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Paris Monster

[INDIE] Wearing a blazer and t-shirt, sweat pouring down his forehead, a pair of red headphones  wrapped around his pony-tailed hair, paris_monster’s Josh Dion simultaneously plays drums, keyboards, and sings, as his musical partner Geoff Kraly calmly lays down a low key bassline. It might be appropriate that the band’s name resembles a Reddit username more than a band name, as they’re the experimental type, dipping into soul, electronics, and indie rock, sometimes within the same track.

Larkin Poe

[BLUES] Sisters in blues, Rebecca Lovell and Megan Lovell are the brains behind roots rock band Larkin Poe. Formerly known simply as The Lovell Sisters, the siblings are three full length albums deep as Larkin Poe, hitting their sweet spot with their latest album, 2017’s Peach. The sisters will bring their full band to the Tralf Music Hall on Tuesday, June 26 as part of the venue’s Howlin at the Tralf blues series.

Wild Adriatic and The Tins

[INDIE] Hailing from Albany, Wild Adriatic bring a full to the brim rock and roll sound with them—from guitars to sax, and keys. They’ll take the stage in Larkin Square for the next edition of the Live at Larkin concert series next Wednesday, June 27. Buffalo-based indie rock band The Tins will join in for this free concert.

Talent

[COMEDY] The guy’s name is simply Talent. Talk about confidence. The host of Showtime at the Apollo, a star in movies like Sunset Park and With or Without You, Talent is a New York City-based comedy veteran with an arsenal of hilarious Def Jam approved jokes. And if you’re offended, he’ll assure not to worry, because “it’s just comedy.” Talent comes to Helium Comedy Club for five shows, Friday, June 22 through Sunday, June 24.

Sun Records Tribute featuring Kickstart Rumble

[ROCK] Sun Records, founded in 1952, had a lot to do with the birth and growth of rock and roll. The Memphis, Tennessee-based record label put out records by Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbision, and Conway Twitty, that shaped the sound of rock music to come. It’s a label worth paying tribute to, and Buffalo-based “vintage rock n roll” band, Kickstart Rumble are the perfect local band to to it.

Algiers

[SOUL] The words “doom soul” don’t make sense until you hear the sounds of Algiers. Think highly distorted, fuzzy, searing soul music made by four guys from Atlanta. Their gospel-punk power shines in all its glory on their 2015 self-titled Matador Records debut, which is equal parts heavy and hooky, dark and up-lifting.

Blue Rodeo

[COUNTRY] Just because they’re Canadian doesn’t mean they can’t produce country music, and Blue Rodeo has been at it for nearly 35 years, winning awards and collaborating with some of Canada’s best along the way. Though there have been numerous lineup changes, the core guitar/bass/vocals trio of Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor and Bazil Donovan remains (although Colin Cripps now tours with them to assist with guitar and vocals due to Keelor’s hearing issues).

Xavier Rudd

[ROCK] Once dubbed “the world’s sexiest vegetarian,” Aussie singer songwriter Xavier Rudd released his new Storm Boy late last month, and it’s a considerably pared down affair from the previous Nanna — a collaboration with the United Nations. Rudd uses the more contemplative environs to offer his latest collection of soul-searching tunes that seek respite from a warring world.

Dave Matthews Band

[ROCK] Dave Matthews Band fans have been waiting for new music for six years – 2012’s Away From the World was their last release. Come Tomorrow was finally released earlier this month, and it’s as varied as the list of producers that oversaw the album.

Too Many Zooz

[FUNK] When you hear skillfully rendered music pouring out into the street or onto the tracks of a train station, you tend to notice. While there are always exceptions and plenty of tricks people can use to make themselves sound better than what is truth, the stripped-down busking format tends to separate the men form the boys. The test is getting people to continue paying attention after they’ve noticed as they scramble through their busy days, and this is especially true in the bustle of a city like Manhattan.

Picnic in the Parkway featuring the BPO

[FUN] Often one of the biggest, most anticipated concerts in the annual Picnic in the Parkway series features a performance by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. The BPO, lead by conductor Stefan Sanders, will set up in a temporary amphitheater of sorts, arranged on Potomac Street in the center of the Bidwell Parkway area near Elmwood Avenue for the concert this week. It’s unclear what’s on the program for this year’s concert, but last year the orchestra performed John Williams’ score to Star Wars.

Alison Krauss

[BLUEGRASS] The Grammy Awards may be flawed in countless ways, but there’s good reason why bluegrass-hybrid chanteuse Alison Krauss has won 27 of them: over 30 years into a career she began at the wee age of 10, her talent remains downright shocking. For her latest, Windy City (Capitol, 2017) she took a different tack than ever before, and it paid off. Krauss has previously released so-called solo albums, but they’ve always more or less been loosely disguised Alison Krauss and Union Station records.

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