By Benjamin Joe
(Image above: Selfish Act. Skate park show in September of 2023. Photo by Brandon Oleksy)

Area 54 is once again hosting a hardcore bill, this one including Selfish Act, Bile Study, War Bond and Sostre at 7 p.m on Sunday (July 27).

It’s being called Hardcore 2025.

The acts featured are no strangers to those in the scene. Selfish Act, with singer Owen Jones, have been on tour for half a month and according to Jones, the feeling of being in a stinky van with the rest of his band can be a bit negative, but so can be coming back home. He shared some thoughts at another recent hardcore show, which he said made him feel great.

“Tour was fun, I felt like I could’ve kept going,” Jones said. “Once you find a way to not want to die through the entire thing, you kind of get in the groove of it.

“But once you get home, then you’re like ‘now I’ve stopped,’ and that’s when everything just kind of catches up.”

Jones and Selfish Act will be supported by Sostre, a screamo band led by Teagan Finnegan which recently performed its first show. Finnegan said she loved the other bands and noted the scene in Buffalo makes musicians fast friends as they share the space.

“I think it’s really cool to be playing with Selfish Act,” she said over Instagram. “We recently started practicing in the same space and they were really nice and supportive and came down the hall to say ‘hi’ to us!

“It’s cool to be playing with them since I’ve watched them come up from a brand new local band into what they are now.”

War Bond (with Ky Reynolds on vocals, Cole Blasz and Shanahan Roach on guitars, Richard Bertucca on bass and Nick Haring on drums) are also newcomers as Reynolds has only recently moved into Buffalo, but their sound is quickly becoming a staple. For them, the opportunity to play with the other bands on the bill is an honor.

War Bond plays at Guerilla Showfare. Photo by Benjamin Joe.

“We’re all stoked to play that show!” Blasz and Reynolds said over Instagram. “The bill is full of friends and every band is always great to watch do their thing. We all go crazy for playing shows and it’s almost like end game for us, so the fact that we’re playing with a bunch of great bands with people we know personally is such a privilege. With a bill like this, we just know people will show out for us.”

The day of the show is also the same date as a Celebration of Life is being held for Jack Bonafede, an 18-year-old community member who died of cancer. The celebration will be held between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Clement House at 786 Delaware Ave. Those who knew Bonafede are encouraged to attend.

The news hit the community hard. Blasz said he played guitar in the band, Monomaniac, in a benefit to raise funds for Bonafede during his battle with cancer in April.

“Personally, I didn’t (know him). I’ve seen him around. I played in Monomaniac at his benefit show in April, which was another really great opportunity to just try to help the guy out,” Blasz said.

Reynolds noted many people come to the hardcore scene and that’s a positive thing.

“I’m newer to the hardcore scene, I’ve been a punk since I was 17, but I’ve just been getting into hardcore recently when I moved to Buffalo in November-ish,” Reynolds said. “The hardcore scene is really flourishing. People from every walk of life … a lot of people are making bands, too. A lot of younger people.”

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