Two weeks ago featured the annual public flogging of the Canalside concert series lineup, and as usual, it was hilarious, disappointing, and sad. Yes, a lot of the online hate is from angry and lonely people, but it's also instructive to see where people's minds are with regards to free concerts in downtown Buffalo, and what I saw was not encouraging. For my part, I believe that a free concert series that lures you downtown twice a season is doing a good job, and for the last few years that's definitely been the case, with this year featuring a fine line up that's frequently damned interesting. But haters are going to hate, and that's just the way it is, even though it tells us more about them than anything else. Music fans will find shows to get excited for, ditto for music fans who know how to use the Internet, and the casual free music fan is in for a real treat this year. Boring people and fans of boring music? They've been left out.

Late last week also gave some sectors of Buffalo a scare when it was announced that Dipson Theaters was parting ways with the North Park Cinema, triggering panic that our area was losing it's only art cinema and a vital landmark. Thankfully local entrepreneurs stepped forward and not only will the North Park remain open, it's going to get an update and a polish, but for a while there things were bleak. Actually, things are still bleak for the North Park considering Dipson hadn't turned a profit there for five years even though it's consistently voted best theater in Artvoice's "Best of Buffalo" poll. There apparently isn't a big audience for art films in Buffalo, even though the North Park's programming isn't that out there. The North Park and art cinephiles certainly got a reprieve, and perhaps upgrades and this close call will fill those seats and make it a genuinely profitable enterprise. I hope so, but the fact that the North Park was in this situation in the first place is not encouraging.

There's been some talk of a cultural renaissance happening in Buffalo, and compared to where we were a few years back, I think that talk has merit. That's also true about the local food scene, which has seen a number of exciting developments these last few years. But the "buy and eat local" thing hasn't quite caught on in Western New York, and local culturals which are actively pitching themselves to tourists are still waiting for locals to take advantage of what's available. Something's always missing in Buffalo, and unless it's for the Bills or Sabres, what's missing is us. Why is that? I submit to you that it's because while Buffalo itself is getting interesting, a lot of Buffalonians however are not.

Yes, anecdotal evidence is mounting that Western New York has a lot of boring people calling it home. Adults who dine out on chicken fingers and eat at chains. Wuss rock on 97 Rock. The plight of the North Park. The local popularity of mainstream country music... and most damning, the fact that $5 tickets for the Flaming Lips and $10 tickets for MGMT aren't moving all that fast. Now hopefully WNY's legendary walk up business will pick up and make those shows a success, but I'm not so sure. Yes, Artpark is a genuine pain in the ass getting out of, but those prices are a ridiculous steal, and the fact that WNY is currently giving these shows an undeserved "meh" is kind of pathetic.

So yeah, I'm thinking that a lot of folks in WNY just aren't all that interesting, and because they're not interesting they're not interested in what's going on in our area, and that's a problem for a region trying to get something going again. That's a harsh assessment but I'm throwing it out there for discussion's sake because something has to give.

How is WNY sleeping on MGMT? How?

The nine piece Brooklyn funk band known as Turkuaz stops by Soundlab tonight for an explosive night of music. Widely popular in Brooklyn and NYC, they have several nationwide tours under their belt and two independently released full length albums.  Just by looking at their instrumentation line up, its obvious this band means business.  Three horn players and two female vocals are all I need to know about this band to decide I will not miss the show.  After listening to a few tracks on their website, I can't wait to see them live.  Its definitely loud and fun, which is perfect as an after show to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones show at the harbor.  The doors of Soundlab open at 9 pm and its only $5 if you bring a flier from the harbor show or are still wearing your bracelet ($10 if you didn't go to the harbor). See you there!

The Thursday at the Harbor series is slowly drawing to a close and what a year it's been! From the epic Against Me! set to the Jesus and Mary Chain (with special Mad Men guests), 2012 has been a year to remember, and it's not even over yet!

Tonight, nineties faves and ska-core pioneers, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, will be hitting up the harbor (5pm and FREE) with their high-charged fusion of punk, ska and hardcore. Though they've faded from the public's eye in recent years, they're still dishing out catchy and chant-worthy tunes, and it seems their audience has only grown. Opening the show are awesome local punk rockers Wolf Tickets and Ron Hawkins and the Do Good Assassins. This is sure to be one of the best harbor shows yet. At least thats the Impression that I get.

10p
free/18+
SOUNDLAB
110 pearl st. Buffalo, NY
Its a party, Its a party, Its a party, Its a free as fuck party. Brought to you by Toats Orig. For after the Harbor, or just for Thursday night weirdness. You've got JACK TOPHT doin his freaky rap thing, and DR. OOO spittin comical truths. And for the DJs, it'll be TEENWOLF, MIOSI, MEDISON, and STUNTMAN. I think the theme of the night is fun and not giving a fuck. Wait no, its pizza, yeah, pizza and pickle brine.

Whether or not you're going to the harbor to see Arkells and Gomez or Matisyahu and the Dirty Heads at Town Ballroom, factor this into your plans. 

Toats Orig is bringing Buffalo another extravagant endeavor.  If the galactic nonsensical hilarity of the flyer or the fact that maybe the only money you'll be spending will be on party favors doesn't entice you, check out the lineup.

Tonight's the night to get real weird, for free. Keep your buzz going.
The Free As Fuck Afterparty
Soundlab (110 Pearl St)
18+
10 pm - 3 am
There will be a photo-booth to capture your inebriation. 

Check out the event page on Facebook.



@ToatsOrig
Toats Orig on Facebook
#FREEASFUCK

Arkells are back for yet another show in WNY at tonight's installment of Thursday At The Harbor. And if that sounds like a negative, it's really not. Their headlining show at the Town Ballroom's "All Canada Night" in February was sharp, energetic, and fun; they opened for The Maine a few months back at Club Infinity, and now they're back to finish the job and win over yet more local music fans with their smart and satisfying power pop. 

For a nice twist tonight's night of free music will feature a co-headliner in the form of Gomez. Fans of musical geography will note that Gomez hails from Southport in the county of Merseyside, 16.5 miles from Liverpool; and fans of indie rock will note that their tasteful harmonies  and tuneful Spoon-like rock go down easy. Opening duties will be handled by Toronto's very own Elliot Brood, and the show starts at 6 PM.

Please note: these are not the Bluth's you're looking for.


In the early 90's it seemed like anything was possible for hip-hop. De La Soul was coming out of the suburbs of Long Island, hardcore kept white parents on edge, A Tribe Called Quest was doing jazz, and out of nowhere from came Arrested Development from Atlanta to conquer the radio and MTV with their eclectic mix of hip-hop, southern fried soul, hyper intelligent lyrics, and Afrocentric vibes and beats. Surveying the current hip-hop scene, I can't say that I don't miss those heady and exciting times. The good news is that those times will be playing the Harbor tonight when Arrested Development brings their 20th anniversary tour to Buffalo. AD is still going strong, and tonight's show ought to be a fine dance party, and an edifying experience in every way. The show starts at 5:30 with local jam rockers Aqueous and Afro/Worldbeat masters Outer Circle Orchestra in support. Hydrate!

Tonight, the Buffalo Place Rocks The Harbor concert series kicks off at Canalside with a killer line-up of neo classic rock featuring the Sam Roberts Band and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Montreal's Sam Roberts Band has been a local favorite for almost a decade thanks to his hard charging, pure, and honest rock stylings, having worked his way from support for The Tragically Hip to full fledged and adored headliner. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals exploded onto the scene in 2010 on the strength of their breakthrough third album Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and gained local attention after a hot show at the Town Ballroom in late 2010 and an excellent Thursday at the Square performance last summer. The 70's Rock (without the barnacles, baggage,  BS, and 97 Rock) will be in glorious full effect tonight night at the Inner Harbor (NOT the Outer Harbor).Tickets are $20 if you didn't buy them in advance for $10, and the show starts at 6:00 PM.

   

This post really isn't for the well informed and tasteful regular buffaBLOG reader, this one is for friends of regular buffaBLOG readers, the folks who went "huh?" when the 2012 Thursday At The Harbor line-up was released, or say that no good shows ever come to Buffalo. I love when people say that, I just laugh when I hear that because right now there's good shows going off in this city on a regular basis, and this year's Thursday at the Harbor is clearly continuing that trend. 




The issue at hand really, is that the good shows aren't "mainstream." The thing is, mainstream is rubbish. Mainstream is boring. Very boring, and I hate boring. Boring music sucks, it wastes your time, and deep down you know this is true. That feeling you get when you start to notice that a lot of stuff all sounds the same, or goes in one ear and out the other and doesn't move you in any meaningful way, yes, that's mainstream, and that's rubbish. People who love music and give a shit about music by definition cannot be down with that, and they're not. Some go into their music collections and enjoy the storied past, occasionally enjoying an old favorite when they pass through town, and that's cool. That too is a vital part of the Buffalo music scene. Others however soldier on in the present.


Buffalo radio, by and large, sucks. American Idol sucks. All of these tv talent shows suck. MTV? MTV sucks. Let's face it. Another white goofball, this time with two first names is "our new American Idol?" Come on. But wait. The new Beach House album debuts at number 7 on the Billboard albums chart and get ripped off in a  tv commercial, like LCD Soundsystem and the Black Keys. Meanwhile, 2012's edition of Record Store Day was the biggest yet, with music fans flocking to shops to enjoy music and spend cash on stuff old and new they love. There are interesting cross currents going on in American music: a tidal wave of rubbish with a concurrent surge in under the radar good stuff, and the ad guys and girls on Madison Avenue are taking advantage of this (by hook or by crook it seems). What's feeding this incongruous yet pleasing surge of goodness? The fact that the internet is the new radio.


At first, it seemed like the internet would destroy music. The instant gratification and disposability of downloaded music for a while encouraged disposable music, and while that is certainly an ongoing trend, it isn't the only trend happening. In addition to keeping fans hip to what their favorites were up to, the internet is also disseminating good music in a variety of ways, including Record Store Day. Websites and blogs not only unite music fans, they've in some ways become radio stations. With a click of a button you can listen to song in a few seconds. Youtube has become a great way to test drive music. The first time I heard Best Coast on last.fm on my Xbox I immediately went and watched more of their stuff on Youtube, and that was that, in the matter of minutes. Conversely, you can tell pretty quickly if it's not doing it for you, and move on. In many ways it's better than radio because you can saw through stuff until you hit something that hits you, and then you can go for it. Buffalo radio? Not when you can plug an mp3 player into your car and listen to something you like or something that you discovered. Ah yes, the joy of discovery.




That's why the 2012 Thursday At The Harbor line-up is good, and that's why looking at the music ads in Artvoice is fun. You'd be amazed at the stuff going on in Buffalo if you plugged a few names into the Youtube/Pandora/Spotify search bar. Yes, the internet isn't just for pornography and Pinterest. Nostalgia is all well and good, but the now is doing all right, all things considered, even in Buffalo (which of course is were buffaBLOG comes in). There seems to be something for just about everybody. 


But you already knew that, buffaBLOG readers. You've got other ways to stay on top of the situation. Again, this post wasn't strictly speaking for you. But if you want to share this via social media, I won't stop you. In fact I'll thank you.


And have a good Memorial Day. Thanks to all who've served.