Core Values : Buffalo punk rock "in the attic" -

By Benjamin Joe

(Image above: Abandoned Trains)

February is known for its winter doldrums, but it can be a great time to broaden one’s musical horizons. With bands such as Snapcase headlining the Town Ballroom, as well as being showcased in a documentary, it’s true, Buffalo does have a rich history in the memoirs of hardcore and punk rock.

As part of the scene, Abandoned Trains’ Angel Rivera has set up a bill of all kinds of bands playing their style of punk rock at Mr. Goodbar (1110 Elmwood Ave.) on Feb. 22.

From the thrash-adjacent Bitchin’ Hour, a band headed by Shannon Dawn to local legends, The Painkillers and “modern but old school” band Broken Locker, all pieces of the Buffalo punk rock family are coming together.

Rivera will also be playing with Abandoned Trains and a fifth band called Gates of Steel,which is a collaboration between him and Dawn, at the event.

(Videos of all of the bands are featured at the bottom of this story)

Mike Clifford, guitarist for Broken Locker, said the upcoming show brings him back to other times in Buffalo when punk rock popularity soared.

“Painkillers, man. I remember seeing them way back at Broadway Joe’s, so they’re old school. Had to be late ‘80s,” Clifford reminisced before explaining how they got their slot at Goodbar this time.

“We met Angel about two years ago or so and got along really well, and we get along with Abandoned Trains pretty well. So, maybe seven or eight months ago I reached out to Angel. He needed bands for the show and he had booked Goodbar and he said we were in.”

Contributed image. Broken Locker.

Clifford said that the Goodbar gig will be one of relatively few shows in Buffalo this year, noting that the first year of their three-year existence had been about getting out as much as possible, but by the second they’d “dialed it back.”

This year is expected to be much the same, but for their fans, less is more.

“We’re going to limit Buffalo maybe once a month,” Clifford said. “We’re dialing it back pretty big. … (Shows are) a lot of work. Then you only have 40 people who want to see you, and you’re going to divide those people up for four-shows a month? That’s ridiculous.

“We took almost two months off (from gigs). Just practicing. Practice new songs, practice new stuff.”

Rivera said he is trying to build a brand for the punk rock shows in Mr. Goodbar, calling it “Punks in the Attic” because of its location on the second story of the Elmwood bar.

“What I’ve been trying to do is bring more punk bands to Goodbar so whenever I book a show for Goodbar, I try to reach out to more,” he said. “I use the hashtag ‘Punk in the Attic’ because they call the upstairs ‘The Attic’ at the Goodbar.

“Goodbar has a really solid punk rock history. It’s kind of weaker now — I’m not trying to criticize — but they’ve fallen away from that in the last two decades, so I’m trying to bring punk back to the attic.”

Dawn said this will be her first time playing at a punk show in Mr. Goodbar, but she had seen plenty of them.

“I think it’s a good room for punk shows. It’s the right size room and they have a nice set up. Good location,” she said. “So I’m looking forward to the show.”

Mr. Goodbar is located at 1110 Elmwood Ave.

Benjamin Joe writes about music and the arts – particularly hardcore punk – for The Buffalo Hive.