Latest Posts

Welks Mice – BLUB BLUB

November 28, 2024

Six years, a pandemic, and a whole lot of life later, Buffalo’s Welks Mice have re-emerged with BLUB BLUB, an EP that trades some of the anxious energy of their 2018 debut for a sound that is softer around the edges, but no less genuine. This time around, songwriter Max Weiss and vibraphonist Andre Welks-Fabretti hone in on themes of optimism and openness, their delightfully economical indie-pop providing the perfect backdrop. It’s honest, it’s tender, and it’s our Album of the Week.   Welks Mice’s unique approach to minimalism is a refreshing breath of air in a local scene dominated by distorted guitars and crash cymbals. Welks-Fabretti’s charming vibraphone melodies make up the majority of arrangements, and Weiss’ unabashed ‘cards face-up’ lyrical delivery is disarming and accessible. The combination is distinct in style, blending the best elements of bedroom pop and anti-folk for a sound that would sit nicely next to[...]

Must See Shows (10/30/24-11/5/24)

October 29, 2024

Thursday, October 31st @ 7pm Dexter and the Moonrocks @ Town Ballroom Turn off the porch light and put a “Gone 2 Dexter and the Moonrocks” note up for the trick-or-treaters this Thursday. The Abilene-based quartet will be making their Buffalo debut on a very scary evening in support of their latest EP Western Space Grunge. The band is an amalgamation of indie rock, grunge, and a sprinkle of country – an homage to the band’s Texas roots. Much to our delight, Dexter and the Moonrocks’ sound is very sing-a-long friendly with numerous singles chock full of heavy hooks. Fans of FIDLAR, White Reaper, or Wavves would be into this one. Doors are $27.22 all-in. Dexter And The MoonRocks · Like You (Like You) Saturday, November 2nd @ 7pm Light Beams w/ Personal Style, Welks Mice, and echolocator @ Area 54 Dischord Records signees Light Beams returns to Buffalo after[...]

Tonight: Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts

August 5, 2019

Tonight NYC anti-folk punk poet laureate Jeffrey Lewis and his band Los Bolts will be headlining an excellent lineup at beloved DIY space Sugar City featuring Welks Mice, Hop Hop, and Derick Evans and the Dream Beam Magic Team. A noted writer, graphic artist, and quasi spiritual heir to downtown intellectual singer songwriter luminaries  like Lou Reed and Jarvis Cocker, Lewis has been banging out his poetic underground lo-fi indie rock for more than twenty years, most of them on the legendary Rough Trade label, and tonight’s show at Sugar City will be intimate and sweet. Opening this early show will be the ever delightful literal good vibes of Welks Mice, Buffalo hip hop all-star Hop Hop, and deep dive existential performance art outfit Derick Evans and the Dream Beam Magic Team. Doors are at 6:30pm so plan accordingly and cover is $10.

Tonight: Matthew Danger Lippman

April 19, 2019

Tonight, Buffalo to Brooklyn transplant Matthew Danger Lippman brings his glammed out, soul man jive home for a special show at Sugar City with Welks Mice and Lesionread. Matthew just released Sadomania hot on the heels of last year’s trippy and surprisingly soulful Ill, which found MDL leaning hard into melodicism and confessional turns to find some real catharsis; also, it’s always real interesting to see what he’s got going on. Actually that’s also true for good vibes prophets Welks Mice and the always provocative Lesionread, who’s taking a night off from Space Cubs to offer artistic support to a fellow troublemaker comrade in arms. Cover is $7, doors are at 7pm,  and don’t forget Sugar City is all ages and a drug & alcohol free venue, so please be cool. Sadomania EP by Matthew Danger Lippman

Tonight: Ava Luna

December 5, 2018

Soulfully innovative indie group Ava Luna performs tonight at Mohawk Place! Since 2007, Ava Luna has been garnering attention for its creative blending of genres, ranging from soul and R&B to reggae and psychedelic with heavy synths. However, Ava Luna’s recent release, Moon 2, has amassed recognition for being vastly different from its earlier works; most attribute this change to Carlos Hernandez stepping back from his leadership role, allowing his bandmates to contribute more creatively during the recording process. The result: an extraordinary album of stellar extraterrestrial sounds. Ava Luna creates its own world through which it easily maneuvers listeners in this album. Maggie Lange of Pitchfork puts it perfectly, stating in her review, “It’s an electro-funk that plays on a gravity plane where everything is a different weight, sounds melt more deeply and float off more easily.” Listening to Moon 2 is like being projected back in time, yet[...]

Welks Mice Release New Single “Your Heart is the Purple Sage”

September 18, 2018

Feel good vibraphone heroes Welks Mice dropped a new single “Your Heart is the Purple Sage” that, in true  Welks form,  is virtually indescribable yet deeply affecting. Maybe it’s the naked, searching purity of Max Weiss’s vocals and the distinct sense that’s he singing TO YOU or his poetic and philosophical lyrics that come at you fast and insistent; maybe it’s the Andre Welks vibraphone that seem to gradually harmonize with your soul, or the intimate immediacy of the lo-fi production. In any case “Your Heart is the Purple Sage” is a refreshingly cathartic balm for the soul that feels just right, and it’s definitely worth a listen. Your Heart is the Purple Sage by Welks Mice

11 Acts to Catch at Trimania 2018

April 13, 2018

Trimania returns Saturday, April 14th for its every three year take over of the TriMain building.  The multi-faceted program is a hard dive into the local arts and music scenes, allowing the opportunity for the regional creatives to convey their art and the thousands of attendees to consume it. The event will almost overwhelm your senses, with artists, poets, musicians, and DJs performing in various rooms and  corners throughout the six stories of the building. With that, here are 11 musical performances we suggest checking out Saturday night. 8pm Hop Hop @ Insight International (Suite 556) Experimental hip hop artist Jaz Frasier performs under the moniker Hop Hop to deliver smart lyrics with abstract instrumentals Scratch by Hop Hop 9pm Little Cake @ First Floor Stage Avant garde multi-instrumentalist and front woman Little Cake dips her toe into a variety of genres and styles to produce an undoubtedly commanding performance.[...]

Tonight: Bong Wish

February 9, 2018

Lovers of the tripped out, fantastical British folk music that fired up Led Zeppelin and Donovan simply have to get to Deep Space 8 tonight to check out Bong Wish, just in from the magical woods of ancient Massachusetts to play us some songs from their delightful eponymous debut EP. Rounding out your magical evening will be a stacked bill featuring local art blues rockers be locust or alone, true soldiers of love and good vibrations Welks Mice, and the live debut of lo-fi psych rocker The Midnight Vein (aka John Toohill), who’ll also be celebrating the release of his eponymous debut tonight, as if that wasn’t enough for you already. It’s a pay what you will situation, with a minimum donation of $5 to cover Bong Wish’s gas money, so be cool. Doors open at 7:30pm and music at 8:30pm.

Tonight: Big Huge

August 31, 2017

Tonight Sugar City will be the scene of a glorious power rock revival the likes of which has not been seen in a long time when New York City’s Big Huge makes their local debut. Taking the tight songwriting, unadulterated fun and crisp riffage of 80’s Top 40 rock while amputating the corporate slickness and replacing it with proper DIY downtown rock bravado, Big Huge feels just right, especially as showcased on their tasteful but kick ass debut LP Cruel World. Opening the show will be local punks Uniform(OPR), avante garde noise rockers Welks Mice, and psychedelic punk rockers Slow Mutants. Doors open at 8pm with music starting promptly at 8:30pm to honor Sugar City’s curfew and their neighbors. Cover is $7-$10 depending what you can kick in. CRUEL WORLD by BIG HUGE

Tonight: Hello Shark

August 20, 2017

Sometimes you just need an off-the-beaten-path, genre-defying show to cap off your weekend… If that’s the case, we know we’ll see you at Milkie’s tonight. Philly sad-boy Hello Shark will be jamming his literate, casio-driven poetry tonight alongside the literal caveman proto-punk of Boston’s The Cavemen. Local support is also aplenty, with applicable sets from vox & vibes duo Welks Mice, the ever-creative Lesionread Jazz Band, and a debut performance from Slinky X. Doors for tonight’s show are at 7pm. Bring $5 so you can get in the door.

Tonight: Selector Dub Narcotic

April 7, 2017

K Records founder Calvin Johnson heads to Sugar City tonight under the flag of his latest project titled Selector Dub Narcotic. The brains behind Beat Happening, Johnson has had a notable career in independent music scene, collaborating and discovering many independent bands that had went on to national limelight (Modest Mouse, Built to Spill to name a very few). Selector Dub Narcotic’s playful dance punk will be sure to get you moving.  Also on the bill are local funkpunk collective, Mallwalkers, and xylo-core duo Welks Mice. Doors at 7pm with a $7 cover.

Tonight: Mallwalkers

October 29, 2016

The expression “family friendly” and punk rock don’t generally go together but they might tonight when Mallwalkers celebrate the release of Dial ‘M’ For at Sugar City with special guests for an all ages show that also happens to be free. With doors opening at 6pm and music at 7pm (sharp) you can pack up the whole crew and see what’s going on at Sugar City while thrilling to the punk shenanigans of the 9 member local gang known as Mallwalkers; who will be joined by sharp indie rocker M.A.G.S., punk rock warriors Gun Candy and Trinkit, twee pop minimalists Welk’s Mice, and Pat Kewley, who will be doing stuff. Because it’s an all ages space Sugar City is a drug and alcohol free space, so please, do all that at home. There might be some punk rock loving families present!

Tonight: Horse Lords

May 7, 2016

Baltimore band Horse Lords will be make a stop in Buffalo tonight at Sugar City to wield their challenging yet hypnotic brand of modern prog rock for local adventurous souls. Trippy instrumentals that combine dub elements with drone and post Kid A beeps and blurbs will be on the avant-garde menu along with forward thinking local bands UVB-76 and Welks Mice. Cover is $8 and doors open at 8pm.

Five Songs We Should Have Written About in January

January 29, 2016

Okay, so over the “break,” I really could not pry myself from paying attention to what music was being released, so here are the songs I feel as though we should have shared with you. We are back in the swing of things with a preview set for tomorrow and back to programming on Monday. Welks Mice – “Talking Too Fast” It’s no secret that Welks Mice are truly unique and paint vivid pictures with their talented story telling. After close to a year of playing Buffalo’s DIY circuit, Welks Mice finally(!) have some recorded material. The nu-lounge duet released their first single “Talking Too Fast” along with “Dreams” and “Company Time,” in January. Centering around a vibraphone and highlighting lead-vocalist Max Weiss’s dramatic bravado,  the  minimalist duo’s “Talking Too Fast” is a great example of the band’s repertoire. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/240297245″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] Aaron Welcher – “Bubble Gum”[...]

Tonight: Difficult Night

December 11, 2015

If you read this blog with any frequency, by now you probably know Difficult Night. The outfit’s brand of twinkly slackrock, when met with the open-book rhetorical accuracy of songwriter Shane Meyer, makes for a unique musical product about as unassuming as it comes. A balance is met, and it is met well. Difficult Night will be bringing their tunes to the stage of Nietzsche’s tonight after somewhat of a quiet year for the quartet. Buffalo roots rock vets Roger Bryan and the Orphans, post-punk locals The Patterns, and the vibraphone uniqueness of duo Welks Mice are all gracing the stacked Friday bill as well. Doors open at 9pm with a $5 cover.