by Ronald Walczyk | Mar 12, 2018 | Album of the Week
If you’re at all familiar with the upstate NY music scene, chances are that you know Comfy. The Utica-sourced garage pop act, which serves as the musical brainchild of Connor Benincasa, is known for its highly energetic live shows, feelings-on-his-sleeve style of...
by Ronald Walczyk | Feb 12, 2018 | Album of the Week
The Mauve Album is the perfect title for Passive Aggressives Anonymous’ first full-length release. The Rochester band’s music has more in common with the shade of violet than you might think–both have a pleasant and mostly disarming initial appearance, but upon...
by Ronald Walczyk | Feb 5, 2018 | Album of the Week
Harnessing musical influence into something fresh and original is no easy feat. Unless you’re Seafox. The Buffalo-based folk-pop band upended the scene late last year with its impressive sophomore full-length Eulogy of the Angels, channeling the likes of Beck, Pink...
by Ronald Walczyk | Nov 6, 2017 | Album of the Week
Rolling solo when it comes to creative projects, especially music, comes with perks. For starters, you’ve got virtually unlimited creative space to wander around in. And with nobody to answer to but yourself, the exploration of that space becomes entirely unhindered...
by Ronald Walczyk | Oct 23, 2017 | Album of the Week
dreambeaches is a band who needs little, if any, introduction around Buffalo right now. The quartet has been making waves on the local indie rock circuit for a few years now, and after an electrifying show last week (and a forthcoming tour to boot) to celebrate the...
by Ronald Walczyk | Oct 2, 2017 | Album of the Week
Punk rock has a penchant for being uninviting. It’s just the nature of the genre–loud, often incomprehensible yawps from politically-charged bandleaders backed by blasts of noise. I’m not shitting on punk (I enjoy my fair share), but I realize these...
by Ronald Walczyk | Sep 25, 2017 | Album of the Week
Our city’s been waiting on this one for a while now. We now have a full-length from M.A.G.S. I repeat: a full length from M.A.G.S. It’s been two and a half years since the band’s debut EP Cellophane made waves in the local scene and beyond, solidifying frontman...
by Ronald Walczyk | Aug 14, 2017 | Album of the Week
Rochester is a great city to be a musician nowadays. There is no shortage of fellow musicians, like-minded individuals, and just general support of the arts, and Ben Morey knows it. Though initially planned as a solo album, Morey’s latest–the brilliant and...
by Ronald Walczyk | Jul 31, 2017 | Album of the Week
Rochester’s Sam Snyder is forever a busy musician. Splitting time between playing guitar in Brooklyn’s Maybird (currently gearing up for October tour dates with Portugal the Man and The Babe Rainbow) and his self-written, self-recorded, self-produced solo project...
by Ronald Walczyk | Jun 26, 2017 | Album of the Week
We’ve written about Hieronymus Bogs before. For the uninitiated, the man is as unique as they come. Blending elements of orchestral folk and spoken word poetry, Bogs has made his songcraft well known around western New York and its surrounding areas with an extensive...
by Ronald Walczyk | May 29, 2017 | Album of the Week
Sometimes it’s not easy to be a musician. There is an element of vulnerability you must subject yourself to in order to find even a marginal amount of success. This, of course, rings true with most aspects of art in general, but there exist certain musicians who go...
by Ronald Walczyk | May 15, 2017 | Album of the Week
Folkfaces is a Buffalo band that falls beyond the typical confines of categorization. Their unique blend of americana, folk, and jazz is loud, rustic, and organic; there is an inherent genuineness to their craft. If I were looking for an easy way out, I could slap a...
by Ronald Walczyk | Apr 20, 2017 | Preview
Coca-Cola Death Squad, the Buffalo-bred, St Louis-based brainchild of percussionist Cameron Rogers, makes a homecoming appearance at Sugar City tonight. The unique musical project, which harnesses the prowess of two drummers simultaneously, ditches standard time...
by Ronald Walczyk | Apr 1, 2017 | Preview
Lucy Dacus is on the rise. Her trending debut LP No Burden makes indie rock seem effortless, and garnered the interest of multiple record labels before its eventual release on Matador. Dacus’ delivery is exceptionally mature for a 21-year-old; the Richmond-based...
by Ronald Walczyk | Mar 27, 2017 | Album of the Week
Our Album of the Week comes from four different artists this week, in the form of a starry compilation from the Buffalo-bred, San Francisco-based record label Joysdead. The compilation, aptly titled Coast to Coast Vol 1: Recordings from the Bedroom, features prominent...