by Ailsa Forlenza | Nov 11, 2015 | Preview
There are two kinds of lettuce: one, a boring vegetable, and the other, an influential funk band. Lettuce brings the full course of the meal even though they’re named after what some would call an appetizer. Historically, they came together in 1992 at Berklee...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Oct 26, 2015 | Album of the Week
The description for Mementos from a Living World by Andrew Biggie states that this EP has made Anselm Kiefer’s children dance. Investigating this fascinating artist (and bold claim), I discovered a quote by Kiefer that resonated with me, “Art really is...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Sep 9, 2015 | Album of the Week
I’m always a sucker for a play on words. The title of Jax Deluca’s first solo release, Wither Without You, embodies the strength of defiant independence and the honesty of underlying defeat. The toss and turn of an addiction: to a lover, a friend, a...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Aug 9, 2015 | Album Review
About a week after listening to Chelsea Wolfe’s new album, Abyss, out on Sargent House Records, I had a lucid dream of what it was like to suffer from sleep paralysis. In the dream, I woke up, but my body was still, unmoving. A shadowy, demonic figure attempted...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Jul 18, 2015 | Preview
Upon investigating the musical genre “chamber folk” that Buffalo-based quartet Tiny Rhymes goes by, I discovered a historical fact: that it is also called the “music of friends.” Indeed, each instrument whispers to each other, creating a...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Jun 2, 2015 | Preview
Baltimore-based Wildhoney has been pegged as the latest ‘shoegaze’ band, which is a box they quite dislike. While they do incorporate elements of gazing into their tunes, Wildhoney’s melodic trajectories are quite clear, whereas groups like My Bloody Valentine &...
by Ailsa Forlenza | May 12, 2015 | Album Review
One could imagine each song off Hop Along’s latest album, Painted Shut, as a string of fictional characters partaking in the same short story collection. The embarrassed ex-girlfriend, the abused kid, the powerful man, the mental patient. All of these situations could...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Mar 31, 2015 | Interview
After finishing up a seven week tour, Lotus is back on the road to celebrate over a decade of music, what they have dubbed The Gilded Age Tour. Jesse Miller gave us some insight on the band’s evolution, process, and latest material. The group has grown not only...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Jun 25, 2014 | Album Review
Mostly everyone understands the idea of a sample or snipped included in a piece of music. The point, if the musician gets it right, is to relate the clip to the thematic vibe of the music or lyrics. Many hip-hop artists do this successfully (Wu-Tang Clan, Aesop Rock)...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Jun 18, 2014 | Album Review
Even if you aren’t a fan of the mega-pop star Lana Del Rey from small town Lake Placid, New York, you’ve heard her hits–“Young & Beautiful,” “Blue Jeans,” or “Summertime Sadness” rolling through the speakers of...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Jun 17, 2014 | Preview
Folk-punk duo Andrew Jackson Jihad, consisting of Sean Bonnette and Ben Gallaty, surely have a way with words. The first line that struck me from the group was “There’s a rapist and a Nazi living in our tiny hearts.” Even though the initial reaction is to sit back and...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Jun 12, 2014 | Preview
Weazildust. The name sounds like a fictional character from the tales of The Brothers Grimm stories that eats little children and turns hay barrels into piles of gold. Weazildust is not a fictional character, though. It is the stage name of Jimkata drummer Packy Lunn,...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Jun 11, 2014 | Album Review
First Aid Kit, composed of the elven-queens Klara and Johanna Soderberg, hit an Internet nerve after they placed their cover of hit Fleet Foxes song “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” on YouTube back in the year of 2008. Shortly before that, they had already re-recorded...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Jun 6, 2014 | Preview
With the recent revival of Sugar City’s new space on Niagara St., things are up and running again for the do-it-yourself Buffalo group. Tonight, they invite you to shake up your hips and let loose to the tunes of the soul movement. Talk with your groove and...
by Ailsa Forlenza | Jun 4, 2014 | Album Review
SBTRKT had the right idea when he split his latest LP, Transitions, into three phases. Each two track pairing plays off the thematic tones of the one before. The latest of the three came out today and it signals a darker, ominous twist from this formerly upbeat and...
