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See You There!

Artvoice's weekly round-up of featured events, including our editor's picks for the week: Electrorespect 5, a Tribute to Mark Freeland; this Saturday, May 5th at Nietzsche's.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out our full events calendar on-line for complete event listings, a location guide to find your way about the city, restaurant reviews, and more.

Electrorespect 5

Saturday, May 5

It’s hard to walk into a music venue or an art gallery in Buffalo and not see a piece of Mark Freeland’s art, or at least something influenced by it. Even five years after his death he continues to influence and inspire the art scene in this city. His work is still on display at the Albright Knox and beyond, but it is a little bit more difficult to display music than it is to display visual art. For the music, we have Electrorespect. This year, the 5th year of this tribute to Freeland, local musicians The Fems Fatale, Cowboys of Scotland, David Kane, Nick Gordon and the Hall of Fame, Pillow Queen, Ed Koban, Emile Latimer, Jeff Repeater, and The Disobedient Quartet will perform. With his music Freeland somehow managed to combine disco with punk, funk with rock, and drugs with all of it. “Beer makes you smart, drinking is art,” chanted Freeland and his band Electroman on their album American Googaloo. In 1983 Playboy Magazine reviewed the album saying “Freeland sounds like a dead panning David Bowie (or a shrill munchkin) backed by a Hendrix-ish guitar, and a George Clinton-ish rhythm section,” probably three of the greatest compliments any group could receive. Of this year’s performance John Walters, guitarist for The Fems Fatale says, “We love to perform this tribute show for our fallen band member and soul mate. We promise another must-see performance.” Electrorespect 5: A Tribute to Mark Freeland is this Saturday (May 5) at Nietzsche’s.

—cory perla

9pm. Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / nietzsches.com). $5.

Friday, May 4

Eskmo

After releasing a critically acclaimed debut album for Ninja Tune Records in 2010, Eskmo continues to light up MP3 players with his recently released remix EP, We Got More. The lead single from his self-titled debut, along with his track “Moving Glowstream” have been graced with remixes by the likes of Amon Tobin, Sluabed, Throwing Snow and more, shifting the focus from massive hip-hop beats to liquid layers of sound and house rhythms. The San Francisco based producer, a.k.a Brendan Angelides, is a prolific remixer himself, working with tracks by artists like STS9, Bear In Heaven, and Bibio, and citing 1990s electronic producers like Aphex Twin, Frankie Bones, and the Chemical Brothers as major influences. He’s also a believer in the postive, transformative effects music can have. “I want to bring that out for people, and whatever that might activate for them,“ Angelides says. “If someone is in a transitional phase, going through life difficulties or in a raw space, I want to direct [that energy] to a [more] productive space.” Last time he came to Buffalo he brought a lot of that positive energy with him. Expect the same when Eskmo makes his return to Soundlab on Friday (May 4) with special guests Papi Chulo and Stuntman. —cory perla

7:30pm. Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (440-5907 / bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab). $17 advance.

Friday, May 4

Tim Barry with Jenny Owen Youngs

Tim Barry is the kind of singer-songwriter who you’d want to have a beer with, but the topic of conversation would not be the typical whinny, lovey-dovey stuff you might expect from a folk-country musician. The conversation would probably focus more on stuff like death, defying the odds, and existentialist truths. Take one look at Barry’s camo hat, tattooed arms, and bearded face and it might be surprising that the veteran songwriter is interested in such topics, but looks can be deceiving and these are the themes you’ll find across his four full length albums, including his latest, this year’s 40 Miler. The Richmond Virgina native has been singing and playing guitar since the early 1990s but began touring on his own solo material in 2004. “I don’t care where I go, I’ll catch thing first thing blowin’ diesel smoke” Barry sings on his latest single “Driver Pull.” That diesel smoke must be blowing toward Buffalo because Barry will take his pure Americana sound to Mohawk Place this Friday (May 4) for a performance alongside New Jersey singer-songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs. —cory perla

10pm. Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. (465-2368 / themohawkplace.com). $10 advance, $12 day of show.

Saturday, May 5

St. Vincent

All it takes to create music today is a computer. Add an extended bout of unemployment, and you might even have an album. Annie Clark— known best for her leading role in St. Vincent—caught on to the ease of this process in 2007. She wrote her entire debut album Marry Me on her laptop. The difference between Marry Me and her most recent, 2011s Strange Mercy, is the orchestration. Of previous albums Clark admits “I can play about three songs by myself on guitar.” Regarding Strange Mercy; “On this album, I can play every song that way.” It seems odd to admire a musician for playing an instrument, but in today’s social soundscape the occurrence can be rare. Strange Mercy’s guitar licks range from spells of sugar soaked dance-pop on “Cruel,” to finger-picked prom ballads on “Cheerleader” to the tavern fuzz of “Chloe in the Afternoon.” Hear each string in St. Vincent’s guit-arsenal as they strum through the Town Ballroom this Saturday (May 5) joined by specials guests, Shearwater. —brett perla

7pm. Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com). $18 advance, $22 day of show.

Saturday, May 5

Fiesta for the Arts: Booming Buffalo

What better way to end Give for Greatness’ 2012 Give Season then with a fiesta filled with dance, theatre, art, music, and more? The 501c3 non-profit organization Give for Greatness, which is in its second year, raises funds and awareness for arts and cultural organizations in Western New York. In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, the second annual Fiesta for the Arts will take place this Saturday (May 5) from 3-10pm. The fiesta has moved across the street from last year’s venue at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery to the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Visitors will experience no shortage of creative entertainment with performances by LehrerDance, Habit Dance, the Mone’ Dance Company, Aaron Water, BillyDraws2, Peace of the City, and Amy Taravella. Music will be provided by Andrew J. Reimers and the Country Punk Extravaganza, On The Sly, The Eric Van Houten Band, the Buffalo Soundpainting Ensemble, Unit III, the Rockaz, Like a Panther, Clandestina y la Raza Cosmica, the Mustn’ts, DJ Cutler, Jen Whitmore, Brandon Barry, Joe Donohue, and Matt Hayden. There will be a cash bar, visits from food trucks, raffles, a community mural, historical exhibits, dance lessons, and historical photo stations. The minimum suggested donation is $5 but for all this entertainment you should consider how the Buffalo arts and cultural community has enhanced your life and give until it’s great. —jill greenberg

3-10pm. Burchfield Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave. (878-6011 / burchfieldpenney.org, giveforgreatness.org) $5 minimum donation.

Saturday, May 6

People's Hearing on Fracking Fundraiser

As election season nears, many of New York State’s politicians have fallen quiet on the controversial subject of deep-well, high-volume, horizontal fracking, but a coalition of local organizers are planning an event that will provide an opportunity for folks around here and across the state to tell their representatives how they feel about it. A People’s Hearing on Fracking is scheduled for Saturday, June 2, but you can get a preview of the event—featuring guest speakers, workshops, and a forum for public testimony, plus arts and music—at a fundraiser this Sunday (May 6) at Betty’s Restaurant. The folks at Betty’s will lay out some hors d’oeuvres, there will be a cash bar (10 percent of which is donated to the People’s Hearing), and the fabulous singer/songwriter Erin Verhoef provides music that will make you contemplate the value of clean water. Josh Fox’s movie Gasland will be screening, too. There is literally nothing better you could do with your Sunday evening. —geoff kelly

6-9pm. Betty’s Restaurant, 370 Virginia Street (peopleshearing.com). $10 donation.

Monday, May 7

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Ruben Santiago-Hudson star of stage and television, and a Lackawanna native, will appear at WNED Studios downtown on Monday (May 7) at an event to benefit the Cultures of Giving Legacy Initiative (CGLI), a new mentorship program for WNY youth living in low-income communities of color. The actor-author will appear as part of the “Success Looks Like Me” program. Earlier in the day, Santiago-Hudson will speak to students at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts in a presentation simulcast to a number of other Buffalo Public schools. That evening, he will be the featured presenter at a gala event at WNED studios. Tickets for the evening fundraising event are on sale now and information is available at TheCGLI.org. Lackawanna born Santiago-Hudson most recently starred on Broadway in Lydia Diamond’s play Stick Fly. He appeared on Broadway in Jelly’s Last Jam and won a Tony Award for his appearance in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars. He co-starred for three seasons as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery on the hit ABC series, Castle. He starred off-Broadway in his own play, Lackawanna Blues, and also wrote the television version for HBO, receiving the Humanitas Prize, a Christopher Award, National Board of Review Honors, a NAACP Image Award; in addition to Emmy, Golden Globe and WGA nominations. “Success Looks Like Me” provides youth living in low-income communities of color with opportunities to interact with successful adults who reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of Western New York. The Monday event at WNED begins with a VIP Reception at 6 p.m., and the program at 7 p.m. Tickets are $100, $200, and $500. See www.TheCGLI.org for details. —anthony chase

Reception at 6pm; program at 7pm. WNED Studios, 140 Lower Terrace (845-7000 / www.cfgb.org). $100, $200, and $500.

Tuesday, May 8

Beats Antique

You won’t need a passport this week to experience a world of music all in one room. The three gifted members of Beats Antique will be coming to the Town Ballroom on Tuesday (May 8) to put on an all-encompassing international experience. Expect big things: a Rakkasah adorned in embroidered sheer fabrics seductively swaying to hypnotic sounds, two men in sync with their instruments sending out repetitious beats and mystic energy, and decorative camels pacing the stage... Well, okay so maybe there won’t be camels BUT, the east-meets west musical fusion will surely send you into a trance and make you feel like you’re riding right along on the Persian caravan with them. Since their formation in the San Francisco performance art scene in 2007, Beats Antique have attracted a following comprised of not only world music fans, but also electronic and jam band goers as well by tastefully modernizing their eastern-rooted sounds with jazz, electronic, afro-beat, and jam elements. Linking the past to the future, the group’s two classically trained musicians, David Satori and Tommy Cappel, have been merging their classical backgrounds with the knowledge they’ve acquired during their travels to Bali, Serbia and West Africa. Music producer and world-renowned belly dancer, Zoe Jakes, adds perhaps the most unique part of the Beats Antique experience, belly dancing to the beat of the night. This is a standing only show, so come sway and dance the night away with Zoe. Perhaps a little hookah before your arrival will put you in the perfect mindset. —emilie hagen

8pm. Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com). $17 advance, $20 day of show.