[ROCK] When Ray Lamontagne played Artpark two years ago with My Morning Jacket as his backing band (minus Jim James), he misheard a fan shouting out a request. “I already played solo,” he responded warily, assuming that the audience was less interested in what he was performing (the Ouroboros album in its entirety) and would prefer to hear the more troubadour-esque Americana that informed his first three releases (and a short set at the start of the gig in question).
[ELECTRONIC/DANCE] Some call it bit pop, others call it chiptune, but what it is really is music inspired by early videogame systems. The Maine-based husband and wife duo Crunk Witch specializes in the bassiest brand of bit pop. Their over the top style is sometimes hilarious and creates a great atmosphere for a party. Catch them this Sunday, October 15 at Mohawk Place with support from Fawn, David Nolf Trio, and Pizzadoughnuts.
[ROCK] Highly rated, for a metalcore band at least, I Prevail released their debut record, Lifeline last year on Fearless records. The six-piece band, which features “clean vocalist” Brain Burkheiser and “harsh vocalist” Eric Vanlergerghe drop an unapologetically pop-polished version of post-hardcore on singles like “Stuck in Your Head.” Catch them at the Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls this Monday, October 16 with support from We Came As Romans, The Word Alive, and Escape the Fate.
[ELECTRONIC/DANCE] Bass music producer Figure has been on a monster movie kick this month, releasing volume eight of his Monsters series with songs like “The Werewolf Returns” and “Phantasm.” For that reason, you can expect his show at the Town Ballroom on Wednesday, October 11 (two days away from Friday the 13th) will be jam packed with downright frightening bass drops and probably some horror movie visuals too.
[FLASH MOB] In reaction to the recent terror attack in Las Vegas, a flash mob of musicians will come together to perform Burth Bacharach’s “What the World Needs Now is Love” at the Bandshell at Niawanda Park in Tonawanda on Sunday, October 15. The group has extended an open invite to musicians and anyone who would like join in to sing or play an instrument. The group will meet at 4pm and perform until 5pm. Rain or shine.
[FUNK] Bombastic, funky, and jazzy, and sometimes moody or introspective, Nashville’s Dynamo are pretty much universally appealing. Lead by vocalist Dain Ussery, the 11-piece band, which includes three guitarists, two drummers, two keyboard players, a bassist, and some woodwinds and brass, formed in 2012 and this year released their magnum opus Celina, which bounces between upbeat funk and soulful jazz that would even have Stevie Wonder smiling.
[DANCE] Burlesque troupe, Femme Noire, will perform this Friday, October 13 at the spy-inspired boutique shop, Free Agent on Main Street in Downtown Buffalo. The group will perform two ensemble numbers and several solo numbers accompanied by music by vocal artist Curtis Lovell, who will perform unique cover renditions as well as original music. The performance will be followed by a dance party. “We’re experimenting with lighting and sounds.
[INDIE] Originally scheduled to be one of the last big outdoor festivals of the year, HRVST Festival was moved to an indoor venue, Buffalo Riverworks, as of this week due to production complications. Which might mean that the weather is too unpredictable for this kind of thing. But that’s ok, because this line up is so impressive that it would a shame for it to be rained out. Headlining are French indie-pop band Phoenix, who will make an appearance in Western New York in support of their sixth studio album, Ti Amo.
[MUSIC] This is Hispanic Heritage Month, but you need no civics lesson to enjoy the Mambo Kings, who perform this Saturday, October 14 at Kleinhans Music Hall with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. The Rocjester-based Latin jazz ensemble has been moving audiences with its Afro-Cuban rhythms for 22 years. Come early, at 7pm, to hear Latin dance music by the Hutch Tech Tones and Olmsted High’s F.L.O. in the Mary Seaton Room—and be sure to bring a little extra cash to donate to Puerto Rican hurricane relief.
[CONFERENCE] Before or after swinging by the Allentown Fall Festival (which happens right next to the Fruit Belt neighborhood, and is sponsored by the powerful gentrifying agent called the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus), you might pop in at the Buffalo Anti-Gentrification at Hope Services (near Buffalo’s Central Terminal in an East Side neighborhood scarred by abandonment and poverty).
[STREET FESTIVAL] Call it the Allen East Festival. Like the Allen West Festival, with runs concurrent with the Allentown Arts Festival, the Allentown Fall Festival is a (mostly) outdoor celebration of local artsists and artisans, performers, and cultural institutions. On Saturday, October 14, 10am-6pm, the easternmost blocks of Allen Street will be closed to traffic and filled with art, music, food and drink, and a variety of attractions suitable to children and adults alike.
[ART OPENING] Anthony Leone: Grape Farm is the first Buffalo exhibit of work by Fredonia native Anthony Leone, whose art has appeared in galleries across the Unites States. The title of the exhibit at Benjaman Art Gallery, and the work in comprises, is meant to evoke the place where Leone was raised. Some of his work does that too, naturally; some comes from a place very much elsewhere. All his work invites the viewer in.
[VARIETY SHOW] In which Ana Vafai shows, to cadge from Cole Porter, that anything goes. On Wednesday, October 11, Allen Street Hardware Cafe hosts the third installment of Little Wednesdays. Hosted by Vafai (a.k.a. performance artist Little Cake) and Kerry Alsheimer (a.k.a. singer/songwriter/actor Kerry Fey), it’s an evening of music, readings, clowning, antics, shenanigans. Special guests and audience participation are certainties; all else is like nudist parties in studios: Anything goes.
Editors Note: It is with sadness that we must report that GreenWatch co-founder and dear friend, Paul MacClennan, passed away this week at the age of 91. Todays GreenWatch and all of my GreenWatch pieces are dedicated to Paul. Paul and I first conceived of GreenWatch in the early 1990’s just after he had retired as the long-time environmental editor of the Buffalo News. He also was one of the co-founders along with myself, George K. Arthur, and Robert Andrle, of the Friends of Times Beach Nature Preserve (then called the Times Beach Oversite Committee).
The reason why most homicidal jihadist maniacs in Europe use homemade bombs or mow pedestrians down with cars is that it is exceedingly difficult to obtain a gun in those countries. It’s not impossible - nothing’s impossible — but it is very difficult.