Mother Red and Siren Street Shutdown w/ Johnny Nobody and Club Awesome

This week’s Gusto at the Gallery is an all-out inter-disciplinary affair. Coinciding are two major events: The celebration of the Buffalo Book Fair 2008 and the opening of the exhibition Op Art Revisited: Selections From the Albright Knox Art Gallery. Book Fair-related events include an “Art in Words” art activity for families, a panel discussion, a “Meet the Authors” event with readings and workshops, literary award presentations, and a lecture by renowned German typographer Erik Spiekermann (space for the lecture is limited, tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis starting at 6pm). The Op Art Revisited Exhibition, curated by Associate Curator Holly E. Hughes, is comprised of pieces that were collected by the Gallery over the course of the last 50 years, including works by Victor Vasarely, Tim Bavington, Olafur Eliasson, and Susie Rosmarin. Much of the art was acquired shortly after it was made, an example of the Gallery’s tendency to buy new pieces “while the paint was still wet.” Although the Op Art movement saw its peak in the ‘50s and ‘60s, there has been a renewed interest of late, as illustrated in recent works by artists like Eliasson. The exhibit will remain on view through January, 2009. To cap off the evening there will be a performance by Carol McLaughlin’s Big Band, from 8-10pm.

Talk about a rock-n-roll high school! Picture this made-up scene: a fast kid named Bob Seger getting his books flipped in the hall by Jim Osterberg (later known as Iggy Pop), while walking past Bill Kirchen’s locker at Ann Arbor High School. All have gone on to make their marks in music, but of the three, Kirchen got the lion’s share of musical talent. His first national success was as the guitarist for Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, whose 1972 cover of the classic Charlie Ryan racing anthem “Hot Rod Lincoln” became a top-ten hit. It also provoked finger cramps in thousands of guitarists who tried to copy the signature riff. After splitting of from the Airmen, Kirchen went on to establish himself as a truly unique persona, sharing the stage with a slew of performers including Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, who plays on his most recent release Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods (Proper American), and who calls Kirchen “a devastating culmination of the elegant and funky...a really sensational musician, with enormous depth.” A true Godfather of the Americana scene, his encyclopedic knowledge of classic country, rockabilly, R&B, western swing, and truck driving songs continues to inspire young bands as much as his innate charm and stage presence captures a crowd.

Icy Demons, the eclectic Chicago/Philadelphia ensemble led by Man Man/Need New Body drummer Chris “Pow Pow” Powell and Bablicon bassist/vocalist Griffin “Blue Hawaii” Rodriguez, is touring to mark the release of their new album, Miami Ice (Obey Your Brain). On Ice, their third full-length album, Pow Pow and Blue Hawaii are joined by a number of special guests to round out their arrangements, including Sam Prekop collaborator Josh Abrams on upright bass, as well as Jeff Parker and Russell Higbee—of Tortoise and Man Man, respectively—both filling guitar duties. In creating the album, which was recorded in Blue Hawaii’s own Shape Shoppe studio, the group used an unusual assortment of vintage keyboards and ethnic percussion to give a warm, rhythmic sound to their tales of dreams, alien paranoia, time travel, and the Western frontier. Their current touring group includes Tomelka Reid, Bronze’s Dylan Ryan, and members of Chicago electric funk group the Chandeliers. Their shows have a reputation for being energetic and fast-paced, and those who attend should expect all members to, at some point, break into dance. Opening up is local solo eclectronic artist Bev-Beverly.