Coal Chamber
6pm Rapids Theatre, 1711 Main St. (205-8925 / rapidstheatre.com) $25-$30
After a break, it’s important to come back strong, very strong. Following a 13-year hiatus, nu-metal band Coal Chamber, the “Face of Hot Topic”, has returned. They will be heading to Rapids Theatre on Friday (3/27 @6pm) with Filter, Combichrist, and American Head Charge. Coal Chamber formed back in 1993 in Los Angeles and are probably best known for two tracks from their self-titled debut, “Loco” and “Big Truck.” The band charted at #26 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart in 1999 with “Shock The Monkey” that featured Ozzy Osbourne. The record struck a balance between dark goth undertones, metallic grooves, and an undeniable amount of energy. It proved unlike anything else in the genre at the time and led to opportunities to tour with acts like Pantera, Ozzy, Machine Head, and Slipknot. Last year, the group announced signing with Napalm Records and will be releasing their first album in over 13 years this spring (5/19). Expect a packed room full of black lipstick, fishnet stockings and pierced faces.
> Jeff Czum
FRI 3/27
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SAT 3/28
Marco Benevento
9pm Iron Works, 49 Illinois St (200-1893 / buffaloironworks.com) $12
Although they’ve only been together for two years, Buffalo’s newest indie pop-punk band, Head North have already broke out of the local music scene and reached national notice. After self-releasing their debut EP, Scrapbook Minds in the winter of 2014, with Connecticut band A Will Away, and released a split album that following summer. Head North hits home with huge raunchy guitar lines, aggressive punk rock drumbeats and an emotional complexity behind singer Brent Martone’s lyrics and melodies. Head North hits home with huge raunchy guitar lines, aggressive punk rock drumbeats and an emotional complexity behind singer Brent Martone’s lyrics and melodies. The band’s popularity will become more apparent on an upcoming six-song EP, which will be released in the spring of 2015 through Bad Timing Records. Catch these guys in action for an epic hometown show at the Studio @ Waiting Room this Sunday (1/11 @ 5:30PM). Pop punk bands Del Paxton, Watermedown, Contender, and Well Kept Things are set to open the show.
> Jeff Czum
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Horse Feathers
7pm Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com) $13-$15
Over the last decade, the Portand chamber-folk group, led by singer-songwriter Justin Ringle, has perfected a gentle gothic sound reliant on stringed instruments. In the past, Ringle’s songs have generally set wearily depressing lyrics against a gentle backdrop of strings and banjos and other exquisitely Americana sounds. ‘Reinvented’ isn’t necessarily a word the band would use to describe their sound, but the group welcomed fans with something new for their latest album, So It Is With Us. Although it’s not a complete musical turn, Horse Feathers has made a significant departure from the music of misery. The softness of Ringle’s voice contains more optimism this time around and the once-mournful violins are transformed into cheerful fiddles. The tempos are breezier but the bittersweet compositions and muted emotions are still transposed within the acoustic layers of each track. Since this is the first record where they include drum and bass, it’ll be a fun experience to watch them perform and stomp along in rhythm Sunday night at The Tralf (3/29 @8pm).
> Jeff Czum
SUN 3/29
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TUE 3/31
Shakey Graves
7pm Town Ballroom, 681 S. Main St. (352-3900 / townballroom.com) $15-$18
Alejandro Rose-Garcia, better known as Shakey Graves admits he has pondered the question, “Are we dead all the time?” Even his singing is often characterized as ghostly and haunting. His songs contain equal balances of lyrical agony and ecstasy - both lonesome and possessed. It’s no surprise the Austin, Texas native has a fascination with the spiritual world, his self-released first album is actually called Roll The Bones. Songs with references to heaven, hell, death, ghosts and the afterlife are all underlying themes in his music. Intricate acoustic-guitar picking or fuzzed and cranked electric notes, punctuate every message he wants to convey to his audience. His new LP, And the War Came, slides in and out of clean, foot-stomping folk, blues rock, and quiet eerie acoustic rhythms. Alejandro sees his new album as a pivotal step in the evolution of Shakey Graves. “This is a doorframe album,” he says. “It’s a taste of everything what might come in the future, which might include just guitar or the one-man band thing. I wanted to get people ready for wherever it’s going.” Shakey Graves will be performing at Town Ballroom on Saturday night (3/31 @7pm) with Nikki Lane and David Ramirez.
> Jeff Czum
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The Decemberists
8pm Center for the Arts, 103 Center For The Arts (645-6259 / ubcfa.org) $33-$38
It’s been a long four years for fans of The Decemberists. With no activity since 2011, the Portland, Oregon five-piece collectively decided to focus on personal endeavors. Frontman/songwriter Colin Meloy teamed up with his wife, illustrator Carson Ellis, on the children’s book series “The Wildwood Chronicles,” while other members pursued a music project called Black Prairie. Having some time to reflect, the group decided to come back together and release their seventh studio album, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World. The record features Meloy’s affection for using poetic phrasing and exotic vocabulary. Opening with the literal “A Singer Addresses His Audience,” Meloy reassures the band’s longtime fans as the group emerges from their recent hiatus: “We know you threw your arms around us in hopes we wouldn’t change, but we had to change some. We know to belong to you.” For a middle-aged band, fifteen years and seven albums into their careers, The Decemberists still remain fun and exciting. On Wednesday (4/1 @8pm), the group will be performing at UB Center for the Arts.
> Jeff Czum
WED 4/1
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WED 4/1
The Queers
8pm Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St. (312-9279 / buffalosmohawkplace.com) $15-$20
The longtime band, The Queers have been making punk music since before most of the spiked jacketed, studded belted suburban teenagers were even born. They were punk before you even knew what it meant to be punk, and they’re proud of it. Sole founding member, Joe Queer founded the New England band in 1981. The original lineup dissipated in 1984 but Queer reformed the band a few years later with all new members. They show no sign of slowing down after playing together for the past three decades and will be kicking things off at Mohawk Place on Wednesday night (4/1 @8pm) with Richie Ramone and Newish Star. The Queers have been known for their funny lyrics and energetic stage presence. They have a sound that mixes raw three-chord guitar arrangements, punk drumbeats and topics about girls, drugs and having fun. Even though the members are reaching 40, they still have the energy and attitude you’d expect to see at any punk rock show.
> Jeff Czum
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