Springing into Summer
Western New York remains one of the global hotspots for birds, and birding. We still have abundant habitat, although most remains under threat. Our habitat includes shorelines, meadows, woodlands, marshes and a a whole gamut of seasonal places that attracts both migrating and breeding birds.
Not only is the Republican-controlled Senate going to ram Trumpcare through while you’re distracted by Comey and Russia, they’re not even going to bother to hold a single hearing on it.
While former FBI Director James Comey was testifying about what a repugnant liar Donald Trump is, the remainder of the Senate was working feverishly to ram through a repeal of Obamacare and replace it with Trumpcare.
Cooler is a rising Buffalo indie band whose self-proclaimed genre is “2002 Redux/Phantom Phuzz.” The first part gives a pretty solid picture of the kinds of pop-punk and emo heartstring tugging you can expect from their songs, while the second part allows for some mystery: it might be the spectral shimmer added by the fuzz-pedal distortion they favor, or a playful statement of emancipation from any pre-defined genre, or both, or something harder to name. Regardless, they liked Phantom Phuzz enough to make it the title of their latest release, a 2016 EP on Admirable Traits.
AFTER PREET, LE DELUGE: After President Donald Trump fired US Attorney Preet Bharara, who had developed a reputation as the “Sheriff of Albany,” state lawmakers must have breathed a sigh of relief. In any case, they seem to have stopped pretending to care about ethics reform.
The second Record Theatre location to close this year, Record Theatre on Main and Lafayette will close for good at the end of June. Earlier this year, the Record Theatre location in the University District closed after the death of Leonard Silver, the founder and owner of the company. Many employees from that location were moved to the Main and Lafayette location, only to be told that that location would close as well. The record store chain has operated in Western New York for more than four decades. A going out of business sale will be announced soon.
About 13 years ago, I met Amy Maxwell when she headed up “Revitalize Buffalo”, a civic group that sprung out of a series of articles in the Buffalo News that amounted to a Generation X “what’s next” for the region.
She was a tireless worker, organized, strong, smart, but above all, she was relentlessly positive, a great friend, and filled with love. Anyone who knew her, loved her. She was one-of-a-kind; an original. She also wasn’t a self-promoter creating a brand. She was a citizen helping to make her city better, without seeking out accolades or fanfare.
[PSYCHEDELIC] Existing at the intersection of psychedelic rock, blues, and stoner rock, All Them Witches make heady music for heady times. Like a acid-soaked epiphany, the Nashville-based band toys with their listeners emotions moving from gnarly rock to moody stoner slow jams, and out into the cosmos, especially on their latest album, Sleeping Through the War.
[DARKWAVE] Cold Wave at the Cat Cave is a semi-regular dance party featuring live music at Mohawk Place. The concentration is on darkwave, typically British or European music made in the 1980s—think Cocteau Twins, The Cure, or Depeche Mode. This time around, Friday, June 9, the Cat Cave will host live band Third Realm, as well as DJ and organizer Collin Gabriel, who will spin lots of dark 1980s dance music.
[BLUES] This year’s Live at Larkin concert series is officially underway, and the next edition will feature a bluesy line up with a special focus on raising awareness of veterans issues. Blues 4 Vets will feature artists who have contributed to Home, an album benefiting Veterans Housing Coalition of WNY. The show will be headlined by Buffalo native Peter Case. Case will be joined by the Buffalo Blues Benefit Band, which features musicians Dave Constantino, Grace Lougen, and David Michael Miller.