Best of Buffalo 2014

Monday, May 19

Last week, we revealed your nominees in AV’s annual reader survey—the best you think the region has to offer in dozens and dozens of categories. On Monday (May 19), at the Town Ballroom, we reveal the winners at the Best of Buffalo party, a rollicking, sprawling celebration featuring food from nominated restaurants and entertainment by nominated artists, including Whiskey Reverb and DJ Deek. All for just $5. Who will win best new restaurant? What’s the coolest new art space? Where do you go for good Ethiopian food or a snazzy pair of shoes? The doors and the cash bar open at 6pm. Get there early: This affair gets bigger every year. As parties go, it is, if we do say so ourselves, one of the best in Buffalo.

- geoff kelly

6pm-9pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com / best.artvoice.com) $5

Friday, May 16

Marco Benevento

For over a decade, pianist Marco Benevento has sculpted boundless sonic landscapes and orchestrated melodic jams full of uplifting grooves. He’s a staple, genre-weaving gem; harmoniously blurring the lines between post-rock, psych-rock, and classical jazz. Musical fervor and astuteness flow through his veins, clotting in his deft fingertips to produce a whirlwind of swirling vaporous effects and elegant compositions. He’s known for exploring new musical territory and doing so without sacrificing a drum-tight sound. The improv-oriented artist’s unique style of sonic spacing and melodic counterpoints conjure up sounds that are wildly progressive, yet comfortably classic. His latest studio album, Tigerface, which carries the listener on a vibrant cloud of memorable melodies filtered through an arsenal of synths, analog keyboards, pianos, loops, and varied beats is the perfect example of this. He recruited the vocal talents of Rubblebucket’s, Kalmia Travers for two tracks—his first two compositions to include vocals—as well as other artists from renowned bands like Phish, Pearl Jam and more. The record captures the vibrant energy of a live performance, but at the same time, each track is primed for live exploration. For example, “Going West” harnesses some of what Benevento excels at in a live setting: soaring blues-rock psychedelia layered over a big beat. If he played it live, exactly as he did on the album, it would undoubtedly rock the crowd, but that’s not his style. As with all of Benevento tracks, the bold and dynamic live execution comes full bore at the audience, soaking them with throbbing and infectious beats. Marco Benevento will play at Nietzches on Friday (May 16) with support from Lazlo Hollyfeld.

- kellie powell

9pm Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / nietzsches.com) $12

Friday, May 16

Sidney Samson

During my introduction to the underground dance scene, there are many songs I now hold dear to me in my memory bank of nostalgia; “The World is Yours” by Sidney Samson is one of them. Without a moniker, Samson performs under his real name. Long before that, in 1995, Samson began DJing at the age of 14. His mixing evolved from hip-hop, to house, before he became prominently known for the production of his chart-topping track “Riverside,” during the peak of Dutch house. A genre with a way of peaking ears, Dutch house is a sub-genre of electro-house music—sometimes known as “dirty Dutch”—with squeaky synths and drum patterns with a Latin flavor. In 2003, he even gained a residency position at The Matrixx in Holland and currently remains living in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Factory Nightlife will be bringing Sidney Samson to Rendezvous Niteclub on Friday (May 16). Opening the night will be local DJs Jesse Aaron and Just Dubbs. The event will be 21+ and attire is dress to impress. Among the likes of Afrojack and Fedde le Grand, it is not an overstatement to call Sidney Samson one of the most pivotal pathmakers in the electro-house realm. Catch him as he takes over the Queen City.

- alicia greco

11pm Rendezvous Niteclub, 107 Delaware Avenue. (853-3300 / rendezvousniteclub.com) $15 advance. Dress code enforced, 21+

Saturday, May 17

Buffalo Porchfest

This Saturday (May 17), the porches, stoops and lawns of the Elmwood Village will transform into stages hosting a variety of musical acts during the Buffalo Porchfest, a day-long roaming block party that showcases the communal spirit that Buffalo is all about. Modeled after similar Porchfest events in places like Ithaca, Cleveland, Ontario, and Napa, the Buffalo Porchfest keeps that same neighborhood focus by bringing people together, highlighting historic architecture and filling the streets with music from local talent. “Buffalo Porchfest is a way of showcasing that community-first attitude,” says Ashley Smith of the Elmwood Village Association, who puts on the event. “It’s a grassroots music event by the community for the community. Porchfest was pioneered in Ithaca and seemed like a natural fit for the Elmwood Village area.” It’s the perfect event to experience on foot or by bike, with most of the activity clustered around the Lafeyette Circle/Richmond area. The musicians and bands are plentiful, with over 40 expected to participate, including jam outfit Ajamaja (2pm, 459 Delavan), Andrew J. Reimer’s Country-Punk Extravaganza (3pm, 567 Auburn), and Randle and the Late Night Scandals (4pm, 568 Lafeyette), among many others. For a full schedule and map of participating porches, visit buffaloporchfest.org.

- jon wheelock

1:00pm Various locations (buffaloporchfest.org) free

Saturday, May 17

Pearson Sound

There are not many producers who can boast releases on almost all of the UK’s most highly esteemed bass music labels, from Hemlock, and Aus Music, to Swamp 81, Soul Jazz and Hessle Audio. Aside from world-renowned wunderkind James Blake, Pearson Sound aka David Kennedy is one of the few UK bass producers who can lay down such a strong résumé. Kennedy was making club music before he had ever stepped foot in a club. At the age of 17 he ventured out to a club in London for the first time, alone. “I didn’t even know bass existed until I went to a proper club,” said Kennedy in an interview with BBC Radio 1 host Benji B. “I realized that this is what it can sound like. You can have your nose rattled and your ears shaking.” Now, he’s mastered the science of tweaking frequencies and the art of adjusting subtle yet intense grooves that are capable of taking any DJ set to the next level. As producer he’s a pioneer in the UK bass music scene, releasing snapping grime grooves like 2013’s “Lola,” a critically accalimed Fabriclive compilation, and remixes for Radiohead. As the head of the respected record label Hessle Audio—along with Ben UFO, and Kevin McAuley aka Pangaea—he’s known for tearing down the boundaries between house, garage, and techno, and perfecting that nose rattling sound, which most producers can only dream of. Sandwiched between tour dates at a secret location in Massachusetts with Jacques Greene and New York City’s Output with Untold, Pearson Sound comes to Buffalo Iron Works as part of Club Phenomenology II: The Grid on Saturday (May 17), presented by Cool Dad Records and Infinite Zone Productions. Support from Eyes Everywhere, Nick Fowler, Neckbrace, and Mascone Lee with Alex Morrison.

- cory perla

9pm Buffalo Iron Works, 49 Illinois St.(200-1893 / buffaloironworks.com) $10 advance, $15 before 12, $20 after 12, 18+

Tuesday, May 20

Manchester Orchestra

Combining alt rock and pop punk, indie rock and emo, Manchester Orchestra have always existed on the outskirts of radio rock. The band that formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 2004 has made a career out of presenting straightforward, crazy-loud rock music. On their latest album, Cope, released on April 1 through the band’s own independent record label, Favorite Gentlemen, they’ve doubled down; going louder with static heavy guitar tones and the melodic yet snarled vocals of singer Andy Hull. Recorded in a home studio that the band built themselves, the follow up to their 2011 album Simple Math erases all hints of symphonic composition and instead goes straight for the jugular with 38 minutes of relentless rock music. “We wanted to make the kind of album that’s missing at this time in rock: something that’s just brutal and pounding you over the head every track,” says Hull. The songs on Cope, which pack an admirable punch, should be knockouts live. Catch Manchester Orchestra live at the Town Ballroom on Tuesday (May 20 with support from Pennsylvania post-hardcore band Balance and Composure and Brooklyn songwriter Kevin Devine with his Goddamn Band.

- cory perla

6pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $16.50 advance, $21 day of show

Thursday, May 22

Artvoice Presents Night Shift

Thus far, Night Shift by Artvoice has been all about late-night dancing, dark rooms and bright lights, intimate environments and all the revelry that an eclectic group of DJs has been able to summon. For the third installment of Night Shift, we’ve decided to offer a different vibe: something sophisticated, relaxed, and free on a Thursday evening at Allen Street Hardware Cafe. Night Shift will commence in a dimly lit Back Room at 7:30pm on Thursday (May 22) with the sound of live jazz, wine and cocktail specials, and an art opening by visual artist Justin M. Tartick. The Ellen Pieroni Quartet, nominated in our Best of Buffalo reader’s poll as one of the best Jazz acts of 2014, and one of Buffalo’s youngest and most talented jazz projects will be accompanying the art show from 8pm to 10pm. At 10pm Pine Fever will perform in the front room of Hardware. Buffalo’s self proclaimed “scumbag Americana band,” Pine Fever uses acoustic instruments and down-home lyrics to push their gritty version of roots rock revelry on their crowd. Night Shift strives to offer the Artvoice experience beyond what is seen in print every Thursday. This week, come to Hardware to pick up your copy and enjoy some remarkable live jazz, dance to Pine Fever, view our local art exhibit, and gather your friends for a photo in the Artvoice photo booth!

- sean t. heidinger

7:30pm Allen St. Hardware Café (882-8843 / allenstreethardware.com) free