RSS Feed

Boom Days

[FESTIVAL] It’s springtime in Buffalo, and naturally our thoughts turn to ice: to great swaths of churning river ice, set loose at last to rush toward the Niagara Falls, freeing our riparian city of its chilling effect. It is time for Boom Days, the annual celebration marking the removal of the ice boom that prevents lake and Buffalo River ice from clogging the intakes of the Niagara Falls power turbines. This year’s festival has grown out of its usual habitat at Silo City to encompass the entirety of the old First Ward neighborhood.

Who We Are

The Public is a weekly newspaper and daily blog based out of Buffalo, New York. Every Wednesday we deliver 35,000 copies of engaging, entertaining, visually stunning print throughout Western New York created by some of the region’s most established writers and artists, as well as a host of emerging talents.

Kayzo

[ELECTRONIC/DANCE] In a recent review, EDM blog Run the Trap called Kayzo’s current tour “one of a kind.” That’s because Kayzo has the ability to string together many different styles of music from trap to dubstep, and hardstyle, and make it make sense. The 23-year-old musician from Los Angeles came out with his debut full length, Overload, earlier this year. The album is littered with heavy guitar samples on top of mostly dubstep beats creating an ominous though highly danceable mix.

Golden Gloves Final

[BOXING] There’s not a better amateur sporting competition on the Buffalo calendar that’s as good as the Golden Gloves and this Sunday the tournament comes to a close with 19 three-round bouts to decide state championships across weight divisions and levels of experience. No fewer than eight of those fights will decide who will carry the state banner into the national USA Boxing tournament in May. About a dozen gyms from across the state outside of metro New York City will be bringing fighters into Buffalo Riverworks.  

SE2 Silent Disco

[DANCE PARTY] The bloggers, activists, and Buffalo boosters at Rise Collaborative will bring back their Silent Disco dance party for another round, this time to Buffalo Iron Works. For those who are new to the concept of a silent disco, show goers are given a headset with three channels tuned to different DJs. Just add alcohol and boom, you’ve got a dance party like no other. Check it out, this Friday, April 6.

Weston Olencki

[EXPERIMENTAL/SOUND] A rising star in the sound world, the virtuoso trombonist and composer Weston Olencki is due to perform a wide-ranging, genre-bending, and mind-melting program this Friday at Squeaky Wheel. Olencki will play “trombone, euphonium, electronics, video, and melodica” and will be joined by the Buffalo sound outfit Null Point for a program called Artificial Life: New Works for Brass Instruments, Ensemble, Electronics, and Video. 

Two Lectures by Satanic Temple Co-Founder Lucien Greaves

[LECTURE] Satanic Temple co-founder Lucien Greaves will present a pair of lectures this week in Buffalo. The Satanic Temple is a “non theistic” religious organization whose stated mission is to encourage benevolence and empathy and to advocate for common sense, reason, and justice. They’ve enacted this mission by publicly opposing laws which they view as promoting religion, specifically Christianity.

Access is Equity: Why Drivers Licenses Matter

[TALK] An issue for many migrant and immigrant workers in Western and Central New York agriculture is that of proper identification and the ability to operate motor vehicles. An event titled Access is Equity at Burning Books this Wednesday hopes to spark that conversation around the advocacy of possible state reforms that could benefit many folks who risk arrest and far worse for simply driving to work or to the store.

Space Cubs EP Release Show

[INDIE] If the new single from Space Cubs, “Quitting,” is an indication of the direction the band is headed on their new EP,  then local music fans should be excited. “Quitting” is jazzy, haunting, and strange in the best ways. Equipped with a new line up, the band, lead by Suzanne Bonifacio, are prepping for the release of their next album What Iff, this Saturday, April 7 at Mohawk Place.

David Sedaris

[TALK] Few authors have cracked through the rigid border between literature and pop culture the way David Sedaris has over the course of his career. His use of humor—ranging from wry satire to blistering self-deprecation—binds his narrative style like glue. His entertaining brand of storytelling, self-reflection, and broader social commentary is guided, weighed down by, and held together by his omnipresent jokes.

Thawfest 3

[CELEBRATION] Beer, wine, and spirits lovers line up for this one. Thawfest 3 is spring’s coming out party, complete with frosty beers and the music of Tragically Hip cover band Strictly Hip. Expect samples from dozens of local breweries, distilleries, and vineyards. This Saturday, April 7 at Buffalo RiverWorks.

Marc Berger

[COUNTRY] From rock to country/folk, from CBGBs to SXSW, singer songwriter Marc Berger has honed his ability to craft heartfelt music over his long and varied career. His focus now is Ride, an album of cinematic recordings inspired by the American west assembled with slide guitars, harmonicas, mandolins, and Berger’s comforting yet passionate vocals and lyrics. Marc Berger comes to Babeville’s 9th Ward on Friday, April 6 with local support from singer/songwriter Christina Custode.

Apathy & Celph Titled

[HIP HOP] East coast rapper Apathy’s brand of in-your-face rap hits that sweet spot between hardcore hip hop and vibey excellence that old school hip hop fans crave. On his latest album, The Widow’s Son, released in March, the Connecticut-based rapper teamed up with producers Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Buckwild, and Nottz to create an aggressive, hard hitting record that pulls no punches. With features from Pharoahe Monch, M.O.P.

Superorganism

[INDIE] Led by 18-year-old singer Orono Noguchi, and comprised of musicians from around the world—from New England to New Zealand, Japan, Australia, and South Korea, Superorganism has become an instant sensation. Formed just last year, the psychedelic pop band released their debut self-titled record on Domino Records in 2017 to critical acclaim. What the album does best is to instantly engage listeners with pop-sheen and hooky power, which upon closer inspection is constructed with a collage of found sounds, sound effects, field recordings, and looped strangeness.

Basic Printer

[INDIE] Scanning a press release sent by the synth-pop project Basic Printer, a few keywords emerge: Radiohead, Zelda, Neutral Milk Hotel, and pumpkin soup among them. Like a fine cup of pumpkin soup, Basic Printer combines all of their influences—ingredients if you will—into something smoothed out and totally new.

Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience

[POP] There are plenty of Michael Jackson impersonators out there, but Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience is far from just an impersonation. It’s more like an immersive Michael Jackson concert. This is the longest running tribute to the King of Pop on tour right now, and it’s pretty comprehensive—reaching back to the Jackson 5 days and covering everything through the end of his career. The show features a full, six-piece band, and two Michael Jackson dopplegangers in frontmen Taalib York and Joseph Bell—which means you can expect twice the moonwalking.

Pages