Resurrection: 464 Gallery's Fourth Birthday Party

Friday, February 15

Small galleries comprise the heart of a city’s indigenous arts scene. They are where as-yet-unsung artists can show (and sell) their work, meet and be inspired by (or frustrated with) one another, and aspire to bigger things. Small galleries take risks. Too often, they fail, which is why every anniversary a small gallery sees is worthy of a party. 464 Gallery, founded and still run by photographer Marcus Wise, marks its fourth birthday this Friday (Feb 15) with a themed group show called Resurrection. (Why a resurrection? Maybe because it’s a new year, maybe because spring is coming, maybe because the gallery is unveiling some renovations.) Participating artists include Cari Feltz-Abdo, Dianne Baker, Bill Battaglia (whose work is pictured above), Andrew Clark, David Butler, Lauren Fratantonio, Christopher Galley, Keith Harrington, Chris Kameck, Veronica Kruger, Maria Pabico LaRotonda, Matthew Nagowski, Tommy Nguyensmith, OGRE, R. Jeffrey Proctor, Tara Sasiadek, Daniel Seiders, CJ Szatkowski, Chuck Tingley, Dana Murray Tyrrell, and Sara Zak. The second edition of the gallery’s arts magazine, Spark, will debut. There will be a special outdoor video projection from AVDJ PROJEX. Foremost, it will be a party, free and open to the public, a celebration of Buffalo’s arts community. Stop by to feel just how vital that community feels in a space like this.

- geoff kelly

6-11pm 464 Gallery, 464 Amherst Street (464gallery.com) free

Friday, February 15th

Steak & Cake Turns Two

On Friday night (Feb 15), Buffalo based indie record label Steak and Cake Records will be celebrating two years of existence at the Vault. It was founded in 2011 by Brandon Schlia, and has gone on to produce numerous local talents. The label strives to accommodate the economic needs of each artist while providing quality sound production. From alternative rock, to electronic dance, to experimental music, Steak and Cake will satisfy nearly any musical palette. The party starts at 9PM, and features performances by indie rock bands Hussalonia, Pleistocene, the Malones, On Beta, and Brooklyn based band the Rotaries. Shaken Stylus will take on the duties of DJ, spinning all of your favorite jams. Admission is 5 bucks at the door, and 10 if you would like to walk away with your very own Steak and Cake Records t-shirt! Swing on down to the Vault on Friday, and allow these native talents to rock your face.

- tom etu

9pm The Vault, 702 Main St. (884-7172) $5

Friday, February 15

Badfish

They were playing a packed St. Patty’s Day concert back in 2010. Pat Downes picked the opening riff of “Pawn Shop” just once. He held onto the last note while he simultaneously looked back at Scott Begin on drums and used his whammy bar to flatten the note and then slowly brought it back up to proper pitch. Bradley Nowells, guitarist and singer for Sublime, used his whammy bar over and over versus Downes’ one take. As the song picked up and the rest of the band joined in, instead of the original pinch harmonics, Downes implored natural harmonics. Roughly halfway through the song, Downes got into this huge bubble ball and was then rolled off stage and into the crowd for a crowd surfing experience of safe, yet legendary proportions. Needless to say, there is a reason Badfish is revered as one of the best tribute bands of all time, commonly being compared to the likes of Darkstar Orchestra and Super Diamond. Achieving this level of success stems from a deep understanding and appreciation for Sublime, or for any band some guys are trying to pay tribute to. Can anyone truly embody Nowells pain and passion? Or those countless bass lines, so funky your high school principal would end up tapping his foot under the desk? Badfish understands this feat is nearly impossible, which is why they do what they do so well. Rather than try to duplicate, they re-create. Nothing is lacking in their rendition of “Pawn Shop,” but it does not match up completely with Sublime’s recording. This tribute band takes the energy of Sublime and runs it through their own filters, helping them make artistic decisions such as the deviation from the studio recordings. Come out to Town Ballroom this Friday (Feb 15), and see for yourself why this band is considered as one of the greatest tribute acts of all time.

- brett deneve

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $17 advance, $19 day of show

Saturday, February 1

Bass Mountain Winter Massive

Buffalo is no stranger to big electronic music nights. Bass Mountain Winter Massive might turn out to be one of the biggest. Inspired by Bass Mountain Music Festival, a small music festival in West Valley, New York last summer, this event is in essence a sequel. Or perhaps it’s more like the relationship between the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics. Where the festival in West Valley was outdoors, this event will be indoors, at the DNIPRO Ukrainian Center. Where the original festival was in a secluded area, Bass Mountain Winter Massive is right in the middle of the city. The dynamics and vibe will certainly be different this time around. Presented by Loki DNB, Bass Mountain will feature headliners Terravita (pictured). The three-piece bass squad has blown up in the last three years releasing drumstep-tinged dubstep records like “And the Beat Goes Down,” “Up In the Club” and “Lockdown.” New York City turntablist Shiftee, a two time Disco Mix Club world champion, will step up to the table as well with a ferocious mix of dubstep and grime. Expect a long list of local names too like Basha, Loki, Potent J, Space Junk, Mario Be, SwaggleRock, Stuntman, and a lot more spread across three music areas. It all happens this Saturday (Feb 16) so prepare your ears for this multi-genre night. ­

- cory perla

8pm-5am Dnipro Ukrainian Cultural Center, 562 Genesee St. (lokidnbtix.webs.com) $25

Saturday, February 16

Natalie Merchant

Between her work with 10,000 Maiacs, and her illustrious solo career, Natalie Merchant has been making critically acclaimed music for the past 30 years now. Her first big break came in 1987, when 10,000 Maniacs released their breakout album In My Tribe, which included the hit single “What’s the Matter Here?,” a deceptively catchy song chronicling child abuse that introduced the band into the mainstream. The album also included a cover of Cat Stevens “Peace Train,” although it was removed from later pressings to protest Stevens’ (then known as Yusuf Islam) support of the fatwah against Salman Rushdie. Merchant left the Maniacs in the early 1990s, and went on to have great success with her debut solo album Tigerlily, which featured several pop hits, and was one of the bigger albums of the early 1990s. her second solo album, Ophelia contained the single “Kind & Generous” (also known as “Thank You”), which is quite possibly her best known song. Merchant will be heading to Kleinhans Music Hall this Saturday (Feb 16). Anyone looking to catch one of the best singer-songwriters of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and see what she’s up to now would be wise to check it out.

- john hugar

8pm Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle. (883-3560 / kleinhansbuffalo.org) $31-$61

Saturday, February 16

Witchfeet

Independent record store Spiral Scratch Records will be hosting Chicago band Witch Feet on Saturday (Feb 16), alongside the Word Girls and Afterbirth Tycoon. WitchFeet plays loud, grungy indie rock that is simultaneously catchy and abrasive. The band originated in Chicago, and their line-up includes Buffalo drummer Dave Chudy. Joining them are the Word Girls, who are a newly formed local act featuring the musical abilities of Bill Behill and Cory Nealon. Originally booked at Mohawk Place, the show was rescheduled and moved to Spiral Scratch after the unfortunate closing of the aforementioned venue. The disappearance of Mohawk has left an empty space in the local music community, but Spiral Scratch Records will be filling that void with the powerful sounds of aggressive rock this weekend.

- tom etu

6pm Spiral Scratch Records, 291 Bryant Street (882-3200 / spiralscratchrecords.blogspot.com)

Sunday, February 17

Testament

Thrash metal fans from the 1980’s will finally have the chance to take a time machine back to that era and relive some of their youth this weekend. It’s not thrash’s “Big Four”, but this Sunday (Feb 17) the Town Ballroom will showcase a few of the other founding fathers and unite various regional scenes in one show. Headlining the night of speed and aggression is Bay Area thrash legends, Testament, who are touring in support of their album Dark Roots of Earth, which was released last summer. Next on the bill is East Coasters, Overkill, who bring more of a punk and hardcore inspired version of thrash to the table. They are also touring in support of their album that they released early last year, The Electric Age. Rounding out the night are Flotsam & Jetsam and up-and-comers, 4arm. Compared to the rest of the titans on the bill, 4arm are babies, having only been around since 2004. They bring a fresh and current version of thrash though that fits in well with this classic lineup. Even with the eclectic mix of thrash styles, you can be sure that this night is going to have tons of shredding, fast-paced drums, and enough nostalgia to make you wish you wore your battle jacket and brought your air guitar.

- jeremiah shea

6pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $26 advance, $29 day of show

Thursday, February 21

Elephant Revival

Banjo, mandolin, bass, fiddle, washboard, djembe, drums, guitar and stompbox; these are the tools used by folk band Elephant Revival and they certainly know how to use them. If you ask them, this five-piece band from Colorado, who formed in 2006, would tell you that they’re a “neo-acoustic folk string band” or “transcendental folk” with Celtic, gypsy, funk, rock, and bluegrass influences, but what they really are is simply a very talented band with a flexible sound. Their latest record, 2012’s It’s Alive, a full length album disguised as an EP, has not been very widely heard or reviewed but to those who have given it a listen it, it rivals some of best folk records of the last few years. The sound is rich with heartfelt lyrics, interesting percussion, and plenty of virtuosic strumming. The sound of stringed instruments varies from delicate, on songs like “Wakes Only Daughter” and “To and From,” to powerful on tracks like “Tam Lin Set” and “Quill Pen Feather,” which climaxes with an excited fiddle and banjo solo. Elephant Revival will perform live at Babeville’s Ninth Ward next Thursday (Feb 21). This show was originally scheduled for February 26th but has been moved. Tickets purchased for the February 26th date will still be honored.

- cory perla

7pm Babeville’s Ninth Ward, 341 Delaware Ave. (852-3835 / babevillebuffalo.com) $10 advance, $12 day of show