Jim Lauderdale
9:30pm Sportsmen’s Tavern, 326 Amherst St. (874-7734 / sportsmenstavern.com) $25-$30
For fans of Americana music, Jim Lauderdale needs no introduction. He’s a musician’s musician and a great American storyteller. He’s been making hits long before some of you knew how to walk. His career has taken him all over the United States and abroad, making him an international recording artist with an ever-growing fan base. He won “Artist of the Year” and “Song of the Year” at the first Honors and Awards Show, which was held by the American Music Association in 2012. Subsequently, he has hosted this same show for the last seven years. Lauderdale is one of Nashville’s “A” list of songwriters, with songs recorded by artists such as: Patty Loveless, George Jones, The Dixie Chicks, Vince Gill, and George Straight. This clearly isn’t his first rodeo. He just released his 26th studio album, I’m a Song, which features an all-star cast of friends and contributors like Elvis Costello and John Oates. Despite the 20-song track list, I’m a Song never wears out its welcome, thanks to Lauderdale’s immaculate talent and diversity. His style is sweet but not oversentimental, “Today I’ve Got The Yesterdays” represents country music as it is and should be, with effective fiddle and Patty Loveless on backing vocals. The entire album is a reflection of Lauderdale’s entire career and any fan of country/Americana/bluegrass will not be disappointed. If you want to see a great show from a great songwriter, Sportsmen’s Tavern is the place to be on Friday night (5/1 @9:30pm).
> Jeff Czum
FRI 5/1
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SAT 5/2
GRIZFOLK
6:30pm The Studio @ Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (853-5483 / waitingroombuffalo.com) $10-$1
Grizfolk, a name that aptly describes the grizzly looking, folk-fusion band, will be gracing the stage at the Studio at Waiting Room this Saturday night with Younger Then, Coin, and American Low. The Los Angeles based band has been circulating music blogs and being heralded by Rolling Stone as an “Artist You Should Know in 2015.” Frontman Adam Roth and guitarist Frederik Eriksson began as a songwriting team for other artists when they met synth and keyboardist, Sebastian Fritze in 2012. The trio pulled in mutual friends Brendan Willing James and Bill Delia to round out their new musical venture, and Grizfolk was the end result. The group produces a unique blend of Americana, indie-pop with electronic sounds that will make you wonder what musical influences lie behind their music. It might be the various backgrounds each member comes from. Two of the five musicians are from Sweden, where the music scene is filled with electro-pop, and synths have replaced the need for “real instruments.” Their sound is a product of the unlikely unity of the band, and listeners are quick to jump on board.
> Jeff Czum
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The Devil Wears Prada
6:30pm Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (853-5483/ waitingroombuffalo.com) $17-$20
Vocalist Mike Hranica says there’s nothing controversial about his Christian metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada. In fact, the band members felt Christian metalcore was what God wanted (pretty bold statement, but it works). “The Christian message has always been there for us,” Hranica said. “The lyrics have always been there, but we made it the central point of the band.” In today’s music world, longevity seems harder to sustain. Between the sheer number of bands and artists breaking out, it’s easy to be overlooked by listeners and industry reps, but TDWP has made it known that they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The Ohio five-piece got their start in 2005, and picked up speed with their third album, With Roots Above and Branches Below, in 2009. With Hranica’s aggressive screams and the band’s ability to incorporate heavy riffs and face-melting breakdowns, listeners are quick to take notice. These guys will be hitting the stage at Waiting Room on Sunday night (5/3) with Secrets, Sleepwave, and Revealer.
> Jeff Czum
SUN 5/3
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SUN 5/3
Guerilla Toss
7pm Sugar City, 1239 Niagara St (buffalosugarcity.org) $5
Boston’s most chaotic noise trash five piece, Guerilla Toss will be hitting it off at Sugar City on Sunday night (5/3 @7pm). The members of GT make up the inner workings of a well-oiled, hypnagogic machine. Together they churn out frenetically composed songs whose urgency and catchiness pair immeasurably well. Vocalist Kassie Carlson’s voice weaves through the sounds spun from the minds of maniacs. Distorted guitars, madly arranged synths and drums, and liberal dabs of cowbell to balance it all out. This is noise rock but it’s something else too. It’s a mesh of tones with syncopated melodies that act as a bridge between the genres of dark noise and bright, well produced pop music. Guerilla Toss may not be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of high energetic performances that can only be described as shocking and awesome, be sure to welcome them this weekend. Alhpa Hopper and CCDC (Death Squad) are set to open.
> Jeff Czum
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103.3 The Edge Presents: Seether
6pm Rapids Theatre, 1711 Main St. (205-8925 / RapidsTheatre.com) $27.50 VIP Package $325
103.3 presents one hell of an alternative throwback show with Seether, Tremonti, and Red Sun Rising. These bands are all set to hit the stage at Rapids Theatre this Tuesday evening (5/5 @6pm). The South African group, Seether has been in the rock game for 15-plus years now. They came up during the post-post-grunge years, contemporaries of early 2000s bands like Nickelback, Papa Roach, and 3 Doors Down. The band made their debut right before MySpace and Napster upended the entire music industry, but that didn’t get in the way of them releasing two platinum records and performing with acts such as Aerosmith, Kid Rock, and Our Lady Peace. The trio is best known for their hits “Fine Again,” “Remedy,” “Fake It,” and “Country Song” as well as the Billboard Hot 100 single “Broken,” which peaked at No. 20. Aside from the headliners, Tremonti will be main support. Known for his time with the 90s rock outfit, Creed, Mark Tremonti says his solo work is “much heavy than his previous band.” If you want to feel some ‘rock nostalgia,’ you won’t want to miss this show.
> Chad Krowgure
TUE 5/5
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WED 5/6
Haiku
7pm Sportsmen’s Tavern, 326 Amherst St. (874-7734 / sportsmenstavern.com) $5
Haiku is set to give another powerful performance at Sportsmen’s Tavern this Wednesday night (5/3 @7pm). The Buffalo quartet has earned the reputation of becoming one of the best super groups in Western New York. These jazz-influenced progressive rock musicians have been involved in various high profiled local acts. The group consists of Jim Wyne, Hugh Arthur, Spencer Bolden, and the notable George Puleo, who has not only been awarded Best Guitarist in Artvoice’s Best of Buffalo survey in the past, but is also a member of the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. The band exceeds the boundaries of rock and jazz-fusion with traces of blues. They are a group you need to hear live to fully grasp and appreciate the magnitude of their talent. Puleo owns the stage while shredding his guitar while Wyne hold it down on bass, effortlessly finger picking away, all locked in the pocket with percussionists Arthur and Bolden.
> Jeff Czum
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