Perseus, son of Zeus, killer of Medusa, hero of Andromeda, will be showcasing the annual meteor shower streaming from his constellation in mid August, peaking on August 11th. Buffalo State’s Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium is holding weekly events called “Stars of the Summer Skies” every Friday until August 17th. For the final two shows, “Midsummer’s Meteor Showers,” participants will learn of Greek mythology, following many of the constellations and ethereal bodies in the sky, as well as watching for meteors raining from the sky during what Arthur Gielow, Planetarium Director, has called “the year’s best observed meteor shower.” The Perseid meteor shower is visible as late as August 24th, and is best seen before dawn, away from city lights and in the northern hemisphere. The meteors occur amidst the northern lights and often are rich and dependable, holding persistent trains and lighting up the dark, open sky. Earth grazing meteors can be found in the midst of the Perseid as well. These are long, slow and colorful meteors, and as the night persists, the meteors appear higher in the sky, following the transition of Perseus. The use of telescopes and binoculars is unnecessary—the meteors are much more easily distinguished by the naked eye due to their fast moving nature. Meteor showers are visible throughout July and August, though the Perseid is the most reliable, following the waxing moon, visible during predawn hours and climaxing at up to 60 meteors per hour. That’s a lot of wishing to do on falling stars!

San-Francisco-based rock band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club comes to the Tralf Music Hall with its combination of the hard rock sounds of Led Zeppelin, the psychedelic beat of Jesus and Mary Chain, the anthemic power of the Verve and a mix of their own folk revival sounds. BRMC was originally formed in 1998 by two high school friends, Robert Levon Been and Peter Hayes (who had just departed the Brian Jonestown Massacre). The two now share vocals in the band, with Been playing bass and Hayes on guitar, joined by British drummer Nick Jago to complete the trio. Named for Marlon Brando’s fictional biker gang in the 1953 classic film The Wild One, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club worked that brooding masculinity into major success by the release of its second album, 2003’s Take Them On, On Your Own (Virgin). After a rough patch when the band split for a time—drummer Jago was conspicuously absent during the recording of 2005’s Howl, resulting in a stripped down album that was a distinct departure from the band’s accepted sound—BRMC came back together with more emphasis on vocals and acoustic guitar. The band’s fourth album, 2007’s Baby 81 (Red Ink) has been hailed as a return to roots rock, garnering mixed reviews depending on whether the critics want their BRMC harder or softer. Either way, this tour is keeping Baby 81 in the forefront of fans’ consciousness.

Artpark’s “Wednesdays at the Gorge” free concert series heats up this week, adding spice with a double-bill of world class Zydeco featuring CJ Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band and Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas. The son of Clifton Chenier—the “King of Zydeco” and the first Creole musician to ever win a Grammy award— CJ (Clayton Joseph) has led the Red Hot Louisiana Band since his father’s death in 1987, taking his (and his dad’s) instrument, the piano accordion, to new heights with a combination of musical styles. Nathan Williams (pictured) of the Zydeco Cha Chas grew up in a Creole-speaking Louisiana home and was influenced by legends like Chenier from an early age. Though Nathan is the frontman for the Cha Chas, the band is really a family affair, with Nathan’s brother Dennis Paul Williams bringing his jazz influenced guitar to the mix, along with the keyboard talents of Nathan’s son, Nathan Williams, Jr. A cousin, Mark Williams, plays Rubboard for the Cha Chas, and the eldest brother, Sis “El Sid O” Williams, is the band’s manager. Rounding it out are bassist Robert LeBlanc and drummer Herman “Rat” Brown, formerly of Buckwheat Zydeco.

You’ve seen it before—big, curly, long hair head-tossed over one shoulder and then the other, nimble fingers designing a Hendrix-inspired guitar riff that sends out electric vibes, hypnotizing a crowd of entranced listeners. But it’s not Slash, nor another hair-metal rocker, it’s a woman named Haale (pronounced “Hahl-lay”) who has turned her two very different backgrounds into a unique musical combination. Her parents hail from Iran, and she was born in New York City, so a marriage of sounds from the ancient Middle East and ‘60s-era rock (a major influence), nurtured in the modern-rock melting pot of New York City results in something completely different—what Haale describes as “psychedelic Sufi trance rock.” Don’t try to label her—she’s already taken care of that for you—just know that she pours out her soul just as well in Persian as she does in English, switching back and forth between the two with a voice as intense as Bono’s backed by a sound heavy enough to support it. Haale will split the bill for the evening with singer/songwriter Beth Hirsh. Hirsh was once best known for her vocal contributions to the French band Air (on the 1998 debut album Moon Safari) and has since gone solo. The recent release of her latest album, Wholehearted, has created an entirely new sound for her to run wild with.