Broken Social Scene

Saturday, September 25

Canada has become a frontier for indie rock in the last decade. Here in Buffalo, we often get to reap the benefits of the musical endeavors of our neighbors to the north. One of the bands that has been a leader in Canada’s indie rock scene since 1999 is Toronto’s Broken Social Scene. With a rotating list of members as large as a little league baseball team, Broken Social Scene has had its share of break-out successes. The band won two successive Juno awards for “best alternative record” for 2002’s You Forget It In People, and 2005’s Broken Social Scene, before introducing the world to pop hit Feist, who found her beginnings as a vocalist in the band. After a four year hiatus, which saw the release of two solo albums by founding members Kevin Drew and Brenden Canning, the band reunited in Toronto in July of 2009. The reunion was closely followed by a new, critically acclaimed record, Forgiveness Rock Record, which features performances and cameos by former members, including Feist. Their post-rock influenced sound is emphasized on Forgiveness, which was produced by an innovator of the genre, John McEntire, also of Tortoise and the Sea and Cake. At the same time the band has buttoned down some of their more eccentric song structures to create an album that melds pop and art-rock into one colorful and instrumentally diverse album, which peaked at 34 on the Billboard top 200. Their latest singles include “Forced To Love” and “Meet Me in the Basement.” The fast paced, shocking, and funny video compiled for “Meet Me in the Basement” is a must see commentary on a culture of short attention spans, internet shock value, and violence. In contrast to Broken Social Scene’s sometimes unabated rock anthems, they will be joined by mellow, jazz influenced indie rockers the Sea and Cake. Since forming in Chicago in 1994, the Sea And Cake have released a diverse, eight album discography with albums ranging from the electronic experimentation on The Fawn and Glass, the cool lo-fi jazz rock of Oui, and the straight forward indie rock on their latest albums Everybody and Car Alarm. Broken Social Scene will perform at the Town Ballroom on Saturday (Sept 25) with The Sea And Cake. —cory perla

7pm (doors). Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / www.townballroom.com) $24/$28 at TB box office and Tickets.com

Friday, September 24

The Complete Metropolis

Until this year, Fritz Lang’s epic science fiction fable Metropolis was the most famous film that almost no one alive had seen in its entirety. Its intentions were hugely ambitious: the top German filmmaker of his era, Lang sought a new artistic peak, while his studio, UFA, wanted to raise a challenge to Hollywood domination. The project cost 10 times as much as any contemporary German film. Yet almost immediately after its Berlin premiere the 153 minute Metropolis began to be disassembled for foreign distribution; by the 1980s the chopped, re-structured prints that remained had little to do with Lang’s vision. There have been several attempts to restore it in recent decades, but with the discovery of a 16mm dupe negative in a Buenos Aires museum and new advances in digital restoration technique, a version has been assembled which not only contains all of the original footage (minus a few frames) but restores Lang’s sequencing. Metropolis will be presented on Friday (Sept. 24) at the Market Arcade as an early opening feature for this year’s Buffalo International Film Festival, which takes place October 1-10. —m. faust

7pm (doors). Market Arcade Film & Arts Center, Market Arcade Film & Arts Center, 639 Main St (855-3022). $10/adult; $8/students, seniors; $12.50/VIP. Visit www.BuffaloFilmFest.com

Saturday, September 18

Buffalo Loves Music City

Just a few months ago, many Southern states were washed in what some have called a “1,000-year flood,” the probability of such a catastrophic event being once every thousand years. That one-in-a-thousand came in May and Tennessee felt much of the disaster. American music is deeply rooted in the state, whether it be the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville or Sun Studios in Memphis where Rock & Roll was born through Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. Buffalo musicians, in collaboration with artists from Detroit and Nashville, will host an event in support of those who lost so much in the floods. Buffalo Loves Music City hopes to offer donated musical equipment, instruments, and money to two foundations helping victims of the flood: MusiCares and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The line-up for the event will feature many diverse acts coming together for a unified cause. Performing will be Jonathan Michael, Bullfrog Review and Johnny Neel (Nashville), Broken Arrow Blues Band and Vince Smith (Detroit), Myron & the ID, LeeRon Zydeco & the Hot Tamales, and John Kloberdanz.The concert will be held this Saturday (September 25) at the Sportmen’s Tavern, kicking off at 11am. Down the road in November, Buffalo Loves Music City heads to Nashville, where a second concert is scheduled at 12th and Porter in the heart of downtown. —peter vullo

7pm. Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / www.townballroom.com). $18/advance; $20/day of (box office, Tickets.com).

Saturday, September 25

Pauly Shore

Bake up a special batch of brownies because Pauly Shore is coming to Buffalo to perform his stand up routine at the Rapids Theater on Saturday (Sept. 25). In honor, here are my top Pauly Shore quotes in order by movie.

Encino Man (Stoney Brown): “If you’re edged ‘cause I’m weazin all your gindage, just chill. ‘Cause if I had the whole Brady Bunch thing happenin’ at my pad, I’d go grind over there, so don’t tax my gig so hard-core, cruster.”

“Bud-dy!”
Son In Law (Crawl): “My name’s Crawl and I’m the RA. And you are? No wait, don’t tell me - Sally? Jessie? Raphael?”
“Fresh off the farm, oh my God, I can’t believe it. Right across the hallway. Hallelujah. So you’re inbred?”
“Hey, you’ll be happy to know that as soon as you left, I popped your daughter’s trunk!”
In The Army Now (Bones): “Can I call you ‘General Sweetpants’?”
“I’ve seen lots of camel toes before, but never on a camel!”
“You mean to tell me that we have been out in this desert for three days and you had a compass the entire time? Ooooh, Jack. You’re going to get a lot of noogies for this.”
Jury Duty (Tommy): “If a small taco is a taquito, then a small judge... must be a Judge Ito!”
“Run O.J. Run! OWWWW”
Bio Dome (Bud): “I propose that we plant these seeds and I know what your thinkin’ “Illegal! Illegal!” but the value of purple sticky punch goes way beyond just tokin’ it!”
Bio Dome (Doyle and Bud): “Hi, I’m Doyle, And I’m Bud, and when we’re not saving the environment, we’re thinkin’ of you, naked, thigh deep in tofu.” —cory perla

7pm (doors). Rapids Theatre, 1711 Main St. (205-8925 / www.rapidstheatre.com) $37.55 at Ticketmaster.

Sunday, September 26

Sarah Paul:

Little Miss Cleveland and The Flaming Sunset #4 (with Suzannah Paul)

When was the last time you experienced some good old-fashioned performance art? The city-wide exhibition Beyond/In Western New York kicks off this weekend and it is jam packed with exhibits, artist talks, and performances. You should check out performance art because it’s exciting, unpredictable, live, and your experience is part of the art. One show that shouldn’t be missed is Sarah Paul’s “Little Miss Cleveland and the Flaming Sunset #4,” part of the Beyond/In Western New York opening at the Albright Knox on Sunday (Sept. 26). Paul will be embodying her character (Little Miss Cleveland) by singing to the sun as it sets at 7:15pm. This performance relates to Paul’s video installation inside the Albright-Knox, which is a collaboration between herself and her sister, Suzannah Paul. The video installation is titled “Little Miss Cleveland and the Flaming Sunset #3,” and features audio of Sarah as the character. Living and working in Cleveland, Ohio, the flaming smokestacks that are part of the landscape inspired Sarah and Suzannah to create this installation. As explained in Sarah’s artist statement, her artwork addresses “the pursuit of an elusive and ultimately constructed ideal...the concept of gender fluidity.” Through her performances she seeks to “seduce and jar the audience...to feel both discomfort and compassion.” —jill greenberg

7:15pm. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, 1285 Elmwood Ave. (882-8700 / www.albrightknox.org). FREE

Sunday, September 26

Gurf Morlix

Not many tickets remain for a show that’s becoming an annual event in town: The Return of Gurf Morlix. If you were one of the lucky ones to squeeze into Morlix’s show last year, you were treated to a rare solo performance by the Austin songwriter and producer who’d just won the Americana Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year award for 2009. Of course, it was an overdue honor for a guy who’s played with a long list of roots music notables in California and Texas for decades. His production work with Lucinda Williams set the standard for that artist’s body of work, but what might be even more impressive are his own songs that have come out in recent years. Take thoughtful lyrics coupled with great melodies, delivered with tasty guitar licks, and you’ve got a powerful package that’s won him respect from Nashville to Austin to Buffalo—where he enjoys membership in the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. After this show, he’ll be heading back to Europe in October where they also can’t get enough Gurf. I’m guessing he’ll be accompanying himself on the PorchBoard bass again this time around, which is a mighty cool instrument, even if it only produces one (extremely low) note. Expect an intimate night of great music on Sunday (Sept. 26), and if you’ve never heard Morlix before, don’t put it off another year. You can count on being converted.—buck quigley

7:30pm. Sportsmen’s Tavern, 326 Amherst St. (874-7734 / www.sportsmenstavern.net). $10

Tuesday, September 28

Built to Spill

After their opening slot on the high publicized Kings of Leon tour, Built to Spill return to their rightful place as headliner at the Town Ballroom this Tuesday (Sept. 28). Boise, Idaho’s favorite sons, Built To Spill have garnered a hardcore cult of fans during their seventeen year existence. Doug Martsch, the band’s principle singer/songwriter, first formed the band in 1993 following his departure from northwest indie darlings Treepeople. In contrast to Treepeople’s monster Dinosaur/Meat Puppets punk attack, Built to Spill concentrated on more introspective writing and swirling Neil Young guitar jams. BTS first came to attention following the release of There’s Nothing Wrong With Love. With its awkward pop melodies, it is probably one of the greatest records to document love, family, and children without a moment of cliche or schmaltz. Built To Spill continued to release mindblowing albums such as the now classic Keep It Like A Secret and You In Reverse, all while gaining a reputation as an established live band. Songs evolve into long stoned guitar freakouts without compromising intensity or falling into jam band territory. Opening Tuesdays show is another Boise, Idaho band, ReVoLtReVoLt, and Buffalo’s Stay Lows, who have managed to get on a few Built to Spill shows out of town. Good for them. —eric boucher

7pm (doors). Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / www.townballroom.com) $18/$22 at box office and Tickets.com

Thursday, September 30

Consider The Source

Load up on psychedelics and Consider the Source, New York City’s deep space, Middle Eastern-influenced funk jam band. The three-piece (Gabriel Marin, John Ferrara, Justin Ahiyon) got their chops from studying rhythm and scale from North and South Indian musical theory. One band trip to India, combined with influences such as Tool and King Crimson, helped to create the swirling, spacey sound Consider The Source has come to perfect. Whether it’s sampling Luke Skywalker lines from Star Wars in “Keep Your Pimp Hand Strong” or providing heavy bass and guitar freak outs on the tribal-tinged “Tihai for the Straight Guy,” the band knows how to keep their grooves strong and weird. Their latest album Are You Watching Closely? received praise from many publications including Relix magazine who called the trio a “Band On The Verge.” The band has played with national acts like Wyclef Jean, members of Umphrey’s McGee, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, and Victor Wooten. They were given the award for Best Independent/Unsigned Band by Fox 5’s “Fearless Music” TV show, which showcased the band’s tunes nationally. Consider the Source plays Nietzsche’s next Thursday (September 30) at 9pm with support from Family Funktion & the Sitar Jamz, and the Left Hand of Darkness. When pondering a three-hour jam session, consider the force...of funk. It happens. —peter vullo

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