Christmas time means a few things when you live in Buffalo. You can count on snow. You can count on seeing alot of your friends who've moved out of town, and hear how much they miss it. You can count on presents. And you can count on Every Time I Die's annual Christmas show.

This year, the Buffalo born-and-bred hardcore band by way of southern riffage, will be spreading their version of holiday cheer at Waiting Room, along with Code Orange Kids and Letlive (6pm). One of ETID's most endearing qualities is that they "get around" and I mean that in the best way possible. In the last few years they've played Town Ballroom, Mohawk Place, Club Infinity, the Funeral Home, and a slew of other local venues, and it's exciting to see what kind of presence they will hold at the Waiting Room. Hope you got tickets though. It's sold out. Sorry Sally.

In the genre of deathcore it takes a bit more to stand out. Punishing breakdowns and guttural screaming aren't always enough. Chelsea Grin have found a way to incoporate black metal, doom and even some progressive metal into their sound and the genre is better for it. Theirs is a sound uniquely crushing, yet vast and reaching in its approach. Look no further than the Evolve EP and you'll begin to understand that this is a band that understands the subtle intricacies of melody and technical precision.

Tonight (and today, doors are at 2pm!), the boys in CG join Buffalo hall-of-famers and party all-stars, ETID (Every Time I Die) for a hardcore and metal throwdown, featuring some of the best in the business. You have Terror's straight-forward approach (featuring Buffalo's own Scott Vogel) as well as Veil of Maya, Stray from the Path and a host of others. If you're thing is heavy, tonight should be your thing. Town Ballroom's the joint. $25 is the mileage. Get your headbanging hats on and get the party started.

I'm going to keep this brief. If you're from Buffalo, there is a good chance that you already know who Every Time I Die is. ETID pretty much rules the universe when it comes to party-centric southern flavored, rock'n'roll influenced, hardcore. I could attempt to dissect their sound further although it wouldn't really do them justice. They do their own thing and it's fantastic. Oh yea....they're new album, Ex Lives (pictured above), is one of the best things they've ever done. In case you couldn't tell, I'm a fan.

What you need to know is this. ETID's play an annual Buffalo Xmas show and it usually sells out. This year is no exception. Mohawk Place will be jammed packed for not one, but two days straight, with openers Title Fight and the Chariot (Letlive unfortunately dropped off the tour). I'm truly sorry if you didn't get tickets because it's going to be a scorcher. Fear not though! ETID makes the rounds fairly often around these parts so you'll have many more opportunities to party with the best of em. For those who did get tickets, well, I'll see you there!

Do these guys really even need an introduction?  In the wake of two sold out Christmas shows at Mohawk Place, Buffalo's own Every Time I Die have decided to melt some more faces with another blistering set at the Funeral Home on Friday, 12/21...  Except this time it's probably in celebration of the end of the world.  There is limited space, and there are sure to be rabid fans ready to attack something to get into the show.  So if you missed out on a ticket to their Mohawk Place shows, get there early, or you're gonna get left out in the freezing(?) Buffalo winter.  Added bonus - we can all enjoy some fine cuisine from Amy's food truck, who will be there to feed the poor, depraved souls of Every Time I Die fans. 

What do you think of when you think of the nineties? Is it the fashion? The music? The state of the world at that time? Or is it the soulpatch?...that abhorrent clump of hair portruding from the bottom lip that somebody was crazy enough to say "this looks cool". Well it doesn't. Under no condition does a soulpatch look cool.

Fortunately Soulpatch the band is pretty cool. I mean they obviously have a sense of humor to call their band Soulpatch. Plus it's pretty cool that the band is an all nineties cover band featuring Keith Buckley and Steve Micciche of Every Time I Die and Joey Dynamite and Niko Georgiadas of Quintana. I also think it's cool their playing tonight at DBGB's (10pm) along with DJ Dante Velour.

Do yourself a favor. Go see Soulpatch tonight at DBGB's. And if you have a soulpatch go to the barbershop, have him shave that thing off your face and tell him you're sick of looking like an asshole.

Every year hometown heroes Every Time I Die return for a Christmas Extravaganza of epic proportions. Last year, it was three sold out nights at the legendary Mohawk Place. In years prior, they have also jammed at The Town Ballroom. This year the band finds themselves at Club Infinity out in Williamsville. I know, I know...it's all the way out there, I hate going to the suburbs, yada yada. Save it. The sound is great and theres really no other venue that can accomodate for these dudes on a single night (well, maybe Town Ballroom). The show is still a ways away (Friday, December 16th) but I felt it was appropriate to let you know now. Theres a very good chance this show could sell out. Tickets can be bought off of the Afterdark website . It's $18 if you get advanced and $20 at the door (if there are any left). 6pm is the start. Act fast...if your a fan you don't want to be left out in the cold.



Every Time I Die - The Marvelous Slut by ThrashHits