The Dollywatchers with The Sleepy Hahas

Saturday, November 23

At the cusp of the 21th century, some of the best, loud, original rockers in town were the Dollywatchers. Driven by the clockwork backbeat of Howard Fleetwood Wilson II on drums, the in-the-pocket bass lines of Kent Weber, the screaming guitar licks of Mikel Doktor, and the howling, soaring vocals of magnetic front man Terry Sullivan, a Dollywatchers show always promised to transport the crowd to that special transcendent place where amplifiers, speakers, and cold beer combine to make for a helluva good time. Minor ringing in the ears was a trifling side-effect. This Saturday (Dec 1), the local super-group is reforming for a show at the Mohawk Place—a venue that hosted some of their most memorable performances over a decade ago. With the sad news that the ‘Hawk is going to be closing in the near future, this will be one of those shows that people will talk about for a long time afterward. Openers will be the Sleepy Hahas at 10pm, followed by the Dollywatchers at 11pm sharp. Hipster duffuses are warned not to wander in at 12:30am, expecting to catch the action. Be there, or be L7.

- buck quigley

9pm Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. (465-2368 / themohawkplace.com) $10

Thursday, November 29

Omar Tamez & Harvey Sorgen Duo

Omar Tamez and Harvey Sorgen make a great team. Tamez, a seasoned jazz guitarist who has spent over 15 years performing with the group Non-Jazz has recently teamed up with drummer Harvey Sorgen, who has anchored bands for greats like Dave Douglas and Anthony Braxton as well as rock bands like the Allman Brothers. In addition to his time with various rock and jazz bands, Sorgen is a composer and collaborator in the fields of film, theatre, dance, and poetry as well. When the two combine their improvisational jazz powers, it can be pretty magical. Tamez strums his hollow body guitar, at times rhythmically and gently, at other times frantically and chaotically, as Sorgen taps out complex jazz beats to the ever-changing tempo in his head. Tamez and Sorgen move as one as segments flow on endlessly, occasionally changing abruptly, at other times morphing into new movements. If left to their own devices, the duo would probably jam on infinitely. Tamez and Sorgen will be joined by cellist and composer Jonathan Golove, saxophonist Steve Baczkowski and additional drummer John Bacon when they perform live at the Vault on Main Street this Thursday (tonight!).

- cory perla

9pm The Vault, 702 Main St. (884-7172) $6-$10

Friday, November 30

Paula Poundstone

You’d have to go to professional sports to find an occupation more male-dominated than standup comedy, as well as one marked by such high turnover. So the fact that Paula Poundstone is well into her third decade at the top of her game as a professional laugh-getter is no mean feat. Along with regular touring, the engine driving her career these days is NPR’s popular comedy quiz show “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me,” where she can be depended on to bring previously unthought-of perspectives to the week’s news. Her live performances are always fresh because so much of them are extemporized. As she told me in a 2009 interview: “To me a show is like a cocktail party. You get there, you talk about how you had trouble parking and other routine chit-chat. Then someone says, hey, tell that story, and you tell that story you’ve told a hundred times. Then someone comes along that you don’t know and you talk to them for a little and ask them who they are and what they do, then you tell another story... Actually I’m more concerned with the people at my shows, because they’re going to see me again. These people at parties, I’m never going to see them again.” Poundstone will perform at the Performing Arts Center at Buffalo State College’s Rockwell Hall on Friday (Nov 30).

- m faust

7:30pm Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall, 1300 Elmwood Ave. (878-3005 / buffalostatepac.org) $30-$35

Saturday, December 1

21st Century Renaissance featuring Jeremy Jermaine Jerome, Scantron, and Spec-ill K

I’ve gotten to know Jeremy Jermaine Jerome since his last show at Soundlab in June. If you’ve met him, you know he’s an enthusiastic man. “This will be the greatest performance in Buffalo history,” he has told me on more than occasion about his upcoming show dubbed “21st Century Renaissance in Buffalo” at Soundlab on Saturday (Dec 1). After releasing a cryptic video titled “-----” earlier this year, Jerome, aka Just Ending Now, recently released a guerilla performance video he shot in one of our city’s abandon grain silos, which finds the hip hop artist bouncing off of graffitied pillars and peaking down endless dark halls. Equal parts rapper and visual artist, Jerome may make you feel a bit uncomfortable with his sounds and images but sometimes that’s the point. Joining JJJ on Saturday will be beatboxer/electronic music producer Scantron and rapper Spec-Ill K. It’s not too hard to get Scantron to demonstrate his outrageous beatboxing skills, but it can be a challenge to get him to stop once he’s on a roll. Literally spitting dubstep beats from his mouth; Scantron combines his oral skills with his skills as a guitarist, rapper, keyboarist, and mixer manipulator to put on a one of a kind show. Spec-Ill K of the Essential Vitamins Crew joins to throw down some gangster jams like “I Ghost Kids!!” and “Supposed to Go.” Will this be the “greatest performance in Buffalo history”? I don’t know, maybe. Anything is possible, right? All I know is if it IS somehow “the greatest performance in Buffalo history,” you might regret it if you miss it.

- cory perla

8pm Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (440-5907 / bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab) $10

Saturday, December 2

Billy Talent

Canadian alt rock band Billy Talent will be returning to Buffalo this Sunday following the release of their forth studio album, Dead Silence. After recording together for almost 20 years the band is still going full steam, as made obvious by the new single “Viking Death March,” a high energy ode to the working class. The album, produced by guitarist Ian D’Sa, is meant to mirror all aspects of life—the ups and downs, love and disgust, joy and sadness. The band was experiencing all of this around Christmas 2011, when drummer Aaron Solowoniuk broke the news to the band that he would have to undergo open heart surgery. The rest of the band powered through the recording process while Solowoniuk recovered, which explains why the record contains the most deep, dark, and honest lyrics to date. Singer Ben Kowalewicz admits the record has a sort of end of the world mentality, and since you only have one chance at life, you should do it right. “Dead Silence is about following your dreams,” he says, “standing up for yourself, realizing what’s important, and what is total bull.” After beginning their musical career as ska rockers Pezz in the late nineties, Billy Talent has continued to grow and become a respected rock act. Never missing a beat, the band puts on a high-energy set that will leave you restless and sweaty with a sudden hatred for “the man.”

- ariel peters

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $23 advance, $25 day of show

Monday, December 3

2 Chainz

I can’t believe it has been five years since I first heard the rap-R&B-pop crossover hit “Duffle Bag Boy” by the Atlanta produced duo Playaz Circle featuring Lil’ Wayne on the hook. 2 Chainz, known in those days as Tity Boy, opened up his verse by stating how when he “walks into the Gucci store, hunny I’m home.” When his recent hit “Birthday Song” ft. Kanye West came on the radio earlier today I couldn’t help but laugh at how times have not changed this rapper’s lyrical outlook on life; “When I die, bury my inside that Gucci store.” They say time changes people but this may not be the case for this artist. 2 Chainz’s Based on a T.R.U Story, his first solo joint with his now record label Def Jam, peeked at number one its first week as well as having sold roughly 500,000 copies. His performance at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, alongside none other than longtime friend and collaborator Lil’ Wayne, got great reviews. He also performed at the VMA’s as well as the BET Hip Hop Awards, not to mention he took home four trophies. 2 Chainz commented on his current tour, saying “I never get tired of seeing, vibing, and sharing experiences with my fans. It’s just me and them in an intimate setting, in a different city all over the country. We turn up and basically have a party in every city on stage. When the first half of the tour started the album had just dropped so I didn’t know what to expect. Now that the album has been number 1 in the country, and every city has been sold out, I feel like the people enjoy what I bring to the table.” Come check out 2 Chainz “Based on a T.R.U Story” tour on Monday (Dec 3) at the Town Ballroom.

- brett deneve

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $36 advance

Monday, December 3

High On Fire

Take the dissonant and powerful voyage with them as you move at a furious pace, living vicariously in different places and different times. High on Fire’s new album, De Vermis Mysteriis literally translates to “the mysteries of the worm” and is a concept album to a degree. The band lyrically explores the idea of time travel with a main character that experiences life through his ancestor’s eyes. Each song paints a different scenario for the main character, as he wakes up as a different person each time. The album was released this past April and is some of their best work to date. The heaviness this band creates is only pushed harder by the pace they keep throughout the album. After lead singer Matt Pike’s recent stint in rehab for alcohol abuse, the band is back on tour in support of the album and will be in town this Monday (Dec 3) to play at Mohawk Place. The venue, which is closing down for good in mid-January, is hosting a bill which also includes Goatwhore, Lo-Pan, and Buffalo’s own, Malarchuk. This is one of the last major shows the venue is putting on, so show some support and you’ll be treated to a solid night of metal.

- jeremiah shea

7pm Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. (465-2368 / themohawkplace.com) $15

Tuesday, December 4

Souljazz Orchestra

If their name is any indication, don’t let it fool you. While both soul and jazz certainly anchor the sound of the Ottawa-based collective known as the Souljazz Orchestra, that’s hardly the beginning, as the band succeeds in unearthing a multi-genre landscape that makes their charged live performances something to truly behold. With funk, afrobeat, Caribbean and Latin rhythms all figuring into their mix, the Souljazz Orchestra is an incredibly versatile band with equally as prolific musicians at the helm. The sextet boasts some serious brass, with horn-drenched melodies joining layers of percussion and primitive keyboards to match their global sensibilities. The group’s newest release, Solidarity, fits their modus operandi of unifying styles and delivering a multicultural explosion of sound that any jazz or music enthusiast can appreciate. Co-headlining the show are Brooklyn afrobeat outfit Zongo Junction. The 11-piece ensemble has toured extensively throughout the East and West Coasts in support of their latest release, Theives! With a sound that the Village Voice describes as “sheer energy with the force of a tractor-trailer that roars with power and noise,” the band’s infectious stage presence is enough to ignite any dancefloor. The Souljazz Orchestra and Zongo Junction make their pit stop at Nietzsche’s this Tuesday (Dec 4) as part of the 10-day “Solidarity” tour.

jon wheelock

8pm Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / nietzsches.com) $15