Party on the Portico featuring The Albrights & The Steam Donkeys

Friday, August 17

Summer’s quickly coming to an end, and so is a summer of music series. On Friday (Aug 17), the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society’s Party on the Portico series will end its season with two local bands performing on the museum’s iconic steps. The Albrights classify themselves as “real, delivering pop-steeped indie rock in the tradition of the Beatles and the White Stripes.” The band formed in 2009 and wants to take music away from the studio to bring back the days where musicians were talented and not mixed by a sound producer. They’re active in Buffalo’s music scene; they’ve played with several national acts and you can always catch them in a local club or bar. Check out “Hard Times” if you want to be taken back to the Beatles, pop-rock era. Along with the Albrights, the Steam Donkeys will rock the portico this Friday. Since 1991, the Steam Donkeys have honed their country/rock/honky-tonk sound and released a number of records nationally. Fans have loved their unique songs as much as the band has loved playing them. While they haven’t toured regularly since 2000, the four-piece band is recording new material and they still hold down a monthly Saturday night gig at the storied Sportsmen’s Tavern—as well as playing shows all over the region. In addition to the live music, there’s a cash bar and 15-minute mini-tours of the History Museum. Take your Friday happy hour outside this Friday—you don’t want to miss this party. —rebecca bratek

5:30pm Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, 25 Nottingham Ct. (873-9644 / buffalohistory.org) $10 non-members/$5 members, 21+

Friday, August 17

Buffalo Killers

Don’t let those Beatles-esque album covers and Jim Morrison-inspired beards fool you. The Buffalo Killers are, in fact, from this side of the new millennium, though their music, apparel, and general Gestalt make it clear that, spiritually, they’re from the era of lava lamps and free love. The Cincinnati trio are contemporary progenitors of exactly the sort of rough-edged semi-psychedelic 1960s-era feel-good rock-pop (think the Black Keys, but with decidedly more groove) that has been conspicuously absent of late and, incidentally, is more than ripe for a resurgence, and in a big way. On Friday (Aug 17), the Buffalo Killers will find themselves in—well, Buffalo—on the stage of Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar as part of their summer tour of the country promoting their latest effort, DIG. SOW. LOVE. GROW., their fourth LP to date. Snag tickets while you can—the Buffalo show is the last in reasonable driving distance before the group returns to Ohio for a multi-week five-show homecoming. Given that time travel isn’t yet possible, Friday’s show is probably the closest thing you’re going to get to turning back the clock to the 1960s in the foreseeable future. —edward a. benoit

8pm Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar, 253 Allen St. (240-9359 / dukesbohemiangrovebar.com) $7, 21+

Saturday & Sunday, August 18 & 19

Sighting Freedom

Makeda Thomas is a dancer, choreographer, and artistic director who creates new dance works and has collaborated with artists around the world. Thomas’ latest project, the site-specific performance Sighting Freedom, will take place this Saturday and Sunday (Aug 18 & 19) at 8pm at The Ruins at Canalside featuring members of her company and members of the dance, music, and theater community of Western New York. In addition to the actual site, Thomas has considered the non-physical presence of The Ruins and the history surrounding the area. Based on the powerful history of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, Thomas explains, “I have a title, ‘Sighting Freedom,’ which plays with the fact that it’s a site-specific work but more so is about being a sort of embodied excavation of specific histories of the site–black histories. It’s furthermore about this idea that a certain physical, geographic space or place grants freedom; or that freedom can even be sited on or through the body.” Thomas’ performance will highlight the connections between presence, physical space, and history. “It’s important to connect history with our lives today...reminding us of the continued struggle for equality” Thomas said. “Ultimately, ‘Sighting Freedom’ is about the possibilities of what can now happen in this revitalized space.” This performance is part of the “Inhabiting Memories: Dance at the Ruins” program, which is made possible by support from the New York State Council on the Arts, the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation, and New York State Dance Force. Open your mind while considering the history of a space and the questions about freedom that history might raise as you experience this unique performance. —jill greenberg

8pm. The Ruins at Canalside, Erie Canal Harbor, Erie St. & Marine Dr. (makedathomas.org) free.

Monday, August 20

Jane's Addiction

Jane’s Addiction is arguably one of the most influential alternative rock bands of all time. Not only were they one of the first alt rock bands in the 1990s to gain mainstream attention, but they’ve also persevered through break up after break up and reformation after reformation. The Lollapalooza festival, which still draws hundreds of thousands of people each year, was created in 1991 by Jane’s Addiction singer Perry Farrell as a farewell tour for the band, who would go on to reform and break up three more times in the next two decades. Intra-band issues aside though, Jane’s Addiction has made a career of producing classic guitar driven alt rock songs and putting on a cinematic live show. Led by Farrell and guitar god Dave Navarro, Jane’s Addiction released their fourth studio album last year, The Great Escape Artist, with a Smashing Pumpkins-esque video for their lead single “Irresistible Force.” Don’t miss your chance to see one of rock’s most hailed guitarists and one of alt rock’s most influential bands when Jane’s Addiction comes to the Artpark mainstage on Monday (Aug 20). —cory perla

8pm Artpark Mainstage, 450 South 4th St., Lewiston (754-4375 / artpark.net) $47.50

Monday, August 20

Silverstein

Short Songs, Short Tour. For fans of the band Silverstein those are descriptors as well as proper names. The Burlington, Ontario-natives are playing 10 US/Canadian shows over the course of 11 days in support of their new album, Short Songs. The shows are anything but short though, as the band is playing their new mini-album in its entirety at every show along with some old favorites to round out the set. Every song on the new album is around 90 seconds or less, with half of the album consisting of covers from bands that have inspired them over the years. The concert is going to be a blistering set with a lot packed in, but the fans are the ones who truly make out with all that they get to listen to in one night. The show is next Tuesday (Aug 21) at Mohawk Place. Opening are Rochester-natives, Such Gold, who have a melodic hardcore/punk feel, along with Lions Lions and Daytrader. It’s not very often these days that you can see a band play a full album on tour, so make sure to get out and see this show as it is sure to be one to remember. —jeremiah shea

6pm Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. (465-2368 / themohawkplace.com) $16 advance, $18 day of show, 16+

Tuesday, August 21

The Chris Robinson Brotherhood

The Black Crowes were one of the biggest bands of the 1990s. With memorable hits like “Jealous Again,” “Remedy,” and the immortal ballad “She Talks To Angels,” the band delighted fans everywhere with their old school rock and roll vibe, which evoked early rock acts like the Rolling Stones and Credence Clearwater Revival. The band was on and off for most of the 1990s, mostly due to the friction between brothers Chris and Rich Robinson, who could give Ray and Dave Davies a serious run for their money in the fighting musical siblings category. During one of the group’s momentary splits, Chris Robinson released his first solo album, 2002’s New Earth Mud, which received rave reviews, and established Chris has a separate entity from the Crowes. After the band reunited in the late 2000s, Robinson temporarily put his solo career on hold. This year, however, he returned with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood (CRB), and released what may be the most ambitious album of his career. Big Moon Ritual is a sprawling hippie masterpiece, with multiple tracks clocking in at over nine minutes. The Black Crowes always had some jam band tendencies, and they are fully fleshed out on this record. This Tuesday (Aug 21), Robinson will be appearing at the Town Ballroom in support of the album. Ambitious records like this tend to thrive in a live setting. Don’t be surprised if some of the lengthy numbers end up going on even longer. —john hugar

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $21 in advance $24 day of show.

Thursday, August 23

Matt Nathanson

It’s ok to show joy. It’s ok to be sexy. Matt Nathanson knows this and has made it his mission to help the world realize this, too. The Massachusetts-bred singer/songwriter has been making music since 1993, but with his newest record, Modern Love, Nathanson is trying to bring the personal and human feel back to love songs and the music industry. He thinks the Twitter and Facebook revolution is changing how we interact, how we fall in love, and how we treat music. Nathanson says that Modern Love is a “collection of songs, short stories tied together... about love, about faith in others or loss of faith in others.” The title track claims “this modern love is not enough,” and Nathanson spends the whole record trying to bring back that human connection lost through the digital age of internet and computers. He begs the question: “where does love lie in the future?” No one can deny that “Run” (one of album’s most popular singles) is sexy or that Nathanson’s voice harmonized with Jennifer Nettles’ just makes you want to crawl into bed with that special someone. And his live shows are no different; his wit, charm, and way with a guitar is infectious. Nathanson brings his sexy, stripped down vocals and folk-inspired rock to the Erie Canal Harbor Central Wharf on Thursday (August 23)—the perfect end to a summer of free music on the water. Come fall in love with Nathanson and Canadian electropop sweetheart Lights and have one last night of summer fun. —rebecca bratek.

5pm Erie Canal Harbor Central Wharf (buffaloplace.com/Thursday) free.