Metalachi
7pm The Studio @ Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (853-5483 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $12-$15
As far as fusion tribute acts go, Metalachi just might be the one that stands out the most. As their name implies, the band takes heavy metal classics and performs them in a mariachi style. It’s a truly bizarre concept that has interesting results: Randy Rhoads probably never intended his guitar solos to be performed on a violin, but that’s one of the best moments on the group’s cover of Ozzy’s “Crazy Train.” Aside from the unusual shtick, the band doesn’t take itself seriously, and almost everything written about Metalachi is a joke. As a result, finding out anything about the band isn’t an easy Feat. It doesn’t help that its members wear elaborate costumes and don’t disclose their real names. The group’s bio implies that they were consummated from a sports-team gang bang, describing their mother as such: “What began as an innocent night of snorting horse tranquilizers in a hotel room with seven members of the village jai alai team went on to produce the greatest metal band to ever live.” It’s going to get pretty wild this Thursday (10/15 @7pm) at the Studio @ Waiting Room when Metalachi takes the stage.
> Jeffrey Czum
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Keys N Krates
8pm Town Ballroom, 681 S. Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $20-$24
Keys N Krates formed in 2008 as the brainchild of drummer Adam Tune, synth/keyboardist David Matisee and internationally award-winning turntablist Jr. Flo. The Toronto trio is often referred to as the worlds only “trap band,” and that’s perfectly okay with them. Tune says it best: “At the end of the day, people are going to call us whatever they want. We are referencing everything from classic house music to Timbaland in our beats, but I think the trap references tap into what the current sound is, and we’re fine with that.” Perhaps what truly separates the trio from the mass of Electronic and Hip-Hop producers out there is the unique show they create by performing their bassy beats as band, completely live. When you to go a KNK show, you’ll see their music and the music of others morphed and turned on its head using only drums, keys, turntables and live sampling. The style creates not only a crazy dance party, but also an experience and vibe like no other. Be sure to check these guys out when they head to Town Ballroom this Friday (10/16 @8pm).
> Jeffrey Czum
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Superhuman Happiness
9pm Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / nietzsches.com) $5
Superhuman Happiness is an all-star band whose members are all notable Brooklyn players with an impressive resume that stretches across an array of talent, including Antibalas, Phenomenal Handclap Band, TV on the Radio, Iron & Wine and Martha Wainwright. Dancing becomes highly contagious when listening to the band, and their joyful sound has been dubbed “physical cinematic dance rock,” which is exactly how it sounds. Led by multi-instrumentalist, Stuart Bogie, Superhuman Happiness has developed a unique sound that only they can pull off. Guitarists Luke O’Malley and Mathew Scheiner trade intricate picking and revving power chords as Nikhil Yerawadekar’s rigid bass lines weave and bob through the pulsing beats performed from Sam Levin’s drum kit. Dense analog sounds from Jared Samuel’s keyboards blend with Eric Biondo’s slyly subversive, yet clever vocal medolies to create a rich sound that fans have come to love. You can catch SH when they perform at Nietzsche’s this Friday night (10/16 @9pm).
> Mike Litoris
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The Devil Makes Three
7pm Town Ballroom, 681 S. Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $20
The Devil Makes Three plays a blistering hybrid that combines early country, scratchy ragtime, primal blues and big band swing. It’s delivered with a punk-fueled, jug-band funkiness that makes the music sound archaic and futuristic at the same time. The Santa Cruz trio capture the sound of American folk music had when musicians played for dances and social gatherings, before the invention of the phonograph. Like their forebears, they do it using acoustic instruments. Mostly. “Saying we’re an acoustic band is a lie,” says Pete Bernhard, the band’s singer and main songwriter. “We have always played acoustic instruments though loud amps. We learned early on that it’s necessary to be loud when you want your crowd to dance.” Their live shows have always been lauded for their high energy, and on Tuesday night (10/20 @7pm), you can catch them in action as they perform at Town Ballroom with Deslondes.
> Jeffrey Czum
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In The Valley Below
7pm The Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com) $13-$15
In The Valley Below’s first full-length LP, The Belt, starts off catchy – like really, really catchy. When you first hear the lead single, “Peaches,” it’ll sear into your brain for a solid month. The song’s use of sultry guy-girl harmonies and brooding beats brings to mind the sensual vibe of The Kills mixed with the electro-pop prowess of Cold Cave. Fronted by guitarist Jeffrey Jacob, who hails from Memphis, Tenn., and keyboardist Angela Gail, who was raised in Muskego, Mich., In The Valley Below started to generate some buzz after Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke remixed the L.A. –based duo’s earworm “Peaches.” The remix, along with three other tracks that appear on The Belt, was released via the pair’s Man Girl EP back in May 2014. Press materials for The Belt, tout that the album could “very well be the soundtrack to a David Lynch movie,” which is a pretty lofty expectation for any record to live up to, but Jacob and Gail make it work. Check them out this Tuesday (10/20 @7pm) at The Tralf.
> Edward John Smith
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Marco Benevento
9pm Iron Works, 49 Illinois St. (200-1893 / Buffaloironworks.com) $15
When it comes to Marco Benevento’s divergent musical urges, the story could be summed up in a tale of two honorary degrees. When the piano player and keyboardist graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1999, the school honored jazz legend Wayne Shorter and rock auteur David Bowie. For a while after graduation, Benevento would proudly tell his friends about Short’s presence. If the subject comes up nowadays, he’s more likely to mention Bowie. “It’s kind of a description of my musical travels, those two people,” Benevento says. When he performed his senior recital, the jazz musician chose to play it entirely on acoustic piano, after a Berklee instructor suggested he leave out the Fender Rhodes and Hammond organ he had already begun tinkering with. His gear list is a little longer now. As heard on his album Swift, Benevento’s sound has evolved into a somewhat off-killer blend of hazy textures played on multiple keyboards, electronic beats and loops, and distorted riffs. He’s come to describe it as “electro-pop.” Be sure to come out to Iron Works this Tuesday evening (10/20 @9pm) to watch him perform with special guests And The Kids.
> Jeffrey Czum
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