[ELECTRONIC/DANCE] Nosaj Thing and Com Truise come from varying ends of the electronic music spectrum. The former, Jason Lee, distinguished himself from his LA peers like Flying Lotus and Tokimonsta through his production of sleek, atmospheric numbers with a spectral bent.
[PUNK] Hardcore punk band Agnostic Front formed in New York City in 1980. Led by vocalist Roger Miret and guitarist Vinnie Stigma, the band are considered pioneers of New York City hardcore music. When asked in a recent interview what the secret to their longevity as a band is, Stigma said “Honesty, Family, Brotherhood, no ego, no religions, accepting we come from a common denominator, showing up for work, doing your job – that’s it,” basically the principles that the band was founded on.
[PUNK] If there’s one thing we need right now, it’s more bands like Rise Against. The skater-punk band from Chicago has committed their career to writing politically charged protest music, and their new record, Wolves is one of the first big punk rock releases since Trump became president. The record, however was written before Trump was inaugurated, so there aren’t a lot of specifically anti-Trump references, though bassist Joe Principe recently told Thrasher Magazine that singer Tim McIlrath went back to rethink some of the lyrics in light of the election outcome.
[POP] In a world where visual stimulation trumps that of audio, a guy like Florida’s Jake Miller might have an easier time rising to fame with his chiseled good looks. Using YouTube to his advantage, the 24-year-old singer-cum-rapper leveraged easy access to video exposure as a means to gain exposure, and it worked, eventually landing him a deal with Warner Brothers. More recently, however, Miller has decided to go indie, releasing this year’s 2:00am in LA on his own and turning to Wilhelmina Models for representation.
[EMO] If the Drive Thru Records label has a discernible sound, the members of New Jersey emo-core five-piece the Early November came of age chasing it. No surprise, then, that the band landed a deal with Drive Thru (despite having almost no experience playing live) which carried them from their earliest EP up through the ambitious triple-disc, The Mother, the Mechanic and The Path quite nearly cracking the Billboard top 30.
[ROCK] Eric Clapton once called Albert Lee, “…the ultimate virtuoso.” High praise, considering the source. Lee’s long career has included stints playing with Joe Cocker, Emmylou Harris, and Clapton himself, but the most significant chunk of his time was spent working as the musical director for the Everly Brothers—he was partially responsible for the duo’s 1983 reunion and continued playing and working with them from then onward.
[JAZZ] The legacy of one of America’s finest cultural contributors of any era will be celebrated and played back this Friday, September 22 at the Burchfield Penney Art Center for a John Coltrane Birthday Celebration. Tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen and the George Caldwell Quartet in collaboration with the Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Society will revisit the Coltrane classics for a night honoring the giant of jazz’s greatest era.
[CLASSICAL] The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra opens its pops season this Saturday, September 23 with a real treat: the music of Disney’s Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 performed live while the grounbreaking animations are presented on screen, with commentary by principal pops conductor John Morris Russell.
[AMERICANA] Earlier this summer, Cheektowaga native Greg Klyma swung through Western New York with a trunkful of his latest record, Never Knew Caroline, and played a concert at our house. The record was brand-new off the presses in June, and what a record it is: full of heartbreak, laced with nostalgia, and leavened with humor. It features collaborations with Americana luminaries Gurf Morlix, Peter Case, Bill Kirchen, and Buffalo’s own Jim Whitford, who cowrote one of the album’s 10 tracks.
[FESTIVAL] Certainly one of the most unique entries we’ve seen on the local festival circuit, this Friday’s Tesla Festival is a throwback to an era where Buffalo found itself on the forefront of scientific and cultural innovation.
It was a sleepy primary election night, except for one thing: This is the way Pigeonism ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.
J. Eric Simpson joins Mizin Shin in a show titled Co Modify at Indigo Art Gallery (47 Allen Street). There’s an opening reception on Friday, September 15, 6-9pm. The artists will talk about their work the next day at 1pm.
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Album: Ruff Buff by The Get Money Squad |
Several of the most exciting albums for fall are actually late summer releases, including Native Invader by Tori Amos (Decca, September 8), a high-concept set that dwells on the fate of mankind through a pagan lens, the latest from Hercules and Love Affair, Omnion, featuring a newly sober Andy Butler and vocal contributions from Fairs Badwan and Sharon Von Etten (Big Beat/Atlantic, Sept. 1), and, of course, the first full length from the newly reunited LCD Soundsystem, American Dream (DFA/Columbia, Sept.