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.
Quiet Country Audio keeps rolling in 2014 as the recording studio just released its latest live session of the year. This time around, QCA teamed up with newish emo/punk quartet, Cedar Kites. The local four piece has been making its rounds about Buffalo over the past year, and is expected to release an EP, titled Framework, sometime this year. You can listen/watch to the entire Cedar Kites session at QCA's website here. In the mean time, watch this video of the group performing "Listener" live at the QCA studio below.
Already wasting little time in 2014,Quiet Country Audio has released it's second session of the young year, following last week's 2014 debut session with Sainthood Reps. This time around, the recording studio teamed up with emo/punk four piece, Real People. The long time Buffalo band has recently been gaining some fresh buzz after the release of their very good EP, the GCR produced Ceilings. You can listen/watch to the entire Real People session at QCA's website here. In the mean time, watch this video of the group performing "Downpour" live at the QCA studio below.
After year of hard work and a successful screening for Bring Me Your Vultures, our buddies over atQuiet Country Audio have gotten back to their live session series. Their latest, just released today, features Long Island act Sainthood Reps. The band's newest release, Headswell, dropped October 22nd on No Sleep Records. You can listen/watch to the entire Sainthood Reps' session at QCA's fresh new website here. In the mean time, watch this video of the group performing "Sun Like Hell" live at the QCA studio below.
The documentaryBring Me Your Vultures
hits a salient, funerary stride when, two-thirds in, a dark organ
hymn accompanies a series of neck-down shots of trodden rock
musicians carrying guitar cases into Mohawk Place, and shots of
wristbands, cash drawer, set-up, sound-check, graffiti, shots of a bar
lined with shots, for the last time.
Should the late and hallowed venue need
a real introduction, Mohawk Place was a Buffalo dive bar/rock club,
active from 1990 through 2012, and a beacon for local and
touring rock acts, that signaled an end of an era of music when it
finally shut it's doors last January. It opened, initially, as a
rockabilly bar, but went on to become a springboard for punk, indie,
metal, and even hip-hop acts that were trying to get or maintain
their footing in a digital era where live music was simultaneously
growing more necessary, and obsolete.
High Watermark Films and Quiet Country
Audio have put together a documentary about the last days of the
club, titled Bring Me Your Vultures, which they will be screening at Town Ballroom this Saturday – and they let us take a sneak peek this
week. We should elucidate at this outset that the film is a must-see
for anyone who's been involved with live music, locally or at any
level, over the last couple decades. It ostensibly attempts to
present the venue in its death throes (as the narration disclaims at
the beginning, “This is not Mohawk Place A-to-Z, this is a document
of it's final days”), but it really encapsulates the vibes of a
municipal music scene, trying to make a Thing Happen, arguably
succeeding, and then collapsing in on itself.
The film features interviews with
bartenders, staff, promoters, and musicians, hanging out around the
bar like it's the end of any given show night, lamenting the loss of
a local holy land, smoking cigarettes inside (fuck it, we can admit
it now) and having their last drinks together. In the end, as the
building crumbled and costs rose, and even some hush-hush type rumors
of lawsuits (the film features shots of the infamous “No
Stage Diving, No Exceptions” sign, juxtaposed with shots of kids
stage-diving; fuck it, we can admit it now), Mohawk Place just
couldn't be a Thing anymore.
Back in the day, the venue hosted
up-and-coming acts like The White Stripes, Man Man, Grizzly Bear, and
Black Keys, who built momentum at the homely club, before returning
to town in big rooms like the Tralf, and then not coming any closer to
Buffalo than Toronto altogether.
In it's last days, Mohawk brought many
of its staple bands back for a series of farewell shows. Perhaps the
highlight of BMYV is the live recordings of these final forays,
captured in higher fidelity than any of the shows actually sounded in person.
Performances by Snapcase, Chylde, Girlpope, Johnny Nobody, BoBo,
Every Time I Die, Wolf Tickets, Such Gold, Pentimento, and Two Cow
Garage alone make this movie worth checking out on the “Big Screen”
this Saturday. See you there. And if you miss Mohawk, we'll probably
see you cry.
We are quite fond of recording studio Quiet Country Audio and their live session series here at the blog. In Rochester, our sister city to the east, there is a similar type of series that you should be checking out. Genesee Live, a music webseries founded in September of 2012, has been releasing interviews, full-length performances, and other videos from Rochester acts all year long. The web series recorded and released their first live show back in February, featuring a performance from Maybird's lead singer Josh Netsky at the Bug Jar. Past installments have included showcases from some Rochester's best acts, including Mikaela Davis, holiday party artist SPORTS, and our personal favorite in the series so far, Harmonica Lewinski. All past features can be viewed here. Yesterday, Genesee Live released their 10th installment in their performance series, a December taping from Cottage Jefferson, who placed at #8 in our favorite Rochester songs of 2013, at the Lovin' Cup. You may watch the full clip below.
In January of 2013, Buffalo's most beloved venue, Mohawk Place, shut its doors to the world. Many tears were shed, as the Mohawk was not only a music establishment but a home for rock'n'roll outsiders who seemingly didn't fit in anywhere else. The cast of characters and patrons who occupied that small space are as much a part of the story as the building itself, and their stories live on, as do the legendary music performances that occurred there.
The film is set to be released January 11, 2014 at the Town Ballroom beginning at 9pm. Tickets go on sale this Friday at noon for $10 in advance/$15 day of at Tickets.com and at the Town Ballroom box office. In the meantime check out Bring Me Your Vulture's facebook page for upcoming trailers and free stuff.
This movie was made for the people of Buffalo. Mark this one on your calendars and revisit a time and place that brought us so many great memories.
Tonight, our conquering heroes return from tour when The Malones and Aircraft triumphantly play The Waiting Room with The Telltale Signs and Marine Biologist. I don't know about you, but I've rather enjoyed Jaz Frazier's serialized saga chronicling their tour of the Northeast. These lads from Buffalo, carrying our local music scene's hopes and dreams wherever they roamed in that (heh heh) trusty van, alongside tonight's show has been circled on my radar for some time. Aircraft and The Malones are two of Buffalo's finest bands, bands that represent the promise and joy that can be found throughout the local scene and its best and brightest. Seeing them together on the same bill, after a mighty adventure, is a can't miss show. Doors open at 9 PM and tickets are $8.
Check out the tasteful, melodious, and hefty vibes of The Malones courtesy of Quiet Country Audio.
Remorseless Buffalo rockers The Malones, kicked a pair of music videos out of their nest to see how much of their audience's spare time they can gobble up without a second thought given to the catastrophic loss of productivity this would cause at local businesses this week.
It’s up to you guys to make sure these videos can walk and hunt on their own without the careful, incubating presence of a mother’s love. So unless you like watching falcons snatch up baby rabbits on YouTube, keep the predators at bay and watch the video for "Dirty Soap." After your 400th viewing, remember to grab a glass of water before you dive back in, and if you absolutely can’t pull yourself away from the computer, your employer probably deserves an hour or two of notice before you call in sick with Malones Fever.
Be sure to catch these guys at the buffaBLOG Summer Party on August 10th, and do yourself a favor by popping open a new tab to check out the video for "Lie Straight" on Absolute Punk. They did get the premiere, after all.
Our buds over atQuiet Country Audio have been working at a blistering pace this summer as they continues their live session series. Their latest, which was just released last week, features emotive indie rockers Young Statues. Based out of Philadelphia, the band was able to lay down some live cuts of songs featured on their most recent EP, the melodic and earnest Age Isn't Ours, released just this last April via Run For Cover Records. You can check out Young Statues' complete QCA Sessions (video, audio, bio) here. In the mean time, watch this video of the group performing "Eraser" live at the QCA studio below.
It looks like Allison Weiss was not the only act from the from the March Radness Tour who hooked up with Quiet Country Audio for a live session this past spring. New Jersey/New York indie punks Candy Hearts, while in town with Buffalo's Pentimento, also made a visit to the Alden studio. The band was able to lay down some live cuts of songs featured on their most recent EP, The Best Ways to Disappear, which was released last November. You can check out Candy Hearts' complete QCA Sessions (video, audio, bio) here. In the mean time, watch this video of the group performing "Miles and Interstates" live at the QCA studio below.
During her recent visit to Buffalo as part of Candy Hearts and Pentimento's March Radness Tour, Allison Weiss met up with the guys over at Quiet Country Audio to record the latest installment of their session series. Between a recent album release and prepping for this summer's Warped Tour, the Brooklyn born pop-punk musician luckily had some time to lay down live cuts of tracks from her new album, Say What You Mean, at the Alden based studio. You can check out Weiss' complete QCA Sessions (video, audio, bio) here. In the mean time, you can watch video of Weiss performing "Making It Up" live at the QCA studio below.
In case you missed it, Buffalo trio Bearhunter will be releasing their third album, Call It A Red, at Nietzsche's next week. The group (Robert Pusateri, Dave Calos, and Mike Calos) made a stop at the Buffalo recording studio Quiet Country Audio to record a live session, showing off some of the upcoming album's new tunes. You can listen/watch the entire feature, which includes video, audio, and photos from the session here. Make sure to check back on Monday for our full review of Call It A Red, but in the mean time, watch this video to the heavy cut "Love Your Face."
Quiet Country Audio, the Alden based recording/video studio run by Paul Besch and Mike Sobieraj (High Watermark Films/Roger Bryan & the Orphans), released the latest in their live session series late last week, this time featuring the New Jersey the post-rock quartet of Athletics. Fans of Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai should would be best served in checking out their new installment. You can stream the entire Athletics session at QCA's bandcamp page or watch the video of "The Cost of Living" below. Past video sessions can also be viewed at QCA's Youtube channel.
Tonight's new episode of the WBNY Local Show will welcome Paul Besch of Quiet Country Audio to the Buff State studio this evening to sit down with host Michael Moretti. For just over a year now, QCA has been releasing some great video sessions from their Alden based recording studios, featuring the Sleepy Hahas, the Traditional, I Can See Mountains, and more. In addition to playing highlights from QCA's sessions series, Besch will be discussing the joint project of QCA and HighWatermark Films, the upcoming documentary Bring Me Your Vultures. Directed by HighWatermark's and Orphans drummer Mike Sobieraj, the film will feature show footage, interviews with musicians and Mohawk employees, and more from the recently deceased venue's past as well as document the final days of the club.
Tonight's unique episode of the Local Show will kick off at 7pm. Tune in on your radio at 91.3FM or listen to the live stream online.
Today is Christmas Eve and it wouldn't be the holiday season without at least one more gift. The guys over at Quiet Country Audio were nice enough to supply said gift in the form of music. As they put a bow on their inaugural year, the recording and live session studio put together a 22 track compilation, featuring songs from On Beta, Pentimento, Two Cow Garage, and others who appeared on this live session series this year. The compilation can be downloaded for free at their bandcamp page.
Quiet Country Audio wrapped up their year last Thursday with their last session of 2012. As noted in Paul Besch's year end review, the Alden based studio featured Georgia's heavy, experimental rockers o'brother. If you have not had the chance to catch one of QCA's sessions, then get on it now and catch up.
You can listen to a sample of the session with o'brother below or see it in it's entirety here.
Editor's note: For our best of 2012 coverage, we decided to reach out to some friends of the blog to get an idea of what made the year in music so great for them. For today's installment in the guest series, Paul Besch of Quiet Country Audio, a local recording studio and live session series, submitted his best of list. Quiet Country Audio released their final session of the year today, featuring Atlanta experimental rockers o'brother.
Favorite Album of 2012
Every Time I Die - Ex Lives
I feel that more often than not, as bands get deep into their years together they, start to chill out and write more mellow songs. In the case of Every Time I Die, their newest release Ex-Lives'cover says it all. Album #6 proved to be the fastest, loudest, heaviest, and most coherent release of theirs to date. Loved by practically everyone, and hated by…well who the fuck cares. One of the biggest reasons I'm proud to say I'm from Buffalo, NY.
Honorable Mention
Basement - Colourmeinkindness
The only reason I found about this band is because I follow a great audio engineer on instagram by the name of Sam Pura (The Story So Far) who recorded this album. 90's Alternative/Grunge bliss, but with no intention of ever making to to radio. Fueled by honest and passionate song writing, Colourmeinkindness is the band's sophomore release. It is also their swan song as they planned on breaking up during the recording of it. I can't help, but feel that added to the albums power and sincerity.
Favorite Song of 2012
Chris Shinn - "Bound"
This song comes off the long awaited self-titled release by Chris Shinn, former vocalist of one of my favorite bands, Unified Theory (eaturing members of Blind Melon and Pearl Jam). Recorded in Nashville, TN with some of the most talented studio musicians on the planet, including drummer Billy Ward, this song is hauntingly beautiful. Shinn can go from a falsetto to a scream in the middle of a folk-pop song and make you think there is nothing strange about it. Honesty like this doesn't come along every day.
Honorable Mentions +++ (Crosses) - "Prurient"
I love the Deftones and Far, so when I heard one member from each were starting a band, I almost lost it. At first listen, it was the complete opposite from what I wanted. After a few listens, though, it ended up being on permanent rotation all year long. This song is a beautiful display of creativity from two musicians who have focused on rock music and showed everyone that there are still some tricks up their sleeves.
Hot Water Music - "Drag My Body"
A band I grew up trying to rip off every time I picked up a guitar put out their 8th full length this year, and their first effort in 8 years. So what happens when a band waits that long to put out a new album? They write a song like "Drag My Body" that makes you want to jump the barrier and drive into oncoming traffic while you scream the chorus out the window.
Favorite Concert of 2012
Refused - Sound Academy Toronto 07/22/2012
One of the single biggest musical influences in my life, that I feel discovered ME, when I was at the very impressionable age of 13. Unfortunately, by the time I found out about Refused, they were already broken up. When I heard they were playing the Coachella Music Festival in California, I started eyeing up things around me to sell on eBay to afford tickets and a flight. Thankfully it spawned into a whole year of "saying thank you" to the fans by playing a ton of shows. I was lucky enough to get tickets to the 2nd night at the Sound Academy in Toronto and not only was it the show of my year, but possibly my life. The energy that band gives out is like nothing I had ever seen. Something they said at the show and in many interviews still rings in my head... "Stay curious, stay wild and stay fucking hungry."
Honorable Mention
Thrice - Kool Haus Toronto 05/30/2012
Another band I found at a very young age (I remember buying their first two records on cassette tape) announced this was going to be their end. Toronto was as close to Buffalo as this tour made it, so I felt it my duty to go and bid them farewell. Thrice showed me that you could be pretty, ambient, and beautiful, but on the next song scream so loud in someones face it made their nose hairs blow back into their brain. The setlist spanned their entire 13 year, 10 album career, and did not disappoint. They ended their set with the very fitting "Anthology," lyrically speaking about their career on a whole: "Our lives built on tin cans and string but the cornerstone laid is a wondrous and beautiful thing."
Our friends over at Quiet Country Audio, or QCA to fellow impatient writers, have posted a new session for emo-tinged pop-punk upstarts, I Can See Mountains. As many of you know by now, QCA is responsible for live recorded sessions as well as some pretty awesome video output. I'm a big fan of this series and you should be too... Check out their session here!
Western New Yorkers sometimes take for granted that which is in our own backyard. It's not hard. Despite the fact that we are a small area geographically, it seems there's always a plethora of things to do. Whether it's a concert, a local film, or even a new venue or bar, it's hard to keep up with all things creative around here.
The studio is located in the upper level of a beautiful home in Alden; as the name implies this is the country and man, is it quiet out there. I spent an afternoon at QCA last week to get a feel of what the place was all about and sit in on a recording session with Diamond Youth, a Baltimore-based band. Quiet Country Audio's mission is to "promote artists through high quality live audio and video." Instead of just recording sessions scratch track by tedious scratch track, what you're hearing is essentially a live recording. While the bands play, they are being photographed, filmed and documented. It's a staple of the Quiet Country Audio experience.
The atmosphere at QCA can only be described as welcoming. It's small and comfortable, and the host(engineer and filmer) Paul Besch was nothing but accommodating as was fellow engineer and photographe, Mike Sobieraj(drummer of Roger Bryan & the Orphans). Alot of studio's feel cold and are anxiety-producing. Musicians want to get in and out as quickly as possible. The laid back nature of QCA made it a much more comfortable recording experience.
Of course it helps when you have a band that's as professional and awesome as Diamond Youth. I enjoyed their hardcore influenced brand of alternative rock and they seemed like pretty humble guys too which is always good when you're in closed quarters with a group of strangers.
Quiet Country Audio is essentially a DIY enterprise. All the more reason why you should support them. Bands take note: This is a legit place to record! Do yourself a favor and visit their website, bandcamp, or email them at quietcountryaudio@gmail.com.
All media shared on this website is intended for listening and viewing purposes only. If you would like to own the music file, we encourage you to purchase the music at a local record store or online. If we shared your intellectual property and would like it removed please email us, we will remove it immediately. Thanks.
