Wine and women at Nietzsche's on Friday (Aug. 18)! Oh, and of course there will be song. The lovely chanteuses Sierra Swan (pictured) and Mozella will both give live performnces, accompanied by superb wines from a trio of California wineries available for tasting throughout the evening. L.A. lady Sierra Swan's piano-driven, lyrically intense debut album Ladyland (Interscope/Custard Records) will be available at the show, while Detroit-based singer Mozella (who has drawn comparisons to both Norah Jones and Lauryn Hill) will tease with selections from her upcoming I Will, due out in September. The tour, entitled "Uncorked and Unplugged" promises a truly elegant evening, beginning at 8pm.

Over the past decade, innovation, patience, dedication, and of course true talent are what have separated Bonnie “Prince” Billy from the rest of the herd. Whether he is making five appearances in a single day or camping out to entertain a festival of anxious music lovers, this eccentric folk performer is always ready for action. Celebrating the September release of The Letting Go (Drag City), a self-penned work of true auditory bliss, Bonnie is promoting himself in the manner of those who truly love what they do, with a tour comprised entirely of free shows. This Sunday (Aug. 20), don’t miss the opportunity to catch Bonnie and preview his refreshing new album when he takes the stage at New World Records beginning at 4pm.

Since his high school days in Hamilton, Ontario almost three decades ago (gasp!), Dave Rave has been continuing to leave his mark on the music scene, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Formerly the front man for the Canadian chart-toppers Teenage Head, Rave is now touring coast-to-coast promoting his new Anthologies: Volumes 1 & 2 (Bullseye Records), released this past January. On Saturday (Aug 19), he’ll perform at the Lewiston River Jam (Water Street Landing) with a new band comprised of the best in the business, including Daniel Rey (Ramones, Ronnie Spectator, Misfits), Michele Temple (Pere Ubu), Mark Rogers (LMT Connection) and Marni Rice. Local favorites Fancy Trash and The Failyears will also share the stage, for a show that starts at 8pm..

When people think old school techno, they might recall memories of nightclubs and raves. There is something even more retro, like the 8-bit sound that the Advantage produces. Formed in 1998 in Sacramento, CA, the Advantage (featuring members of Hella and Holy Smokes) has been on a mission to compose and record every song from the old Nintendo systems of their youth. From the mainstream Mario Brothers and Mega Man themes to the less recognizable Double Dragon II songs — they can play them all. Tackling songs that were never meant to leave their pixilated form and be played live instrumentally, the band takes it upon themselves to showcase these lost classics as real musical gems. The Advantage will bring their classic Nintendo to Kitchen Distribution on Tuesday (Aug. 22). Doors open 8pm.

Best known for playing contrabass with multi-media glitch-rockers The Dirty Projectors, Nat Baldwin’s solo output blends the extended techniques of the improvisational avant-garde with a uniquely skewed pop sensibility. Employing scraping and squealing sounds to build fixed compositions rather than open-ended abstractions, Baldwin’s most recent projects find him moving further into song. On Wednesday (Aug. 23) Baldwin brings a band featuring guitar, bass, trumpet and voice to Soundlab, along with Extra Life, the solo project of Charlie Looker, another emerging guitarist and vocalist known for bouncing between the worlds of avant rock, contemporary classical music, improvisation, jazz, punk and metal. Doors open, 9pm.

Denizens of Buffalo’s underground punk scene in the late 1980s haven’t forgetten the frenetic psychobilly sound generated by the Quakes: Rob Peltier (now of The Irving Klaws) on standup bass, Paul Roman (pictured) on guitar and vocals, and the late Dave “the Ace” Hoy on drums. Twenty years down the line, after some legendary adventures in Europe and Japan, original member Paul Roman is celebrating with a 60-show world tour in support of the band’s twelfth release, Psyops (Orexx Records). Current members include Lockport resident Chris Van Cleve on drums and Aki Savolainen, Finnish master of the slap bass. The walls and floor of Mohawk Place will start shaking sometime after 10pm on Wednesday (Aug. 23), when the Quakes hit the stage again, like Eddie Cochran on amphetamines. Opening will be local punk/new wave band Neyko, followed by catchy alternative act Zou Zou (featuring the dreamy vocals of Kristin Gilmet).

Over their 15 plus year reign, X-Clan has influence many of today’s top hip-hop and rap acts. After laying dormant for almost a decade the group is trying to regain the limelight once more. With headliners Jurassic 5 (pictured), X-Clan is out touring to prove that they still have what it takes to move the masses. While X-Clan has not released a record since 1990, they are currently wrapping up a new album Return from Mecca (Suburban Noize Records) that is scheduled to hit store shelves this October. Next Thursday (Aug. 24), X-Clan and Jurassic 5 will perform at the Town Ballroom. The show starts at 9pm.