Showing posts with label the tralf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the tralf. Show all posts
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Just Announced: POLIÇA


It’s no secret that Buffalo gets passed over from time to time for shows, for a more populated northern city with a more theatrical mayor as well as a better hockey team. Come on somebody had to say it! No offence Byron Brown or Ryan Miller. However, we Buffalonians get lucky from time to time. Today is one of those days. The Tralf theatre has just announced that they will be bringing in the Minneapolis synth-pop duo POLIÇA for their Buffalo debut on Monday June 2nd.

POLIÇA brings together former Gayngs (a 25 member musical collective) members Ryan Olson (production) and Channy Leaneagh. POLIÇA isn’t in reference to the Spanish word for police, that is policia. POLIÇA translates in Polish to policy, which according vocalist Channy Leaneagh is more than just a band name. She sees the group’s name as a reference to an unwritten code that guides the members when they play together. 

Last fall, POLIÇA released their sophomore effort, Shulamith, a title which was inspired by the radical feminist with the same name Shulamith Firestone.

Tickets go on sale this Friday February 28th at noon for $14/$16 day of. 



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Concert Review: Cults


Calling the Cults fourth Buffalo show in 34 months a "reunion" would be a bit of a stretch and somewhat weird, but periodically charting the San Diego via NYC band's growth and progress from their early shows at Soundlab (which I wasn't at) and Ninth Ward (my first Cults show) in 2011 through their Town Ballroom blowout 2 years ago has been immensely satisfying. I'm not sure what keeps bringing them back to Buffalo, or if there's a two way connection going on here, but Monday's show at the Tralf with Mood Rings and their first since the release of their sophomore album Static felt a litle belt special, and they didn't disappoint.

 Mood Rings did not mess around with their enthusiastically received opening set of straight up 80's New Wave romantic jams. Featuring a Spectoresque Wall of Sound also favored by Cults' Brian Oblivion, the Atlanta band played a number of exquisitely lush and reverb drenched songs off their new album VPI Harmony, gathering power and mojo as their set progressed until their positively Goth tinged climax that indulged the darkness that lurked sweetly under the surface of the entire performance. My only regret of the night was that they sold out of their debut CD before I could hit up the merch table at the end of the night. For their Buffalo debut, Mood Rings were bold, captivating, and like many in the appreciative crowd, I definitely wouldn't mind seeing them again.

Starting with the fiercely uptempo "High Road" off of Static, this Cults show was absolutely potent as the band used the Tralf's excellent acoustics to their fullest. The Brian Oblivion/Cults Wall of Sound was in full effect with each instrument contributing to a sweetly all enveloping caress of sound that was especially nice in the ears thanks to the denser, beat heavy, and more guitar driven songs from Static. Favorites from their instant classic eponymous debut also seemed beefier than usual, but I could be wrong about that because Cults definitely rocked the Town Ballroom in 2012. And there can be no doubt that Madeline Follin is realer than real, a very human voice at the heart of Cults sonic storm to focus the heart and mind while vocally shredding jams like "You Know What I Mean" and "Rave On" and a cover of The Motels' "Total Control."

 By the time they finished off the night with heavy duty run-throughs of classics "Go Outside" and "Oh My God," it was clear that Cults had fully delivered the goods once again. What fully sold me on Cults was their wonderful June 2011 show in that acoustically wonderful brick basement at the Ninth Ward, a magical night that was very much on my mind as I and the (decent) crowd grooved to a band clearly growing in power and sonic gorgeousness, having successfully vanquished the sophomore slump. When Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin bring Cults back for fifth WNY show, I will be there.




~ Video courtesy of Erica Morano

Cliff Parks

                                                                                 
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Tonight: Cults


Tonight, NYC dream pop group Cults make a welcome return to Buffalo at the Tralf with Mood Rings. Arriving a few years back as if out of a dream, Cults seduced audiences with a timeless 60's girl group sound exquisitely curated and updated by Brian Oblivion, the ethereal vocals of Madeline Follin, and a sweet air of darkness to balance it all out. Touring behind their excellent 2013 sophomore effort Static, Cults are back in Buffalo after memorable shows at Soundlab, The Ninth Ward, and Town Ballroom, and I for one am somewhat gratified that they've made a point of stopping here because not a lot of national acts do. Openers Mood Rings, from Atlanta will be kicking things off and setting the stage perfectly for Cults with their reverb drenched and deeply resonant brand of dream pop showcased on their 2011 ep Sweater Weather Forever. Tickets are $17 (and amazingly/laughably still available), doors open at 7 with the show at 8. See you there.

Cliff Parks
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Interview/Concert Review: Future Islands



Editor's Note: We at buffaBLOG invite artists to use the blog as a medium for their writing. Michael "Yes YES" Ersing, a Buffalo born freak folk musician, and his fiancé Janie Roberts submitted this to us after an inspiring Future Islands show.


Saturday November 9th, I (Janie) had the opportunity to see one of my favorite bands to see live on this entire planet. I first experienced Sam, William, and Gerrit performing together in Art Lord & The Self Portraits back around 2003 in the Carolinas while I was in high school. What I remember is costumed ridiculousness, dancing, and particularly one weirdo belting fancifully with eyeliner running down his sweating face. Everyone was sweating--that would remain a given with these guys.

Future Islands popped into my sphere again and again, from creepy house shows in Charleston, SC to festivals in their hometown of Baltimore, Denver on a round-robin tour with Dan Deacon, to playing alongside them when my Fem-punk band decided to throw a reunion--probably more motivated by the opportunity to play with them than by any other sort of nostalgia.

Their show in Buffalo proved that their far-out synth-pop heart-gravity not only still induces altered states of elation, but that Future Islands is evolving into new realities of composition. Weaving heavier sound, even deeper lyrically complex wisdom spouting from Sam's ever chimerical persona, and adding an organic Earthling drummer to top it all off contributed to their participatory journeying and it's transformative effect. The whole crowd begins accepting the inevitable. You will dance and you will enjoy it. The classics such as "Balance" and "Tin Man" got everyone in the mood, and by in the mood I mean pumped on life and inspired to believe in oneself in the most positive sense. The newer songs crept up and out into the soul with William's baselines pumping, Gerrit's synth probing seemingly darker realms and Sam posing new questions for the listener to contemplate. Writing a song for someone you have never met--Romantic? Psychic? Revelatory? All of that and more. 

 As I make the move across the globe to Korea, I can't think of a better show to send me off. My next thought--these guys have to play in Seoul because I am totally positive I don't want to wait a year to see them again, and I'm also pretty sure it's high time for Future Islands to tour Asia.



 A few words between Mike & Sam

Post show: Sam Herring talks like he's being burst out of a circus canon with 1,000 lbs. of confetti. He moves. He focuses in on you. He smiles with a warmth that is intense, not to mention a relief.

(M) How does it feel for you raising heartconsciousness up through your stomach like a fountain out of your mouth & third eye?

(S) Wait! What? It's just about being yourself, and true to whatever you believe that That is. Really! It's about letting yourself feel beautiful. It's a dance, Not so much the third eye, but yea, yea The Heart. I've never heard that word before, Heartconsciousness. I like it. People used to think, maybe, that we were being ironic? I think? I believe that more people now see us for what we are. That we are Genuine, with ourselves, with our audience.

(M) How have you disassembled the fear construct?

(S) (laughs) (begins to shout) You just Do! You have to! It's like I said You just believe in yourself, and Yes this takes courage But it's worth it! Not everybody will get it right away! As long as you are honest with yourself about who you are what you want, treat yourself well, you'll be ok.

(M) Thank you. That's an important thought I think. (Sam interjects, the two exchange ideas. At this time the tape recorder stops working) Let me switch to vid real quick:

Before we say goodnight, can you say something about love?

(S) Ah man, that's hard. That's Hard! There's love of family, friends, affection, lust, love of lust, romance, truth, of beings walking down the street, recognition of the humanness in one by another... I have love for my band mates... And for the Audiences at these shows! And the Travelling! These are all stories, as a musician, they are stories. 

(M) Quote the English Romantics?

(S) The cut plow forgives the worm (both laugh)

(M) You took something backwards & made it MORE, for HEALTH!

(S) I knew you would like that!

Sam Herring is singer for the Baltimore based project Future Islands.

Mike Ersing has been called Too Brilliant by those unable to breath in his presence.

Janie Roberts is, and always has been, the brains, and the heart behind team Yes Yes.

That night Sam dedicated "Balance" to Janie & Mike, because they were the best dancers.

~ Post by Michael Ersing and Janie Roberts
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Tonight: Beach Fossils


Brooklyn indie rockers Beach Fossils will be bringing their atmospheric, lo-fi brand of indie rock/pop to The Tralf tonight for what we can hope to be a chill, intimate show.

 Formed in 2009, the quartet makes nods to older acts, such as the Velvet Underground, with their simple, stark instrumentals, as well as newer bands like Best Coast and Drums with their pop-minded approach.  Vocalist Dustin Payseur's low, drone-y vocals evoke M83 and other shoegaze acts.

 The band released their eponymous debut in 2010 to positive reviews, and after a string of strong EPs, they dropped their sophomore LP, Clash the Truth, earlier this year. It peaked at No. 40 on Billboard independent album charts.

 Doors open at 7 pm, with the show beginning at 8 pm. Tickets are $13 at the door. Local support will be provided by Sleeps Hahas and Automap.






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Quick Thoughts on Last Night's Melt-Banana Show


There's a first time for everything. This is my first article about my time seeing Melt-Banana.

 Lets start with Ay Fast, though, the first musical act of the night. With quick transitions and heavy house bass tracks, Adrian Bertolone went from Sega Genesis space age RPG to crazy acid club tunes and everywhere in between. This is definitely something to check out if you're a fan of Squarepusher.

 Although the show's attended was initially light, the next act sparked the interest of a growing crowd. Consisting of only baritone sax and blasting metal drums, the group surprised us all with a truly unique sound that involved heavy droney repetition and Eastern influences. Unfortunately when they introduced themselves, the announcement was so heavily masked by effects you couldn't tell what was said.

 Lesionread aka Shawn Lewis, Buffalo's freak out electronic DJ, followed next. Known for bringing something new to the table every show, Shawn Lewis built a 15 ft tall robot, erected off to side of the stage, who interacted with the crowd between songs by talking with Lesionread, only to later be destroyed in the parking lot shortly thereafter. Over the course of his performance, Lewis ordered everyone in the room to run in a circle, gave away the "eat my vag" he wore, and made all of us lay on the floor. Lewis continues to create a new experience for each one of "her "shows.

 Finally, Melt-Banana, the chaos from Japan, brought the show to its  energetic climax. Playing only as a two piece and controlling the backing tracks with a brightly color gamepad, each song turned those in attendance into quite the agressive, thrashing bunch until everything was just motion with distorted squealing guitar pounding with heavy, out of control percussion. I hate that you missed it but you'll be at the next one.

~ Post by Bryan Johnson

~ Photo by Cliff Parks
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Tonight: Melt-Banana w/ Lesionread, Ay Fast


Japan, it would appear, went off the deep end into wackiness sometime in the 80s; since the 90s, its capitalism-meets-schizophrenia, rampant-consumerist culture has had a disaffected release in Melt-Banana. The Tokyo-based four-piece mixes punk and pop and noise into an wall of WTF cerebral madness, both chaotic and precise, with energetic, melodically barked vocals that sounds like the soundtrack to an epilepsy inducing Japanese commercial for fish lightbulbs or something. Backed by a prominent, grindcore-leaning rhythm section, and guitar that often slips into circuit-bent, sound-effect territory, Yasuko Onuki's lyrics are a hyperactive word salad, delivered with undeniable fervor. I was a fan for years before I even realized they were in English; even though it was catchy enough to sing along with, I'd just be shouting stuff like “punch kick punch!” like I had too much candy while playing Street Fighter Turbo at the neon game works. The band is crazy live, and have to be seen to be believed, if even then. Check them out at The Tralf tonight (622 Main St., 8PM, $15?), with the almost-equally puzzling Buffalo weirdo art acts, Lesionread and Ay Fast. And here's a video of Good Ol' Melty playing ten songs in five minutes, because, well:



steve gordon
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Tonight: Ginuwine Hosted By Sisqo (With Forealists!)


Heads up Forealists fans (which should be well, all of you), Forealists will be Buffalo's very own Roots crew tonight when they represent (hard) as the house band for tonight's Ginuwine show hosted by Sisqo at the Tralf. Upon further review it's actually a match made in heaven, the instantly timeless sound of Forealists is ideal for presenting such 90's and early aughts r&b classics like "Thong Song," "So Anxious" and "Differences," and one can expect the energy to be high. Opening the show will be neo soul acts Malone and Brandon Brown, along with local r&b crooner Chauncey Northington, and the show starts at 6PM (doors open at 5PM). Tickets are still available and are $59.

Cliff Parks
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Tonight: Tera Melos


Tera Melos have a weird vibe, like, I'm not sure if I should compare them to Marnie Stern or Health or Animal Collective. Catchy sampler-meets-guitar, double-tapped, post-garage noise stuff. They've released things through Temporary Residence Limited (label-mates The Books, Pinback, Mono, and Young Widows contextualize it a bit) and they've been doing weird, loud, quasi-pop for the better part of a decade. Their songs seem at once innocuous and possibly laptop-ed, then some abrupt, explosive guitar will remind you that loud noises are a thing. For instance, puzzle over "Weird Circles" below. I don't know how they pull it off with live instrumentation, but we'll find out together at the Tralf tonight (622 Main St., 8PM, $10), with the equally nebulous sonic cartography of FANG ISLAND.


steve gordon
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Just Announced: Beach Fossils


After playing an excellent show earlier in the year, Beach Fossils have announced that they will be cycling back to Buffalo before 2013 is out. The band, who released their second full length album, Clash the Truth back in February, will be performing at the Tralf Music Hall on Monday, November 18th. Tickets go on sale at noon tomorrow, October 25, and only cost $10. This is a real bargain and an opportunity to catch a great band who have already proven they can put on a good live show. So if you missed them last time, here is your chance.


Michael Torsell
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Tonight: Quasi


Since their arrival twenty years ago, the post-folk duo Quasi have consistently been alt pioneers. From the bedroom-ish bop of early albums like R&B Transmogrification and Featuring “Birds” to the deeper sonic explorations of more recent work, the Portland, OR team has, at least peripherally, informed much of indie music over the last two decades. It's their ability to reconcile dark themes with light pop sensibilities, usually with just some guitar or keyboards and sparse drumming - along with bountiful boy-girl harmonies - that make them a ton of fun to listen to, even when they are saying bleak things about the world. The twenty year anniversary aspect is all the more auspicious, given that the group hasn't really paused, and have also split time working with other groups like Sleater-Kinney, Wild Flag, and Elliott Smith in between writing and touring. Catch them tonight at the Tralf (622 Main St.,7PM, $15), where they'll perform with the proto-punk-influenced anti-folk underground-hero Jeffrey Lewis.


steve gordon
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Tonight: Man Man


Tonight, Philadelphia's premier experimental rockers hit up the Tralf in support of their new album, On Oni Pond. Frontman Honus Honus, known for his wild percussive antics, leads Man Man on piano through an unrestrained carnival of madness. The group will be joined by fellow experimenters Xenia Rubinos as they plunge into the void armed with sousaphones, xylophones, euphoniums, and other implements of destruction. Doors open at 7pm with tickets available for $18. 




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Tonight: Baths


The music of Los Angeles singer/producer Will Wiesenfield, who records under the name Baths, can best be described as celestial pop, with widespread influences from hip hop to electronica and glitch. His 2010 debut full length, Cerulean, made waves as an ethereal, heavily layered record full of playfully experimental sounds that ended up several end-of-year lists including Pitchfork and the AV Club. Contrasting the nature of the record that was both thematically and sonically reflective of its' namesake (the shade of blue used to describe the sky), Wiesenfield chose to explore darker themes on his latest LP, Obsidian. Turning to sources like Dante's Inferno and research into the Dark Ages, the album is a dark, yet shimmering reflection on a period of illness that left the artist bedridden for several months, unable to record. 

Tonight at the Tralf, Baths will be performing along with fellow LA producer and Body High label co-founder Jerome LOL, whose lush, percussive tracks have been noted for their organic sound. Check out his latest track, "What Now," featured on the excellent Body High fall tour compilation. Tickets are $12 advance, $15 at the door. Doors 7pm. Show starts at 8pm.




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Tonight: Stars


Whether you prefer the gentle chamber pop of "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" or the  heavier (I use that term lightly) indie rock of "Bitches in Tokyo," it's hard to deny the influence Stars has had on the popularization of the indie pop genre. In fact, along with their equally-acclaimed Arts & Crafts records label mates, they have been carving out an archetypal niche for roughly the last decade or so. 

 Fortunately for us, tonight, they will be visiting The Tralf, and even though it's not technically summer anymore, this would be one hell of a show to end the "Summer of Indie" series on. If you're interested in seeing one of the best bands in Canada, show up tonight after doors open at 7. It's $20 if you don't already have your tickets.


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Tonight: Chelsea Light Moving


Sonic Youth is dead. The partnership between Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon was the astounding creative impetus behind the experimental alt-rock behemoth. Upon ending, it brought the three decade-long career of one of America's great bands to a close. Fortunately, two new acts have quickly sprouted above Sonic Youth's grave: Gordon's Body/Head and Moore's Chelsea Light Moving. The latter are performing tonight at the Tralf Music Hall. Doors open at 7pm and tickets are only $15.

Every bit as challenging and wild as Sonic Youth, Chelsea Light Moving are at times reminiscient of a garage-punk reworking of the Velvet Underground. They can be seen onstage alongside Speedy Ortiz this evening, presenting striking evidence of Moore's continued relevance in the indie world.




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Just Announced: The Lone Bellow


Mumford & Sons. The Lumineers. Of Monsters and Men. The Head & The Heart. All of these acts are a part of this next wave of folk that is just hugecillo right now. Add The Lone Bellow to that list as well. The Brookyln based trio's self titled, debut album made a big splash when it dropped earlier this year, and whether they get quite as big as the previously mentioned acts, you can at least say you saw them back when as they are scheduled to make a stop at the Tralf on Thursday, Nov 21st. Tickets go on sale this Friday (8/9) for $12 in advance, $14 day of.


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Concert Review: Wild Nothing


When Wild Nothing took the stage before a packed Tralf Music Hall Monday night, anticipation was high as the Virginia band looked to build on what has already been a historical summer for indie shows in Buffalo. Wasting no time with introductions, the set quickly began with the uptempo dream pop jam "Shadow" from the band's 2012 LP Nocturne. The song's smooth bassline, jangly guitars, and gorgeous synths were translated incredibly well in a live setting as those in attendance couldn't help but get down with its romantic 80's vibes. 

Following with "Counting Days," another track from Nocturne, frontman Jack Tatum slowed things down a bit, though you couldn't tell from the dozens of fans keeping the energy in check on the dance floor. As fellow Buffabloger Cliff Parks touched on in his post earlier today, the show attracted a surprisingly younger crowd, as the teenage indie kid demographic was fully represented. While it wasn't what you'd usually expect from a Tralf show, it made for an energetic crowd that was undeniably loving everything that Wild Nothing laid down that night. 

Other set highlights included the bright pop gem "Only Heather," with its infectious jangly riff and driving rhythm reminiscent of early alternative acts like R.E.M., kept the crowd moving and reminded us that indie rock can be damn fun to dance to. The soaring beauty of the new wave inspired "Paradise" was easily one of the most well executed performances of the night, complete with an absolutely blissful breakdown that allowed everyone, regardless of age, to revel in the unabashed romanticism and see the once young buzz band, prove they are well worth the hype. 

After briefly leaving the stage following renditions of the title track from 2010's Gemini and "Rheya," the band returned for an encore that included a sped up version of "The Blue Dress" and an incredible performance of "Ride," a new track from their recently released Empty Estate EP that marks a slight change in direction and showed off Tatum's growth as a songwriter. It was another memorable performance to add to this already great summer of music in Buffalo, and left us eagerly awaiting the band's return. 


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A Message For The Kids


The record for selfies taken at the Tralf was broken Monday night's Wild Nothing show thanks to a frankly alarming number of teenagers and teenage girls in particular in attendance. Having staked out prime front of stage real estate, they posed for self-taken pictures they took, danced badly, got drunk, had their drama, Ecstasy danced, and carried on like general nuisances... to the chagrin of other paying concert goers, and shit was not entirely cool as a result.

Now, ordinarily I'm super cool with the youth attending the various indie shows going off throughout Buffalo because I believe the children are the future, and there were definitely cool teenagers and teen girls keeping it real at the Wild Nothing show. Those kids are great. You see them at shows like Cults, M83, and Santigold; the kids who know what's up, the us of the future today, you know... the kids who give you a smidgen of hope for the future. The nuisances Monday night however give me hope about nothing.

I also don't want to sound like a bitter old man in an old episode of Scooby Doo, pitting demographic groups against each other, or worse scold the youth about how to behave at shows. I generally don't give a shit what you do at a show... provided you don't infringe on the enjoyment of myself and others, and with the exception of the occasional overzealous moshers, Buffalo crowds are generally copacetic. I was actually amused by the Ecstasy girls, three die-hard teen fans totally hepped up on goofballs with no dancing skill whatsoever or concept of personal space. But they were certainly fans; they knew all the words ,and got all excited by the oldest Wild Nothing material, so I was more or less cool and the gang with their antics. Other folks were understandably a bit bent out of shape however, and the vibe was definitely strained, harshing a few mellows and prompting this post.

So simply put, kids (or at least the kids who don't know any better), it's not all about you. Shows, especially wonderful shows like Wild Nothing, are shared experiences that unite the crowd for the duration of the show and sometimes beyond. It's bad enough that there are occasionally adults all too eager to harsh the mellows of fellow concert goers, but teenagers? That ain't right, and that's not how we do it, especially now that we've got a live music bonanza going on. Be cool... like those other cool teenagers who know how to represent at shows. If you're in front of the stage, longingly worship the band, or dance meaningfully. Don't be a narcissistic jackass.

That is not cool.



Cliff Parks
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Concert Review: Swans


As The Tralf slowly filled up Friday night for Swans' final show of an extensive North American tour, the swelling suspension of hushed bar-bellying chitchat would eventually prove to be the augmented antipode to the sonic gut-check we were all about to endure. It’s as if we were all about to lose our virginity over and over again. My ears had mused of this event hundreds of times before. Noticing the dark bouquet of instruments and amplifiers all seamlessly arranged and woven into the notoriously superb sound system that is Tralf Music Hall built plenty of anticipation for the show, but knowing that these apparatus were poised by the hands of Michael Gira and company to emit frequencies that would make my ears sore for days was another prodigious unreality altogether. Swans have been known to play anywhere from two to three hour sets, but their sound checks are often much longer.

As I made my lone beer purchase of the night, the heart-stopping screech-pulse of Pharmakon promptly switched on, and suddenly the place evaporated. Hovering over various effects pedals and under a red, Lynchian glow, 22-year-old Margaret Chardiet blew our minds, in what was her fifth and last show opening for Swans. As she clutched the microphone with both hands, Chardiet’s white blond hair formed an agitated veil against her face. Hunched over and spewing abrasive vocals into the mic, she hopped off stage and sifted through the audience as she sang “Ache,” a menacingly numb track off her debut LP Abandon, released by Sacred Bones earlier this year. Pharmakon played the entire four-track album and bolted behind the curtain as if she was never there. I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead as the club continued to inflate.

Gira came out with his accompanying quintet of close-knit musicians and politely and directly asked anyone seated to get up and come as close to the stage as possible, especially if we “wanted to hear it.” Hear it? Hearing Swans was never an issue at any point during the night, on the contrary, ear plugs were probably in order, as the reconstituted noise-rock giants put on the most intense sonic performance I have ever witnessed. From Gira’s phantasmic dance orchestration, to his animated portrayals and vocal crumblings, the band embarked on a performance that was both brutal and perennial in all of its molasses-textured scope. 

While many of the songs played were new and are set to be recorded for a forthcoming 2014 release, Swans have essentially been taking the best music they’ve made of their careers in last year’s LP, The Seer, and only slightly reinventing it every night. Gira’s vision is specific, he's not about improvisation. Instead, he is constantly shaping every malleable part as a blacksmith, bludgeoning every component toward the inevitably sharp whole, and as a result, the live experience is far less simulated, and somehow more mobilized than the studio record. It’s a sweltering game of Marco Polo. It’s studious and cryptic. It’s meticulously sexual.

Between repetitious walls of guitar and cymbal clash, mystical clarinet and horns, teeth-gritting bass lines, and climaxes of charisma from Gira, Swans were primed from start to finish.  From the very opening hymn and new song “To Be Kind,” which prematurely blew out an amp or two (such is virginity), to the final blunder of instrumental floodgates within the 32-minute epic “The Seer” and finale “Toussaint Louverture song,” the show was increasingly topographical and as endurance-based as scaling a mountain. There was never a moment where you didn’t understand the trajectory of the set, and there was never a moment when time was completely measurable either (it clocked in at around two hours). It was like the Tralf sunk into a temporary wrinkle in the skin of the universe; our fate wasn’t completely certain until Gira and his men took one another’s hands and bowed to an eruption of applause, as he closed the show with one last offer to hear him: “If any of you want to talk or hang out afterward, I’ll be at the table in the back...” 
Tom Dennis
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Just Announced: Blitzen Trapper


Nearly every week I find myself writing a post about a newly announced Tralf show. On the heels of a deafening Swans performance this past Friday and buzz worthy set this evening from Wild Nothing, the downtown venue is set to welcome Blitzen Trapper back to Buffalo on Friday, October 4th. Over the course of 4 full length alums, the PAC NW band has covered genres from space rock, to freak folk, to autumnal Neil Young/Bob Dylan inspired rock. The band is no stranger to Buffalo. A few years back, they were the only positive to what was an otherwise insufferable and boring solo Iron and Wine show at Asbury Hall, and a couple Octobers ago, they played to one of the fullest rooms I have ever seen at Mohawk Place.

Tickets for the show are currently on sale for $16 in advance, $18 day of.





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