[ROCK] “It’s not #Rachmaninoff, it’s #RockLobster!” is the tagline for the upcoming B-52s concert with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. The new wave band from Athens, Georgia, known for their hits like “Love Shack, and of course, “Rock Lobster,” are currently a four-piece, featuring founding members Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, and Keith Strickland.
[FUNK] Fans of classic rock will probably recognize the name Karl Denson. The funk and jazz saxophonist is probably most well known for his work with Lenny Kravitz and the Rolling Stones. Denson appeared on several Lenny Kravitz albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and more recently toured with the Stones as their live sax player. He’s even credited on their 2015 Sticky Fingers Live album. Aside from his collaborative work, Denson heads his band Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, an energetic and fun funk rock mashup.
[PARTY] Party for Prep is an annual summer fundraiser for Buffalo Prep, a not-for-profit organization that provides enrichment programs for local students. Their annual summer party will happen this Friday, June 9 at Soho Burger Bar, where they’ll host an open bar on the Chippewa venue’s large outdoor patio. Come down and support this great local organization.
[COUNTRY] It might sound like a delicious food festival, but the Taste of Country is actually a pretty huge concert. This year Buffalo’s Taste of Country bash features Rascal Flatts, Justin Moore, Randy Houser, and Michael Ray. It all takes place this Saturday, June 10 at Coca-Cola Field.
[FESTIVAL] The Allentown Art Festival officially kicks off festival season in Buffalo. Believe it or not this will be the 60th annual edition of the Festival, which closes down Buffalo’s historic Allentown district for the weekend to let local and national artists vend a universe of visual arts, jewelry, clothing, crafts, and more. Right now it looks like we’ll have the best weather of the season so far for the festival which runs this Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11.
[PUNK] Toxic Womb is a self-proclaimed “super punk rock” band from Columbus, Ohio. Their latest EP, Due, is five minutes and 31 seconds of caustic punk music across four tracks. They’re likely to play cuts from Due, which dropped just last week, when they comes to Buffalo for a show at Dreamland along with Philly punk band Dark Web, noobies Love Pink, and Hot Tip, this Saturday, June 10.
[BLUES] If you’re a blues fan then Tab Benoit is likely a very familiar name. As a contemporary bluesman, Benoit (pronounced ben-wah) is known to champion the swampy Delta style with his electric Stratocaster, sweetening the stew with soulful bits along the way. It’s this combination that’s set him apart from other electric blues contemporaries, along with his passion for his home state of Louisiana, which landed him work on the Katrina-focused IMAX documentary film Hurricane on the Bayou.
[DANCE] Verve Dance Studio is presenting their Funkraiser to raise funds for the relocation of their dance studio, which they are being forced to vacate after 12 years of serving the community as Buffalo’s only dance school dedicated to teaching the art of Bboying and hip hop culture. Over the years, they have gained a significant following, which includes the 500 to one thousand kids and young adults they serve each month through their programming and events.
[ROCK] For me, hearing the name SpeakerFIRE brings back memories of CD-R singles, Purevolme.com, the Showplace Theater, Club Infinity, or maybe the Icon, and that old Afterdark message board—the king’s palace of shitposting for scene kids in Buffalo in the early 2000s.
Coal Kills Language Counts
If you think, as Donald Trump has declared, that the war on coal is over, think again. Not only is the war on coal and the continued use of dangerous job killing, people killing, fossil fuel reliance not over, humanity has just begun to fight. Coal kills all of us, not just miners. We have just begun to fight, sayth the slogan.
There are many places in WNY where you can go outdoors, enjoy fresh air, enjoy the waters of Lake Erie, enjoy the shoreline, enjoy birds, butterflies, and other wildlife, and bring the kids and the old folks. But there is only one place that you can do this all downtown. Times Beach Nature Preserve on Buffalo’s Outer Harbor is that place.
In 2014, WBEN’s Tom Bauerle made it into the Buffalo News because of a neighborhood disturbance that led to police intervention. At the time, I wrote two pieces (here and here) explaining that I didn’t find the matter especially newsworthy.