Buffalo summers are consumed with festivals. This weekend is no different, but the festival at hand is something unique – Herd Fest. Presented by BuffaBlog, Buffalo’s annual indie music festival is back for a third year to celebrate local, regional and national musicians. Strategically piggy-backing off of the close proximity of Toronto’s NXNE, Herd Fest goes down on Thursday, June 16 to Sunday, June 19.
Four days of killer shows at 7 of Buffalo’s best venues, with performances from 67 bands – yes, 67.
Not only is this an exciting weekend for music fans, musicians are stoked to come together and rock out. This is the first Herd Fest for Buffalo-based indie band Humble Braggers.
“I’ve attended the two previous festivals; it’s a great event that brings a lot of the music scene together,” said Tom Burtless, Humble Bragger’s guitarist and vocalist. “We need something like this to keep the scene strong. All these shows help bring bands together that maybe would’ve never seen each other. It promotes the idea of going and checking out a band you’ve never had the opportunity to see before.” Humble Braggers will be taking the stage this Saturday at Dreamland along with M.A.G.S., Titanics and Brat’ya.
Another band new to the festival is Feverbox – the guys are playing Saturday night at DBGB’s. “Herd Fest is definitely a sign of good things to come for the scene here,” explains bassist Nick Kelly. “Knowing there’s a show happening at just about every cool venue you could think of is amazing. There is a certain energy around the city that isn’t always there.”
Feverbox is part of a lineup including THICK, a kickass band out of Brooklyn, NY, and Super American from here in Buffalo. Herd Fest allows bands to meet new bands, promote fellow musicians and celebrate the music scene. “I’m super stoked for Sixties Future‘s set on Friday night. Mister Goodbar is going to be out of control,” said Kelly.
Whether it’s Friday night, Saturday night or Sunday funday – get out and see some live music. The schedule accommodates all night owls and the price is right – five bucks or free. Buffalo’s music scene is growing and this festival proves it.
“The lineups are fantastic all the way around,” said Burtless. “I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed.”
