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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: The Greater Allentown First Friday's Gallery Tour summer kick-off.

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.

Greater Allentown First Fridays Gallery Tour With Expanded Activities

Friday, June 4

There’s no need to wait for the Allentown Art Festival to experience the wealth of local artists, musicians, art galleries and art spaces that Buffalo has to offer. On the first Friday of every month, Allentown art galleries, restaurants, and businesses come together to form a visual and musical collective through Allentown, allowing visitors to embark on a self-guided, walkable tour of one of Buffalo’s most energetic communities. The monthly event has snowballed in turnout and participation since its inception, accumulating more venues and attractions around the Elmwood/Allen area. This Friday (June 4), The Greater Allentown First Fridays Gallery Walk kicks off their summer 2010 schedule with a “Pied Piper” parade led by the 12/8 Path Band, Sam Hoyt, and employees of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The procession starts off at 5pm at the BNMC and follows the New Orleans/Afro-Caribbean laden beats of the 12/8 Path Band to the Allentown Association Office at the corner of Main and Allen St. Expect to see strolling musicians, sidewalk chalk art, street performances, and opening receptions in galleries throughout the greater Allentown area. Participating galleries include Art Dialogue, Betty’s Restaurant, Buffalo Big Print, CG Jung Center, Indigo Gallery, College Street Art Gallery, COMAND Solutions, El Buen Amigo, Gallery 164 (see picture at left), Hallwalls, Merge Restaurant, Quaker Bonnet Eatery, SP@CE 224, Starlight Studio & Art Gallery, and Studio Hart . It’s this kind of communal event that fuels Buffalo’s art scene, and First Fridays is the opportune time to get a healthy dose of Buffalo-bred art in a vibrant festival setting —jon wheelock

5-10pm. Various locations throughout Allentown. Visit www.firstfridaysallentown.com. FREE

Friday, June 4

Gross Negligence

As we speak, thousands of gallons of oil are gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, making all of us wonder how far the immense black slick will reach and if there’s any end in sight. As part of Allentown’s First Friday event (June 4), nimbus dance and Gallery 164, in conjunction with members of the Real Dream Cabaret and the 12/8 Path Band, present GROSS Negligence, a multi-media storefront and sidewalk info/dance based on the Gulf oil spill, exposing and condemning the corporate perpetrators, while mourning the irrevocable destruction the disaster has caused. Conceived by nimbus dance co-director and Allentown architect Brad Wales, the performance utilizes dancers with wii-motes who will trigger changes in the visual images projected on their bodies. The images juxtapose the natural, sublime beauty of the Gulf with the black, toxic slick that encompasses everything in its path, and the dancers are helpless in their efforts to escape. At about 7:45pm, the 12/8 Path Band will perform a NOLA-style jazz funeral for the death of the Louisiana coastline wetlands, beaches, oyster beds, and shrimp nurseries. Environmental information specialist Theresa Baker-Pickering will lay out the facts of the case, segueing into a mock trial in which British/Beyond Petroleum (BP) will receive a Corporate Death Sentence handed down by Louisiana native and Real Dream Cabaret MC, Ron Ehmke, playing the role of “The Judge.” Ten of BP’s top executives get life in prison, an unlikely punishment in reality, but nonetheless fitting. GROSS Negligence starts at 7pm on Friday (June 4) at Gallery 164. The video and info-stallation wil run every night, 9-11pm, from June 4-July . GROSS Negligence also marks the return of the full nimbus dance ensemble, with several new dancers, after a two-year period of reduced activity. —jon wheelock

Pictured: Nimbus Dance, photo by Jim Bush

7-9pm. Gallery 164, 164 Allen St.

Friday, June 4

War Resisters Speak Out Film & Panel Discussion

There are soldiers whose stories remain unknown to many Americans. These soldiers bravely stood up and said “No” to participating in a war they felt was wrong. Rather than be forced to participate, they chose to go to Canada. A recent poll shows that 64% of Canadians support letting these AWOL soldiers stay in their country to build new lives with their families. The House of Commons passed a motion (Bill C-440) calling on the government to stop deportation proceedings against war resisters. But Prime Minister Stephen Harper has ignored the motion and his government has already deported two of these men, with more deportation hearings underway for others. This Friday (June 4) at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo Veterans for Peace and the Toronto-based War Resisters Support Campaign will host a benefit for the Campaign (www.resisters.ca) with a film and panel discussion. The film, War Resisters Speak Out, will be shown at 7pm, followed by a discussion with noted blogger and American expatriate Laura Kaminker, Michele Robidoux of the War Resisters Support Campaign, Vietnam-era draft resister Charlie Diamond, and filmmaker Alex Lisman. These four have worked tirelessly on behalf of American Iraq and Afghanistan war resisters seeking asylum in Canada. Come and hear what they and the war resisters in the film have to say. —rose mattrey

7-10:30pm. Hallwalls Screening Room, 341 Delaware Ave. (854-1694)

Friday, June 4

Baby Soda Jazz Band w/The Springville All-Star Marching Band

Baby Soda must have found a time machine. There’s just no way their music is made in the 21st century. It’s like the soundtrack of Prohibition, basement breweries, and silent pictures. It’s nostalgia for a time long gone, like some cobweb-covered record buried in a milk crate. This street jazz band lists its musical influences as “New Orleans brass, jug music, southern gospel, and hot jazz.” Baby Soda is currently home to 18 different members and they play every instrument you’d hope they would, including washboards, pots and pans, one-string box bass, trumpet, banjo, and saxophone. The band has busked through the streets and subways of their native New York, but also graced the stages of many fine venues in the city including the Village Vanguard, the Knitting Factory, and the Jalopy Theater. The Baby Soda Jazz Band will perform this Friday (June 4) at Nietzsche’s. The show starts at 10pm with the Springville All Star Marching Band, who have four rules: No stages. No microphones. No guitars. No flutes. Baby Soda leads the parade through the rich history of American music. Party like it’s 1933. —peter vullo

10pm. Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / www.nietzsches.com). $5

Saturday, June 5

Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Music has always been about borrowing sounds. Someone creates a sound and releases it to the world then someone else is influenced by it and uses it for their own purposes. Brooklyn noise-pop band the Pains of Being Pure at Heart is one of those bands that sounds so familiar. It could be their washed out, distorted guitar layers and fast drumming that recall late 1980’s British twee-pop bands like the Field Mice or Another Sunny Day. Or maybe its their bright and happy music that melds so well with their ironically dark lyrics, similar to the Smiths. Their hit “Teenager In Love” from their 2009 self-titled album is so well constructed that it might slip by some that the teenager in question is actually in love with hard drugs and dead by the middle of the song. It’s a tough job to shove something so deep into a three minute pop song and disguise it accordingly, but Pains have learned from the masters. Now, three years after their formation they’ve just released a new single called “Say No To Love” and they’re making their way around the country with the young rockers of Surfer Blood and quirky synth-poppers Hooray For Earth. Based in Cambridge Massachusetts, Hooray For Earth’s music is just as positive and bright as their name would imply. Their latest EP, titled Momo, was released this week. Their combination of simple rock rhythms, fuzzy synth-wash tones and bouncing vocals creates a hugeness in their music, similar to acts like Matt & Kim or Yeasayer. The three bands will step onto the Tralf’s stage on Saturday (June 5). —cory perla

7pm/doors; 8pm/show. Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / www.tralfmusichall.com). $15 at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com)

Saturday, June 5

Early Show: Sin Ropas

Tim Hurley, bassist in Red Red Meat and early contributor to Califone, went his separate way from Califone early on, taking with him percussionist and partner Danni Iosello to form Sin Ropas. Although Sin Ropas has been far underneath the radar compared to Califone, Hurley and Iosello tread a familiar, yet distinctive, path of sound manipulation and tape loops building the foundation of the rhythm while melodically the two compose intricate almost traditional sounding songs. The result is haunting yet beautiful. Anyone who enjoys their post rock with hooks and melody will be sure to find Sin Ropas a beautiful discovery. They play the Mohawk Place on Saturday (June 5) at 7pm. Opening are Bill Nehill and Ellen West. Please note that this is an early show and will be done by 10pm, in time for the Bloody Hollies CD Release Party (see below).
—eric boucher

7pm. Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. $7

Saturday, June 5

Late Show: Bloody Hollies CD Release

Hold the phones, stop the presses and thank your lucky stars this falls on a Saturday! Garage Rock revival in Buffalo during the early 2000’s was a pretty big deal and no other band exemplified that spirit as well as the Bloody Hollies, always the go to band to see if you wanted to guarantee yourself a no-frills rock show and quite possibly the time of your life. You should expect no different this Saturday (June 5) when the original Fire at Will lineup of Wesley Doyle, Phillip Freedenberg, and Mike Argento take to the Mohawk stage for a special one-night only reunion, complete with all of the blood, sweat, and broken eardrums of years ago. The Bloody Hollies MO consists of blues, surf, and rockabilly infused with a token stripped down punk n’ roll delivery. The resulting sounds are as captivating as they are venomous. What sets the Bloody Hollies apart from other garage acts of their time is their inability to idle. This trio subscribes to an all-or-nothing approach to rock and roll, with Wesley’s screeching delivery and buzz-saw guitar, Phil’s rumbling bass, and Mike Argento’s relentless drumming ensuring that each performance is played into the red from start to finish. While Wesley Doyle now resides in San Diego with the current incarnation of the band, consider this show a treat for Buffalonians and a trip down memory lane as the legendary Buffalo trio play Fire at Will (2003 Sympathy for the Record Industry) and If Footmen Tire You (2005 Alive Records) in their entirety at the venue where it all began. Hardcore-punk upstarts Coworkers and math-rockers Patrons of Sweet open the show at 10pm. —eric kendall

10pm. Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. $5

Wednesday, June 9

Marah

It started in the early ‘90s as a band of two brothers—Dave and Serge Bielanko—from Philadelphia with big rock and roll hopes and dreams. Along the way they made some classic, no bones about it rock and soul records (Kids In Philly, 20,000 Streets Under the Sky), earned some big name fans and friends (Bruce Springsteen, author Nick Hornby), played a lot of sweaty shows, and had a seemingly ever-changing cast of bandmates around them. But you know the story: One brother moves away to Utah, gets married, and never comes back...but that still couldn’t stop Marah. Dave Bielanko and long-standing keyboardist/vocalist Christine Smith are now the core, with Marah ready to unleash its tenth album Life is a Problem (Valley Farm Songs) on June 22 and touring to preview the new songs as well as promising to bust out gems from the robust back catalog. Joining Marah at Mohawk on Wednesday (June 9) is Buffalo’s own Tuco. Singer Nick Mendola, drummer Matthew Mackey, bassist Kevin McElligott, and guitarists Frank Mergl and Matthew Coleman poured into their 2010 debut No One Leaves Easy for a visceral, uncompromised rock record—sonically something like the Silver Band filtered through hooky post-hardcore—haunted by interwoven themes of a rough and tumble town where saying goodbye is seemingly too often the only option. Or as Dave Bielanko once sang: “It’s just become this race to leaving.” So, Marah and Tuco together? Sounds like a perfect pairing. —gore peterson

8pm. Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St.