[ART] Culling artistic gestures from the ether of social interaction and home itself seems to be the ongoing project for Tina Dillman, a Bay area artist who is splashing down on her new Buffalo digs and big plans with Big Orbit’s inaugural show for 2015. If her project truly borrows from the Bay Area Conceptual Artist Tom Marioni’s maxim, that “drinking with friends is the highest art form,” then Dillman’s impromptu living room at Big Orbit will be the place to be.
[ELECTRONIC/DANCE] With his washed-out, usually lo-fi electronic sounds, knob-tweaking mastermind Eliot Lipp preceded chillwave’s similar vibes by a few years. The Brooklyn-based musician is a true electronic music craftsman, hammering out eclectic beats and softening down beautiful synthesizer sounds.
[FOLK] Klezmer music collective, Ahavaraba will perform at Nietzsche’s on Friday, January 9 with a slew of bands including Different Planets, Hooked on Casiophonics, Jamie and the Debt, Little Cake & Jack Topht, and more. The range of musical acts on this show is wide—from folk to hip hop, rock and Klezmer, which is an Eastern European brand of music that usually employs the use of instruments such as flutes, accordians, violins, drums, and bass.
[ROCK] In today’s world, with vast amounts of music at our fingertips, genres are being blended and new styles are being churned out regularly. Staying true to this simple fact, Buffalo’s Cowboys of Scotland have an interesting blend of experimental tones and sounds that makes them one of the more unique bands in the area. With cited influences such as David Bowie, Tool, Bob Marley, and Porcupine Tree, it’s pretty obvious why.
[COMEDY] Longtime fans of Saturday Night Live may remember Colin Quinn from his stint on the show during the late 1990s with characters like Joe Blow and Lenny the Lion, or his hilarious anchoring of Weekend Update. The 55 year-old comedian has also made several appearances in movies and television—in movies like A Night at the Roxbury and Grown Ups, and on TV as host of his own Comedy Central show, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn—delivering lines with an attitude only a true New Yorker could pull off.
People recall the Motels for their 1980’s chart toppers “Only the Lonely” and “Suddenly Last Summer,” both excellent examples of moody, new-wave to synth-pop crossover from the early MTV era. But bewitching singer/songwriter Martha Davis was never thoroughly content to be a pop star, and the first two Motels albums, which preceded their Stateside chart success (although, tellingly, were hits in Europe and Australia), spoke to significantly quirkier musical aspirations.
[ROCK] If you haven’t stopped out to Mohawk Place since they’ve reopened, you’re truly missing out on one of Buffalo’s true relics. The venue has been around a while and Buffalonians have had the opportunity to catch music of all genres there. This Saturday, January 10 won’t be any different as a hodgepodge of styles will be thrust on stage. Headlining the show is Buffalo’s own As Summer Dies, a metal/hardcore band that will be tearing through their discography with other local heavy hitters taking the stage before them.
[ELECTRONIC] Chicago funktronica outfit, Digital Tape Machine, is bringing their fresh, soul-soaked beats (with an improvisational edge) to The Waiting Room on Tuesday, January 13. A favorite on the festival circuit since 2010, their danceable grooves are epitomized by the consistently raw and versatile musicianship of each DMT member.
[POP PUNK] Local pop-punk outfit, Head North, will play at The Studio at The Waiting Room on Sunday, January 11. Their recently leaked track, “In The Water”, previews their upcoming spring EP, produced by Bad Timing Records (Kevin Devine, Valencia).
[JAZZ] The Stooges Brass Band plays contemporary jazz with a kick – blending rock instruments with traditional brass they create a smooth, hip-hop-R&B-jazz fusion, dripping with soulful funk. Hailing from New Orleans, they’ve been in the top-tier of the city’s premier brass bands since the late 1990s. On stage, frontman, Walter Ramsey playfully flirts with his audience, as the upbeat, horn-heavy grooves force them into an uncontrollable dancing mass, so put on your dancing shoes, and head to Buffalo Iron Works on Saturday, January 10.
[POP-ROCK] Buffalo quartet, the Albrights, dish out spine-tingling pop-rock ballads; boasting infectious hooks through brilliant instrumentation and soaring vocals. Named after Buffalo’s Albright Knox Art Gallery, the Albrights’ repertoire of power-pop seamlessly changes style as if each track were its own strategically sculpted exhibit. From their 2011 debut album, Ask, Tell, to their 2014 self-titled sophomore album, they maintain the ability to blend a diverse range of genres, while still sounding unified and melodic.
[COUNTRY] Fast cars, pretty women, trials and tribulations: the music of Woody Pines encapsulates the state of mind of his folk predecessors, Johnny Cash, Woodie Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Leadbelly. Hailing from Oregon, Pines rewrites the tradition with a modern flair and this Sunday, January 11, he’ll be performing at the Sportmen’s Tavern. An upright bassist alongside a vintage electric guitarist will accompany him and further color in the live material.
A growing food scene can equate to some new challenges and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In its seventh season, Nickel City Chef is adding a fifth chef to the lineup. While this means an additional secret local ingredient (the suspense!), it also means access to more tickets for all of Buffalo’s eager foodies that want seats at these shows.
[LITERARY] Insignificant or significant; it’s only when you recall a moment through a lens of comedy or drama that you’ll truly be able to soak up its juice. This is within the domain of what writers do. This Friday, January 9 head down to Just Buffalo Literary Center for the second installment of Serious Literature where a host of local artists and poets have been invited to share personal testimonies of 2014.
[PHOTOGRAPHY] Head down to the Dreamland gallery this Saturday, January 10 where local documentary photographer, Christopher Pierce McCleary will be capping off the month long exhibition, I’ve Been Everywhere With You, which showcases portraits of toll-both workers from across the nation. The event will include a showing of a video that highlights his travels, featuring a glimpse into the personages of these individuals.
[ROCK] “There was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” It’s this kind of scene within The Great Gatsby that the Fredtown Stompers conjure through their performances; filling venues across the city with a sound that evokes an era of dynamic brass sections and swinging percussion.
[EXPERIMENTAL] Led by vocalist and instrumentalist Nola Ranallo, Cages is an experimental music group. Accompanied by her songwriting partner, David Bailey, the pair blur the line between pop and the avant-garde with their sonically spectacular live performance.