tech n9ne’s special effects tour
7pm Town Ballroom, 681 S. Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $31-$35
You could say that Tech N9ne is the hardest working man in the independent Hip-Hop world. For over a decade the Kansas City rapper has been dropping a handful of albums, touring constantly and growing his Strange Music record label from the ground up. Since his inception in 1991, Tech N9ne AKA Aaron Dontez Yates has become a powerhouse of rap while creating one of the most loyal and passionate fan bases in music. The Technicians and Strangers, as he calls his fans, pack out massive venues across the country to watch him kill it on the mic. On Thursday night (5/21 @7pm), he’ll be spitting the rhymes at Town Ballroom on The Special Effects Tour. The name is directly related to his most recent album, which came out earlier this month and features Strange Music favorites like Krizz Kaliko, Murs, King 810, Chris Webby and Zuse. You can expect a perfect collaboration of old-school and new-school to fill your ears, with throwback jams from the early 90s to songs off his brand new album. This may be your last chance to see Tech N9ne in an intimate venue. Sooner or later he’ll be headlining arenas.
> Korben Dallas
THU 5/21
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5/21 -5/23
JB SMoove
Thursday 5/21: 8pm / Friday 5/22: 7:30pm & 10pm / Saturday 5/23: 7:30pm & 10pm Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St. (853-1211 / heliumcomedy.com) $25-$38
One might think that comedy’s newest It Guy, JB Smoove has come out of nowhere, but the stand-up comic, actor, writer has been paying his dues for more than two decades now. His gut-busting antics go as far back as the early ‘90s with appearances on Def Comedy Jam, Uptown Comedy Club and Comic View. More recently he’s been the fan-favorite on HBO’s acclaimed Curb Your Enthusiasm and landing roles in movies such as Hall Pass and Think Like a Man. Currently starring in two hit shows (BET’s Courses With JB Smoove and CBS’ The Millers) and not to mention his own MSG talk show, Four Courses With JB Smoove, the Mount Vernon, NY 47 year old comedian is straight up killing it in the world of show-biz. He’ll have you laughing your ass off with his quick-witted, high-energy stage antics at Helium Comedy Club this weekend with three consecutive shows. “It’s a mixture of physical comedy mixed with opinionated, funny, crazy things,” Smooves says. “I don’t have a master plan and I like it that way. It allows me to be in the moment. If you see me twice you’ll never see the same show.”
> Jeff Czum
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Kill Paris
9pm Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (853-5483 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $15-$18
For the past 3 years, the multi-instrumentalist and producer Corey Baker, better knows as Kill Paris has developed a signature sound that fuses melodic bass lines with distinct elements of funk and disco. His style of music is undeniable; when you hear a Kill Paris track, you immediately know who it is. The unique elements and high energy of his live performances are one of his best attributes, making him a top act to see in the dance music community. Corey “Kill Paris” Baker will be rolling through to the Waiting Room this Thursday night (5/21 @9pm) on The Galaxies Between Us Tour, a name that goes along with his first self-released LP, which came out last month. The album illustrates a more sentimental and heart-wrenching side to the producer’s previous releases. Gritty bass chords layered with celestial electronic melodies and processed robotic vocal harmonies make each track on the LP catchy and danceable. Expect a killer show and don’t be afraid to show your wild side.
> Holly McClane
THU 5/21
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FRI 5/22
!!! (chk chk chk)
8pm 9th Ward @ Babeville, 341 Delaware Ave (852-3835 / babevillebuffalo.com) $15
Repeat after me: “Chk, Chk, Chk.” Welcome to the world of New York City’s coolest party band. “!!!” has a name that has come to be pronounced as any three repetitive noises, but most commonly as chk chk chk. The group name is intended to illustrate the band’s enthusiasm and is imbedded with a strong craving to shake things up. Imagine a world where disco doesn’t suck and indie rocker hipsters aren’t afraid to be seen dancing the night away. This is exactly what you can expect to see from of their live performances. The seven-piece band is doing their best to make the underground world get up and shake, shake, shake and it’s not a difficult task after releasing five successful studio albums. The disco-esque arrangements and thick bass grooves make !!! stand out from other indie/dance groups that have come and go throughout the years. When the beats hit, you feel it and it consumes you like the plague, instantly swimming between funky guitar riffs and high pitched vocal melodies. If you’re not afraid to get a little loose and let your wild side show, make your way down to the 9th Ward @ Babeville Friday night (5/22 @8pm) to see these guys tear it up with KOPPS and Groove Cereal.
> Jeff Czum
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Face to Face
7pm Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (853-5483 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $20-$25
Very few bands have captured that classic melodic ‘90s punk-rock sound like Face to Face. Their fuzzy guitar tones, socially conscious lyrics and anthem-like choruses hit hard to the bone. On Tuesday night (5/26 @7pm), these legendary punk rockers will be playing to a room full of spiked hair, studded belts and anarchy patches at the Waiting Room. After forming in 1991, Face to Face established themselves as one of the most kick-ass bands to emerge from the SoCal punk scene, alongside groups like Blink-1821, Pennywise, Bad Religion, and many others. The band’s peak was pretty short lived: creative differences and hinged relationships forced them to break up in 2003. “When we reunited in 2008, we just planned on doing a dozen shows a year,” says singer-guitarist Trever Keith. “Then we got Warped Tour and decided to do another record and we’ve been really active since we reformed. It’s basically been just the interest from the fans and availability. We have a strong work ethic so we’re hitting it full boar.”
> Jeff Czum
TUE 5/26
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WED 5/27
Blind Owl Band
7pm Sportsmen’s Tavern, 326 Amherst St. (874-7734 / sportsmenstavern.com) $7
Blind Owl Band is just like the group’s hometown of Saranac Lake: the real thing. They are as raw and authentic as it comes, and on Wednesday (5/27 @7pm) you can catch their set at Sportsmen’s Tavern. The four-piece folk band consists of Eric Munley (mandolin), Arthur Buezo (guitar, vocals), Christian Cardiello (bass), and James Ford (banjo, vocals). With their heavy beards, long hair, faded shirts and cut off jeans, they could easily be mistaken for any of the other bearded mountain men of the Adirondacks. They got their start just a few years back in 2011. Munley and Cardiello had been longtime friends, both moving to Saranac from a small town in New Jersey to attend Paul Smith’s College. The duo met Buezo and Ford at an annual music festival in Peru, NY called Backwoods Pondest and ran into each other again just one week later at a party. They all jammed out on acoustic instruments over the course of the night and decided to start a band (sounds like your typical mountain college town party story). After practicing for Six months, the band played their first real show and have been making music ever since. BOB’s band’s debut album, Rabble Rousing was released in 2012 and it’s everything you’d expect from a bunch of grizzly lookin’ men. The blue-grass rhythms, banjo twangs, and howling vocals will make you feel as if you’ve just hopped on a freight train that’s rollin’ on down to San Antone. If you like American bluegrass and flannel shirts, you won’t want to miss this show.
> Jeff Czum
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