buffaBLOG - The Buffalo music blog: white whale

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punk, spiral scratch records, teenager, tometu, white whale — 0 comments

Tonight: Teenanger, White Whale, Dream Journal and Thaals

Oi! There’s a $5 show at Spiral Scratch Records tonight! Do punks still chant “Oi”? Do punks read buffaBLOG? Reply in the comments, as inquiring bloggers want to know. Enough horseshit. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.

Teenanger sounds like a punk band. Cacophonous, well versed in a four chord song structure, and pissed off about… something. Hell, how can you not be pissed off about something in our world today? Their song “Singles Don’t $ell” is probably commenting on the archaic ritual of releasing singles when the purpose of such an act has been lost in an age of music downloading. Which is funny, 'cause the song would make for a damn good single.

White Whale would like you to know that they’re dead, but if that’s the case, then they have some pretty lively corpses. Up-tempo and heavy, this trio thrashes about, accidentally slapping you in the face… but you like it. They’re dissonant in a way that will force your skull to vibrate until your body moves uncontrollably.

Dream Journal has mastered the art of creating 2-minute fits of musical rage. Their lyrics are absurd and humorous. If you could beat the screaming shit out of someone in 2 minutes or less, you’d look more awesome doing it with Dream Journal as your live soundtrack. I want to insert some sort of fighting disclaimer here for the sake of Spiral Scratch Records. I will not be held accountable for any violence at the show, so buy a demo and fight someone while listening to it in a private area. Just don’t hit them too hard in their private area… with a baseball bat.

What is punk for, if not to exercise freedom and anger? Or should I say, exorcise? Semantics…

Thaals is a band so new and so punk, that I don’t know enough about them to tell you jack shit. They’re rounding out this solid line-up, and what’s the fun if there isn’t a mystery treat inside your Halloween candy bag?

Check out Spiral Scratch Records tonight (291 Bryant St), and bring a 5-dollar bill. The show is set to start at around 6PM, so make your way over there as soon as you wake up.

area denial, flag, johnny revolting, jon, old ghosts, preview, town ballroom, white whale — 0 comments

Tonight: FLAG

In the pantheon of american punk rock history, several names loom large. Social Distortion, the Dead Kennedy's, Minor Threat and the Ramones were all responsible for imprinting their DNA on the movement, setting a spark and forever changing the course of rock'n'roll. However, perhaps no act delivered that spirit with more ferocity and conviction than Black Flag. The brainchild of guitarist Greg Ginn, Black Flag was a beast; a pure, hypercharged, HONEST, machine. Throughout all of the lineups, including several noteworthy singers, Black Flag retained their sharp edge, whether they were diving headfirst into primal punk (the early years), or slowed down sludgy stoner riffs (the later years). Come the end of the eighties, it was time to put the beast to bed, leaving us thirty-something's desperately wishing we got to see the group that changed so many of our lives.

Fast forward to 2013. Two versions of the group have hit the road (Greg Ginn with Ron Reyes as Black Flag, and FLAG with Keith Morris, Dez Cadena and Chuck Dukowski) and one of them, FLAG, is playing Buffalo tonight. For many of us, this is a dream come true. Reviews of the shows have been overwhelmingly positive and based on the footage I've seen, absolutely bonkers. As a longtime fan and believer in the palpable energy FLAG creates, this is one show you'd be crazy to miss. Town Ballroom's the place. $32 is the price. The show has a few local openers including Area Denial, Johnny Revolting, Old Ghosts and White Whale. About to have a nervous breakdown...

johns, lads, preview, red sea, steve, The vault, white whale — 0 comments

Tonight: JOHNS Cassette Release Show

Buffalo newish post-hardcore pioneers JOHNS haven't even yet officially released their tape, House of Wrongheads, but what we've heard already has us gushing (check out our review here). The tape runs like a more psyched, garaged-out version of an Amherst/DC-sounding Clean Plate release, hitting all the right, hectic and discordant notes along the way. They'll be playing at The Vault tonight (702 Main St., 8PM, $5) in honor of its release, on a heavy bill rounded out with support from Lads, White Whale, and Atlanta's Red Sea. It'd be a good chance to check out a band that's probably going to be making some sweet moves in the coming months.

bensin, Bobo, chosen ones, irving Klaws, jon, mohawk place, preview, returners, tracy morrow, trailer park tornadoes, white whale, wolf tickets — 1 comments

Tonight: Mohawk Place's Last Waltz - Night One

All good things must come to an end. And Mohawk Place was one of the good things for sure.

By now, you know the story. There’s no point repeating it. We at buffaBLOG and other news sources (see Donny’s piece in Artvoice and Jeff Miers Gusto write-up) have written fantastic obituaries and have done our best to document the life, legacy and demise of our proud venue. All that’s left now is to celebrate.

Tonight sparks night one of Mohawk Place’s Last Waltz (7pm doors). It’s sold out and if you didn’t get tickets, I feel sorry for you. It’s surely going to be one of those “talked about nights” for years to come.

Here are the bands listed in the order they’re going to play: White Whale, Trailer Park Tornadoes, TMMC, Returners, Bensin, Chosen Ones, Wolf Tickets, Bobo, Irving Klaws. Each of these artists have put their own unique imprint on the stage at Mohawk and you probably recognize most of the names so I don‘t think introductions are necessary. Show starts are 7:30 so get there earlier enough to see White Whale and stay til the very end.

It’s been a long time comin’ and the roads come to an end, but fuck it, let’s keep the train a rollin. See you in the pit.

human touch, jon, mohawk place, preview, white whale, wymyns prysyn — 0 comments

Tonight: Wymyns Prysyn

It's Monday. Back to work. Back to reality. But why let that ruin your week? There's a great show tonight and I'm going to take advantage of it! Atlanta's Wymyns Prysyn will be playing with local punk purveyors, White Whale, and the female-fronted Human Touch (on the small stage at Mohawk no less!) It's Human Touch's "7" release show, so support your locals and buy some wax. Jams start at 7pm.

jon, matt and the immediates, roger bryan and the orphans, white whale — 0 comments

Check out this Fantastic New Buffalo Band: Matt Smith and the Immediates

Power pop is a genre so tastefully delicious that it's hard to resist, and if it's done right it moves beyond those candy coated plains and finds a special place in your heart. That said, few can pull it off, without being reduced to caricature.

That's why I'm extremely excited about the recently formed Matt Smith and the Immediates. The name Matt Smith might ring a few bells if you follow local music circles. That's because he's the creative force behind Hi/Lo studios as well as Roger Bryan and the Orphans' guitarist. Toss in a new backing band (White Whale), who are awesome in their own right, and what you have is the ingredient for incredibly charged, pop-flavored rock'n'roll done right. You can't help but hear traces of Elvis Costello in these songs and that's alright by me. Check out the track below, or visit their bandcamp page to hear some more. The groups first show is coming up in May with the Cheater Slicks at Mohawk Place. I strongly urge you to go.