London vs. New York guitarist Nick Gordon brings out his debut solo CD this week with a CD Release Party at Mohawk Place on Friday (Feb. 8). Titled It’s a Chemical Drag, But It’s Not That Bad, the album fuses the post-modern rock stylings of London vs. New York with a loose take on sixties and seventies songwriting and roots Americana—well-versed, of course, in modern hipster slang. The show will also include special guest performances from spoken word artist Stephen Goss, Red Tag Rummage Sale, the Thunder Brothers (featuring Jamison and Joey V. from Handsome Jack) and the Thermidors. Doors are at 9pm

On Wednesday (Feb. 6), reggae legend Bob Marley’s 63rd birthday will be celebrated globally, as it is each year. And each year in Buffalo his anniversary is marked by a tribute show at Nietzsche’s, which will take place this year on Saturday (Feb. 9). Neville Francis & the Riddim Posse, along with the Dreadbeats featuring Tom Fenton, will lead the show, covering timeless favorites by the “Godfather of reggae.” Pop open a few Red Stripes and bask in the warmth of the music, a soothing retreat from the cold February night. The music starts about 9pm.

On the San Francisco rock scene, the band Third Eye Blind has been a visible presence since the mid-nineties. While many other bands were heading south to tinseltown, 3eB stuck it out in the Bay area, somewhere in-between the grungy Seattle scene and the glam of SoCal. The music walks that line as well, sounding authentically DIY, raw and contradictory. After a decade of line-up changes and their most recent album over five years old, 3eB has announced its second coming with the expected release of The Hideous Strength (tentative title) sometime this year. A pre-release tour brings them to the Town Ballroom on Wednesday (Feb. 13). Doors open at 7pm.

Self-described as the “unbleachable skidmark in the underpants of Western New York’s music scene,” Anal Pudding has decided to throw in the towel (along with the underpants) on its five-year long run. The tongue-in-cheek, Zappa-esque stalwarts of live music venues like Merlin’s, the Showplace, Tudor Lounge, Mohawk Place, Diablo and about every other club you could mention will play a farewell gig at Nietzsche’s next Thursday (Feb. 14), before going on an “undetermined hiatus.” The reasons for this are yet to be revealed, but AP warns that they “might never come back so...come out.” This show doubles as a five year anniversary celebration for the band, making the occasion all the more bittersweet. It all gets started at 9pm