Buffalo Decency Rally

Saturday, November 12

Just when you thought it was safe to dance, the gargantuan rock n’ roll party monster is back, and it’s grown a few extra heads since this time last year. Of course I’m talking about the 2nd Annual Buffalo Decency Rally—our fair city‘s ground-up showcase of the best in punk, hardcore and everything in-between. For those already in the know, the decency rally serves as a celebration of just how vast and deep our music community goes, not to mention the sheer quality of all bands involved. For the less familiar, consider this a crash course aural sampling of everything great about independent music in Buffalo’s hardcore/punk scene, often over-looked but never overrated. Among this years’ 22 acts will be White Whale. Frenetic rock n’ punk at its finest, their 7-inch debut shows more promise in two songs than most bands do in an entire full length. Bass/drum duo, Dirt Eyes will surely devastate with their brand of fuzzed-out stoner-core and the thrash-punk assault of Beardage will make you reminisce about a time when bands like Black Flag and Circle Jerks ruled the day. Also making a special appearance will be Cages who perfectly blend beauty with experimentation via the captivating vocals of Nola Ranallo and haunting loops and found-sounds of David Bailey. Grimey rock n’ roll heavy hitters, the Fucking Hotlights will also be making an appearance this year along with Old Ghosts, who specialize in colossal hardcore from the dark side. The choice of venue mirrors how epic this annual event is; bands will alternate between two stages in the glorious main hall area of the Dnipro Ukrainian Center this Saturday (Nov 12). 10 bucks guarantees you an earful of what independent music in Buffalo is all about.—eric kendall

5pm. Dnipro Ukrainian Cultural Center, 562 Genesee Street. $10.

Friday, November 11

The Music of The Who

The Who are one of the most important and beloved bands of all-time. With legendary singles such “My Generation,” “Happy Jack,” and “Magic Bus,” as well as immortal albums like The Who Sell Out, Who’s Next, and the classic rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia, they’ve assured a permanent place among rock royalty. That’s why they were a fine choice for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra to pay tribute to in their latest event, going on this Friday (Nov 11), at Kleinhans Music Hall. Considering The Who’s love of blending rock music with opera, they are a very logical choice for a show that will blend rock and symphony. Tommy had the 10-minute long instrumental “Underture,” and Quadrophenia was hardly shy in its use of symphonic elements, allowing the band’s music to make an easy transition into the orchestral world. During their career, The Who worked to combine the bombast of symphonic music and opera with the wild spirit and attitude of rock and roll. This show will essentially aspire to do the same thing, and it has all the potential to be an astonishing night of music. Any fan of The Who, or anyone curious in seeing what happens when rock and classical music collide should take great interest in this show. —john hugar

8pm. Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle. (885-5000 / bpo.org). $31-$75.

Saturday, November 12

Friction Two Year Anniversary Party

It is intriguing to think about how the experience of live, DJ powered electronic music, in its most intense moments, is often described as an almost religious experience. It could be the way the bass affects the body, allowing you to lose yourself in the music, so similar to transcendence through meditation and prayer. Or it could be the way a community of people flock to a certain place every weekend to be with one another and share a common interest. There are a few parties and places in Buffalo that host a regular bass-a-thon, but one of the most consistent for the last couple of years has been the Queen City Cartel’s Friction party at DBGB. This Saturday (Nov 12) marks the two-year anniversary. “We threw our first party in November of 2009. It was an incredible party. It was golden,” said Steve “Medison” Rittner, one of the founders of the QCC, in an interview last year. Yeah, you’ll see the same core group of people and DJs from last month and the month before, but there will inevitably be some new sounds, and new faces to be heard and seen, and they are usually welcomed quite warmly with a space to dance in and a beer to sip on. DJs Stuntman, Medison, Paul Kunzi, Brother Bear, and Looney Tunes will spin all they’ve got for Friction’s two-year anniversary party this weekend. Amen. —cory perla

9pm. Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar, 253 Allen St. (240-9359). $5. 21+.

Saturday, November 12

Chae Hawk

Since day one rapper Chae Hawk has been an independent hustler. His journey into the music business began in Buffalo where he developed his vision for a dark and aggressive pop-rap album titled Dance Party For The Heavy Hearted. As he toured around the country, which included a long stint in West Hollywood, he met the right producers to help him create D.P.F.T.H.H. But then something unexpected happened; he ended up with a completely different album called Blues of a Journeyman, an account of his cross country adventure to create the ultimate album, still stuck in his head. “Each track comes from my experience of creating an album over the span of three years,” Hawk said. “Determination, girls, herb, business, pleasure, and heartache were all a part of it” Now, at age 27 Hawk is working harder than ever on the dark, romantic, and honest album that Dance Party For The Heavy Hearted is destined to be. He’s an underdog, working his way up in the industry, from the grimy streets of the West Side of Buffalo on his track “We Will,” to getting that money in his latest video for “M.O.N.E.Y.” Dance Party will hit the shelves in 2012 but you won’t have to wait that long to get a taste of what is to come. Don’t miss it when Team Radio presents Chae Hawk this Saturday (Nov 12) at Club Diablo with local rap group Koolie High, and hip hoppers Mic Excel, Grabbitz, Money Mizzark, and D-Flur. —cory perla

9pm. Club Diablo, 517 Washington St. (842-0666 / clubdiablo.com). $6. 18+.

Saturday, November 12

Mustard Plug

According to the members of Grand Rapids, Michigan ska-punk band Mustard Plug, their name is derived from the congealed mustard that accumulates at the opening of a bottle of mustard, and though their band name is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, Mustard Plug has a solid reputation in the ska scene for putting out good music and sticking to their roots since day one. Their most recent album, In Black and White, is a collection of politically charged anthems that was released in 2007, and despite a long hiatus in album production, Mustard Plug continues to tour. The band has an impressive touring resume, having performed with a long list of respected musicians all over the world (including Weird Al Yankovic) and its members are respected veterans who know how to put on a good show. See them at Mohawk Place with Chicago-based Celtic punk band Flatfoot 56 on Saturday (Nov 12). —max soeun kim

6:30pm. Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. (465-2368 / themohawkplace.com). $13 advance, $15 day of show.

Sunday, November 13

Russian Circles

When you think of post-rock certain names come to mind: Sigur Ros, Do Make Say Think, Tortoise, and Mogwai are usually at the top of the list. Chicago’s Russian Circles isn’t a household post-rock name, but they should be. Their fourth full-length album, Empros—released October 25th—might just put them on that list for many people. That is because Empros sounds nothing like any of those previously mentioned bands. On this album Russian Circles sounds more like Mastadon, with heavy numbed bass and discordant creaking guitar riffs, than it does to post-rock staples like Explosions in the Sky or Sigur Ros. That’s what makes this record stand out. Six minutes into the album’s eight minute long opening track, “309” and you’re totally immersed in the metalocolypse. Post-rock is about escapism, it is music meant to take the listener on a journey. That journey is usually an emotional rollercoaster that dips down low and sores back into the clouds, but on Empros the lows are the highs and the clouds are black. Don’t let that scare you away because this rollercoaster ride, though terrifying, is worth the price of admission. Take the ride with Russian Circles this Sunday (Nov 13) at Soundlab. Black metal band Deafheaven and shoegazers Indian Handcrafts open the show. —cory perla

8pm. Soundlab, 110 Pearl St. (440-5907 / bigorbitgallery.org/soundlab). $15.

Sunday, November 13

Ray Davies

There are very few pieces of music that can truly be perfect. It really should be an impossible thing to get through a full-length album without a misstep, the inevitable eighth track where the band lets the drummer sing or lends the bassist’s girlfriend a tambourine, but The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society is one of those few exceptions. Released in 1968, it still sounds bright and new at more than forty years old. This Sunday (Nov 13) at UB’s Center For The Arts, Ray Davies, writer of all the tracks that make up Village Green, will perform in support of his seventh solo album, See My Friends, released late last year. The album, featuring collaborations with Bruce Springsteen and Mumford and Sons, isn’t new material, just a look back through Davies incredible song-writing catalog, which you can expect a great selection of at the show. It’s difficult for older artists to contend with an audience’s expectations, which are almost always clouded by their teenage memories of the music, but Davies does a great job of filling in the blanks on stage with seasoned session musicians. I imagine it’s difficult to say no to the guy who wrote “This Time Tomorrow” and “David Watts.” —nick torsell

7:30pn. Mainstage Theatre, UB Center for the Arts, 103 Center For The Arts (654-ARTS / ubcfa.org). $34.50-$57.50.

Sunday, November 13

Zoë Keating

Born in Canada and classically trained from the age of eight, Zoë Keating has been a member of cell rock band Rasputina, featured on Amanda Palmer’s (of the Dresden Dolls) debut solo album, and performed with a wide range of artists such as Imogen Heap, Pomplamoose, and Paolo Nutini. During a live performance, Keating attacks her cello with a spiccato style, an aggressive yet controlled method of bouncing and springing the bow off the string, creating a sound not unlike the battle cry of a drum. Once this sound is captured Keating plays it on a loop, creating a base over which she layers additional sounds using masterful technique. The result is the creation of rhythmically dense musical structures that are audibly mesmerizing while her visual performance is nothing short of captivating. By using live electronic sampling and repetition, Keating creates a one-woman avant-garde orchestra. She describes her music as the “fusion of information, architecture, and classical music.” But don’t let the word “orchestra” throw you; this isn’t your parent’s classical music. Keating’s sound (and performance method) is closer to the baroque pop soundscapes of Righteous Babe’s own Andrew Bird. Attending a Zoë Keating performance is truly an experience. If you missed her sold out performance at the Ninth Ward in June, catch her return this Sunday (Nov 13) at Asbury Hall. —jill greenberg / photo credit: Lane Hartwell

7pm. Asbury Hall at Babeville, 341 Delaware Ave. (852-3835 / babevillebuffalo.com). $16 advance, $18 day of show.

Wednesday, November 16

Infected Mushroom

One thing you never want to do is consume an infected mushroom. Listening to Infected Mushroom is a much more pleasant experience. Band leaders Erez Eizen and Amit Duvdevani (a.k.a. Duvdev) have led this premier group within the global psy-trance scene for nearly a decade. Incorporating pumping, bad-ass grooves, infectious melodies, and vocals into their songs, they’ve performed live—a feat that many of their DJ peers aspire to accomplish—for millions of people around the globe. Originally hailing from Israel but currently residing in Los Angeles, Eizen and Duvdev have guided the genre bending electronic band through the consistent release of seven studio albums, ranging from the Goa trance of their 1999 debut album The Gathering to the experimental industrial sounds on their more recent albums. Their latest album, 2009’s Legend of the Black Shawarma, is a food-based, trip-hop album of epic proportions. MNM presents Infected Mushroom at the Town Ballroom on Wednesday (Nov 16) with L.A. based electro-rock producer Gunslinger. —h. timpson

8pm. Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com). $25 advance, $30 day of show.