Artvoice B.O.O.M! Live Show IV

Saturday, April 9

This Saturday (April 9) local music fans will vote for the band that they think deserves to fill the fourth and final spot in this installment of Artvoice’s Battle of Original Music during a live, Quarterfinal showdown at Nietzsche’s. Four piece alt rockers the Path will bring their driving rock anthems to the table, while solo drum and bass technician, Geoffrey Peters aka Shapes of States, might just send the audience into a trance. Local jazz-folk artists Steel Keys & Brass combine diverse instrumentation with psychedelic song crafting, and four piece acoustic rockers the J Bangin’ Brew will fuse rock with funk, pop, and reggae. Fans listened to their music and voted for them online to take the stage and prove that they deserve to join our three other finalists for a chance to win the $5000 grand prize at our Grand Finale at The Tralf on Friday, May 13. This Saturday, each audience member will be given one ballot on which to cast one vote for the act he or she prefers. At the end of the night, the ballots are counted, and the act with the most votes wins the night. The lineup will be selected at random prior to the show, which begins at 10pm sharp. $5 at the door, 21 and over only, no exceptions. This is your last chance to vote for your favorite band before the grand finale line up is set. May the best band win. —cory perla

Bands pictured clockwise, from top left: The Path, Shapes of States, Steel Keys & Brass, The J Bangin' Brew.

10pm. Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / nietzsches.com / boom.artvoice.com) $5.

Saturday, April 9

Phosphorescent

Matthew Houck, though often the sole performer in his studio recordings, frequently tours with a backing band and has fully incorporated one into his latest LP, Here’s to Taking it Easy. Working under the moniker Phosphorescent, the singer-songwriter and his companions will play Mohawk Place alongside Jonas Bonnetta’s indie-folk outfit Evening Hymns on Saturday (April 9). Phosphorescent, who have opened for Bon Iver and David Gray, are capable of both reverent Willie Nelson tribute albums and lush personal meditations as on the well-received Pride. Though Houck’s voice instantly recalls Will Oldham or Jason Molina, when he switches to a higher pitch his voice takes on a Brian Wilson-like quality, which upsets any dismissal of the artist as merely a looser sounding copycat of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. Phosphorescent’s blend of quiet lullabies and wild primal yelps are freak-folk at its most complicated and endearing. Houck’s current dabbling with more accessible alternative-country should encourage a wider audience for his sincere and intimate work. —ryan wolf

8pm. Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. (465-2368 / themohawkplace.com). $12.

Saturday, April 9

Brothers Past

Marrying the synthetic with the organic, Brothers Past is an indie electronic machine. The Philadelphia based four-piece take cues from a variety of sources—jam bands like Chicago’s Future Rock and the Disco Biscuits, from whom they borrow their cyclical electro-acoustic improv, to Pink Floyd’s spacey late period noise ambiance—to create their sprawling, fast paced music. Since forming in 2000, the band has concentrated on perfecting their live show, treating fans to extended jams and even releasing some of their favorite live performances as part of their Everything Must Go compilation series, which the group has been releasing on a monthly basis since October of last year. This month’s release, volume six in the series, kick starts with their 2001 Floydian studio track “Machine” before diving into over two hours of live material, including standouts like their 10 minute-plus progressive jam tune “Tired Sigh” and a frenzied cover of Radiohead’s “the National Anthem.” Joining Brothers Past for this jam fest at Soundlab on Saturday (April 9) will be Massachusetts based IDM producer Jeff Bujak. —cory perla

10pm. Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (440-5907 / www.bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab). $12.

Saturday, April 9

William Fichtner

You may not know the name, but you probably recognize the face. Over the past 25 years, Cheektowaga native William Fichtner has had a steady career playing mostly character parts in a wide variety of movies (including Armageddon, the Dark Knight, Black Hawk Down and the Perfect Storm) and television (he’s had regular roles on Entourage, Prison Break and Invasion). He will be the first local luminary to contribute his hand and footprints to a new “Walk of Fame” between the Market Arcade Film and Arts Center and Shea’s Theater. Fichtner’s appearance at 6:30 pm Saturday (April 9) (free and open to the public—bring your autograph books!) will be part of this year’s edition of the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival, which runs from April 8 through 17 at venues including the Market Arcade, Tonawanda’s Riviera Theater, and the Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls. You can see the full schedule and purchase advance tickets or passes at buffaloniagarafilmfestival.com. —m. faust

6:30pm Market Arcade Film & Arts Center, Market Arcade Film & Arts Center, 639 Main St. (855-3022 / buffaloniagarafilmfestival.com). Free.

Sunday, April 10

Doctors For The Arts

This Sunday (April 10), Artvoice’s Give For Greatness campaign will present Doctors for the Arts, a celebration of the fine arts in our city at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. 2010’s Best of Buffalo “best jazz band” winner Babik will be enchanting attendees of every age with their diverse appeal. Formed in Buffalo in 2005, this progressive gypsy jazz group, inspired by the work of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt, is a representative sample of what the music scene of Buffalo has to offer. Buffalo Suzuki Strings, whose aim is to give children the tools to lead happy and successful adulthoods through a foundation of musical training in their childhoods, will showcase their piano and string students’ work. The high-energy momentous dynamo of a dance company, Lehrer Dance will be lending their talent for the evening as well. Additionally, docent tours of the gallery will be given, and in case this taste of Buffalo’s art scene leaves one hungry, there will be hors d’oeurves and a carving station provided by Oliver’s and accompanied by a cash bar. —krysta zagorski

5pm. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, 1245 Elmwood Ave. (881-6604 / giveforgreatness.org) $75 general public, $30 medical residents, medical students, and dental students. Children under 12 free.

Sunday, April 10

Speakeasy Sundays

Since March the Give for Greatness campaign (organized by Artvoice in partnership with M&T Bank and numerous others) has aimed to raise $1 million in funds for the 47 arts and cultural organizations in Buffalo who have suffered from governmental budget cuts. The Good Neighborhood and Pearl Street Grill & Brewery have created Speakeasy Sundays, a four-part concert series in order to raise funds and foster the sense of community that makes Buffalo unique. In the basement of the Pearl Street Grill & Brewery is Brawler’s Back Alley Deli. Rumored to be an actual speakeasy during the Prohibition era, the deli provides an underground ambiance to compliment a variety of live musical acts. This Sunday (April 10) catch the second concert of the series featuring the ReBop Sessions, an improvisational troupe led by Eric Crittenden (saxophone/keyboard) along with DJ Cutler and Tone DiGesare. “We’re reimagining the speakeasy sound while honoring the vibe—none of these acts would be considered ‘safe,’ and some of them might be called a bit seedy,” said The Good Neighborhood founder Seamus Gallivan. “While there is a wide range of styles in the series, this lineup is united by the notion that the Give for Greatness is a noble cause in service of the greater good.” For $5, you can spend your Sunday enjoying live, local music, participate in raffles and auctions, and support your arts community. —jill greenberg

7pm. Brawler’s Back Alley Deli at Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, 76 Pearl St. (856-2337 / pearlstreetgrill.com) $5.

Monday, April 11

The Empire Strikes Bank

Last July, a man who wanted to withdraw funds that weren’t his from a Long Island bank did so in a Darth Vader costume. Why? He hasn’t been caught so we can’t know for sure. But that didn’t stop local filmmaker Jason Klinger from making a short about the incident anyway. Described as “A farce, based on the true story of one man’s Star Wars obsession gone wrong,” The Empire Strikes Bank (a good title is half the battle) will have its premiere at Buff State’s Rockwell Hall this Monday (April 11). Accompanying it are two other morbidly humorous Kilinger shorts, Zombie Loves Vampire (2009) and Homage (2004), which is about killer goth chicks and was partly shot at the late lamented Continental. The evening also serves as a farewell to the local factotum, who is off to Los Angeles to pursue a career in, well, what they do in L.A. —m. faust

6:30pm. Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall, 1300 Elmwood Ave. $30, $35 (878-3005 / buffalostate.edu/pac) $3 at the door.

Thursday, April 14

24th Annual Bob Dylan Imitators Contest

I can hear that wailing harmonica blow around Allentown and that raw and scratchy voice say to me, “All I can be is me—whoever that is.” Well, you can be that “whoever” at the 24th annual Bob Dylan Imitators Contest on Thursday (April 14). Michael Meldrum, Ani DiFranco’s mentor and an inductee of the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, will present the event as the Michael Meldrum’s Buffalo Song Project. He will host an event boasting a panel of seven judges, including a Dylanologist, Artvoice’s own Geoff Kelly, and many contestants paying homage to Bob Dylan. “[This] is to bring people together who otherwise wouldn’t know each other,” Meldrum said. “The most significant thing for this is that it creates community.” Contestants will be judged on their appearance, music, and categories created by the judges. Sign-up starts at 7pm at Nietzsche’s, with the contest starting at 8pm. Entry fee is $5, and prizes will be awarded to the best Dylan(s) out there—just don’t pull down your pants. —michael koh

7pm. Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / nietzsches.com) $5.