The last time soul group extraordinaire Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings squeezed its expansive line-up onto a tiny Buffalo stage, the band performed before a small but adoring crowd. Fronted by the foot-stompin,’ sweat-producing soul-shouting of vocalist Sharon Jones and perfectly backed by the revival-schooled, dance-moves-in-unison, hot horns and rhythms of The Dap Kings, this group regularly sells out concert halls and nightclubs in New York, Chicago and wherever crowds gather to hear good live music. The band’s latest CD, Naturally (Daptone Records), is a funky, rump-shaking collection of tunes that harkens back to the days when the suits were sharp and the jams were tight. Certainly, most of those people who attended the group’s local show a year or so ago will come out again to see their return performance on Wednesday. Sadly, this show of devotion is simply not enough. Simply put, Buffalo music lovers need to attend this show if only to redeem the city in this group’s collective eyes before they make this ’burg a mere stopover on their way to Toronto, Detroit and other border cities. Get on the good foot, Buffalo! DJ Scotty of déjà blü spins funk with a touch of soul before the show.

Comedian, actor and writer Taylor Negron has literally lived his life on “the edge.” Since emerging on the stand-up scene and beginning his long tenure of small roles in big movies over 25 years ago, Negron has always been on “the edge” of fame. Yet whether you’ve seen him delivering a pizza to Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High or serving up an ass-whupping to Bruce Willis in The Last Boy Scout, chances are pretty good that you refer to him as “oh, that guy” whenever you see his face on screen. Considering the fact that Negron averages about two film roles a year, not to mention regular work on television and stand-up, this reference seems like a bit of a shame. So here’s your chance to spend a little time all up close and personal like with a man who has starred in his own HBO Comedy Special, frequently warmed the guest’s chair on “The Tonight Show” and recently delivered a delightfully creepy scenario in Penn Jillete’s The Aristocrats. By the time Negron has finished his act, it’s doubtful that you’ll ever have a hard time remembering his name again.

According to Russian folklore, Baba Yaga is the stuff of children’s nightmares–a hideous witch also known as “Baba Yaga Boney Legs,” or the Black Goddess. In his most famous gender-bending performance, Neglia Ballet Artists founder Sergio Neglia once again takes the stage as the old crone, and his inspired choreography will be sure to thrill the entire family despite his terrifying makeup and cumbersome costume. Debuting this Saturday is 12-year old Buffalo dancer Leah Degrazia, a Neglia protegé and City Honors seventh-grader who started training at Sergio’s Conservatory at the tender age of five. She plays Misha, who becomes trapped in Baba Yaga’s spooky cottage and marked as the witch’s next meal. In addition to chills, thrills and some fine dancing, the audience will enjoy a fanciful stage set by David Butler and Mark DiVincenzo, with lighting and costumes by Brian Cavanaugh and Donna Massimo. This piece is appropriately set to the music of three great Russian composers: Mussorgsky, Stravinsky and Glazunov.

Spurred on by bands such as Bright Eyes, The Faint and Cursive, the Omaha music scene seems to operate as a tight-knit family, with bands constantly sharing members and independent ideals. Little Brazil (pictured) comes straight from that family, with members having spent time in such acclaimed outfits as The Good Life, Son Ambulance and Conor Oberst’s Desaparecidos. Formed in 2002 and releasing its debut last year, You And Me (Mt. Fuji Records), Little Brazil presents glorious pop melodies that bring to mind the endless hooks of Guided By Voices or Superchunk. Those melodies wrap themselves around the emotionally tortured lyrics of singer Landon Hedges. Little Brazil has also been known to back up Denver Dalley (better known by the name Statistics). Also a veteran and co-songwriter of Desaparecidos, Dalley has left behind the rockier terrain of that band to unveil beautiful pop songs. Statistics most recent album, Often Lie (Jade Tree), has been critically lauded for its backwards guitars, vintage synth lines and vivid Midwestern imagery. On Sunday, come see two more examples of why Omaha, Nebraska is getting so much attention when Little Brazil and Statistics play with Lemuria at Mohawk Place.

Whether you’re a disciple of the Marquis de Sade or a sex-shunning religion, Dr. Alan Soble (pictured) is sure to give you something to chew on. Talking about sex is just what Soble, Research Professor of Philosophy at the University of New Orleans and a Visiting Fellow at Amherst’s Center for Inquiry, will be doing for the next five Tuesday evenings as part of his “Sex, Love, and Friendship” lecture series. This Tuesday (Nov. 8), he’ll discuss sexual morality (is it sinful to “use” others for sex?). If you’re curious whether your fetishes, no matter how mainstream, qualify you as mentally ill, be sure to attend “Deviant Sex: From Sinful to Sick” on November 15. On November 22, the CFI’s resident love doctor explores the relationship—or the lack thereof—between sex and love. On December 6, he’ll argue that even sexual libertines can learn a thing or two from St. Augustine’s brand of Humanism. Soble then returns to the question of Secular Humanism on December 13. Of course, if you simply want to talk about sex, rest assured that there will be plenty of that, too—especially with regard to casual sex, prostitution, pornography, and sadomasochism.