Dyngus Day Buffalo 2010

Monday, April 5

Only in Buffalo are the strictures of Lent heaved off with such gusto and abandon. Kielbasa and pierogi, golubki and bigos, washed down with tall bottles of Tyskvie and shots of vodka. The frantic crush of people at the Central Terminal and the Adam Mickiewicz Library and Dramatic Circle, the swell of polka music. It’s Dyngus Day in Buffalo, folks, and the merriment begins in community centers, church cafeterias, and VFW posts at lunchtime on Monday (April 5) and lasts all night long. Everywhere you go—from the Polish Cadets Hall on Grant Street, which throws open its doors at 3:30pm and hosts Cleveland’s Honky Express, to the Leonard Post on Walden Avenue in Cheektowaga, where Lenny Gomulka and the Chicago Push will hold court, to the Hearthstone Manor on Dick Road in Depew, where you’ll find the Chopin Singing Society—the folks most responsible for this regional bacchanalia—you’ll encounter celebrations of spring and Polish culture. (And, of course, men and women communicating with one another using pussy willows and water pistols.) The third annual Dyngus Day Parade—a lively, homespun affair—leaves the Broadway Market at 5pm sharp, cavorts down Fillmore Avenue past Mickey’s (an epicenter of the evening’s festivities), and ends at the Central Terminal, where thousands converge for food, drink, and music. If the crowd at the Terminal is overwhelming, hop one of the Dyngus Day shuttles that will be criss-crossing the city and try any of more than a dozen other participating venues, from the Dnipro Ukrainian Hall to the R&L Lounge. Visit www.dyngusdaybuffalo.com for a complete guide.

Thursday, April 1

Bob Dylan Imitators Contest

This is the 23rd such event, spearheaded by Michael Meldrum and held each year at Nietzsche’s. That’s just about half as long as Dylan has been a great cultural—not to mention musical—influence. His cross-generational appeal will no doubt be in evidence at this contest, which is a first come, first served, sign up on site, cash and other “rockin’” prizes kind of deal. No telling who will be there or what will be sung, but it shall be judged by a panel of local celebrities, who are just a handful of the Dylan aficionados in this town. The rest of you should come on out.

8pm. Nietzsche's, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / nietzsches.com).

Friday, April 2

Stripteasers at Club Diablo (and Jesse's B-Day Bash)

The socio-political comedy/burlesque troupe the Stripteasers should be right at home on the stage of Club Diablo, Buffalo’s downtown fetish bar. And the occasion of Club Diablo owner Jesse Zuefle’s birthday party on Friday (April 2) certainly warrants a strip, or a tease, or two. Main squeeze Stripteasers are Mistress J, Madina Madis, Fanny deBeau, Cat Sinclair, and Autumn Skye, with special guests at every show. This one being extra special, you never know who might pop out of the cake.

9pm. Club Diablo, 517 Washington St. (842-0666 / clubdiablo.com).

Saturday, April 3

Bonobo

On Saturday (April 3), British producer and DJ Bonobo will bring his best beats to the Tralf, backed by an eight-piece ensemble. Bonobo is the brainchild of Simon Green, who’s been leaving his mark on the trip-hop and downtempo electronic music genres since the late 1990s. Green uses a wide spectrum of sound, including weeping strings, heavy breakbeats, twinkling triangles, jungle sounds, and the ever important and intricate bassline, to create a gritty, yet pretty, backdrop to a car ride through a rainy London afternoon. It’s music to dance to, and maybe reflect to, as well. Bonobo has become one of the biggest artists on the Ninja Tune label, with over 15 million plays on Last.FM , soldout shows throughout the world, and major song placements in video games, commercials, and television programs like House and Californication. Visitors of Bonobo’s website (bonobomusic.com) can receive a free download of “Eyesdown (Warrior One Remix),” taken from the brand new album Black Sands. The album release tour will see Bonobo’s second run through North American, making Saturday’s show at the Tralf a rare event. The show starts at 8pm with special guest The Invisible and Fourem.

—peter vullo

8pm. Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com).

Sunday, April 4

Dum Dum Girls

Retro-stylin’ punk/popsters the Dum Dum Girls come to Soundlab on Easter Sunday (April 4) with some candy for your ears. The L.A.-based band makes self-described “blissed-out buzz saw” music, which sounds apt for a band whose name nods to both the Vaselines (for their 1989 album Dum Dum) and Iggy Pop (for his song “Dum Dum Boys”), and whose music is somewhere between Ramones and Ronettes. The lead singer is even named Dee Dee.

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

Monday, April 5

Ghost Shirt with Micah Schnabel

Are you tired of all the senseless squirt gun assaults, the vicious pussy willow beatings, and endless krupnik and Polish beer? Okay, I’m not either, but there is an interesting alternative, unofficial Dyngus Day celebration this year at Mohawk Place on Monday (April 5). Ghost Shirt is kind of like the Pixies crossed with Roy Orbison and a violin. Sound good? Well, it is, and you can investigate further on your own thanks to Ghost Shirt’s strong work ethic and taste for releasing music in the modern age. The quartet of guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Branden Barnett, violinist/vocalist Samantha Kim, bassist Ryan Haye, and drummer David “Murph” Murphy are in the midst of releasing 52 songs in 52 weeks: a new song every single week through the next year. You can follow and download Ghost Shirt’s progress at the excellent music blog donewaiting.com. The band is up to #12 and this current run of online singles from #11-21 will constitute the tracks of the band’s second release Domestique (Anyway Records) due in July. Ghost Shirt’s good pal and fellow Columbus-based artist Micah Schnabel joins in, too. Schnabel—no stranger to the Mohawk Place and Western New York rock fans—takes a break from his usual duties playing guitar and singing in the band Two Cow Garage for a set highlighting his recent solo record, When the Stage Lights Go Dim (Suburban Home). Buffalo good old boy Roger Bryan and his band the Orphans support with their usual fuzzy, dusted-up melodicism and unbridled three-guitar attack.

—donny kutzbach

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

Wednesday, April 7

Three Bucks and a Doe: Mary Ramsey, Brad Gower, John Lombardo, Buck Quigley

Local songwriters are getting together at the Sportsmen’s Tavern for the next two Wednesdays to sing a few of their tunes in support of the Western New York Land Conservancy, the not-for-profit group that’s been committed to preserving our region’s natural and cultural heritage for the past 19 years. This week’s (April 7) lineup includes Mary Ramsey and John Lombardo (pictured) of John & Mary and Valkyries fame; Brad Gower, whose band Photos of Wagons recently won the Grand Prize in the Artvoice BOOM competition; and Buck Quigley, frontman/songwriter for the Steam Donkeys, who’s also an associate editor here at AV. Last week featured Alison Pipitone, Guillermo Izquierdo, Rob Lynch, and Geno McManus. If you recognize a theme, it’s three guys, one girl. Three bucks and a doe, get it? Plus, it’s three bucks to get in. So, just like a great song, this event is layered with meaning. Next week’s (April 14) show features Joelle Labert, John G. Brady, Greg Klyma, and Andy Wegrzyn. Come enjoy some homegrown, and support nature, right in Black Rock.

7pm. Sportsmen's Tavern, 326 Amherst St. (874-7734 / sportsmenstavern.com). $3.

Thursday, April 8

Xiu Xiu

Experimental indie-rock band Xiu Xiu will play Mohawk Place next Thursday (April 8) and provide enough sonic fuzz and sadness to make the devil seem chipper. Principle singer/songwriter Jamie Stewart leads Xiu Xiu through a strange and bleak soundscape, where every digital blip is used as a tool to shape sinister anthems around Stewart’s quavering vocal style, reminiscent of Robert Smith and Morrissey taken up a notch or two, or maybe 10. The group is also currently home to Angela Seo (piano, synth, programming) and Ches Smith (rhythm). A large body of work has been released under the Xiu Xiu moniker with many contributors, most recently Dear God, I Hate Myself, which finds acoustic guitar strumming juxtaposed against storming synth melodies, as on opening track “Gray Death.” The song contains searing lyrics that can be read as commentary on the band’s sound: “You expect me to be outrageous. I will be extra-outrageous.” The album also features contributions and production from Jamie Stewart and Greg Saunier, member of fellow experimental group and Kill Rock Stars label mates, Deerhoof. Thursday’s show at Mohawk Place starts at 8pm with special guests Tune Yards. Xiu Xiu will set the mood for a heavy night. Somber sounds for somber souls. —peter vullo

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