Sleater-Kinney
8pm. Babeville 341 Delaware Ave. (babevillebuffalo.com/852-3835) $28 presale/$31 door
I don’t need to tell you how great a band Sleater-Kinney is, everyone from TIME magazine to Rolling Stone have hailed them as one of America’s great rock bands ever since they emerged from the Pacific Northwest riot grrrl scene in the 90s. Over the course of 10 years and seven albums, the punk-trio—which consists of vocalist/guitarists Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein and dummer Janet Weiss—have set a new bar for the political insight and emotional impact a feminist punk band could achieve. The past year has been a major one for Sleater-Kinney, finding them touring after a nearly-decade long hiatus with the release of the highly-acclaimed No Cities to Love, which is pretty much on every critic’s best albums of 2015 list. The record is full of densely-packed, white-knuckled punk tracks that the trio have made trademark—delivered with just as much sincerity and urgency as ever and earning praise from St. Vincent and Robert Christgau as arguably their best record to date. It’s an album that solidifies Sleater-Kinney as one of the most important rock bands, indie or otherwise, of the past two decades.
> Jordan Canahai
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Darwin Deez
6:30pm. Studio@Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave. (893-2900/waitingroombuffalo.com) $12 advance/$14 door
NYC based band Darwin Deez, led by frontman/songwriter/guitarist Darwin Merwan Smith, is on tour to support their newly released third album Double Down. The record is aptly named. While many bands try exploring entirely new musical directions Darwin Deez sort or doubled down on what works best for them, a quirky and lyrically clever sunshine pop sound with catchy hooks and an uplifting sensibility. The band was popular in the UK, reaching #5 in 2009 on the Indie charts, before finally getting some attention in the US. All the extremely creative videos made by this band are worth watching and I expect their live show will be worth watching, as well. Darwin Merwan Smith usually breaks into a dance that could give Napoleon Dynamite a run for the money. This is a happy band for happy people, but perhaps more important, it could the happy band needed by sad people. Charlie Bliss opens the show.
> Jamie Moses
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Blue Ribbon Bastards
10pm. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, (dinosaurbarbque.com/880-1677) free
This five piece Rockabilly band should fit right in at the Dino. What could be more American than a cold locally brewed beer, tender pork barbeque with cornbread and a live Rockabilly band? Immerse yourself in the sound of the 1950s from some cats that take their job as serious fun. They not only look and dress the part, they even all own cars from 1955 or earlier—and you can bet they’re not foreign cars. The Blue Ribbon Bastards are from Buffalo but their hearts are in the home of both Elvis and Rockabilly, Memphis Tennessee. They’ve shared the stage with some of the best bands in the country including Reverend Horton Heat, The Royal Crowns, The Chop Tops, Big Sandy & His Fly Rite Boys, Skinny Jim and the #9 Blacktops, The VooDoo Glow Skulls and more.
> Jamie Moses
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Merry Glitchmas
7pm. Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Arts Center, 617 Main St. (squeaky.org/884-7172) $7
As a year-end celebration of its 30th Anniversary, Squeaky Wheel Film and Media Arts Center is throwing a seasonal bash called Merry Glitchmas—just in time to add some weirdness to your holiday wassail. The event will feature performances by several artists including Brooklyn-based Philip Stearns and locals Ay Fast and Projex, as well as video works by local and national artists. The event will also serve as a send off for outgoing executive director Jax Deluca, who is moving on to Washington, DC, to accept a position with the National Endowment for the Arts. Partygoers will be welcome to have their pictures taken with Mr. and Mrs. Glitch-Claus, and Big Suzie’s Little Bakery, Dolci Bakery, Lloyd Taco Truck and Community Beer Works will be providing the refreshments.
> Buck Quigley
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Joanna Newsome
7pm. Asbury Hall@Babeville 341 Delaware Ave. (babevillebuffalo.com/852-3835) $30
Joanna Newsom, harpist, pianist, and harpsichord-playing singer/songwriter, has often claimed that she belongs to no particular genre of music. Others have described her sound as a combination of polyrhythmic “psych folk” and/or avant garde with a blend of Appalachian elements. Whichever label you choose to assign her, there’s no denying that she has a unique and spellbinding voice, sense of melody, and a knack for exquisite storytelling. With three previous albums under her belt, from her oddly delightful debut album The Milk-Eyed Mender in 2004 to 2010’s well-received Have One On Me, she’s on tour now with her first album in five years, Divers, which is garnering rave reviews. Between recording albums she’s taken some time to try out the silver screen, both narrating and appearing in 2014’s Inherent Vice, and to marry SNL actor/Brooklyn 99’s star Andy Samberg in 2013. Spend an enchanted evening with Ms. Newsom this Sunday evening at Asbury Hall.
> Selina Kyle
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The Trailer Park Boys
8pm Shea’s Performing Arts Center, 646 Main St. (sheas.org/847-1410) $29-$57
Fans of the TV comedy series The Trailer Park Boys are in for a treat this Holiday season when the cast of the show take to the stage for their heartwarming Christmas special Dear Santa Claus: Go F*** Yourself. When Bubbles (Mike Smith) tries to spread the true-meaning of Christmas to the world, his good-hearted plans are botched by Julian (John Paul Tremblay) wanting to cash in on the season and Ricky (Robb Wells) in his reckless pursuit to meet the real Santa Claus. The three principals are also joined by a very-intoxicated Mr. Lahey (John Dunsworth) and his cheeseburger-eating sidekick Randy (Patrick Roach). Those familiar with the popular mockumentary style Canadian series will know what to expect in terms of irreverent humor offered by the fun-loving dimwits that reside in the fictional trailer park where the series is set. The broad comedy is low-brow to be sure, involving everything from drinking, smoking, sex, drugs, rock music, pepperoni, potato chips, licorice, theft, vandalism, ravioli, and chicken fingers. But the Trailer Park Boys is also a smarter and more clever show than the subject matter might lead one to expect, as evidenced by its strong run over the course of nine seasons and three feature films. See for yourself when the boys take to the stage at Shea’s this Tuesday.
> Jordan Canahai
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