So the Betterdays Festival kickoff starts tonight and will be raging all weekend. Betterdays is a celebration and tribute to the city's diversity and raditude when it comes to local music, and if you haven't heard of the bands playing it, you probably haven't been following our blog. Here's what you need to know: the fest is taking place under one roof (the Tralf) this evening and will continue Saturday and Sunday beginning at 7pm each day. I'll spare the music descriptions...put simply Victory for Poland, the Merchants, Wakos, Anytime Anywhere and Early Attic are some of the best bands going right now. They've officially got my sealed endorsement, not that that means much. So I'll say they've got Obama's endorsement! A bit more credible I think although wholly untrue (I'm a liar). Either way, this is not to be missed...after all $10 for three days is nothing to scoff at. That's correct. 10 DOLLARS...for THREE DAYS. Do it to it.
Tonight, Sonoma Grille hosts a jam funk super group of sorts. Roverandum consists of Chris Young (The Wakos), Adam Schmidt (Little Mountain Band), Corey Kurtzie (Sonic Garden) and Jon Neidrauer (Funkisdoo). The group will be playing covers from the likes of Medeski Martin and Wood, John Scofield, The Meters and more. The last time they played Sonoma, there was an apocalyptic blizzard happening outside. Mother Nature is going a little easier on you today, which means you have no excuse to miss out. Also, a bit of shameless self promotion, Chris Young will be doing sound at our BuffaBLOG Beach Party, so pat him on the back for being a friend of the blog before he melts your face with his modified Roland GR707.
Jimkata returns to the Forvm tonight for a Friday night show of rock with electro sensibilities. The four piece band is based out of Ithaca and is known for their energetic performances. Bringing a taste of synthesizers and drum machines to their classic rock sound, Jimkata has been described as a potential rocking up-and-comer. Their opener is Wakos, another local band with explosive live power. The Forvm, for those not aware, is at 4224 Maple Road near U.B. Presale tickets are $10; $12 at the door. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. Hope to see you there!
Have any plans for tonight? Want to experience some of the best local electronic music Buffalo has to offer? Yes. Of course you do. Grab your dancing shoes, lace those suckers up and come out to The Bend on Allen tonight at 10 pm to see Wakos and Voodoo Friends play an awesome set! The cover is only $2. From jazz-fusion to blues to experimental, the five dudes that comprise Wakos have created a heterogeneous technique of rich songwriting that is truly special. Voodoo Friends is Karl Hohn, a Buffalo native who developed his righteous synth-skills at Berklee College of Music, and has made Buffalo his home for the time being where he hopes to contribute to a music scene he says is “inviting and accepting.” You can’t go wrong with this combination of local talent. So come out to The Bend tonight, and don’t forget to bring a pal to boogie down with!
(Insert snowstorm pun here). Yes Buffalo, today you woke up to Mother Nature's gentle bitch slap. Now it's time to react in typical Buffalo fashion: dig up your wool mittens and go play. What better way than imbibing in alcoholic beverages and getting down to some of Buffalo's finest musicians? Roverandum consists of Chris Young (The Wakos), Adam Schmidt (Little Mountain Band), Ryan Campbell (Peanut Brittle Satellite) and Jon Neidrauer (Funkisdoo). They will be warming you up with selections from Medeski Martin and Wood, John Scofield, Soulive and more. These guys always put on a kick ass show so stop crying like a nancy boy and shovel your way to Sonoma Grill for a pint. Show starts at 8:30.
If you haven't been to Sportsmen's Tavern on Amherst St lately then tonight is the best night to go check out the remodeling. Local Buffalo band the WAKOS are performing their newest material from upcoming album abbababba. They have recently been playing around town, including our Holiday party and the amazing Get Down Solstice party. Their newest material has more of an electronic influence and it's always great to see talented musicians exploring different genres. The cover is only $3, as the band is trying to raise some gas money for their upcoming tour to NYC. Also performing tonight are the Squaretones. The WAKOS start at 8 pm so make sure you get there early tonight!
"I can kind of envision maybe, um, one person with a lot of machines, tapes and electronic setups uh, uh, singing or speaking and, and... using machines"
-Jim Morrison
Congratulations Jim, your babbling, nonsensical, overrated mouth just spat out something intelligent. Electronic music is here kids, and if you're an American, this is news to you. Electronic music is so here in fact, that even in Buffalo, mostly known for it's red and blue Hammer pants and bizarre allegiance to Pat Benatar (no disrespect), a three story party featuring four rooms of versatile, cutting edge music can still be a success.
A lot of credit goes to the venue, DNIPRO is one of the coolest places in Buffalo to stage an endless maze of DJ's, bands, lasers, fog, and bars serving delicious Ukrainian beer (Obolon Weizen anyone?). Such a maze is no fun without talent though. Leading off the show in the band room, Wonder Crayon forgot it wasn't in the DJ room and dropped into a spirited cover of Daft Punk's "Robot Rock". Following them were The Wakos, performing a more electronic set than the one the night before at the buffaBLOG Holiday Party. Piggybacking sets across the room after that were local favorites Logo City, playing before the largest crowd of the night, before Neffski and Sean Clements cooled down the evening with some lush, diverse downtempo music.
Since I was helping Chris Young from The Wakos run sound in the band room, I didn't make it to the other floors as much as I wanted to, but when I did manage to aimlessly wander, I caught great sets from Hoogs and Odi on the third floor, hosted by Buffalo Drum 'n Bass, Jelo on the Main Stage, and a show stealing set from Sunglasses Mike from Queen City Cartel. As with most of these types of events, the best sets are always hidden on the schedule in the places you'd least expect, where up and coming DJ's push the envelope and try just a little bit harder to stand out. Even if the main stage acts weren't your thing, however, you owed it to yourself to stand in front of Tristan Ferguson's wall of homemade subwoofers on the second floor. I've been to a lot of great sounding shows, but the warmth and clarity of that main stage deserves a shout out from my ears. A special shout out, however, does NOT go out to the manufacturer of LED lights. Make your lights easier to work, man.
Here's a little video of my aimless wanderings:
Also, check out some photos, courtesy of Michael Nico Nostro
As the event was a charity for the Native American Organization, NETO, a special mention to the Local businesses that helped support it are in order.
-Madd Tiki Tattoo
-Massage Suite & Spa
-Delta Sonic
-Encore Restaurant
-Certo Bros. Distributing
-Designated Drivers of Buffalo
A Special thanks also goes out to the Get Down team and all the people at DNIPRO for putting on a show worth going to. See you next year?
Get Down Solstice! is a fundraiser for the local Native American organization, Neto. It is a unique event featuring musical acts and DJs from Toronto, New York City, and from Buffalo. It is a loaded event for a good cause that is taking place at the Dnipro Ukrainian Center at 562 Genesee St. In total there will be 23 acts, including Wakos fresh off of their performance at the buffaBLOG Holiday Party last night. BuffaBLOG favorite Logo City will also be performing. The event will feature a Chinese Auction where you can bid on items such as spa treatments, gift baskets, car washes, and restaurant gift cards.
There will also be a 50/50 raffle for $5 with the top 3 prizes being:
1st prize: A pair of authentic seats from the old Yankee stadium
2nd prize: Apple iPad 2
3rd prize: 32" flat screen TV
-Featuring-
From Toronto: Jelo, The Hektic Krew, Stickbubbly, Mischief N Mayhem, DJ SWICKE.
From NYC: Neffski, DJ ODI, Sean Clements (performing in band room)
From Buffalo/Rochester: Brandon Chase, Killsound, 3po, Ryan Liddell, Paul Kuenzi, Xotex. Influence & 3, Medison, Sun Glasses Mike, Scott Elliott, Sketch, Truth & Turtologist.
Bands: Wonder Crayon, WAKOS, Logo City.
Tickets are $20 dollars at the door, you get $5 off if you bring a toy or 3 canned goods with you. You must be 18+ for entrance. The fun starts at 10PM and the party doesn't stop until 5AM.
Well tonight is the night. After months of planning, the buffaBLOG Holiday Party is set to go down tonight at Nietzsche's. We have been posting artist spotlights all week on our stacked lineup, which includes Roger Bryan & the Orphans, The Wakos, Bryan Johnson & Family, Wooden Waves, and our house DJ, Mario Bee of the Queen City Cartel. Keeping with the festive spirit, each band will be playing at least one holiday tune, mostly covers, but you may see an original thrown in their for good measure. And remember to dress in the spirit of the holidays. It is a holiday party after all. Please join us tonight at Nietzsche's for what is sure to be an evening full of great local music. Doors for tonight's show open at 9:00pm with a cover of $5. Mario Bee will be getting things started a bit after 9:30, with our first main stage act, Wooden Waves, starting at 10:00pm sharp.
Full disclosure, I've been collaborating with this band on one of their upcoming albums, so before you accuse me of taking masturbatory journalism to new heights, try to understand that I'm going to be as objective as possible.
The Wakos are the greatest band in the world (shit). Although the group has only one official release under their belt, 2007's East of Eden, anyone who has seen them live knows they have an extensive catalog of songs. First forming in 2005, the band became one of the staples of the Buffalo live music scene, performing regularly in classic drunk dumps like Merlin's, McGarret's and Broadway Joe's. Then, through a variety of circumstances, things began to drop off a bit. Shows became fewer and far between, members cycled in and out, and for a while it seemed like the future was uncertain. It was during this time that new ideas began to surface. Their studio began filling up with a plethora of synths, samplers, and eager musicians looking to collaborate on something different. Armed with new toys and open minds, they began recording like madmen, amassing a new catalog of songs that both depart from and reinforce their original sound. The group is now poised to release three albums this coming year: the moody, electronically tinged abbababba, the beachy concept album Paulo Julia, and the somewhat politically minded Out of the Fold. Their set at the buffaBLOG Holiday Party will feature selections from all three.
While the songs lend themselves to a variety of accompaniment, the standout element has always been the harmonies. Kevin Crowley's light falsetto falls somewhere in between Paul Simon and early Sting, and Chris Young's mid range harmonies bring an eerie depth to the mix, making them one of the more unique vocal pairings out there. Joining them for the live show will be Ryan Campbell (Rhubarb), Adam Schmidt (Little Mountain Band) original bass player Jay Schulz, and yours truly(I'm from this band!). Come see the greatest band in the world get their groove back.
Local music favorites The Wakos will be performing a free outdoor concert at The Irishman in Williamsville tonight at 6 pm. They'll be joined by Ryan Campbell (Peanut Brittle Satellite), Adam Schmidt (Little Mountain Band) and Brian Gorman (Early Attic). If you're missing the Cut Copy show tonight or just looking for a fun place to pre-game, stop down at The Irishman!
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