Thanks to MNM Presents, I had a pretty wild and awesome music fueled weekend. To start with, Brillz on Thursday night at Duke's Bohemian Grove Bar was a killer show. It was refreshing to see the dance floor at Duke's so packed throughout the entire night. Buzz Trillington and Shooter McNappin, from duo team SwaggleRock, opened for Brillz with a ghetto sexy set. With spikes lining the rim of his flat brim hat, Brillz transitioned smoothly from track to track.

"I dedicate this song to you four girls," he said as each of them twerked themselves into a frenzy in front of the DJ booth as he drops "Big Booty Bitches." 

A Duke's employee sneaked swiftly on stage with a roll of masking tape, to which someone behind the table of equipment then helped tape Brillz's laptop to the stand. In addition to the girls grinding and twerking on the speakers in front of the decks, the packed dance floor jumping up and down, and the crew and myself dancing on stage behind him, the laptop began to violently shake and flop. The masking tape worked as a perfect straight-jacket restraint for the crazed laptop.


I have two main reasons why I love going to a show on a Sunday night. First, it keeps me motivated to do things all day long instead of turning into a Lazy Sunday; I went on a cleaning frenzy, did every single bit of laundry, finished all of my work, rearranged furniture and ran errands yet was still amped enough to doll myself up and head downtown. Secondly, it makes Monday that much more exciting as I walk around doing my usual routine thinking about what happened the night before.

Sunday night, MNM Presents brought a great show to Soundlab. Surprisingly, I believe this was the first time I ever saw Rochester's Papi Chulo perform, and I was quite impressed. It was space groove and even for how early in the night it was, I was pleased to see that people were already dancing so early at a Sunday evening show. Following him was Samo Sound Boy; the visual projection and screen that were brought along for the "Magical Properties Tour" were highly appropriate for the name. A grid of colors projected on him and he was camouflaged with the background when suddenly the dimension changed and behind him was a dark silhouette followed by a gridded silhouette encompassed by a dark screen. It was entrancing. Even with relatively simple transitions between tracks, his set was very up and flawless.



To be completely honest I was most looking forward to Ryan Hemsworth's set. His track selection was totally on point. His performance was mostly trap vibes and the occasional slow jam (I laughed when Usher's "Let It Burn" came blasting through the speakers, but I'm also not going to lie. I was loving it.) The visual projections became even more intense as a cartoon sea took over the screen while little cartoon hands holding cartoon guns stuck themselves surrealistically out of the cresting waves.


Daedelus, the headlining act, followed. I was looking forward to this since I have never seen him perform before and after making the stupid decision of not going to see Yeasayer last year, I continue to hear through friends and my fellow buffaBLOGGERS how incredible the entire show was. However, I was not as totally blown away as I thought I would. Now don't get me wrong, I think that he played a helluva set and he definitely was giving off a lot of energy for the tiny basement venue. My major critiques were the difficulties with the sound; I'm not totally positive what was happening but something was off and the leveling was not as clear as it should have been which to be quite honest was distracting. Also, I was hoping to hear more of the romantic down tempo tunes that seemed to be his M.O.

All in all, shout out to MNM Presents for providing a damn good weekend for Buffalo. 

Brillz, under Mad Decent and Slow Roast Records, is coming through Buffalo tonight and performing at Duke's Bohemian Grove Bar on Allen St. In addition to maintaining an enigmatic alias, Brillz has become one of the most prominent names in the trap game. His remix of Zedd's "Clarity" is perfection and he's also widely known for his collab with Etc! Etc! and Diplo on "Bueller."




Opening the night will be Brother Bear followed by SwaggleRock, the DJ duo comprised by Buzz Trillington and Shooter McNappin. These guys have been on a steady incline over the past several months. Recognized and featured on multiple music blogs, they are frequently putting out quality tunes.



There should be no cheap excuse to miss this show. Crank overdrive, get your work done, take a cat nap and get yourself to Allen. And if you're worried about a headache from all of the fun you had tonight getting in the way of your Friday, well, that's a problem worth bearing, if even a problem at all.

Mardi Gras: beads, boobs, a day of indulgence, sugary cakes with tiny Baby Jesus figurines baked inside. Perhaps celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans is on your bucket list, but if this year the funds just aren't plausible enough to get you there, Buffalo has plenty of festivities to celebrate Fat Tuesday. Peruse our handy list of music, participating venues, and make note of the places with complimentary buffets. How can you turn down a free Cajun buffet?

Nietzsche's | 248 Allen St.
6 p.m. - Chloroform Coulier
7 p.m. - Steel Keys and Brass
8:30 p.m. - The Steam Donkeys
10 p.m. - Chevon Davis's Drag Revue
10:45 p.m. - 12/8 Path Band
11 p.m. - The Stripteasers (Take a sneak peak here, NSFW)
11:30 p.m. - Shubbaluliuma

Duke's Bohemian Grove Bar | 253 Allen St.
Charlie the Butcher
DJ Bearskin Rug
LeeRon Zydeco and the Hot Tamales
Camaican Sensation 
*free buffet

Frizzy's | 140 Allen St.
7 p.m. - The Zygotes
8:30 p.m. - Fleuron Rouge Belly Dancers
9 p.m. - Folkfaces
9:30 p.m. - The Moves

Hardware Cafe | 245 Allen St.
8 p.m. - Pinja
9:30 p.m. - Fleuron Rouge Belly Dance
10 p.m. - Jeff Repeater


Funky Monkey | 20 Allen St.
Slip Madigan
Space Junk

The Bend | 256 Allen St.
8-11 p.m. - Caitlin Koch and the Jamie Moses Band

Underground | 274 Delaware Ave.
Midnight - Underground Drag Show
*free buffet

Purple Monkey | 236 Delaware Ave.
7 p.m. - Michael Bly
*free buffet

Noir Ultra Lounge | 88 West Chippewa
6-10 p.m. - The Blues Hounds
*free buffet

SoHo | 64 West Chippewa
7-11 p.m. - Bruce Wojick and Jamie Holka Duo

Club Marcella | 622 Main St.
Midnight - Marcella Drag Show

Fat Bob's Smokehouse | 41 Virgina
7-10 p.m. - Type Relevant

Essex Street Pub | 6 Essex St.
8 p.m. - The Poor Boys

Brooklyn based electronic duo Adam Deitch and Borahm Lee take all of the wonderful aspects of genres and merge them to form Break Science. Under the Pretty Lights Music label, Break Science puts together tunes with hints of many genres ranging from hip-hop, drum n' bass and minimal electronica.

"The monolith represents a transition into a higher level of consciousness. A spark that initiates us to consider wider possibilities and ideas. The code is the system to express this transformation. Containing information from the past, present and future, it holds the key to unlock our potential as spiritual beings," says Lee about their 2012 release of Monolith Code.

Catch them perform tonight at Duke's Bohemian Grove Bar, and be sure to get there for the opener. Also signed to the same label, Michal Menert will be performing prior to Break Science. After co-producing Pretty Lights' debut album, Michal Menert was the first person to be signed to their label.

Haven't made plans for Halloween yet? Still wondering what you're going to dress up as and what you're going to do this evening?

Well if you're still without a costume and have a penchant for dancing to some of the finest glam tracks of all time, then all you need to do is paint a lightning bolt across your face and get down to The Pink this evening.

From 11PM on, Shaken Stylus will be spinning glammed-out vinyl selections and leading a Halloween dance-fest that only The Pink can provide.

Even if you have one or multiple parties to attend, you can rest assured that The Pink will be there for you in your time of need when the Rubbermaid tote runs out of apples to bob for and the spiked apple cider fountains run dry.

It's The Pink, so it's a 21+ party... but I feel you probably knew that already.

Have a fun and responsible Halloween everyone, see you in November!

Buffalo based independent hip-hop label DTR 45 brought Allentown "Being B.I.G.," a Biggie Smalls inspired fundraising event.  They're at it again this September with a night dedicated to the music of the Beastie Boys and hopes to raise funds for blood cancer awareness.

"Being B.I.G. was so successful that we wanted to figure out where to go with it next. In the wake of Beastie Boys founder MCA's untimely passing after his own bout with cancer, Damon [Bodine] and I both agreed it was a good time to pay tribute to one of the most popular musical groups in history… and Being Beastie was born," said DTR founder Tony Caferro.

Do you have what it takes to be Beastie?  It's a night meant for community and togetherness, thus the event is open for local performers to do their favorite Beastie Boy covers.  Whether you're a practicing performer, or can recite all the lyrics to "Brass Monkey" while you drive to work, everyone is welcome to sign up. Just email your information to being.signup@gmail.com. 

Being Beastie
Friday, September 7, 2012
Duke's Bohemian Grove Bar (253 Allen St)
10 pm - 4 am
$5 cover (100% of the donations go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society)

Check out the event page on Facebook.

Fitting for the time of year, I hope someone plays this song tonight:

Slight tension could be felt as a group gathered around a stack of colorful boxes. A man walked around, strategically observing for the box of his choosing. The wheels of skateboards rolling and being kicked up could be heard along with the soon tumbling of the cardboard boxes during the life-size game of Jenga provided by vitaminwater, a participating sponsor. Maybe it brought the memory of simple joy; visiting grandparents, playing with the little wooden bricks sitting around the table waiting patiently for the home cooked meat sauce to be served.

Youthful reincarnation occurred on Saturday, May 26th. It was a day to be free from the stresses of the daily grind and the minuscule problems that add up - leaving you walking through your front door only to throw your keys on the table with a sigh. It was a relief to play childhood games and greet smiling friends as the sun seered the black pavement of Allen Street in Buffalo, New York.

The day began with an air of excitement. Field day: a progressive event for Buffalo. An all day festival on Allen where three participating bars were occupied by local talent and the street was closed off for activities, vendors and meandering festival goers to soak in the summer sun.

The Buffalo collective of artists and thinkers, Toats Orig, had their infamous bright pink banner with white lettering hanging beneath a tent. DJs rotated turns, providing music for the people outside; Miosi and DJ Mario Bee followed by half of the HXLY duo, Kyle Tatum, with a set that ended oddly abruptly.  A wooden board was propped where paint markers of pink, blue and black were tied by strings and with encouragement from the crew, drawings and tags compiled throughout the event. Krudmart, a street wear boutique, had a table next to them lined with original designs on their fitted hats and shirts. A couple guys, including Toats Orig's Mic Excel, free styled for the girls playing hopscotch and the early birds in sunglasses who were posted on the patios.

The beginning, although slow, began to fill up when the streets reopened and performances were limited to the participating venues: the Bend, Sample and Dukes Bohemian Grove Bar.

The VIP area, held in Hardware, was limited for the select bunch.  DJ Owski and SunGlasses Mike took turns playing house music for the room, their equipment propped up on a table tagged with the iconic Red Bull label.  Saranac bottles chilled in a bucket of ice, beckoning the thirsty intimate group while the representative of the sponsor was sure to go around to each person in the room recommending flavors of beer.  "Try the Blueberry Blonde Ale," he said to me while motioning to the table that was also scattered with stacked Red Bull cans.  Rainbow colored lights were projected onto a traditional looking area rug, although hardly visible from the beaming sunlight that was shining in from Allen Street.  


Sines played at The Bend while Pickster One and Melo performed at Dukes. Sines set was hood bass and although the sound system at The Bend wasn't perfect, it still had me leaning hard as the female voice of his drop moaned through the bar, "oh my god...Sines."  Orgasmic calls subliminally seeped and had the tight crowd that surrounded his set moving their hips just a little more freely.

Jon Kwest played an incredible moombahton set at Duke's, never faltering in concentration.  The bass was an immaculate strength of heavy, vibrating through the floor and firing everyone to move.  Across the bar I heard the high-pitched vocals cry out "you can't have my love," and ecstatically ran to the floor.  His remix of Treasure Fingers' "It's Love" was an obsession of mine for months so getting to hear him play it out live was exhilarating.  When David Heartbreak took over, the floor was already decently packed and steadily filled during his set.  Some usual Allentown dwellers that weren't aware of the event piled in as well, pleasantly surprised at the hustle and bustle of the bar.

Heartbreak's set was strong and no one left the floor even with many sweaty bodies squeezing through and shuffling as close to the specially crafted stage as possible.  As he finished up his set, the major headlining artist on the bill was preparing to go on.  Munchi: Netherlands native, moombahton master and DJ turned up the already hazy and humid room.  The lucky bunch that got to stand close to the subwoofers could feel small cooling gusts of air on their legs and regardless of the heat, no one stopped vibing out.  Steve Rittner, head honcho of Queen City Cartel and master-planner for the event, gave a special thank you to Munchi when his set concluded then opened the stage for Cobra Krames.  My ears perked up for his opening track, his own remix of "Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy.  The rest of his set was ideal for booty clapping with Diplo's "Express Yourself" and his original song "Bend Your Back."

After stepping out of my cab with the sun coming up just over the horizon, I walked into my room, collapsed onto my bed and muttered to myself "...field day."  Sore legs from dancing, a little bit of a tan and some great memories made, Field Day 2012 was most definitely a success.  The Queen City Cartel did it big.     

          

Heartbreak on Facebook and Twitter.


Beautifully composed, both the instrumentals and vocals speak for themselves.



An original moombahton with Bhangra influences (a genre of Punjabi music.)





David Heartbreak will be performing on Saturday May 26th, for Field Day presented by the Queen City Cartel with support from New Era and vitaminwater.  Allen Street will be closed off and Duke's, The Bend, and Sample will be participating in the day-to-night festivities.  There will be six headlining performances with support from over 30 of our local artists.  From 2pm-4am this is most definitely not an event to miss.  Keep up with our coverage, we'll be featuring our final spotlight tomorrow.

For more information check out buffalofieldday.com and the Facebook event page.

10p-330a
$20/All Ages
TOWN BALLROOM
681 main st. Buffalo, NY
Legend is such an over used word, but don’t let the term pass over RONI SIZE. When my friend and I started listening to DnB music in middle school, Roni Size was discovery that he shared with me. That was back in 1998. Which is roughly about 11 years after Roni Size began to make a name for himself as a DJ/Producer. That’s just to give you an idea as to how long this guy’s been around, this music’s been around. Saturday will be his first show in the United States, making a brief stop over here to hit up Movement (DEMF) in Detroit and a couple other America; we’re just kinda lucky enough to get him for Friday night to kick off the weekend’s festivities. The Ballroom has once again agreed to go later than their usual stopping time. And the event will feature Drum and Bass in the Main room, and Old-School vinyl breaks in the front room. Performances on the night from: RONI SIZE, HOOGS, D.A. DOGG, LOKI, PERCEPTOR, 3PO, and MCNASTY.




saturday 5/26
2p-4a
FREE Outdoors/$20 pre-sale all access bars
ALLENTOWN: DBGB’S/SAMPLE/THE BEND
allen st. near wadsworth st.
This is what we’ve all been waiting for. The outdoor portion of the concert is open to all ages and is free of charge. To see selected performances in the bars you will have to be 21+ and purchase either tickets a la carte, or an all access pass. The schedule will be released today, but the lineup consists of 6 headliners and over 30 regional DJs eventually moving inside and playing into the wee hours of the morning. Fellow BuffaBLOGGER Alicia Greco has been previewing each of the headliners each day this past week which can easily be found by typing in the tag “field day” into the search bar at the top of this page. Read up on these headliners, because they are all very talented. And on a personal note, the main guy, the big cheese on the bill, MUNCHI, just happens to be my favorite DJ/Producer right now, and he really kinda has been since I first heard of Moombahton a little over a year and a half ago now. As I hinted at previously, I hope everyone can look at this event as a monument of achievements for the Buffalo dance music scene. Cheers to all the hard work from the performers and promoters, and to the dedication of the fans.

sunday 5/27

I heard his remix of "Warning" by Uncle Murda when he played at Soundlab and nearly lost my mind.



And a little taste of B-more club, his remix of French Montana's "Shot Caller."





Jon Kwest will be performing on Saturday May 26th, for Field Day presented by the Queen City Cartel with support from New Era and vitaminwater.  Allen Street will be closed off and Duke's, The Bend, and Sample will be participating in the day-to-night festivities.  There will be six headlining performances with support from over 30 of our local artists.  From 2pm-4am this is most definitely not an event to miss.  Keep up with our coverage, we'll be featuring a spotlight each day per headliner.

For more information check out buffalofieldday.com and the Facebook event page.