The Dodos
8pm Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St. (465-2368 / themohawkplace.com) $12
Since 2008’s critically acclaimed Visiter, the percussive indie rock act The Dodos have manifested themselves again and again in search of... well, themselves. Each new album seems to bring reinvention for the San Francisco duo, fueled by a mixture of controlled chaos and unexpected sideswiped. Most recently, the group lost friend and collaborator Chris Reimer in early 2012, forcing remaining members Meric Long and Logan Kroeber to once again reevaluate their course and respond. Perhaps the most everlasting and singular quality of The Dodos is that they always respond with commitment to saying something meaningful. In the constant flow of change, the band feels much more aged that it is; it’s hard to believe that they have been together only a decade, considering the reaches to which they’ve ventured in exploring their sound. From changes in their writing style, personal obstacles, and what it’s like to return to touring as a duo for the first time since 2006, the Dodos take indie/rock to a whole new level of maturity. You catch them this Thursday night (10/8 @8pm) at Mohawk Place.
> Emilie Hagen
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Joywave
7pm Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (853-5483 / Waitingroombuffalo.com) $15-$17
When bands emerge out of New York City, it may be harder and harder to sift through the vast numbers of those Brooklyn indie/rocks that seem to be taking over the airwaves. When faced with yet another New York artist, it can be all too easy to lump them in the same carbon-copy category as everyone else. Then, along comes a band like Joywave. Quick to point out the difference between Brooklyn and their native city of Rochester, this five piece are making some serious waves in the realms of must-dance-to, electronic-indie music. The group plays tunes that are so catchy and infectious, you’ll be sure to be dancing all night long when they perform at the Waiting Room this Friday night (10/9 @7pm).
> Wilson Hanks
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Four Year Strong
SAT. 10
7pm Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave (853-5483 / Waitingroombuffalo.com)
If any band knows what it means to be pop punk, it’s definitely Four Years Strong. Having originally coined the term “happy hardcore,” the group is an over-the-top pop punk band with heavy drop note tunings, played in bright major (happy) keys that lift each composition with enough power to drive a tank. The five-piece band got the ball rolling in their hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts, where they played tiny VFW halls, house parties, and any other DIY show they could get their hands on. After they released their first album It’s Our Time, it was clear the band had something young rebel punk rockers wanted. Their do-it-or-die for rock n’ roll work ethic and energetic live performances are what really sold the group. Everyone who has seen them knows FYS shows are powerful, and always enjoyable. Dueling vocals offer two different styles of singing that still manage to harmonize perfectly. Through the grit and sweat of their energy, the band engages the crowd fiercely with fiery antics. Their growing popularity is the direct result of being truly original unlike the many newer “original” bands that aren’t original at all. Don’t miss FYS as they completely tear it up at the Waiting Room this Saturday night (10/10 @7pm). Prepare to be smacked in the face by their undeniable energy that will make you understand that as far as great “happy hardcore” bands go, there is Four Year Strong and everybody else.
> Jeffrey Czum
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Guy Torry
Thursday: 8:00pm / Friday & Saturday: 7:30pm & 10pm / Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St. (853-1211 / Heliumcomedy.com) $15-$31
Like brothers Eddie and Charles Murphy, Chris and Tony Rock, and the Wayans brood, comedy is a family trait of the Joe and Guy Torry household. The siblings have spent their lives in show business. Amazingly, they’ve also managed to remain unscathed by the experience, with careers defined not only by their everyman comedic pursuits, but also by their work as screenwriters and actors. Guy Torry, the younger of the two brothers best known for his roles in “American History X” and “Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood,” brings stand-up comedy to Helium Comedy Club this Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Come down and get ready to laugh your ass off.
> Rian Kossling
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Plack Blague
6pm Sugar City, 1239 Niagara St (buffalosugarcity.org) $5
Most bands play live to get listeners in their music and, more importantly, to keep people coming back for more. But on group in particular, Plack Blague, has some audience members walking out, sometimes never to return. That would have most bands reconsidering their strategy. But for Plack Blague, it’s just part of the fun. The group formed on Halloween 2001 and is the artistic music endeavor of Ross “Raws” Schlesinger. “I’ve always wanted to go against what people consider regular or typical,” said Schlesinger. While Schlesinger became interested in music through his father, who played drums in country bands, and his older brother, who plays guitar for the death-metal band Ezra. Aside from Plack Blague, Schlesinger plays drums for Ezra, sings for the band Vickers and was one of the founding members of the band Wasteoid with Jeff “Jeffmetal” Sayers. Plack Blague performances are usually for adult audiences due to the artistically abrasive style of music and sexual content. According to Schlesinger and his partner Loren Macias, these characteristics have been the reason for some individuals walking out. “I think part of it, too, is that you almost want to, maybe in a conscious or a subliminal way, weed out the wimps,” Macias said. Be sure to see this band in action at Sugar City this Sunday night (10/11 @6pm).
> Jeffrey Czum
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That 1 Guy
7pm The Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com) $15-$17
Imagine watching cartoon network ... on mushrooms. That’s sort of what it’s like when you see Mike Silverman aka That 1 Guy perform on stage. Silverman is a one-man band whose performance is truly elaborate and unique in every way. Classically trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in jazz and classical, he takes his roll of bass player to the extreme. Silverman straps himself head to toe with instruments and noise making objects. Homemade contraptions and gadgets, beat boxing to his bass playing, and actually singing his well constructed songs have put him in a musical category of his own making. The main instrument on stage in an intricate, self-designed contraption he likes to call The Magic Pipe, a harp shaped device, which stands at exactly seven feet tall, with thick bass strings and pivoting pipes that emit funk bass lines. Silverman has toured with many great acts such as, Yo La Tengo, Primus, and Buffalo’s Ani DeFranco. You’ll definitely want to catch his set at The Tralf this Tuesday evening (10/13 @7pm).
> Jeffrey Czum
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