Youth Lagoon

Tuesday, July 10

“Don’t stop imagining, the day that you do is the day that you die.” You wouldn’t expect this sort of deep, sottish sentimentality to spew from the lips of a guy just over the need for a fake ID, but Trevor Powers’ music is much more mature than his age or moniker suggest. The 22-year-old Youth Lagoon frontman’s debut album, The Year of Hibernation recollects the impermanence of fleeting childhood memories exhibited from the perspective of what seems like an elder trying to retain his youth. Tracks like the above quoted “17” and “July” are campfire tales set atop a field of backwoods Americana, evoking experiences of an “if I’d have known what I know now” mentality. The album’s boyish innocence coupled with its reflective introversion has made critics everywhere swoon. Upon it’s 2011 release The Year of Hibernation received adoration from the likes of BBC Music, SPIN and even donned the title of ‘Best New Music’ from Pitchfork.com. Since then, the singer/songwriter has enjoyed a wealth of popularity spawning his current tour with former Fleet Foxes drummer Josh Tillman who now records under the name Father John Misty. The tour stops at the Town Ballroom this Tuesday (July 10). —brett perla

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $17 advance, $20 day of show 16+

Thursday, July 5

Arrested Development

Hip-hop has lost its creative spirit, according to Arrested Development front man Speech. He thinks that in a genre that has been swallowed up by rappers turned corporate moguls, he and his group are bringing the balance back by turning out hip-hop with substance. Since 1991 the group has been championing fresh sounds with a positive message. One of their biggest hits, “Mr. Wendal” brought attention to the struggles of the homeless—the group also donated some of the proceeds from the song to the National Coalition of the Homeless. Their latest single, “Living” asserts: “we influencing music and revolution until we see more solutions.” The group cites the song as a “motivational anthem for hip-hop heads.” The single won the band the L.A. Movie Award this year, and their latest full-length album, Standing at the Crossroads is dropping August 6th. As a hip-hop group that respects women, and promotes family and spirituality they aren’t exactly the norm in the rap scene. Arrested Development is bringing their thought-provoking jams to Buffalo on Thursday (July 5) at the Erie Canal Harbor. —sara dinatale

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

Friday, July 6 - Sunday, July 8

Great Blue Heron Music Festival

The weather in Sherman, New York this weekend (July 6 through July 8) should be pretty nice for the 21st annual Great Blue Heron Music Festival. Friday will be very sunny with a high of 90 degrees, and though there is a chance of rain on Saturday—which could be a blessing in that heat—things should be all clear again for Sunday according to the Weather Channel. The line-up this year is as strong as ever with headliners Donna the Buffalo taking the stage on Saturday and Sunday night. Over 30 more bands like Toubab Krewe, Big Leg Emma, the Town Pants, Kevin Kinsella with Mosaic Foundation, Entrain, Jim Avett, the Hindu Cowboys, the Slim Redmond Band, the Steam Donkeys, Driftwood, and the Tiger Maple String Band will be spread over two stages as well as a dance tent featuring Jimkata, Buffalo Zydeco, and many more. The festival will also include yoga, hacky sack, and dance workshops, team adventure games, and vendors as well as a Teen Tent where people can make their own pottery, tie dye t-shirts, and hula hoops. Bring your tent or RV and be prepared for a weekend of music, fun, and relaxation in the woods. —cory perla

9am Friday to dusk Sunday 2361 Waits Corners Rd Sherman, NY (greatblueheron.com). $75 presale weekend pass, $30 per one-day gate pass, $40 youth tickets.

Friday, July 6

War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration & Concert

The War of 1812 was a war fought between the United States of America and the British Empire. Michigan, Ohio, and New York were on the frontline of the war from June of 1812 to July of 1815 as the American side was known to invade Canada from time to time, which was under the control of the British Empire. The Brits didn’t like that too much so on December 30 1813, after the Americans had set fire to Niagara-on-the-lake—then the village of Newark—the British retaliated by attacking and burning down the city of Buffalo. As part of the ongoing commemoration of the War of 1812 Bicentennial, the occasion will be marked by a day of free events in the Delaware Park Meadow on Friday (July 6). “Considering the major role Buffalo played in the war, I encourage city residents and visitors to attend this special day-long event which honors the peace and close friendship that Buffalo and the United States have shared with Canada in the 200 years since the end of the war,” says Mayor Byron Brown. The day’s events will include a Veterans of War & First Responders Parade, performance from Sheldon Sundown and the Haudenosaunee Dancers, United States Air Force fly-over, Frontier Skydivers descending into the Delaware Park Meadow, a dove release ceremony, outdoor concert from the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, a concluding fireworks display, and more. —a.v.

5pm Delaware Park Meadow (bfloparks.org). Free.

Saturday, July 7

Sleigh Bells

In just a couple of years Sleigh Bells has gone from mysterious noise-pop underdog to dance-punk champion. The Brooklyn-based duo of guitarist/producer Derek Miller and vocalist Alexis Krauss pump out massive, pounding beats, neon-electric guitar riffs, and melodic vocals that helped to spark a musical movement that now includes acts like Grimes, Charli XCX, and Cults. The immediately catchy pop hooks on their latest album Reign of Terror stand in contrast to the frantic hardcore bass kicking and pounding crash on songs like “Born to Lose” and their latest single “Comeback Kid.” Reign of Terror is a clear follow-up to their 2010 record Treats, which had its own slick combination of genres, crunching guitars, and hammering beats, but Terror takes those trends and pumps up the volume while mixing in aspects of R&B and synth-pop. This band has an intense live energy, partially captured by their recordings, but only fully expressed on stage. Last time Sleigh Bells came to Buffalo they played at the Mohawk Place, this time they’ve moved up to the Town Ballroom. Who knows where they’ll even fit the next time they come to town, so don’t miss them this Saturday (July 7) at the Ballroom with synth-pop trio—and fellow brooklynites—Class Actress and rapper Jel. —cory perla

8pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com). $20 advance, $24 day of show 16+.

Saturday, July 7 - Sunday, July 8

29th Annual Taste of Buffalo

Buffalo may not have a winning professional sports team or a viable 21st century economy, but you can sure as hell bet it boasts some of the best food between New York City and Chicago. Such is the mentality that informs the Taste of Buffalo, a weekend-long celebration of all good things culinary to be found in the Queen City, sponsored by Tops. This year’s restaurant roster includes 51 total establishments, including newcomers like Buffalo Tap Room, Friar’s Table, and four food trucks, to say nothing of perennial fixtures like Andersons Frozen Custard, Fat Bob’s Smokehouse, and Just Pizza. Once stuffing your face gets old, you can vote via text message to bestow AT&T’s Fan Favorite Food Award on your most preferred menu item. If you’re the Food Network type and prefer watching food to eating it, be sure to check out the contests and competitions on the Culinary Stage in the New Era parking lot. Tickets are sold in $5 increments, and every food item costs just $1 to $4 in tickets. For about the price of a single restaurant outing you can sample ten different dishes this weekend (July 7 & 8) on Delaware Avenue. While the same can’t be said of the Bills, Sabres, or Buffalo economy, the Taste of Buffalo is a winner every year. —edward a. benoit

11am-9pm Delaware Avenue and Niagara Square (tasteofbuffalo.com) Tickets sold in $5 increments.

Tuesday, July 10

Sublime with Rome

Eric Wilson only plays with the best and the best seems hard to come by. When Sublime guitarist Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose in 1996, Wilson never thought he could play the same songs live again. But then he met 20-year-old Rome Ramirez, a kid that “could play guitar like a mofo and he’s got a platinum voice.” Sublime was back. Now under the name Sublime with Rome (Nowell had registered the trademark “Sublime” under his own name before his death and he had sole ownership), the band has sold more than 17 million albums worldwide and continues to grace the music scene with an irresistible blend of ska, reggae, punk, surf rock, and hip-hop. In summer 2011, they released the first studio album with Rome as their front man—Yours Truly—and spent the rest of the year touring with no plans to stop. Sublime with Rome will play all your classic favorites (who can resist belting out “Santeria” whenever it comes on?), as well as fresh, new songs that only seem to take the band to the next level, on Tuesday (July 10) at Artpark’s “Tuesday in the Park” series with special guests Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad. —rebecca bratek

6:30pm Artpark Outdoor Amphitheater, 450 South 4th St., Lewiston (754-4375 / artpark.net). $10 advance, $15 week of show.

Mansions on the Moon

Wednesday, July 11

Buzz words abound when the name Mansions on the Moon comes up. The words “emerging,” “chillwave,” and “Diplo” are only a few of the phrases that the relatively new band’s name evokes, but those words only help to distract from understanding their actual sound—a down-tempo mix of intergalactic pop and ambient rock. The three-piece band from Los Angeles—guitarist and vocalist Ted Wendler, Ben Hazlegrove on keyboards, and drummer Lane Shaw—have spent the last year touring, producing new tracks with N*E*R*D, and releasing a mixtape, “Paradise Falls,” which was produced and presented by Diplo and Benzi, and features a slew of prominent producers like Washed Out, the Junior Boys, Deadmau5, Xaphoon Jones of Chiddy Bang, and Big Gigantic. That mixtape, as well as their first EP, Lightyears, are both available on MotM’s website as free downloads, so there is really no excuse not check out this up and coming band’s music before they make a stop at Soundlab on Wednesday (July 11). —cory perla

8pm Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (440-5907 / bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab). $12 advance, 16+.