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Lotus

[ELECTRONICA] Originally hailing from Indiana, Lotus has remained a singular musical entity amid the endless vat of jam-oriented bands, pioneering their own hybrid of improvised electronica mixed with live percussion. More of a traditional jamband in their early years, Lotus has evolved into a sought after act that sounds quite unlike most contemporaries. By allowing taping at their gigs, they’ve become a well-traded act that’s grown a fan-base largely through word-of-mouth and heavy touring.

The Christmas Party 13

[HOLIDAY] Promoter Mike Marshall, under the name MNM Presents, does a whole bunch of parties each year. Just this week, he’s got Lotus over at Buffalo Riverworks (see our preview on page __) and in 2017 alone he’s brought us Flux Pavillion, Zomboy, !!, and many more. But this party, The Christmas Party is different. “I’d call it more personal,” says Marshall. “Not to me per say—although it is—but to the Buffalo community in general. This has always been a gathering, not a concert.

Pop Up Holiday Market at Community Beer Works

[HOLIDAY MARKET]It’s your last chance to pick out some holiday gifts for those that you haven’t quite checked off your list, so don’t mess it up. Here’s a sure bet: the Pop Up Holiday Market at Community Beer Works. Not a soul in this city would be disappointed to find a growler full of Community Beer Works beer in their stocking (if it’ll fit. If not, just tuck it under the tree or pop it open at the holiday party), but they’ll have more than that, including gifts from Pine Apple Company and Tipico Coffee.

Censored by ZFT: A Tribute to Frank Zappa

[TRIBUTE] Frank Zappa was king of the absurd. If you’d prefer to spend the last days of 2017 basking in the truly absurd year that it was, then this one is for you. The event, dubbed “Censored by ZFT: A Tribute to Frank Zappa,” will feature two sets of Zappa “hits” from a tribute band lead by keyboardist Donny Frauenhofer. His band, a seven-piece ensemble, features guitars, horns, drums, vibraphones—pretty much everything you’d need to emulate the iconoclastic music of Zappa.

The Machine

[NEW YEARS EVE] There’s seemingly no end to our collective appetite for the music of Pink Floyd, and The Machine’s ongoing success is a testament to this phenomenon. With detailed care for lighting and video projections plus a thorough mastery of the band’s early improvisation techniques, The Machine conveys a complete understanding of Pink Floyd’s evolution. The proof is in the longevity: if the band’s Floyd recreations were unremarkable, they wouldn’t have survived to celebrate 30 years (in 2018) as a profitable touring act.

NYE at Riverworks featuring XOXO

[NEW YEARS EVE] New Years Eve at Buffalo Riverworks will be full of pop hits. The event will feature a live pop band, XOXO, playing current and recent Top 40 hits from the likes of Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato, Rhianna, Bruno Mars, and more. There’s plenty of space to dance at Riverworks, so come prepared. Expect a champagne toast and other NYE accoutrements like noisemakers and hats, as well as hors d’oeuvre, dinner, and dessert stations, and a full bar from 8pm to 12pm and an outdoor laser light show.

Sam Roberts Band

[INDIE] Friends from up north in Ontario invade Town Ballroom for New Years Eve eve, Saturday, December 30. Headliner Sam Roberts Band is on tour supporting last year’s TerraForm, which was co-produced by Graham Walsh of the band Holy Fuck. The resulting concept album is a departure from the percussive, jazzy experimentation of their last two releases.

Aqueous NYE: Gorillaz

[JAM] Featured as one of Relix Magazine’s “On The Verge” artists, Buffalo’s homegrown jam quartet, Aqueous, returns to the scene of the crime for a New Year’s Eve show at Town Ballroom that will surely be a festive display of grooving goodness. It’s a tough balancing act, being progressive and accessible at the same time—miraculously, Aqueous manages.

The Number 12 Looks Like You

[HARDCORE] Early 2000s mathcore band The Number 12 Looks Like You returns to Buffalo for a show at Mohawk Place on Friday, December 22. The screamo band from Bergen County, New Jersey rose through the underground during the early 2000s emo boom with their chaotic brand of mathy hardcore music. The band broke up in 2010 but reformed in 2016 with founding members Jesse Korman and Alexis Pareja and this year are on tour to celebrate the 12th anniversary of their breakout album Nuclear Sad Nuclear.

The Third Annual CPXMas Show

[HOLIDAY] Tis the season for reunion shows? The third annual edition of the CPXMas show is not only a rockin’ holiday party and a benefit for Horizon Health Services, but it features the reunions of four local bands, including the headliners themselves. The CPX will reunite for their annual holiday show along with Last Conservative, The Albrights, and the Innocent Bystanders. So. Many. Reunions. If you’re the reuniting type, head over to Mohawk Place on Saturday, December 23 for this epic holiday celebration.

As If: Years End

[DANCE PARTY] If you’re the type to start your New Years Eve partying a little early, then you’ve come to the right place. As If: Years End will celebrate, and we mean celebrate, the end of 2017 with a dance party tribute to the 1990s and early 2000s. Expect a non stop assault of guilty pleasures and  mainstream pop hits—the Spin Doctors, Spice Girls, Busta Rhymes, Lit, Ace of Base—all night long. If you have a request, they’re taking them—just post it to the event page. The party happens Saturday, December 30 at Mohawk Place.

Transmission Dance Party New Years Eve

[NEW YEARS EVE] This is probably the coolest party within spitting distance of the ball drop at the Electric Tower. Transmission Dance Party typically delivers a finely tuned mix of underground hits, usually from the 1980s to present, and for $5 it’s probably the best deal you’ll find for New Year’s Eve. Check it out Sunday, December 31 at Mohawk Place.

16th Annual Tribute to Joe Strummer and the Clash

[TRIBUTE] This year marks the 16th anniversary of the death of punk legend Joe Strummer of The Clash, and in turn, the 16th annual Joe Strummer tribute show. Strummer, an anti-authoritarian, and the Clash are considered a pioneer in mashing together punk and politics, as well as punk and reggae, and punk and pop, and punk and double albums. Next to the death of John Lennon, The Clash were also one of the final nails in the coffin of the hippie era, as their 1979 double album, London Calling, ushered in the more raw, combative, punk era.

GreenWatch Sunday: Language Counts

Another yucky Sunday under the Trump Administration.  How many of these will we have left?

You may have heard this week that the Trump administration managed Center for Disease Control (CDC) has instructed it’s staff to stop using seven words in any documents related to next year’s budget. The seven words are “vulnerable”, “entitlement”, “diversity”, “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence based,” and “science-based” . 

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