Bedouin Soundclash

Friday, November 5

Reggae music has grown from being a regional tradition in Jamaica, to one of the most internationally played styles. One example of this is how three friends from Kingston, that’s Kingston’s Queen’s College in Toronto, came together to create some of the most innovative reggae songs of recent memory. After their sophomore release Sounding the Mosaic in 2004, Bedouin Soundclash won a Juno award for Canada’s best new artist. Since then they have captured international attention playing in places as far away as China at the Shanghai World Expo. Their latest album, Light the Horizon, further pushes their musical envelope not only combining their earlier elements of Canadian alt-rock and Jamaican reggae, but also adding elements of calypso, country, and Police-esque 1980s pop. To keep their sound fresh, the band also adds French Canadian pop singer Coeur de Pirate on the song “Brutal Hearts” to add a female punch to their already diverse style. Already holding on to their strong catalog of songs, the newest album only deepens Bedouin Soundclash’s repertoire of songs, as they show the bands maturation while holding on to the band’s energy, which is vital to their style of reggae. Bedouin Soundclash’s biggest self-criticism, according to lead singer Jay Malinowski, is that their studio albums do not match up to the quality of their live shows. After getting hooked on their studio albums, their live show expects to be nothing short of reggae filled dancehall ecstasy. Bedouin Soundclash will appear with opening band Moneybrother at the Town Ballroom on Friday (Nov 5). —pat dowd

7pm (doors) The Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / www.townballroom.com). $18 adv. $20 day of.

Thursday, November 4

Dane Cook

Let me tell you a story about a guy who invented something called the Super Finger. The Super Finger is performed by raising the middle finger, the ring finger, and the thumb, in unison. Proceed to point it at any jerk that cuts you off in traffic, calls you a name, or disses your favorite sports team. The genius behind this doubly offensive gesture is comedian and actor Dane Cook. “I always wanted to have my very own symbol, something as identifiable as the Nike ‘swoosh,’ the ‘golden arches’ of McDonald’s, or the American Red ‘Cross’,” Cook writes on his website. Well, to borrow a phrase from George W. Bush: mission accomplished! Last year Cook ventured out on a massive arena tour to support his fifth comedy album Isolated Incident, an album he recorded in one take in front of only 400 people. This year the 38-year-old comedian will step out of his comfort zone to appear in the indie drama/mystery Answers to Nothing alongside Lost’s Elizibeth Mitchell. Now, Cook is on the road again with a brand new hour of stand up. He will perform at HSBC Arena on Thursday (tonight! Nov 4) —cory perla

7:30pm. HSBC Arena, One Seymour H. Knox III Plaza (855-4100 / hsbcarena.com). Tickets available at the HSBC Arena Box Office, all Tickets.com outlets, including participating Tops Market. Tickets are $72.25 and $37.25

Thursday, November 4

Malcolm Holcombe

The Americana music landscape is crowded with performers self-consciously proclaiming their authentic Appalachian roots to an audience hungry for a raw, unvarnished sound that has the unmistakable ring of truth to it. In a gallery full of colorfully polished acts, Malcolm Holcombe stands out as stark as a black and white photograph by Walker Evans (or, in this case, Bill Emory). Holcombe, a real native of the North Carolina hills, has been releasing records for years, and even had a brush with big-time exposure thanks to a deal with Geffen in 1996 that ultimately fell through. Depressed and struggling with substance abuse, he left Nashville for North Carolina, sobered up, and released some great stuff independently. Now, his reputation for penning stories that map the back roads of the human heart—delivered with a voice that is somewhere between Kris Kristofferson and Tom Waits—is winning him growing acclaim. His 2009 release For the Mission Baby (Echo Mountain), was recorded and mixed by Americana star producer Ray Kennedy (Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris), and successfully captures his rough-hewn appeal. However, Holcombe’s live performances are where the real guts of his art shine through, and folks thirsting for a genuine dose of high-test country blues should make it a point to hit the Sportsmen’s Tavern this Thursday (tonight! Nov 4), at 7pm. I’m honored to be playing the opening slot, accompanied by the stomp box I built in the garage last fall out of some license plates, a metal salad bowl, some parts from an old Fender amp, scrap wood, and a doormat. —buck quigley (photo by Bill Emory)

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

Friday, November 5

Mass Appeal

Elmwood Avenue is constantly bustling with passionate, outgoing, and creative business owners, artists, and patrons. The Elmwood Village Association has discovered the perfect way to harness this electric artistic sense into a dynamic fashion show. This Friday (Nov. 5) will be the third presentation of Mass Appeal, which points the spotlight on local fashion. Both Buffalo designers and Elmwood Village retailers will be given the opportunity to showcase their latest creations. The show is presented in sections, local t-shirt companies, Elmwood Village boutiques, and local designers. This year, a new section with the theme “wearable art” has been added. Buffalo State College students and local designers have been working in conjunction with Elmwood businesses to interpret this theme. Designer, Amy Hartman has been working with Talking Leaves to create an outfit made out of eight thousand old book pages folded in the origami style. Additionally, in honor of presenting sponsor Sorrento Cheese, an outfit made out of cheese will be featured! Mass Appeal has discovered a format that works, inspires, and represents the Elmwood Village atmosphere. Mass Appeal producer Erin Habes’ goal is to “…take fashion in Buffalo to another level and create an event that people will be excited to get dressed up for. If I’ve sparked that conversation I feel like I did my job!” DJs Kaitlin Isabella and Jessa Zenger (known as “Shock and Awe”) will be providing music for the show as well as hosting a masquerade themed after party at Soundlab. —jill greenberg

7pm. Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, 875 Elmwood Avenue. $125 VIP/$30 General Admission. Tickets at 881-0707, elmwoodvillage.org, all Wegman’s locations.

Friday, November 5

Steven Wright

Younger audiences may remember him as the perennial “Guy on the Couch” in Half Baked. Others identify him with the stony, dispassionate voice behind K-Billy’s “Super Sounds of the Seventies” in the Tarantino crime flick Reservoir Dogs. Whether you know him from Natural Born Killers or Coffee and Cigarettes, comedian Steven Wright’s voice is unmistakable. In addition to his memorable roles in film and television, Wright has also released several CDs and DVDs of his comedy, most recently the I Still Have a Pony recording. In an interview Wright told Glide magazine that he realized that people in college now weren’t even born when he made his comic debut, but that hasn’t kept a younger generation of fans from appreciating his work. Wright started his professional career 28 years ago and continues to influence comedians today with his dry wit and acute sense of humor.

Wright brings his signature style of stand up to Rockwell Hall at Buffalo State College on Friday (Nov 5). The show starts at 8 pm. Tickets are on sale now at the Rockwell Hall Box Office or online at www.buffalostatepac.org. —brian pietrus

8pm. Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall, Buffalo State College, 1300 Elmwood Ave. (878-3005 / www.buffalostatepac.org). $30-$40

Saturday, November 6

The Buffalo Decency Rally

Come one, come all! A proverbial call to arms against mediocrity, The Buffalo Decency Rally proves to be the show of all shows for the Buffalo hardcore/punk community, already a criminally under looked entity in its own right. For those of you wondering what the faster and harder side of music is like in Western New York, you won’t find a better opportunity than this Saturday (Nov 6), when 17 of Buffalo’s best descend on both floors of the Adam Mickiewicz Polish Library for a night of decent debauchery. Highlights of the evening include the return of Plates, who can be best described as Black Flag pushing early Jesus Lizard down a fight of stairs. Trystero will bring their devastatingly epic cello crust/core to the party as well, not to mention the Replacements tinged pop punk of Unwelcome Guests and the surf-soaked punk trio, MayDay! The Decency Rally will also see the first live appearance of Crutches, the new project featuring members of the now-defunct local legends, Corpus Dei. Ragtime ragamuffins Reverend Soapbox and the Rabble Rousers surely won’t disappoint and the almost prog-like hardcore punk of Coworkers will leave your head spinning along with the bass heavy noise/grind of dual female fronted, Inerds. The dry-pan naughtiness of master of ceremonies, Ben Verbeck will keep you chuckling all night. Come out this Saturday (Nov 6) and fight the good fight while hob-knobbing with the good and the great. Things kick off at 5pm sharp and will only set you back five bucks. Bring ear plugs…or don’t. —eric kendall

6:00 - Crutches (U*); 6:30 - Patrons of Sweet (D*); 7:00 - Able Danger (U); 7:30 - Vile Crocodile (D); 8:00 - Scheisse Krieg (U); 8:30 - Everything Falls Apart (D); 9:00 - Unwelcome Guests (U); 9:30 - Mayday! (D); 10:00 - Hoglust (U); 10:30 - Resist Control (D); 11:00 - Coworkers (U); 11:30 - Plates (D); 12:00 - Utah Jazz (U); 12:30 - Inerds (D); 1:00 - Brown Sugar (U); 1:30 - Trystero (D); 2:00 - Reverend Soapbox and the Rabble Rousers (D)

*U: Upstairs D: Downstairs

5pm Adam Mickiewicz Polish Library and Dramatic Circle 612 Fillmore Avenue, Buffalo, NY. $5. All Ages.

Thursday, November 11

Hydro-Fracking Speak Out Concert

Now here’s a fracking concert for you. On Thursday (Nov 11) Frack Action Buffalo will host a Hydro-Facking Community Rights Speak Out and Concert at Nietzsche’s. Has a hydro-frack protester knocked on your door yet to explain the potential dangers of this process? Well if not, here are some facts for you. Hydraulic fracking is a controversial process used to extract natural gas from underground wells. Miners use chemicals to break rock deep underground in order to access the natural gas. Opponents of the decades old process, invented by a good ol’ American multi-national corporation called Halliburton (most widely known for their work in Iraq), believe that hydro-fracking could contaminate underground water supplies and destroy wildlife. Hydrofracking is not yet permitted in New York State, but it could be on it’s way. It is currently legal in several states, including Texas and Pennsylvania, where, in June, a gas well blowout expelled 35,000 gallons of fracking liquid into the surrounding area. Taking the stage for the cause are local genre-bending hip-hop artists The Bloodthristy Vegans, Buffalo based indie trio Glass Hero, and mellow alternative rockers Fudgy Chewy. Proceeds will go toward further anti-hydro-fracking protests in Western New York. —cory perla

8pm Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen Street (886-8539 / www.nietzsches.com). $5. 21+