Showing posts with label the fucking hotlights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the fucking hotlights. Show all posts
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Tonight: Alpha Hopper, Facility Men, and Fatal Figures


Tonight the Jungle Gym will play host to a night of firsts, the first show from a collective Buffalo regulars, Alpha Hopper, as well as an introduction to Facility Men. Alpha Hopper is a female-fronted driving punk project complete with shrieks and howls, featuring members of JOHNS, The Fucking Hotlights, and PANG. Fans of Pissed Jeans, METZ, or The Jesus Lizard should definitely cram themselves by the radiator. In addition to Alpha Hopper is Facility Men, a band we wrote about in January, whose sound is Fugazi brash with early Les Savy Fav hooks. Also on the bill are scene vets, Fatal Figures, whose sleazy punk rock will round out an excellent night of fuzzy sounds. If you were a fan of Blowtops, this is some of their members most recent project. Doors are at 9pm and it's free dollars. 



michael moretti
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Tonight: Pile w/ Returners and The Fucking Hotlights


Kick off your weekend a day early and make your way on down to Mohawk Place tonight for the three-headed rock n' roll beast that is Pile, Returners, and The Fucking Hotlights.

Buffalo is to be the most recent stop on Pile's (mostly) nationwide tour which started in their hometown of Boston and goes as far (south)west as Texas before making their way back East across I-10 and making stops along the western side of Great Smoky Mountains on their way home.

Playing in support are both Returners and The Fucking Hotlights who are always guaranteed to put on an energetic performance.

"Prom Song" off Pile's forthcoming album, Dripping, has a frantic and pulsing sound complemented by the squeals of a Whammy-esque driven guitar at the end.

Doors at 7.
Show at 8.
$5 gets you through the door.


Drew Kline
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Buy some Drug Party Tapes and Support Rad Locals


I like dirty, raw rock'n'roll and punk rock. The sleazier, the dirtier, and the dancier(is that a word?) the better. I especially like some of the tapes Drug Party has been putting out lately. Featuring great locals such as Mallwalkers, Utah Jazz and the Fucking Hotlights, you can buy tapes for cheap over at their site or download the bands musics through Drug Party's bandcamp. Check out some rad new Hotlights tracks, get down on the female-fronted Father Ignorant demo, and see what else the Drug Party dudes have to offer. Definitely feeling Dirt Eyes lately.



jon krol
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Tonight: The Fucking Hotlights Collaborate with Jack Topht




God created man. He created all things in fact. He even created music. God gave us country, he gave us jazz and he gave us rock'n'roll and hip-hop, eventually deciding "what the hell, lets mix it up a little" . This is why I'm absolutely convinced that God must have a sense of humor. When the big man upstairs said "hey, why don't we see what happens when a few NY dudes rap over a Boston rock bands riffs" he essentially opened the floodgates for rap-rock collaborations, many of which were so alarmingly bad (Limp Bizkit), or so alarmingly confusing (Jack White-Insane Clown Posse) that you had to just laugh at the preposterousness of it all.

Every now and then though this fusion creates something cool. Take for example tonights unusual pairing of discordant rock outfit, the Fucking Hotlights, and rap luminary, Jack Topht (Soundlab, 9pm, $5). Both acts are Buffalo bred and that's about where the comparisons stop. One, a standout, chaos bred, Stooges-influenced powerhouse, the other, well, avant garde, good times hip hop. To be honest, I have no idea what to expect from this pairing, and that's usually a sign of good things to come. This is also a tour kickoff for a Hotlights jaunt through the Midwest so there's your added reason to go. Opening the show is the ultra-rythmic dance party that is NPLSK.






jon krol
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Concert Review: Pontiak w/ White Bison & The Fucking Hotlights


As far as music goes, I love it when I am proven wrong.  I usually stand by my blanket statement of “all new music is talentless bullshit with no soul”; I, however, should update that statement to read “all popular new music is talentless bullshit with no soul… or it doesn’t have enough guitar”.  The show put on at Mohawk Place this past Saturday evening was oozing with talent and soul… and I would also go as far as assuming that execs at major labels would seem disinterested had they been there… because they are talentless bullshit people with no souls.

I like rock n’ roll.  I like guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards.  I like loud.
I don’t like music that has been created entirely on computers by people that are barely known to the supposed “artists” that will be performing these songs live.  Check that, I love electronic music, and I think there is some really awesomely talented stuff out there, but I separate rock and electronica like church and state (‘rock’ is clearly church).

I knew going into the show that it would be right up my alley, as I am familiar with the all the bands that played to some extent.  Once inside, however, I was on a one-way ticket to unabashed hard rock glory.

I had to work late and, unfortunately, missed the Hotlights set but was told by those who were there that it was awesome as ever, which I have no doubt is true… they just get better and better with each performance I have seen since their first at Mohawk Place.

White Bison was in the middle of their second song when I arrived and proceeded to prove they have a firm grip on the torch they carry as Buffalo’s best hard rock act.  The vibe was booming, energetic, and uplifting.  The vocal harmonies, specifically, impressed me… they came across as both well-rehearsed and effortless; each member knew when to hang back a little and give way to the others as the singing duties transitioned from one side of the stage to the other.

Pontiak took the stage and began the thumping intro to "Across the Steppe".  The band was high octane and out for blood from the very first note and the crowd responded well to the obvious joy the brothers Carney (Lain, Van, and Jennings are all brothers) took from blowing the doors off Mohawk Place.

"Fear" would be the absolute last word I would use to describe the stance Pontiak has towards turning the amps up to 11.  In fact, I would wager that they would turn their amps up to 11 to the eleventh power, were it a possibility.  This was evidenced by the simple, yet effective stage set up they utilized for the show.  Besides, what I remember to be some sort of echo pedal for the guitar, everything was plugged straight into the amps.  That beautiful overdriven and  raunchy attack was a product of volume knobs and tube amps, rather than distortion pedals and stomp boxes.


The droning guitar work of "Laywayed", the second song of the set, reminded me of a heavier version of some of The Black Keys' early work... when their sound was still raw and unprocessed.


"The North Coast" had a surf rock feel to it with shimmering chords accented by just the slightest vibrato.  Fitting for a song that deals with standing on the coast looking out over the ocean.


The transition into "Left With Lights" was flawless as flawless can be as Jennings Carney laid down the bass line as brother Lain hammered out Bonham-esque triplets on the drum kit.  Van joined in with crunching chords to double the bass line and the wall of sound was enough to make you sway backward with every thump of the kick drum.


The final two songs of the evening, "Shell Skull" and "Part III", were slightly more reigned in (I use that term loosely) and had a distinctive, psychedelic groove to them.  The bass line got everyone bopping up and down and the echo-laden guitar and cymbal bell hits set "Shell Skull" into territory that would have made Beck proud... almost as proud as he'd be of the closing song, "Part III";  a minimalistic jam that, on the album track, includes accompaniment by menagerie of horns (tuba and euphonium to be exact).  "Part III" was inspired by a the landscapes encountered on a drive between Phoenix and Texas and, as recommended by the band, was played at full volume.


I only had a chance to speak with Jennings after the show, as I had prior engagements to show up late to.  Mr. Carney was gentlemanly and quite accommodating in the few minutes I spoke with him.  I have had the three albums I purchased on steady rotation in the two days since the show and cannot wait to hear what Pontiak has in the pipelines.







Drew Kline
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Tonight: Pontiak w/ White Bison & The Fucking Hotlights


I just texted my editor as I began to write this article and said "you always know the best bands to assign me to cover".  Virginia-based rockers Pontiak come to The Mohawk Place tonight to play their glorious brand of heavy groove, stoner rock...

I hate the term "stoner rock", I've always thought it had the connotations of "you have to be high to listen to this stuff"... you don't (although, it's not like it hurts).  Anyways, a more accurate description would include words like "reverb-laden guitars" played through "extremely overdriven amps" in front of drums that, as I listen to them, sound like they are "being played so hard that the skins need to be replaced on them quite often".

Pontiak, a band made up of brothers Lain, Van & Jennings Carney, is fresh off a European tour, West Coast tour, a stint as SXSW, and a recent album release: Echo Ono.  One could say they've been busy... I hope they stay busy because the music they have been putting out is a fresh take on some of the heaviest bands of the 70s.

Joining Pontiak this evening will be two of Buffalo's own (and best) rock outfits, White Bison and The Fucking Hotlights.

The night is going to take a turn towards the heavy, a turn towards the psychedelic, a turn towards the totally fucking awesome.

Show starts at 8PM at Mohawk Place
Tickets are $10 at the door





Drew Kline
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Tonight: Everything Falls Apart's final show




It's with a sad face that I report tonight will be Everything Falls Apart's final show. EFA has been kicking around the Buffalo hardcore/punk scene for several years now, and I always felt like they were one of our most underappreciated groups. With raw intensity and a mark for Agent-Orange-esque melodies, they were a sight to see live, and their albums and 7 inches hold a proud place in any vinyl enthusiasts collections. Mohawk Place will be the home of their burial, and patrons of the wake will be happy to know that tonights show is not only FREE, but will take place on the small stage (as all punk shows at Mohawk should). Opening the show are party thrashers the Fucking Hotlights and hardcore heavy-hitters KDC. Come party with the crew one last time. Shows at 7pm (and I feel the need to mention again its FREE).






jon krol
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Tonight: Apocalypse 2012 Kickoff


Well, it's 2012, and if the Mayans were right, we Earthlings should be preparing for our own impending demise. Brace for the end with a healthy, insulating combination of nihilism and self-indulgence, and hit up Apocalypse 2012 Kickoff at Soundlab tonight (110 Pearl St). The lineup features a mix of heavy, experimental, and downright hedonistic bands: reverby space-pop from Aircraft, the throbbing stoner rumble of Abandoned Buildings Club, the 90s-as-fuck Patrons of Sweet, intercontinental hedonism champs The Fucking Hotlights (pictured), and The Dads, a Rochester band who cite both The Smiths and ATDI as influences, appropriately enough. The show starts at 9, will probably only run you a couple bucks, and as the Shaken Stylus invite declares, “The only way to combat the killer volcano that will erupt in Yellowstone or that meteor that's on a direct collision course to Earth is by sacrificing a couple local virgins.” So, you know... do that.





steve gordon
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