Welcome to BandMcNally

A living map of music.

BandMcNally tracks the people, bands, and scenes that shaped DIY culture: one thank you list, flyer, and split 7" at a time.
Start in Buffalo. End up who-knows-where.

Join the Watchlist

BandMcNally isn't public yet — but it will be.

Add your name to get notified when the map opens up.

This project is powered by memory, community, and connection.
The more you contribute, the deeper the map gets.

The Buffalo 25

formerly known as The Original 25

Purpose

The Buffalo 25 is the ceremonial foundation of BandMcNally. These are not the first bands to come out of Buffalo (many came before) but they were chosen for their undeniable contributions to both the local scene and the broader musical landscape.

Their influence cuts across genre, geography, and generation.

It is not definitive.
It is not neutral.
But it is a place to begin.

You may not like everyone in the scene — but we're all connected.

Categories

This is not a final canon, it's a foundational grid. Bands were selected for their impact, legacy, reach, or disruption within Buffalo's local and global music maps. Future redrafts may change who gets remembered, moved, or de-indexed. That's the point.

Hall of Fame

  1. Rick James
  2. Goo Goo Dolls
  3. Every Time I Die
  4. Cannibal Corpse
  5. Ani DiFranco

Veterans

  1. Snapcase
  2. Zero Tolerance
  3. Slugfest
  4. Slave State
  5. They Live

Next Class

  1. Griselda
  2. Violent Way
  3. Spaced
  4. Better Lovers
  5. Exhibition

New Blood

  1. Taker
  2. Corrosives
  3. Sweet Talker
  4. Pilot Field
  5. Just Platinum

Outliers

  1. Green Jellö
  2. Lemuria
  3. Mallwalkers
  4. Copper
  5. Science Man

The BandMcNally Manifesto

We believe music scenes are archives.
We believe every drummer swap, tour van breakdown, and split release is worth remembering.
We believe your band mattered — even if you only played two shows.

We're building this map for the kids who kept the flyer,
the punks who wrote the PO box,
and the weirdos who read the liner notes like scripture.

This is not about nostalgia.
This is about proof of life.

If you've ever mailed $3 to a PO box in Goleta, you're part of this story.