Matt & Kim
5pm Canalside, 44 Prime St. Buffalo (canalsidebuffalo.com) Free!
Nine years after their first album, Matt & Kim have never strayed away from their initial elevator pitch: they’re still a pop band in indie clothing, re-imagining contemporary party music with a punk, DIY spin. This year, however, the concept of scrappy outsiders engaging with pop and dance music doesn’t carry the quixotic novelty it once did. As the boundaries between pop, indie, and alternative have blurred or disappeared over the last decade, Top 40 has become a less exclusive club. On their latest release, New Glow, the duo meets Top 40 more than halfway. Considerably flashier that previous releases, the album was brought to life by several outside producers, including Kanye West’s longtime engineer Andrew Dawson and Jess Shaktin, who co-wrote Sia’s rafters-ratter “Chandelier” and assisted Tegan and Sara’s own pop make makeover on Heartthrob. Matt & Kim cartwheel through their hyper songs with a Kidz Bop level of enthusiasm, and like every Kidz Bop compilation, New Glow is fixated on the sounds of now. The group’s once-chintzy canvas now includes grandiose hip-hop beats, whimsical trap appropriations, and deep dub step drops, with occasional Auto-Tune and air horns. You might not think the new style fits their image, but something about it works. They’ll be kicking off the Canalside series this Thursday (6/4 @5pm) for an exciting performance with Buffalo’s own rock n’ roll band, Made Violent. Don’t miss your chance to kick off your summer the right way!
> Andy Brinker
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Fireworks
6pm The Studio @ Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (853-5483 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $12-$14
After releasing their latest album, Oh, Common Life, the Detroit punk/indie rock band, Fireworks have decided to go on indefinite hiatus. But before the break, the group will be doing a run of farewell shows. On Thursday night (6/4 @6pm), the band will be performing at the Studio @ Waiting Room for their final stop in Buffalo. “There’s no way to express how much your love and has meant to Fireworks,” the band says. “Ans to us as individuals over the past 8 years. After these upcoming gigs are ripped, we will be taking a break for a while to give the other sides of life a try.” When the group formed in 2005, they signed to the independent label, Run For Cover Records, and released their debut EP, We Are Everywhere. They rapidly expanded their fan base through constant touring while supporting bigger acts such as Four Year Strong, Set Your Goals, New Found Glory, and Saves The Day. On their latest release, the band waste no time informing fans that Oh, Common Life is more than just a pop punk record. There are elements of funk and soul, as well as just enough power and energy to make the most melancholy moments sound a bit heavier than what fans might be used to. The lyrics delivered by frontman Dave Mackinder are just as important as any note or chord performed on the album. Where many bands use hooks and one-liners amidst otherwise disposable material, Mackinder uses each verse, hook, and bridge to further indulge the inner workings of his mind and the thoughts contained within them. This is one band that will be greatly missed in the music scene. Don’t miss your chance to see them off.
> Johnny Kapahaala
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Skiffle Minstrels CD Release Party
5:30pm Sportsmen’s Tavern, 326 Amherst St. (874-7734 / sportsmenstavern.com) $3
With their energetic blend of Hillbilly twang, Rockabilly, and Honk-Tonk, The Skiffle Minstrels have become a favorite among Western New York dancers and listeners. At every show they perform, the band tears through classics by Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Bill Monroe, Louis Jordan, and more. But you shouldn’t be surprised if you also hear tunes from Zydeco or even Kurt Weil. The Skiffles have something for everyone. The group is known for their crowd-pleasing banter and audience interaction so get ready to stomp your feet and shout along with the band when they release their new CD, Happy Hour at Sportsmen’s Tavern this Friday (6/5 @5:30pm) for their (yes, you guessed it) Friday happy hour show. The band has played happy hour on the first Friday of every month at Sportsmen’s for the past six years. It’s only fitting they keep the trend alive for their release party. The record is a collection of original, traditional, classic and eclectic western swing music. This is the first and only recording of The Skiffle Minstrels with their current and most successful line up in the band’s twelve-year history. Come down and have a few drinks after work and party with Buffalo’s best and only Western Swing band.
> Nick Cooper
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Head North
6pm The Studio @ Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (853-5483 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $10-$12
Although they’ve only been together for two years, Buffalo’s newest indie pop-punk band, Head North have already broke out of the local music scene and reached national notice. After self-releasing their debut EP, Scrapbook Minds in the winter of 2014, with Connecticut band A Will Away, and released a split album that following summer. Head North hits home with huge raunchy guitar lines, aggressive punk rock drumbeats and an emotional complexity behind singer Brent Martone’s lyrics and melodies. Head North hits home with huge raunchy guitar lines, aggressive punk rock drumbeats and an emotional complexity behind singer Brent Martone’s lyrics and melodies. The band’s popularity will become more apparent on an upcoming six-song EP, which will be released in the spring of 2015 through Bad Timing Records. Catch these guys in action for an epic hometown show at the Studio @ Waiting Room this Sunday (1/11 @ 5:30PM). Pop punk bands Del Paxton, Watermedown, Contender, and Well Kept Things are set to open the show.
> Andrea Carson
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Beer, Bands & BBL
7pm, Mister Goodbar, 1110 Elmwood (mrgoodbarbuffalo.com), Free
The Buffalo Beer League is back with the third installment of their 'Beer, Bands & BBL' series this Saturday night at Mr. Goodbar, an event that brings together the best local brewers, beer and music this great city has offer. Things get underway at 7pm with down home Americana music when PA Line takes the stage to provide a soundtrack while you enjoy a plethora of local brews and ciders, including Abandon Brewing Reckless Abandon Belgian DIPA, Big Ditch Low Bridge, Blackbird Premium Cider, Community Beer Works Frank, Whale and Singularity: El Dorado (Cask), CB’s Chocolate Chipotle Night Owl (Cask), Ellicottville Blueberry Wheat, Flying Bison Rusty Chain, Hamburg Brewing No Lux, Harvest Moon Red Barn Raspberry Cider, Ithaca Cascazilla, Resurgence Summer Saison, Roc Brewing BADASS IPA and Southern Tier IPA. All attendees will enjoy $1 off those beers and ciders. Purchase an official BBL membership & mug for only $20 (good for 2015) and get $1 off all NYS beer & cider at Goodbar and other participating bars 365 days a year!Buffalo Beer League is the official craft beer enthusiast arm of the Buffalo Niagara Brewers Association For more information, see www.buffaloniagarabrewersassociation.org.
> Brian Campbell
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Selwyn Birchwood
5:30PM The Studio @ Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (852-3900 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $10-$12
If you think you have a busy schedule, just imagine what blues guitarist Selwyn Birchwood was going through. A few years ago he was performing as many shows as he could his band, while working a fulltime day job, and striving towards an MBA from University of Tampa. His day job didn’t go anywhere, but Birchwood got that graduate degree, and his blues band did pretty well too, winning the 2013 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, and gaining a record deal with one of the country’s premier blues labels, Chicago’s Alligator Records. His major label debut, Don’t Send No Ambulance, was released last year and is packed full of smartly crafted songs that draw from old blues tradition. The record showcases Birchwood’s ability to shred but unlike many blues records, the guitar work is never overbearing. “I’ve gotten records from many great guitarists who I really like,” he says. “But after two or three songs, my ears get tired. I think a lot of people’s ears get tired. The albums I enjoy the most and play the most aren’t fancy. They’re the ones that set a mood and have emotion. That’s what I was trying to do with this record. Some of the songs don’t have guitar leads at all. They were better suited to saxophone and that’s fine with me.” The Selwyn Birchwood Band will be performing at Iron Works this Tuesday night (6/9 @8pm).
> Jeff Czum
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