Josh Wolf
Thursday 3/19: 8pm / Friday 3/20: 7:30pm & 10pm / Saturday 3/21: 7:30pm & 10pm Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St. (853-1211 / heliumcomedy.com) $15-$30
Comedian, actor, and acclaimed writer Josh Wolf has been featured on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” as well as making frequent appearances on the late night show, “Chelsea Lately.” This weekend Wolf will be bringing the charm to Helium Comedy Club. He’s written for many shows like Yes Dear, Will Smith’s All of Us, Raising Hope, and Cutes, as well as well the new E! series After Lately. He manages to make audiences all over laugh at his well-delivered, witty lines of brutally honest material. He’ll challenge and unsettle the crowd before winning them back with stories of awkward dates, being a father, and competing with his BFF Chelsea Handler. Aside from being a comedian in the limelight, Wolf is also a New York Times Best Selling Author, his debut book ‘It Takes Ball: Dating Single Moms and Other Confessions from an Unprepared Single Dad’ came out in March 2013 and has been a hit among ...(you guessed it) single moms and unprepared single dads all over the world. Wolf will be making appearances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.
> Jeff Czum
3/19 -3/21
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SAT 3/21
SomeKindaWonderful
7pm Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (852-5483 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $10-$13
Late night encounters at bars rarely ever lead to something serious, but SomeKindaWonderful has managed to defy the odds. Vocalist Jordy Towers was signed as a solo artist, but fell victim to the “major label system.” He refused to become another faceless artists and the label eventually left him with no clear direction. Towers knew it was time for a change and left LA to re-examine his life in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. During this trip, guitarist Matt Gibson and drummer Ben Schigel crossed Towers’ path. Intending to just grab a few beers at a local diver bar, they found much more than they have anticipated. Schigel and Gibson were basically a band without a lead singer and Towers was a lead singer without a band. They headed a studio 3 hours after meeting and recorded their first single, “Riverse.” The band has managed to stir things up within the local Cleveland scene and is now just beginning to break out into other major markets. They recently just got off a very successful tour with Twenty One Pilots and they’re heading out of their first ever headline run. It’s not often a band can say fate brought them together, but isn’t just... SomeKindaWonderful? The group will be kicking things off at the Waiting Room on Friday night (3/20 @7pm) with Marc Scibilla and Royal Tongues.
> Jeff Czum
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Melissa Ferrick
8pm The 9th Ward @ Babeville, 341 Delaware Ave (852-3835 / babevillebuffalo.com) $15-$20
Melissa Ferrick helped represent a new wave of alt-rock females in the mid-90s. Artists like Liz Phair, PJ Harvey, and Paula Cole – who sang about womanhood with sharp, brutal honesty. Her career has seen it’s fair share of ups-and-downs. She got her first record deal with major label Atlantic Records when she was just 20 years old, but when her first two albums didn’t make the charts she was dropped. She took the loss hard and suffered through some major low points in her life, but decided to start things back up in 1996. That’s when she says she decided to “keep the music scared” and face her fears of failing. She eventually went on to start her own label, Right On Records in 2000 and has since released a number of albums in which she played every instrument herself. Ferrick has a special relationship with her audience. Her live performances are fierce and funny, outspoken and slightly vulnerable. She has toured with some legendary artists such as Morrissey, Ani DiFranco, G-Love, and Tegan and Sara. On Saturday (3/21 @8pm), Ferrick will be bringing her acoustic/fok set to The 9th Ward @ Babeville. > Jeff Czum
SAT 3/21
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SAT 3/21
Tauk
9pm Iron Works, 49 Illinois St. (200-1893 / buffaloironworks.com) $10-$12
The Oyster Bay, New York based band, Tauk will be bringing their unique set to Iron Works this Friday night (3/21 @9pm). The group is a heavy instrumental rock fusion band created by guitarist Matt Jabert, Bassist Alric ‘A.C’ Carter, and drummer Isaas Teel. They manage to blend melodic elements from rock, gritty funk, progressive rock, ambient, classic rock, hip-hop and jazz. You may think it sounds a little crazy (which it kind of is), but somehow it works. The band’s latest album, Collisions, captures the essence of TAUK’S hypnotizing live performances. It’s a very well produced record that showcases each of the members’ talent. The 10-song album introduces ethereal ghostly textures of delayed guitar notes, complex drum rhythms, clever arrangements and fierce guitar solos. Like any jam bands, their ability to improvise live is what makes watching them an exciting experience. They might extend a verse or completely reinvent a song to make it fit within their exclusive performance, making no two shows alike. This show is expected to sell out so get your tickets fast, you won’t want to miss these guys in action.
> Jeff Czum
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Blackberry Smoke
6pm Town Ballroom, 681 S. Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $23-$25
The redneck fried-chicken-eatin’ southern rock band, Blackberry Smoke spends roughly 200 days a year on the road, so it’s no wonder they’ll be making their way to Buffalo for an epic Sunday night performance at Town Ballroom (3/22 @6pm). The Atlanta based group jumped on the charts after the release of their 2003 debut album, Bad Luck Ain’t No Crime, and have since shared the stage with some true musical legends. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet and Marshall Tucker have all given praises to the band. Blackberry Smoke turns Southern rock music into radio-friendly sing-alongs. The group’s loud guitars, honky-tonk keyboards and roots in blues, boogie and gospel all propel the raspy voice of frontman Charlie Starr. Songs about love and betrayal, family ties and growing old while you’re way too young set the theme for this band. Blackberry Smoke is on tour promoting their latest record, Too High. Expect a great Southern rock n’ roll show from a group of musicians who knows what it takes to be a modern day travelin’ band. > Jeff Czum
SUN 3/22
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MON 3/23
Torche
7pm Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. (312-9279 / buffalosmohawkplace.com) $15-$72
Over the past 10 years, the sludge metal band Torche has seen their almost exclusive sound cumulate an impressive amount of fans as well as widespread critical acclaim. Their music is catchy enough to offer accessibility to more than just the self-enclosed heavy metal world. The Miami band got their start in 2004 and fans immediately took to their unique style of spacey doom metal/stoner rock, filled with pop melodies and hooks. They just released a new album called, Restarter, and it’s no exception. Tracks like “Annihilation Affair,” and “Bishop In Arms” both hold true to Torche’s sound. Epic thundering drumming with melt-your-face-off rhythms will leave your pulse rising in anticipation for more. They only element that can match the intensity of the band’s music is their ability to showcase it in a live setting. The energy, passion and efficiency of their stage presence is only matched with rowdy crowd participation and sweaty sing-alongs. Catch these guys when they make their way to Mohawk Place on Monday night (3/23 @7pm).
> Jeff Czum
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