The Albrights with Aircraft & Randle and the Late Night Scandals

Saturday, May 18

As they performed at the Artvoice Best of Buffalo 2013 Awards ceremony, the Albrights watched their name flash on the projection screen as winners of “Best Rock Act” and “Best Original Music Act.” The crowd cheered, and the members smiled humbly. Brandon Barry, Joe Donohue III, Matthew Crane and Dustin Herzberger, the men that comprise the band, are hard-workers. They recently released a promo video for the event, which can be found on YouTube. If you have jumped on the “Game of Thrones” bandwagon, you’ll fully understand this “Game of Albrights” parody as the members of the band battle at Delaware Park. Dogs are released and emotions are high; an ominous voice-over is heard saying “there is a beast in every man, and it stirs when you put a guitar in his hand.” You can find a link to the video on the Albrights’ Facebook page. The four-piece band released their debut record, Ask, Tell, in 2011. They followed that release with a slick music video for their single “You Don’t Love Me,” in which the band—dressed as a crew of 1950’s greasers—matches wits with a biker gang. The band will be performing this Saturday (May 18) at Nietzsche’s with Aircraft, another local band that came together in 2011. Their music draws on a 1960s inspired sound and they define themselves as psychedelic rock. They were also nominated for “Best Rock Act” and last month their debut album, Sonic Boom, was featured as buffaBLOG’s “Album of the Week.” Randle and the Late Night Scandals will take the stage as well. This five-piece band, bluesy and full of soul, has performed with nationally known acts such as Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and also some members of Rusted Root. Head down to Allentown this weekend to catch a night full of Buffalo’s very own musical talent.

- alicia greco

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

Thursday, May 16

Jimkata

Like it or not, technology continues to change our lives with nearly everything we come in contact with. This holds true for music as well, as laptops, synthesizers, and drum machines are being accepted and incorporated, both in the studio and onstage. Jimkata, an electro-rock band from nearby Ithaca, is exploring that new frontier. With other contemporaries such as the Disco Biscuits, EOTO, and STS9 paving the way, Jimkata is slowly gaining fans with their creative blend of music and constant touring. And even though this isn’t paying dividends at the moment, the band continues to find creative ways to keep pushing forward. Their newest album, Die Digital, was released this past September and the majority of it was fan-funded. The title seems to be apropos, not only for their style, but also because they’re creating music they love at any expense. This Thursday (tonight!), the band will be appearing at Nietzsche’s with openers Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. The show will surely push the boundaries both technologically and sonically as both bands embrace this electronic wave. Are you ready to dance?

- jeremiah shea

9pm Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / nietzsches.com) $10 advance

Friday & Saturday, May 17 & 18

Dave Attell

When I graduated with a Communication degree back in 2011, I expected to own multiple publications by now. In reality, I’d be lucky to find a telemarketing job where the person on the other end didn’t want to dismember me. This makes me question comedian Dave Attell’s motivation for pursuing his Communications degree at NYU in the 1980s; perhaps the “Insult Comedy major had filled up? Regardless, Attell put his communication skills to good use, positioning himself within the confines of America’s most popular medium: television. The roots of Attell’s fame sprouted from his late-night comedy show Insomniac with Dave Attell, in which the 48 year-old comedian traveled to popular American cities interviewing inebriated locals and late-night workers with unusual professions; like crime-scene cleaners or porn over-dubbers. The show gained a cult following throughout the early 2000s, but its popularity ultimately caused its demise. Crowds began to inhabit every bar Attell showed up to film at, causing the show’s core element of spontaneity to quickly diminish. The series ended in 2004 after four seasons. Following several small film roles, Attell returned to television in 2011 with the Showtime series Dave’s Old Porn, where he and fellow comedians mock pornography from the 1970s and 1980s. In an interview with TheComicsComic.com, Attell dubbed the show as the “Mystery Science Theater of Porn.” Despite his extensive television career, Attell never lost sight of his stand-up comedy beginnings, which bring him to Buffalo’s Helium Comedy Club this Friday (May 17) and Saturday (May 18).

- brett perla

8pm & 10:30pm Friday, 9:45pm Saturday Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St. (853-1211 / heliumcomedy.com) $30 ga, $35 reserved

Saturday, May 18

Being 2Pac: A Benefit for the Fight Against Leukemia & Lymphoma

With their next show, Being 2Pac, Buffalo hip hop record label Deep Thinka Records will come full circle with their Being series. Last year the series kicked off with Being B.I.G., a tribute to the legendary 1990s rapper. Now, DTR has inevitably turned their sights on Tupac Shakur, the rapper who was gunned down in Las Vegas in 1996, and whose murder is alleged to have sparked retaliation that lead to B.I.G.’s murder. There will be no talk of violence or murder at this show though: the focus is on peace and healing. This time around, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the world’s largest voluntary organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research. Concert promoter Damon Bodine is winning his battle against Hodgkins Lymphoma Cancer, and has now dedicated his life to promoting blood cancer awareness. He is embarking on a variety of fundraising endeavors with the goal of raising over $100,000 in the next 24 months. Money is only part of the movement though. “They’ve shown me that this cure will not exclusively come from laboratory research and testing. Rather it begins in the hearts and minds of all of us who wish to see a safer and more prosperous world for future generations,” says Bodine. In the fourth installment of this series—which has also included tributes to the Beastie Boys and J Dilla—Buffalo rappers Mad Dukez, Supreme General, GoGev, Short, and more will step up to the mic to spit 2Pac tunes like “Life Goes On,” “Changes,” and of course “California Love.” For East Side rapper Supereme General, being 2Pac comes naturally: “One of the main things I learned from 2Pac is to just come from my heart. I remember how I felt when his records came out so it’s easy for me to channel that emotion,” he says. It all happens this Saturday (May 18) at Duke’s in Allentown. For those feeling courageous, the mic will be open karaoke-style to whoever is ready to rap one of 2Pac’s many hits.

- cory perla

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

Sunday, May 19

The Thermals

The Thermals have been a post-punk carousel since their debut in 2003: Various band members and record labels have revolved around the originally folk-rock duo Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster. Since then, the Thermals have gained a significant hometown following in Portland, Oregon, worked with Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, and completed their trio with percussionist Westin Glass. In celebration of their first decade together, the Thermals released their sixth and, what they believe to be, best album yet, Desperate Ground in April. The high-energy record is a return to form for the group, which traditionally embraces a “lo-fi” production style—involving home-made recording, cassette tapes, and little money. “Fast, cheap, and out of control” is the Thermals’ own endearing description of their work—and this doesn’t stray far from the truth. Their first album was recorded in Harris’ kitchen and its production cost the group a grand total of $60. Their hasty creativity returns in each adrenaline-amped track on Desperate Ground. Indeed, the band finished off the LP in Hoboken, NJ only hours before Hurricane Sandy hit. From my own experience, the Thermals may entice you to jump up and down like you’re in the sixth grade at your first Green Day concert, inspire you to become a morning person and take daily 6 a.m. runs, and possibly even encourage you to evacuate the state on only a quarter-tank of gas and cassette tape-fueled angst. Or, you could go see them this Sunday (May 19) at the Tralf Music Hall.

- meghan sauer

7pm The Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com) $12 advance, $14 day of show, all ages.

Monday, May 20

Of Montreal with Wild Moccasins

In the wake of REM and B-52s, Athens, Georgia had long been a hotbed of innovative music. However, in the mid to late 1990s, the town was experiencing a rebirth with the Elephant 6 scene, a loose collective of artists and musicians who experimented with sound recording and colorful, yet often dark, songwriting. Athens artists such as Neutral Milk Hotel and the Olivia Tremor Control released their respective masterpieces at the turn of the decade while others toiled beneath the radar of most listeners. Perhaps the most vital of those overlooked bands was of Montreal. Named in tribute to an ex-girlfriend from the Canadian city, of Montreal is the brainchild of Kevin Barnes with contributions from a rotating cast of musicians and visual artists. Initially, like many of his peers, Barnes melded Brian Wilson infused pop and psychedelia and filtered it through an often lo-fi approach to recording. However, following the much adored Satanic Panic In The Attic, 2005 found a radical shift in their sound with the release of Sunlandic Twins. Instead of the twee psychedelic guitar sound of their past, of Montreal’s skewered pop was more often filled out with a more synthesizer based sound that ultimately influenced such acts as Phoenix and MGMT to a great degree. In 2007, following a move to Norway and suffering from a period of deep depression, Barnes recorded Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer? If one could imagine Queen truly merging synth pop with their earliest material and going further with dance music, you might come close to imagining what of Montreal were blossoming into. Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer is surrealist dance music, albeit the sort of surrealist dance music marked with worry and paranoia. The following year’s Skeletal Lamping and 2010’s False Priest furthered their foray into R&B and new dance territories while lyrically searching for lighter corners and avenues. Their most recent release, 2012’s Paralytic Stalks, is a challenging listen. Harking back to many of the themes of Hissing Fauna, the album is often stark, difficult and possibly one of their finest releases. Live, of Montreal is truly mesmerizing. Going far beyond the sort of stage show fare usually expected from a so-called indie rock band, of Montreal is an intricate spectacle. Falling somewhere between Prince, Peter Gabriel-era Genesis and Where The Wild Things Are, their lives shows can be alternately erotic, surreal, frightening and joyous.

- bill nehill

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $16 advance, $19 day of show

Wednesday, May 22

Ward Churchill at Burning Books

Burning Books, which has quickly become a vital focus for progressives and radicals alike, has brought in plenty of controversial speakers since it opened its doors in 2011. But none of them are as polarizing as Ward Churchill, whose 2001 essay in response to the 9/11 attacks, “On the Justice of Roosting Chickens,” argued that Americans had reaped what US government policy had sown. In 2007, the University of Colorado fired Churchill for academic misconduct, but his defenders continue to argue he was fired because of the outrage his ideas provoked. Whatever the case, Churchill’s scholarly work on the FBI, COINTELPRO, and the oppression of indigenous peoples are highly regarded. Love him or hate him, or both, Churchill’s talk is not to be missed. His appearance at Burning Books is made possible in part by noted First Amendment attorney Joseph M. Finnerty.

- geoff kelly

7pm Burning Books, 420 Connecticut Street (burningbooksbuffalo.com) free

Wednesday, May 22

Richard Buckner

Between the years 1994 and 2006, singer/songwriter Richard Buckner released a series of critically acclaimed alt-country albums including his debut, Bloomed, and 2006’s Meadow. Then he dropped it all and became a construction worker. He literally wore a blue-collar shirt to work. After a brief spell he began to write music again, but then his tape recorder was destroyed and he lost years of work. But as he did with his career, he was able to pick up the pieces of the tape recorder back together and recover some of the cracked, distorted bits of music, which would eventually be folded into his 2011 record Our Blood. It doesn’t get much more alt-country than that. Our Blood is a delicate yet thick collection of folk inspired country tunes, which he wrote and played almost entirely himself. It’s a minimal record and more immediate than some of his previous albums. This leaves room for Buckner to arrange emotion as the centerpiece of the album, which is equally as expressed by a slow, pining guitar riff as it is by a heartfelt lyric. This year Buckner plans to release Surrender, his follow-up to Our Blood, which fans will most likely get a taste of when the veteran alt-country performer comes to the Waiting Room on Wednesday (May 22).

- cory perla

8pm The Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (852-3900 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $12 advance, $14 day of show, 16+