Whoever said jam bands were a dying breed never listened to these guys. Originally formed in Buffalo, moe. has been a ground-breaking force in the jam-band music scene since its inception in 1991. With an earthy, intense, almost rootsy sound, these veterans of the infamous Woodstock ’99 concert have garnered much critical acclaim for their energy-driven tunes and skillful musicianship. Influenced by groups such as the Grateful Dead and Primus, moe. uses the diverse styles of its individual members to create sustained high-octane improvisations that whip audiences into frenzies wherever they perform. moe. brings its unique show back to WNY just one day after a benefit concert to raise money for the Kelberman Center, an autism organization associated with Upstate Cerebral Palsy, held in Utica, NY. With an upcoming album to be released in May, moe. hopes to give Buffalonians a small taste of what they have to serve by heating up what has been an unseasonably warm winter.

With the dismal reviews of the latest movies at the box office and no relief in sight (at least until the trees start to bud), maybe it’s time to take in some international gems of the female perspective. The Institute for Research and Education on Women & Gender is here to save your cinematic day, hosting their 10th Annual International Women’s Film Festival at the Market Arcade Film and Arts Center. The seven-week series features works from Argentina, China, India, Israel, Spain, and the U.S. by and about women. Each Thursday, a different film is featured, such as the story of a Chinese-American man trying to escape his dysfunctional family life (Red Doors, January 26), or two Indian girls’ struggle with love versus tradition (The Journey/Sancharram, February 2). The festival’s first film, Holy Girl/La Niña Santa (scene pictured) chronicles an Argentinean girl’s struggle between her religion and her sexuality. The festival runs through March 2, and ends its series with ten original shorts from ten UB faculty members and graduate students. For complete festival schedule and film descriptions, go to www.womenandgender.buffalo.edu.

For the inaugural concert of its new digs in the Church of DiFranco, Hallwalls presents free jazz cult icon Arthur Doyle, an artist whose reputation as an “outsider” (even among free jazz enthusiasts, themselves considered left of field by the jazz mainstream) has endeared him to improv and experimental rock fans who abandoned labels long ago. A veteran of the 1970s New York City loft scene, where he played with the likes of Sun Ra, Doyle eventually gravitated toward No Wave and noise punk, embracing a palette of sonic possibilities not typically associated with free jazz. Combining the two streams in his own highly unique approach, Doyle released a series of lo-fi recordings on labels like Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace that revealed his uniquely conceived “free jazz soul music.” Employing tenor sax, recorder, flute and vocals to explore a mix of African folk song, free jazz bluster and rough tape cuts and hiss, Doyle’s approach endeared him to a new generation of fans looking for sonic individuality outside jazz (and rock) orthodoxies. For Friday’s concert, Doyle performs with his electro-acoustic ensemble, consisting of veterans of Rochester’s own highly idiosyncratic experimental free sound scene.

In a very short period of time, Atlanta-based guitarist/vocalist Sean Costello managed to make a major splash on the national blues scene. Paying his dues as lead guitarist for Susan Tedeschi’s touring band, Costello emerged as a band leader in his own right while still in his teens. Now at the ripe old age of 26, the aspiring bluesman has released a series of critically-hailed recordings (the latest being 2004’s self-titled effort on Tone Cool records), earned a faithful legion of fans through extensive touring and won the respect of some world-renowned musicians in the process. Despite his age, Costello’s music and style owes a debt to the more tempered and soulful blues sound of the 1950s an 1960s. While many young players concentrate on the flashy wailing that so often accompanies new blues music, Costello defers to the genre’s traditions (while adding in a few licks of his own for good measure). Costello and his band visit Buffalo this weekend for three performances.