[ROCK] In 2014, Dirty Smile earned a permanent place in the local rock cannon, opening for Weezer at Edgefest, and placing third in the Global Hard Rock Rising competition—both results of their killer stage presence and rhythmic rock cuts. Megan Brown’s voluminous voice is backlit by a no-nonsense band that massages soulful grooves into hard rock. Their bedrock force is their sticky rock melodies that seethe with red-hot energy.
[INDIE ROCK] From indie-noir anthems like “Waking Up”, to the sticky pop hook on “Mystery”, to the electronic charge of “Hope,” Den of Lions’ vibe of deft idiosyncrasy is brimming with boundless promise.
[ALTERNATIVE ROCK] On Thursday, January 22, local alternative rock artists will pay tribute to their influences at Show Your Influence, a concert at the Forvm. The lineup reads like a brief summary of the evolution of alternative rock over the last two decades.
[TRIBUTE] If you missed Led Zeppelin when they came to Kleinhans Music Hall in October of 1969 or one of the several times they came to Aud in the 1970s then your next best bet is to catch Blouses of the Holy this weekend. The 13th annual Led Zeppelin tribute show will feature eight local bands paying tribute to the legendary rock band this Saturday, January 24 at Nietzsche’s.
[ELECTRONIC/DANCE] “Dupstep is totally the punk rock of electronic music,” says producer Troy Beetles, better known as Datsik. He views dubstep, like punk rock, as not only as an amalgamation of various styles of music—in this case U.K. garage, hip hop, and drum n’ bass—but as a form of hardcore music that is crafted by intuition and feeling rather than virtuosity.
A painter in San Jose was commissioned by the NHL to paint an oil painting of former Sabres goaltender, and now NHL Hall of Famer Dominik Hašek.
Everything Jeremy Jermaine Jerome does forever alters the course of human history. Technically speaking, this is true of all people. Many of us have probably even felt connected to this principle at some point in our lives. He performs at Babeville’s Asbury Hall on Sunday, January 18. Read our full profile here.
This week’s cover features one of many detailed watercolors of Buffalo’s architecture by Carol Case Siracuse. At first glance you cannot resist noticing its intricacy, which one could say is symptomatic of her being a retired urban architect. But it’s more than that. Paintings like Homage to Louis Sullivan speak to our shared fascination with what was and what will be made of structures across the Queen City.
POLICE Buffalo artist Tommy Nguyen’s work is part of the Amid/In WNY show opening at Hallwalls this Friday, January 16. Nguyen has a show of wearable sculpture opening January 23 at Buffalo Arts Studio, too.
Currently playing Richard the Lionheart in James Goldman’s play The Lion in Winter at the Irish Classical Theatre, Matt Witten is a formidable figure in the Buffalo theater scene. He recently played Vince Lombardi, the indomitable and tireless head coach of the Green Bay Packers in Lombardi, at 710 Main for MusicalFare.