GIANT PANDA GUERRILLA DUB SQUAD
9pm Tralf Music Hall (852-2860 www.tralfmusichall.com) 622 Main St. $15 18+
If Jerry Garcia had hooked up with Bob Marley and the Wailers at some point in the 70s, the resulting musical fusion might well have sounded like Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad, the Rochester-based jam-reggae band that has been effectively folding the aesthetics of the jamband scene into the traditional structures of reggae since their formation in 2004. Giant Panda’s catchy-yet-rockin’ jams incorporate a unique mix of psychedelia, American bluegrass, and folk country through their expert blend of harmonic guitar riffs and soulful vocals; while the interplay between their rhythm section, including funky basslines and onedrop drumming, keeps their songs strongly rooted in the classic reggae sound. Although Giant Panda has released four acclaimed studio albums (most recently 2015’s Bright Days) it’s through their energetic live shows, many of which are recorded and shared via the internet by fans, that have led to the band amassing such a devoted following. This Thursday, they return to Buffalo, bringing their trademark sound to the Tralf Music Hall.
> Jordan Canahai
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FRIGHTWORLD
Thu &Sun 6:30-10/Fri & Sat 6:30-12:30. 800 Young St, Tonawanda (frightworld.com) $15/$25/$33
'Tis the season for spooky. So, if you’re feeling the urge to be terrified, but not content to lie on your couch watching scary movies, do check out a haunted house. And no, I’m not suggesting you break into the Richardson Towers or spend an evening at the Iron Island Museum with an EVP recorder. Safer, but still startling (and loads of fun), is Buffalo’s #1 haunted attraction: FrightWorld. Chosen as best in the country by AOL, Hauntworld Magazine, and has been featured on Travel Channel’s Scariest Haunted Houses. There are five different attractions to pick from. But, if you’re feeling particularly brave, visit them all! “Grindhouse”, a la Texas Chainsaw Massacre, features redneck, cannibalistic, sledgehammer-toting hillbillies. “Condemned” transports you to a rundown bayou complete with swampy exteriors and creepy animal children. “Eerie State Asylum” is a mental institution nightmare followed by “Insanity”, a claustrophobic sensory overload maze from Hell. Last but not least, “Night Stalkers”, the newest attraction, plunges you into darkness with nothing but a flashlight to guide your way. Treat yourself to some genuine good scares this weekend and take a trip to Frightworld before it closes for the season.
> Erica Ladd
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SUFJAN STEVENS
8pm UB Center for the Arts, SUNYAB North Campus (645-2787 / www.ubcfa.org/tickets) $40.50
Brooklyn-based hipster multi-instrumentalist songwriter Sufjan Stevens brings his artisanal brand of music to the UB Center for the Arts on UB’s North Campus on Friday night. Two of his releases, Michigan and Illinois, are inspired by those two states, while Enjoy Your Rabbit is an electronic album written for the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Check out the title for track three on the Illinois album—“Come On! Feel the Illinoise! Part I: The World’s Columbian Exposition Part II: Carl Sandberg Visits Me In A Dream.” How willfully quirky can you get? Stevens has built a legion of fans for his creative and melodic music, and this Friday is your chance to discover, if you haven’t already, what all the buzz is about. Progressive R-n-B artist Gallant opens the show.
> Artvoice Staff
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WITCHeS BALL
7pm. Hotel Lafayette, 391 Washington St
It will be a Buffalo Horror Story at the Lafayette Hotel on Halloween night, as this year Witches Ball gets an American Horror Story twist inspired by the latest season of the series: Hotel. The list of performances and activities going on through out the event could fill this entire write up, but this years event will feature aerial acts, freak shows, male and female burlesque, Thriller flash mobs, nine bars, four stages, a Rave Cave, Terror Tech zombies and fiendish photo props, a fetish vault by Renee Nicole Events, cage dancers, drag king and queens, a macabre Mystery Treasury, dancers galore, a “Lady Gaga” voyeur room, body painting by Madd Grafix, tarot card and palm readings, and over 25 musical acts and DJ’s just to name a few. Let’s Go Buffalo film crew, pro music video shoot for Green Jelly’s newest release, and costume contest ($1500 in cash & prizes).
> Peter Soscia
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strange talk
7pm The Waiting Room 334 Delaware Ave (853-5483/waitingroombuffalo.com) $10 advance/$12 door
Melbourne, Australia’s synth-pop duo Strange Talk comes to Buffalo. From the humble beginnings of a bedroom recording project, to winning a featured artist title in a 2010 radio station competition and dropping a self-titled EP in April 2011 which rose to number one on the Billboard Uncharted chart, singer/keyboard player Stephen Docker and DJ/bassist Gerard Sidhu now find themselves on the verge of international stardom. Already well-known on the Aussie Festival Circuit, they’re making the rounds here in the US, having toured with both Foster the People and Neon Indian, and now headlining on their own. Their electronic, pop-fueled golden sound, punctuated with a heavy bass, creates a feel good, summer anthem styled, make-you-want-to-dance experience. Come get your groove on and check them out this Tuesday night at The Waiting Room where they’ll be joined by fellow electro funk Aussie duo Intergalactix.
> Erica Ladd
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THE NEW DEAL
8pm Town Ballroom (852-3900 www.townballroom.com) 681 Main St. $20 presale
The New Deal is back! It was an announcement that fans of the Toronto-based three-piece electronic band were understandably ecstatic to hear back in the summer of 2014, just three years after the band’s dissolution. With over 1400 live shows under their belts, ranging from sold-out clubs to the largest festivals, The New Deal spent much of the 2000s perfecting their singular brand of modern electronica, branded by them as live progressive breakbeat house, while garnering acclaim as one of the best acts in the emerging livetronica scene in the process. “When we’re performing on stage our goal is always to create a fresh musical idea and see in real-time how we can develop it- melodically, harmonically and structurally. Because we approach every show with an improvisational mindset, we know that every night brings a different concert, a different vibe and a different experience. Even with all those variables, it always ends up sounding like a New Deal show; exciting, driving, and incredibly danceable”, says Keyboardist Jamie Shields. Both new and older fans alike can see The New Deal when they play the Town Ballroom on Wednesday.
> Jordan Canahai
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