The Glorytellers featuring Geoff Farina
Curtis Harvey (formerly of Rex)

Saturday, December 5th

This Saturday (Dec. 5) Mohawk Place welcomes two important pioneers of indie rock. As leader of the Boston area band Karate in the early nineties, singer/songwriter Geoff Farina explored abstract terrains of music while still being able to find the beauty in a song. Like contemperaries Slint and Tortoise, Karate were termed “math rock” However, Farina was able maintain aritistic credibility without boring pretensions. Forming Glorytellers (pictured) a few years back, Farina has toned down the sound, concentrating on more folk-oriented sounds and finding beauty in quieter environments. Co-headlining with Glorytellers is Curtis Harvey. Harvey was the founding member of slow-core godfathers Rex. Alongside bands such as Red House Painters and Red Red Meat, the Brooklyn trio produced slow yet extremely powerful rhythms with pounding noise and intense emotional narratives. Since Rex’s demise at the turn of the decade, Harvey has been working on solo recordings that strip away the intensity and leave behind a delicate country folk sound. Neither act should go overlooked. Opening is Vox Humana.

Please note that this is an early show and will be done by 10:30, followed by a late show by Buffalo’s Chylde (right), who are playing their last three gigs of the year in as many days, coming from NYC through Buffalo and on to Rochester. This stop is part of a mini-tour with Tee Pee Records’ Quest For Fire, featuring former members of Cursed/Deadly Snakes. Johnny Nobody and Velvet Elvis open.

—eric boucher

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

Thursday, December 3rd

Victorian Christmas: Silent Auction & Wine Tasting

Kick off the holiday season at the “all new” Theodore Roosevelt Site, home of the newly renovated Wilcox Mansion and its Carriage House, which has just recently become accessible to the public. The Victorian charm of the site provides the perfect environment for the 35th annual “Victorian Christmas” celebration that runs from December 3rd through December 12th. The ten-day celebration invites vistors to tour the site during the exhibition hours to see the holiday displays, decorations, and newly renovated areas, as well as offering daily special events such as luncheons and fashion shows. “Victorian Christmas” begins with a special gala evening on Thursday (tonight, Dec. 3), from 6-8:30pm. There will be music by Babik gypsy jazz band (pictured), wines, hors d’oeuvres, and many items available for the silent auction. Reservations required

—frances boots

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, 641 Delaware Ave. / 6 - 8:30pm / Prepaid tickets are $30 for members, $35 non-members, $40 at the door / 884-0095 / trsite.org

Thursday, December 3rd

Glue: I Will Stay If...

Ever mutter to yourself that you’ve had enough of this town and its stagnant economy, its squalid politics? Ever tell yourself that it’s time to move on? Stop now and ask yourself instead: What needs to change? What would make me stay? Take your answers down to the Century Grill tonight (Thursday, Dec. 3), where the Great Lakes Urban Exchange, or GLUE—a network of young leaders in struggling Great Lakes cities—hosts a conversation called “I Will Stay If...” It’s the first step in a campaign to communicate to policymakers what needs to change in a city like Buffalo if it hopes to retain or attract the young, the educated, the civic-minded. GLUE has held similar events in Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Cleveland. There will be food and Flying Bison on tap. A small donation is requested but not required. Contact 316.4264, or visit www.GLUEspace.org for more info.

—geoff kelly

Century Grill, 320 Pearl St. / 5:30pm / 853-6322 / thecenturygrill.com

Saturday, December 5th

The Experience

Filmmakers Addison Henderson and Korey Green of Knuckle City Films take an introspective look at how identity is forged in the documentary “The Experience,” set to premiere on Saturday (Dec. 5) at Buffalo State College’s Rockwell Hall. The documentary explores the struggle to find identity often encountered by African Americans, and consequently challenges all of us to take a close look at what makes us human. Shot between Buffalo, NY, and Ghana, Africa, the film questions identity as a both a social and historical construct, and delves into the human experience of discovery and self-realization as five individuals from Buffalo journey to Africa in search of the historical and cultural ties that define their identities. These individuals, all comprising of different backgrounds, careers, hopes and dreams, exhibit a striking example of commonality and purpose as they explore an entire country to discover who we are and where we belong. Opening up the premiere event are two additional films, “Bad Fish,” a short comedy, and “Benevolence,” an emotional drama based on true events. Following screening of the film is the official after party at Third Room (56 W. Chippewa St).

—jon wheelock

Rockwell Hall, 1300 Elmwood Ave. / 6pm / $10 advance at box office / 878-3005

Monday, December 7th

The John Cowan Band

Let’s face it. There are things about the Christmas season that we dread. Wal-Mart stampedes. Fruitcake. Mannheim Steamroller. But at least we can look forward to Monday’s (Dec. 7) John Cowan Band’s Christmas Show at Black Rock’s home of country music, the Sportsmen’s Tavern. Cowan, whose soulful tenor voice found widespread appeal during his time with the groundbreaking New Grass Revival, is about as charismatic as performers come—and his brand new Christmas CD, Comfort and Joy (Koch), is just what the title implies. The band’s homespun arrangements of seasonal classics like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” are the perfect accompaniment to his crystalline vocals, and for anyone who’s seen Cowan live, it’s easy to imagine how fun and cozy it will be hearing him croon “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” in the intimate confines of Sporto’s. Treat yourself to this little night out with friends, and it might just be enough to keep you from going nuts when you lose that last parking spot at the mall next weekend to a little old lady—who then callously flips you the bird. ‘Tis the season!

—buck quigley

Sportsmen's Tavern, 326 Amherst St. / 7:30pm / $20 / 874-7734 / sportsmenstavern.com

Tuesday, December 8th

Lucky Tubb & The Modern Day Troubadors

Is Lucky Tubb any relation to the legendary honky tonk singer Ernest Tubb, one of the biggest stars in country music from the 1940s to the end of the seventies? Damn right he is. Lucky is lucky enough to be the great Ernest’s great nephew, and he is carrying on the “Texas Troubador” tradition (that was ‘Ol Ernie’s nickname) in true country/western style. Though Lucky has altered the name of his forebearer’s backup band the Texas Troubadors to his own Modern Day Troubadors, you won’t really find much that’s modern here. Tubb’s about as far from “alt-country” as any man working in the C&W genre today. Like the title track of his latest album Damn the Luck’s chorus says, he’s “backslidin’ to 1950,” evoking his predecessor’s imagery of the old time Texas tonk. Tubb & the Troubadors play Mohawk Place on Tuesday (Dec. 9), at 8pm. The Steam Donkeys open the show.

—alan victor

Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. / 8pm / $10 / 855-3931 / myspace.com/mohawkplace

Wednesday, December 9th

Dickey Betts & Great Southern

I was looking up the word “badass” in the dictionary the other day, and there was a picture of Dickey Betts. Well, not really, but if that had really happened, it wouldn’t have fazed me a bit. As a founding member of the Allman Brothers, he helped invent and define the southern rock sound by swapping soaring leads with legendary slide guitarist Duane Allman. Allman’s fatal motorcycle crash in 1971, followed a year later by the similar fatal motorcycle crash of the band’s bassist Berry Oakley, helped create a dark and dangerous mystique around the group—which can be felt most profoundly if you visit their mushroom-adorned headstones in Macon, Georgia’s Rose Hill Cemetery, where the band used to hang out. After Duane Allman’s death, Betts became the main guitarist, and also penned unforgettable tunes like “Jessica” and “Ramblin’ Man,” whose driving riffs lifted it up as the band’s biggest commercial hit. In 2000, Betts was kicked out of the band he helped form, allegedly due to his drinking. No matter. He quickly rebounded and has been entertaining a legion of loyal fans ever since with his top-notch backing group, Great Southern, which has lately included his son, guitarist Duane Betts. Young fans of pickers like Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks ought to check out the show on Wednesday (Dec. 9), to get acquainted with the genuine article.

—buck quigley

Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. / 8pm / $28.50 presale, $30 day of show / 852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com