. The Early November will be here slinging its older, Drive Thru-brand of passionate pop-punk (“Ever So Sweet” and “I Want to Hear You Sad” immediately come to mind), as well as some newer, polished pop-rock tunes. Joining them this evening are the ever-ethereal Lydia (“This is Twice Now” comes to mind) and Restorations’ Gaslight Anthem-y jams. The show is $17 bucks and doors are at 7pm. All ages too, in case any underage readers are scoping out the blog.

Tonight: Face to Face

Full disclosure: I’m not a Face to Face fanboy. I’m actually only familiar with one album by the Victorville, California foursome. I don’t even think I have an original copy of that album either, just a burned one. And I can’t tell you where or when I heard it for the first time. I can tell you one thing though, I listened to the fuck out of it. The album I’m speaking of is, of course, the band’s self-titled masterpiece. It’s just so good. It really is. A fun, straight up punk rock album start to finish. No shit ballads. No filler interludes. Just moderately fast punk music. It’s one of those albums that you eventually know all the words to and end up singing random songs from it at work. You end up listening to it five times in a row and don’t notice, and don’t even care because[...]

Tonight: Hey Rosetta!

Tonight, the Studio at the Waiting Room is set to host Newfoundland’s Hey Rosetta!, a lively orchestral pop seven-piece paired with bravado leads that fans of Ra Ra Riot, Landlady, or even Coldplay would enjoy.  Since forming in 2005, the septet have toured all over the world,  gaining a wide array of fans and press from notable outlets like NPR and the CBC.  Tonight’s show is presented by Funtime with doors at 6:30pm and $16 cover. No word on if there are any openers. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/161105988″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Just Announced: Blonde Redhead

While caught up in an intense battle of paper football at the office today, Waiting Room announced a rare appearance of ethereal NYC trio, Blonde Redhead, set to hit Buffalo on Tuesday, June 16th. Beginning 20+ years ago, the long time threesome teeter taughters between dreamy electro pop and shoegaze to delicate indie a la Lykke Li. The band is best known for its stunning 4AD release, 23, dropped in 2007, and most recently released its latest album, Barragán, back in 2014. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, April 17th, at noon for $20 in advance, $25 day of.

Tonight: BRC and RRC Present UNITY!

The Buffalo Rage Community and the Rochester Rave Community have joined forces to present a quarterly event of music and local talent that will encapsulate the title itself: Unity. Talent from the two cities will share stages at Waiting Room, with each community drawing a crowd of loyal followers. The last BRC event held at the venue was so full to capacity and was energetic beyond belief, there was a line winding out the door which is hard to come by for Buffalo events these days. The lineup for tonight is stacked and there will be a taste of any genre. For those that hoop, poi, glove, and any other visually stimulating trip trick toy, the BRC and RRC encourage you to bring them. Note: Just please be mindful and respectful of those around you. Sneak a peak at the time slots below. 8-9pm: MatKa B2B Chucks 9-10pm: Miosi B2B[...]

Solidisco

Considering that both members of the funky dance duo, Solidisco, were born and raised – even recorded material – here, it’s pretty strange to hear their show tonight at Waiting Room is their debut home performance. But that is what it is. Though the disco house duo has played shows and festivals around the world in its three-year history, members Don Skotnicki and Matt McGurn have yet to play the Queen City. The reason: Buffalo is (arguably, of course) just too small a city for aspiring musicians to really get a career off the ground. Skotnicki explains that, while they have nothing but admiration for their hometown, it has neither the resources nor the venues you’d find in a larger city like New York or L.A. In New York, where they’re half-based, you have clubs that play dance music every night of the week. You also have thousands of talented[...]

Tonight: Lil Debbie

California sweetheart and lean queen Lil Debbie brings it to Buffalo tonight as part of her White Clouds tour. Supported by Caskey, the tour also features Godz, Chi City, Big Tim, and 716 entertainer Aj Jordan The-Crescendo. The Cali born and bred rapper, born Jordan Capozzi, is a former member of the now defunct White Girl Mob, whose members included Gucci Gucci viral video creator Kreayshawn and culturally inappropriate appropriator V-Nasty. While these not so basic bitches don’t talk anymore, fans still speculate on Debbie’s departure and Kreay’s role in it. Queen D began her solo career in 2012, and has since released four EP’s.  Her November 2014 effort, aptly titled Young B!tch, is her boldest record to date, brimming with bass, beats, and Bay Area pride. The Studio at Waiting Room welcomes the tour to the upstairs lounge, allowing for a more intimate concert experience than their downstairs venue.[...]

Tonight: Real Friends

Emo/pop-punk band Real Friends (not to be confused with Buffalo’s Real People) will be stopping through Buffalo tonight in support of their new album, Maybe This Place Is the Same and We’re Just Changing. Sad songs, mean songs, these Illinois-based guys do it all. RIYL the records Saves the Day, Brand New, or Taking Back Sunday were putting out a decade ago. Neck Deep, Cruel Hand, Have Mercy, and Cedar Kites will be opening the show tonight. You can still get $15 tickets if you hit up someone from Cedar Kites, otherwise the show is $17 at the door. Doors are at 6:00, 16+.

Tonight: Modern Baseball

The clever dudes in Modern Baseball seem to be riding high on a wave of interest in their awkward anti-pop musings about post-adolescence blues. It’s nothing short of endearing and relatable – see the startlingly frank acoustic musings about Twitter on “@chl03k” or the (somehow) nerdier version of Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin on tracks “Fine, Great.” Instagram and Twitter references aside, Modern Baseball songs are smart, relatable, and inherently infectious. RIYL The Front Bottoms, Tigers Jaw, or The Weakerthans. Opening this show is a veritable treasure trove of great underground emo. Knuckle Puck is classic pop-punk, but Somos, Foxing, and Crying each bring their own, excellent take on emo to the stage in different ways. Expect some sad, awkward, and conversely delightful chiptune from Crying, who we happened to catch up with earlier this week. Local support comes from Head North. Tickets for tonight are $15. Doors are at[...]

Tonight: RL Grime

Well, the show sold out a few days prior to tonight and people were in a frenzy trying to find tickets. Waiting Room will be packed to the legal capacity brim for three heavy-hitting DJs. RL Grime is headlining the evening. With the WEDIDIT Collective, he kick started his career in the electronic realm. Further releases gained him recognition from Fool’s Gold, Ministry of Sound, Boiler Room and more. On tour for Void, his most recent album release, his track “Core” had people losing their minds after the first listen.   [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/158827653″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]   Also playing will be Branchez and Tommy Kruise. Hailing from New York City, Branchez has become acclaimed for his productions and supported by names like Diplo and Skrillex as well as  touring with Zeds Dead, Paper Diamond and Giraffage. Tommy Kruise has been rising as a big talent within the pool of Quebecois[...]

Tonight: Jimkata & Turkuaz

After Dark Entertainment lives up to it’s name this Halloween night when two frightfully funky bands take the stage at Waiting Room. Jimkata, an indie elctro-rock quartet from Ithaca, join Brooklyn-based funk machine, Turkuaz, for a night of good music and better vibes. Both acts are no stranger to Buffalo, frequently blessing the city with a rush of soulful jams and grooves. Turkuaz seems to be making a push to play every venue in town. See the funk collective, along with Jimkata, cross another one off the list later tonight at the Delaware Ave haunt. The 18+ show opens it’s doors at 9pm, and tickets are available both at the door and online for $15.

Tonight: K.Flay

When Kristine Flaherty was in California attending Stanford University, she began making rap music as a joke. A parody track opened the door to her passion for music and writing, and sparked her career as K.Flay. She began creating tracks last fall, uncertain of what would become of them. She sought out crowdfunding to bring her album to fruition, rather than her route signing with RCA. For her album Life as a Dog, she broke off from her major label to take initiative for more creative control over her art, and also to establish a more intimate relationship with her fans. “It seemed like everybody had an opinion. It should be more electronic, it should be more dancey, it should be more pop, but I never really fit and I never really wanted to fit the mold that they had in mind,” she said in her crowdfunding pledge video. Through crowdfunding[...]

Tonight: Bayside

Tonight, Bayside is playing at the Waiting Room… But fans of Bayside probably already know that – they refer to themselves as a cult. For those Buffalonians who haven’t been indoctrinated yet, think passionate pop-punk/emo with a monster discography a la Saves the Day or Alkaline Trio. Just make sure you keep an eye out for rabid fans. The ex-The Movielife stalwarts in I Am The Avalanche and Seaway will be opening up the show tonight. $19 gets you in at 6:30. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/7040414″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Tonight: TOKiMONSTA

TOKiMONSTA will be returning to Buffalo tonight to shower an ecstatic crowd with eclectic sample constructions that translate into dreamy beat-scapes. A conjurer of  syncopated enchantment, her samples are results of devout vinyl rummaging and by combining these clips with choppy rhythms and melodic synth backdrops. Over the years, the Brainfeeder member has become known for producing spacey down-tempo tracks with a soulful, old school flair. What you hear tonight will be no exception. In fact, she’ll be delivering tracks from her latest album, Desidirium, which was only released two weeks ago and aside from her newfound leanings towards elements of trap music, let’s just her bass game has never been so on point. Silky moog phatty notes and low-end dance stabs color her tracks with depth and a new dimension of danceability. Furthermore, various r&b vocalists are featured, transforming some of her hip-hop instrumentals into full fledged songs.  Calling all[...]