"We gonna take you to the Triple Six Clubhouse. We got a plot for you already dug out." I think that line pretty much encompasses Three Six Mafia and their approach to hip-hop. Hard hitting, no frills, gritty, street rap, Three Six Mafia was and is a major influence on today's hip-hop, especially the subgenre, Trap, a genre 3-6 more or less invented. You hear it everywhere these days...a slowed down, menacing approach; dark beats, complemented by graphic verbal accounts of violence and street life. Three Six has never been for the faint of heart.

After some time off, the crew re-tooled and reassembled, and are now known as Da Mafia 6ix. Despite Juicy J's absence and the death of founding member, Lord Infamous, Da Mafia has been hitting it hard, releasing a mixtape this past November, 6iX Commandments, which debuted on the Billboard hip-hop charts, and embarking on a national tour.

The Forvm plays host to one stop of this tour tonight (7pm, $25), along with an ensemble of MC's, and musicians, including TWISTED INSANE, Whitney Peyton, Sozay, Alan Winkle, Evident Truth, Kamp Crystal Lake, AJ Jordan, Kourt Jester, Crooked Boyz, Kool Jay, and Tormented.

Sometimes in music, great artists are overlooked. For whatever reason, fame bypasses them, and they never reach the heights of their peers, which is a tragedy because they have so much to offer. Their music, brash, inventive, and powerful, stands the test of time and anyone who takes the time to listen becomes an instant fan. Oz is one of those bands.

The Finnish metal group began their careers in the late seventies and after an excellent self-titled debut, released one of the best metal albums of the eighties with Fire in the Brain. Memorable vocal hooks, Priest-esque riffage, and attitude for days were Oz' trademarks and they turned more than a few heads with their fresh take on the NWOBHM sound. Despite the hype, Oz never really made it though, and the band sunk into obscurity by the nineties.

Fortunately for those of us that love metal, the group is back and doing their thing, which includes a current tour with October 31. October 31 is fronted by King Fowley of Deceased and are icons in their own right, which makes this tour all the more compelling.

Tonight these legends hit the Forum in Amherst ($13, 7pm), one of Oz' rare North American appearances. Sharing the bill are locals Herod, Pollock, and All to End. A great night of metal looms ahead. Make sure you're at the Forum to catch it.

Tiny Blue Entertainment is hosting an evening of solid indie-rock at the Forvm tonight. Fans of Brand New, Manchester Orchestra, The Dear Hunter will not want to miss this - Instead of Sleeping, whose music is a fresh product of those influences, will be gracing the stage alongside Doses, Skylight Stereo, Friends U Can't Kill, and Emily Hawthorne. In case you missed it, I conducted a phone interview with the the band which you can read here. The Pittsburgh natives place their emphasis in live shows in which they give their all in pursuit of leaving the crowd both delighted and dumbfounded. Doors open at 8 and admission is $8 pre-sale and $10 at the door. Catch ya there.

Pittsburgh melodic rockers, Instead Of Sleeping, will be coming to Buffalo this Friday to play at the Forvm alongside Doses, Skylight Stereo, Friends U Can't Kill, and Emily Hawthorne. Needless to say it'll be a night of fresh, earnest music arranged by up and coming music venture - Tiny Blue Entertainment. Since you guys have probably never heard of these these Pittsburgh natives, a phone interview with singer Shaun Sweeney was conducted to give you a glimpse of what you would be missing if you opted out ;-)

buffaBLOG: Describe yourselves, who are some of your influences, etc?
Shaun Sweeney: Manchester Orchestra, Brand New, The Deer Hunter, those are the really positive influences we would all agree upon. The band has been together for 5 years, playing music, but we've gone through a lot of changes since then, band members and sound wise. All the music is completely collaborative. Whenever we work on that, someone might have an idea and bring it to the table, we might have a whole song listen to it and judge what stays and needs to be taken out.

buffaBLOG:  What do you try to bring out or emphasize in your live performances?
SS: For one, kind of quoting one of our own songs that we still play a lot ("Footprints"), we treat every show as though we don't want to leave just a footprint, we want to leave a crater. Do our thing as hard as we can. Not worry about whats going to happen the next day. Sing loud enough that I might just lose my voice. It's about that one show that night. We think of ourselves as a live band, since we often get told that our live performances are better, but we want our recordings to show the energy we have live as well.

buffaBLOG: What do you guys do when you gather that crowd isn't responding?
SS: One of the things we do is try to up our game, the movements, the energy. One of the things I do is make more eye contact like "hey, I'm here, you're here, I hope you're listening."

buffaBLOG: What are some of your favorite memories playing live?
SS: There are two categories. Whenever I'm on the stage, and I can hear nothing but dead silence, for instance. We were playing one of our main songs in Indiana the other weekend and our new merch guy said he could literally hear one of my exhales during the pause because the crown was entirely silent. Or, whenever people are singing back the words, words I had wrote down in my notebook. I also love the after show feeling, the buzz you get from the show. Once we played with the Dear Hunter and their drummer asked if we were serious about doing this, making music a career, and we replied absolutely, and he said "that's awesome, but it's a tough life, you have to be prepared for it."

"We've been doing this for 5 years and it's been getting more and more fun for us. We don't like to sit in the back room, and drink beer, I know most of our fans by name, we like to meet people. It's more about connecting with people."

There ya go. Doors open at 7pm and tickets are $10. See ya there.

Ask any Buffalo MC and they’ll tell you the heart of a true hip hop scene pulsates deep within its city’s walls. If you listen closely, you can hear it. If you’re looking carefully, you’ll know where to find it. But one thing you must know is that the scene isn’t necessarily opposed to a change of scenery itself. And tonight, Buffalo hip hop (and a few other varieties) is invading the ‘burbs. ADDICTED TO HIP HOP, presented by Sickboy Productionz, will feature a delicious buffet of Buffalo’s finest hip hop acts performing in Amherst. They’re getting shuffled throughout the night to keep fans on their toes and ears satisfied. “Acts will play two songs and jump on and off stage switching the whole night…think of it as an iPod on shuffle playing music from each performer,” said Mark Miller, president of Sickboy Productionz, who will perform under the stage name Emcee M.D. tonight.

The wildly talented hip hop collective Prime Example will also be tearing up the stage this evening with their anthem-driven sounds. Expect some classic material mixed in with new tracks off their latest EP, Modern Marvels, and energetic, live jams with member Steve Syracuse going hard on the drums and bass. Joining them in the lineup are the soulfully splendid Type Relevant, a group prepared to electrify fans with their skilled musicianship and jazz-rooted style, the ferocious Hi-Lo and the hip hop group Free At It. Akron native Emcee M.D., who’s known for his Andy Milonakis, Beastie Boys-esque rap style and persona as well as his humorous but meaningful viral music videos, will also be gracing the stage. In a space invader suit. And probably with a few more tricks up his sleeve. It may get weird up in here, folks. Brace yourselves. This eclectic gang is going to serve up bars and hooks you’ll pound down harder than a Bud Light and provide an interesting experience you’ll definitely be able to make the most of. Word on the street is that some of them are dishing out freshly baked mixtapes, too. 

The show is 18+ and starts tonight at 9:30 pm at The Forvm located in the Maple Ridge Plaza. Tickets are $10 at the door. “Expect the unexpected,” Miller said. Go for the hell of it. Go because you give a damn. Go to support local music. Oh, and if you truly support local music, comment on this post, we enjoy the feedback from you lovely people.