AV Editors Pick - It's Happening Today: The Suit Always Fits David Byrne

Friday, November 28

In an artistic career nearing 35 years, David Byrne appears to be peaking. Then again, he’s been peaking for just about... 35 years. Since forming groundbreaking rockers Talking Heads at Rhode Island School of Design with Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, and Jerry Harrison in the mid-1970s, Byrne has proven an all too rare figure in culture: here is the seemingly tireless artist never willing to rest on his laurels or the merits of his work. After helping to redirect rock and roll and fuel the punk and new wave fire across the globe, he consistently refused to ever let Talking Heads stagnate. He forever pioneered the group into new directions of experimental funk, worldbeat, and performance art until their 1988 split, ultimately earning the band a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and a legacy that continues to reverberate year after year in the crops of younger bands.

In addition to a slew of acclaimed solo albums, Byrne would go on to make the musical film True Stories (which Talking Heads soundtracked) and score everything from ballet (Twyla Thwarp’s The Catherine Wheel) to opera (The CIVIL warS: The Knee Plays) to television (HBO’s polygamist hit Big Love) and back to film (where he netted an Oscar for The Last Emperor).

He started the label Luaka Bop to bring his favorite world music artists to a wider audience. He is a force in the art world with museum shows in Germany, Italy, and Japan, with knack for mixed pieces of audio elements, acoustiguides, and sculptural elements. He has even managed to turn flowcharts into fine art with giant pieces in the streets of NYC and the subways of Tokyo.

And it’s a must to mention that he has written books, regular blogs, and is a cycling fanatic, among all the other activities.

But it always comes back to the music, and as gifted a recording artist and composer as he is, Byrne might very well shine brightest as a live performer. The vision of him in an oversized suit leading the way through the concert doc Stop Making Sense will forever be burned into the collective consciousness for just this reason. He’s again making the world take notice of his astute and naturally artful ability to put on a muscial spectacle.

As the title suggests, the crux of Byrne’s latest live outing, “Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour”—which makes a stop for a sold out show this Friday (Nov. 28) at UB’s Center For the Arts—will be a full visitation of the pair’s work, presented as only Byrne can.

Could this be the artist’s greatest kaleidoscopic vision yet come to life on stage? I’d better be careful with hyperbole, it’s the stuff that’s been brushing up against David Byrne for years. It just must make him yawn by now.

—donny kutzbach

8pm, UB Center for the Arts, Amherst Campus (645-ARTS / www.ubcfa.org) SOLD OUT

Friday, November 28

Theory of a Deadman

This Friday (Nov. 28), the post-grunge band Theory of a Dead Man will perform at the Town Ballroom. This Vancouver based trio released their self-titled first album in 2002 and has been gaining notoriety throughout North America ever since. Tyler Connolly (vocals/guitar), David Brenner (guitar), and Dean Back (bass) have been on the road promoting their new album Scars & Souveniers. They describe the new album as “a broad-reaching endeavor that puts Connolly, guitarist Dave Brenner and bassist Dean Back, high in the rock pantheon, achieving creative growth without sacrificing the hard-hitting power that got them here in the first place.” The band has had the honor of playing at the Juno Awards, after receiving a Juno Award in 2003 for New Group of the Year. They were also picked to play the halftime show at the 96th Grey Cup—the CFL’s version of the Super Bowl—which took place this past Sunday. Framing Hanley and Pop Lie will open the show here in Buffalo.

—justin sondel

7pm (doors) Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / www.townballroom.com). $18/advance (box office, Tickets.com / 888-223-6000) or $22/day of show.

Thursday, November 28

Patrons of Sweet CD Release Party

Both Knife Crazy and Dimetroden were two of Buffalo’s most intricate and complicated bands in the past few years, intertwining crafty musicianship and prog-rock tendencies. Out of the ashes of those two bands comes Patrons of Sweet, an angular rock trio that builds on the former bands’ sounds while adding more focus on melody and hooks. This Friday (Nov. 28) at Mohawk Place, Patrons of Sweet hosts a CD release party for their debut recording, Go Whatevers. Sounding like an a long lost Dischord Records release, Go Whatevers recalls the adventurous sounds of Jawbox and Chavex without ever sounding like an imitation. And, as with his previous work with Maceo Ruez, Vox Humana, L’Dorado, and the aforementoned Knife Crazy, guitarist/vocalist Vic Lazar always manages to outdo himself in his songwriting. La Cacahouette and A Hotel Nourinshing open the show.

—eric boucher

10pm. Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St. (855-3931 / www.mohawkplace.com). $5

Saturday, November 29

Ani Difranco

Few artists are as productive as Buffalo’s own righteous babe, Ani DiFranco. Over the past 18 years, she’s released an impressive 20 albums, culminating in her latest, Red Letter Year, again on her own label. She’s cultivated an incredibly loyal and ever growing global following by writing frankly honest and intelligent songs, developing a truly unique style, and breaking nearly every music business rule. An early critic of the Iraq War, even back when virtually every car in America was decorated with an American flag, DiFranco has always proudly expressed herself with a courage rarely shown by most performers. Her iconoclasm is now being rewarded. She puts it this way: “I’ve got myself a new mantra. It says, ‘Don’t forget to have a good time.’” This Saturday’s show marks her return to Babeville, the church she fought to refurbish, now a vibrant center for performances, arts, and lectures. This is a special chance to catch her live on the final night of her fall 2008 tour in the house that Ani built. Last time was in September, 2007, when her exciting performances were captured for the DVD Live at Babeville—which will be broadcast, incidentally, on Monday, December 1 at 8pm on WNED.

—buck quigley

7pm. Asbury Hall at Babeville, 341 Delaware Ave. (888-223-6000 / www.tickets.com) $37.50 advance / $42.50 day of show

Saturday, November 29

The Steam Donkeys

The first time I heard the Steam Donkeys play live, going on 15 years ago, I was delivered to the door of the old, lamented Club Utica in the back of VW bus filled with Christmas records. It was five degrees outside. When the front door swung open, I was greeted by a flood of warm light and dancing, cigarettes and whiskey, a fiddle and Telecaster trading searing leads, while the frontman (now an editor here at AV) picked out a rhythm, dressed like Zorro. Buffalo’s greatest (and maybe, at the time, only) honkytonk band had just put out a record called Cosmic Americana, replete with songs about Jesus, jackknifed trucks, jealousy, and lies. Since then, I’ve seen the band every chance I get. I recommend you do the same, especially as this show’s at the Sportsmen’s, one of the city’s great live music venues.

—geoff kelly

9:30pm. The Sportsmen’s Tavern, 326 Amherst Street (874-7734 / www.sportsmenstavern.com). FREE

Saturday, November 29

Drunkyard Boys CD Release Party & RÜT Records’ 10th Anniversary

Established in 1998 by Liquid Violence and Ball Cheeze Psychotics drummer Dan Bess, Rut Records has been helping touring bands and independent musicians record and release music, find a gig or take refuge from the road for over 10 years. This Saturday at Mohawk Place, RÜT Records celebrates its 10th anniversary by hosting the Drunkyard Boys CD release party of their debut recording, Buffalo Crapabilly, the label’s 23rd release. A hybrid of punk and psychobilly, the Drunkyard Boys more than live up to their name with rowdy sloganeering and drunken anthems. Their shows are chaotic and unpredictable but never boring. The show might also feature special reunions by RÜT bands Ball Cheeze Psychotics, Children In Heat, and Liquid Violence.

—eric boucher

7pm. Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St. (855-3931 / www.mohawkplace.com)

Monday, December 1

Boris

I first really experienced the Japanese trio Boris at the 2007 SXSW music conference. I had become so enamored enough with the band’s 2005 album Pink (Southern Lord/Diwphalanx) that they topped my must-see list. A mind-bending, 45-minute set late one evening left me so hooked that I was standing in a field in the hot Texas sun to see them again early the following day. I ended up at the merch table alongside Rolling Stone senior editor and noted rock scribe David Fricke, also in awe of what he’d seen and heard, dropping hundreds of dollars on Boris’s hard-to-find, Japanese-only releases. This past year saw the release of dual US and Japanese versions, each almost completely different recordings, of the album Smile, with more boundless experimentation and heavy rock that blurs every line it can find. The trio has become a quartet with the semi-permanent addition of guitarist Michio Kurihara not only appearing across the album but as a part of the band’s live lineup. Boris make their second ever—and second this year—stop in Buffalo for a show this Monday (Dec. 1), with special guests Cloud and Teeth So Sharp.

—donny kutzbach

9pm. Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (www.bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab). $15/advance (Ticketmaster) or $17/at door. Ages 18+

Tuesday, December 2

Mobile Deathcamp

In Gwar, Todd Evans portrayed the character Beefcake the Mighty for over five years. His intimidating stature and expert musicianship on bass guitar made him a fan favorite, with many proclaiming him to be the best ever to personify the crude, sword-wielding Beefcake. However, this past year saw Evans amicably depart Gwar to focus on Mobile Deathcamp. Swtiching to his preferred instrument, guitar, Evans has modeled Mobile Deathcamp into a dark, ominous unit. Invoking the demons of such luminaries as Slayer, Carcass, and Mastodon, Mobile Deathcamp is intense and volatile without ever sounding generic or falling into the trap of metal cliche, like some other acts. Although they have been together for only a little over a year, the trio is fierce, angry and already capturing the attention of a broader audience. Mobile Deathcamp performs at Mohawk Place on Tuesday (Dec. 2). Opening is Low Road Revival.

8pm. Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St. (855-3931 / www.mohawkplace.com). $7

Thursday, December 4

Constantines With Tim Fite

Formed in Guelph, Ontario, the Constantines combine punk and rock-and-roll into “art punk,” classifying themselves with the likes of the Clash, Fugazi, the Replacements, and the Ramones. Since their inception in 1999 they have produced three critically acclaimed full-lengths for Three Gut Records, culminating in this past year’s release Kensington Heights on the Arts & Crafts label. Among many who have hailed the album, including the New York Times, Spin, and the Village Voice, it’s made numerous critics’ “Best of the Year” lists so far. Also playing this show next Thursday (Nov. 4) is Tim Fite, an artist who has an affinity for outlandish, sometimes childish visuals, and oddball, folksy melodies. A popular musician in his own right, he incorporates speak-sing vocals with rap, forming a standout mix of comedy and music

—jon garbin

9pm. Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (www.bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab). $10/advance (Ticketmaster) or $12/at door. Ages 18+

Thursday, December 4

My Dear Disco

Next Thursday (Dec. 4) Nietzsche’s will host My Dear Disco and the unique style that they describe as “dance -think music.” This funky style sounds something like a digitized Earth, Wind, & Fire, employing strange instruments such as the electrified bagpipes. The group met while attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and has been gaining a large following in that city and neighboring Detroit since they came together only 18 months ago. Their new album, Dance Think, was produced by music industry heavyweight Mark Saunders who has worked for such esteemed musicians as David Bryne and the Cure. The band is coming to Buffalo fresh off of a tour which included such venues as the A.E. Summer Festival, BlissFest, Hoxeyville, Dunegrass, and The Jazz Aspen Snow Mass. So if you feel like dancing and/or thinking, head down to Nietzsche’s for some funky grooves and a couple of pints.

—justin sondel

9pm. Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886.8539 / www.nietzsches.com)