[FREAK FOLK] On Friday, March 18, four rowdy foot-stompin’ freak-folk bands will perform at Nietzsche’s. Folkfaces, Pine Fever, the Honey Smugglers, and 23 Psaegz should keep the legendary Allentown venue alive all night long.
[BEARDS] Is your mustache luxurious? Your beard full and puffy? Your goatee full-figured? If you pride yourself on the length or volume of your facial hair or know someone who does, then the Buffalo Beard Competition is clearly for you. The 7th annual version of this event will be held at the Essex St. Pub on Thursday, March 17. There will be nine separate categories in three different classes. First, there is the moustache class under which will be categories including best handlebar, dali, and fu manchu.
[COMEDY] Comedian David Cross is a revolutionary. Perhaps he’s helped you identify yourself as a never nude or encouraged you to hold a pro-drug rally… in your basement. Alone. On his latest tour, the star, known for his appearances on shows such as Arrested Development and Mr. Show, is seeking to straight up make America Great Again. In a bid to beat Donald Trump to the punch, Cross will do so by delivering scathing cultural and political critiques in the form that those types of critiques are best put forth: as hilarious jokes.
[AMERICANA] A slew of local bands and artist will come together to help a fellow Buffalo-based artist/photographer Jim Wolford, after a bunch of his gear was stolen recently from a local venue. Bands including Flatbed, Shaky Stage, Ten Cent Howl, Dee Adams and A Band, and A Band Named Sue have all donated 40-minute sets to raise funds to replace Wolford’s lost gear.
[ELECTRONIC/DANCE] In December, a new Buffalo party collective called Strange Allure threw their first party. It was held at a secret warehouse space in Buffalo and featured internationally known Toronto-based artist Basic Soul Unit, who vibrated the warehouse’s cement walls with his rounded-out house and techno tunes to the delight of an enthusiastic roomful of dancers. For their second edition this Saturday, March 19, they’ll turn toward the acid techno sounds of Volvox.
[COMEDY] Lachlan Patterson’s easygoing demeanor grants him a distinctive stage presence that has led to his rising success on the stand up circuit. The Canadian comic has released a comedy album, Jokes To Make Love To and enjoyed television appearances on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central’s Tosh.0 and FX’s Legit. His sharp, observational whit, zany punch lines and off-the-cuff interactions with audience members keep each show funny and fresh.
[ROCK] Johnny Winter is a guitar virtuoso without equal. His biopic, Down And Dirty was released in cinemas across the globe last month, and The Johnny Winter Allstar Band is touring in celebration.
[COUNTRY] For more than a decade, Blake Shelton has graced us with charismatic showmanship and country music that blend the Nashville hunk’s two favorite tropes: breakups and drinking away the blues. His latest single, “Came Here To Forget”—from his tenth album, which will be released later this year—follows suit.
[TRIBUTE] Locally tested, Beatle approved. The BBC Band specializes in recreating a mix of Beatle favorites alongside other 1960’s-era nuggets, and three members of the band have had the opportunity to spend time with either Ringo Star, Pete Best, or Sir Paul McCartney—a unique distinction. Comprised of five life-long musicians, The BBC Band’s repertoire benefits greatly from years of meticulous listening and the sort of chemistry that only comes with time and familiarity.
[EMO] Boston quartet Somos gets lumped into the emo-revival camp, which seems entirely appropriate in a general way. But listen more closely and you’ll notice a refreshingly less self-absorbed vibe. Instead of over-tuned, woe-is-me wailing about the death of romance we get a healthy dose of political consciousness dressed in clever storytelling. Yay team. Tuesday with Petal, the Superweaks, and Head North at Studio at the Waiting Room.
[PUNK] 29 songs in five acts over the course of 93 minutes. This is what The Most Lamentable Tragedy consists of purely in quantitative terms, but the latest from Titus Andronicus—their debut for Merge Records—is also an ambitious concept album. Taking punk in a direction that likely puts Ramones-era purists in a snit, the New Jersey art-punk quintet has produced a rock opera of sorts, riffing on depression, demons, and developmental psychology, all with a curious sci-fi bent. What else would we expect from a band named after a Shakespearean play?
[PARTY] St. Patrick’s Day is this Thursday, March 17 but, as is always the case in Buffalo, celebrations will run all weekend. Here is our list of some of our favorite St. Paddy’s day parties of the year.
THURSDAY, MARCH 17
Spring ahead! As we wake up this Sunday morning, it’s wonderful to know that we are on the cusp of another splendid spring in Western New York. Make sure to remember that this is also the beginning of daylight savings time and our clocks need to be set one hour ahead. That is tough on our internal clocks for sure. We gain an hour of daylight today, but we loose an hour of sleep!