Yeasayer

Wednesday, August 1

It’s certainly a feat when a musical group can leap genre barriers from record to record. Brooklyn’s Yeasayer achieved this feat once before when they went from the early Animal Collective-like sounds of their debut record All Hour Cymbals—with its mixture of trailing vocals, reverberating percussion, and psychedelic sound effects—to the more single oriented electro pop of their follow up, 2010’s Odd Blood. The shift between albums was substantial; it almost didn’t feel like the same band, but Yeasayer is still the same group—Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton and Anand Wilder—who formed in late 2006. The question that arises now is: will Yeasayer’s yet to be released follow-up to Odd Blood be as much of a horizontal step genre wise as Odd Blood was to All Hour Cymbals? That question will have an answer very soon, when the band releases Fragrant World on August 21. You can get a taste of Fragrant World by checking out the record’s first single, “Henrietta,” with it’s pulsating groove and reverberated everything before the group makes their way to Buffalo for a show at the Town Ballroom on Wednesday (Aug 1). —cory perla

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $20 advance

Friday, July 27

Mickey Hart

In over 45 years as a musician, Mickey Hart has put together an extremely prolific career. Between playing with the Grateful Dead for most of their existence, and releasing countless fascinating solo albums, there’s not a whole lot this guy hasn’t done. His precise drumming was a key element to the Dead’s sound on immortal albums like Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty. In 1971, he would temporarily leave the group, and release his first solo album, Rolling Thunder, which featured a sound similar to the Dead’s, blending folk and psychedelic rock. Upon returning to the group in 1974, Hart would play a pivotal role in the group’s later years, playing on legendary recordings like Terrapin Station, Blues For Allah, and Shakedown Street. Hart would remain with the Dead until their dissolution in 1995, after the death of frontman Jerry Garcia. In the time since, Hart has continued to put out solo albums, and his latest, Mysterium Tremendum, came out in April of this year. The album is a testmament to Hart’s experimental nature, and sees him venturing into the realms of World Music. Hart worked with a wide array of guest musicians to create what he calls a “cosmic sound.” His love, his experimenting, and his improvisation should make his show at the Tralf this Friday (July 27) quite a treat. A must for dead-heads, but recommended for anyone who likes good music. —john hugar

7pm The Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com) $30 advance, $32 day of show, 18+

Saturday, July 28

Adam Carolla

As a radio personality, television show host, comedian, actor, and author, Adam Carolla is someone you’re probably familiar with. Whether you remember him chanting “ziggy zaggy, ziggy zaggy, oi oi oi” along side Jimmy Kimmel on The Man Show, or his years on the radio co-hosting Loveline with Dr. Drew, the comedian has made an impact on the pop culture scene. Carolla even broke a world record recently with his main project, The Adam Carolla Show. From March 2009 to March 2011, Carolla’s show received 59,574,843 unique downloads, making it the world’s most downloaded podcast. Carolla’s crude humor—which touches on anything from relationships to hobos—has listeners enthralled as the show continues to be the number one daily downloaded podcast. But Carolla’s accomplishments go beyond famed radio-personality; the comedian is also a best-selling author. In 2010, In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks debuted on the New York Times best-seller list and Carolla’s follow-up book, Not Taco Bell Material, is now available. Carolla even tested his luck with Donald Trump on The Apprentice, but this was after stretching his dancing abilities for Dancing with the Stars. Carolla is now bringing the hilarity his avid followers and listeners enjoy to the University at Buffalo’s Center for the Arts on Saturday (July 28) for a night of standup. —sara dinatale

8pm Mainstage Theatre, UB Center for the Arts, 103 Center For The Arts (654-ARTS / ubcfa.org) $36.50

Saturday, July 28

Queen City Jazz Festival

In the early 1900s, there was only one musicians union in Buffalo—an all-white branch of the American Federation of Musicians that refused to include African American musicians. In 1935, the Colored Musicians Club formed as a result of the segregation. Now 77 years later, the Club still resides in its home at 145 Broadway in the middle of the historic Michigan Street Corridor—a part of the city that is known for its rich African American culture and its role in the Underground Railroad and the Civil Rights Movement. The club primarily focused on playing jazz music, a genre of music that was always about more than just syncopated noise or classy timeless entertainment; it was a movement about hope and the ability of men to work together to create something beautiful, according to the club. “Music has typically been, in the Black culture, a way of communication and a vehicle for change—jazz is a free expression,” said George Scott, current club president. On Saturday (July 28), the Colored Musicians Club is hosting the 7th-annual Queen City Jazz Festival to celebrate the past greats who have passed through the club’s doors—Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald, to name a few—and celebrate Buffalo’s finest jazz musicians today. The festival is an all-day affair, featuring eight of the Queen City’s best groups and musicians—Jazzline, Taylor Made Jazz, Gruvology, Will Holton, George Scott Big Band, Larry Salter Big Band, Lady Lita, and the Exoutics. Come spend a day in the sun and honor the past and present of Buffalo’s jazz scene. —rebecca bratek

12pm Colored Musicians Club, 145 Broadway Ave. (855-9383 / coloredmusiciansclub.org/festival.html) Free

Saturday, July 28

Noah D

What is it about the didgeridoo that attracts electronic music producers? Aphex Twin comes to mind but so does San Francisco’s Noah D. The EDM producer began his musical career as a singer/songwriter playing everything from guitar to didgeridoo, percussion and more. The jump to drum n bass isn’t exactly obvious from there, but Noah D made the leap in 1998, highly influenced by the sounds of producers such as Photek and Boymerang. That was over a decade ago though, and now the producer’s music takes on a much different sound, dropping the “drum” and leaving the bass. Heavy, peaking tracks are D’s specialty and his music has received plenty of airtime on some of the UK’s biggest radio stations like RinseFM and BBC’s 1xtra. He’s currently working on pumping out collaborations with the likes of Mason, Random Movement, and dancehall legend Anthony B, as well as working on solo releases. Expect a mix of originals from Noah D, as well as huge international tunes, and some stuff from underground American producers as well when the producer comes to Broadway Joes on Saturday (July 28) with support from Frosty Tone’s Big Basha, Demi God, The Verdict, E—Mission, Potent J, Rufus Gibson and more. —cory perla

9pm Broadway Joe’s, 3051 Main St. (bjoes.net)

Sunday, July 29

Bomba Estereo

The collaboration between bandmates Simon Mejia and Liliana “Li” Saumet in 2006 was far from ordinary. When Mejia heard Saumet sing, he renamed his band from A.M. 770 to Bomba Estereo, released a debut album, and soon after became an international success. Bomba Estereo exposed new Colombian talent in the world of electronic music. Both from Columbia, Mejia, the bassist and bandleader, and Saumet, the singer, are musically influenced by Colombia’s Afro-Colombian and hip-hop cultures. Their music is unlike anything you’ve ever heard in electronic music—with the Columbian-electro fused beats in the background, Saumet sings over the melodic sounds in Columbian, and even switches to rap in certain songs. “Ever since I was young, I had the opportunity to listen to such a wide variety of music, from local folk music to sounds arriving from Africa and the United States,” said Saumet. “I think that mix is reflected in our own music.” Although it was Mejia’s artistic vision to create the band, it’s Saumet who takes the spotlight on stage with her soulful and very talented voice. Bomba Estereo’s 2009 hit “Fuego” earned a spot as “Song of the Week” on iTunes, was part of a McDonald’s advertising campaign, and launched their journey in global success. In 2011, Bomba Estereo performed in over 30 cities across the U.S., including the Coachelle Festival. “These recent experiences have been amazing,” said Saumet. “They’ve literally changed my life. Performing in front of 15,000 people, many who don’t understand what you’re singing yet they dance for the love of the music. It’s inspiring.” Bomba Estereo comes to the Mohawk Place on Sunday (July 29) —lisa khoury

8pm Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. (465-2368 / themohawkplace.com). $15 advance, 16+

Monday, July 30

First Aid Kit

Everything from their strumming guitar and harmonizing vocals to the flowing paisley prints on their maxi dresses that grace the sepia toned album cover for their recently released, Lion’s Roar, would indicate that First Aid Kit is a 1970’s American folk duo probably hailing from Arizona or Tennessee. But Klara Söderberg, 19 and her older sister, Johanna, 22 are—as the umlauts over their last name would suggest—a young pair from Sweden. First Aid Kit, who released their debut album, Black and Blue, in 2010, take their cues from that era of music and can be reminscent of greats like Stevie Nicks. Their new single, “Emmylou,” with its whining violin and melancholy piano, can only be distinguished from an American country tune by its reference to Stockholm. When the two harmonize together, Johanna with her softer, lingering notes like a mourning dove singing Joni Mitchell, and Klara with fuller sound and slight twang, it’s like Simon and Garfunkl were reincarnated in prairie skirts. The two girls have improved vastly since their early days of Youtube fame, when they made a cover of the song “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” by nouveau folk group, Fleet Foxes. Johanna’s voice especially has become more controlled and ironically, as a result, lighter and more ethereal. First Aid Kit will play at the Town Ballroom on Monday (July 30). —leigh giangreco

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $13 advance, $15 day of show.

Thursday, July 2

Keys N Krates

Keys N Krates sounds a little like key s[y]nk rates. Showing that separation into genre is an outdated means of describing what music is, and that categorization only exists in the mind, which they may be trying to explode. Keys N Krates brings together a style consistent with what might be described as the over-genre, synchronizing many different modes of music such as hip-hop, R&B, jam, and electronica into a live mosaic performance that reworks what usually goes on with laptop MCs. Sampling raw clips from artists including Justice, U.G.K, and Skrillex, KNK’s musical spectrum is no less than diverse. The Toronto-based trio is made up of Adam Tune on drums, David Matisse on keyboard and synth, and according to the groups Facebook page, “internationally award-winning” Jr. Flo on the turntables. Their latest album is titled The Blackout, and they’ll be lighting up Buffalo on Thursday (July 2) at Duke’s on Allen Street. —steven bruckman

9pm Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar, 253 Allen St. (240-9359 / dukesbohemiangrovebar.com) $7, 21+

Thursday, July 2

The Jesus & Mary Chain

The word “Pyschocandy” perfectly sums up the Jesus and Mary Chain’s fuzzy combination of twee pop and hard rock. After a break-up and reformation, the Scottish five-piece approach 30 years of feedback in the rock arena. Attendees of Buffalo Place’s Rock The Harbor will encounter the pulse of The Jesus & Mary Chain on Thursday (Aug 2). The band spins a rare and distinct blend of psychedelia, derived from the sound of The Velvet Underground, meshed with noise-pop from more contemporary influences such as My Bloody Valentine, known for their practice of clipping, driving amps above their recommended wattage to produce a modified sound. They were also heavily inspired by Dinosaur, Jr., an indie rock band from Amherst, Massachusetts that also trends toward heavy use of clipping. Attendees will encounter such gems as “The Snakedriver,” from their album, The Crow, with its slow, tempered beat that is nonetheless an energetic and danceable anthem, a kind-of Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down,” meets MGMT’s “Future Reflections.” Expect songs like “Happy When It Rains,” from their Darklands album and also “Cut Dead,” from their lengendary album Psychocandy, a soothing track more rooted in the flowery coolness of the 1960’s. —mark abell

5pm Erie Canal Harbor Central Wharf. (buffaloplace.com/thursday) Free.