Battle at Buffalo: Under the Lights

Saturday, August 27

Shane Depree Fry’s Battle at Buffalo is vacating from its regular location at Verve Dance Studio to be held outside this month to celebrate the jam’s upcoming five-year anniversary. This Saturday (Aug 27) Battle at Buffalo is presenting their special event, Under the Lights, which will be located in the parking lot of the New Era Buffalo Flagship store. This all ages festival will showcase several talented hip-hop artists from Buffalo, such as local urban artists, photographers, musicians, DJs, and break dancers. The day will start off at 2pm with live music featuring local groups, such as Pseudo Intellects featuring the Chill Harmonic Orchestra and A.L. Third, along with DJs who will spin music while live graffiti artists produce their own artwork. The dance entertainment portion of the night will welcome local, regional and international dancers, from funkstyle movers to b-boys and b-girls (otherwise known as break dancers). Jordan King, one of Battle at Buffalo’s regular competitors, says the battle is like “my second home” and he recognizes it as “my start to confidence and finding myself.” The first battle will be a 16-person All Styles Battle, where anyone of any style can bring his or her best moves to the floor. However, the main event of the night will be the 32 crew B-boy Battle, which is set up as a two on two competition. The winners of each battle will receive cash, prizes, and bragging rights. Battle at Buffalo was started in 2005 by Fry and his partner Heather Russell with the intention of bringing a positive vibe back into Buffalo by using the hip-hop culture to promote unity and respect within the community. He succeeded at creating a family friendly atmosphere where numerous local people gather every last Saturday of the month to enjoy watching the progression and amazing spirits of young dancers who rise to the occasion. —vanessa oswald

2pm to 10pm. New Era Flagship Store, 160 Delaware Ave. (vervedancestudio.com). $5 general, $10 to battle.

Friday - Sunday, August 26 - 28

Sly Fest 6

Three days of art, music, culture, and uniting people under the common ground of peace and positivity. That’s the impetus behind Slyfest 6, a three-day festival held in the spacious North Fork Music Park in Warsaw. The annual fundraiser—now in its sixth year—is presented by the Slyboots School of Music and Art in Downtown Buffalo, a multifaceted collective/institution that offers music lessons, rehearsal and studio space, art and design classes, and workshops to help foster the kind of creativity that makes Buffalo such a special place for music and art. From Friday (Aug 26) to Sunday (Aug 28) North Fork Music Park will be transformed into makeshift community of artists and musicians from all walks of life, with a must-see lineup of bands that includes former BOOM winners Dali’s Ghost, world beats and grooves from One World Tribe, electro-duo the Manhattan Project, Syracuse’s own Sophistafunk, as well as sets by Buffalo favorites Aqeuous, Ramforinkus, Peanut Brittle Satellite, Universe Shark, and the Jony James Blues Band among many others. Headlining the event is five-piece outfit Surprise Me Mr. Davis and their rootsy Americana jams. Visitors can expect a wide array of foods, music, paintings, sculptures, projections, interactive music and art workshops, fire dancing, hula-hooping, hot air balloons, swimming, hiking, camping, YOGA, hand-made clothing, accessories, crafts, and whatever else you might end up discovering along the way. Festivities begin at noon on Friday, so take a break from the city and head out into the fresh countryside air for a weekend of great music, art, and atmosphere. —jon wheelock

12pm, Friday to Sunday. North Fork Music Park, Warsaw. (315-771-1414 / onthesly.org) $40 advance weekend pass, $60 at the gate.

Friday & Saturday, August 26 & 27

VideoSoundDanceMagic

You will have never seen anything so engaging and provocative as this. Or perhaps you are familiar with the players here, in which case you won’t need convincing that this event is not to be missed: Last November at Hallwalls, a collaborative of local artists created a rich mixture of sound, dance, and video centered on a massive set that included a circular screen 40 feet in diameter. Those artists, including nimbus dance and the Reactionary Ensemble, as well as the set, designed by architect Brad Wales, have moved to the black box theater in Buffalo State’s Donald Savage Building, where this Friday (Aug 26) and Saturday (Aug 27) they will present three improvisational performances inspired by the video installations and performances of Steina, whose work is on exhibit in the Burchfield Penney’s main galleries. The Reactionary Ensemble and nimbus will be joined by the Carrier Band, and video artists include Steina, Cary Gath, Liz Knipe, Jeff Maciefewski, Vince Minstretta, Meg Knowles, Brian Milbrand, Courtney Grim, Tammy Mcgovern. There will be just three performances, and seating is limited: Call 878-6011 for tickets. —geoff kelly

8pm, Friday, August 26. 3pm & 8pm, Saturday, August 27. Flexible Theater in the Donald Savage Theater and Communication Building, Buffalo State College. $5 Burchfield Penney members, Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff; $15 everyone else.

Friday, August 26th

Comedy Night at the Polish Library

Remember when people were talking about adding a Comedy Hall of Fame to Canalside? Yeah, well that never happened. But no worries, Comedy Night at the Polish Library will serve as a sort of local comedy hall of fame with a line up of some of Buffalo’s funniest comedians. Featured comics include Ben Verbeck—celebrating seven years of performing comedy in Buffalo, he will close the show with over an hour of material, Josh Potter—two-time Artvoice Best of Buffalo nominee for “Best Comedian,” Eric Lingenfelter, Rufus, Kaitlynd Brzostowicz (with a name like that she might be able to teach you how to pronounce all of the Polish beers at the bar), Duane Comes, Adam Privitera, and Patrick Wilson. Host Phil Machemer will ensure medical intervention for any laughing fits, and DJ Ken Doll will provide music when appropriate. Laugh your ass off this Friday (Aug 26) at the Buffalo Polish Library. —cory perla

7pm. Adam Mickiewicz Library & Dramatic Circle, 612 Fillmore Ave. (buildingalibrary.wordpress.com). $8.

Saturday, August 27

All Time Low with Cartel

The music scene has certainly changed since the late 1990s, early 2000s days when pop-punk giants like Green Day, Blink 182, and New Found Glory reigned. Ever-creased Dickies shorts, a package of black rubber bracelets on each wrist, and belt-loop-to-pocket chained wallets may have been the first trends to go as pop-punk entered its gauche teenage years, but the music from what’s left of the now emo-plagued scene is still as satisfying as eating a spoonful of sugar; first you grin, then you cringe. A pop-punk enthusiast faces constant ridicule from supporters of other music genres; the true punks think you’re a wussy, the Goth’s think you’re too cheery, and the indie kids, as music elitists, don’t acknowledge that you even exist. Despite this stigma, Baltimore based four piece All Time Low prove that pop-punkers can still prevail in the harsh world of clique-based music stratification. After eight years in the business, now in the bloom of their youth, All Time Low is the new standard for pop-punk bands, amassing 35 million plays on the social music website Last.fm. Their current tour, accompanied by power-chord veterans Cartel, brings them to places they thought they’d probably never reach, like Japan for instance, where the band has three stops. Before their trip across the salty pond however, All Time Low washes ashore in Niagara Falls on Saturday (Aug 27) to rock out the Rapids Theater. In addition to Cartel, the Cab, and We are the In Crowd join in on the fun. —brett perla

7pm. Rapids Theater, 1711 Main St., Niagara Falls. (205-8925 / rapidstheatre.com). $21 advance, $24 day of show.

Saturday, August 27

Great Big Sea with McCarthyizm

This is it, Buffalo Place will rock the harbor for the last time this summer when Great Big Sea, Martin Sexton, and Buffalo rock band McCarthyizm take the stage at the Central Wharf. Great Big Sea—a Celtic rock band formed in Newfoundland, Canada in 1993—released their tenth full-length studio record, Safe Upon the Shore in 2010. The sprawling folk-rock record utilizes a wide variety of sounds from trombone to washboard, banjo, and fiddle to recreate songs like the traditional English ditties “Over the Hills and Far Away” and “Gallows Pole” (originally arranged by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page) to the Kinks’ 1972 tune “Have a Cuppa Tea.” There are also a slew of homegrown originals like “Long Life (Where Did You Go),” which was recently featured on the Emmy Award winning HBO mini-series Band of Brothers. Joining GBS this Saturday (Aug 27) will be rock n’ roller Martin Sexton, and McCarthyizm, a local rock band with a Celtic touch. The Buffalo Music Hall of Famers, led by vocalist and guitarist Joe McCarthy, has shared the stage with such influential acts as the Goo Goo Dolls, Eddie Money, and the Crash Test Dummies. The five-piece group, featuring guitarist Paul Ceppaglia, bassist Dave Mucha, Helen Butler on violin, and drummer Jeff Schaller recently released a new album, titled Victors & Vices, which the band describes as rock music with a Celtic stamp that will move your mind, body, and soul. Get moving to the season finale of the Rock the Harbor concert series this weekend. —cory perla

6pm. Erie Canal Harbor Central Wharf. (buffaloplace.com/thursday-at-the-square). $10 advance, $20 day of show.

Saturday, August 27

Buffalo Zombie Walk

It takes more than fake blood and torn clothing to capture the essence of a night-walking and brain-craving zombie. Most important is the zombie shuffle, which you’ll have plenty of time to refine by participating in the 2nd Annual Buffalo Zombie Walk for Charity. Last year’s zombies made an art out of scuffling and moaning their way through Buffalo and chances are they will be back in droves for this chilling parade of the undead. Terror Technologies Extreme Events have been promoting the zombie walk for the past seven months at events all over Buffalo, including Artvoice’s own Mardi Gras Parade (where they snagged an honorable mention for first runner up for their zombie float). Their hard work will pay off this Saturday (Aug 27) at 4pm when the family friendly Zombie Walk will begin at Club W, 199 Delaware Ave. The walk will meander down the Chippewa Strip, Elmwood, and the Allentown Bar District then back to Club W for prizes, trophies, giveaways, and contests. The Lower Town Trio will provide live music while Arlowe Price & His Human Freak Show will appear to entertain on stage and in the crowd. The 18+ Zombie Night Crawl begins at 8pm with entertainment provided by the Hell’s Harlots burlesque troupe, Pollock, and Skinbound. Purchase your tickets at terrortechnologies.ticketleap.com/buffalozombiewalk (brains not included). —jill greenberg

4pm. Club W, 199 Delaware. $5, free for kids 12 & under, $8 combo day/night pass.

Sunday, August 28th

Bidwell Indie 5000

Indie rock in Buffalo is alive and healthy, and making a stand in the heart of the Elmwood Village, Bidwell Park. On Sunday (Aug 28) twelve of the city’s finest rock bands will gang up for the Bidwell Indie 5000, presented by local record label Steak and Cake Records—a pro-bono, indie record label that offers recording and digital distribution services at no cost. Included in this first ever Bidwell Indie 500 are some familiar names like folkish indie band the Mordaunt Sisters, pop-rockers the Tins, and electronic duo Love Scenes, as well as some new comers like tuneful garage rockers Badmilk. Also set to play are three-piece funk band Luanjie, Andrew J Reimers Country Punk Extravaganza—a band who’s name speaks for itself, acoustic guitar darling Becca Ryskalczyk, Nick Gordon, Damian Weber, the NYBRKFST, Bill Times a Billion, and Sound Shaman. This could be one of your last chances to experience the best of Buffalo’s indie-rock scene in an outdoor format this summer, and there is no better place than Bidwell Park. —cory perla

12pm to dark. Bidwell Park. (steakandcakerecords.bandcamp.com) Free.

Tuesday, August 30th

Buffalo Film Seminars

If you have to chose one movie to convince teenagers that old black and white movies are worth watching, you couldn’t do any better than Gold Diggers of 1933, which opens this fall’s edition of the Buffalo Film Seminars next Tuesday (Aug 30). Unlike the gauzy MGM musicals of the era, this Warner Brothers production (from the director of Little Ceasar, Mervyn LeRoy) is just as gritty and realistic as the gangster films the studio was known for, at least until you get to Busby Berkeley’s berserk production numbers. After a summer of movies that hit a new low in adult interest (though I’m sure the bar will sink more next year), any film buff will sigh with relief scanning the list of this fall’s films, which includes Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast, Powell and Pressburger’s The Red Shoes (a must see for fans of Black Swan), and Wong Kar Wei’s Chungking Express among the movies you haven’t really seen until you’ve seen them on the big screen. For a complete list and plenty of information about each film, visit buffalofilmseminars.com. —m. faust

7pm. Market Arcade Film & Arts Center, 639 Main St. (855-3022 / buffalofilmseminars.com). $9 adults, $7 students, $6.50 seniors.