The third annual performance of A Brothers Perspective, presented by the Njozi Poets, is a celebration of original poetry that encompasses the literary and arts communities. This Saturday (Oct 7) they will be performing at Frank E. Merriweather Library for a special performance featuring Buffalonians Dr. Celes Tisdale, James Cooper III, Carl Strokes and Ntare Ali Gault, among other talents from Rochester and Cleveland. The show will also feature music by DJ Rah Black Belt Jones and saxophonist Andre Killian. The show will begin at 8pm, and a post-performance reception with the artists will take place at Steel Drums restaurant.

Emmy award winner and original Saturday Night Live writer Alan Zweibel will be appearing at UB on Saturday (Oct.7), for a night of comedy, recollections of SNL, and of life at UB in the early 1970s. Zweibel began his comedic career while studying psychology in college by selling jokes to other comedians for $7 a piece. The jokes he couldn’t sell he turned into a comedy routine for himself, eventually landing a spot on the writing staff of SNL. Today he’s working on a play that will be presented on Broadway, and directing a romantic comedy that will be released next fall. Special guest Chris Bliss, popular comedian and juggler,starts the show at 8pm at the Center for the Arts.

Imagine what would happen if you took jazz, metal, techno and classical and mashed them together, and you’ll get the California-based group Estradasphere —named as a tribute to actor Erik Estrada— who do just that, taking cues from a plethora of musical genres to create their own eclectic sound. Touring in support of their latest release Palace of Mirrors, Estradasphere appears with the like-minded Jerseyband, who take opposing musical genres and fuse them together to produce what they call “lungcore,” a new genre that infuses a horn-driven band with heavy metal values. Intrigued? Check out both bands when they play Sunday (Oct. 8) at Nietzches. Doors open at 9pm.

Seattle rock band Minus the Bear has a passion for the music, and they know how to make the crowds feel it with beats you can’t help but get into. These guys have come a long way with their new CD Menos El Oso —which is Spanish for “Minus the Bear” — and their lyrics have a gained in maturity while the sound as a whole seems to have more emotion. In the past they were known for funny song titles like “Hey, Wanna Throw Up?” but with Menos El Oso they’ve kept it simpler —which makes fans focus more on the music. Minus the Bear will be performing this Monday (Oct 9) at Showplace Theater, and will be joined by Russian Circles, P.O.S. and the Velvet Teen. The show starts at 9pm.

Current darlings of Pitchfork Media, Chin Up Chin Up are quickly becoming a "next big thing." This Chicago based avant-pop quintet creates quirky dance music with swirling guitars and keyboards and pulsating drum beats. Reminscent of Modest Mouse and the Arcade Fire, Chin Up Chin Up makes a sound that is familiar, yet also new and challenging. While their previous work has gained them acclaim within a certain scene, their new album The Harness Can’t Ride Anything is sure to give them the wider attention they so well deserve. Co-headlining with Sub Pop Recording artists Oxford Callapse, they'll perform at Mohawk Place on Tuesday (Oct. 10) at 9pm.

At the MTV Music Awards this year, the great Lou Reed proclaimed Okkervil River one of the modern groups that could help lead a much needed “rock resurgence,” and they are poised to do just that. Labeled as “alt-country” or “indie-rock,” the band makes use of an eclectic selection of instruments including harmonica, accordian and organ. The've received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone magazine, and been compared to prominent bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and former tour-mates the Decemberists. The group is currently touring with Elvis Perkins, a New York singer/songwriter who, like Okkervil River, tells a good story with his songs. These musical raconteurs appear on Thursday (Oct. 12) at Soundlab, 9pm.