[HOCKEY] You know that scene in The Mighty Ducks when a young Gordon Bombay plays pond hockey while his father watches with an approving grin? You could have that memory too, that is, if you’ve signed up to play in the eighth annual Labatt Blue Pond Hockey Tourney.
During winter in Buffalo it’s so easy to get lost in the seas of electric blankets and monochromatic scenes outside of our windows. Our moods darken, our tans fade, and our goose bumps rise. Heaven forbid we need to go out for a night—that cute coat is just not warm enough and the long walk from your parking spot onto Allen just sounds awful.
[R&B] In 2007, at just 16-years-old, New Jersey singer/songwriter Quincy Mumford teamed up with four great musicians to form Quincy Mumford & The Reason Why. Five albums, four Asbury Awards, and over 600 shows later, their lush brand of R&B-infused, funk rock hasn’t staled; it has only welcomed new styles and emotions into the mix.
[HARD ROCK] Over the last 34 years, Honeymoon Suite has loved, lost, and prevailed. Forming in 1981, the Canadian happy-hard-rock outfit dominated the airwaves throughout the 1980s with a string of punchy, melodious hit singles. After a brief hiatus during the grunge era, they reunited in the spring of 2001 to release some of their strongest material yet.
[CELTIC ROCK] Gaelic Storm made their debut performing in the 1997 blockbuster, Titanic. Their scene is marked by excitement through dance and laughter — likely meant to juxtapose the (spoiler alert) upcoming sinking of the Titanic. That celebratory excitement epitomizes the live experience. The Celtic rock band is “first and foremost, a live band,” according to guitarist, Steve Twigger. Each musician’s talent is palpable.
[EXPERIMENTAL] As drummer for the haunted surf-noir of Aussie three-piece Tangrams, Andrew Dalziell is a rhythmic force, but Nausea is his new, drum-less solo project. Marrying simple electronic beats with overarching fuzzy guitar riffs, Dalziell creates a moody stew with his vocals buried deep in the mix.
[PUNK] Cincinnati-based post-hardcore trio, Knife the Symphony, means business with an unapologetic, punishing vibe that remains quite listenable. There’s no pop to be found in this punk, leaving more room for compelling pockets of dissonance, progressive song structures, and shifting time signatures. Interested in a challenge?
[ROCK] A new project born from the demise of The Malones, multi-instrumentalist Elliott Douglas created M.A.G.S. of his own volition, writing and playing everything on the forthcoming Cellophane EP himself. It’s a test he passed with flying colors: the EP reveals an intuitive tunesmith who combines the contagious hyperactivity of a myriad British guitar bands with a more grounded sense of pop smarts.
[JAZZ FUSION] The steel drums can conjure up images of the Caribbean and sounds of a similar origin. The instrument has leant itself to jazz over the years in small pockets, but has been largely pigeonholed and typecasted throughout history. Jonathan Scales should be considered the great liberator, leading the charge in taking the steel drum out of its comfort zone and showcasing what the instrument is truly capable of.
[SCREENING] Did the NYPD and the FBI have any roles in the assassination of Malcolm X? That is one of many questions asked in the 1994 documentary film Brother Minister: The Assassination of Malcolm X. In February of 1965, the 39-year-old Muslim minister and human rights activist was killed in a hail of gunfire at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan as he prepared to address the Organization of Afro-American Unity.
[LECTURE] In 2008, two young men were accused of intending to bomb the Republican National Convention with eight homemade molotov cocktails. Those young men are Bradley Crowder and David McKay. Their plan was foiled by none other than their mentor, Brandon Darby, who turned out to be an FBI informant. His testimony was instrumental in convicting Crowder and McKay, who were sentenced to two years and four years in prison, respectively.
Let me be clear: This is not a writeup or a preview. It is a command. You must go to Slee Hall on UB’s North Campus this weekend—Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm, and Sunday at 3pm—to hear the Miró Quartet perform the last three concerts of this year’s Beethoven Cycle.
[CAJUN] Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, in various iterations, have been honing their sound—rooted in the French-speaking Cajun culture of south Louisiana—since 1988. Initially hailed as a fresh young player, bandleader/accordionist Riley has matured into an ambassador for this grassroots genre. He’s in several bands—in 2012 the “super-group” he’s part of, the Band Courtbouillon, won a Grammy; the Playboys have been nominated several times.