Queen City Market

Saturday, December 7

Be honest with yourself: it doesn’t feel good to buy holiday gifts for loved ones at one of those big corporate chain stores. The holidays are about feeling good and doing the right thing, and for a community like Buffalo that means putting your money back into the local economy. There are many great locally owned stores in the Elmwood Village but if you’re looking for a gift that can’t be found anywhere else then the third annual Queen City Market pop-up shop is a great place to start. Featuring over 50 local vendors selling either handmade or vintage items, the Queen City Market has become a shopping event in its own right. Each vendor has been handpicked to guarantee a wide selection of goods–including handcrafted bags and accessories by Dungaree Dolly’s, jewelry by hm2 Jewelry, local gluten-free baked goods by Deenie Bakes, screen-printed art by Vintango, pottery by Nelle Design, artisan local cheese from First Light Farm & Creamery, curated vintage clothing and decor by Rust Belt Threads, and much more. If all of that shopping works up a hunger in you, Amy’s Place Food Truck, Lloyd Taco Truck and the Rolling Joe Café will be on hand to satisfy. There will also be an area to drop off non-perishable food items for the Food Bank of Western New York, while the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus provides entertainment. The Queen City Market happens this Saturday (Dec 7) at Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum: Porter Hall from 11am to 5pm and is free and open to the public.

- cory perla

11am to 5pm Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, Porter Hall, 453 Porter Avenue (qcmbuffalo.com) Free

Thursday, December 5

Cold Turkey: A Tribute to John Lennon

27 years ago, the late Michael Meldrum created Cold Turkey, Buffalo’s annual tribute to the music of John Lennon. The annual show features a range of Buffalo’s most talented musicians that are as diverse as Lennon’s catalog itself. Lennon’s legendary musicianship is glorified across the board. His harmonica was one of the first identifying element of the Beatles sound (besides their vocal harmonies) and was featured regularly on their early releases, including their first real hit, “Please Please Me.” Lennon’s sound gestures on “Love Me Do” were impeccably innovative—he repeats a simple line three times but it’s different each time; the second iteration has repetitions of notes and the third has some flavorful vibrato. He keeps that up throughout the track, not exactly playing the same line every time. He flipped between some of the most searing—though nuanced—rock vocals (“Twist & Shout”) to some of the softest vocals in the rock category. Lennon’s willingness to take risks with his career and his life, is one reason why people still admire him today. In the late 1960’s, as Lennon’s Beatles era segued into his solo career, his singing voice found a widening range of expression. He tentatively began to expose his insecurities in a number of acoustic-led confessional ballads (surely to be nailed by Gretchen Schultz on Thursday), which commenced the process of “public therapy” that would eventually culminate in the primal screams of “Cold Turkey” and the cathartic John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band style. The latter is exactly what we can expect from award-winning bands like Tom Stahl & The Dangerfields’—Lennon’s greatest rock anthems like, “Instant Karma.” Buffalo indie artist, Sara Elizabeth’s tender sweet voice could shred Lennon’s mellow ballads like, “All You Need Is Love.” This spectacular line-up paying tribute to one of the most talented musicians of all time is one you won’t want to miss. Cold Turkey will take place at Nietzsche’s on Thursday (Dec 5) at 8pm.

- kellie powell

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

Saturday, December 7

MellowHigh

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, or more commonly known as Odd Future, are a Los Angeles-based collective of artists, rappers, skateboarders and blunt rollers. It all began with Tyler, The Creator. He and like-minded friends came together and what sparked soon thereafter, began to grow. Each member has a definitive style; they team up on various projects or work solo. Two of the gang, Left Brain and Hodgy Beats, teamed up to form MellowHype in 2012. Domo Genesis soon joined the duo which created the excursion known as MellowHigh. Their self-titled, debut album, MellowHigh, was released on October 31. Appearances on the album include Tyler, herb-enthusiast Curren$y, Smoke DZA, and Odd Future member Earl Sweatshirt. “We made a couple songs, just me, Hodgy and Left on them. We were like, yo these are sick ... everybody else agreed,” Domo says. “We had a little home studio so we started hanging out more, said you know what, we should just do a project, and started fucking with it.” All in their early 20s, Odd Future has formed a definite presence in the hip-hop world as driven entrepreneurs. Left Brain: “We just wanted to know, to be out here in the industry a little bit. We got our own label, we [are] our own bosses, so tryna get out in the industry, and just fucking take over.” After Dark Entertainment presents MellowHigh on Saturday (Dec 7), at The Waiting Room. Local openers include Koolie High, who claims “Koolie can get along with anybody, just have a beat ready to be burned,” and also progressive rap duo, Network.

- alicia greco

7pm The Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (852-3900 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $15 advance, $18 day of show

Saturday, December 7

Mythbusters: Behind The Myths

For the first time ever Discovery Channel’s esteemed Mythbusters—Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman—take their invigorating, yet highly educational show on the road. The only question is: why didn’t they tour sooner? Mythbusters has become a cultural icon that scrutinizes all facets of the rumor mill. From the “ghost boy” in Three Men and a Baby (it’s a cardboard cutout, they concluded) to the five-second rule (it’s not a thing). Over 200 all-consuming episodes, these guys have yet to run out of things to experiment on. One of their live shows opened with Savage laying on a bed of nails in attempt to demonstrate how the equal distribution of his weight makes it possible. To eliminate confusion and the possibility of any lawsuits, it should be made clear that he sat on a bed of nails, if he sat on a lesser amount there would be blood due to the uneven distribution of his weight. Their live show (like its pre-recorded sibling) features Savage and Hyneman constantly pushing the outer limits of science and, in doing so, they excite and engage their all-ages audience. The only difference: this show is about 90% interactive. That’s right, they choose random members from the audience to explore the laws of physics. This is truly a rare exhibit that you won’t want to miss. Behind the Myths will take delve into the complexities of everyday life on Saturday (Dec 7) at Shea’s Performing Arts Center.

- kellie powell

8pm Shea’s Performing Arts Center, 646 Main St. (847-1410 / sheas.org) $38-$68 or $128 (VIP meet & greet)

Sunday, December 8 & Monday, December 9

National Theater: 50 Years On Stage

Opened in October 1963 after nearly a century of wrangling over public funding, England’s Royal National Theatre exists as a permanent home for (for lack of a better term) “serious” theater. Faced with putting together a two-hour broadcast tribute to celebrate the National’s 50th anniversary, outgoing artistic director Nicholas Hytner was overwhelmed by what he would be unable to do. So many plays premiered on the theater’s three stages, he points out, are not capable of providing a useful short excerpt that would do the work justice. That said, what he has pulled together for the presentation can fairly be described as staggering. The evening includes scenes from 35 plays ranging from the classical repertoire to modern works like Arcadia, Angels in America and Jerry Springer the Opera. The performers are a who’s who of British acting, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench (pictured), Christopher Eccleston, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi, Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, and Penelope Wilton, to name only the best known of the cast of 100. For full information, visit nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/national-theatre-50-years-on-stage.

- m. faust

Noon Sunday, 7pm Monday Amherst Dipson Theatre, 3500 Main Street.(834-7655 / dipsontheatres.com) $12-$15

Tuesday, December 10

Bob Berkman: Becoming Hole

Bob Berkman spent 35 years as music director at QRS, the last of the piano roll manufacturers, and continues to be a leading champion of a musical technology he considers far from obsolete. This Tuesday (Dec 10), Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center offers a rare opportunity for an audience to see and hear the immense (and perhaps unexpected) potential Berkman has discovered in the pianola as an instrument for performance and composition. Called Becoming Hole: A Celebration of Perforation with Pianola, Musings, Films, Readings, the evening will be a multi-form exploration of the instrument’s past, peresent, and future. Berkman will be joined by two of the region’s most accomplished actors: Kristen Tripp Kelly and Tim Newell. Don’t miss this. There will be a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres.

- geoff kelly

7:30pm show, 6:30pm doors, Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave. (852-3835 / babevillebuffalo.com) $12 member, $10 general/students

Thursday, December 12

The Cult

When we think of rock music in the mid-to-late 1980s, we tend to separate it into two groups; the jangly college radio of R.E.M., and the Smiths, and the glorious monster riffs of Guns N Roses or Hanoi Rocks. No band bridged the gap between those groups like the Cult. They’ve always had the lyrical intrigue of the alternative crowd mixed with the the thunderous stomp of the metal world. This was never more true than on their 1987 album, Electric—considered by many to be their masterpiece—which combined lyrics about spirituality and the occult with killer riffs that rival anything Appetite For Destruction or Hysteria have to offer. The album spawned classics like “Love Removal Machine” and “Lil’ Devil,” and helped introduce the Cult to a mainstream audience. On Thursday (Dec 12), the Cult will take the stage at the Town Ballroom, where they will perform Electric in its entirety, as they have at every stop on their Electric 13 tour. The tour to support the release of Electric Peace, a 2-disc reissue of the album, which includes a second-disc of mellower takes on each song on the album. Electric was a monumental album, one that brought the worlds of alternative and heavy metal together. This show will bring one of the best records of the late 1980s to life, and considering how strong the Cult were when they played the Buffalo Harbor in 2012, it should be an incredible night.

- john hugar

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $32 advance, $35 day of show