Since opening its doors in October 1997, Mike Mulley has hosted hundreds of artists at College Street Gallery, ranging from big names on the local scene to student exhibitions and inspired one-offs. Whatever else is on the walls, Mulley’s compelling photography—he specializes in documenting the city’s architecture and streetscapes—is always there, drawing passersby, who, more often than not, find Mulley himself sitting out front or inside, depending on the weather, observing and participating in the everyday of Allen Street, of which his gallery has become an anchor. “The overriding goal of the gallery is to expose the community to the vast and diverse pool of artists that work and live in Buffalo,” Mulley says. “It’s about giving opportunity to artists in a world that is often closed to them simply because they aren’t well known.” Mulley celebrates a decade in the art business with a party at Nietzsche’s tonight, featuring food by Lagniappes and music by Susan Peters, Ramforinkus and the Waves, to name a few. It’s a cheap ticket—available in advance at the gallery, at 244 Allen Street (882-9727)—and the proceeds will pay for some sorely needed physical improvements to the gallery.

What connection does Zorro, the masked avenger, have with Buffalo? The answer is Esteban, perhaps the most reknowned Spanish guitarist in the US today. Still perplexed? Well, for starters, he performs in Buffalo this Friday in his trademark, Zorro-esque attire. But there’s more: He also hails from rival steel city, Pittsburgh. The son of a steelmill worker, Esteban, a.k.a. Stephen Paul, is mainly self-taught. There was no guitar master on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a guitar/English major, but he was relentless and became a rising star of the flamenco guitar—until a car accident disabled his left arm for most of a decade. Like many of us down on our luck in the Rust Belt, Esteban surmounted great odds to regain enough dexterity in his injured arm to become an undisputed master of the gypsy guitar. Today he shares his guitar-made-easy technique with thousands via DVDs, plus his own line of affordable/playable guitars. Even if you’ve never heard his many chart-topping CDs, you may have caught him performing on the Shopping Network, where he’s become a musical icon.

Every time an LP or 45-sized package darkens my mailbox, I’m hoping that it’s the latest from the Virginia-based imprint Big Neck Records. Before heading south, ex-Buffalonian Bart Hart was running the fabled Sanctuary nightclub on Franklin Street, and he started putting out seven-inches because some of his favorite bands—like Baseball Furies and the Blowtops—had no other way to do it. The last couple of years Hart has returned to Buffalo to host the Queen City’s biggest, noisiest and (let’s be honest) only real garage rock festival. Among the lineup this year are Bantam Rooster, Live Fast Die, Tractor Sex Fatality, Vee Dee, Clockcleaner, Homostupids, Red Red Red and local favorites like Trailer Park Tornados and the aforementioned Blowtops. The biggest surprise of the weekend is an appearance by the Kyoto all-girl quartet GitoGito Hustler (pictured), a blitzkrieging, bopping band that knows very little English outside of phrases like “Buy me beer!” and “Rock and roll!” There are always plenty of surprises during Big Neck’s two-day takeover, even the promise of “giving free Big Neck crap out at the day show.” So even if you don’t like the label’s uncompromised, unfiltered brand of raucous rock, hey—there’s always free crap!

Enon is the brainchild of former Brainiac member John Schmersal, and is named after the Ohio village close to his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. After a seven-year post-Brainiac career (an ensemble that caused a buzz in the mid 1990s opening for acts like Beck and the Breeders, but disbanded after the death of lead singer Tim Taylor in 1997), Schmersal has certainly brought Enon into its own, though it still owes much to Brainiac’s unique post-punk zaniness. Enon is based out of Philadelphia but in reality is an integral part of the New York music scene, and with the release this month of their fourth studio album, Grass Geysers…Carbon Clouds (Touch & Go), the trio is on the way to attaining the audience attention they all deserve. Fans should already know to set aside all expectations—other than to expect the unexpected—and be ready to embrace all manner of foreign sounds, surprise samples and vocal turnabouts. While none will be disappointed with the album’s unusual flavors, this is also the most-radio friendly Enon has sounded, an up-tempo kind of experimental rock that emphasizes the rock. This tour pairs Enon with the Octopus Project, Austin, Texas’ stylish noise-rock instrumentalists, promoting their latest release Hello, Avalanche (just out on Peek-a-Boo Records), a mini-symphony of sparkly, danceable hyper-electronica.