Big Something makes the kind of music that expands to fill whatever room it’s in — and a Friday night at Buffalo Iron Works is exactly the right size. The six-piece North Carolina jam band arrives with the HEADSPACE Tour, built around Headspace, their seventh studio album and a tribute to founding lyricist Paul Interdonato, who died in 2017, the same day the band walked into the studio to record their fifth record. Frontman Nick MacDaniels describes it as “both a requiem and a rebirth for us as a band.”
About the Show
Formed at Elon College in 2009, Big Something has spent the better part of two decades fusing rock, funk, Americana, jazz, reggae, and electronic elements into their own brand of organ-laden fuzz with serious improvisational muscle. They headline their own annual festival, The Big What? (now in its 10th year), and the HEADSPACE Tour has spanned more than 50 U.S. dates. Headspace was recorded at Pachyderm Studios in Minnesota, where Nirvana tracked In Utero, during a residential retreat where all six members lived and worked together. GRAMMY-nominated producer John Custer helmed the 12-track project, which includes collaborations with Andy Frasco and Justin Osborne of SUSTO on “Clouds,” Josh Phillips on “Bob and Weave,” and a re-recording of “Amanda Lynn” — the first song MacDaniels and Interdonato ever co-wrote together. Each single spotlighted a different mental health nonprofit: Sound Mind Live, The Last Prisoner Project, and SAMHSA’s National Hotline. Relix praised the result as a “perfect example of their sonic evolution”; Live for Live Music commended its “thought provoking lyrical content and themes.” MacDaniels on what to expect live: “I’m more excited and grateful than ever…I think we’re about to have the best shows and improvisational moments we’ve ever experienced.”
The Buffalo stop lands in the middle of a northeastern run: the band plays Syracuse the night before and Morgantown, WV the night after.
Venue & Logistics
Buffalo Iron Works at 49 Illinois Street is a western New York club well-suited to a band that rewards close listening. The room is intimate enough that you’ll catch every improvised exchange. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., show starts at 8:00 p.m. This is an 18+ event.
Tickets
No ticket price was available from sources at the time of publication. Tickets are available through Eventim. VIP soundcheck packages start at $100 via the band’s official site. Buy tickets