Che Noir featuring Rapsody - "Black Girl"

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Photo via Facebook

Buffalo has become one of our favorite hip hop scenes around, and Che Noir is one of our favorite MCs from the city. Her latest single, "Black Girl," features Rapsody and is a must listen if you've been into any era of hip hop over the last fifty years. A lot of rock music gets called timeless, but "Black Girl" is the first rap song I've heard that doesn't sound like a specific time. It's clearly a modern hip hop track, but there are elements of the martial arts inspired music of Wu-Tang Clan, the jazz inspired music of Guru, and even some G-Funk thrown in. It may have some elements of the glory days of the 90's, but "Black Girl" doesn't sound anything like a throwback.

Che Noir says of her new single and upcoming album:

“I started working on the production for The Lotus Child in 2021, with the intent to really showcase my production skills on this project.  My fans know I produce, but they don’t know how important it is for me to be a multi-faceted artist.  With that in mind, I really branched out and explored, and brought in other musicians to help me bring my vision to life. With The Lotus Child, I had an opportunity to work with one of my favorite artists; Rapsody.  It was a long journey trying to get the record finished and cleared.  We recorded two different versions of this song, and thankfully, got it finished and cleared a week before its release; but my team made it work!  Thank you to my team and thank you to Rapsody!’

You can listen to "Black Girl" below. The Lotus Child is due out October 25, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Che Noir, check out the artist's website.

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

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Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
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The Freqs - "Witch"

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Photo via Facebook When you're a rock band from Salem, MA, you have to have at least one song about witchcraft. The Freqs have fulfilled their obligation with a banger of a song. "Witch" is this giant monster of a song, filled with fuzz and strained, screaming vocals. This is the type of song that doesn't usually exist in this century. It's giving me some serious 90's flashbacks, like if Hum got aggressive or Alice in Chains decided to do some damage on the college charts. As great as the vocals are in "Witch," what's really drawing me in is the instrumental break down that takes over about halfway through. This is the kind of song to make the hipsters and the headbangers equally excited. You can listen to "Witch" below. For more on The Freqs, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . The Freqs · Witch
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Live Shows: Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys, Eight Foot Manchild, and Lovina Falls, The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA 7/12/25

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One of my favorite things is going to see a diverse live bill. Anyone can put together a show with three pop punk bands on it, but it's a challenge (and far more interesting) to put three unique bands on the same show and have it work out perfectly. Saturday night at The Sinclair saw the steamcrunk of Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys, doombrass heroes Eight Foot Manchild, and the baroque pop of Lovina Falls, and it was perfect. Opening the show was Lovina Falls, the current musical project of Valerie Forgione of Mistle Thrush. This was my third or fourth time seeing them in just a few months, and I'm still entertained every time. It's been interesting to watch Lovina Falls adjust and discover their sound over the past two or so years, and I think they've nailed their current sound down. It's an engaging blend of the baroque pop they started out with mixed with a more rock based sound. Songs like "Ellery Way" and "Vaulted" continue to ...
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