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See You There!

Artvoice's weekly round-up of featured events, including our editor's pick for the week: Soul Patch, performing on Friday the 23rd 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.

Soul Patch

Saturday, November 23

Of all of the 1990s cover bands, with all of the unfortunate names like Space Needle, White Ford Bronco, and My So-Called Band, swilling all of the free Bud Light that they can drink, on all of the glamorous bar stages in the world, only one, Soul Patch, is fronted by Every Time I Die’s Keith Buckley. This is why they’re your new favorite 1990s cover band. Billed as the “2nd Best Cover Band in Buffalo,” Buckley, with his plaid shirt firmly strapped around his waist, and his crew—Every Time I Die bassist Stephen Micciche, and Quintana’s Joey Dynamite and Niko Georgiadas—take facial hair to a new, terrifyingly entertaining level. Fine, you think this is a joke, but you’ll think again when the band actually unleashes the grungiest cover of Nirvana’s “Breed” you’ve ever heard or a cover of Silverchair’s “Tomorrow” that you’ll actually find yourself enjoying. When it comes to that deep, bleating 1990s vocal style, Layne Staley and Eddie Vedder have nothing on Buckley. Soulpatch makes a special appearance at Duke’s this Black Friday (Nov 23), a perfect time for any anti-consumerists out there to flaunt their ripped jeans and stick it to the man.

> cory perla

10:30pm Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar, 253 Allen St. (240-9359 / dukesbohemiangrovebar.com) $5

Saturday, November 24

Chae Hawk & Grabbitz

It’s been slowly simmering for a while and Chae Hawk’s Dance Party For The Heavy Hearted is finally beginning to boil over, but not before Hawk and partner Ncik Chiari aka Grabbitz unleash another project on fans. Hawk and his protégé/producer Grabbitz have been on a rollercoaster ride, perfecting Hawk’s life’s work, the dark, romantic rap/dubstep record that is DPFTHH, while simultaneously running Hawk’s creative consulting agency, Team Radio, throwing galas, and working on side projects that have produced tracks like last month’s “What You Want.” The track is part of a project the duo have been working on simply titled Chae Hawk & Grabbitz, a departure from Hawk’s long time work, DPFTHH. Just in the last few months Hawk has opened for the likes of LL Cool J, Currency, and Salt n’ Pepa, which was undeniably one of the biggest Thursday at the Harbor shows thus far. See what the whole hustle is all about this Saturday (Nov 24) at Soundlab (Nov 24) for a special record release party featuring Hawk and Grabbitz spitting rhymes and bending basslines. A limited number of free copies of the record will be handed out to the first people at the door, and with only a $5 entry fee, it sounds like a good deal, so get there and prepare to dance.

> cory perla

8pm Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (440-5907 / bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab) $5

Saturday, November 24

Bobo with Cowboys of Scotland and Warm Filaments

There are thousands of great stories in local Buffalo rock and roll lore. You don’t have to scratch the surface very deep or hard to find one about Jimmer Phillips and Frank Sterlace. Pulling themselves from well-worn bar stools to be the guiding (but always ready to burn out) lights of Bobo, Phillips and Sterlace sometimes threatened to let the band’s growling, anglocized and damn near perfect amalgam of garage-punk pop be overshadowed by their antics: from starting fights with bands they were sharing the bill with to partying themselves into near oblivion. Bobo’s music still towers over all the mayhem, however. The spark of Phillips’ ability to craft songs—from those of gutter-bound menace to exuberant, sunshiney Kinksian pop—and his born to be on stage magnetics made him seem like a superstar while Sterlace’s economic but meaty guitar hooks put him in line as a bound to be guitar hero. So all these years later, Bobo will never likely get its due beyond its cult status as one the Queen City’s greatest bands, maybe that’s enough. Their recorded legacy lies in a pair of releases on Buffalo’s P22 imprint but their live show was where they were always great, even when they were up to no good. With long-serving rhythm section of drummer Pat Shaughnessy and bassist Marc Hunt, we are lucky that Bobo seemingly resurfaces every year or so to help us remember the time. This Saturday night (Nov 24) at Nietzsche’s, with the support of Cowboys of Scotland and Warm Filaments, Bobo will explode a load of their unbridled brand of bar room rock and roll.

> donny kutzbach

10pm Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / nietzsches.com) $5

Saturday, November 24

Chylde with Aircraft, Ancients of Earth, and No Promises, No Regrets

There was something about Buffalo’s Chylde that was absolutely perfect. They seemed almost like a metal band sent direct from central casting. Four long-haired, bong-beaten dudes who not only looked the role of regal rock degenerates—down to every last bit of ripped denim perfection—but matched it with musicianship and a clutch of killer songs. They were a quartet that at once was simply awesome but equally as unpretentious as they come: just dudes with amps louder than God unloading their taste for the loud, the heavy, and the psychedelic. Formulating their collective power into an overloaded mix of muscled rock, spiraling riffs, and doomy blooze, Chylde were one of those bands that I would proudly tell people from all corners of the country... hell, even all corners of the globe, that this was the best rock that Buffalo had to offer. While Chylde spent close to four years perfecting their sound, touring across the country and releasing the volcanic full length Now It Can Be Touble, unfortunately—as all too often happens—it just wasn’t made to last. The members went their separate ways turning up in local musical projects like White Bison and Mourdant Sisters and Reverend Soapbox and just when we thought they’d completely turned their back on Chylde, they have instead resurrected it. And it’s for a good cause. Guitarist/singer John “Bobo” Bobowicz’s father, John Bobowicz Sr was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a malignant and very aggressive brain tumor and Chylde’s return is a benefit for him. In addition to the headliners, three of the area’s finest; Aircraft, Ancients of Earth, and No Promises, No Regrets, join to support and there will be a variety auctions and raffles to further aid the fundraising efforts.

> donny kutzbach

9pm Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. (465-2368 / themohawkplace.com)

Sunday, November 25

Future of the Left

For better or for worse, the term “post-hardcore” often applies to such highly praised bands as Fugazi, Lungfish, Shellac, and Les Savy Fav. Utilizing repetitive rhythms, angular melodies and abstract yet often poetic lyrics, “post-hardcore” is perceived as the restructuring of musical boundaries after the nihilist blast of hardcore in the early 1980s. Although such a scene is acknowledged as a purely American movement, it is Cardiff, Wales that has brought about one its more powerful components, Future of the Left. Born from the ashes of the acclaimed bands, Mclusky and Jarcrew, Future of the Left quickly overstepped the imaginary lines of musical convention. Alternating between desperation and misanthropy, guitarist/vocalist Andy “Falko” Falkous often sounds nervous and intense while guitars resemble a jagged primal scream colliding with the often hypnotic, yet menacing, rhythm section. After a number of singles and a critically acclaimed debut album, Future of the Left signed to 4AD and released Travels With Myself And Another. Much to the chagrin of their expanding yet often purist audience, the band introduced synthesizers to their already challenging sound. Protest, however, was short lived as their use of the instrument was merely enhancing the paranoia and intense maniacal atmosphere already inherent in their music, painting a cold and desolate musical landscape once occupied by such pioneers as Wire, Pere Ubu, and the Fall. The Plot Against Common Sense, the band’s third record, was released earlier this year and reels in some of the sonic experimentation but could hardly be perceived as any sort of compromise. Armed with black humor and wry portraits of modern day culture, Future of the Left’s dislocation and alienation burns as intensely as ever. Future of the Left perform at Mohawk Place on Sunday (Nov 25)

> bill hehill

8pm Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. (465-2368 / themohawkplace.com) $12

Monday, November 26

Lamb of God

You can take a band out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of a band. Richmond, Virginia natives Lamb of God will be in town this Monday (Nov 26) at the Rapids Theater in Niagara Falls. They will be showcasing their sludgy brand of heavy metal that clearly has southern roots within its deep grooves. Earlier this year, the band released their seventh studio album, Resolution, which continues to carry their signature sound, highlighted by a technical guitar attack and a low end that is extremely tight. The band only recently resumed touring though, as lead singer Randy Blythe was incarcerated in a Prague jail over the summer. The band had numerous show cancelations in the five week span, but are back on track since his return in early August, and don’t show any signs of letting up. Monday, they will share the stage with In Flames. The Swedish band helped influence Lamb of God’s sound as well as the new wave of American heavy metal that has taken over the scene since the early 2000’s. Hellyeah and Sylosis will round out the bill and combine for a diverse night of metal in the Falls.

> jeremiah shea

Rapids Theatre, 1711 Main St., Niagara Falls (205-8925 / rapidstheatre.com) $37.50 advance, $41 day of show

Thursday, November 29

Break Science

Brooklyn based electronic duo and seasoned producers, Break Science take livetronica to the next level by creating innovative mash-ups with an influence of hip-hop and live instrumentation. Working with top shelf artists in the game, drummer/producer Adam Deitch produced for Talib Kwell and Redman and keyboardist/producer Borahm Lee has played keys for Kayne West and the Fugees. With an extensive background in jazz music, this twosome displays true musicianship and apply this approach to dance music. Their usage of real instruments combined with a mixer creates something unique and organic, with interesting harmonies on top of heavy bass lines. Combining different genres, Break Science incorporates samples from reggae, funk, hip-hop, dirty south bounce music, and drum and bass. The two met and began their collaboration in the underground hip-hop scene in New York City and haven’t looked back. They released their first EP Further Than Our Eyes Can See back in 2011 and now their second album, Monolith Code (Pretty Lights Music). Monolith Code represents a transition into a higher level of consciousness, sparking listeners to consider wider possibilities while experiencing true heavy bass. Break Science describes their goal “to evoke a wide spectrum of electronic genres filtered through a musician’s lens, all while moving people spiritually and on the dance floor.” They make a pit stop on their “Twilight Frquency Tour” at Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar next Thursday (Nove 29) along with Michal Menert and Paul Basic.

> jessica reinhardt

9pm Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar, 253 Allen St. (240-9359 / dukesbohemiangrovebar.com) $13 advance