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See You There!

Artvoice's weekly round-up of featured events, including our editor's pick for the week: the Artvoice B.O.O.M! Grand Finale, this Friday, June 6th at The Tralf.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out our full events calendar on-line for complete event listings, a location guide to find your way about the city, restaurant reviews, and more.



Artvoice Battle of Original Music (B.O.O.M!) Grand Finale

Friday, June 6

After months of online voting and live showdowns, the B.O.O.M. Grand Finale is upon us. It’s been a tough competition so far; friends have battled, but only one can win. The Grand Finale is the culmination of four rounds of live music showdowns at Nietzsche’s. Now, it all boils down to one 45-minute set, where each of the four finalists—Folk Faces, the Naturalists, Pine Fever, and the Heavenly Chillbillies—will play their hearts out to sway the audience for their coveted votes. This year, the stakes are higher than ever. As in years prior, the Grand Champion will take home a $5,000 prize and all the bragging rights that come along with a year’s worth of battling. This year, for the first time, the winner will also earn a spot on Alternative Buffalo 107.7’s local music show AND an opening slot at the radio station’s inaugural summer music festival, Kerfuffle, featuring Cage the Elephant, Kongos, The Crystal Method and more. It’s a huge opportunity that only one band will have the privilege of earning. On Friday (June 6) each person through the door at the Tralf Music Hall will receive a single ballot on which they will cast a vote for their favorite band. The winner will be announced at midnight. The band with the most votes wins. It’s that simple. May the best band win.

- cory perla

7pm The Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com / boom.artvoice.com). $7.

Friday, June 6

The Trews

The Trews have been delivering punchy hard-rock anthems since their conception in 1997. Five studio albums, four EPs, and thousands of live shows later, the prominent four-piece Canadian outfit will be arriving in Buffalo and playing at the Town Ballroom this Friday (June 6). They’ll be livening up the venue with splashy guitar chords, unrestrained drums, and heartrending vocals and harmonies whose lyrical content lies on the optimistic end of the spectrum (“Where there’s love there’s life”). They’ve been likened to a host of landmark 1990’s groups such as Sound Garden, Stone Temple Pilots, and Collective Soul and in that way, unusually so, they’ve remained faithful to the genre as a whole. Regarding their latest album, The Trews, the seasoned frontman of the group, Colin MacDonald reveals, “I think we are getting better at pinpointing when a song is good and when it’s not. That’s what happens when you make five albums and tour all the time—you can tell a timeless idea from one that rocks hard but gets old fast. If I have to sing these songs 200 nights a year, I want them to be good.”

- jeanette chin

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $20 advance, $25 day of show

Friday, June 6

Sugar City's Soul Night

Local arts collective Sugar City has a lot to celebrate. This Thursday (tonight!) they’re offering a sneak peak of their new art space, located at 1239 Niagara Street as part of an evening of happenings that includes temporary instillations, video, and performances by local artists on the 1200 block of Niagara. While you’re over there, head across the street to the BT&C gallery (1250 Niagara) to check new work by artist Julian Montague, titled “In Ruins.” Then, on Friday (June 6) the celebration really begins with Sugar City’s Soul Night at Milkie’s on Elmwood. Get ready for some funk and soul music by DJ Handsome Dan, DJ Press, DJ Salinger, Boss Matto, and Czubi. The bi-annual dance party is a great place to let loose and have a good time, safely. In fact, if you ride over to the party on a bike while wearing a bike helmet, your admission is free (in celebration of Sugar Citizen Amiee Buyea’s recovery from a serious bike accident three years ago). Let’s boogie!

- cory perla

10pm Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave. (buffalosugarcity.org) $5, 18+

Saturday, June 7

WBNY at Spiral Scratch featuring The Naturalists, Rustic Radio & Dance the Hempen Jig

Loud, fast and indie: these are just a few words to describe New Jersey indie/punk band Titus Andronicus, who are also known for their historical and modern Civil War punk album, The Monitor. Last August Titus Andronicus came to Buffalo to kick off their tour and tested their album Local Business, and now they will be coming back to Buffalo at the Tralf Music Hall on Saturday (June 7) to do it again; this time they will be testing out their still untitled 4th LP, which is said to be released this fall. Front man Pat Stickles claims the upcoming LP will have 30 songs that will resemble a “multi-act rock opera.” High hopes can be expected for this LP after the success of Local Business, which had obvious DIY punk roots that clashed with that “indie feel.” The album is full of energy with its catchy guitar hooks and consistently loud vocals—it sounds like Stickles is yelling, although with a unique melody—throughout the entire album. This band experiments with an array of lyrical styles, as well as fast and loud rhythms that keep fans guessing what they will do next. To sample what their musical style will dabble in next, check them out this weekend with alt rock band Baked and local punks Cross Stitch.

- sara ali

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

Saturday, June 7

Willie Nelson

Iconic country singer-songwriter Willie Nelson brings his humble, spirited pop-country tunes to Lewiston, as he continues on his summer tour. The longhaired, bearded Texan has made a career of combining emotional songwriting and delivery to reach audiences beyond just the country genre. After his first song “Family Bible” earned him a mere 50 dollars, he relocated to Nashville in the 1960s, landing his first publishing contract. This led Nelson on his musical journey, blending country, jazz, and pop into his most prized songwriting, including popular albums And Then I Wrote, Yesterday’s Wine, and Shotgun Willie. Though his following holds strong, some cannot bare the wry, emotional sound of his voice, mixed with the honest, lyrical sap. The timeless and prolific Nelson (& family) saddles up on Saturday (June 7) at Artpark, alongside angelic, modern American bluegrass talent Alison Krauss & Union Station. She and her band of 25 years, will take the stage performing recognized hits “When You Say Nothing At All,” “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow,” and “The Lucky One.”

- hanna epstein

7pm Artpark, 450 South 4th St., Lewiston (754-4375 / artpark.net) $45-$65

Monday, June 9

Homeboy Sandman

You’ve probably indulged in some of Homeboy Sandman’s writing, whether you’re familiar with his rap lyrics on records like First of a Living Breed or not. That’s because the Queens, New York rapper, when he’s not penning witty lyrics about social injustice, often writes for websites like the Huffington Post and Gawker. His latest piece about the Clippers’ Donald Sterling controversy went viral after he criticized the team itself for responding weakly. When he’s not critiquing culture for popular publications, he does it for Stones Throw Records in the form of old-school hip hop inspired tracks like his latest, “Atlantis” that should appear on his next full length record, due this fall. Produced by Blu, “Atlantis” is a funky hip-hop track that strips it down to a grooving bassline and Sandman’s melodic flow. The 33-year-old rapper comes to Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar on Monday (June 9) with support from the Difference Machine, Kool Taj, Keith Koncept, and DJ Drop D, presented by Deep Thinka Records.

- cory perla

9pm Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar, 253 Allen St. (240-9359 / dukesbohemiangrovebar.com) $5

Thursday, June 12

Shaggy

Pop-reggae icon and vocal talent, Shaggy, from Kingston, Jamaica, merges smooth and happening rhythms with an eclectic, appealing sound. The musician has two multiplatinum albums, 12 top 10 singles worldwide, eight number one hits, and a 1996 Grammy for best reggae album. Remember that catchy radio hit you could only mumble three words to? “It Wasn’t Me,” released in 2000, topped the charts and earned another Grammy nomination for best pop collaboration with vocals. True to his Jamaican roots, Shaggy’s unique and creative crossover appeal is recognized on his most recent compilation Out of Many, One Music, released in fall 2013. While we have only heard newly released, mainstream single “Lovin’ You” since then, classic tracks “Angel,” on his top album Hot Shot, and “Boombastic,” from popular album The Boombastic Collection, have kept Shaggy’s name and craft well recognized. Shaggy will kick off this year’s free Thursday at Canalside concert series on Thursday (June 12) with support from Soul Rebels and DJ Milk.

- hannah epstein

6pm to 10pm Canalside, 1 Navel Park Cove (canalsidebuffalo.com) free