The Scene is BTPM The Bridge’s regional music show hosted by Chelsea O of Stress Dolls. It features all artists who are currently based in Western New York and Southern Ontario and airs from 10-11 AM every Sunday. Check out this week’s playlist below, and click the song links to learn more about these artists and their music!
1. “STUTTER” - NLN // Ottawa, ONNLN debuted in 2018 and throughout that year and the following he built his core fanbase AKA “the real ones.” By 2020 he founded his multi-dimensional brand BSMNTROOM, which combines music, fashion, and culture. This is his latest single.
2. “Simple Kind” - VOYAGR // Buffalo, NY
WNY’s VOYAGR is said to blend “americana, indie folk, and modern day country to craft songs about life, loss, and love.” I had a chance to chat with the band late last year ahead of the release of their debut album, Born a Believer, which has since been released. You can catch them live this summer where they’ll be playing around the Northeast US and Canada.
3. “See Softly” - Aronia M. (Velvet Bethany & Broken Locker) // Buffalo, NY
I love to see the interplay between various artists in the Buffalo music scene, and Aronia M. is the latest example. It brings together Allison Mitchell (of Velvet Bethany) and Jeff Szatkowski (of Broken Locker): Jeff wrote the lyrics, handed them over to Allison, and let her put her signature vocal spin on his words and melody. It sounds like there’s more to come with a digital and physical release planned for early this summer on Velvet Bethany Records.
4. “Burning Money” - Pretty // Toronto, ON
Since their formation in 2015, Pretty has been a “prominent fixture” in Toronto’s psychedelic music scene. Their second album is due out at the end of this summer, and this band takes the cake for most creative (and kinda gross) description in this week’s submission form: “instead of chewing up nostalgia and retro pop culture, Pretty vomits up all our digestive enzymes and degrades our influences in front of a live audience.”
5. “Everything or Nothing” - RroachH // Toronto, ON
A band whose sound has been described as “multifarious,” RroachH shakes up a combo of emo, rock, power pop, grunge, and psych into palatable and pleasing melodies. You can catch it live when they play Sonic Boom’s 25th Anniversary Show alongside The Sadies, Sun Parker, Paste, and many more on Saturday, May 9th.
6. “Oleanders” - Ace of Wands // Toronto, ON
Speaking of Sonic Boom, we were there this past week for Ace of Wands’ Future Wave Release Show and wow, what a time! If you haven’t listened to the new album yet I highly recommend you do so immediately after reading this - it covers all corners of emotion and has been in constant rotation in my car all week long. Rockers abound on this record, but the more laid back and introspective sounds drew me to this song upon my first listen and it quickly became a favorite.
7. “Heartbeat Memorial” - Personal Style // Buffalo, NY
Personal Style has been receiving a lot of positive press over their latest Garbage Can EP, including a glowing write-up from Buffablog that praised the release as “a pulsating post-punk serenade that scratches all the right itches and further cements the group as one of the most exciting outfits in the region.” This song predates the latest EP, but you can catch a whole bunch of their catalogue live when they play at Milkies on Elmwood on Friday, May 8th with Welks Mice, Chimes of Bayonets, and Lightbeams.
8. “It’s Getting Worse” - Sickness Anna // Buffalo, NY
Sickness Anna is primarily the project of Nick Sessanna, which makes sense seeing as the band name is a clever anagram of the artist. The debut EP, Sorry for Everything, is simply labeled as being “mad and sad on purpose.”
9. “Somewhere Else” - Lonely Little Kitsch // Niagara Falls, ON
Lonely Little Kitsch is made up of two self-described “music nerds” who seek to create their own brand of alternative not defined by labels. I think that’s evidenced in this new single, which almost has a country twang in parts of its vocal delivery.
10. “The Way It Was.” - DonutxSlinger // Buffalo, NY
DonutxSlinger is the project of Germaine Davis, who has been “immersed in music” since childhood. He began in church choir, then moved on to his school band’s percussion section before being introduced to electronic music production while in high school. This song is from his album In Bloom., but his Bandcamp boasts over 40 other releases. There’s plenty to dig into if you like what you hear.
11. “Jiujitsu” - Merv xx Gotti // Toronto, ON
Recently I saw Merv xx Gotti pop up on my IG and decided to look into what he’s been up to. Turns out he’s playing a showcase in London, England soon with various other artists from the UK, Canada, and Singapore. He’ll also be at NXNE with his solo material AND his band, GHOSTFORM. Always keeping busy! Side note: you can listen to an interview I did with Merv last year on our website.
12. “Montreal” - Quaker Gun Club // Buffalo, NY
Buffalo’s Quaker Gun Club says that they “fall under the technical sub category of alternative rock.” They released their debut album, Vanity Project, in 2023, and this single followed in 2024.
13. “Monterrey Skies” - A Sea of Gold & Burgundy // Niagara Falls, ON
A Sea of Gold and Burgundy is comprised of three award winning songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, so it makes sense that their latest album, Monarch Mosaic, has been praised as “a gem of modern folk.” The band self describes as “a field of grain at sunset… rolling waves at breaking down… a celebration of something named between the notes of music.”
14. “A.R.S.”- ORAEN // Toronto, ON
This is the new single by Toronto’s ORAEN (pronounced “Orion”), a song that delves into “how power and greed can spread through society like a sickness.” Unfortunately I feel that’s a theme we know all too well.
15. “Crunch Leaves” - Bryan Dubay // Buffalo, NY
Bryan Dubay is as influenced by George Harrison’s slide guitar as he is Elliott Smith’s songwriting. I misspoke while on the air: this song is NOT from his album Call Your Mother, but I love the story behind the album title nonetheless: it came from a desire to not take relationships and life for granted, and how the simple act of calling one’s mother can remind you of the good in the world.
A Spotify playlist is available to stream here, but we encourage you to purchase these artists’ downloads, CDs, or vinyl; buy their merch; or go see a show. If you’re an artist who is currently based in Western New York or Southern Ontario and are interested in submitting your music for consideration, fill out our submission form here.
