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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: This is It Volume 4: A Celebration of Buffalo's Music History on Friday at Mohawk Place.

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.

This is It Volume 4: A Celebration of Buffalo's Musical History

Friday, March 19

Footage of the legendary Jumpers, a Pauline & the Perils reunion, and a tribute to Mark Freeland are some of the highlights of this relaunch party for the series of CDs honoring the late 1970s and early 1980s of Buffalo’s alternative/new wave/punk/rock music history. A compilation CD, titled This Is It Vol. 4 and featuring artists from the 1977–89 Buffalo punk scene, will be released and sold during a show that reunites bands and recreates music from a time when the Continental and McVan’s were hometown showplaces for an exciting and youthful style of rock that would eventually sweep the globe. The show takes place on Friday night (March 19) at Mohawk Place, with a lineup featuring Pauline & the Perils, Terry Sullivan, the Vores, the Rain, the Promise, Third Floor Srtrangers, Sons of Chuck Berry, Free Henry!, Grace Stuberg, Mike Vargovich, and more. There will be tributes to old friends Tim Switala, Mark Freeland, and Mark Lukich, R.I.P.

Added to this Buffalo rock remix will be the premiere of E Ploetz’s “BFLO PNK 1.0,” a living history and account of the local punk rock era circa 1977-85. In this film, Elmer Ploetz weaves together a series of interviews, archival footage, photos, posters and reunion footage to capture the essence of the era. Look for the Jumpers, Mark Freeland, the Enemies, Lip Service, the Vores, the Good, Pauline & the Perils, Davy & the Crocketts, the George, Paper Faces, and others. You’ll also glimpse some people from behind the scenes such as former WBNY programmer Tom Calderone, artist Karl Kotas, former Buffalo News rock critic Dale Anderson, Rockers magazine editor Andrew Elias, and McVan’s club owner Joe Tearose. A preview of the film will be screened Friday night , and a full screening is scheduled for later in the spring.

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

Thursday, March 18

Stand

Top o’ the morning to you! Don’t put away your best green outfits from St. Patrick’s Day just yet. Stand, a band that hails from Ireland, will perform at Nietzche’s Thursday (March 18). Four friends from Dublin came together in the 1990s to form the band. Though Irish to the core, Stand considers itself to be of the rock genre,moreso than other Irish rock bands such as the Dropkick Murphys or Flogging Molly. Stand’s newest album, 100,000 Ways to Harvest Hope, was released at the beginning of this month, just in time for St. Patty’s Day. “There’s energy on it and I’m not sure that we’ve ever captured that energy before on a recording,” said guitarist David Walsh of the new album. In addition to a ‘stand’ing yearly gig at Nietzsche’s, the band has another connection to the area—they used the Goo Goo Dolls’ recording studio to record their new album.

samantha mcdonnell

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

Friday, March 19

Above & Beyond

Trance-trip trio Above & Beyond has a name that says it best. They are an ocean away from most other acts in electronic dance music, and hands down the biggest thing in trance. The group has gone from innovative scene-shakers to globe-trotting DJ squad, experiencing the kind of fame that is usually lavished on bona fide super stars. But maybe that’s what they are—which is why they are one of the biggest acts to hit Buffalo and a not-to-be-missed show for anyone interested in EDM or anyone who wants a good night out on the dance floor. Although the three are award winning remixers, they are songwriters first and foremost, and the spirit of making original music applies to all they do—even when they’re re-mixing Madonna. Above & Beyond has rocked audiences from exclusive private clubs in New York and L.A. to the beaches of Goa and Rio de Janiero, proving they can get a crowd of any size moving in unison. A & B comes through Buffalo on Friday (March 19), fresh from a recording session in Ibiza, Spain, where the club scene in one of the hottest in the world. So let’s be sure to show them a good time.

—alan victor

Doors 10pm. Pure Nightclub, 75 W. Chippewa St. (purebuffalo.net) $15/$18

Sunday, March 21

Margot & The Nuclear So & Sos

These Indianapolis chamber popsters manage to be sparkly and melodic without the trace of (emo? twee? freak-folk?... insert trendy indie band description here) that comparisons to Arcade Fire, the Decemberists, the Shins, and even Paul Simon might connote. The name is some reference to Dr. Strangelove (or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb), which gives the group props for black humor and sets you up to appreciate the lyrical wisdom of bandleader/singer/songwriter Richard Edwards. This is a fairly young band that went from solo outfit to collaborative effort to a full eight piece within a year of its conception, so if the meteoric rise continues, they may not come through town any time again too soon. Take this opportunity to see them close enough to almost touch at Soundlab on Sunday (March 21).

—frances boots

9pm. Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab) $10/$12.

Thursday, March 25

Cheap Girls

Cheap Girls rock like your favorite 1990’s band. Think Counting Crows meets Smoking Popes. Funny thing is they are totally a 21st century band. The power-pop trio, from Lansing Michigan, released their debut album Find Me A Drink Home (Bermuda Mohawk) in 2008 and released their follow up, My Roaring 20’s, (Paper+Plastick) in late 2009. Their music has gained them some attention from the maturing pop-punk crowd of the early 2000’s, with lyrics about awkwardly getting older, drinking and unsuccessfully hitting on women. The band is perpetually singing about the night before and wailing on their instruments like they’re still a little bit hung-over, which makes it the perfect music to take shots to. Their songs are easy to relate to and this is what drives the band’s sound. With lyrics like “I love her and cigarettes so much, we took the long way so we could have another,” the band perfectly captures what it feels like to be 23 years-old, out on a Friday night and trying to get some. They will make their way through Buffalo on Thursday (March 25), and what better place for them to strum their power chords than the stage of Mohawk Place. Richmond Virginia’s The Riot Before will open the show and hopefully shotgun a couple of beers while they’re up there.

—cory perla

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

Thursday, March 25

Hammel on Trial

What do you get when you cross a musician with a cartoon artist and throw in a dash of comedy? You get Hamell on Trial. Hamell on Trial is comprised of Ed Hamell, a one-man punk band known for his self-proclaimed “loud, fast music informed by politics, passion, energy and intelligence, played by a guy with a sharp tongue and a wicked sense of humor.” His ninth record, Rant and Roll, was released last year. Rant and Roll is a CD/DVD double-disc set based on his one-man show, The Terrorism of Everyday Life. The show is based on stories that Hamell has encountered throughout his career either as a musician or as a bartender. Hamell, a Syracuse native, is featured on local artist Ani DiFranco’s label, Righteous Babe Records. Hamell was inducted into the Syracuse Area Music Awards (SAMMY) Hall of Fame in 2007. He also was the recipient of the Directors’ Award at the Capital Fringe Festival in Washington, D.C. He’ll come to Nietzsche’s next Thursday (March 25) to play on a stage he’s been beforewhere he always draws an eager and participatory crowd.

—samantha mcdonnell

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

)

Thursday, March 25

Magik Markers

On Thursday (March 25), Magik Markers will bring their sonic weirdness to the Soundlab. Sometimes sounding like a church choir on acid in the Sixties, sometimes like the Velvet Underground, weaving dense musical patterns that invoke lava lamps and modern art on a projection screen. Their website (themagikmarkers.com) urges visitors to appropriately “catch the freakout fever.” The Connecticut-based band is currently comprised of Elisa Ambrogio (guitar, vocals) and Pete Nolan (drums). The group gained much attention for their chaotic live shows and an opening slot for Sonic Youth, leading to countless releases on various labels and different mediums, some released only on vinyl, CD-R, or digitally. Massive file-sharing efforts caused the band’s rare releases to be readily available online. Their 2007 album BOSS was produced by Sonic Youth kingpin Lee Ranaldo and was crowned “Best of the Month” for September in Vice magazine. Magik Markers was chosen as one of the “Best New Bands” of Connecticut by the Boston Phoenix. Supporting on Thursday will be Ronallo/Baczkowski and Bare Flames. Let the freakout commence

—peter vullo

9pm. Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab) $10.