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See You There!

Artvoice's weekly round-up of featured events, including our editor's pick for the week: Being Beastie, a tribute to the Beastie Boys on Friday, September 7th at Duke's Bohemian Grove Bar.

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.

Being Beastie

Friday, September 7

Let’s root down for a moment. I never had an older brother but the Beastie Boys always felt like my older brothers. They taught me what to drink (brass monkeys and Blue Nun wine, of course), what drugs were OK to do (“I do not sniff the coke, I only smoke the sinsimilla”), what shoes to wear (“rock my Adidas, never rock Fila”), and that you could be into punk rock and still like rap too. My mom didn’t like them very much, but they didn’t make music for my mom. If ever there was a band that defined a generation, it was the Beastie Boys. It’s so sad and strange to refer to the Beastie Boys in the past tense, but with a back catalogue that spans four decades and nation of music lovers who have shown their despair over founding member Adam “MCA” Yauch’s death in May, their impact on our culture is very apparent. Yauch’s death was due to a rare form of cancer in his parotid gland, a salivary gland in the throat, which he was diagnosed with in 2009. When tragedy strikes and someone like Yauch dies at such a young age, there is a small amount of good that comes out of it when people start to focus on the cause, and how to beat it. This Friday (Sept 7) Buffalo hip-hop record label Deep Thinka Records and promoter Damon Bodine will pay tribute to MCA, Mike D, and Ad-Rock with Being Beastie at Duke’s. Buffalo favorites like Mic Excel, Koolie High, and Kinda Like Dreamin’ will lay down some rhymes alongside special guests, and just about anyone else who has the guts to get on stage and test their brain-to-mouth coordination out on some Beastie Boys beats, as provided by Rhubarb and DJ Cutler. All proceeds will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America. —cory perla

10pm Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar, 253 Allen St. (240-9359 / dukesbohemiangrovebar.com) $5, 21+

Friday, September 7

Zoogma

With two clicks of the mouse I downloaded Zoogma’s entire discography for free, legally, from their website. Now it’s not much—just their latest four-song mixtape, titled Wet Hot American Mixtape, and their debut album Recreational Vehicles—but there is no reason you shouldn’t have all of the music this young band has to offer on your iPod. Their Wet Hot American Mixtape is a mix of electronica, drum and bass, rock, and hip hop that is as high energy as it gets. In a live setting the four members of Zoogma, who hail from Oxford, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee, unleash a set that is as relentless as the heaviest DJ set you’ve ever experienced but with the kinetic energy of a four piece rock group. Some call it “livetronica” but it is really just a blend of beat-driven dance party bangers and melodic textures performed by a live band with a killer light show. With carefully crafted beats and the ability to improvise on the fly, Zoogma pull off what most producers wish they could. Don’t miss them when they stop by Soundlab on Friday (Sept 7) with support from Brooklyn guitarist/producer, Derek VanScoten aka D.V.S*. —cory perla

10pm Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (440-5907 / bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab) $12 advance, $15 day of show, 18+

Friday & Saturday, September 7 & 8

Slyfest 7

Venture off-the-beaten-path this weekend for two days of art and music in the great outdoors as Slyfest 7 returns for what promises to be one of their most memorable events to date. This year, The Slyboots School of Music and Art have teamed up with the Ashford Hollow Foundation to bring the festival to the beautifully scenic grounds of the Griffis Sculpture Park, one of the largest and oldest sculpture parks in the country. After all, collaboration is what Slyfest is all about, not just between organizations, but between artists, audiences and cultures alike. Festival-goers can expect a range of interactive art displays and workshops, with musical performances from the Slyfest Circus, Family Funktion and the Sitar Jams, Peanut Brittle Satellite, Ramforinkus, Universe Shark, Slip Madigan, Type Relevant feat. Brownman Ali, and many more. While there’s no camping allowed in the park itself, post-Slyfest activities and camping will resume just a few minutes down the road. The Slyboots School of Music and Art in downtown Buffalo has taken huge steps in furthering cultural arts education in schools and universities across the country, and their partnership with another arts-booster in the Ashford Hollow Foundation ensures that Slyfest will live on for many years to come. All proceeds benefit The Slyboots School of Music and the Ashford Hollow Foundation, so make your contribution and gear up for an eclectic weekend of art and music in the country. —jon wheelock

12pm until sunset, both days Griffis Sculpture Park, 6902 Mill Valley Rd, East Otto, NY (onthesly.org) $10/day, age 12 & under free

Saturday & Sunday, September 8 & 9

Greenday's American Idiot: The Musical

When Green Day launched American Idiot on an unsuspecting American public in September 2004, it wasted no time becoming huge. After rocketing to the top of the charts, it quickly invaded rock radio with a string of singles that would be played constantly for the next half-decade. If you turned on the radio in late 2004 or early 2005, you were going to hear “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” or “Holiday” within about 10 minutes. But while some of the singles were definitely overplayed, that didn’t stop the album’s overall message from resonating with tons of music listeners. It was a concept album about modern teenage alienation that plenty of modern teenagers could relate to. St. Jimmy, the rebellious alter-ego that the protagonist cultivates for himself became something of a hero for a generation that didn’t exactly have a lot of role models. American Idiot was decidedly more ambitious than anything Green Day had released up to that point, and the song cycle certainly had a theatrical feel to it. That’s why it wasn’t a huge surprised that the album held up when adapted for the Broadway stage. American Idiot: the Musical has been a smash success, and now the sensation is coming to Buffalo. This Saturday and Sunday (Sept 8-9), the Tony Award-winning musical will be making it’s way to UB’s center For The Arts. Whether you’re a lover of the theater, or just a fan of catchy pop-punk with a purpose, this hugely popular show should feature something for everyone. —john hugar

7:30pm Mainstage Theatre, UB Center for the Arts, 103 Center For The Arts (654-ARTS / ubcfa.org) $47-67

Sunday, September 9

Odd Future

Odd Future may sound like an underground lo-fi indie band, but it is actually an alternative hip-hop collective that was founded in 2007 in Los Angeles. The collective is formed by rapper/producer Tyler, The Creator, rappers Hodgy Beats, Earl Sweatshirt, Domo Genesis, and Mike G, producers Left Brain, Syd Tha Kyd, Matt Martians, Hal Williams, and pseudo rappers Jasper Dolphin and Taco Bennett. Odd Future started their own label, Odd Future Records, in the spring of 2011. Odd Future members Tyler, Jasper, Taco, and Lionel created a sketch comedy television series, Loiter Squad, for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, which has been renewed for a second season. In addition to founding their own label and television show; Odd Future keeps busy with solo releases such as Domo Genesis’ collaborative mixtape No Idols (released August 1), MellowHype’s (Hodgy Beats and Left Brain) mixtape Numbers (to be released on October 2), and Tyler, The Creator’s Wolf (to be released in November). To celebrate these many releases and projects, Odd Future has embarked on the Camp Flog Gnaw Tour, which will culminate with the first ever Odd Future Carnival in Los Angeles. Experience the Buffalo stop on this national tour this Sunday (Sept 9) at the Town Ballroom. —jill greenberg

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $28 advance, $32 day of show, 16+

Sunday, September 9

Mount Eerie

Mount Eerie couldn’t be a better name for songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Phil Elverum’s music project. Despite what it might mean to Elverum, Mount Eerie seems to perfectly describe his combination of soaring noise-rock, wispy folk, and the disparate styles within his music. To add to the big, mysterious vibe of his music, Elverum recorded his last two albums, Clear Moon and Ocean Roar—both released this year—in a massive abandoned church he calls “the Unknown,” which he bought and repurposed specifically to record the albums. Conflicting tones often appear in Mount Eerie’s music, whether it happens within a song like Ocean Roar’s 10 minute long opening track “Pale Lights” which moves from a guitar driven wall of sound to whispered vocal tracks, or from album to album like the contrast between Clearn Moon’s docile, experimental folk to Ocean Roar’s darker, towering motifs. Mount Eerie will perform live with a full band at Babeville’s Ninth Ward on Sunday (Sept 9) with special guests Hokan & Friends of the Sun and A Relative Term. —cory perla

7pm Babeville’s Ninth Ward, 341 Delaware Ave. (852-3835 / babevillebuffalo.com) $12, all ages

Tuesday, September 11

Dragonette

When the members of Dragonette went to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for a secluded time period of intense music writing, they didn’t expect a civil war to break out around them. From the terrace of the band members’ flat they could see helicopters circling the war zones from drug gangs’ conflicts. But while Rio was in a lockdown, the band emerged from the chaos with two of their latest album’s most accomplished songs, “Lay Low” and “Let It Go.” Their new album, Bodyparts, is slated to come out on Sept. 24. Dragonette’s beginnings primarily involve a drunken romance at a guitar festival. The bands creators, Dan Kurtz and Martina Sorbara, met at a bar, fell in love, decided to create music, got married, added a drummer named Joel Stouffer to their adventure, and still continue on in their musical journey. But when a folk singer weds an electro-bassist, the concluding style works out to be Dragonette’s signature bundle of tangy and tasty pop sounds. Their songs carry an intense energy and irresistible dance beats. With the release of their latest album comes a more complex sound. While the trademark hooks that were apparent in their early successes like “Hello,” are still present, the band has added new depths to their latest tracks. You can catch Dragonette on Tuesday (Sept 11) at the Town Ballroom. —sara dinatale

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