SOUNDBITES: A Roundup of Music News from the Buffalo Scene

Gatto Black, the hardcore/emo project of Buffalo musician Sal Mastrocola, has dropped its debut LP ‘Sky is Blue.’ This is a powerful, highly personal and extremely visceral record — one on which Mastrocola courageously lays himself bare. Several years — if not a lifetime in the making — Mastrocola chronicles through his art his struggle with coming to terms with his sexuality — a difficult journey exacerbated by the shame which the Catholic Church and society at large imposes upon people. “I spent a lot of years just fucking hating myself,” Mastrocola said in talking about confronting his struggle on the new album. “And that gets internalized into you through religion, through our culture. There's still part of me that feels guilty for that. It's for not being who I am. I'm proud of who I am, and I feel comfortable with that at this point. But you know, I was masking it and hiding myself for all those years.” Helping Mastrocola make his vision reality on the album was his top-level band of notable Buffalo musicians including guitarist Josh Martin (Thought Trials), drummer Mike Hansen (Hotel Etiquette, Pentimento) and bassist Christian Adams (Jeweltone). We’ve had the privilege of spinning ‘Sky is Blue’ several times and the LP is as excellent as it is brave. Next week, 1120 Press will publish an in-depth interview with Mastrocola. We’re honored that he took the time to sit with us and tell us his story and we’re excited to bring you that conversation.

We got caught a bit off guard by this release but as we were putting this issue to bed last night we saw that a new live album by Dead Hearts dropped at midnight — leaving us enough time to squeeze this item in! Check it out HERE. Eleven tracks and just under 29 minutes. What a great way to get ready for the band’s sold-out reunion show at Mohawk Place on Nov. 29. Also on the bill is Jeweltone, Science Man and Overgrowth.  

Grilth has dropped its first full-length release titled ‘Turmoil,’ a nine-track LP that was a longtime in the making and which, given our proclivity here for heavy/doom, we’ve been growing a bit more addicted to with each spin. The band, in information it provided about the record on Bandcamp, said the album “is a collection of songs written over 5 to 6 years,” and “leans more into the slower, sludgier and doomier side of the band, but also displays a more developed and experimental sound than our first release.” What we particularly have enjoyed while listening to the album on Bandcamp are the synopses provided by the band which lay out the history, thought and intent of each song, which adds a cool dimension to the listening experience. Not only is ‘Turmoil’ a very cool LP, its slow and heavy sludgy/doom sound is a welcome presence. Check it out HERE and follow Grilth on Bandcamp.

astronaut head — the solo self-described lo-fi project by Buffalo musician Jessica Stoddard — is out with a new single today titled ‘Talk to Frank.’ The song, released on Bandcamp HERE, is an interesting blend of ethereal sound and restrained yet tangible force. ‘Talk to Frank’ is the follow-up to astronaut head’s mesmerizing August EP ‘Meek Moon,’ though Stoddard said the latest single is somewhat of “a departure from Meek Moon, as I've been leaning more into the slow-core pop that I've been drawn to making.” Even so, on ‘Talk to Frank’ Stoddard continues construction of her own unique and finely crafted niche in Buffalo’s music scene. The new single was produced by Buffalo’s Bran Schlia.

Speaking of Bran Schlia — a virtual Renaissance man whose resume includes musician, filmmaker, producer, music educator and founder of Steak and Cake Records  — he has released a double album on Bandcamp under the name of his solo project ‘helmsley.’ The album ‘Low Positive’ is a bouncy and melodic work inspired by the indie music of the aughts such as Saves the Day’s “In Reverie” and The Strokes’ “Room on Fire.” Meanwhile, the album “High Strangeness” is a captivating tribute to LA producer Kenny Segal’s “Kenstrumentals” album series. In a recent Instagram post, Schlia said that every October he releases whatever solo work he has accumulated throughout the course of the year, and for the past three consecutive years those releases have come in the form of double albums. Schlia — whose bands and collaborations include CLUMP, Ismatic Guru (with John Toohill of Science Man/Swimming Faith Records) and Cheshire Cat (with Jake King) just to name (a very) few — has an astounding body of work which you can checkout HERE. You can also check out some of his film work HERE. We’ll be bringing you more on helmsley’s latest double album very soon.

In case you missed it, the excellent Buffalo indie band Lower Pony dropped its new single ‘Bluette’ which you can listen to HERE. The single, engineered by John Angelo, is from the band’s upcoming 7-inch that will be out in November as a split release between Harvest Sum Recordings and Eyes and Flys. We’ve had ‘Bluette’ on heavy rotation. It’s a total banger with some soaring guitar work that gives off some J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) vibes.

And pardon us as we blow some sunshine up our own ass but “Zip Tied – The Virus X Story” — a full-length documentary chronicling the 40-year-plus history of Niagara Falls, N.Y. punk band Virus X — will premiere at 7 p.m. Thursday Nov. 6 at The Screening Room in Amherst.

A joint production of 1120 Press and Shepherd Moon Studios, the film explores the group’s origins, experiences and how Niagara Falls and Love Canal influenced the band’s music and art. (See movie trailer HERE)

“Virus X has never claimed to be the greatest band. But they are a band that has blazed their own path from Day One, doing things their own way and staying true to punk’s DIY ethos. What’s more, they’ve been doing it for 42 years, which is simply astonishing,” said Matt Smith, founder and publisher of 1120 Press and the film’s writer and co-director. “The story of this band is compelling. It’s worthy of being told and I’m very honored we were given the opportunity to tell it.”

“It’s been a privilege to work on a film so deeply rooted in the history of the area’s music scene,” said Thane McGarry, founder of Shepherd Moon Studios and the documentary’s cinematographer, editor and co-director. “I’m humbled by the trust showed in us by Virus X, who granted us full access to their personal story and time. It’s been an honor to be part of this project, which from the very start thrived on the spirit of teamwork.”

The Screening Room is located at 880 Alberta Drive in Amherst. Doors to the Nov. 6 premiere open at 7 p.m. The movie will be shown at 7:30 p.m. and Virus X will perform afterward. Presale tickets are $8 and available at Eventbrite.com (HERE). Tickets on the evening of the premiere will be $10 at the door.