by Mac McGuire | Nov 25, 2014 | News
After you awaken from your Thanksgiving dinner(s) coma this Friday, consider spending some of your Black Friday shopping and money at local records stores. The OTHER Record Store Day (the big one traditionally is in April) is still an important day for shops as...
by Michael Moretti | Oct 10, 2014 | Listen Up
While perusing the calendar for upcoming events in the next couple of weeks this morning, we finally gave South Philly’s SHEER MAG a listen, and are ecstatic we did. It’s been the soundtrack of the office all morning. SHEER MAG is a relatively young band,...
by Tylor Colby | Jul 24, 2014 | Album of the Week
Under the tag of “punk” on bandcamp, but self-described as a “cohesive and undefinable act,” Buffalo-based Cages exists outside of any typical structure or classification. The group consists of vocalist Nola Ranallo, guitarist David Bailey, and now bassist Patrick...
by Mac McGuire | Jul 14, 2014 | Buffalo
Last month, in an interview with Black Dots owner Josh Smith, the shop runner told us that his label, also called Black Dots, would be released the forthcoming album from Buffalo’s free-form, noise collective Cages. Those familiar with Smith’s punk roots...
by Dan Bauer | Jun 27, 2014 | Preview
Wish I knew more to tell you about this one, but I’ll tell you what I know. Tonight (6:30, says Facebook) at Black Dots, we’ve got locals Max Weiss and The Patterns supporting Bloomington’s VYVYAN. VYVYAN, at least, is a known quantity, in the sense...
by Taryn Alper | Jun 25, 2014 | Photos
Day 2 of Herd Fest began with back-to-back punk shows at record stores Black Dots and Spiral Scratch. Black Dots owner Josh Smith swooped in with his band Vanilla Sex after Ranch’s cancellation, which was meant to be in order to catch the captivating Kat...
by Mac McGuire | Jun 21, 2014 | Preview
Day 1 of our inaugural Herd Fest is in the books, and if you happened to miss last night, or just wanted more, then you are in luck. Day 2 is bigger, and depending on your tastes, maybe even better. If you missed any of our spotlights on today/tonight’s showcases,...
by Justin Amidon | Jun 18, 2014 | Herd Fest Showcase 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...
by Justin Amidon | Jun 10, 2014 | Interview
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...
by Dan Bauer | May 26, 2014 | Preview
As a wise person (at the top of the Facebook event) said, “Buffalo rools cuz there are a lot of gigs every week : ^ ).” He was teasing this week’s Punk ‘N Tots show over at Broadway Joe’s, but I’m going to steal his words to tease...
by Tom Etu | Apr 19, 2014 | Preview
As you prepare to roam Buffalo in pursuit of a tangible music medium to take home and cherish forever, you may first want to plan out your optimal Record Store Day experience, which should obviously involve live music. Both Spiral Scratch and Black Dots Records will...
by Mac McGuire | Apr 14, 2014 | News
Spring has arrived in Buffalo, and just like that, things are on the up. With summer in the city nearly here, we are happy to announce our next big party plans. Rather than do another stand alone showcase, we decided to be a bit more ambitious this time around. On...
