Lil Bibby
7pm The Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (853-5483 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $15-$18
It’s pretty unusual for a 19-year old rapper’s debut mixtape to be released with any anticipation surrounding it, let alone for it to be an event that artists such as Kanye West and Drake are looking forward to. But the Chicago hip-hop whiz Lil Bibby’s Free Crack, which was released back in November, was a rare exception. Hailing from the Windy City’s East Side, Bibby AKA Brandon Dickinson, began to gain attention last year for his hard-hitting style and lyrically deft songs like “Kill Shit” and “My Hood,” recorded with longtime friend and go-to collaborator Lil Herb. With his youthful appearance, Bibby was immediately persuasive and captivating, delivering blunt, matter-of-fact street lyrics in a raspy voice that was the perfect match for Herb’s high-octane spaz-out beats. Over the last summer, the duo got a major co-sign from hip-hop legend Drake, who reached out on Twitter and later mentioned listening to them while writing his last release Nothing Was The Same, (not bad for teenage ambitions). You can catch Lil Bibby when he performs at The Waiting Room on Thursday night (4/2 @7pm).
> Jeff Czum
THU 4/2
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THU 4/2
David Mayfield
7:30pm Sportsmen’s Tavern, 326 Amherst St. (874-7734 / sportsmenstavern.com) $10-$13
Singer-songwriter, David Mayfield’s life is made of incredible musical moments. From the days he played in his family’s band, One Way Rider, to performing alongside popular groups like the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons, the charismatic and eccentric musician finds musical nourishments in each opportunity that comes his way. Mayfield is a character in the best sense of the word. Energetic, sassy, spunky, and endearing. He connects with a crowd in a way most artists strive to achieve. He’ll throw himself around the stage while doing handstands, somersaults, and bizarre contortions that will boggle your mind. All while he delivers beautifully constructed songs of heartbreak, love, and hope. He’s not all tricks and gimmicks, though. Mayfield has serious talent. That’s how he managed to earn the appreciation and log studio time with names like Dierks Bently and Seth Avvet. Mayfield and Avett’s collaborations on “Breath of Love” from Mayfield’s debut album, The David Mayfield Parade, is romantic and calm, the exact opposite of what you’d expect from the crazy fool on stage. His latest release, Good Man Down, is darker at times but no less perfect. It’ll make you stomp your feet and groove along to the upbeat tempos and rhythms of the album. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss out when David Mayfield comes to Sportsmen’s Tavern on Thursday evening (4/2 @7:30pm).
> Jeff Czum
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Andrea Gibson
7pm The 9th Ward @ Babeville, 334 Delaware Ave (852-3835 / babevillebuffalo.com) $13
The truth always manages to find a way to the surface. For Buffalo, the truth is coming in the form of slam poetry on Thursday evening (4/2 @8pm) when poet and activist Andrea Gibson makes her way to The 9th Ward. Gibson lays out certain principles that often go unsaid. She talks gender, sexuality, bullying and class. Her aim is to get a reaction out of her audience; the type of reaction does not concern her, as long as there is a response. The Denver based poet has been writing and performing for over 15 years. In that time she’s placed in the top four at the Individual World Poetry Slam competition three years in a row, appeared on NPR, and went on to win the 2008 Women of the World Poetry Slam. Like her live performances, Gibson’s sixth full-length spoken word album Truce, is energetic, emotional, and expansive. She swings in like an unexpected garden-party guest who points out a bouquet of dead roses. Get your tickets fast as this is expected to be a packed event.
> Jeff Czum
THU 4/2
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FRI 4/3
Cabinet
9pm Iron Works, 49 Illinois St. (200-1893 / buffaloironworks.com) $12
Cabinet began with just a mandolin and a 12-string acoustic guitar in a small rural Pennsylvania town in 2005. JP Biondo and Mickey Coviello, not even old enough to drink, dazzled patrons at various open-mic nights. The duet soon grew into a six-piece, and performs lively, high-energetic shows, where you can’t help but to dance along. With roots in Bluegrass, the group produces an Appalachian vibe while including elements of rock, jazz, folk, and psychedelic. Their songs are marked by towering vocals and harmonies that compliment clever melodies. Cabinet is the type of band you have to experience live in order to fully appreciate their vision. They’ve recorded several albums in front of a live audience, including their latest, This Is Cabinet-Set II. Wistful group harmonies and elegant instrumentation set the theme for the album. These songs sound like they should be played on an old lo-fi car radio while cruising down a country road on a sunny afternoon. You won’t want to miss them at Iron Works on Friday (4/3 @9pm).
> Jeremy Carter
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Big Data
7pm The Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (853-5483 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $10-$18
Masked with thick glasses and a beard, Alan Wilkis looks like the hipster stereotype known to inhabit his hometown of Williamsburg ,Brooklyn. Maybe even a little nerdy, like the paranoid tech guy that rambles on about NSA surveillance and net neutrality when he’s supposed to be fixing a glitchy program. And in a way, Wilkis is that guy, except he’s not in IT — he’s the main brain behind Big Data, a synthpop group that uses technology to put a very danceable beat behind ideas about technological fatigue and disillusionment. Written with a clever perspective and a satirical tone, Big Data’s debut album, 2.0, was released last week (3/20). With material on the record hinging on guest appearances from the likes of Rivers Cuomo, Jamie Lidell, Kimbra, and Twin Shadow, Wilkis often takes on the role of producer rather than frontman, so it’s going to be interesting as to what the live show will entail when they perform at the Waiting Room on Tuesday (4/7 @7:30pm).
> Jeff Czum
TUE 4/7
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TUE 4/7
Jeffrey Lewis & The Jrams
8pm Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St. (312-9279 / buffalosmohawkplace.com) $8-$10
The t-shirt and baseball cap wearing New York City cult hero, Jeffrey Lewis will be coming to Mohawk Place with his beat up sticker-plastered acoustic guitar on Tuesday night (4/7 @ 8pm). Lewis is a singer, illustrator and professional-grade neurotic. He plays a jangly and verbose kind of folk-rock that he augments in concert by flipping through portfolios of his wacky drawings and comic strips. After recent solo performances, and tours with his occasional band the Junkyard, his latest collaborators are the Jrams. They’re a naturally easygoing band for their highly-strung leader. Lewis isn’t content to sing about love or loss; he finds inspiration in less-covered topics such as the true origins of punk music or mistaken identity on the subway. A few years ago, he wrote a nine-minute song called “The History of Punk on the Lower East Side, 1950-1975,” which is exactly what the title says. He says that he loves to incorporate history into all of his creative projects, whether they’re songs, comic books or live presentations. Over the last nine years, he has completed over 25 large, full-color books that he reads and sings like while his band performs behind him on stage.
> Jeff Czum
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