City of Night

Saturday, August 17

Walking into last year’s first ever City of Night event at Silo City was like walking onto a visual arts playground. As I approached the garage-door sized opening at the end of Marine A I peered down the long corridor. Bassy, droning music ricocheted and echoed off of every surface of the nearly 100 foot tall structure. As I walked further into the silo I passed by a sound and video instillation that simulated coins falling from the top of the structure, a light demonstration that spelled out the word LOVE in psychedelic fashion, and a tree that seemed to grow out of the concrete and reach into one of the grain containers. People were exploring the industrial space in a way that it has never been explored before. It was a unique experience, as will be this year’s City of Night on Saturday (Aug 17). In addition to the many visual art instillations, City of Night will feature three stages: the Marine A stage which will feature mostly DJs and electronic sound artists; the Main Stage which will feature bands like Tom Stahl and the Dangerfields, Bearhunter, Lazlo Hollyfeld, Randle and the Late Night Scandals and many more; and the Amphitheatre stage which will feature still more bands and performance art. Expect some roving performances and special locations as well. Presented by the Emerging Leaders in the Arts Buffalo (ELAB) and sponsored by Monster Assembly, Larkin Square, DelVecchio & Stadler, and Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation, City of Night combines Buffalo’s industrial past with it’s future in art. Don’t miss it.

- cory perla

4pm-2am. Silo City, 200 Childs Street (cityofnightbuffalo.com) free

Thursday, August 15

Todd Rundgren

Whether you know him as his new moniker TR-i, in his original role as frontman of Utopia, or simply as Todd Rundgren, the legendary prog-rock leader is a wizard, a true star, as the title of his 1973 solo album summed up nicely. Rundgren, always the innovator as a songwriter, video pioneer, producer, recording artist, computer software developer, and conceptualist, has tried his hand in many projects from his work in 1960s cult group Nazz, to licensing technology to Apple. It’s obvious that the 65-year-old guitarist-at-heart never stops coming up with sometimes outrageous, but always intriguing musical ideas. His latest sound adventure, his 24th album overall, is titled State and was released earlier this year. Produced entirely by Rundgren, State returns the prog-rock star to a kaleidoscopic electronic rock sound with computerized drum samples, far-out vocals, and laser-guided guitar chords. Expect a mix of electronic jamming and classic rock when Todd Rundgren comes to Canalside for a free concert with Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, and This Is Fiction tonight (Aug 15).

- cory perla

5pm to 9:30pm Canalside, 1 Navel Park Cove (856-3150 / buffaloplace.com/thursday) Free

Thursday, August 15 - Sunday, August 18

Sunwaves Music & Art Festival

The temperatures may have taken a dip this week, making it feel as though autumn is creeping in, but this weekend the Sunwaves Music and Arts Festival is not only bringing sun, but over 20 bands to play the four-day event as well. The show is being held at North Fork Music Park in Warsaw (about an hour away) and will run today (Aug 15) through Sunday (Aug 18). The best feature though is that this is a non-profit event and all of the proceeds are going to the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation. In terms of music, the bands span a wide range—from nationally-known to local acts—and include names like Alan Evans Trio (pictured), iNFiNiEN, Slip Madigan, Rhubarb, Jony James Band, Universe Shark, Relics: The Music of Pink Floyd, and Little Mountain Band. In addition to the music, there will be a flea market on Saturday, camping on site, and swimming as well. Alan Evans, whose band is headlining the festival with their Friday night set, says, “I feel pretty honored that the Sunwaves Music & Arts Festival reached out to me. I’m really excited to have been invited to play for such a great cause.” Sunwaves will be the first gig for the band in a couple of months and the guys couldn’t be more excited. Guitarist of Alan Evans Trio, Danny Mayer, says, “There’s something special about Western New York. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it is, but I do know that every time we’ve ever played there, it’s been an incredible time. There’s always a very tangible appreciation for what we do there and that always translates to the stage! This will be our first festival in the area, so I can’t wait to see what goes down!”

- jeremiah shea

5pm Thursday to 5pm Sunday North Fork Music Park, 4952 Quarry Road, Warsaw (sunwaves.org) $25 advance, $40 at the gate, $5 parking

Friday, August 16

Owl City

Until 2009, 23-year-old Adam Young had never been on a plane, hadn’t moved out of his parent’s house, and couldn’t get a hold of a steady job while taking classes at a community college. But the Owatonna, Minnesota youth who quickly became chart-topping frontman of electronic-pop band Owl City, probably didn’t know he was a crusader of the 21st century’s changing music industry while hanging out in his basement. After amassing an online fan base on social media sites like Myspace and Youtube, Young’s knack for dreamy synth melodies was noticed by Universal Republic Records in 2008. The beats created on Young’s laptop in the solitude of his mid-western home served as his escape from nightly battles with insomnia and small-town boredom. His first album, Ocean Eyes, which contained the hit single “Fireflies,” went platinum in the United States and several other countries in 2010. Ocean Eyes evoked a charming lightheartedness, which delicately contrasted the real with the surreal: nature-inspired lyrics strung together synthetically crafted melodies as Young used his MacBook to push past his own day-to-day realities. With a wealth of new experiences under his belt, Young’s second album All Things Bright and Beautiful retains his first effort’s optimism to see the world but expounds on his new experiences as a travelling musician. His most recent album, The Midsummer Station, generated a more danceable radio hit “Good Time” featuring Canadian Idol contestant Carly Rae Jepsen. The imaginative electronica band visits Buffalo’s Town Ballroom on Friday (Aug 16).

- meghan sauer

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $22 advance, $25 day of show

Friday, August 16

Kool Keith

“I always made sexual records, I always made nasty records” said rapper Kool Keith as he talked to Das Racist’s Kool A.D. in a 2012 interview for Noisey. He summed up his career pretty well with that one response. Sitting in front of a plate of French fries, wearing a backwards baseball cap, and speaking through his gapped teeth, Kool Keith talked about drugs, horrorcore rap, and travelling, in his stoic, Mike Tyson-esque demeanor. The 49-year-old rapper, also known as Dr. Octagon, Dr. Dooom, and Black Elvis has built a career on spitting freaky, surreal rhymes over sci-fi beats. Like the Dr. Dirty of the hip hop game, Keith is known for his bizarre and perverted lyrical style that he sometimes refers to as pornocore. The title of his 1996 debut album, Dr Ocagonecologyst, speaks for itself with song titles like “Girl Let Me Touch You” and “Biology 101.” The Bronx, New York rapper began his career as part of the Ultramagnetic MCs group which also included rapper Tim Dog, who according to Vice Magazine, may or may not have faked his own death this year to avoid paying $20,000 to a woman he allegedly conned. Kool Keith broke off from the group in the mid 1990s to release a string of solo records including Sex Style, First Come, First Served, Spankmaster, and his latest album, 2013’s Magnetic Pimp Forcefield. The z-movie style rapper also claims to have hundreds of unreleased tracks that are simply too hot to handle. Kool Keith comes Duke’s on Friday (Aug 16) presented by Deep Thinka Records.

- cory perla

10pm Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar, 253 Allen St. (240-9359 / dukesbohemiangrovebar.com) $15 advance

Saturday, August 17

Deep Six Aboard the USS Little Rock

Ever party on a battleship? Are you obsessed with nautical things and secretly feel like a sailor? The IgLoO Music crew can make your dream come true on Saturday aboard the USS Little Rock at the Buffalo Naval Park. Jeff Breen, from Toronto, is headlining the night. He attended school in London where he met his manager and soon became a highly-esteemed name in the Canadian scene, holding residencies at places like The Guvernment, The Sound Academy, Comfort Zone, and Circa. Also on the list are local talent DJ Lalka, and IgLoO founders Brandon Chase and Paul K. The party starts at 5 p.m. so a view of the sunset from the harbor is in store; step off the ship and into the after-party (free with ticket) at The Liberty Hound, located right in the Naval Park. The bill of DJs includes two babes from San Francisco: DJ Loryn and DJ Denise. In addition, local IgLoO crew comrade, and a beginner in the game, John Sullivan will rock the decks. There will be a full bar on the ship, better get your sea legs ready. Ahoy!

- alicia greco

5pm-11pm USS Little Rock, The Buffalo Naval Park, 1 Naval Park Cove (deepsix.eventbrite.com) $10 presale or $15 at the boat, 18+

Tuesday, August 20

Iration

Iration’s bandmates came from Hawaii and reconnected in Santa Barbara, California to create alternative/reggae beats. The band rose to the top of the genre with “Time Bomb” hitting number one on iTune’s reggae charts when key vocalist, Kai Rediske, walked out. Normally, such a schism would slow a band down, but Iration soldiered onward to complete their third album, Automatic, and to rock the indie/reggae world. Like many reggae groups, Iration had relied on two dueling vocalists, but now Micah Pueschel has stepped up and become a frontman. Fortunately, there is no bitterness; the band embodies the reggae attitude of peace and good vibes as they wish Kai well. Instead, they are focused on promoting the success of Automatic, which features just remnants of Kai’s back-up vocals. The album has an eclectic sampling of Jamaican sounds and is inspired by love. “Love in all its forms, is and has always fueled our music: love of life and its mysteries, love for your home, love of nature, and of course love between people. Automatic is no different,” says Pueschel. Catch the band as they pass through on their tour across the states at the Waiting Room this Tuesday (Aug 20).

- madeline tiede

7pm The Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (852-3900 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $12 advance, $14 day of show