There's something incredibly infectious about Made Violent's approach to rock'n'roll. Part Strokes-swagger, part downstroke pummel, their songs have a melodic bite to them; A special kind of thing that you don't find every day. Attitude, fun, and energy have always embodied this kind of spirit and Made Violent seem to have tapped into the main vein.

Check out their new video for the track "Dirty" for further proof. It's bombastic, unhinged, yet frenetically tight and it won't leave your brain for days. With some killer sessions at Quiet Country Audio in the pipe, as well as love from NME, this is a band that's clearly going places. Watch the video below and you'll see why.

Tonight there will be lift-off, as Igloo Music presents Cosmos, a space-themed dancing celebration, at Wastelands.

Headlining the event will be Mike Parker, a Buffalo-resident who has performed on a global level.


In the ever-evolving world of genre terminology, Parker coins his stylistic sound as "voodoo techno."

"It's more minimal than other forms of 'club' music," Parker said. "I'm attracted to the abstraction of it and the spaces between the sounds."

In addition to writing music and performing, he is also a teacher at Daemen College and Niagara County Community College where he instructs drawing and print making. Art, in any form of medium, is an inclusive form that relates back into everything he does.

"Everything I do visually ties in because I'm always thinking about music and the way I present it," Parker said. He designs and prints the record jackets for his label, Geophone, which he started in 1997 to release his music with a more involved and personal creative direction.

He became enveloped in the life when he was just a teenager. "I bought my first synthesizer, a KORG Mono/Poly, when I was in high school. I've been addicted ever since."

"I've played in many countries across Europe in the past few years. Also, my performances in Japan have been a creative inspiration for me. It's such a beautiful country. I recently contributed an ambient track to a CD compilation called Composure. This compilation, by various artists, was made to raise relief money for victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in 2011," Parker said.

Among many aspiring and growing artists in the Queen City some have a confident hope and diligence toward the Buffalo music scene, whereas some are struck by wanderlust and feel a career is only manageable elsewhere. For a DJ and producer who has traveled to the Land of the Rising Sun, across the U.S., Europe and more, why remain in the 716?

"My teaching career, affordable living, the art scene, and my friends," he said.

Mike Parker loves music because, "It's the most abstract of all art forms. And it helps chase away the blues."

In addition, Diskomaster will be hailing in from Syracuse. Igloo's Paul Kuenzi, and birthday boy, will also be performing, along with Gene Linet, J.P. Freedom and Ryan Liddell.

A costume contest will commence, so dress your best. C.P. Abbott Photography will be there to capture the madness.

UVB-76, in collaboration with Squeaky Wheel's TechArts for Girls Program, recently released a new music video for their song "2 if by Sea."

Squeaky Wheel's TechArts for Girls Program has been running since 1999 and is"a community action project that encourages girls from the city of Buffalo and Erie County to receive an affordable hands-on education in computers, technology and media literacy." As part of the advanced experimental video workshop, led by teaching artist, Alice Alexandrescu, a group of students listened to the song and then collaborated with UVB-76 to produce the video with a green screen and a collection of found footage. Students individually edited the footage and collectively compiled the final video.

With everyone donning UVB-76's trademark white hazmat suits, the duo and the girls dance around the shifting images on the green screen. The result is a fun video that captures both the song and the overall playful aesthetic of UVB-76's consistently inventive and inspiring music.

Everyone in this town is a DJ, but tonight you can put your money where your mic is at Buffalo's only monthly hip hop karaoke event. Hosted by Billy Drease Williams, the good people at DTR, and Hip Hop Karaoke Buffalo, this is the most fun you'll have at karaoke in the 716 (sorry, Tudor Lounge).

The event starts at 10, and all performers must pre-register here. Unfortunately, registration is full so if you slept on getting your song in, you'll have to wait til next month. All performers are supplied with a free drink, a dj, and a hypeman, but what rapper doesn't show up with his own entourage?

Pro tips: hold the mic from the bottom, remember to breathe, and for all your swag needs, remember that 2 chainz are better than one. 

Quirky singer-songwriter Sonny Baker takes to the stage tonight in a setting that may serve as a refreshing antidote for any locals plagued by seasonal affective disorder. Crackling electric lights shine onto the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens in colorful neon as part of their "Nights Lights at the Gardens" event. The aesthetically tantalizing imagery of your surroundings is intended to activate a light bulb above your head and assist you in connecting some metaphorical dots. If you aren't interested in that option, I'm sure no one will mind if you just let your jaw drop and stare at everything in dumbfounded awe.

Providing the soundtrack for your journey into the fluorescent conservatory this evening will be none other than the aforementioned Sonny Baker. The soft, warm tones of his peculiar and innovative ditties will play nicely off of the vibrant scenery, and his lyrics will stimulate your soul, imagination, or funny bone. Baker’s stripped down, minimalistic style allows every component of his music to sparkle brightly. He starts strumming around 7:30PM, so make sure to arrive early to explore the radiant gardens.

Recently we discovered the aggressive indie rockers, Facility Men, by scouring the back alleys of bandcamp. Their two-song demo was recorded with local go-to, Matt Smith of Hi/Lo Studios, and has been on constantly looped at the buffaBLOG office in between the new KooLIE HiGH and Ben Morey albums. Facility Men are semi-raucous and brash, much like early Les Savy Fav or Fugazi, but the instrumentation is as inviting as a heavily punk influenced band can be. Check out "Top Gift" below to grab a sample of Facility Men.

Boy bands are like Furbies. At one point we may have forgotten about them, but they’re so gosh darn cute that they somehow found a comeback within the fluffy fringes of pop culture. And with comebacks come reinvention. Through an edgy and refreshing blend of in your face, poppy punk-driven anthems, high energy drum rhythms, and killer acoustic prowess, the Buffalo-based pop-punk band Faith and Fiction reworks the “boy band” label to their advantage.

After releasing their first single “Cloud Nine” in April of 2012, followed by their first EP, For Glory, the rambunctious 4 piece, whose musical style they brand as a combination of pop punk giants Brand New and All Time Low, got their first (albeit modest) taste of fame. While they garnered a growing presence of YouTube followers online and a larger fan base at shows, the real cloud nine didn’t seem too distant. ”We definitely had some momentum, but there were also a lot of things that we had to work out,” guitarist Michael Montante said. A year later and with a little more experience under their belt, the guys are determined to do things better this time around with their second EP, Kids in the Clouds, set for release this summer. “The EP we’re putting out is really going to be the base of whatever we do in the future from here on out,” Montante said. “We’re taking our time and trying to do it right.”

Shedding a tear on stage will almost always get you laid…said no member of Faith and Fiction ever. But, boy bands do have to have a sensitive side, and the group has definitely had their fair share of heartbreak. “You Stole My Sweater,” the first leak off of Kids in the Clouds, deals with this dreaded reality through angelic vocals, haunting melodies, and a hopeful outlook. “I thought it was a unique name because it’s the idea that someone took this part of you that you can’t get back,” said lead vocalist Timothy MacDonald of the track’s title.

For more on the young heartthrobs from Buffalo, check out their YouTube channel.

There's no question that there's a cultural resurgence going on in Buffalo right now, with galleries, spaces, and music venues opening all over the city; a commitment to public art, accessibility and inclusiveness; a humming music scene coming into it's own... and on Hertel Avenue, a legendary theater is being reborn. Opened in 1920 as part of the Shea's Theatre chain, the North Park Theatre was a true neighborhood palace for cinema, and after a relatively brief but excruciatingly long intermission thanks to a much needed renovation that's still ongoing, it will be again... next year. But for cinema lovers who want a sneak peek at what's going on beyond those beautiful doors behind the ticket booth while contributing to the restoration there's a fundraiser scheduled for next Friday, December 27.

But why should you care, loyal buffaBLOG reader and music lover? Besides the fact that film and music go hand in hand (Wes Anderson movies are so much fun to see at the North Park), or the fact that back in the day, the BPO did holiday shows there, it all comes down to the fact we're all in this together. Whether it's food trucks outside gallery openings DJ'd by local scene makers, or local legends converting old churches into concert venues and a gallery space utilized by one of the area's most important art entities, or the bloggers flogging for the whole lot of you, if we're going to rebuild Buffalo into a cultural Shangri-La, it's going to happen by supporting each other. That said, in addition to hors d'ouevres by The Left Bank and an open bar, there will be live jazz for the lovers of jazz, and the aforementioned sneak peak at the renovations of this beloved cultural landmark. Billed as a "fundraising gala," tickets are $75 each or $125 per couple and can be purchased online HERE or at Mes Que (1420 Hertel Ave).

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All is a Los Angeles based collective of 20-somethings who have made music their hustle with a focus on friendship, many of them often with a blunt in hand. Crafted by rapper and multi-talented artist Tyler, The Creator, Odd Future is a growing organism; there is no definitive line for the crew's success and exploration. "It's been alive for like, 17 years," said OF member Hodgy Beats. "Tyler made it up when he was five, and it became official around high school." MellowHype is a duo project started by members Left Brain and Hodgy Beats. Domo Genesis joined the mix, and on Oct. 31, they released their debut album as MellowHigh.

Domo Genesis

"We made a couple songs, just me, Hodgy and Left on them. We were like, yo these are sick ... everybody else agreed," Domo said. "We had a little home studio so we started hanging out more, said you know what, we should just do a project, and started fucking with it." The self-titled album MellowHigh was supposed to be released as a mixtape, but turned album after receiving positive feedback, according to Domo.

"Well, I got trouble on my mind but no emotions on my sleeve,  

I heard that love'll get you killed, so who gone show some love for me?

Fucking never need it, push against the grain until my fingers bleeding. 

Smoking weed and tweaking trying to figure out a deeper meaning." 

He said the song is nearly two years old, the second oldest track on the album, next to "Nobody." He said this was a track to show the complexity of their writing. "It's something that we made, and we liked. We gotta put this on something and we finally had an album to drop it."

Mixing personal and business has every potential to backfire, but the crew seems to have it figured out. "These are just my friends. These really are my friends, you know what I'm saying?" Domo said. "Before we did music or anything we were all just hanging out, so it didn't really mean much more than just a normal friendship. These are the things we do. When it comes to money and distribution and stuff like that, we're gonna do it all fair and easy because these are my homies." When tensity comes in, they remember their bond. "We have stuff," he said. "But we all come together. And be like, 'yo, you guys are tripping.' We're homies and we're gonna stay that way."

The interview with Domo, Hodgy Beats and Left Brain clearly shows they take their business serious, but with trolls, jokes and sincere conversation, it's undeniable these guys know how to be good friends and live lightly. The phone was then passed to Hodgy, who proceeded to tell me I sounded like I like Sour Patch Kids. "I love Sour Patch Kids," I said. "You must be cool," he responded. After he asked me about which was my favorite color (I said green) he said "Aight, yeah the green and red are the best kind."

Hodgy Beats

One of the first members, from Trenton, N.J. and only 23 years old, I asked Hodgy if he ever saw himself getting to this level of fame. "Shit, I don't know what level of fame or anything I'm on. I try to keep it as normal as possible."

"There's like a chemistry or something in the air, and it just worked out. We all know each other," Hodgy said, and that he's excited to see what comes next for MellowHigh and the rest of the Wolf Gang. "I think me and Tyler are gonna work together a little bit more ... see what comes from that. Everybody works together, it's just hard to find time nowadays because people are busy."

As I heard him tell someone passing out food on the bus "the no tomato's is mine," I asked him what it's like being on tour. "It's awesome. There's not that many people at all. All the attention is on MellowHigh." For this tour, the select city's promoters arrange for the show openers. "Mhm, we have them niggas do it," Hodgy said. For future record tours, they plan on picking their own.

"Why do you love music?"
"I think it's because I've been around it for so long. My dad used to make music, some members in my family used to sing. So it's what I've gravitated towards," Hodgy said.

Odd Future has become much more than just music. In addition to record releases, cities have been hit with Odd Future Sweatshop pop-up stores, the crew gets weird in their show Loiter Squad on Adult Swim, has been featured at The Berrics for the entertaining Text Yoself Beefo Yo Wreck Yoself, ghost ride the whip for the Bay Area influenced "Hyphy" video, and apparently has an upcoming film release in the works, and that's just scratching the surface of their grind.


With a voice deeper than hell, Left Brain spoke to me last. He was playing Call of Duty: Ghosts as we talked about how he came into OF.

"Well, I had no friends," he said, as either Domo or Hodgy laughed in the background. "And we just became friends, since like, 2006."

Since the album dropped, he said he's not sure how the sales are but that the tour is doing pretty well. The best show, in his opinion, was the first show in Dallas, Texas. "There was a lot of people, it was a sold out show. It was turnt up, I was really surprised because the album wasn't out when we went and did that show ... and people still came out."

Left Brain

I asked him if he ever saw himself getting to their current level.
"Yeah, I did. Yeah I did. I know who I am. I know, who I am. People know who I am. We were on this level at first, then we bumped up to the next level. Now we've got our album. It's just levels. You can't really go down in the levels. You go down, you're moving backwards."

Left Brain had an unmovable certainty with his words. "We just wanted to know, to be out here in the industry a little bit. We got our own label, we our own bosses, so tryna get out in the industry, and just fucking take over. There's a lot of names that's hot right now, they're not bosses though. They're just working under people and shit. We doing our own thing, working your own business, tryna establish our own business, make our own money."

"Slow motion's better than no motion," he said.

"Why do you love music?"
"Because, it makes me move, my body. I want to move my body. I don't know anything else, I want to move my body. It's a source of energy. When music turns on, people start moving. When you turn the light on, the fucking room is bright. It's like a source of energy. And I like it."

I heard one of the guys yell in the background "I'm going in on this burrito" and Left Brain abruptly hung up after trolling that they were headed to Nevada and said "What is there to do out there in Reno, Nevada. I hope something out here is fun, we've never been out here. Pretty random."

MellowHigh will make a tour stop in Buffalo at The Waiting Room on Saturday, Dec. 7 presented by After Dark Entertainment. Odd Future was here last September and Tyler, The Creator soon followed in March. "Buffalo, N.Y.? Yeah I was there, it was so cold," Hodgy said. "As long as I'm not freezing my ass off, we're gonna have a great show."

Domo, Hodgy and Left Brain: if you thought that was cold, get ready for a December night in Buffalo.

The Pierce Arrow Film and Arts Center will be taken over by fashion, art, and performance for one of Buffalo's most anticipated nights out: Mass Appeal. The hollowed out factory feel will house the "hyper-interactive experience" fashion show/fundraiser held by the Elmwood Village Association and producer Erin Habes. Mass Appeal showcases local artists and designers, promoting our city and the pleasantry and awe-inspiring homegrown talents. Special features, such as an interactive wall displaying Mass Appeal tagged tweets, will add to the hustle-and-bustle vibe. Buffalo, a city of movers and shakers, has been on an ever increasing up-trend. Mass Appeal's theme is to "Just Push Go!"

File under RUN AND STRAFE. 

• I'm just going to come out and say it: I don't think WNY's college student population is pulling it's weight. We've got how many schools in the area with how many students, and shows like Sleigh Bells and Blitzen Trapper aren't getting the crowds they deserve. I just can't help but feel that these college students are failing miserably. I've heard a few theories as to why (they don't like to leave campus, they don't like music like students used to, the buzz for these bands isn't there), and I don't like the implications of any of them. Is it Buffalo's lot to land good college acts at a time when the local college population is too lame to take advantage of the situation? Getting the students into the city at large is going to be a big issue for 2014, that's for sure.

• And while on the subject of buzz, it makes me sad that buzz has become a currency that flows like global capital to cheap labor markets in the third world. It's one thing to have buzz guide us to new things and keep things lively, it's another to chase the buzz and automatically abandon that which had buzz yesterday for the sake of chasing buzz. This doesn't bode well for the viability of popular music at all. Is this what they mean when they say "foodies are bad for food scenes?"

• I'm not altogether thrilled by the dress code for next year's Arcade Fire tour as the band is requesting that attendees show up in "formal attire or costume," and frankly my nose is a tad pushed out of joint, if nothing else because I've defended Arcade Fire from accusations of pretentiousness and this is how they repay me, with intended feats of abject pretentiousness. While the dress code will no doubt be unenforced, the air of grandiosity is regrettable, and of course while I expect many Arcade Fire fans are already picking out their black tie and tails and gowns, the fact remains that this isn't a very Bruce Springsteen thing to do. Now, a costume however is entirely different... Tickets for Arcade Fire's March 13th show in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre go on sale this Friday. 

• Black Sabbath however is a band that won't be issuing a dress code for their shows, which is good because they'll be swinging by our general vicinity April 11th when they play the Copp's Colosseum in nearby Hamilton, Ontario. Touring behind this year's Rick Rubin produced 13, the reformed Sabbath (minus Bill Ward) hit the road after guitar god Tony Iommi recovered from cancer treatment to strong reviews and solid enough box office to extend the tour into 2014. This might well be our last chance to see 3/4's of the classic Black Sabbath and Ozzy in his truest element, and at this point it could be a better bet than the fancy do that will be live Arcade Fire (he says somewhat facetiously). Tickets go on sale this Friday.

The Christmas Party. In the years I have lived in Buffalo, each year I would pack my suitcase, shut down my dorm room or apartment, and head home to Syracuse for the holiday season. I would return and hear every single one of my friends talk about "The Christmas Party," although never in full-detail. This party, in my eyes, became a wintertime enigma.

While my school books are collecting dust in my closet, I have entered the real world. Although I will miss my month long vacation from responsibilities, and this year I'll have to wake up at the crack of dawn on Dec. 26 to head to my day job, I am ecstatic that The Christmas Party is an experience I will finally have.

What seems to be the most wild holiday party of the year has just been announced by MNM Presents for 2013.

No, this isn't a hostage play like the one going on in our nation's capital or anything specifically emphatic. But as I perused Twitter Sunday night and noted Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot's transmissions from the first of two shows in Chicago for Toronto post r&b mystery man The Weeknd and read his review on Monday, this fact became crystal clear to me. At this point in the fall of 2013, it's past time that The Weeknd make a stop in Buffalo.

After bursting on the scene with an air of elusive mystery and a killer mixtape called House Of Balloons in 2011, The Weeknd, aka Abel Tesfaye, has cultivated a rabid and growing following thanks to his expressive new jack soul voice, ever interesting indie electronica sound, and dark, sexy, and vaguely dangerous witching hour subject matter. Enigmatic amorphousness soon gave way to hot live shows in Toronto and GTA before the hotly buzzed about act completely skipped Buffalo on their way to larger, more buzzworthy locals, and for local fans who'd gone all in The Weeknd's next two free mixtapes Thursday and Echoes of Silence and waited for Canada's next big thing to play here, it hurt.

It hurt because this is Buffalo, a city that's enjoyed the musical bounty of our neighbors to the north for decades, from Rush to The Tragically Hip to Sloan to Arkells, etc. etc.. We're the creamy nougat of Tor-Buff-Chester, the one's that get Arkells shows at the Town Ballroom, Tokyo Police Club at Soundlab, Wildlife at the Mohawk, Sam Roberts in just about every venue in the city, Gord Downie at the Adam's Mark to play and talk about protecting our Great Lakes, and two Hip shows at the Outer Harbor when Mother Nature rains us out. We've got the Peace Bridge, that brings us this wonderful bounty as well as the occasional band coming from or going to Toronto, where EVERYBODY plays. His US debut was always earmarked for someplace else, The Weeknd was crossing over into the US via WNY on his march to conquest on a regular basis.

And it's even worse now that The Weeknd released his proper debut album, Kissland, on Universal last month and riding an even bigger wave of buzz after an electrifying performance on Jimmy Kimmel and Letterman and shows in big markets. It's becoming clear that The Weeknd is the big thing coming out of Canada right now (whereas Wildlife is the next big thing coming out of Canada), but because he falls entirely in between genres he's nowhere on local radio, a big problem now that we've skipped the "getting to know each other" phase on his path to stardom. 

Ideally The Weeknd (on Universal Records) would be in rotation on our "new music alternative" 107.7 FM, but that station is still decidedly in it's infancy and yet to fully take up it's professed mantle as a source for new music. I haven't heard any Weeknd, Toro Y Moi, Janelle Monae, or Chvrches for that matter, and way, way too much No Doubt and Muse, and that's a damn shame, especially because it isn't aiding in getting The Weeknd down here to Buffalo for a show. But I still remain optimistic about that station, in part because they're still setting up a local operation that will theoretically give it the local flavor longed for by area music fans. Patience will be a virtue, and in any case it's gratifying to hear Tame Impala, Phoenix, and new Arcade Fire on Buffalo radio that isn't 91.3.

I guess that patience applies to The Weeknd getting down here for a show. It is inevitable after all. It might be after his second album when he's spreading it around beyond the places he hit on his magical mystery introductory tour. In the meantime I'll re-consume his Trilogy mini boxed set (which collected his 3 mixtapes for a rather affordable price) and the aforementioned Kissland, and keep an eye out for word of our Buffalo show. Word on the street is that it will be worth the wait.

2013 has been a strange year for local music. Stranger than any other year I can remember. With the closing of old venues, the opening of new ones, and a radical shift in the presence of certain bands, DJ's, artists and acts, this period can best be described as transitionary. A weird, in between, with no predictable path; absent of anything linear. Why is this worth noting? I've always been a believer that great things (music, art, whatever) come out of struggle and uncertainty...often necessity. While it is unclear what these "things" are, or what it all means in the greater scheme of things, I think the present day is worth paying attention to.

In early 2013, we were confronted with the closing of some of Buffalo's most established independent venues. First came Mohawk Place, the long-standing, legendary venue which has hosted some equally legendary artists. Shortly thereafter Soundlab and Club Infinity announced they were closing up shop, and finally the Vault and the Funeral Home. Each of these venues represented something unique in the musical landscape of our city, and the blow was felt by all. There was alot of concern over the scene during this time and the question everyone wondered was where will these bands play now?

From death comes life though and I'm pleased to see alot of great DIY venues (if you want to call them venues) spring to life. From the Jungle Gym, Lair, Glitterbox, Flesh Temple to the newly established Ironworks and Gypsy Parlor, it's apparent that our musical slumber was only temporary. I'm especially optimistic about these great house shows, as I grew up going to Custer and Tyler shows, and I have a special place in my heart for this kind of thing. Buffalo is not a town of quitters, and our music scene is as vibrant as ever, regardless of the curveballs thrown at us.

I've noticed alot of variety recently that I haven't seen in years, at least in terms of style and substance. In the past year of two great artists such as Forealists, Space Wolves, Camp Counselors, JOHNS, and many others are each bringing something unique to the table. And we still have a ton of great bands that have been around for awhile like Chosen Ones, Irving Klaws, Gas Chamber, etc. etc. etc.

Where we go from here is unknown, but I am excited to see the path we're on. Change is good, and if I know anything about Buffalo it's that we're survivors and we'll find a way.

Last night's Forealists show at Duke's was a joyous thing to behold: a hot young band deeply in the pocket kicking out seriously funky jams, with flashing disco-licious lights and projections, and people in fancy dress getting down and being free- there was something communal and futuristic going on and it was beautiful. But I also noticed that some in the audience wanted to dance but weren't, folks dressed for a liberating fantastical freakout but strangely not liberated by the freeing spectacle unfolding in front of them, and it sort of made me sad. These poor kids were kind of moving rhythmically in a tentative fashion like, they weren't exactly sure how to get down to the mad funky music being laid down for them, but I don't blame them. Actual dancing is making a comeback, and buffaBLOG is here to help.

When Daft Punk's Random Access Memories came out this spring, I found myself deeply amused by the critique that it wasn't originally going over with the youth because it was old hat and steeped in a history uninteresting to young EDM fans. My theory however was that the youth didn't like the new Daft Punk because they didn't really know how to dance to it after years of EDM. Dancing rhythmically with ones knees and with ones ass was of course originally what it was all about, but as the EDM juggernaut churned on that gradually went out of style, but now it's coming back, here are three videos to provide a crash course in dancing to funky music straight from the source: Soul Train and Nile Rodgers (and Daft Punk).



And before any of you accuse me of racism here for offering up some Soul Train to help fellow white folks learn how to dance, you can kiss my ass. Soul Train taught white people how to dance for decades... white people smart enough to know that Soul Train was light years better than American Band Stand. Respect Soul Train. Respect the Don. Respect African American culture that is the font from which so much American and global culture flows. And dance you mother-bleepers.



In conclusion, here's a Soul Train line dance featuring War's "Bolero." This ain't no godawful honky country western line dance. This is a Soul Train line dance. Admire the self expression, liberation, coolness, and pure fonkiness on display throughout. People got free dancing with their knees and asses to the rhythm on Soul Train, and that folks, is what it's all about.



Now you're ready the next time somebody opens up a can of funky whoop ass to dance like you mean it and dance like you want to be free. Those kids in their excellent Forealist show fancy dress should all be dancing and finding some liberation to Forealists, damn it, and I hope this helps.

It's a celebration, bitches. Remember that.

It wasn't ballyhooed in any way, but the game in Buffalo's music scene might have been changed last Thursday at noon when music returned to 107.7 FM in a big way. After being the FM classic rock equivalent of satellite radio and the FM radio home for right wing nutjobs for the last few years, 107.7 is now Alternative Buffalo 107.7, and it's playing all sorts of decent music you had to listen to 91.3 or Toronto radio to catch. It's by no means perfect, but demographics wildly under served by local radio finally (FINALLY!) have a station to call home, and for Buffalo's ever growing and evolving music scene, this could be the game changer we've been waiting for. Or, the one that I've been waiting for because frankly I wrote about it last year.

Yes, bands like Foals, Kings Of Leon, Tame Impala, MGMT, Phoenix, Arcade Fire, Of Monsters And Men, Metric, and Passion Pit (which has a non imagined local connection) now have a home on Buffalo radio that's not 91.3, and it's bloody fantastic. Yeah the new 107.7 isn't perfect with it's penchant for lesser 90's alternative acts and an unfortunate fondness for that painfully boring "Royals" song, but I'm enjoying at least one song in every block, and sometimes I've heard whole blocks of goodness, and in Buffalo that's unheard of. 

I know there's going to be some talk about terrestrial radio being old hat and on it's way out, but really that's just hipster talk talking about how hipsters consume music off of the Internet or satellite and not about how most people consume music, which is still largely from sources like local FM radio. And Buffalo radio outside of 91.3 (which does occasionally suck) has sucked forever... clogged up with pap, shite, unadventurous classic rock, and butt metal. But now radio listeners in Buffalo have another choice, one that offers the opportunity for discovery and access to something we all call GOOD MUSIC.

Now, an actual audience might grow around this GOOD MUSIC, and with the pre-existing GOOD MUSIC fans, things might start really happening in our already dynamic music scene. Older folks who want to listen to new music and kids who want to listen to actual adult/college music are going to have a Buffalo station to gravitate to, and the bands they're exposed to might actually play Buffalo now that they exist in our radio market, and that means more shows for music fans to go to and shows for local bands to open for. Buffalo will never be NYC or Toronto, and yes Buffalo does get some great shows (way more than back in the day), but there's always room for more, and hell, everybody should play Buffalo at least once, especially if they've got an audience here.

I'm not saying that 107.7 FM will directly bring elusive acts like Radiohead and Sigur Ros (which I haven't heard on that station...yet) to Buffalo, but the odds definitely improve if those bands are played on Buffalo radio, and that's why 107.7 is something to at least check out and support. With all of this urban energy and talk about "Buffalo 2.0," the arrival of Buffalo's new alternative radio station might be the start of something this area has been starving for.

Today is the last Saturday of summer and we get to celebrate it the right way with the 11th Annual Music Is Art Festival running from 10 AM to 10 PM on Lincoln Avenue behind the Albright Knox Art Gallery. The MIA Festival has really hit it's stride now that it's found a perfect home in what really is Buffalo's sweetest spot, that wonderful nexus of Buff State, the Albright Knox and Burchfield Penney arts centers, Hoyt Lake, the Casino and Shakespeare Hill, and with over a 100 bands playing 8 stages, DJ's, and 100 artists showing all sorts of work, Lincoln Avenue will be where it's at. And best of all it's fun for the whole damn family because MIA is also surprisingly family friendly, and not in a way that's off-putting to the non family set. You've got to give it up to Robbie Tkac and MIA's organizers. They're getting it right.

Click here for a complete, interactive, and handy band and artist lineup so you can plan your day. Be sure to check out Mike Moretti's guide to BuffaBLOG's can't miss picks from yesterday if you missed it, and here's a map of the festival complex (I love saying that - festival complex). Music, art, beer, food, all y'all, it's going off rain or shine. See you there.






And some vintage Chylde.

Does there need to be a meaning to life? What if the universe we inhabit is ultimately absurd and irreverent? Who cares?

Titus Andronicus explores these themes heavily in their musical catalog, but don’t think that you’ll be force fed from a tongue-numbing reservoir of doom at their show. Absurdity and meaninglessness are two of the best reasons to party that I know of. Slap that together with agitated, baby-shaking punk music and you have yourself a recipe for a damn good time. Or certain death, but that’s up to your discretion.

Tonight, Titus Andronicus’ lyrics may rattle your little brain and make you think, but that doesn’t mean you should zone out into your tacky shoelaces. Listen, but shake your ass as well, ‘cause these fellas from Jersey will break down concrete walls with their aural artillery. 

Brooklyn’s psychedelic punkers Lost Boy ? will set the tone by taking the inane and bizarre factor from bubbly to brimming. Buffalo’s own Mallwalkers are in attendance as well, and also ready to jab things into high gear.

Who says that nothing happens on a Monday night(8pm, $14)? If you hear that sigh of despair breathe past your lips, you better get to the Tralf.