The Traditional

Saturday, January 24

The Town of West Seneca’s latest news release was about a public right to speak at board meetings. It should have been about the town’s native sons The Traditional and their new album, How to Live Without Blood. Big noisy power chords drive the music accompanied by aggressive drums, heavy on the kick, with sudden dramatic moments punctuated by breaking down the music to just vocals with spare backing. Singer/bassist Anthony Musior writes sensitive lyrics with a willingness to expose his personal pains and joys. The song “My Brother is the Sea” sets the tone for How to Live Without Blood, which dropped on January 13th (Anchor Eighty Four Records). “‘My Brother Is The Sea’, is a song about how I felt about myself after my father passed away, and how I found comfort in the fact that my brother had his whole life ahead of him to grow and be better than I was/am,” said Musior. “He deserves the world, and it’s right there for the taking.” Often being compared to bands like The Wonder Years, Man Overboard and Real Friends, I’d say The Traditional falls closer to the early days of emo music when Taking Back Sunday and Brand New flooded the Livejournals and away messages of every teenage girl in North American high. It’s going to be a big year for these guys and you definitely don’t want to miss out when they hit it off at the Studio @ Waiting Room this Saturday night (1/24 @ 6PM)

Thursday - Saturday, January 22-24

Joey Diaz

Born in Cuba and raised in North Bergen, New Jersey, the comedian Joey “CoCo” Diaz is a man of many talents. He’s an actor that loves to portray characters that are full of life and color, someone that has seen life and lived without a safety net. Diaz started his comedy career in Denver, but got his start in Seattle. A CBS producer approached the young Diaz one night after a show for a chance to have a lead role for a pilot episode called “Bronx County.” Diaz headed to L.A. and while the pilot was never picked up, he stayed and pursued his passion for comedy and acting. Since then, he has landed roles in movies such as, The Longest Yard, Analyze That, and Spider-Man 2. He also went on to appear in numerous stand-up specials like Showtime’s “Payaso Comedy Slam” and Comedy Central’s “Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution.” Whether he’s mentioning his favorite Chinese restaurant in New Jersey or lighting the stage on fire with his raw and brutally honest style of comedy and storytelling, Diaz will entertain an excited crowd at Helium Comedy Club this Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.

- Jeff Czum

Thursday 1/22: 8PM / Friday 1/23: 7:30PM & 10PM / Saturday 1/24: 7:30PM & 10PM Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St. (853-1211 / heliumcomedy.com) $16-$32

Friday & Saturday, January 23-24

moe.

Since originally forming at the University of Buffalo in 1989, moe. has been a groundbreaking act in the jam-band music scene. Many young bands in the jam scene feel pressured to incorporate a range of styles, to move from blues to bluegrass to electronica. Moe’s sound however, developed in the absence of such framework, as the group gravitated towards the alternative/punk realm. “We liked to play ska and funk when we opened for bands like the Bosstones,” Bassist Rob Derhak recalls. “But at the same time we liked classic rock, so it was a weird combination. That was where we were coming from- a ska/funk-based jam-sort-of-band with the attitude of punkers.” moe. coined the term ‘Jamband’ before it even existed. Often being compared to legendary groups like Grateful Dead and Primus, moe. uses diverse styles from each individual member to create constant high-octane improvisations that audiences have come to love. For two consecutive nights, moe. brings their show back to the town where it all started. Catch these guys on Friday and Saturday night (1/23 & 1/24 @7PM) at Town Ballroom.

- Jeff Czum

7PM The Studio @ Waiting Room,334 Delaware Ave (852-3900 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $15

Saturday, January 24

New York State Golden Gloves Boxing

Muhammad Ali once said, “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” Those words strike hard among the members of Buffalo Golden Gloves. Boxing isn’t a sport that can be compared to skiing or scuba diving- it’s not something you can do once a year or when you’re in the mood. It’s a lifestyle. You can’t box without getting fit, as you can’t swim without getting wet. Boxing is extremely beneficial for both the mind and the body. It builds physical and mental endurance, reduces stress, and instills confidence. Buffalo Golden Gloves helps young men and women develop these skills and provides guidance to make them empowered, productive and confident members of the community. On Saturday evening, (1/24 @ 5PM) the Tralf Music Hall will be host opening night of The New York State Golden Gloves Tournament. This event takes place once a month over the next four months until amateur boxing champions have been crowned in sub novice, novice, and open classes. The tournament features boxers from all over New York to compete for their chance to earn a title. Buffalo Golden Glove’s ultimate goal is to create champions, not just in the boxing ring, but as members of their community as well.

- Jeff Czum

4:30PM The Tralf Music Hall, 3690 Main St. (835-3500 / tralfmusichall.com) General Admission: $26 Advance $31 Day of show Ringside Seating: $36 Advance $41 Day of show

Wednesday, January 28

Buddy Wakefield

Buddy Wakefield once read an article in Time magazine about slam poetry and thought he’d be pretty good at it. He quit his job as an executive assistant in the biomedical field, gave up his comfortable life in Seattle and got on the road to pursue his new passion in life. Fast-forward 15 years, he’s been featured on NPR, HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, won three spoken word world championships, published three books and signed to Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe records. On Wednesday (1/28 @ 7PM) Wakefield will be performing at the 9th Ward at Babeville. Expect a show that is “part stand-up, part storytelling, part poetry,” Wakefield says. “I’ll bring the laughs, charge some hearts, throw some cards on the table and talk about what’s going on on a number of levels.” In addition to touring as a solo poet, Wakefield has also been a core member of several traveling poetry groups, including 2007’s Solomon Sparrow’s Electric Whale Revival, 2008’s Junkyard Ghost Revival, and 2010’s Night Kite, where he shared the stage with poets such as Derrick Brown, Anis Mojgani and Christin O’Keefe Aptowicz. It’ll be a great show as Wakefield shares his lifetime stories and spoken word poetry with everyone who attends.

Wednesday, January 28

Datsik

Troy Beetles aka DATSIK, will be kicking things off Wednesday night (1/28 @ 8PM) at Town Ballroom on the Ninja Nation Tour. The 24 year-old producer and DJ is among the young dubstep brigade, along with artists like Skrillex and Porter Robinson, that’s responsible for the resurgence of electronic head-banging young adults all over the world. Although he’s primarily a ‘dubstepper,’ you may notice a heavy influence of Hip-Hop driven bass lines in his music. “I always listened to hip-hop, that’s what I came into the scene with,” Beetles says. “I guess that’s what made me turn from hip-hop to dubstep. It’s so cutting edge and it’s next level. Dubstep was something completely different at the time.” DATSIK keeps the energy and obscurity of his sound stylish and heavy, with deep hip-hop roots. Joining Datsik on this nationwide tour is the up and coming dubstep artist Kennedy Jones, U.K. producer/songwriter Trolley Snatcha, and the dirty bass duo, Barely Alive. If you’re looking for hard-hitting bass that will rattle your bones, this line-up is definitely for you.

- Jeff Czum

8PM Town Ballroom, 681 S. Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $25-$30

Wednesday, January 28

Dirty Smile

The soulful Queen City band, Dirty Smile had a great turnout for their CD Release show back in early December for their debut EP, Love Songs for the Damned: Vol 1. They’ll be making a return to Iron Works for a free show on Wednesday (1/28 @9PM). Formed in 2011, the vibrant five-piece is everything you’d expect from a good ol’ rock n’ roll band. The combination of Gus Walters’ acoustic songwriting rhythms and the gritty, hard rock guitar leads performed by Dan Helbling set the tone and lead the way for Megan Brown’s powerful and flawless vocals. The energy the band creates is refreshing and striking. Dirty Smile is currently working with Canadian songwriter and performer Ron Hawkins of Lowest of the Low, as they’re preparing for their second installment, Love Songs for the Damned: Vol II. (Summer 2015) With success in Buffalo and far beyond, their second release should propel them further into the national music scene. If you haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing Dirty Smile and their raw energetic set, come down to Iron Works on Wednesday night.

- Jeff Czum

7PM Town Ballroom, 681 S. Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $20-$23