“Art in the Woods” will be held at the Jamestown Audubon Society this weekend on Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 9-10), from 9am to 6pm Saturday and 9am to 5pm Sunday. The beautiful, 600-acre wetland preserve is located about an hour and a half southwest of Buffalo, at 1600 Riverside Rd., making it an easily manageable day trip for Western New Yorkers. The event will feature local and national artists and craftspeople, live music, performances by the Warren Players theater troupe, artists’ demos, mini-workshops, and interactive activities for children and adults. There will be work by painters, carvers, woodworkers, jewelers, potters, and photographers for show and sale, and Sunday even features a “Breakfast with the Birds” pancake breakfast for the early birds. Visit www.jamestownaudubon.org for directions and full schedule of events

—k. o’day

Every once in a while—or more often than that—our social senses need an infusion of something that can clean away the sleep of our commercially-tainted norms. Just such an infusion can be had this Saturday (Aug. 9) when the band Among Criminals brings its eminently danceable music to Cozumel as part of the festivities for the Buffalo Scavenger Hunt. Bringing a combined 32 years of music-making, this trio started when childhood friends Ryan Gaughan and Brian “Bean” Pitonak joined forces and started “a straight-up Latin/reggae band.” The addition of Jarrod Pedone on drums brought rock into the mix. These lads have played many kinds of music over the years, and cite Santana, the Foo Fighters, the Police, and Rx Bandits as influences. Their songs bring antidotes for the slanted social definitions that populate too many of today’s conversations. The Philadelphia-based band has toured regionally and nationally, and recorded three self-produced CD’s, including this year’s Happy History. Come down at 5 pm to mingle with the returning scavenger hunters, and take part in a good live show

—dave grundy

Bloomington, Indiana’s the Coke Dares say that they formed as a classic rock cover band merely to play at a good friend’s wedding reception. Sadly, nobody in the band was able to learn more than a few parts to each song, so the band just played the parts they knew. They still played for close to an hour and a half, got payed regardless, and decided to try their hand at writing some originals. The trio features members of Magnolia Electric Company, the Impossible Shapes, and the Scout Niblett Band, among others. While that is indeed an impressive resume, the Coke Dares sound far from any of them. Owing debts to AC/DC and ZZ Top, the Coke Dares are truly over the top with whiskey-laced bravado. They play at Mohawk Place on Wednesday (Aug. 13) at 8pm. The Found and Magi Chippie play as well

—eric boucher

Keep an eye out for these upcoming events... As always, check our on-line events calendar for continually updated, full events listings.