Somewhere over the rainbow there is a proverbial pot of gold and a seemingly joyous little sprite who is moved to dance by the sounds of his instrument (or the pot of gold he finally reached). In either case, music makes him move, and there is no better instrumentalist to illustrate this than the step-dancing, fiddle-playing Natalie MacMaster. Celtic music has been a mainstay for MacMaster since she first picked up a fiddle at the age of nine, learning the basics and laying a foundation on traditional Celtic music, then branching out in her own direction once she’d quickly learned how to make the music her own. Blueprint (Rounder Records), her 2003 release, merged her talents with American roots instrumentalists Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush and Edgar Meyer, and won her “Best Female Artist of the Year” and “Best Roots/Traditional Solo Recording” at the East Coast Music Awards in 2005. Her latest, last year’s Yours Truly was co-produced by her husband Donnell Leahy, and features former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald joining her for a rendition of “Danny Boy.” She’s also seen two of her albums reach top 20 spots on the Billboard charts for world music, and the LA Times has described her as “irresistible” with a “keening passion” for what she does. MacMaster comes to UB’s Mainstage Theatre on Tuesday at 8pm, and tickets are available fo between $20-30 at all Ticketmaster locations and the Center for the Arts box office.

After working their way to the top of the charts in their native Ireland, these Dubliners packed themselves off to New York City in the hopes of accomplishing the same thing on American ground. They’ve applied the methods used to build their following in England and Ireland, namely touring and playing every chance they get. This willingness to play at any venue has led the band to some pretty seedy spots, no doubt, and we’re lucky here in Buffalo to have the chance to see them at an intimate venue like the Union Bar on Pearl Street. After all, this is a band that’s played to over 1,200 fans at Dublin’s Vicar Street. Stand’s brooding but energetic and melodic rock has drawn comparisons to Coldplay, Pink Floyd and Gang of Four, among others, and the latest independent release, 2006’s Travel Light, is said to be quite different from anything they’ve done in the past, concentrating on the strengths surrounding the band’s two lead vocalists, Alan Doyle and Neill Eurelle. Carl Dowling on drums and David Walsh on guitar and keys round out the sound, an eclectic mix of texture and style that involves a whole lot more than the traditionall “Irish rock.”

On Friday, March 2nd, Baby Steps will be celebrating eight years of hip-hop in Buffalo at Broadway Joe’s. The Baby Steps collective began in late February 1999, starting with weekly performances at Broadway Joe’s. The group has been putting on hip-hop shows throughout Buffalo ever since, and there have been Baby Steps weeklies held in major cities like San Francisco and New York, as well as one-off productions in Boston and Chicago. In addition to putting together great live sets, the Baby Steps “Madd DJ Show” has been a staple for underground hip-hop every Sunday night on WBNY 91.3 at Buffalo State College. This Friday’s “Mega-Emcee Showcase” is hosted by Emcee Sick, Loki da Trixta, the Ketchup Samurai (pictured), Mysterious L and Third. Also performing in this celebration of Buffalo hip-hop are DJ Tommee, DJ LoPro, Rich the Snitch, DJ Daringer, DJ Cutler and, last but not least, the annual special mystery guest! Advance tickets are available at New World Record, Terrapin Station and Broadway Joe’s.

After the success of Athens, GA bands like the B-52s and REM in the early 1980s, the little college town became a hotbed for young musicians. Hopefuls took up residence from all over the country and worked at the Taco Stand or Wuxtry Records, praying that one of their gigs at the High Hat would get them discovered. At the very least, it would look cool to say you were from Athens on your press materials. That is, if you ever managed to land an out of town show. Some Athens bands like Widespread Panic and the Drive-By Truckers have made that leap, but one thing the place was never really known for was bluegrass music. That’s changed in the last few years since the appearance of the Packway Handle Band. Bluegrass purists may scoff at their version of Madonna’s “Like A Prayer”, while Newgrass pickers may be left scratching their heads at their take on the driving gospel number “There’s Something Going on in the Graveyard (Like You Ain’t Never Seen)”. Still, anyone with a pulse will find it racing when this traditional five-piece lineup featuring banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin and bass start singing their hip four-part harmonies through one microphone, the way Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys done it. Check them out at this newly remodeled Black Rock venue.