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See You There!

Artvoice's weekly round-up of events to watch out for the week, including our editor's pick: Califone, who performs at Mohawk Place on Thursday the 15th. If you haven't already, be sure to check out our new and improved events calendar on-line for complete event listings, a location guide to find your way about the city, restaurant reviews, and more.

Califone

Thursday, October 15th

Califone is a band like no other. Formed from the ashes of the seminal Chicago band Red Red Meat, Califone has perfected a sound so unique that nothing else sounds quite similar. Banjo and violin collide with Public Image-type funk to create timeless soundscapes. The combination of two drummers meld together a difficult yet transcendent groove that is both eerie and hypnotic. Most importantly, however, is the songwriting of singer and guitarist Tim Rutili. Rutili’s surrealist poetry and aching delivery is so heart rendingly beautiful that it’s almost impossible to be unaffected by it. Over the course of five albums, Califone has managed to stay under the radar while gaining massive acclaim in the underground press. Their recently released album, All My Freinds Are Funeral Singers, is as mysterious on first few listens as its predecessors. Still, like the others, the album unveils itself with persistence and is ultimately another masterpiece. All My Friends Are Funeral Singers doubles as a soundtrack to the film of the same name, which was directed by Rutili. (That there is a track on the album titled “Bunûel,” a tribute to the Spanish filmmaker, may be some indication of what to expect). Although the band has scored various experimental films in the past, this is the first time Califone has used actual structured songs to score a movie. Califone performs a rare club show at Mohawk Place next Thursday (Oct. 15) at 8pm. Opening is TMMC.

—eric boucher

Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. / 8pm / $12 / 855-3931 / www.mohawkplace.com

Friday, October 9th

Ann Arbor Film Festival

The traveling edition of the Ann Arbor Film Festival makes its second appearance at Squeaky Wheel this year with an entirely new program of short films culled from its 47th edition. (It is the second-oldest film festival in North America, and by far the oldest devoted to independent and experimental film.) As a bonus, the usual eclectic selection of short films will be accompanied by Donald Harrison, executive director of the AAFF, who will hold a Q&A session about the process of festival curating and current media art trends. It’s worth attending just to see Utopia, Part 3, Sam Green and Carrie Lozano’s film about the world’s largest shopping mall, more than twice the size of the Mall of America and yet sitting nearly vacant in Southern China. For the complete program click here.

—m. faust

Squeaky Wheel, 712 Main St / 8pm / 884-7172 / www.squeaky.org

Friday, October 9th

Willy Haddath Band CD Release Party

Best known around town as the frontman for beloved band Willie & the Reinhardts, blues guitarist Willie Haddath began his musical career playing in local bands circa 1974. He’s put in time with popular acts such as 10 Gauge, Black Cat Blues Band, and Shakin’ Smith, as well as 20 dedicated years with the Reinhardts. He has opened for music greats such as Johnny Winter, James Cotton, the Night Hawks, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and numerous others. His CD, Tidal Wave, was recorded in Nashville, Tenessee, featuring a host of fuest artists including Jimmy Hall, T. Graham Brown, and Johnny Neill. He’s in the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, Class of ‘93, and is one of the most accomplished and often booked musicians around. See him on his special night at the Lafayette Tap Room, Friday (Oct. 9), at 9pm.

—alan victor

Lafayette Tap Room, 391 Washington St. / 9pm / 854-2466 / www.lafayettetaproombbq.com

Friday, October 9th

Jimkata

Ithaca-based jam band Jimkata is playing a post-moe. show at Nietzsche’s on Friday (Oct. 9), starting around the time moe.’s show at the Town Ballroom ends (11pm? Anyone’s guess?). This “moe. After Show” will be opened by Jimkata’s good friends, the Maryland band Pasadena, starting at 9pm. Jimkata plays original electro-rock that’s versatile enough to have shared a stage with artists as different as Snoop Dog, Umphree’s McGee, and and Bob Weir & Ratdog. So although this is a show dedicated in part to moe. fans who haven’t gotten their fill at the Ballroom, there’s much more to Jimkata than your average upstate NY jam-band has to offer.

—alan victor

Nietzsche's, 248 Allen St. / 9pm / 886-8539 / www.nietzsches.com

Friday, October 9th

Mandy K.

You don’t have to lecture the lads of Mandy K about work ethic. All under the age of 21, the guys from the up and coming Buffalo quintet already exhibit a deeply instilled tenacity and diligence that few bands in their shoes can muster. Take Mandy K’s stint on Warped Tour 2009, where they followed the summer music and youth culture caravan on their own dime. Though unpaid and not performing, they managed to rack up enough sales of their six-song EP (Leakmob Records) to land on the Billboard chart’s Heatseekers. This is the kind of stuff that most bands employ high-powered managers and get backed by labels to accomplish, and Mandy K did it all by their own hard work. Of course, you can be the hardest working band around but if you don’t have the songs and the show, it’s all for nothing. In Mandy K’s case they’ve got that as well. Mixing revved up punk with breezy pop hooks they easily push ahead of much of the cookie cutter competition. As frontman Anthony Musior proudly points out, “We write our own songs and we do everything ourselves.” In an age where so many young bands are simply fabrications of writers, producers and labels , Mandy K is the real deal. They’ve become one of WNY’s top drawing homegrown acts, as their spirit for making music is contagious. As Musior states, “None of us can see ourselves doing anything else, and we want kids to be as into our music as we are.” They play Xtreme Wheels on Friday (Oct. 9) with support from This Is An Empire, Amely, Letterset, and Aria. Doors open at 5:30pm.

—donny kutzbach

Xtreme Wheels, 356 Hertel Ave. / 6pm / $10 advance at Ticketmaster; $15 day of the show / 871-9361 / www.xtreme-wheels.com

Saturday, October 10th

Tinsley Ellis

Blues fans in Buffalo have something to look forward to this upcoming Saturday (Oct. 10). Critically acclaimed blues guitarist and vocalist Tinsley Ellis is celebrating the release of his new album, Speak No Evil, with a live show here in the city. Ellis is an accomplished artist, with a successful career spanning more then two decades and an impressive discography of more than 11 albums. His most recent work on Speak No Evil has been described as some of his most powerful, ferocious music yet, with emotionally heavy-but-honest lyrics and a powerful guitar performance. With a multitude of expressive, fierce songs, the album is sure to please any southern blues-rock listener. The performance at Nietzsche’s, the local music hotspot, begins at 9pm, with Ann Philippone opening Ellis’s two-set show.

—matt huber

Nietzsche's, 248 Allen St. / 9pm / $13 advance; $15 at the door / 886-8539 / www.nietzsches.com

Monday, October 12th

Gaslight Anthem

Apparently, Britain loves the Gaslight Anthem, which is either surprising or to be expected, due to their quintissentially all-American sound. Inspired by Springsteen, for whom they have opened numerous times and who joined them onstage during their set at England’s Glastonbury Festival this year, these fellow New Jerseyians have done justice to the best of American songwriters with covers of “God’s Gonna Cut You Down,” for the Johnny Cash tribute album All Aboard! A Tribute to Johnny Cash, and their staple live performance of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” (a crowd favorite). Their career-making album, last year’s The ‘59 Sound (SideOneDummy) started them as big news in the UK. Now with this tour that brings them to the Town Ballroom on Monday (Oct. 12), they’re back at home on east coast American soil. With lyrics focused on Jersey-esque rock and roll themes, the gruff vocals of lead singer/songwriter Brian Fallon, and a no-frills formula, this is a band that is unabashedly “Rockin’ in the USA.” Doors open at 6pm and support comes from Murder By Death and Jesse Malin.

—k. o’day

Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. / 7pm / All ages / $15 advance; $17 day of show / 852-3900 / www.townballroom.com

Tuesday, October 13th

The Bottle Rockets

Formed in 1992, Missouri band The Bottle Rockets have now been around long enough to qualify as dinosaurs of the alt.country genre. But you wouldn’t think to call them that after a listen to their current release Lean Forward (Bloodshot) which is full of the gritty, 70’s inflected rock sound they perfected at the end of the 20th century. In fact, looking back you have to scratch your head and wonder why they were ever even remotely lumped into a scene with the word “country” in it, unless it was to somehow suggest the heartland vibe their songwriting conveyed. Which is really a shame, because so many fans of straight up, no-frills rock might have been so scared off by the thought of fiddles and pedal steel guitars that they never tuned in to the loud, guitar-driven stomp of this great Midwestern group. Original members Brian Henneman (guitar/vocals) and Mark Ortman (drums), are currently joined by guitarist John Horton and bassist Keith Voegele. Fans of the whole Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt/Wilco thing will not be disappointed by this rare area appearance.

—buck quigley

Sportsmen's Tavern, 326 Amherst St. / 7:30pm / $25 / 874-7734 / www.sportsmenstavern.com

Wednesday, October 14th

Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!

At first thought, the obtuse band name “Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!” seems typically hipster/absurdist; a funtime linguistic throwaway. But the spectacle it describes is not so much a band as an interactive dance party. It’s like a nursery school class gone awry, except that most everyone is in their twenties. The room is filled with random toys, balloons, and strung up lights, and the performers are more likely to pass out baked goods or help you select random costumes or props than to perform rehearsed songs from a fixed point on the stage. What you get is five performers, led by founder Neil Fridd, chanting simplistically subversive sing-along ditties against a backdrop of indie-electronic beats. But what really makes it all work is the way that audience and performer dissolve into each another. If your idea of fun involves a grown man in stuffed animal-covered jumpsuit, get your costumed self down to Soundlab this Wednesday (Oct. 14). Also on the bill is Buffalo’s queen of cheeky adorability Bev Beverly, and DJs NY Sexy Beast and NSFW.

—greg gannon

Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. / 9pm / $8 / www.bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab