The Christmas spirit is strong in WNY. If you haven't had a chance to check out our 12 Days of Christmas series so far, give it a look. Some of our favorite acts from Buffalo and Rochester have been dropping holiday tunes as the big day approaches. Just today, Steak & Cake Records released the trailer for Christmas Meltdown, a holiday covers album being dropped on Monday, Dec 23rd, just in time to fill your last couple days with seasonal music. The album features contributions from Sonny Baker, Anthony Delplato, Inquiring Mind, and others. You can watch the trailer to Christmas Meltdown below.

Sometimes is hard to pick through all of the acts in the cluster fuck that Infringement can be, but one of the stand out bands from this year's festival was the Batavia bred Crows & Jays. The four piece folk rock act, led by the Tweedy esque vocals of pianist Justin Bachulak and the blog's main man Anthony Delplato, owes much of it's sound to Americana acts of both young and old, including Wilco, Conor Oberst, Dr. Dog, Buffalo Springfield, Jim James, and The Band. The young group released it's sold debut album, Play for the Trees (cover art above), via Bandcamp back in February, which is available to both stream and download. Crows & Jays' next show will be a folk showcase at Nietzsche's on September 5th. In the mean time, check out "Wind in the Willow," a song that sounds like the love child of Wilco's "Walken" and some of the Bands' jauntier moments below.

Nearly two years ago, Steak & Cake threw it's one and only Bidwell Indie 5000 Fest down at the Elmwood Village park, and thanks to a resident curmudgeon, we won't be seeing a return of the fest anytime soon. Luckily, S&C leader Brandon Schlia had a backup plan and location: his own back yard. This afternoon, stop on down to 410 Potomac for the third installment of the Steak & Cake Backyard Showcase. This year's lineup of local singer/songwriters has to be the label's best yet as Sonny Baker, Anthony Delplato, Bryan Johnson, Alex Berkley, Andy Vaeth, and more will provide entertainment to the backyard audience all afternoon long.

Past years' installments have seen welcomed, but not required donations go towards a pretty tasty hot dog, beer, and the chance to go home with a CD or two from Brandon's own collection. This year, get ready for some pizza as Schlia and crew have deemed it to be the best compliment for acoustic tunes. This week has already seen Buffalo become hell on earth, between blacktop melting temps to the Wrath of God storm on Friday night, so isn't a pleasant and sunny 75 degree afternoon of music and friends just what you need? Music kicks off at 1:00pm and bring some beer while you are at it. 

Continuing in the tradition of local music support Buffalo State College has been pretty on point lately. The WBNY Local Show (91.3FM) is leap years better since (fellow buffaBLOGGER) Mike Moretti took over a few months back and there have been some pretty good local artists passing through.

One of these artists, Steak and Cakes own Anthony Delplato, will be making an appearance tonight at the Campbell Student Union at 10pm. His emotive brand of reflective rock is perfect for this kind of rainy day so check it out. Oh yea, it's free.

#8.  Canary Girls - "Laser Prom"

One of the blog's favorite new bands of the year, Canary Girls' debut album, Everything is Changing, gave Buffalo a much welcome shot of nostalgia (think M83's John Hughes lovin Saturdays=Youth), and no more so than in the electro pop ballad "Laser Prom."  Led by front man Bill Eager's soaring vocals and heavy synths, the tune was tailor made for one of those couples-only, hand in hand skates at the local roller rink on a Saturday night.  Despite the clear 80's influences, the song gives off a timeless feeling, turning "1982" into a state of mind.




#7.  Space Wolves - "All the Talk"

This lo fi two piece came out of nowhere this fall, releasing two stellar albums of jangle pop, Space Wolves and Space Wolves II, within a month of each other.  On the more fully fleshed out II, "All the Talk" immediately grabbed our attention.  Sounding like a perfect little slice of 90's college rock, the Pavement esque number featured the duo's laid back vocals, a crunchy opening riff,  and swirling melodies.  The pair should easily be able to carry this momentum in 2013 with another album in the works and the (hopeful) live performance debut.





#6. Damian - "Soul Night" 

Damian's title track off the full-length album Soul Night, another one of Steak and Cake's great releases in 2012, is an ode to The Elmwood Lounge's bi-monthly retro soul night. Call it mumblecore or just plain indie rock, Damian's "Soul Night" holds a special place for anyone that has had a blast dancing carefree to carefully selected Handsome Dan cuts. We at buffaBLOG agree Damian, we can only dance if our rock and roll is played by weirdos. 




#5. Floyd & the Nicknames - "Surf Music"

Having played the blog's first birthday party back in March of 2011 with his three piece garage punk band Arctic Death, Steven Floyd has always been one of our favorite guitar players in Buffalo.  This past summer, Floyd released his music, his latest musical project through Steak and Cake, under the moniker of Floyd & the Nicknames.  "Surf Music," the stand out track from the short EP ten million seventy one thousand nine hundred and ninety, kicks off with a rockabilly-like guitar lick taken right out of the South and dropped down on to Allen Street.  Floyd's nasally, Jay Reatard like vocals front the stripped down Stokes like tune.




#4. Aircraft - "Exist"

If there was an award for Buffalo Rookie Band of the Year, Aircraft would have it in the bag.  In addition to landing some clutch opening slots for Cavemen, Thee Oh Sees, and Ty Segall, the Buffalo four piece psych rockers released a great 4 track demo, giving everyone a look at what the promising band may be capable of when their proper full length drops next year.  On the frantic rocker, "Exist," the band gives a nod to the early days of British Psychedelia, with singer Justin John Smith's howl leading the track while being backed by one of Buffalo's best rhythm sections in James Warren and Ian Be.  Plus, anything with a great horn section is good in my book.

  



#3. Anthony DelPlato - "The Arrival"

It's rare that a local album resonates with the listener as much as Anthony DelPlato's intimate storytelling EP, 8 Old Vines. Released via Steak and Cake Records, 8 Old Vines is a tale of road tripping along backroads of upstate New York to visit a girlfriend. Self-recorded in DelPlato's home studio, "The Arrival" is a beautifully layered third track on the album that channels the great 90s emo bands (Appleseed Cast, Mineral). DelPlato is the total package. He is a wonderful story teller, a talented multiinstrumentalist, and has the ability to reach through the speakers and get to your heart. You can't help but feel the emotion. 




#2. Sonny Baker - "Cripple Fantastic"

If you've paid attention to the Buffalo music scene at all for the past seven years, then you know who Sonny Baker is. When other teenagers were going to prom and getting their drivers licenses, Baker was on opening slots for Nietzsche's lineups. After years of performing drums and guitar with various acts (Wooden Waves, A Hotel Nourishing, Lazlo Hollyfeld), Baker finally found time focus on his solo work with Steak and Cake's Brandon Schlia. Baker's first track off of the album Here Are Those Freaks You've Been Asking For, "Cripple Fantastic," is a crescendoing indie rock number that leads into haunting, Jim James-y vocals  It's absolutely amazing.  Promise you'll never leave, Sonny?





#1. The Tins - "Please Be Kind" 

If you are just scoping out this post to get a feel for what is coming out of Buffalo, please look back at all of the previous nineteen artists. Buffalo's music scene is diverse, motivated, and growing. With that said, The Tins' "Please Be Kind" is buffaBLOG's favorite track of 2012. This synth driven indie-pop trio has been around since 2008, playing everywhere from Mr. Goodbar to Austin's Beauty Bar. The single, "Please Be Kind," from the band's first full-length album, Life's A Gas, is perfect. The driving beat, funky bass lines, and keyboardist Mike Santillo's wistful pleas make the track extremely MTVU friendly. If we want an outsider to hear one song from Buffalo this year, this would be it. So, yeah, here's the best track in Buffalo in 2012. 




We could not be more proud of the scene in Buffalo and we at buffaBLOG are excited for 2013. It will only get better. 

I am an Anthony DelPlato fan.  I would like the world to know.  I called his previous offering, 8 Old Vines, 2012's best local album in my year end best-of list.  So of course, when he released We Will Still Be Here Tomorrow with Steak and Cake records, I jumped at the chance to write about it.

We Will Still Be Here Tomorrow is a continuation of DelPlato's knack for seemingly perfect 90's-tinged emo.  His music is often atmospheric and ethereal, but no matter what, there's always that element of humanity left in it.  I'm trying not to sound cheesy, but that's what I've always liked about bands like The Appleseed Cast or The Get Up Kids...  They have this raw sense of sincerity in their songs that can't just be phoned in.  That's where the emo explosion of the mid-2000's lost its way - the market became flooded with a bunch of mediocre dudes who knew they were sad, but weren't intelligent enough to express it the way DelPlato can.

We Will Still Be Here Tomorrow is a little less urgent than 8 Old Vines, but I think his past two EPs have mirrored the seasons when they were released.  Now that I have heard both releases, 8 Old Vines struck me as the summer version and Tomorrow is the more calm, beautiful winterized version.  Case in point, the album opener "Iced Over."  The song kicks off with a windy sound effect and twinkling bells, joined shortly by guitar and an electric piano.  It's reminiscent of the winter and many of the tones sound almost crystalline.

It's rare that a six-minute song can keep my attention span (admittedly, a weakness of mine), but "Blueprints for a Bird's Nest" is one hell of a song.  DelPlato really lets loose here.  There are electric drums and acoustic drums blended seamlessly.  Not to mention the section of bombastic cymbal hits that is answered immediately with a quick 16th-note hi hat beat.  Somehow, what could have turned out as a jumble of parts has been meshed together so perfectly, culminating in a huge climax.  Right about at the 3:55 mark, I got shivers.

Interestingly enough, and I'm not sure I'll ever get the chance to say this again, my two favorite songs on this album pass the six-minute mark.  "Sandra Underneath Sandra" is another DelPlato classic.  This song is just beautiful buildup after unbelievable build up.  I know I said that 8 Old Vines was a bit more urgent than Tomorrow, but Tomorrow probably takes the cake for epic-ness.

I should mention, and there's not one specific song that I can pinpoint, but DelPlato's songs are full off little riffs and little hooks that are not necessarily right in your face - they are the little flourishes in the guitar harmonies that make music like this so enjoyable.  Every song seems like there are two guitars spiraling into each other infinitely.  DelPlato's songs are great regardless, but I have a feeling it's these little minutia that DelPlato hopes people are going to notice.  To me, it's more than minutia in the grand scheme of things, and trust me, I noticed.

All in all, We Will Still Be Here Tomorrow is another amazing offering from Anthony DelPlato in what I can only hope is a long discography of near-perfect (or seriously, so perfect) 90's tinged atmospheric rock.  As of right now, he's offering Tomorrow for a "pay what you want" rate.  Don't stall.

I mentioned earlier that I was a sucker for that late 90's emo sound, and Anthony DelPlato nailed it with 8 Old Vines.  Seeing as how I am a local musician myself, I'd like to think that the Buffalo music scene is pretty strong, but it has been a while since a local artist has released something that has resonated with me as strongly as 8 Old Vines has.  Well played DelPlato, I'm looking forward to your next batch of songs.

If you have been listening to WBNY's Local Show over the last few weeks, you may notice a change.  Michael Moretti, fellow writer at buffaBLOG, has taken over the helm and given the show a slight make over.  Running from 7:00pm - 10:00pm every Thursday, the first half of the show is made up of all local music(hence the clever show title), including debut tracks and tunes from the show's favorite Buffalo artists.  Next up, Michael welcomes a guest band to the studio, where after a short interview, the band plays a handful of songs live in the WBNY studio and before Michael hands over the reigns of the show as the band takes over as DJ.

Over the last few weeks, the Local Show has hosted the likes of Andrew J Reimers CPX, All Blondes Go to Heaven, and Brimstone Blondes.  Joining Michael on tonight's show will be Steak & Cake recording artist Anthony Delplato.  Delplato recently released his 8 Old Vines EP, one of the better local releases of the year, a short collection of melodic post rock guitar work by the likes of Tortoise and Explosions in the Sky.  If you live in the city, you can tune into the show tonight on 91.3FM or if you wish to listen online, you can stream the show here.  Over the next few weeks, the Local Show will host some of the blog's favorite acts including Space Cubs, Early Attic, Young Suns, Yes Yes, and more, so don't miss an episode. Also, check back on the blog on Thursdays for our preview to every new episode of the Local Show.

As the cover artwork on Anthony DelPlato’s EP 8 Old Vines may suggest, this 5-track collection pairs well with drives through tumultuous weather. I recently found myself driving along Oneida Lake near Syracuse last week at dusk before a thunderstorm. I parked my borrowed car (DelPlato’s lyric, coincidentally my reality) at a nearby park at the water’s edge and watched the elements shift and revolt in anticipation as I listened to DelPlato’s 5-track gem out via Buffalo's own Steak and Cake Records. I took some undecipherable notes while I was drawn into each song by the lake and decided to piece them into a haphazard track-by-track review of sorts.

1. "The Old Hammer Mill"
Clouds: moldy, close, menacing.
Air Conditioner: irrelevant, toast.
The way this track begins reminds me of the way Sufjan Steven’s “The Predatory Wasp of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us” ends in it’s buzzing madness. Although, as it ensues it aligns much more in the strand of a Brand New song, complete with clean guitar tracks being layered and feathered about and eventually interrupted by a killer drum beat that is powerfully uplifting. I also sort of forgot where I was until DelPlato’s lyric: “Just before the storm clouds rolled in / My borrowed car broke down.” I retroactively feel like a prick because the car I was driving was running just fine. Also, you wont hear me compare anymore that 15 seconds of this EP to anything by Sufjan Stevens.

2. "The Long Drive"
Waves: 5 or 6 thousand of them making some racket now.
A man’s hat just flew off his head and into the water: yes.
Should you go on a road trip to this song on repeat: of course.
Again, we get some beautiful guitars reminding you how intricate certain landscapes are. This is a track you look out a car window to and become petrified at how much land you will never touch. In the shittiest of car stereos DelPlato’s vocals sound desperate, compelling at times. On his Bandcamp page’s liner notes it says he produced, recorded, mixed and mastered everything. On half-decent Sennheiser headphones, DelPlato’s vocals sound soothing and important. DePlato went to college for Audio Engineering, unlike my ears or headphones.

3. "The Arrival"
Steering wheel: cold, wet, and peeling a little.
Window: roll that shit up, it’s starting to rain.
DePlato is especially good at portraying imagery through narrative in his songwriting, and at points his stories get so stacked with detail it’s hard to follow. Then at other times, his lyrics are a bit more mysterious and this duality becomes necessary throughout the EP, and such is the case with “The Arrival”. 

4. "8 Old Vines"
Windshield wipers: pointless, streaky.
Bass: turned up, the rain splattering the roof and hood sound too trebly.
Visibility: Gibson Hummingbird.
What might be the most enjoyable and intriguing track on this record is also the most sonically removed. Beginning and ending with an acoustic warmth that you’d have to wear like 12 Snuggies to match, “8 Old Vines” is an interesting commentary on the sprawl of cities and towns, but also the way that humans plant and uproot themselves physically and relationally. If this track had an unoriginal yet cool music video it would probably involve time-lapse videos of nature and infrastructure juxtaposed. It rains the hardest at the two-minute mark.

5. "The Departure"
Gear: drive.
Destination: undecided.
We get more of the upbeat guitar licks and snare claps until a little over two and a half minutes in where crystal clear strums are isolated 5 seconds apart. DelPlato inhales before he sings a striking line: “I will be writing you every week / Along with Crayola portraits of the [?] creek / Between those 8 old vines and the end of my drive / I swear to God I’ll find the courage to plant my own 'For Sale' sign.” In the cover artwork you can notice the words posted on every side-view mirror, “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear,” which becomes more or less an epiphany to the final track on what's essentially a concept EP. Through meandering images of uncertainty, especially in regard to place, "The Departure" reflects the notion that what seems hopeless or out of reach at first glance, is often portrayed through a lens that colors it in such a way. 

Specifically, 8 Old Vines is about overcoming that fear to take the chance and do something that may scare you, but might also be good for you in the end. DelPlato possesses an affinity for multiple guitar tracking, weaving sonic walls of varying heights and depths that work to manipulate various moods and ideas that come out of his storytelling, which we find to be his strongest attribute as a songwriter.