Grizzly Bear

Thursday, July 1

In the indie rock world not many bands get more respect than Brooklyn’s Grizzly Bear. In 2008 Grizzly Bear opened for Radiohead on tour, prompting Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, not one to frequently speak on stage, to exclaim: “Thom [Yorke, Radiohead frontman] wants me to thank my favorite band in the world, Grizzly Bear, so thanks a lot, thank you very much for touring with us.” The four-piece art-rock band have released a string of critically acclaimed albums including their last, 2012’s Shields, 2009’s Veckatimest, and 2006’s Yellow House. Not known primarily as “hit makers” the band hit it big with their 2009 single “Two Weeks,” which catapulted their wispy indie rock stylings into the mainstream. Employing a pallet of sounds from banjos to triangles, strings to woodwinds, Grizzly Bear have managed to craft dream pop songs that cross into moody, rustic territory without coming off overtly folky. On Veckatimest Grizzly Bear utilized ambient space to create a roomy atmosphere filled in by vintage guitar tones and bombastic drums, a technique honed to perfection on their latest album, Shields. Glorious vocal harmonies and luscious guitar chords from vocalists and guitarists Daniel Rossen and Ed Droste dominate Shields, especially on tracks like “Yet Again” and “Speak In Rounds” while tracks like “Gun-Shy” demonstrate the band’s rhythmic superiority. Grizzly Bear is a band that continues to get better with age. Don’t miss them when they come to the Rapids Theatre on Thursday (Aug 1).

- cory perla

7:30pm Rapids Theatre, 1711 Main St., Niagara Falls. (205-8925 / rapidstheatre.com) $32.50 to $35

Friday, July 26

The Wailers with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad

It’s been almost 35 years since the passing of Bob Marley. And even though his life was cut short, his work with the Wailers is what brought reggae off of the island of Jamaica and into the ears of an international audience. Bob might not be here to sing it, but don’t worry, the Wailers continue to carry on that legacy today sharing the easy-going island music that made them famous. The same people who had their hand in the creation of roots rock reggae are coming to Buffalo to give us a history lesson. This Friday (July 26) the Wailers will perform on the waterfront as a part of the Buffalo Place Rocks Canalside concert series. Opening the night is Rochester native’s Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, who have been heavily influenced by the music of the Wailers and Bob Marley. The show is free of charge and the weather should be beautiful for a great evening of live music down by the water. We can all be thankful that the music of reggae didn’t follow Bob to an early grave as the mix of old and new school reggae Friday night should be a special treat for anyone making the trek.

- jeremiah shea

6pm to 11pm Canalside, 1 Navel Park Cove (856-3150 / buffaloplace.com/rocks) free

Saturday, July 27

10,000 Maniacs

Although the 10,000 Maniacs, who formed in 1981 in Jamestown, are flying these days without original members like John Lombardo and Natalie Merchant, the band continues to release quality original music and perform in front of enthusiastic crowds. This year, the band which still features classic members like Mary Ramsey, Dennis Drew, Jerry Augustyniak, and Steve Gustafson, released their first album in 14 years. The album, Music From The Motion Picture, contains 11 original songs, including “I Don’t Love You Too” an alt-folk song featuring a cute animated music video, and acoustic ballad “When We Walked on Clouds.” After the departure of founding member Lombardo in 1986 the band shifted their sound from alternative rock to a more pop infused sound. In 1993 the Maniacs were featured on MTV Unplugged, one of a handful of bands featured that year, which included Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, the Eagles, and Nirvana. The 10,000 Maniacs will perform live on Old Falls Street in Niagara Falls as part of the Saturdays on Old Falls Street Concert series this Saturday (July 27). They’ll be joined by Artvoice Best of Buffalo “Best Original Music Act” the Albrights, 2012 Artvoice B.O.O.M. winners the Tins, and on-the-rise Buffalo indie rock band Aircraft.

- cory perla

5pm Old Falls Street, Downtown Niagara Falls between Niagara Falls State Park and the Seneca Niagara Casino (fallststreet.com) free

Saturday, July 27

Buffalo Bookfest

The literary and art worlds will collide this Saturday (July 27) at the Western New York Book Art Center for their annual Buffalo Bookfest. The day-long, outdoor festival will feature dozens of demonstrations dedicated to printing and book art. A highlight of the festival will be steam roller print-making, a form of printing where carved reliefs are inked, covered in fabric and then driven over with a steam roller to make large scale impressions. Participating steam roller artists will be Tom Rooney, Keegan Onefoot-Wenkman, Jodi Hamman, Christine Gallisdorfer, and Jennifer Farrell. Guests will have the opportunity to act as observers and participants. Hands-on demonstrations include paper making, paper marbling, letter press demonstrations, screen printing, repurposing old books and more. For kids there will be print making, origami, and book binding workshops. Participants will have the opportunity to purchase local, hand made goods from an artist’s market filled with books, prints, small press publications & crafts. Vendors this year will be Brave Bird Jewelry & paperwork, the Secret Chicken, EAT Zine, Block Club, City Dining Cards, Queen City Gallery, Goosefish Designs, & many more. Buffalo Bookfest is a wonderful opportunity for talented artists and the community to work together. The educational event is a free, fun way to develop new hobbies with friends and family.

- sarah barry

11am to 5pm Western New York Book Arts Center, 468 Washington St (348-1430 / wnybookarts.org) free

Saturday, July 27

Bel Biv Devoe

Before R. Kelly, before TLC, or Boyz II Men, there was Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe. The three, now known as Bell Biv DeVoe, were original members of an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978 called New Edition. Not only was New Edition a pioneering group that blazed the trail for the sounds of those aforementioned 1990s R&B acts, but they also paved the way for the boy band movement that has included New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync. In the 1980s the trio perfected their new jack swing sound, a combination of dance, R&B and hip hop beats that dominated the east coast club scene. In 1990 Bell Biv DeVoe released their debut record, Poison, on MCA records. The album went quadruple-platinum based on the strength of singles like “B.B.D. (I Thought It Was Me),” “Do Me!,“ and of course, the hook-laden, catchy-as-hell track “Poison.” In May of this year Bell Biv DeVoe performed “Poison” for Boston Strong, a benefit concert to raise money for victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing. Bell Biv DeVoe will come to Canalside for a special free concert this Saturday (July 27).

- cory perla

6pm to 11pm Canalside, 1 Navel Park Cove (856-3150 / buffaloplace.com/rocks) free

Monday, July 29

Wild Nothing

Indie rock has seen some dramatic changes in the last decade. Where once an indie rock record would typically be representative of the work of a group of musicians composing music together, now the trend seems to be lone “bedroom producers,” like Porcelain Rafts, Beach Fossils, and Craft Spell, creating music only to adapt it to a live band setting. The trend has seen mixed results, but Jack Tatum of Wild Nothing proves that this method can work seamlessly. Though Tatum writes and records his music alone, it takes a team of talented musicians including keyboardist Kevin Knight, drummer Jeremiah Johnson, bassist Jeff Haley, and guitarist Nathan Goodman, to pull off Wild Nothing’s layered, dream pop sound in a live setting. In 2009, Tatum, a native of Blacksburg, Virginia began recording under his Wild Nothing alias. The result was 2010’s Gemini, a spacious, moony indie rock record full of reverberated vocals and slow moving melodies. It made many year-end best-of lists, prompting the shoegazing musician to move into the studio to create Gemini’s follow-up, 2012’s Nocturne. Relying on clever songwriting, the studio production only served to further enrich Wild Nothing’s already glossy, full-bodied sound. Wild Nothing comes to the Tralf Music Hall on Monday (July 29) with Buffalo’s Lesionread and Marine Biologist.

- cory perla

7pm The Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com) $13 advance, $15 day of show

Wednesday, July 31

Ghost B.C.

Masks have been historically worn for various reasons, one being to simply hide the identity of the person who adorns it. Ghost B.C., an up and coming Swedish heavy metal band, uses masks and anonymity as a tool. Besides the music, this concept of hiding the member’s identities developed as the band formed just five years ago. In this day and age, bands are not only sharing every aspect of their personal lives via social media, but it’s almost encouraged by the music industry and fans. This sort of sharing has turned the unreachable music superstar of yesterday into an average Joe that tweets at their fans today. Ghost’s approach is quite the opposite. While it could be looked at as gimmicky, it’s interesting to think about how much more this makes someone focus on the music at hand and listen, rather than interact. This Wednesday (July 31) the band will be bringing their secretive nature and over the top stage imagery to the Town Ballroom with Skeletonwitch opening the show. You might not be able to figure out who any of the “Nameless Ghouls” are in the band, but their theatrics and music will surely keep you enthralled.

- jeremiah shea

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $18 advance, $22 day of show