Old Neighborhood Parade in the Old First Ward

Saturday, March 13

Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is fine, if you go in for green beer and green tinsel headdresses and “Kiss My Ass, I’m Irish” T-shirts on Polish guys from Cheektowaga. For my part, I’m the Old Neighborhood Parade kind. The floats range from the humble—the Bouquard family tows one of the red boats they rent in the summer down on Fuhrmann Boulevard—to the steelworkers union’s mammoth steel beam. Whole families march from the Valley Community Center on South Park Avenue and Elk Street and ends at O’Connell and Kentucky Streets in the Old First Ward, retracing the route of Buffalo’s original 1913 St. Patrick’s Day parade. Every politician in Western New York attends. The event lasts for hours and ends in the crush of souls trying to get a drink and a sandwich at McCarthy’s Irish Pub. It’s homely and glorious. The 17th annual Old Neighborhood Parade takes place on Saturday (March 13), beginning at noon and ending whenever.

—geoff kelly.

12pm. Valley Community Center, 93 Leddy St., the Old First Ward, and surrounding areas. (823-4707 / www.saintpatricksdayparade.com/buffalo)

Friday, March 12

Vetiver

Vetiver is often lumped in with the thriving “free folk” scene that has persevered through the past decade. And while they have collaborated with such artists as Devandra Banhart and Joanna Newsom in the past, they encompass so much more. A certain melancholic introspection as well as a broad knowledge of musical history runs through the music, transcending all genres. Singer/songwriter Andy Cabic spent the 1990s doing time in various art punk and indie scenes throughout the southern states before migrating to San Francisco. While writing songs for what would end up becoming Vetiver, Cabic played with Banhart and Newsom while honing his sound, and after being championed by such artists, Cabic became a force of his own. The delicate hybrid of acoustic guitar, banjo, violin, and other assorted instruments drew acclaim from the indie press and earned his band a strong cult following. After solidifying a stable lineup, Vetiver recorded the brilliant Thing Of the Past in 2008, an album which saw Cabic reworking songs by such legends as Ronnie Lane, Townes Van Zandt, and Michael Hurley. The most recent record, Tight Knit, is an artistic breakthrough. As with those early 1970s Beach Boys records, Vetiver’s new album is warm, delicate, and might just make you feel loved. Vetiver performs at Mohawk Place on Friday (March 12). Opening is Marissa Nadler with TMMC.

—eric boucher

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

Friday, March 12

Neon Indian

Neon Indian, one of the monikers held by 21-year-old Alan Palomo, made a dent in the psychedelic music scene this year with the release of his debut album Psychic Charms (Lefse Records). The album combines lo-fi recording techniques with electronic beats and samples to create a sound that flows like the score to a 1970s exploitation film. Every song progresses in a drugged-out blur, with layers upon layers of swirling guitar and keyboards mixed with bright, fuzzy vocals and sometimes bombastic beats. The record is highlighted by gems including “Ephemeral Artery,” a body-moving 1980s-esque dance track, and “Should Have Taken Acid With You,” which comes off as an ode to the Magnetic Fields with it’s quacking keyboards and hypnotizing laser sounds. Palomo, who hails from Austin, Texas, and composes all of the music for Neon Indian, created the band in 2008 as a side project to compliment his full time project, VEGA, which has a more glossy, modern disco sound. Both projects clearly draw from the same source of nostalgic, analog inspired psychedelia, but Neon Indian sticks out, relying on dream-pop synthesizer sounds to create a washed-out haze, which contrasts VEGA’s more polished sound. Palomo will be joined on the stage of Soundlab on Friday (March 12) by a full band to recreate his psychedelic sound and send the crowd into an acid flashback. Local atmospheric rock band Wooden Waves opens the show.

—cory perla

9pm. Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab) $13/$15.

Friday, March 12

Young Audiences at Gusto at the Gallery

Forget going around the world in 80 days. Try going around the world in four hours! The Albright-Knox Art Gallery and Young Audiences of WNY are providing families the chance for a virtual trip around the world during ”Around the World with Young Audiences.” The program is part of this week’s Gusto at the Gallery and will include interactive activities and presentations such as origami, salsa lessons, Afro-Brazilian drum and dance presentations, as well as stories from different cultures. “Gusto events are a great way for Young Audiences to share the diversity and talent of our teaching artists with the public,” says Cynnie Gaasch, Executive Director of Young Audiences, a nonprofit organization founded in 1962 that promotes the arts in education for children. Kyoko Roszmann’s Origami Workshop and Sarah Hooper’s Family Dance/Salsa Workshop will kick-off the night’s activities, followed by performances in the auditorium by renowned storyteller Lorna Czarnota and Sankofa African Drum and Dance Ensemble director Clyde Alifiju Morgan. At 6pm Czarnota will present This World of Ours: Stories from Many Cultures, followed by Morgan’s Afro-Brazilian Dance and Music at 7pm. For more information and a full schedule of events, please visit www.yawny.org or www.albrightknox.org.

—samantha mcdonnell

4-9pm. Albright Knox Art Gallery, 1285 Elmwood Ave (882-8700 / ) Free.

Saturday, March 13

Dotsun Moon

Dotsun Moon is steadily becoming a staple in Buffalo’s indie/shoegaze scene, and this Saturday’s (March 13) event brings a chance to catch them in a rare and laid back performance. The band is a master of understanding and restraint, knowing when to embrace minimalism while also realizing when the time is right to let the roof fall. Their self proclaimed label—”dream beat/noir”—couldn’t be more accurate. Fans of Portishead, Massive Attack, and Cocteau Twins should take note. Dotsun Moon combines elements of early trip-hop, 90’s era shoegaze, and a post-punk edge capped with the haunting sincerity of singer Mary O.’s vocal delivery. These are sounds that would fit nicely paired with a black and white arthouse flick. Speaking of which, the performance will be accompanied by a video from local artist Scott Washburn. Not only will this be the full multimedia experience, attendance will support one of Buffalo’s best new restaurants and entertainment venues, Merge. So stop by, grab a bite, and enjoy one of the best acts this city has to offer!

—eric kendall

10pm. Merge Restaurant, 439 Delaware Ave. (842-0600 / mergebuffalo.com

Saturday, March 13

Spirits

Ah, Canadian indie…as if the 1980s underground had passed our northern neighbors by for two decades, inexplicably plopped into Montreal around 2002, and made a host of bands obsessed with Morrissey and the Cure. And boy did that work out for them, with nationally acclaimed bands churning out of Canada-like maple syrup—slow-moving, introspective, somber maple syrup. But Hamilton, Ontario’s pop trio Spirits wants to speed things up. Not with rock—they have a pretty white pony on their cover— but with kickin’ grooves and cheesy synth, and while they too are clearly obsessed with the 1980s, it’s more with retro MTV than college radio. Put bluntly, Spirits’ sound is nouveau new wave—which is an absurd label but one that couldn’t be more fitting for a bunch of Canadians that sound like an updated version of the Buggles. Such retro worship may make some eyes roll, but these guys have been getting a lot of attention in their homeland, and have played gigs with greats such as the Psychedelic Furs, the Happy Mondays, and the Pixies. So if you are looking for a little nostalgia with tight, clever pop songs check out Mohawk on Saturday (March 13).

—geoff anstey

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

Tuesday, March 16

Zakir Hussain & Masters of Percussion

A spectacular ensemble of rhythm and melody led by the Indian tabla maestro and a chief architect of world music, Zakir Hussain. Widely considered a chief architect of the contemporary world music movement, Zakir is a percussion legend. Tuesday’s (March 16) concert features repertoire from north and south Indian classical traditions, explorations of the musical frontiers between traditional and contemporary, folk and classical, as well as a tabla solo by Zakir. His unique contribution to world music includes Shakti with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar in the early 1970s, the Diga Rhythm Band, Making Music, Planet Drum with Mickey Hart, Tabla Beat Science, Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland, and recordings and performances with artists as diverse as George Harrison, Yo Yo Ma, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Airto Moreira, Giovanni Hidalgo, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham, Rennie Harris and the Kodo drummers of Japan. In April of last year, he performed four sold-out concerts in Carnegie Hall’s Artist Perspective series, and comes to Buffalo, having just performed at Lincoln Center. He received a Grammy in 2009 for Global Drum Project, his group with Mickey Hart, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Sikiru Adepoju, and the Melody of Rhythm, featuring banjo, bass, and tabla by Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Zakir has been nominated for a 2010 Grammy award. This concert takes place at UB Center for the Arts

—anthony chase

7pm. UB Center for the Arts Main Stage, University at Buffalo, Amherst (645-ARTS / ubcfa.org) $25/general; $15/students at CFA Box Office, Ticketmaster, Arvind (689-6294), Teja (639-0902)

Tuesday, March 16

House of Pain

What better way to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day than with Irish-American hip-hop veterans House of Pain. Danny Boy, DJ Lethal, and Everlast will be at the Town Ballroom on Tuesday (March 16) tearing down the roof like it’s 1992. The hardcore Celtic boys caught their big break in the early 1990s with the classic anthem of rowdiness “Jump Around.” Shortly after releasing their third album—and beefing with Marky Mark—the guys went their separate ways and experienced illustrious solo careers. DJ Lethal joined the heavenly ranks of Limp Bizkit, and Everlast ruled the radio in the late 1990s with the single “What It’s Like” from his album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues. The group’s original members and others reunited in 2006 to form the hip-hop supergroup La Coka Nostra, whose long-awaited full-length, A Brand You Can Trust, was released in 2009 featuring guest spots from the likes of Snoop Dogg and Bun B. Nostalgia, blunt smoke, and the scent of 40s will be i n the air, so put on your Celtic jersey and some good jumping footwear.

—peter vullo

7pm. Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $25/advance; $30/day of show.