The original members of the Juliet Dagger are back for a show at Nietzsche’s on Friday (April 18). After a few tumultous years that saw lineup changes, a bunch of national tours and an international recording and touring spot supporting Japanese female punk outfit Shonen Knife, founding members Erin Roberts (guitar and vocals) and Leisha Grey (bass) are back home and back together. Now with a new drummer, the power trio is at the top of its game, performing songs from the previous two full lengths (released on Robbie Takac’s Good Charamel Records)—their debut album Turn Up the Death and 2007’s Hi Ya! Opening the show around 10pm is Buffalo’s own Mother Red, featuring former members of the Frame Up.

Though Southern rock is one genre to stick Lucero in, cowpunk might be more appropriate. Lucero is a punk rock band with a Southern twang based out of Memphis, Tennessee. With lyrics of heartbreak, whiskey and longing, their storytelling is a sure bet for the right kind of crowd. Combine their show at Mohawk Place on Friday (April 18) with openers American Princes and Queen City Station and you have one big mash up of punk rock. American Princes comes from Brooklyn and has shared the stage with big names like the Flaming Lips and Spoon, and Queen City Station is a local band gaining some notoriety as well. With Lucero—a diehard touring band often called “the Bruce Springsteen of Memphis”—headlining, this line up will rock with a Southern signature you won’t hear anywhere else. The show starts at 8pm —eli george

It’s National Record Store Day this Saturday (April 19)! Come celebrate at the “Best Record Store” and soon-to-be casualty of the digital age, New World Record. Many musicians have lent their voices in support of indie retail on this special day, including the legendary Tom Waits and the likes of Metallica, Dresden Dolls, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and many more artists, stores, and record labels across the country. For Saturday’s event, New World has booked a host of Buffalo’s own illustrious talent: Like A Panther (featuring ex-members of Mockba), A Hotel Nourishing, the Dense, a_relative_term, the Staylows, Bela’s Shadow, Gary Zoldos, and Pat Cain, for starters (pictured here). Bands kick off at 1pm, and the sale/celebration lasts throughout the day.

Featuring both past and current members of Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Elf Power, Dark Meat is a 14+ member collective that is an outgrowth of the Athens, GA-based Elephant 6 collective. Initially begun as a Neil Young cover band, Dark Meat began letting their freak flag fly with a collision of the Stooges, Crazy Horse, Funkadelic, and Albert Ayler. The result can be fragile and beautiful at one moment and spastic and anarchic the next. Whatever this motley crew may do onstage, it definitely promises not to be boring. Dark Meat performs on Monday (April 21) at Mohawk Place at 8pm. Opening is the Magi Chippie, who haven’t played an electric set in almost a year, and Red Tag Rummage Sale, who just recorded a new full length at the esteemed Silver Sonya Studios in Washington DC.

The Kinks, the Clash, Social Distortion, the Fall, and Gang of Four all figure in the musical palette of Seattle’s the Cops, yet they have a unique style all their own that rises above the stereotypes of a band with said influences. They have a rhythm section that will force even the most flatlined individual to move. After receiving rave reviews for their debut, Get Good Or Stay Bad, the Cops have delivered their second full length, Free Electricity, an album aimed at the dance floor yet full of fierce political sloganeering. In the past year, the band has toured with the Hold Steady, Constantines and Cursive, leaving many an audience happily surprised about a band they were previously unfamilair with. The Cops play Mohawk Place on Tuesday (April 22), at 8pm. Opening will be Semi-Tough, featuring original guitarist Brad Solly.

Upcoming Events