[ART] At $75 a pop ($150 for the VIP pass, with a discount if you buy two at a time), tickets to the biennial CEPA Auction may seem a bit steep. But consider what you’re getting: It’s a swanky event with an an open bar reception and snacks in a handsome building.
[ELECTRONIC/DANCE] Datsik never fails to deliver an intense, loud, and impressive show when he comes to Buffalo—usually one or two times a year. He’ll make his return this Thursday, April 7 at the Town Ballroom, this time with support from new-comer Ookay. Datsik began releasing music in 2009, exploding out of the gate with remixes of Diplo and Wu Tang Clan tracks, and scoring several Beatport number one releases.
[WURLITZER] Back in the day when I was an assistant projectionist at the Riviera Theater in North Tonawanda, on nights when I didn’t have to get up early the next day I would often lock the place up, get a six pack and spend a few hours playing the grand piano they had backstage. On a few occasions—I’m pretty sure the statue of limitations has expired on this—I even fired up the Mighty Wurlitzer organ, a transgression for which the organ society would surely have called for my head.
[JAM] If there’s such a thing as American Reggae, John Brown’s Body helped create the template. Coming out of Ithaca in the mid-1990s, the band is known for its unapologetic blend of genres, applying a cross-pollinated sound to a songwriting style that’s closer to the personal singer-songwriter motif than reggae’s usual themes.
[INDIE] Call it doom-and-boom, but there’s something intriguing about Twin Speak’s sound, which straddles the lines between bluesy psychedelia and Sabbath-inspired metal with a penchant for bursts of something a bit noisier. The good news is that it remains musical throughout thanks to some impressive guitar work. Catch the Utica-based trio (who seem to be having a mutual lovefest with our own Tomoreaux) at Friday, April 8 at Mohawk Place with Boston’s Thirty Silver.
[INDIE] And now for something refreshingly different… The pointed toes and wiggling legs (and ears, and nostrils) that recur through the video for Baio’s single “Sister of Pearl” make for a perfectly charming introduction to the solo project of Vampire Weekend bassist Chris Baio (who, yup, is distantly related to Scott Baio… as well as Steve Buscemi, since we knew you were wondering).
[JAZZ] June Kuramoto’s koto playing is a large part of what’s made inroads for Hiroshima, the Japanese-American band, formed in Los Angeles during the mid-1970’s. But beyond that, Hiroshima’s blend of world music influences with elements of jazz fusion and even softer pop-rock (including forays into what we might call New Age) is completely unique to American ears. It got them nominated for a Grammy along the way and secured them the opening slot of Miles Davis’ 1990 world tour—nothing to scoff at.
[POP] Diana Ross rose to fame back in the 1960s as the lead singer of the The Supremes, which boasted such number one hits such as “Baby Love” and “Stop! In The Name Of Love.” Her solo career includes a string of even more widely acclaimed hits, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “I’m Coming Out” along with a slew of awards and recognition. Catch Diana Ross at the Seneca Niagara Casino Events Center on Saturday, April 9.
[INDIE] North London band Wolf Alice cannot be forced into a singular genre. Though some may attempt to shove them into a box, they ultimately burst through it, pulverizing the listener’s initial expectations, leaving them with a conglomeration of different sounds.
More About Bird Decline and a Local Opportunity to Learn and Act
This past January we published a piece about a new movie about bird decline called “The Messenger.”