It was 10 years ago in a field in Manchester, Tennessee that I saw the best live set I've seen thus far, and it was a night one religious experience against which the rest of Bonnaroo paled. Time lost all meaning as Neil Young and Crazy Horse laid down a super heavy groove that saw them render each song in almost epic terms while retaining a liberating looseness that kept things from getting too heavy and serious. Songs stretched out as the band inhabited every song, jamming out while building to properly dramatic and thoroughly satisfying flourishes of guitar godhood. "Cortez The Killer" seemed like it was 20 minutes long as Neil and Crazy Horse rained riffs down on us, and nobody wanted it to end. It was mind boggling, and simply the best set I've seen thus far (with Radiohead in Toronto, 2008 in 2nd). So yeah, Neil is a special artist who's touched a lot of souls over the span of his legendary career, and tonight The Good Neighborhood, Nietzsche's, and a host of Buffalo bands and special guest Astrid Young will be paying tribute to the man himself while raising money for a good cause.

Tonight at 9 in the heart of Allentown, Bearhunter, Ten Cent Howl, The Mustn'ts, Folkfaces, and Tom Maynor will be joined by Neil's sister Astrid for a special night of music honoring one of North America's finest rock (and folk) heroes, with proceeds going to the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, an excellent organization dedicated to the protection, preservation, and celebration of the bodies of fresh water central to our way of life in Western New York. It's going to a night of non stop music (with no repeats) honoring a tireless artist and force for good and the community of souls he's affected over the decades. See you there. 

One of the better developments in the city of Buffalo last year was the emergence of Larkinville, a hub of merchants and vendors, live music, outdoor activities, and more. Every Wednesday over the summer, the Larkin Square business district held it's Live at Larkin Series, giving people in Buffalo another chance to catch some free music on a pleasant summer night. This afternoon, the 2013 lineup was revealed. The music series kicks off on June 19th and runs through September 18th, featuring a wide variety of genres, from indie pop to roots rock, jam to blues. Just taking a peak at the schedule, the 7/24, 8/28, and 9/4 dates look pretty good to me. The lineup was once again curated by the folks over at the Good Neighborhood. If you have not yet seen Larkinville, this music series is as good of an excuse as any to introduce yourself to one of Buffalo's newest gems. For the full lineup of this year's Live at Larkin series, click here.

The latest in The Good Neighborhood’s bimonthly Tributaries series supporting Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper offers an unusual twist – the second annual Neil Young tribute concert at Nietzsche’s (248 Allen St, doors @9/show@10, $8) will feature not only five local acts performing all Young songs all night with no repeats, but the return to Buffalo and The Good Hood of Neil’s sister, Astrid, who has performed on five of her brother’s albums and will sing with multiple local acts as well as perform a set of her own takes on Neil’s tunes.
In bringing back one of the biggest nights at Nietzsche’s in 2011, the second annual Young tribute will again take up two stages – beginning on the back stage and alternating with front room performances are the male/female vocals of Americana quintet Flatbed; an acoustic set from Tom Maynor & Friends; Astrid Young’s own acoustic set and her addition to the folk-rockin’ heavenly harmonies of Ten Cent Howl; groove-folk quartet the Bad Growlers; An Astrid-infused rust-rockin’ finale from a beefed-up version of Bearhunter and a last minute addition featuring Folkfaces.
Who: Bad Growlers, Bearhunter, Flatbed, Folk Faces, Ten Cent Howl, Tom Maynor, and special guest Astrid Young
What: 2nd annual Neil Young tribute, part of Tributaries series supporting Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper
When: Friday, December 7th, doors@9/showtime 10pm
Where: Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, Buffalo ($8 cover)
Why: Supporting Riverkeeper’s work to promote and protect our waterways
How: Portion of door proceeds and special raffle donated to Riverkeeper

After a successful inaugural campaign last year in the Allen Town,  the IndieSound Music Festival will return this afternoon.  Co-curated by Buffalo First! and the Good Neighborhood, the festival will move slightly uptown north to the Grant/Amherst Street area in the Black Rock neighborhood.  Like last year, the festival will pair local music acts with local shops, galleries, restaurants, and more in order to promote both the rich music scene in the area, but also the diverse businesses.  Music acts will include Wooden Waves/A Hotel Nourishing/Lazlo Hollyfeld member Sonny Baker, The Screaming Jeans, Son of the Sun's Zak Ward, and many more.  Music runs from 12:00pm - 5:00pm, and with the exception of one show at the Sportsmen's Tavern, all performances are free.  Following the five hours of free music, an IndieSound final will run from 5:00pm - 8:00pm at Rohall's for $5.  For a complete listing of band/business pairings, click here for the handy complete schedule or here for an even handier map.

Have you been down to Larkin Sqaure yet?  Ok, I know I asked this exact same question in last week's post, but at the time, I had not.  After last week, I regret got getting there sooner.  The newly remodeled "Larkinville" has incredible food (get the ginger beef sandwich from Square1 Sandwiches), various activities (pickle ball!), local vendors, and oh yeah, a weekly music series (with great sound to boot) called "Live at Larkin" that will be coming to an end right after work today, concluding a very successful first year.  The blog celebrated our very own Live at Larkin night last week with performances from Bryan Johnson & Family, the Bad Growlers, and Andrew J.Reimers CPX, and tonight, the weekly series bids summer farewell with sets from the roots rockin (with Lancaster ties) the Ragbirds and the Chillharmonic Orchestra, featuring DJ Cutler.  Like all "Live at Larkin" shows, this is free of cost. Music kicks off at 6:45.

Good lord that's some alliteration. Anyways, our friends over at the Good Neighborhood announced yesterday their latest project, which is actually the resurfacing of an old project.  Taking place at the Sportsmens Tavern on Amherst St, the monthly Song School Song Swap Series is set to return next Wednesday at the newly revamped Black Rock neighborhood venue.  Those who are unfamiliar with the event, think of it as a Buffalo version of Storytellers.  Artists strip down their songs to the bare bones and tell the stories behind the cuts. Every installment will feature a handful of musicians tackling eachother's tunes, and maybe a cover here and there for good measure, giving a fresh and unique perspective of the each song.

First on tap will be next Wednesday, November 2nd at 7:00pm with two sets from Brandon Bsrry, Joe Donohue, Katie Panfil, and Andrew J. Reimers, members of Buffalo acts Erie Lackawanna Railroad, The Albrights, Stone Row and Andrew J. Reimers Country-Punk Extravaganza.  Whereas most nights at the Song Swap Series, the performing artists will be relative strangers to each other, these four musicians have been friends for some time, both familiar with eachother and eachother's music, so expect a special night from the performers.

Every installment of the series will be in support of Music is Art.  Raffles and instrument donation drives will all take place in order to benefit the non profit organization.  Keep an eye on buffaBLOG for continued coverage of the monthly series.  Upcoming installments will feature local musicians Brad Gower, Nelson Starr, Vic Lazar, Vinnie DeRosa, and many more.  Cover for all Song Swap Series shows will be $5.

The Andrew J. Reimers Country-Punk Extravaganza! - Beggar's Pay by buffablog2

Tonight Mohawk Place and The Good Neighborhood present a tribute show to the Sam Roberts' Band, featuring Buffalo bands The Albrights, Troop 556, and friends of the blog the Tins, all of which will be covering at least one song from Sam Roberts'. As a way to psyche Buffalo for the Montreal rocker's performance at Artpark (that the Tins will be opening for), The Good Neighborhood has set up this little pre-Artpark fiesta. Buffalo has a unique tie to Canadian music due to our shared broadcast are with Toronto, and our closeness to the border allows most Canadian bands to build their followings from the ground up. Bands like The Tragically Hip, Lowest of the Low, and even newer groups, such as Billy Talent or Fucked Up, always find a way to build followings in New York's Queen City. SRB has been one of the illustrious bands to be asked to play consecutive nights at the Town Ballroom, has played Thursday At The Square, and even played at the inaugural Ice Bowl held at the Ralph a few years back. There also will be a raffle of a SRB sent gift pack to support the Buffalo Mission's shelter the Cornerstone Manor. SRB will be playing in Baltimore tonight, so there won't be any surprise appearances, but this is definitely a great way to get yourself in the mood for tomorrow's must-see event at Artpark. The show starts around 9pm, and it'll cost $5 (American) to get in the door.
Sam Roberts Band- The Last Crusade by MMMusic