Following the successful B.O.O.M. series and yearly Mardi Gras parties, Artvoice is venturing into a new night time event. Titled Night Shift, the local arts publication appears to be starting a monthly showcase series, touching on various genres, artists, and musicians. For the inaugural Night Shift, Artvoice is sticking to DJs, which after a few years of curating showcases myself for the blog, is certainly a nice and easy way to get your feet wet. On tonight's bill is a handful of Allentown staples, DJ Cutler, Rick Jameson (Spooky Business' Sean Heidinger), and Josh Yourmoms, all sure to keep the party going late into the night What I like about Night Shift is that Artvoice didn't pigeonhole itself into one type of party. On any given occasion, Night Shift could host a collection of bands, DJs, artists, whatever. Maybe a mix of all of those. Tonight's festivities kicks off at Hardware at 11pm for $3 before midnight, $5 after.
David Robert Jones. Davy Jones. David Bowie. Ziggy Stardust. The Thin White Duke. For more than 45 years David Bowie has gone by many names and explored as many personas as he's explored genres as a musician, actor, and artist. Folk, glam rock, funk, soul, electronic, art rock, unabashed pop, noise metal, and pretty much everything in between except country (although I could be wrong; in any case I'm sure an anonymous commenter will correct me)... Bowie's done it, which is good for music lovers, Bowie fans, and organizers of Bowie tributes like tonight's Sound And Re-Vision II at Nietzsche's. Put on by our good friends at Artvoice, Sound And Re-Vision II: A Buffalo Bowie Tribute Show features Alaysa O'Ballzy, Cowboys of Scotland, David Kane, D.D. Kinsman, Finster, Fredtown Stompers, Jimyn The Singing Mime, Small Smalls, Wooden Cities, The Ifs, The John Peyton Project, Tony Derosa, and more... and you can see it all for $5. Doors open at 8:30, the show starts at 9:00, with proceeds benefiting the Lifeline Foundation at ECMC, and prizes for the pretty things in the best Bowie costumes. With an excellent album this year, his first in 10 years, it's been a good year for the elusive artist, and what better way to honor Bowie than with a hot tribute show on a cold night in Allentown for a good cause.
From their early days at the Pink to tomorrow night's buffaBLOG Summer Party, DJs Stephen Pieroni and Sean Heidinger, aka Spooky Business, have come a long way. After winning Artvoice's "Buffalo's Best DJ Crew," the pair have increased their street-cred around the Queen City, including a memorable set at 2013 Taste of Buffalo. With roots planted all down Allen, the two started by playing the Pink on Tuesdays, collecting a mixed audience. From there, they went on to numerous showcases and openings at Hardware becoming, in my opinion, the unofficial DJs of the bar's Back Room.
Myself, I first encountered Spooky Business playing in a hot-as-balls living room at the birD day's house. The crowd was pressed in and dancing on each other as Stephen and Sean laid down a healthy beating of rap songs.
Spooky Business is all about crowd pleasing. They play to the mood and atmosphere of the room, seemingly always bringing the energy UP! They're style reaches all ends of the spectrum, from Hip-Hop to House and everything in between. Check out their fresh flavor at the party tomorrow night beginning at 10pm and running all night long. While not a video of Spooky Business exclusively, the clip below is from that party I had originally seen them:
The ride there is a long one. I
am already an hour late, trying to navigate my way through a snowstorm without
the convenience of a GPS, my glasses, or a right turn signal. By the time I
find myself in suburban Orchard Park, I am in no mood to be anywhere other than
bed. I shuffle up the driveway, already skeptical that the house—looking very
much like my grandmother decorated it—could host any sort of music that would make
the ride worth it. I knock on the door. A man with a long orange beard answers.
He leads me through the house, which is the decorated in the same old fashioned
way as the outside.
I am stunned. Everyone is playing
a beautiful instrument. I am so used to
seeing the salvaged looking guitars and drum kits that you run into at punk
shows that the mint green guitar and stunning black and red upright bass catch
me by surprise. In fact, the whole band gives off the same neat, meticulous
vibe. Wearing cuffed jeans and buddy holly glasses, The Blue Ribbon Bastardsstyle is as slick
as their hair.
Interviewing all five band
members, however, is anything but organized. Everyone is talkative and
enthusiastic, agreeing on some points, but cheerfully disagreeing on others.
They talk over each other as frequently as they finish each other’s sentences.
So how did you guys meet?
Drew
is the first to answer. “I have known
Jonny for ten years. I met him at a psychobilly concert back in the day. We
used to go to the scene shows. I don’t know how the hell I met Wade, but Jonny
and Wade have been friends for several years. We decided collectively we wanted
to start a band. We really like drinking together, so we figured we’d do
something constructive while we drink, instead of just getting hangovers.”
He looks over playfully at the
youngest member of the band, Steve.
“Now lemme tell ya’ about Steve…”
“You don’t have to tell them
about me…”
“When I met him, he had a swoopy
Bieber bang…”
“You don’t have to write this down…”
“Yes you do. He was doing this—“
he swoops his imaginary hair from his face, “and then he came in, and he
shredded.”
They improvise the story as they
go, working off each other. Watching them speak makes it easy to see how their
music comes together.
“I’ve played in every kind of
band” Steve says, “—emo, I guess, metal, punk—I’ve always played rockabilly but
never had anyone to play with. The topic of guitar came up, they invited me to
play—“
“But we didn’t have a drummer…”
Drew adds.
“We had three guitarists and an
upright. Eventually, that turned into two guitarists, one vocalist, and an
upright— no drummer. But we had five original songs, so we thought, hey, let’s
do an EP. Our first one was Songs to Rob Trains To. We did a five song
EP in winter of ‘09 out in Cheektowaga. My friend had a studio in his attic, so
we did that, got the word out. We wanted to put stuff on Myspace, or whatever was
popular at the time. We wanted to get our music out there to find a drummer—put
an ad out, didn’t find anything we liked. But five months later…”
Wade jumps in. “My uncle is a
tattoo artist, and was talking about rockabilly. Shot Jay my number…”
Jay adds, “I’ve been playing
drums for 27 years now, since third grade. I was a snare in marching band.”
“And that’s how Jay got involved.
He for some reason liked us—“
“To this day, I still don’t know
what it is.”
The jokes continue rapid fire
until I almost forget I’m doing an interview. Every other second, someone is
cracking me up. For instance, when talking about the rockabilly a-list trio Reverend
Horton Heat—
“They were on guitar hero!”
“I’m guitar hero… every evening.
I’m really good at it. I’m better than you, Steve.”
And on describing the music they
play, and the rockabilly scene in general—
“We play music your parents might
like.”
It is a fun interview, by the end
of which, I have come to appreciate the aesthetic they are trying to emulate.
If all you know about the fifties music comes from Grease, then I
suggest you take a look The Blue Ribbon Bastards. In a local scene
saturated with rock and blues, the energy this band brings to the stage is
unique. They keep the mood light and the pace fast.
“It isn’t just about music. It’s about
performance,” Jay says, “No one stands still, we all dance, we all move around.
If we’re all into it, and energetic, then the crowd gets into it.
Of course if you don’t like
them...
“We played a show at Diablo, and
Wade walks out and introduces the band. ‘We’re the Blue Ribbon Bastards from
Buffalo, New York. And if you don’t like us—you can go fuck yourself!’”
Steve
laughs, then clarifies “No matter how much you think we suck, you can tell
we’re passionate about it. Bottom line is: we play music we love playing. And
we don’t give a fuck if you don’t like it. “
Drew agrees. “We’re not doing
this for any reason other than we like to do it. New music has the problem of
being an image thing. We just did this to make our drinking problem less
evident.”
They all laugh again, working
their way through a few cans of their namesake, when Steve suddenly gets
serious.
“But really, make sure you say that I haven’t done emo since high school—and
only because I never had anyone to play with.”
Tonight at Nietzsche's is going to be weird. The
first four bands in the Artvoice BOOM Contest are going head to head in a
battle of original music. The lineup includes bands from a variety of different
genres—from rock to rockabilly, and one whiskey soaked guitar, the night has
something for everyone at a $5 cover.
Cosmic
Shakedown is going to kick things off at ten. This funky and soulful band
specializes in what they call rustbelt rock; a gritty local take on more
traditional rock and roll fare. If you’re already feeling nostalgic for Mohawk
Place, their intentionally dirty sound will definitely take you back to the
beloved venue, if only for the night.
After that, The Blue Ribbon Bastards take the stage. Their unique rockabilly
sound is something hard to find in the Buffalo area, unless you avidly follow
the genre or the hotrod scene. If you think that hillbilly rock is a little too
hick for you, or have some sort of long standing qualm against anything
country, I urge you to reconsider.Of
all the bands playing on Saturday, these are the guys you want to dance too—I
mean, really dance. Any moves that would be at home at a sock hop are
appropriate here.
After that are Randle and the Late Night Scandal and local favorite Super Killer Robots. Both bands have
totally different sounds. If you want to know more, check out my interviews
here on buffaBLOG.
If you’re looking for something new,
I suggest this show; it’s like a sample platter of local music. Come out and
vote for your favorite band so they can progress to the next round. Remember,
the winner of BOOM gets a $5000 prize—and in this scene, that’s huge. In the
end, however, it’s all about supporting local music and making Buffalo the best
city it can be for artists and for fans.
Well it has been an interesting two weeks off, but theres work to be done and plenty of events centered around dance music that deserve attention for the masses of dancing souls. Those masses were out in force this past Monday to witness Datsik blow the lid off the Ballroom again. Though I was not in attendance, many described it as being even louder than the 100,000 watt PK sound system from the Excision concert earlier this year! Apparently the loudness was so great that it was physically affecting concert goers, striking them with nausea, and vomiting according to a review in University at Buffalo publication The Spectrum. However true that may be, that sounds very intense and bludgeoning, literally.
Last week, I was once again directed to "Exit Music," the online column from Artvoice writer and friend of buffaBLOG Cory Perla, to listen to the latest installment in a series of exclusive DJ mixes from local artists. I would like to just take the opportunity to commend Cory on this idea. The exposure to new fans and opportunity that this has presented to local DJs has been beneficial for the scene. I hope to see this series continue, so that more mixes can be churned out from the likes of LOKI, D-STAR, MEDISON, RUFUS GIBSON, KILLSOUND, CUTLER, BIG BASHA, and most recently SWAGGLEROCK among others. You can listen to the series on Artvoice's Mixcloud page which can be found HERE.
This weekend presents Saturday as the night to party, so check out wha gwan below:
saturday 10/6
10p-4a
21+
MIXOLOGY
443 forest ave. Buffalo, NY
Another new spot has presented itself to the Buffalo nightlife scene. That is Mixology over on Forest ave. across the from the iconic edifice of the Buffalo psychiatric center Richardson building. This interesting spot on the corner of Tremont and Forest was formerly a Restaurant called the Royal Pheasant. The interior features classic Deco design and decor. This Saturday, the crew from Igloo Music will check out these new digs and break it in with a variety of House and Tech-House music. Enjoy some specialty mixed drinks and dancing in a new setting. Performances from BRANDON CHASE, DAHA GREEN, PAUL KUENZI, GENE LINET. Check out new mixes from some of the performers below.
ELIOT LIPP will make his second appearance to Buffalo this year. He was here back in March headlining a Friction party at Duke's for which he did a DJ set. Lipp also performs his instumentation live. He'll be doing just that on Saturday at the end of Allen st. thanks to MNM Presents. Performing along side Lipp will be Rochester's PAPI CHULO, one of my favorite DJs from the region. Eliot Lipp fans will pleased to find his new album "Shark Wolf Rabbit Snake" to download on Pretty Lights Music for naming your own price (Free). Here's the LINK, or listen first below.
Any events that readers would like to suggests appropriate to the Drum Machine Report, please submit to buffaBLOG. Much Love.
In the late, 70's punk kicked rock music up the arse, a righteous kick still felt almost 40 years later. The Clash, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Television, The Buzzcocks... and so many bands led a musical revolution that, like The Velvet Underground in the late 60's unleashed a torrent of bands inspired by their raw, DIY example, including a band featuring four lads from suburban Dublin who would later rise up and eventually conquer and later try to save the world. At first they called themselves The Hype, but eventually settled on U2, and the rest is history. Tonight at Nietzsche's in the heart of Allentown Artvoice pays homage to that earnest band of Irish misfits and the music that spawned them by artfully mashing together A Beautiful Day on Allen Tribute To U2 with their tribute to punk and New Wave Rocket to Allentown, and a ____load of fine Buffalo bands are stepping up to represent. Handling U2: The Pillagers, Kamikaze LTD, Grand National, The Screaming Jeans, Wild Blue Frame, Jimyn the Singing Mime, Gentleman John and the Postive Ions, Chances R, and Honeylove. On Punk and New Wave duty: Thunderbirds, Fourth But First, Nine Miles To Empty, Backhoe, Nutt, Crazy Momma, Dick Whiskey, Dopplegangers, The High Flying Ghosts, White Debbie, Friends You Can't Kill, and Too Many Toyz. The cover is $5, the show starts at 9 PM, and a complete list of who's playing what can be found at http://www.artvoice.com/bands. With a lineup like that and Buffalo's long and wonderful history with U2 and legacy of underground punk, Nietzsche's definitely will be what you're looking for. Yes, I ended with that, and I got a lot more where that came from, so consider yourselves lucky.
Folks, I am all over the place today. Hell, I've been all over the place for the last few days. I apologize, but that's just the way it is. A thousand pardons, but today is definitely an Odds and Sods day:
There are 3 albums due out this year that I am all about: Yeasayer, Best Coast, and Beach House... and two of them arrive in stores tomorrow. Yeah, I don't know how that worked out, but Best Coast's sophomore effort The Only Place and Beach House's latest album Bloom hit shops (and the interwebs) on the same bloody day. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Do I listen to Beach House first? Best Coast? Do I flip a coin? It's ridiculous. I'm not even sure if I should call it "Beach Coast Tuesday" or "Best House Tuesday." Bloody hell. I shouldn't have to make such decisions. Still no word on new Yeasayer, but it's coming. Stay tuned.
I got an email today about Santigold at the Town Ballroom, which means there's a lot of tickets available. What's up with that Buffalo? Or are you planning on showing up and getting your tickets the night of the show? I sure hope so, because we've been doing so good this year, and I'd hate to see this show trip up our good music karma.
Buffalo Soccer Sunday has come and gone, and it was good. Mes Que was great, FC Buffalo was fun (in spite of the nil-nil draw), and Manchester City won the English Premier League in mindbogglingly spectacular fashion, making both Gallagher brothers exceedingly happy. And before you go on about "more soccer talk on buffaBLOG," get off it. I mentioned Oasis, didn't I? And here's a list of rock stars who love the beautiful game and the clubs they support. Did you know Paul Oakenfold is a Chelsea man? Now you do.
Word on the street has it that Sigur Ros will be streaming their new album Valtari this Thursday at 7 PM EST. Apparently it will be played on the radio (not in Buffalo, because our radio sucks), in record stores (no words as of yet if any of our local shops are involved), and at their website. As always, Pitchfork provides. Please note that Valtari wasn't one of the 3 albums I am all about because I didn't know that Sigur Ros was putting out a new album this year last year when I started obsessing about new Best Coast, Beach House, and Yeasayer.
As of this writing I don't know if buffaBLOG won "Best Blog" in Artvoice's Best of Buffalo 2012 awards, and I'm getting that sinking feeling, which is a damn shame because we've been kicking ass lately and fulfilling a vital role in our WNY community. The music scene in Buffalo is moving too fast for the old media to keep up, it's fallen to the new media to carry that weight, and frankly, we got it. No offense to the other blogs who were nominated, but God do we deserve that award.
That's Battle of Original Music of course. Tonight at Nietzsche's, four of Buffalo's best local bands will compete for a spot in the grand finale of Artvoice's very own annual battle of the bands contest. The grand finale will take place on April 20th, with the winner walking away $5000. But lets worry about tonight first. Competing tonight are buffaBLOG fav the Tins, a indie rock trio who are prepping their full length debut album, which is set to drop next month, and Mr. Boneless a four piece blue/garage rock group originally out of Fredonia whose members all coincidentally share the same last name of Boneless ala the Ramones and Los Campesinos!. Each act will be given 30 minutes to impress the judges. Also competeing tonight are hard rocking, arena ready Contagious Woo and atmospheric metal sounds of Third Realm. The music kicks off tonight with Contagious Woo at 10:30. Cover is $5.
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