Dear Friends & Gentle Hearts

I write about music for Buffablog (www.buffablog.com). This is a place where you can read all of my published writing. Ask me anything.

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Tonight: Rough Francis

Burlington, Vermont isn’t a place that makes you think of punk rock. Visions of Canadian borders, beautiful open skies, hiking, babbling brooks that just won’t shut up, and green pastures, maybe. But punk rock? No. Never. However, if your father and uncles made up the legendary proto-punk band, Death, you’d probably start a punk band in a Florida retirement community if you really had to.

Burlington’s the Hackney brothers, who together make up more than half of Rough Francis, weren’t even aware of their father and uncles’ exploits when they first formed. After a few tribute shows, Rough Francis began writing their own music, and the rest was history. As the saying goes, “before there was punk, there was a band called Death. And before we knew of the band called Death, there was Rough Francis.”

Tonight, Rough Francis descends on Buffalo, taking the stage at Nietzsche’s with Bloody Hollies, a West Coast band with Rust Belt roots. Also on the bill are Fatal Figures and Rochester’s Total Fucking Bummer. Show is at $10, $5.99 at the door.

(as seen on www.buffablog.com)

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Tonight: Vaggie Fest

So in case you have been living underneath a rock, or in a sinkhole, you probably already know that there is a ‘lady band’ fest going on this weekend, under the very fitting title of Vaggie Fest. Instead of a single day festival, which for the past three years has been happening at the Polish Library on the East Side of Buffalo, year five of Vaggie Fest will be expanded to three days. Day one starts this evening at Broadway Joe’s as part of their Punk N Tots series, returning to Joe’s again tomorrow night, followed by the festival concluding at Ocean Garden Oriental Foods on Saturday afternoon over on Niagara Street.

Tonight at Broadway Joe’s, three day passes will be available for $20 (or $7 if you can only make tonight), which will get you a cool handmade ticket and a shiny bracelet if you so choose to indulge in one. The lineup for this evening will include Buffalo’s best not-so-secret kept secret, The Fleshy Mounds, New Orleans hardcore outfit Lock Robster and The Unidhamer, and Rochester’s Big Brain & The Drug Cartel. Also on the bill are locals Alpha Hopper and Sun Black Smoke.

Music starts at 9pm, and while this is a 16+ show, everyone, even geriatric grandpas, needs an ID to get in. No ID, no show. There’s plenty of street parking, but you also can park across the street in the NFTA parking lot. Save yourself some dramatic hassle and do not park in the Donut or Hair Salon lot because they will ticket and tow your whip. Also, make sure you tip your bartender.

(as seen on www.buffablog.com)

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Vaggie Fest

I’m sure you have seen the flyer.

I’ve seen it everywhere, from Black Dots Record Boutique to the Elmwood Market, from Spot Coffee to Amy’s Place. The flyer depicts any man’s worst fear, especially if they’ve seen the campy B-­horror film Teeth. Needless to say, it’s definitely eye-catching.

The flyer that I am speaking of is for the Buffalo Vaggie Fest, which will be celebrating its fifth year next weekend. The event is the brainchild of Britt Wagner, and even though it is a “lady band” fest, Wagner has a hard time identifying herself as a feminist. Well, maybe she is a feminist by its technical definition, but she prefers the term “equalist.”

“I don’t like to say that I am a feminist, but I’m an equalist. Equal shit for everyone,” she says as she takes a sip from her bottle of Magic Hat. “I’ve been places where people have been like ‘We’re girls and we’re going to be separate,’ which is all well and great, but look at how many people are supporting you. Why wouldn’t you embrace all of those things, instead of separating yourself from them?”

Being excluded just because she has a vagina isn’t something that Wagner can really relate to, at least not in the Buffalo punk scene. Wagner is not only the founder and organizer of Vaggie Fest, she also plays drums in the punk outfit, Utah Jazz.

“I feel like Buffalo has always had so many girls, to the point where it’s not even a difference. Punk has always been a male-dominated ‘I’m going to punch everyone’ scene, which has always been very intimidating to women. Where it’s been like ‘Oh, I could do that, but I might get hurt,’ I’m like fuck it. I’m going to do it, but never in Buffalo have I felt separate from the whole community of music,” said Wagner.

The name Vaggie Fest itself can make one think of man-hating women getting together in a field and worshiping the menstrual gods, but it’s anything but that, Wagner explained.

“We tried to change it [the name], because it was always weird when we would ask touring bands, ‘Hey, do you want to play the Vaggie Fest?’ And they’d be like ‘What the hell is that?’ And we’d be like ‘Well… it’s pretty much like a lady fest, but with less politics involved,’” she said.

This will be the first time in three years that the festival won’t be held at The Polish Library on the East Side of Buffalo, due to scheduling conflicts with Buffalo’s Infringement Festival. This is also the first year that the festival will be a multi­-day event.

Thursday, August 7th and Friday, August 8th, will be held at Broadway Joe’s. The third night of the festival will take place at the rebooted Sugar City, at their brand new location at 1239 Niagara Street. The multi­-day move was a joint decision made by Wagner and the new co-organizer Keely Guiliano, who works at Broadway Joe’s and organizes their Punk N’ Tots series.

“My boss is really awesome, and I know people hate on Broadway Joe’s a lot, but it’s a shitty dive bar and always has been. They’re very slowly making improvements, but at least they let us have shows there,” Guiliano says as she takes a drag from her cigarette. “I bartend there on Thursday nights and do punk shows. The Polish Library wasn’t available to us this year, so I checked to see what dates were available at Broadway Joe’s. So the first night of Vaggie Fest is going to be Punk N’ Tots on Thursday, and then Friday at Broadway Joe’s.”

Guiliano may be a Buffalo transplant (she has lived in Buffalo for three years now), originally from Long Island, but she is just as embedded in the Buffalo punk scene as Wagner. In addition to working at Broadway Joe’s, she plays in two bands, Cross Stitch and Hot Tip. She is also the founder and operator of the DIY space, The Glitter Box.

“I’m really excited for the new Sugar City venue. They have just been floating around for the last two years. It is a really great DIY space run by a bunch of awesome people. I think it’s the perfect spot to do the third day,” Guiliano said.

The biggest reason for the expansion is simply because there are so many bands. In previous years, the festival has had up to 13 bands, while this year, there are 26 bands, 12 of those bands hailing from Buffalo.

“One day would be impossible,” Wagner explained.

“Obviously, we want bands from here to play, but we also don’t want to be just local.” Guiliano added.

Wagner told us, “When it started, I was like, who do I know who has played Buffalo who can come back here? And it’s always been like Pittsburgh, Rochester, Syracuse… like, who do we know who just wants to come hang out and have a good time, and play?”

This year, festival-goers will get to see some of those bands from Rochester and Pittsburgh, as well as Long Island, Cleveland, Illinois, Milwaukee, and New Orleans.

For Wagner, the sky is the limit to how big Vaggie Fest can get.

“This year is kind of a test run. I mean, because this thing is getting huge. I want bands next year to be like ‘Can we play this? I want to come here.’ That’s never happened, ever. It’s always been, okay, who can I ask? Who do I know? I want it to be like, ‘Can we please play this year?’”

It’s not just the amount of bands either, it’s the venues.

“Next year, I’d like to have it at one place for one or two days. Now, this is my dream fantasy: to get land and have everyone camp out and hang out, for two nights.” she added.

Above all, for Wagner and Guiliano, Vaggie Fest is about inclusion, not exclusion. It’s not about men vs. women. It’s not girls rule and boys drool. Wagner explains her point of view simply by saying, “I feel like at Vaggie Fest, it’s like we’re not even going to think about that. Yeah, it’s cool women who are shredding and whipping it up, and let’s just look at it as that.”

(as seen on www.buffablog.com) 

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Review: Mr. Boneless - Cutting Teeth

The great Howlin’ Wolf once sang the words, “…if you want me baby, you got take your time, because I’m built for comfort, not for speed.” Now, truer words couldn’t have been graveled out into raspy excellence, however, why do we have to choose? Can’t we be fast and comfortable? Why yes, yes we can, and the proof is in the puddin’ pop. The figurative pudding pop I am referring to is the first full length release by Queen City juke joint marvels,Mr. Boneless.

Cutting Teeth, the debut from the Buffalo steam folk quartet, is the follow up to their 2012 EP, Shame, all hopped up on dirty coke and Tullamore Dew. The ten tracks take you for a ride on their zooped up 1932 Ford as it hugs the midnight curves of a bootlegging road. Mr. Boneless doesn’t only take us for a joyride. They also manage to transport us to the basements and back rooms of the deep south, where the Blues was born, with tracks like “Stonedad Waltz,” “Vetis,” and “John The Baptist.”

Now there are definitely punk elements to Cutting Teeth, which can be found rooted deeply in pretty much every single song on this record, in particularly on “Captain.” But you can’t be a punk without going through the Blues first. After all, Blues was the first punk rock. It was recorded for kids, by kids, and preformed in back rooms, basements, and houses, exactly where Cutting Teeth should be played.

What really drives this record is the distinct vocals of Elliot Darling. His nasally range gives the album it’s variety, from the alt-country number ”Shame,” to the balladry of “Skull Kid” to the amped up, aforementioned “Captain.” While other records make very distinct choices, Mr. Boneless says fuck choices. With all due respect to the Late Mr. Wolf, but Mr. Boneless proves you can be built for comfort and for speed.

(as seen on www.buffablog.com) 

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Buffalo's Anomaly

You desperately want to give the boys of Made Violent a bath. They’re not hippie dirty, nor are they ‘I’ve been candy flippin’ and shitting in my own hand for three days at Bonnaroo, dirty.’ No they’re just grungy. They’re filth-chic, if you will. They all sport wild manes and patchy beards, however bassist/vocalist Joe White’s mane is most Mufasa-esque.

The trio has set up shop in the basement of a cottage in Colden, New York. The cottage sets far back from the road, with a quarter mile driveway surrounded by trees on both sides, which leads up to a two story cottage. To the right of the driveway is a pond, filled with fish and a snapping turtle. The cottage lives on the opposite side of the driveway. Behind the cottage sets another patch of trees, which hides two other structures, one which resembles the house from The Walking Dead just a little too closely.

The basement, where the band has set up shop, is a cramped setting, but it seems to work. “This is home for the next few days,” drummer Justin Acee says from behind his kit, which has the band name written abrasively across the outside of the bass drum. In the far corner of the room sits a makeshift desk with a Mac laptop. A microphone is rigged up just above Acee and his kit. Guitarist Rob Romano and White’s microphones are set up so close to one another, they could give each other a sensual kiss between verses.

White lounges back in an office chair eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, attempting to soak up some of the alcohol swishing around in his belly after a drunken bocce game. He picks up a moleskine notebook that lies on the desk, next to the laptop.

“What’s that?” I inquire.

“What this?” he ask with his mouth half full of PB&J. “Oh, this, this is the bible.” he says, coyly with a smile. “It catches every glimpse of hope coming through the cosmos.” he says behind yet another coy little grin that only Andy Kaufman could love. “It has all of our songs in it. We play something we write it down.” he finally says very bluntly.

White finishes his sandwich and makes his way across the pseudo-rehearsal space, stepping over a slew of guitar and microphone cords. He slides on his bass guitar. “We rehearse like we play,” he says, “so we’re going to go ahead and bring out all of the animals that we slaughter on stage.” adding with a smile.

Made Violent are a band from Buffalo, but they never seem to be home. Regrouped and reformed as of this past November, the trio has managed to create some serious buzz for themselves in the past eight months. They now have five singles underneath their belt: “Wasted Days,” “Inside Out,” “Dirty,” “You Had It Easy,” and “Talk About It.” The latter two have been released in a physical form. “It’s kind of new, but we’ve always played together. But this time it’s different. Some homie would write a song and we’d play it. We weren’t writing our songs as a collective. We just kind of shut up and did it.” White explains. Acee adds, “Whatever somebody has, we just write it down. We do a lot of phone memos, and we have a group text. What we really want to is release a full length.” he proclaims. “Oh absolutely.” White concurs. “We’ve been playing together for eight months. It’s crazy, there’s just a lot of stuff going on. It’s hard to keep up with it.” Acee says.

One place where you won’t see Made Violent anytime soon though is Canada. The band was recently denied entry into the country to play a show in Toronto. It was because of a legal mix up, something that Acee is in the process of dealing with. “Their whole spiel was ‘if you can sell out Air Canada Center, we’ll let you through. No problem, no questions” Acee says, adding, “I did tell the border patrol when they refused us at the border that in two years they’d regret not letting us over the border.”

Buffalo is an anomaly as far as music scenes go. It’s very incestual. There are great bands that never manage to leave the Queen City. Made Violent are an anomaly in Buffalo; the three members don’t play in other bands, and they leave Buffalo frequently. They have people behind them, a manager, a publicist, and a booking agent, and as you read this, they are playing in London, at The Old Blue Last.

Made Violent, just want to do things a little differently. Acee says, “A lot of the time for us, it’s just been we like to do our own thing, because it sets us apart. We want to be the best we can possibly be, and we’re going to do whatever we can that’s going to help our band the most.” Like going to London. “If we can play with anyone from Buffalo and have a good time, then great. I don’t hate on that whatsoever, but in the term of things I think you’re always looking out to make sure you get to jump on the next best thing. We want to proceed and progress as far as humanly possible because I don’t want to work at Olive Garden forever.” Acee says. “I want to play everywhere. I want to play California. I want to play Austin.”

Photo Credit: Andy DeLuca

(as seen on www.Buffablog.com)

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Punks or Terrorist

The life of a small venue booking agent can be a trying one at best. You book the show and promote the show. If there’s a low turnout, you foot the bill, and you have to deal with your neighbors and the local authorities accusing you of harboring terrorist. The latter was the real life of St. Petersburg, FL booking agent and promoter, Kat Lynes. On Sunday June 29th, a concerned neighbor of Lynes’, Keith Coleman, called the police after he saw what he considered to be suspicious individuals, three men and three girls coming out of Lynes’ apartment.

The ‘nefarious’ looking individuals were members of Nevada punk band, Vampirates. They had played a show at St. Petersburg’s Fubar the night before, a venue Lynes books shows at regularly. As per their agreement, Lynes had supplied them lodging at her apartment. Coleman had mistakenly had thought he had seen a bushy bearded Middle Eastern looking man carrying out a box labeled explosives, which actually was labeled, ‘do not expose to direct sunlight’, as it contained vinyl records.

Thirty minutes after the band had left Lynes’ apartment, the St. Petersburg police arrived at Lynes door step, responding to Coleman’s complaint. Lynes says, “At first they asked if I had people over the night before, and of course I said yes. They asked me to describe who I had over, then they asked about their van. Next thing I know, more cops come up and started asking a bunch of seriously detailed questions, like last names of everyone who was there. They wanted phone numbers, where they were going. They finally told me what was going on, with the ‘terrorist assumptions.’ I was completely in shock,” she explains. “They asked if they could look around my apartment, and of course I said yes. I couldn’t imagine how much worse I would look if I told them to get a warrant.”

After it finally sunk in that Lynes was telling the truth, the police then sat outside of her home for two hours while she put her apartment back together. This little ‘interaction’ doesn’t seem to have Lynes down however, she says “I’m not mad about it, just, still dumbfounded I guess. I’m glad to see that they [the cops] do take things like this seriously, but a 30 second walk in my apartment, with all of the posters of shows I have done, the beer bottles in the kitchen, would have been enough evidence that I was nothing more than an obnoxious downtown promoter.”

(As seen on www.buffablog.com)

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Buffablog Gets Psychic

If you happened to make it out to buffaBLOG’s Herd Fest this past weekend, you may have heard something about a little band from Philadelphia called Psychic Teens. Now if you were fortunate enough, you actually got to catch their set at Allen Street Hardware, as part of Sugar City’s showcase. And if you missed their set, well, then shame on you.

Needless to say, the brotherly love trio (singer/ guitarist Larry Ragone, bassist Joe Decarolis, and drummer Dave Cherasaro) made an impression on Buffalo this past weekend, brandishing their own brand of gothic, art-punk with some post-punk tendencies. As one attendee said, “I just got blasted by Psychic Teens,” while extending his jaw attempting to make his ears pop. “Did you catch them?” he asked me. However before I could answer, partly due to being unable to hear him, he said, “I totally forgot my plugs. They are definitely the loudest band I have seen in a long time.” Psychic Teens have been breaking hearts and smashing ear drums since 2010, with two LP releases under their belt: 2010’s Teens and its follow up in 2013’s Come. I recently had the chance to sit down and chat with the group.

buffaBLOG: I really dig your bio from your bandcamp page: “Psychic Teens are regular adults from Philadelphia, that sounds like that time that you spotted your creepy metal head brother at 80’s night.” So in that situation, are you at 80’s night as well?

Psychic Teens: We are. In the late 90′s and early 00′s, this nightclub in Philadelphia called Shampoo used to have an 80′s night on Wednesdays. However, in the main room, it was goth/industrial night and at midnight there was something called “Midnight Mosh” where they played some harder edged guitar stuff like Ministry, KMFDM, Fear Factory, etc., and people in fishnets and boots push-moshed and rocked out. When we wrote that bio, I always pictured a 20 something college girl there with her friends in the 80′s room dancing to Simple Minds recognizing her younger brother who snuck out of the house to mosh to Sepultura.

bB: You guys took part in buffaBLOG’s Herd Fest this past weekend, playing Sugar City’s showcase. How was it?

PT: It was pretty great. Everyone was really nice and welcoming, and we got an awesome crowd response. The folks running the show made sure everything went smoothly, and made it a super easy and fun experience.

bB: Psychic Teens, was ‘the’ band everyone was talking about on Saturday. .

PT: That’s pretty crazy and flattering. It’s great to travel fairly far from home and have that sort of response.

bB:  I ran into at least four different people who said ‘that was loudest band I have ever seen.’

PT: Between our maxed out volume and strobe lights, we make sure that if you are in the same room as us, you are paying attention. Within the first ten seconds of the set, people pretty much get the picture that social hour is over. I could tell that most everyone at the show was kind of taken by surprise when we started how loud we were.

bB: How did you guys get involved? Had you guys played in Buffalo prior to Herd Fest?

PT: Andy [Czuba] from Sugar City had booked us last year at the Flesh Temple and it was a great time. We had remained in contact with him as well as John [Toohill] from JOHNS?Alpha Hopper who is pretty much the man. We were excited to be invited back up to play Herd Fest so we booked our whole weekend tour around it. Buffalo once again did not disappoint.

bB: You guys have played a few festivals similar to Herd Fest this year, such as MACRoCk Music Festival. How did Herd Fest compare in your opinion?

PT: We did play MACRoCk this year for the 2nd time. Herd Fest had kind of the same feel, with a lot of the town gathered at the shows and showcases all around. MACRoCk doesn’t seem to have as much of a locally centered focus, though. Its rad seeing a town get together and support the bands its got.

bB: You guys are from Philadelphia. How does the music scene in Philly compare and contrast to what’s going on here in Buffalo?

PT: We can’t really speak on the Buffalo scene as a whole, but it seems like Sugar City has the lock down on the DIY scene. In Philadelphia, we have a few DIY organizations who book in all sorts of different size/kinds of places too. Much like Buffalo, there is crossover between the music scene, bar/restaurant people, record stores, coffee shops, etc. That type of collaboration really strengthens the legitimacy of punk and DIY culture throughout our cities.

bB: In an interview with Spin Magazine last year you said, “We’ve attracted a lot of… weird teens on Twitter,” adding, “Maybe they’d be disappointed if they actually heard us play.” Has that ever happened? Someone who follows you on twitter that came out to a show to see you play?

PT: When we first were starting out, our Twitter handle “PsychicTeensNetwork” caught the attention of the subculture of “actual” teenage psychics and/or people into that type of fiction. So we got followers who really didn’t realize we were a band. We would joke “what if one of these people showed up at one of our shows thinking it was a teenage psychic meetup?” We are still not sure if we have turned any real psychic teens onto our music.

bB: Austin’s Ringo Deathstarr says they can’t stand the term ‘shoegaze’  that reviewers in the past have lumped you guys into that genre. Does the term bother you at all?

PT: People are desperate to lump us in to some sort of genre and shoegaze isn’t a bad one. There are definitely elements of shoegaze in what we do but we are definitely not a shoegaze band. Our guitarist/singer wears sunglasses all the time so its impossible to tell what he’s looking at when we play.

bB:  When it comes to lyrics, there are a lot of bands that feel the need to lay everything out, so there is no room for interpretation. However, there seems to be a shift happening, and letting fans decide what a song means. Do you have any thoughts on that?

PT: We prefer to let the audience interpret for themselves. Once the music is released and experienced, the writer’s intent doesn’t really matter much anyway. It’s all subjective. A piece of art or writing only having one set meaning seems horribly boring. Don’t hold your breath for “Psychic Teens: Storytellers” any time soon

Photo Credit John Berry 

(as seen on www.buffablog.com) 

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Herd Fest Spotlight

Josh Smith deserves a lot of credit, and not just because he’s a walking, talking encyclopedia of underground punk knowledge. Or because he owns and operates a basement record store, Black Dots, on the West Side of Buffalo. Or just because he runs a local label by the same name, or even because he also supplies a space for shows on the West Side. No, he doesn’t deserve credit for any one of these things, he deserves credit for all of these things.

On paper, Smith should totally be Barry from High Fidelity. He’s been embedded in the underground scene in Western New York for years now. He’s shared the stage with members of Syracuse’s Perfect Pussy, among others. He knows about all of the bands you’ve never heard of, and can speak of them coherently and articulately. However, Smith is not that guy.

“So I’m going to be releasing this LP for this band Cages.” he tells from behind the counter. “Are you familiar?” he asks. I shake my head no, “Oh they’re awesome.” He goes to his computer looking for a song, he can’t find one. “Oh well,” he says, “They’re like this weird neo-folk, ambient noise music. The best band I’ve seen live in the last couple of years.” He goes on to describe to me the first time he saw them play at Sugar City’s metro show with Gas Chamber. Smith is all about community and sharing, so it’s no wonder he and his store have teamed up with buffaBLOG for his own Herd Fest showcase.

The Black Dots showcase will be taking place right at the store, on the corner of Grant Street and Lafayette (right across the street from Sweetness 7 Cafe). Just look for the chalkboard sign. On the bill will be Tied Down, a straight edge hardcore band from Buffalo. Black Dots have recently re-released their demos on cassette. Also on the bill will be Rotten UK. They’re from the UK by way of Rochester, NY. If Andy Kaufman had a band, this would be it. Rounding out the show will be the buzzing 90′s style indie act Newish Star and Smith’s own band, Vanilla Sex, which features members of Sperm, Hot Tip, and Thaals. Vanilla Sex is perfect for all the kids who just want to dance.

If you haven’t been to Black Dots yet, I recommend getting there early for two reasons. One it’s a small space, so it will fill up quick, and two, to buy some records. The doors for the showcase open up at 3pm, $5 bucks gets you into the showcase, or if you’re one of the cool kids, you can get in with your Herd Fest wristband for $20, which gets you into any showcase all weekend. 

(as seen on www.buffablog.com) 

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Street Easters - 'Blood::Muscles::Bones'

Blood::Muscles::Bones, the second full length release by Bay area band Street Eaters, reads like an ominous autobiography for the Berkley duo. How long can they withstand this experimental jet set lifestyle? A global tour schedule that has taken the band around the world at whiplash speeds. However, don’t romanticize their demise just quite yet, becauseBlood::Muscles::Bones may be the rawest, post-punk record to come from the West Coast in some time. Let me put it this way: this is the record that Kathleen Hanna and Dave Grohl got to never make. It was a project they always talked about before they both started believing their own legends.

Blood::Muscles::Bones is juvenile in the sense that it is uncompromising and idealistic. You won’t find any unnecessary bridges, extra verses, or choruses. They’ve cut all of the fat, lacerated the gizzards, smothered them in hot sauce, and gobbled them up, just to wash it all down with ice cold cans of Old Milwaukee’s Best. What else would you expect coming from a band who has spent that last year and half crammed into a two seat compact truck, stopping just long enough to melt the faces of unassuming attendees at basement shows and dive bars?

Recorded in Portland, OR earlier this year, Blood:: Muscles::Bones is the follow up to 2011’s, Rusty Eyes and Hydrocarbons. This record takes off like a rocket with “Reverse,” as vocalist and drummer Megan March howls like a wildebeest of doom, belting out dystopian lyrics like, “If you could hold time in your hand/ and formed a tightened fist/ could we run in reverse/ we know how all of this ends/ And you will come to regret what hasn’t happened yet”Blood:: Muscles::Bones never lets its guard down, as songs like “Tailings,” “West,” and “Running Dog” fuel the aggression, which, by the way, I assure you will absolutely stand. Who ever said slow and steady wins the race, never tangled with a Street Eater.

Grade: B

(as seen on www.Buffablog.com) 

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According to Bart Hart, it all started in 1994. It sounds like the beginning of a campfire horror story. A story that the ‘bro’ antagonist tells to get the big breasted cheerleader scared. However, Hart’s story is a bit more seedy and endearing, consisting of a bar called Ashbury Alley, punk rock, and of course Buffalo.

Formerly the Rust Belt Show, the Big Neck Fest returns with its annual festival for the 15thyear. Presented by Shaken Stylus and Queen City ex-pat record label, Big Neck Records( now based in northern Virginia). Tonight, Big Neck Fest will commence for its Day 1 festivities at the Allentown staple, Nietzsche’s.

Big Fest isn’t just any  rock show. This is a festival that managed to bring Jay Reatard to Buffalo in its first two years back in 1999 and 2000, and this year isn’t any different. Headlining Day 1 will be Chi Town’s White Mystery. Fresh off of a European tour, the sisterly gingered, garage rock duo released their fourth full length, Dubble Dragon, in April.

In support of White Mystery will be Governess, a band consisting of former members of Pink Tiger, and one that will surely not disappoint you, especially considering when contacted to supply some information on themselves, they simply sent a link to a Wikipedia page for Seppuku. Seppuku is the Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment.

Also on the bill for this evening will be Fatal Figures and The Soul Butchers. Fatal Figures feature former members of The Blowjobs. The garage, art-punk, noise trio will be dropping an LP this fall on Big Neck Records. The Soul Butchers who will be rounding out the show, featuring former members of Trailer Park Tornadoes. They just added a new drummer so former drummer/ vocalist Justin Rowland could step out from behind the kit to get up front and personal with the kiddies.

Day 2 of the Big Neck Fest will feature seven more bands. The lineup includes buzz fuzz rockers from Chicago The Funs, Baltimore’s The Ravagers, The Activations, Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and T-Tops, from Pittsburgh. Also on the bill will be the blues induced guitars of Buffalo’s The Afterbirth Tycoon, and the punks of Fleshy Mounds who just dropped their new EP, You’re Welcome, at The Hoyt house last weekend.  Show starts at 10pm (both days- tonight and tomorrow) at Nietzsche’s, 7 bucks at the door. 

(as seen on www.buffablog.com) 

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The Guy From The West Side

  You have most likely walked by it a thousand times. You’ve probably totally ignored it, like it was invisible, like a vagrant. If it was a two headed mythological serpent of the future, it would have offered you it’s forbidden fruit. It sits drunkenly on the corner of Grant Street and Lafayette Avenue, like Dylan Thomas over a typewriter, directly across from Sweetness 7 Cafe. I am of course talking of Black Dots record shop.

If you have ever wandered into the basement record store, you are familiar with it’s owner Joshua Smith. Smith can usually be found sitting behind the counter with the glow of his laptop dancing across his scruffy face.  Always sporting jeans and an obscure punk T-shirt, Smith will give a gentle nod as you enter the store, and calmly go back to his computer. He has a quiet demeanor, but if you can engage him, you will quickly discover he is a walking, talking encyclopedia of underground punk knowledge. He’s kind of like the ‘Rain Man’ of hardcore, minus the obsession with Alex Trebek.

  Smith can tell you every member of every band in the Western New York punk scene, past and present. It’s that same punk scene that got Smith into records in the first place. “For me, it was that’s just what punk was,” Smith explains. “When I first started going to shows in Rochester and Syracuse, [punk bands] would all put out 7 inch records.”

  This all seems like the perfect prelude for a guy who owns and operates a basement record shop in the gritty West Side of Buffalo. Black Dots is rapidly approaching its first year anniversary.  “We’re coming up on a year, the week after Herd Fest. I didn’t want to do another show after Herd Fest, but I’m going to do a sale or a cookout or something.” Smith says. “Last year, it just so happened to fall during the Grant Street Festival. We had some weirdos walking in, and I didn’t even have a sign at that point. So it was just all word of mouth,” he says on the store opening.

  Smith kind of fell into opening his own store. A fairly recent transplant to Buffalo from Syracuse, he initially worked at Spiral Scratch upon his relocation. “I worked there for like two months,” he says. “When I moved to Buffalo, I didn’t want to necessarily start a competing store. People were like ‘I don’t know if Buffalo is big enough to support two stores, so I tried working over there and it didn’t work out.” he adds. “But from what I hear about how well Dave’s doing, and how I’m doing, Buffalo definitely can support more stores.”

  Record stores are all about neighborhood. Spiral Scratch lives down a side street in the Elmwood Village: a place where Gen-Xers can feel safe and comfortable on lazy Saturday mornings, grabbing records, and a Lloyd’s breakfast burrito. On the West Side, kids and resistant elders can go to Black Dots and find all  kinds of obscure hidden treasures after grabbing Ethiopian food from Lucy’s.  No matter how much he loves his neighborhood, Smith has no illusions Black Dots’ location. “This neighborhood can get a little dicey at night. I still see some shit. I see cops all over the fucking place. There was a shooting just down the block on West Delavan last summer. Then I just saw these guys getting chased by a bunch of other dudes with bats the other day, so it’s a pretty wild neighborhood, but I kind of like that,” he says with a laugh.

  Black Dots isn’t just a record store, though. It’s also a label, as well as a music venue. “It’s a small space, but it works,” he says. Black Dots recently re-released a demo by Tied Down, and will be featuring a new release by Tank and a 12 inch release by Cages, the latter being a band that Smith never saw himself dealing with. “They’re like this weird, neo-folk, ambient noise music” he explains. “I never thought it would be my cup of tea. When I first started releasing records years ago, I was like ‘oh I’d never do anything like that,’ but they are one of the best live bands that I’ve seen in the past couple of years.” Smith is looking forward to working with more bands, but wants to keep things as local as possible. “Yeah, people send me promos and shit like that, but I pretty much just want to work with bands that I know personally. I want to keep it strictly Buffalo and or Western New York. I’ve always just put out records of bands that either I’m in or I am close friends with.”  he says, adding “There’s some great bands in Buffalo right now. I’m just going to keep it as a label that is centered around Buffalo.”

  Along Smith’s extra-curricular activities, he will also be will be hosting a daytime showcase for Herd Fest at the shop, on Saturday June 21, which will include performances from Whetdream, Ranch, Tied Down, and Rotten (UK). “I think it’s a good start. I’d like to see how big it can get. I think it has the right idea. I think it’s cool that everyone is getting to put their own personal touch on the shows, that they were like ‘hey book a show, do whatever the fuck you want’ and I think that will cause a good lineup.” Smith says on the festival. “I really want to see it grow.”

(As seen on www.Buffablog.com) 

Photos by Candace Camuglia (http://casualscience.tumblr.com/) 

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Big Mean Sound Machine Release 'Contraband'

Angelo Peters, may be the hardest working man in the Ithaca music scene right now. Peters, who has recently took over the booking responsibilities at The Dock (formerly castaways), as well as booking at the Loft, not to mention all of the music he has recorded and produced for other artist in the meantime. In between this, that and the other thing, his 13 piece band Big Mean Sound Machine have managed to release their eighth studio recording, Contraband, through Angry Mom Records.

Peters and company get a little bit spacey on this one, and it works. They throw in a few extra moog and synthesizer effects that accent the expanding horn sections perfectly. Big Mean Sound Machine, who are known for their elaborate percussion and horn sections, have managed to up the Ante on Contraband. Where before the horns (Alicia Aubin -Trombone, Bobby Spellman - Trumpet, Jamie Yamen - Tenor Saxaphone, and Remy Kunstler - Baritone Saxaphone) were more of an accent with a few solos thrown in here and there, on this album they are the centerpieces that drive songs like Whoa Gosh and Sweet Tooth.      

Contraband, isn’t as much as departure from 2012’s, Marauders, as it is a steady transition in the direction of progressive channeling. BMSM manages to throw every past, present and future  jazz, afrobeat and fusion great into the grinder, and roll them up in one giant spliff, just to light it up in the front row, at The Newport Jazz Festival.

You can catch Big Mean Sound Machine, next Friday night July 13th at Buffalo Iron Works, as well as The Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival July 17-20, in Trumansburg, New York.

(as seen on www.buffablog.com) 

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LA's Upset Release "Linus"

Los Angeles has always been a mecca for music, like fellow metropolises such as Manhattan, and Chicago. LA has most definitely had its ups and downs, but as of late, has been able to reclaim its fame, with bands like Fidlar and Cherry Glazer, among others, to come out of the City of Angels. The newest member to this club is the all girl pop punk outfit, Upset.

Upset is a supergroup of sorts, consisting of former drummer of Best Coast and Vivian Girls, Ali Koehler (guitar/ vocals), Jennifer Prince (guitar) formerly of La Sera, and Patty Schemel (drums) of Hole fame. Upset released their debut album, She’s Gone, in October of 2013, on Don Giovanni Records. They are about to hit the road with White Lung, and have released a brand new track “Linus” to commemorate the tour. “Linus” is a throwback to an early 90’s alternative pop punk.

(as seen on www.buffablog.com) 

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"Linus" by LA's Upset.

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Thunderegg - 'C'mon Thunder'

  C’mon Thunder, the new release from San Francisco’s Thunderegg, is the album we just might deserve. Full of lyrical real life experiences, as in the way they actually happen and not the way we thought they would happen, sometimes a creative licence is just a cop out. The California band is led by singer/songwriter Will Georgantas, the artist that Conor Oberst has always dreamed of being.  With an unprecedented output since the mid nineties, and a revolving door of band members (himself being one of the only constants), Georgantas writes the songs you only dreamed of writing at 14. They are chockfull of truth, consequence, and awkwardness. Even if the music you feel in love with as a teen isn’t as relevant as it once was, C’mon Thunder doesn’t have that problem.

The album comes on like a tornado: slow and unassuming. Songs like “We Kissed and Ran Some More,” “To See Things Begin,” “Write Me a Caption,” and “Your Shoes Are Stupid” reminds even the most jaded music elitist or vinyl vermin exactly what it’s like to just listen and enjoy the moment. While there are a multitude of gems on this record, the one that sticks out from the coal most is “We Kissed and Ran Some More,” featuring a distorted classic rock riff laid against lyrics like: “And I think about my darling/ and i think about the darkness/ and I think nightlight from us alone it did shine/ running together in the gravel highway march/ and wondering if I would ever feel half as alive.”

C’mon Thunder awakens something that has been dead, or at least hibernating, inside of you. It reminds you of a time when music was just music, nothing more. Georgantas and company manage to awaken this entity while channeling REM, Elliot Smith, and Guided by Voices, while retaining their independence, originality and distinction from the crowd of wannabes.

Grade: A

(as seen on www.buffablog.com) 

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Brother Keep releases 'To You and Yours'

Brother Keep are some angry mo-fos! Their new EP, To You & Yours, listens like a middle finger to the “empty girl” who ran off with guitarist/vocalist Nick Sessanna’s former best friend. The four track release opens up with the pop punk “Windy City” and ends with the whimsical “Laces”. In a lot of ways, this recording is classic boy meets girl, girl betrays boy. Just listen to any Senses Fail record. Where Sessanna and company differ from Buddy Nielsen and Senses Fail is that there isn’t any huge climax where Sessanna kills his ex. To You & Yours is more than a revenge record.  It has real sustenance, something that can really hold you over until dinner time.

To You & Yours is that ‘Dear Jane’ letter that you drunkenly leave on the nightstand after you have packed the last truck load of your belongings from the studio apartment the two of you once shared. The EP’s single, “F(r)iend,” remains the stand out track on To You & Yours. The song, written about, as Sessanna fittingly has said, “the worse person I have ever known,” come with lyrics like: “How does it taste?/The seconds dripping slowly off the side of my plate./ A bloated dog always begging for a bone/Forever living in my shadows.” The emotional adrenaline induced track stands out among the more somber “ghostrock”songs.

Watch the music video to “F(r)iend” below and head over to Brother Keep’s bandcamp pageto download the entire To You & Yours EP for free.

(as seen on www.buffablog.com) 

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Tonight 5/1/14 @ The Ninth Ward

  It’s finally May! I mean technically. I know it’s doesn’t actually feel like May as I saw a guy wearing ear muffs this morning. Ear muffs! However, it is May 1st. How are you going to celebrate the flowerious month? How about a show at the 9th Ward in Babeville?

David Wax Museum will be taking the stage tonight at the 9th Ward. If you’re not familiar with the duo, think Gaslight Anthem with a dash of Americana and Los Lobos. David Wax and Suz Slezak are the creative and aesthetic core of David Wax Museum. They fuse folk, Americana, and South-Western effortlessly to create a sound that is timeless. Also playing with David Wax Museum this evening will be alt-country’s rising star, Rusty Belle. Doors open at 8pm, $12 at the door.