Our birthday has arrived. Well, technically its tomorrow, but we are close enough. This evening at Duke's, we will celebrate four years of the blog with a great cast of bands from over the WNY area. If you missed any of the spotlights on the acts playing tonight, make a moment to brush up below.

This week we have been previewing the five great acts we have in store for our fourth birthday bash this Saturday at DBGB’s. Third on the lineup is Alex Berkley & the Atlanta Falcons. You may have seen Berkley’s solo workings before, singing songs about Dawson’s Creek or Star Trek on an acoustic guitar any given Monday night in the heart of Allen, but this Saturday’s performance will be different. Berkley is set to be backed by his newly reformed backing band, the Atlanta Falcons, consisting of Sonny Baker (Lazlo Hollyfeld, Wooden Waves, A Hotel Nourishing), Billy Fulton (Wooden Waves, Ay Karou) and Colin Griffin (Bear Exchange). 

Berkley’s songwriting style is quirky yet sincere, comparable to Jeff Mangum/Neutral Milk Hotel or the Mountains Goats. The band is set to perform numerous blasts from the past, including songs off Lists and Listlessness, Berkley’s 2008 debut full-length that was retroactively declared buffaBLOG’s top local album of 2008.

Music kicks off at 10pm sharp with a cover of $5.

As much as we here at buffaBLOG love to write about bands from the Queen City; every once in a while we do take time out of our hectic schedules from dropping obscure references, and shotgunning PBR’s to talk about bands from Rochester. Today is one of those days, and Harmonica Lewinski is one of those bands. Chocked full of fuzz, distortion, ghostly guitar riffs, and echoed vocals, Lewinski’s latest release, Twerk Jerky, is a must have for any garage band enthusiast. They manage to channel Link Wray and the Sonics with true garage-punk elements. Afterall, how can you not love a band with members who go by handles like Captain Trash, Wild Hanes Stains Richards, Hooter McTooter, The Musical Linn Linn, Harold "Docks" (raw dawg n' it) Jenkins, and Dirty Sanchez? Then again what would you expect from a band who met “in the basement of a gay club, in Rochester, NY loaded with pussy, ass, drugs and alcohol?” This is according to bassist Jeremiah Richards (who we can assume is also Wild Hanes Stains Richards).  

The garage punk band from Rochester with the clever name will be playing buffaBLOG’s 4th Birthday Party at Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar on Saturday, March 29th. Richards commented on the show saying, “We’re excited to play in Buffalo for the first time at the buffaBLOG birthday party! I guess we’re a party band so maybe that's why they asked us. It's at DBGB's, that's all we know.”  Also on the bill will be Mr. Boneless, Alex Berkley & The Atlanta Falcons, Real People, and Chauncey Tails. Show starts at 10pm. $5 at the door. 

Everyone in this town is a DJ, but tonight you can put your money where your mic is at Buffalo's only monthly hip hop karaoke event. Hosted by Billy Drease Williams, the good people at DTR, and Hip Hop Karaoke Buffalo, this is the most fun you'll have at karaoke in the 716 (sorry, Tudor Lounge).

The event starts at 10, and all performers must pre-register here. Unfortunately, registration is full so if you slept on getting your song in, you'll have to wait til next month. All performers are supplied with a free drink, a dj, and a hypeman, but what rapper doesn't show up with his own entourage?

Pro tips: hold the mic from the bottom, remember to breathe, and for all your swag needs, remember that 2 chainz are better than one. 

Last night's Forealists show at Duke's was a joyous thing to behold: a hot young band deeply in the pocket kicking out seriously funky jams, with flashing disco-licious lights and projections, and people in fancy dress getting down and being free- there was something communal and futuristic going on and it was beautiful. But I also noticed that some in the audience wanted to dance but weren't, folks dressed for a liberating fantastical freakout but strangely not liberated by the freeing spectacle unfolding in front of them, and it sort of made me sad. These poor kids were kind of moving rhythmically in a tentative fashion like, they weren't exactly sure how to get down to the mad funky music being laid down for them, but I don't blame them. Actual dancing is making a comeback, and buffaBLOG is here to help.

When Daft Punk's Random Access Memories came out this spring, I found myself deeply amused by the critique that it wasn't originally going over with the youth because it was old hat and steeped in a history uninteresting to young EDM fans. My theory however was that the youth didn't like the new Daft Punk because they didn't really know how to dance to it after years of EDM. Dancing rhythmically with ones knees and with ones ass was of course originally what it was all about, but as the EDM juggernaut churned on that gradually went out of style, but now it's coming back, here are three videos to provide a crash course in dancing to funky music straight from the source: Soul Train and Nile Rodgers (and Daft Punk).



And before any of you accuse me of racism here for offering up some Soul Train to help fellow white folks learn how to dance, you can kiss my ass. Soul Train taught white people how to dance for decades... white people smart enough to know that Soul Train was light years better than American Band Stand. Respect Soul Train. Respect the Don. Respect African American culture that is the font from which so much American and global culture flows. And dance you mother-bleepers.



In conclusion, here's a Soul Train line dance featuring War's "Bolero." This ain't no godawful honky country western line dance. This is a Soul Train line dance. Admire the self expression, liberation, coolness, and pure fonkiness on display throughout. People got free dancing with their knees and asses to the rhythm on Soul Train, and that folks, is what it's all about.



Now you're ready the next time somebody opens up a can of funky whoop ass to dance like you mean it and dance like you want to be free. Those kids in their excellent Forealist show fancy dress should all be dancing and finding some liberation to Forealists, damn it, and I hope this helps.

It's a celebration, bitches. Remember that.

Forealists have joyously exploded onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere and are generating a ton of buzz  with their funky, spacey, and uplifting song stylings. Featuring Rocco DellaNeve, Beat Masta Wes, Kevin Urso, Acid Muzak, Deshawn Jackson, and Zuri Appleby (remember those names!), this young band is a supernova of energy and awesomeness, and tonight they’re going all out at Duke’s in Allentown. After a stripped down show at Pausa Art House last week, word has it that tonight's Showtacular will feature lights, confetti, and video accompaniment courtesy of Alma Deliria J. It will be divided into a funk/r&b freakout and a pure dance-a-thon in keeping with the band’s delightfully schizophrenic tendencies. Get your weekend started early and right tonight at 11 PM at Duke's because this is going to be the jam.

If you don't get your belly full of jams this evening after Lotus and Aqueous at Thursday at Canalside, head on over to Duke's for the after party at 10pm. Rochester's synth funk quintet Ocupanther will keep things going, along with Buffalo's own dance rock ambassadors, Space Junk. It's the final week for the Thursday concert series at the Harbor, so cap it off with some up and comers who could very well be gracing the Harbor stage someday. The event invite says there may be a special guest or two dropping by, which may or may not be Miley Cyrus. Bring your foam fingers just in case.

After lengthy planning and a week of previews of participating musicians, the day of the Summer Party has arrived. Our blog parties have always been my favorite part of running buffaBLOG. They are opportunities to introduce someone to their new favorite local act, catch up with old friends, and for our writers to enjoy something other than my pestering text messages. I don't expect tonight at Duke's to be any different. Whether you have been following all week or are new to this and missed any of our party artist spotlights, take a minute to look over tonight's bill and read up on the acts below:

Go Exploring
Jack Topht
The Demos
The Malones
I Can See Mountains
Spooky Business

Music begins tonight at 10pm SHARP and runs til close so there is no need to go anywhere else to get your music fix this evening. We have you covered. $5 at the door and you are good to go.

Homeboy Sandman is one of the most talented up-and-coming MCs around. In the past, he worked as a coach on the popular MTV series Made and he's been featured in prominent hip-hop publications such as The Source and XXL. His extraordinary skill and wit have also earned him praise from places like Pitchfork and Rolling Stone.

Tonight, the Queens born rapper will be taking the stage at Duke's Bohemian Grove Bar on Allen St. He has new two new projects in the works, the Kool Herc Fertile Crescent EP and the All that I Hold Dear LP via Stone Throw Records. Tracks from both projects are sure to featured prominently in tonight's set. Homeboy Sandman will be joined by Open Mike Eagle, Mega Ran, and Radarada. This show will be a good chance to familiarize yourself with some underground hip-hop artists who could invade the mainstream very soon.

From their early days at the Pink to tomorrow night's buffaBLOG Summer Party, DJs Stephen Pieroni and Sean Heidinger, aka Spooky Business, have come a long way. After winning Artvoice's "Buffalo's Best DJ Crew," the pair have increased their street-cred around the Queen City, including a memorable set at 2013 Taste of Buffalo. With roots planted all down Allen, the two started by playing the Pink on Tuesdays, collecting a mixed audience. From there, they went on to numerous showcases and openings at Hardware becoming, in my opinion, the unofficial DJs of the bar's Back Room.

Myself, I first encountered Spooky Business playing in a hot-as-balls living room at the birD day's house. The crowd was pressed in and dancing on each other as Stephen and Sean laid down a healthy beating of rap songs.

Spooky Business is all about crowd pleasing. They play to the mood and atmosphere of the room, seemingly always bringing  the energy UP! They're style reaches all ends of the spectrum, from Hip-Hop to House and everything in between. Check out their fresh flavor at the party tomorrow night beginning at 10pm and running all night long. While not a video of Spooky Business exclusively, the clip below is from that party I had originally seen them:

Rochester's The Demos have been churning out power-pop jams since forming as duo of Jason Milton and Callan Saunders back in 2002. Now a full six piece band, they have gained a significant national following after the release of their acclaimed 2011 album, Lovely, playing festivals like CMJ, and Toronto's North by Northeast. The album's success led to the band being picked up by Japanese label Thistime Records, who informed them of their overseas hit status with the infectious, fun-loving pop of single "Nervous." After selling out it's initial run in three weeks, Lovely made the band international pop-rock stars, while still maintaining their status as a home town favorite, playing venues like the Bug Jar and Water Street Music Hall.

Lately, the band has been working on material for their new album, releasing the single "Primitive" which was named one of our ten best tracks out of Rochester last year. With a laid-back take on indie pop brings to mind influences like The Beach Boys, Big Star, and The Beatles, they have only continued to grow as songwriters during their decade long existence. Look for their upcoming album, Paramount Clouds, to be out sometime this year.

In the meantime, you can catch The Demos playing our second annual summer party this Saturday at Duke's. Admission is $5 and the music kicks off at 10pm. Check out their video for "Nervous" to get a glimpse of what the band will bring to the party this weekend.

Tonight, Duke's will be the scene of a sex freak funk meltdown when legendary dirty funk master Blowfly and his full band get ultra nasty for our debauched enjoyment. Born Clarence Henry Reid 74 years ago, Blowfly has been thrilling audiences as a songwriter and performer since the 60's with music both radio friendly and thoroughly not radio friendly, inspiring raunchy MC's, R&B freaks, and boot knockers the world over. That said, leave the kids and your vanilla inhibitions home. $10 gets you in the door and doors open at 9 PM.

Day Two of Allentown is always a special day, especially at the more loosey goosey Allentown West Festival, the rebel festival as it were. Part hipster Diagon Alley, part Shakedown Street, Allentown West is it's own thing, and it's pretty damn wonderful, particularly in the final hours of the festival when the countdown begins to next year's revelry. The music happening throughout the FUN end of Allen however runs into the night, with music at Nietzsche's, DBGB's, and The Bend. Before, during, and after completing your art and buy local missions, prolong the good Allentown and Allentown West vibes at these fine spots.


Nietzsche's:

Mainstage (45 minute sets):
2:00 PM - Diane Meldrum
3:00 PM Shaky Stage
4:00 PM - The Corrections
5:00 PM - McCarthyism
6:00 PM - Fibs
7:00 PM - Groove Force
8:00 PM - Erie Lackawanna Railroad

Front Stage (15 minute sets)
Katherine Koch 2:45 3:45 4:45
Anne Phillipone 5:45 6:45 7:45


Duke's Bohemian Groove Bar:

2:00 PM - DJ BearSkinRug
6:00 PM - Neville Francis & Riddim Posse
9:00 PM - FROSTY TONE presents J ROBINSON (UK/12 Tribe) with Big Basha & Demi God MC, Technoddo, Rola!, Dudecks, John Patrick


The Bend:

4:00 PM - 8:00 PM - Michael Hund & Alison Janet of Widowmaker


                                                                                            Video by Artvoice


 

If you think of Duke's as a strictly electronic music venue, you should head down there tonight for a healthy dose of Americana by way of Cabinet. The Scranton based six piece's most recent record, LEAP, was recorded in the studio with a live audience. I had no idea I was listening to a live recording until hearing the applause at the end, which is a testament to what a tight live band they are. They'll be joined by the stomping Americana two piece The Evil Things. Tickets are $8 and doors are at 9pm.

Duke's gets a little bit of European flavor tonight by way of Om Unit, London's prolific producer and remixer. Known for a vast array of quality remixes for the likes of Daedelus, Shigeto, Fracture and Pixelord, as well as high profile collaborations such as his Dream Continuum project with Machinedrum, Om Unit's repertoire is deliciously promiscuous. His driving, spacial downtempo beats go anywhere from frenetic breakbeat to meditative four on the floor, all while maintaining a melodic flourish that is often absent in modern EDM. With support from Killsound, Mark Kloud and Buzz Trillington, this is a can't miss opportunity, especially for a measly $10. MNM Presents does it again. Doors are at 9pm.