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See You There!

Artvoice's weekly round-up of featured events, including our editor's picks for the week: Shakespeare in Delaware Park's season opening presentation of The Tragedy of Richard III, starting Thursday, June 21st.

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.

Shakespeare in Delaware Park presents The Tragedy of Richard III

Thursday, June 21 - Sunday, July 21

In other cities, summer might start when school lets out or when the strawberries are ripe, but in Buffalo, summer begins with the opening of Shakespeare in Delaware Park. This year, the beloved festival, founded in 1976, revisits one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays, The Tragedy of Richard III, starring one of SDP’s most popular actors, Tim Newell, and directed by festival founder Saul Elkin. Here, Shakespeare plays fast and loose with English history in a delicious tale of envy, treachery, and ambition. Evil, sadistic, manipulative—and marvelously witty—Richard, Duke of Gloucester, plots to murder anyone who stands between himself and the throne. Along this twisted path the demented nobleman kills the husband of Lady Anne, and then convinces the woman to marry him; he plots to have his older brother, Clarence killed; he hires assassins to kill his brother’s sons. For good measure, once he is King, he has his new wife murdered so he can marry his niece, the princess Elizabeth, and thereby consolidate his power. Richard’s machinations don’t go unnoticed. The Earl of Richmond is inspired to raise an army in France to oppose Richard. The night before the invasion Richard has a nightmare in which he is confronted by the phantoms of everyone he’s murdered—it’s quite a gathering of embittered ghosts. The fight is a disaster for Richard, who is humiliated, left begging for a horse, and mowed down like the dog he is. Richmond is crowned King Henry VII. Peace returns to England. The audience has a swell time. Richard III runs June 21st through July 15th every evening (except Mondays) at 7:30pm on Shakespeare Hill in Delaware Park, next to Hoyt Lake behind the Rose Garden, off Lincoln Parkway near the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. For further information see www.shakespeareindelawarepark.org. —anthony chase

7:30pm tonight (Thursday). Performances June 16–July 15 and July 26–August 19. Delaware Park Hill. Free.

Thursday, June 21 - Sunday, June 24

Citybration

The annual Buffalo Citybration festival was born out of Buffalo Old Home Week, which was first held in 1907. 99 years later, in 2006, the festival was resurrected and renamed. Now in its seventh year, this festival is a four-day “party with a purpose” that showcases Buffalo’s successes and assets with an emphasis on the spectacular waterfront. On Thursday (June 21) the Buffalo Waterfront Photography Contest Exhibit will open along with The Buffalo Shuffle, and the Twilight Tour of Mansions. On Friday (June 22) Hot Air Balloon Rides and tours will begin and there will be a Sunset Reception at City Hall. Saturday (June 23) events include the Scavenger Hunt along the Waterfront, Floating Cocktail Party & Boat Parade, 24 Hour Musical Festival by MusicalFare Theatre, The Ride for Rosewell 2012, Buffalo Living Tour, and Artists, Authors, & Architects. Sunday (June 24) events include the First Annual Citybration 5K Race & Fun Run, the Cheerios vs Wings Breakfast on the Boardwalk, Waterfront Bike Rides, and the Citybration Festival at Canal Side. Make sure you participate in this celebration of our great city. View the full schedule with locations and times at citybration.com. —jill greenberg

Buffalo Waterfront & various locations. (citybration.com)

Friday, June 22

More Than Me and Almost Six Six

Though almost any Buffalonian beams when someone outside Western New York mentions the Goo Goo Dolls or Ani DiFranco, it’s nice to know that there’s some new music out there on Lake Erie’s horizon. Enter More Than Me, who’s more than ready to take up the mantle of Buffalo’s newest homegrown pop/rock band. Formed in 2001, lead vocalist Ryan Doyle, his brother, Todd, and friend Joe Nicastro started their careers playing in coffeehouses. Justin Rizzo later joined and for about the next decade, the foursome sold thousands of CDs...out of the back of their van. A bit of a throwback to 1990’s reggae and ska influenced pop/rock, the band plays a lot of family friendly tunes like “You Make Me” and “Know It All.” While their genuinely affable nature onstage and harmonizing boy band vocals in songs like their popular “Unconditional Truth” are enough to please tween girls and their parents, they still throw in some sultry songs for good measure. After years of hard work, the band recently received international recognition. In 2010, after winning the Hard Rock Café International Battle of the Bands, they crossed the pond and played before Pearl Jam, Relentless, Ben Harper and Stevie Wonder at London’s Hyde Park at the Hard Rock Calling festival. More than Me will be playing at another hallowed ground for rock this Friday (June 22), though you don’t have to buy a plane ticket to get there, just go to the Tralf. Down state locals and M.E.A.N.Y. Fest Emerging Artists competition winners, Almost Six Six, will co-headline the show. —leigh giangreco

7pm. The Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com) $10 advance, $12 day of show.

Sunday, June 24

Atmosphere

Unlike today’s mainstream hip hop, Atmosphere’s music isn’t about the beat or the flow or the hook. It’s about the words. Not only do rapper Sean “Slug” Daley and producer Anthony “Ant” Davis avoid the typical trappings of mainstream hip hop, but they flip underground hip hop on its head too with minimal beats and pensive lyrics. In 1998 Atmosphere released their tightly produced, personal and poetic debut album Overcast!. The record used mysteriously minimal beats, sampling songs from Stevie Wonder to Ludwig Van Beethoven in a style that acts like MF Doom and Immortal Technique would adopt later in the 2000s. Those beats helped to emphasize the allegorical and metaphorical lyrics of Slug, which laid the foundation for the group’s next seven albums, including their latest The Family Sign. The Minneapolis, Minnesota based collective’s progression from Overcast! to The Family Sign is not exactly direct though. Where Overcast! is heavily vinyl based, The Family Sign is instrumentally based with forlorn guitar riffs and minimalist piano lines. Where Overcast! was more immediate in lyrical content, The Family Sign is vague and universal. The opening track “My Key” sets the tone for the rest of the album with an ethereal, Radiohead-like vibe. It takes a certain type of talent to reinvent a sound over a decade while still maintaining an instantly familiar tone, and that is exactly what Atmosphere has done. If you’re a hip hop fan in Buffalo, it would be a huge mistake to miss Atmosphere when they come to the Town Ballroom on Sunday (June 24). —cory perla

7pm. Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $20 advance, $24 day of show.

Wednesday, June 27

Tokyo Police Club

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what Tokyo Police Club’s genre is—maybe it’s pop or indie rock or just addictive without needing to be defined. But if you mix catchy keyboard jams, euphonic synths, and hypnotic lyrics, you have the sound that the group hasn’t set out to find: “It just sounds like us,” according to lead vocalist David Monks. Check out “Bambi” for some unique guitar/keyboard mixes, or check out “Your English is Good” for catchy lyrics that you can’t help but sing along to. The quartet from Newmark Ontario launched into the scene in 2006 with their first EP, A Lesson in Crime, and they haven’t quite stopped moving since. Follow that first EP by their second, Smith, a full-length album in 2008 titled Elephant Shell, and 2009’s Champ, and you’ll see why Tokyo Police Club has garnered quite the following. They’ve toured almost nonstop since that first EP in 2006, and the group is no stranger to Western New York. Their stop at Artpark’s free Coor’s Light concert series on Wednesday (June 27) comes just a year after they played Thursday at the Square. Tokyo Police Club surely won’t disappoint, so check them out on Wednesday with local opener’s, and 2012 Artvoice B.O.O.M. winners the Tins.—rebecca bratek

6:30pm. Artpark Outdoor Amphitheater, 450 South 4th St., Lewiston (754-4375 / artpark.net). Free.

Wednesday, June 27

Live at Larkin featuring Dive House Union and Jony James Band

In the heart of Buffalo’s Larkin District lies the area’s newest outdoor venue. Larkin Square had its official ribbon cutting ceremony on June 13th to welcome Buffalonians to the new hangout and on June 20th kicked off its free summer concert series. Every Wednesday evening Live at Larkin will showcase a different band or musician. This Wednesday (June 27) local acts Dive House Union and the Jony James Band will take the stage in Larkin Square. The Wednesday evening concert series will run through September 19th and feature bands like Son of the Sun, Grace Stumberg, Peter Case, Babik, Caitlin & the Jamie Moses Band and many more each week. While the tunes are flowing, attendees will be able to explore the marketplace that will provide a variety of fresh foods, desserts and produce. Both the live music and market place run from 5pm to 8pm. The new venue is also home to Buffalo’s first set of Pickleball courts. To view the entire Live at Larkin schedule and the list of marketplace vendors go to larkinsquare.com. —sara dinatale

5pm to 8pm. Larkin Square, between the intersection of Seneca St. and Swan St. Free.

Wednesday, June 27

Orgone with Cutler & LoPro

The eight-piece funk-rock outfit that is Orgone is familiar with making rounds—their 16 former members and endless tour dates can certainly attest to that. So too can the band’s perpetually changing sound, which currently consists of a fusion of raw, frenetic funk and juicy, satisfying soul played with prog-rock virtuosity and heavy metal aggression—the result of five albums’ worth of musical evolution and well over a decade of experience. And Orgone’s hardly done yet. It suffices to say, then, that no two Orgone shows are even remotely alike. You can catch the current iteration of this LA octet in all its funk-soul fusion glory at Nietzsche’s on Wednesday (June 27). Playing in support will be local DJs Cutler and LoPro, who have put their own spin on the realm of beats, vinyls, and turntables. —edward a. benoit

7pm. Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (868-8539 / nietzsches.com) $10 pre-sale / $12 at the door. 21+.

Thursdays at the Harbor featuring Fountains of Wayne

Thursday, June 28

She was stunning. She was hot. She was the fantasy of middle school boys everywhere. She was Stacy’s mom. The woman who, “got it going on,” was the creation of New Jersey band, Fountains of Wayne. “Stacy’s Mom” quickly became everyone’s favorite “M.I.L.F.” The pop song hit the airwaves in 2003, catapulting the band to the top of the charts, even earning them Grammy nominations. It’s a song that had us all singing along and sympathizing with one boy’s tantalizing, deep, and unrequited love affair. Despite a four-year hiatus, the band continues to produce its pop-rock jams rich with 1970s heart. Their fifth and most recent album, Sky Full of Holes, was released in 2011. The band has been creating music together since 1996. Fountains of Wayne will be headlining the fourth free concert at the Erie Canal Harbor on Thursday (June 28). With special guests Summer People and the Albrights it’s sure to be fun night. —sara dinatale

5pm. Erie Canal Harbor Central Wharf (buffaloplace.com/thursday). Free.