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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 last days of the Infringement Festival, ongoing through August 1st.

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.

Last Day of the Infringement Festival

Ongoing through Sunday, August 1st

As quickly as it comes, it goes away. The 2010 Buffalo Infringement Festival is quickly parading through the Queen City, but there’s still time to catch the beautiful and the strange all around Allentown and beyond. Here’s the Fest by numbers: 170 music artists, 15 dance groups, 18 poetry projects, 50 theater productions, 73 visual artists, and 33 films. There are many events taking place before the grand Festival finale at the Broadway Market this Sunday (August 1). Artists from the University at Buffalo have put together the “persuasive game” called PLAY/SHARE BEYOND/IN. Dubbed a “techno-scavenger hunt.” Utilizing social-networking technology and live performances, players receive text messages filled with missions to explore an alternate history of Buffalo. Game Day One of the event takes place this Saturday, (July 31) at Sugar City, 10am. Also on deck for the final days of the Infringement Festival is acclaimed Trinidadian-born jazz trumpet player Brownman, who will perform this Friday (July 30) at Nietzsche’s beginning at 10pm. Sharing the bill are MC Vendetta: Chick Rapper Extraordinaire, Narrow Minded Youth, Shuteyes, Chaotik Kojima, and LpMv. Beginning this Friday (July 30), and running through Sunday (August 1), will be the experimental multimedia installation Cotton Candy Cawcawphobia presented by Ella Joseph. The piece deals with the nature of phobia and fear, taking place at ScenoArt (293 Linwood Ave), from 5-9pm all the three days. There are two more chances this weekend to catch “You Know This Girl”, a satirical play that mocks the Girl Gone Wild culture. Squeaky Wheel will host the play this Friday at 9:45pm. Sugar City hosts it on Saturday at 7:30pm. This all leads to the multi-staged farewell to the Festival at the famed Broadway Market this Sunday. Two stages atop the roof will showcase 47 different performances including music, dance, theater, and a noise experiment open to all to take part in. Broadway Market vendors will be on hand to serve all the delicious food that has made the market such a staple in Buffalo culture. The festivities on the roof run from noon to 8:15. See what this city’s all about. The Infringement Festival will hibernate for just a wink until it comes roaring back again next summer. No rest for the beast.

—peter vullo

Various times & locations, Thursday through Sunday. Final event from noon-8:15pm, Broadway Market, 999 Broadway (893-0705 / www.broadwaymarket.com). Visit www.infringebuffalo.org for all four days event schedule, or download a PDF version of the full Infringement Program, as appeared in last week's Artvoice.

Friday, July 30

Buffalo Monster Fest

Seldom a week seems to go by without an event featuring or celebrating Buffalo’s underground horror community. If you’ve had trouble getting out to all the screenings, here’s your chance to meet up with local monster mavens and sample their wares at the first Buffalo Monster Fest. The outdoor patio at D’Arcy McGee’s Irish Pub (sheltered from the weather, so don’t worry if it rains) will host appearances by local filmmakers, special effects designers, writers and artists, along with a screen running an evening’s worth of movies and scenes from work in progress. Music will be provided by A Band of Demons. Costumes are encouraged, so if that outfit you wore for the Elmwood Zombie Walk hasn’t fallen apart yet here’s your chance to get another use out of it. D’Arcy McGee’s will offer food and drink specials for the event, which is 21+ only. Advance tickets are recommended; you can get them from the website or at D’Arcy McGee’s. —m. faust

7pm. D’Arcy McGee’s Irish Pub, 257 Franklin St. (853-3600 / www.darcymcgeesonline.com)

Friday, July 30

Kings of Leon, Built to Spill, The Stills

O’ brothers, where art thou...? They’re coming to Darien Lake this Friday (July 30), with an ecclectic line-up that makes this a bit more interesting than the typical arena-rock show. The brothers Followill (well, three brothers, one cousin) who comprise the uber-band Kings of Leon have chosen indie trailblazers and 20-year veterans to the ‘under-the-radar’ music scene Built to Spill and Montreal art-rock band the Stills to open for them select dates on their huge cross-country tour in the wake of their platinum selling, grammy award-winning fourth album Only By the Night. The radio hits “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” catapulted Kings of Leon into certified supergroup status last year, somewhat to the band’s dismay. As Caleb Followill told SPIN Magazine “We definitely got bigger than we wanted to be. You feel like you’ve done something wrong...I can already tell this record is going to get to a level where people will fucking hate us.’” The same can in no way be said for Built to Spill, whose status in the undergound may be equal but is in every way separate. Besides, they are by no means new kids on the block. In contrast, the Stills are relative newcomers to the indie music world, with the kind of sound that has paired them on tour with the Streets, the Yeah Yeah Yeah, and Interpol. None of the three bands are touring around a new, new album, but rumor is that Kings of Leon will preview some material from two upcoming releases, both a remix album with other artists and a new studio album. Guess those will be the KoL songs you don’t know. —k. o’day

7:30pm. Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, 9993 Allegheny Rd. (585-599-4641 / www.livenation.com/Darien-Lake-Performing-Arts)

Saturday, July 31

The Juan MacLean

John MacLean is the strange guy at the club, dancing by himself with his eyes closed. You would probably notice him, but only because he’d seem out of place. Once he steps up to the turntables though, it becomes clear that, for him, it’s all about rhythm and sound. MacLean is widely known for his space disco band, the Juan MacLean. He’s released two creative, trance inducing electronica albums, 2005’s Less Than Human and 2009’s The Future Will Come, which features the 12 minute long disco breakdown that is “Happy House.” Watch the video for “Happy House” and you’ll be blasted into the club culture with pseduo sexy characters dancing, not quite in unison, while the lighting makes it impossible to focus on anything for more than a split second. This year MacLean has shifted his sights to DJing, as the mix master of K7’s latest DJ Kicks compilation, which has been produced by artists like Four Tet, Hot Chip, and Chromeo in the past. With this installation MacLean has gone from disco mastermind to an authority on house music. The record flows just like you would expect a DJ set to flow, with sampled voices creating rhythms and each track melting into the next, ending with an hour-long version of the entire album. Any wannabe could step in front of the decks, click play on MacLean’s compilation, tweak the EQ every once and a while and fool the crowd into thinking they know what they’re doing. The album features music by Florian Miendal and Theo Parish among others but two of the best tracks, “Feel So Good” and “Feliz Casa” come from MacLean himself. Looking for a dance party? It’s at Soundlab on Saturday (July 31), at 10pm. Support comes from DJ 3PO and others. —cory perla

10pm. Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (www.bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab). $12/$13. Ages 18+

Saturday, July 31

South Side Kustoms: Rumble In The City

South Side Kustoms’s “Rumble in the City” will be an event to remember. Visiting this awesome car/bike show outide Buffalo’s Central Terminal is free, but $15 ($20 at door) will net you all day access inside to bands like Lords of the Highway, Blue Rocket Trio, the Rabies, the Royal Crowns, the Bravuras, Krypton 88, Morgue Riot, and the Blue Ribbon Bastards. If you can somehow manage to tear yourself away from the music, you can enter your classic/antique car or cycle for just $15, which will get you discounted concert tickets. The Rumble In The City wll feature a beer tent, BBQ pits, a Chinese motorcycle auction, educate-a-bull pitbull rescue group, tattoos from Madd Grafix, the Marine Corps Tribute (Memorial) Bike, and so much more. If you want to see nice cars, classic cycles, and great local bands, head over to the Rumble In the City and get ready to revel in beer, BBQ, and the best looking rides in buffalo. Visit www.south-side-kustoms.com for advance tickets and to pre-register a vehicle. Day of vehicle registration is from 9-11am. This car/bike/music party takes place on Saturday (July 31), from noon to night. -brendan karet

12-9PM. Buffalo Central Terminal, 495 Paderewski Drive. Admission is free, all day concert pass $15. (675-3191)

Sunday, August 1

Conspiracy Tour

If you need further evidence that our governments, whether controlled by Democrats or Republicans, are not so tolerant of dissent as they pretend to be, take in the Conspiracy Tour at El Buen Amigo (114 Elmwood Avenue) on Sunday (Aug. 1) at 8pm. The traveling road show is a fundraiser to help pay the legal bills of eight activists who were arrested during protests at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis and who currently face criminal conspiracy charges. (Imagine that: Government accusing citizens of criminal conspiracy for a political act. Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, pot.) Among the event’s speakers is Carrie Feldman, who was arrested last year, along with activist Scott DeMuth, in connection to a 2004 Animal Liberation Front raid on the University of Iowa. DeMuth is being charged as a domestic terrorist. The Conspiracy Tour is raising cash for their defense fund, too. “We say organizing resistance to state repression isn’t conspiracy. It’s survival,” the conspirators say. “We say living our lives according to our principles isn’t terrorism. It’s our right. We say we’ll continue organizing no matter how much the state tries to destroy us and our communities.” Amen to that. The evening includes a musical puppet show anda presentation about the conspirators’ activities and legal cases. —frances boots

8pm, El Buen Amigo, 114 Elmwood Ave. (885-6343)

Wednesday, August 4

Eastern Blok

Effortlessly blending jazz and classical sounds with a touch of folklore traditions transpires into exotic, exhilarating music gracefully played by Eastern Blok appearing on Wednesday (August 4) at Nietzsche’s. The band will be playing songs from their new album, Folk Tales, which features a solemn sound accompanied by an energetic and ambiguous beat. Eastern Blok’s inspiration for the album was drawn upon classical and jazz aesthetics keeping true to the timeless sounds with an impeccable approach. The band began performing under the name Eastern Blok in 2006 after changing from their original, less easy-flowing name, Goran Ivanovic Group. As such, in 2005 the band released their self-titled debut album, which launched the band with critical acclaim, praising them for combining traditional folk music from the Balkans with Latin, flamenco and klezmer elements, European classical music, and American jazz. Eastern Blok features classical guitar virtuoso Goran Ivanovic joined by Doug Rosenberg on woodwinds, Matthew Ulery on upright bass, and Michael Caskey on percussion. —jeffrey heras

8pm. Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / www.nietzsches.com). $5

Thursday, August 5

Mucca Pazza

If the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra all dressed in Sgt. Pepper costumes, substituted the cello’s for electric guitars and smoked a bunch of pot you would end up with something like Mucca Pazza. The 30 piece orchestra from Chicago likes to label themselves as a “circus punk marching band.” With some odd ball instruments like mandolins, accordions and a glockenspiel, and a couple of cheerleaders in homemade, uncoordinated outfits and out of control pom poms, the band lives up to their title. Their latest album, Plays Well Together, ranges from gypsy style dance tunes with woodwind melodys like “Agushev Cocek” to menacing and chaotic tunes like “Bump.” Their single “Borino Oro” sounds like a high school marching band on a rampage through the streets of Pampalona during the running of the bulls, snares rolling at full speed. But don’t mistake these guys for your typical high school marching band. Their setlist is as tight as a drum, and it has to be with around 1o members on brass instruments and eight drummers. Each clique of performers dances in unison, the trumpet players bobbing their heads together while the saxophonists sway back and forth. They’re not afraid to jump down into the crowd either so if those pesky trombone players end up near you, just be prepared to shield your nose from wandering trombone slides. Mucca Pazza takes the stage at The Tralf on Thursday (Aug 5). —cory perla

8pm. Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860). $12 at Tralf box office and Ticketmaster