Steve Byrne
Thursday 4/9: 8pm / Friday 4/10: 7:30pm & 10pm / Friday 4/11: 7:30pm & 10pm Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St. (853-1211 / heliumcomedy.com) $15-$30
You may recognize the Irish-Korean American comedian, Steve Byrne from TBS’ Sullivan & Son, but the 41-year-old comic/writer is best known for his quick wit and clean stand-up material. Bryne has performed in front of some diverse crowds from the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to nude women in mid-coitus on Playboy TV’s Night Calls. This weekend however, he’ll be performing on Helium Comedy Club of Thursday, Friday and Saturday. After winning many stand-up competitions such as the Myspace Standup or Sitdown Challenge and TBS’ Cutthroat Contest, Byrne was launched into a successful television and film career. As his popularity began to grow, he was featured in his very own half-hour Comedy Central Presents that was voted as one of the best specials of all time in the Comedy Central Standup Showdown. Byrnes routine is in a constant state of evolution and his off-the-cut improvisational skills guarantee that no two shows are exactly alike. Byrne’s is the kind of comic you would want to hang out with. He’s good natured and goofy, his comedy isn’t acerbic or confrontational. He’s a guy who just wants to get on stage, have fun with the crowd and make you laugh
> Jeff Czum
4/9 -4/11
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THU 4/9
Lotus
7pm Town Ballroom, 681 S. Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $20-$25
Lotus has pretty much never stopped touring since their formation in 1999. If you were to look at their tour dates, you’ll notice they hit every major city in America while still visiting some of the smaller towns. They must really care about their die-hard fan base. From the beginning, the five- piece “jamtronica” band has been mixing jam rock and electronica to create a sound that’s both diverse and compelling. When listening to their catalogue in its entirety, you might be struck by the technical skill of instruments, and at the same time feel the undeniable urge to move your feet. Even during jams that last for upwards of 15 minutes (which they’re known to do to in concert), they put on a show that never disappoints. On Thursday (4/9 @7pm), Lotus will return once again to Town Ballroom.
> Jeff Czum
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Willie Watson w/ The Wood Brothers
7pm Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com) $20-$23 Ages 21+
If all you know of old-time mountain country music is what you hear on CMTV AND CountryXM stations, you might think it’s nothing but songs about losing your dog to your ex-wife, and driving off down a dirty road in your beat up pick-up truck. If you want real country music, you listen to Willie Watson. Since leaving his band Old Crow Medicine Show, Watson hasn’t lost momentum. Last year, he released Folk Singer, Vol. 1, a full-length album that displays a hauntingly beautiful array of 1920s-era country blues and Appalachian tunes. His solo performances are the perfect example of the less-in-more approach, and goddamn does it work. All you hear is one man, his banjo, his guitar, and his high and lonesome voice through a lo-fi microphone. “When I perform alone, I have to do everything,” Watson says. “I have to try to be a little band all by myself. The percussion, the chords, the melody, the vocals, the instrumental interludes – they all have to come from me.” Willie Watson will be performing with The Wood Brothers, a group comprised of brothers Oliver and Chris Wood who play a form of vintage-roots blues, folk and gospel. You can catch both acts at Tralf Music Hall this Thursday (4/9 @7pm).
> Jeff Czum
THU 4/9
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SAT 4/11
Burning Books Presents: Jake Conroy
7pm Burning Books, 420 Connecticut St. (881-0791 / burningbooksbuffalo.com) Free
Would you consider Jake Conroy to be a domestic terrorist? The US government does. Part of the animals rights campaign, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, he was engaged in an international effort against the private animal experimentation laboratory Huntingdon Life Sciences, which created an uproar among activists after an undercover video was leaked that showed HLS workers abusing and shouting at beagle puppies. Conroy and his organization not only targeted the lab, but the investors and supporting corporations that were affiliated with HLS. This method of action nearly toppled the multimillion-dollar company in 2000 and it’s investors. Due to the massive success of the campaign, U.S. lawmakers sympathetic to HLS and other animal-exploitation industrials, sought prosecution to Conroy and his organization. Conroy was convicted and sentenced to 4-years in a federal prison for his involvement. According to Jake, the FBI labels animal rights and environmental activists the number one domestic terrorism threat. He states that new laws are made to turn activism into “terrorism” if it hurts corporate profits. On Saturday evening (4/11 @7pm) at Burning Books, Conroy will be speaking about his role in SHAC USA and the repression the group faced from the US government and corporate investigators. His topics will include being the target of a multi-agency terrorism investigation, learning he was on a high-profile prisoners list, and living his life as a terrorist in a post 9/11 society.
> Jeff Czum
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Lightning Bolt
8pm Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. (465-2368 / buffalosmohawkplace.com) $13-$15
Lightning Bolt will live up to their name on Wednesday night (4/15 @8pm) as they ignite the room at Mohawk Place with enough raw energy to make you feel like you’ve been kicked in the face (it’s a good feeling, I promise). Over the course of their two-decade existence, the duo has built a formidable reputation as a live act. You’ll notice that they often break the barrier between stage and audience by setting themselves up on the floor in the midst of the crowd, engaging with their fans unlike any other band you’ve seen. Vocalist/drummer Brian Chippendale ferociously pounds away at his instrument while singing into the microphone that’s built into his ominous hood that resembles something a 16th century judicial executioner would wear, while bassist Brian Gibson, armed with multiple pedal effects creates an apocalyptic distorted sound that will launch you into another dimension. The group just released their first LP in 5 years, Fantasy Empire. The entire album is a straight-up face-ripper filled with an assaultive spree of riffs and drum-spazzouts. It’s going to be a unique experience to see these guys in action next week and this is one show you won’t want to miss.
> Jeff Czum
WED 4/15
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WED 4/15
Investigative Post Reports: The Outer Harbor
7pm Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, 641 Delaware Ave (884-0095 / trsite.com) $10
Dan Telvock, the environmental reporter for Investigative Post will be discussing his coverage of Buffalo’s Outer Harbor on Wednesday evening (4/15 @7pm) at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site. He’ll be touching upon the state’s most recent approach to developing the Outer Harbor a presented by the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. (ECHDC); A plan which calls for the construction of housing units next to a partially cleaned up Superfund site contaminated with sludge that could possibly cause cancer. Telvock concluded that the area next to the environmentally sensitive Times Beach Nature Preserve is not deemed as a safe location for housing or a park. A large portion of the property is contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals and toxic heavy metals like lead, mercury and arsenic, and should be tested properly to determine if remediation is necessary. Telvock’s multi-media presentation will be followed by a panel discussion including Lynda Schneekloth of Sierra Club Niagara Group, Jill Spisiak Jedlicka of Buffalo Niagara Riverkepper, and Tucker Curtin of Dug’s Dive. Each speaker will be discussing ways to improve and develop what could be Buffalo’s very successful waterfront. The event will end with a Q&A session with the audience. Admission includes an Investigative Post membership.
> Jeff Czum
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