Events

[INDIE] The first ever Cobblestone Live music festival happens this Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16. The two day festival features a couple dozen bands, from nationally known, to regionally rising, and up and coming locals, with a focus on indie rock and jam bands. With such a massive line up spread across three stages, we thought we’d save you some research time and highlight a few must see acts.

 1. Real Estate 
Real Estate are the centerpiece of this festival, and for good reason. The band, hailing from New Jersey, have put out a handful of critically acclaimed indie rock albums. Their jangly brand of mostly instrumental indie rock may sound simple, but it’s difficult to duplicate, as their many aspirant imitators can attest. Though their lineup has shifted in recent years, most notably with the departure of Matt Mondanile, also known for his work with Ducktails. The band’s first full length album sans Mondanile was released in March of this year on Domino Records and is considered as strong if not stronger than much of their previous material—fans of the band will instantly feel comforted by the intro track, “Darling” before exploring the band’s emerging psychedelic tendencies on songs like “Two Arrows.” Don’t miss Real Estate on the Main Stage at 8pm on Sunday.

 2. Aqueous
 
Buffalo’s take on the Umphrey’s Mcgee, Aqueous are on the verge of a breakthrough. They’ve found themselves in this position after years of touring and building a community around their flowing live shows. With any jam or groove based act, the live stage is where they shine, and Aqueous knows this. In fact their latest album is a set of six live tracks, each running more than 10 minutes long and recorded during their 2017 spring tour. Catch them on the Main Stage on Saturday at 7:30pm and then again on Sunday at 9:30pm

 3. Solidisco 
Don Skotnicki and Matt McGurn, the two halves of Solidisco, are among the recent nationally successful DJ acts to emerge from Buffalo, alongside acts like Eyes Everywhere and Dusty Bits. Their sound is rooted in colorful disco and house—often incorporating samples of classic or obscure disco tunes into their ultra slick and sunny tech house blueprints. Solidisco takes a late night slot—1 am on the Lockhouse Distillery Stage.

 4. Delicate Steve 
If you’ve slept on Delicate Steve on his few visits to Buffalo in recent years, please don’t make that mistake again. Delicate Steve, a.k.a. Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist Steve Marion and his band, are exactly what the Wall Street Journal called them: “good fuzzy fun.” You’ll hear a lot of rock n roll’s greatest qualities in Delicate Steve’s music—which means the band often wear their influences on their sleeve—but taken as a whole it’s a unique, original sound worthy of your time, this Sunday at 9pm on the Buffalo Ironworks Stage.

 5. All things local: 
All we can do here is make a list of some of the outstanding local acts you must see at this festival. For some in depth info on a few of them, see our recent profile pieces on Cooler and Mom Said No. Hip hop fans, don’t feel left out because there are a string of ultra-talented local hip hop bands all slated one after another starting at 6:30pm on Saturday on the Lockhouse Stage including Chuckie Campble, Short Moscato, and Radarada in that order. Indie rock fans, don’t miss The Tins, Aircraft, Dreambeaches and Lazlo Hollyfeld. We’ve most certainly over looked a few great bands on this line up, but that will make your sense of discovery as you explore this first time festival all that more satisfying this weekend.