John Rzeznik is moving back to Buffalo. Cool. But honestly, if I were him I wouldn’t. Everywhere he goes some middle aged woman is going to stop him and tell him how handsome he is and that “Iris” or “Better Days” is the most beautiful song ever and it changed her life completely. Everyone will want to make conversation and take pictures and get autographs and if he ever says “no” he’s letting down “his own people.” I’m sure he gets that everywhere but in Buffalo its’ gotta be at a whole other level. But hey, maybe he likes that.

John is a big downtown booster. The band spent a lot of time upstairs in the Century Grill while writing their last album while also living in an apartment downtown.

Welcome back.

About a month ago my friends and I drove up Washington Street and I saw those infamous orange “Saperston” signs on the Icon.

A month later I see that the Buffalo Icon really is closing. In fact, the last show is tomorrow night.

391 Ellicott is a crappy old building. Pretty seedy looking in fact, especially being next to the Genesee Block.

The sound system was mediocre, it pissed off a lot of musical acts I saw.

But at the end of the day kids absolutely loved this place. And like a great song, it became a part of a lot of kids from the area.

I’ll miss it, and I’m really thankful I got to see the bands I saw there and have the memories I have from there in the couple of years I’ve been able to enjoy its seedy, quirky charm.

*Photo of This Day and Age @ the Buffalo Icon. March 7, 2006.

Don’t forget that tomorrow and Wednesday at The Ashbury Church you can see Ani Difranco return home-almost literally since she’s the mastermind behind the venue.

Her fans scare me but she’s the antithesis of mainstream radio music lyrically and musically, so attending should be well worth the price ($38.50).

Also, she’ll be releasing a career retrospective album tomorrow.

Our hometown musical team are releasing a new single called “Fiction” that will be on the soundtrack for the Transformers movie coming out soon. Scroll down on the link and you’ll be able to hear before it gets on the radio or iTunes.
Not a big fan of the song but it’ll be popular. The Goo’s maxed out with 1990’s “Hold Me Up” and 1993 “Superstar Car Wash”…amazing post-grunge albums.

Disclaimer: I’m not a scene kid. So I don’t know those random musicians who jam in their mom’s basement and are known only by the wannabe hippies who hang out at Spot all day. I only know the ones who have major to big-indie to local-major labels.

I did it last year so I have to do it again, right?
Last year, Ani Difranco’s “Knuckle Down” blew away the pretty solid list of local talent to choose from and this year there was even more new stuff to choose from.

In ‘06 some of the biggest kids from around town released new stuff like the Goo Goo Dolls, Ani, Cuteiswhatweaimfor, This Day and Age, and Last Conservative.
The Goo’s was over produced but catchy, Ani’s sounded like a more tired version of Knuckle Down, CIWWAF isn’t really my cup of tea, and LC took a serious fall from their ‘05 which is one of my favorite 20 albums ever.

Who didn’t I speak ill of? This Day and Age’s “The Bell and the Hammer”. Their ‘05 release, “Always Leave the Ground” was fresh sounding piano-rock that made small waves all over the country after a serious tour with the Spill Canvas.
Their ‘06 however, took their music to a much more mature and much higher level. Maybe not as happy and catchy as ALTG, but the sounds are the sounds of a band ready to go to another level. Sadly, their next level is broken up. TDA’s lead singer called it quits and the remaining members are coming up with their next musical project.
The Bell and The Hammer came out on top of some big names but lacking efforts.

Have you lived your entire life saying to yourself “Boy, I sure hope someone makes a rock song involving father baker someday. That would be neat-o.” ?

Well if you have then today is your lucky day! The band, “Dear Leader” comes through with a quality song involving a quality city.

Came accross another Ani Difranco song about Buffalo. Some interesting observations…

SUBDIVISION

“White people are so scared of black people.
They bulldoze out to the country, and put up houses on little loop-d-loop streets.
And while America gets its heart cut right out of its chest
The Berlin wall still runs down main street separating east side from west.
And nothing is stirring, not even a mouse, in the boarded up stores and the broken down houses
So they hang colorful banners off all the street lamps
Just to prove they got no manners, no mercy, and no sense.
And I wonder then what it will take for my city to rise.
First we admit our mistakes and then we open our eyes.
The ghost of old buildings are haunting parking lots in the city of good neighbors that history forgot.”

ouch.

I missed my favorite local band’s (This Day and Age) last show last Saturday at Club Infinity for another show which I shall discuss at a later post.

Although I really wanted to go it’s okay…the same girl who gave me mono last winter did a write-up of it in today’s Buffalo News. Kristen asks some of the burning questions inside the minds of all TDA fans and the band’s answers make me happy…a new band minus the lead singer with writing underway!

My favorite local band, “This Day and Age” is calling it quits…here’s the passage on their MySpace…

“INDEFINITE HIATUS…

well, first of all this isn’t a joke; i know we write many outlandish messages, but this is a serious one…

during the past few months as i have thought about my future, it has become more and more apparent to me that my passion, my desire to create music, to be in a band has faded… i found myself not enjoying being on tour, not having written a word since we left the studio 6 months ago (these are odd things to me).

at first it was a small feeling, but it continued to grow until yesterday when i made a decision (the most difficult decision of my life) to step away from thisdayandage.

we are calling it an indefinite hiatus; which leaves some possiblities.

joey, steve, mike, and kelly will continue playing together but not as thisdayandage… they will begin on a new musical endeavor which i’m sure will blow all of our minds.

10/24 - 11/4 will be our final shows together… it would mean sooo much to me, soo much to us for everyone who has the ability to attend any of these shows to come.. especially buffalo.

this is a desicion that i wrestled with, that i had the hardest time believing at first; but i feel at peace about it.. it is a chapter in my life that is ending.. and i refuse to be a person who is involved with something that i am not 100% behind… i can’t pretend; i can’t do that to my bandmates; i can’t do that to you, i can’t do that to myself.

these past 5 years have surpassed anything i could have ever imagined.. and i can’t thank you enough.

love,
jeff”

Augh. Make sure you see them…I can’t tell you how amazing they are live. They released their latest album last month and it’s incredible even though they sound 999999x better in person. Musically, they took it to another level and were becoming more popular accross the country.

Big loss for Buffalo music. BIG loss.

DISCLAIMER: I swear I have normal testosterone levels for a 19year old male

Anywho…as I was listening to some Ani Difranco tonight I came accross one of my favorites that I haven’t heard in a while. As a former Poli Sci major who genuinley loathes politics I refuse to absorb her lyrics but it’s about the abortion clinic bomings of the mid 90’s including in Buffalo…I didn’t put this here for a debate about abortion…just to promote a great song…so download it

“Hello Birmingham” (1999)
Hold me down
I am floating away
In to the overcast skies
Over my hometown
On election day

What is it about birmingham?
What is it about buffalo?
That the hate-filled wanna build bunkers
In your beautiful red earth
They wanna build them
In our shiny white snow

Now Ive drawn closed the curtain
In this little booth where the truth has no place
To stand
And Im feeling oh so powerless
In this stupid booth with this useless
Little lever in my hand
And outside my city is bracing
For the next killing thing
Standing by the bridge and praying
For the next doctor
Martin
Luther
King

It was just one shot
Through the kitchen window
It was just one or two miles from here
If you fly like a crow
A bullet came to visit a doctor
In his one safe place
A bullet insuring the right to life
Whizzed past his kid and his wife
And knocked his glasses
Right off of his face

And the blood poured off the pulpit
The blood poured off the picket line
Yeah, the hatred was immediate
And the vengance was divine
So they went and stuff god
Down the barrel of a gun
And after him
They stuffed his only son

Hello birmingham
Its buffalo
I heard you had some trouble
Down there again
And Im just calling to let you know
That somebody understands

I was once escorted
Through the doors of a clinic
By a man in a bulletproof vest
And no bombs went off that day
So I am still here to say
Birmingham
Im wishing you all of my best
Oh birmingham
Im wishing you all of my best
Birmingham
Im wishing you all of my best
On this election day