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See You There!

Artvoice's weekly round-up of featured events, including our editor's pick for the week: Investigative Post: Real State of the Community at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Wednesday, February 11.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out our full events calendar on-line for complete event listings, a location guide to find your way about the city, restaurant reviews, and more.



Investigative Post: Real State of the Community

Wednesday, February 11

Politicians proclaim that Western New York’s region is booming despite the fact that poverty rate keeps climbing. Well which is it? Jim Heaney, editor of Investigative Post will provide the answer in his “State of Community” address on Wednesday evening (2/11) Heaney has pulled numerous data points to provide the facts on our local economy. “I’ll cut through the spin and present a realistic picture of what’s going on in the local economy,” Heaney says. “For better and for worse.” Heaney also plans to talk about the current state of Investigative Post as it’s approaching its third anniversary. “We’ve broken some big stories in the past year, grown our audience and broadened our base of support,” he said. Joining Heaney will be WGRZ news anchors Maryalice Demler and Scott Levin. The event will be taking place at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site at 7PM. Admission is $10 and includes an Investigative Post membership.

- AV Staff

7PM Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, 641 Delaware Ave (884-0095 / trsite.com) $10

Thursday, February 5

Machine Head

Neo-classical metal music is nothing new, but if there is a band that has perfected the genre, it’s Machine Head. Forming in Oakland, California in 1991, Machine Head has been a monumental group for the metal scene all over the world. Their D.I.Y. work ethic, aggressive playing, and relentless self-promotion eventually landed them a record deal with Roadrunner Records, a relationship that has extended their careers substantially. With influences from classic music to heavy metal, the band creates a sound that is both epic and ferocious. Their November 2014 release, Bloodstone & Diamonds is exactly what fans have been waiting for. The album stands out from anything else happening in metal right now – which is a testament to singer/guitarist, Robert Flynn’s unique vision and love for epic classical scores. The opening track on Bloodstone & Diamonds, Now We Die, emanates power and intensity that few bands from any generation can match. Throughout the album, Machine Head has sounds layered within each song such as strings, ticking clocks and eerie chanted choruses that are greeted with thrashing guitar riffs, slamming bass lines, and metal blast beats that create that neo-classical sound. If you’re a metal head of any sort, you won’t want to miss your chance to see this band in action at Town Ballroom Thursday night (2/5).

- Jeff Czum

7:30PM Town Ballroom, 681 S. Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $22-$25

Thursday - Saturday, February 5-7

Iliza Shlesinger

Illiza Shlesinger was the only female and youngest comedian to become the winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing back in 2008. Today, she’s become a well-known stand up comedian and her ability to connect with audiences and incite laughter has tremendously helped push her career into mainstream success. Shlesinger has been in the business long enough to know that it not always easy for women. “It’s a glacially paced movement for women in comedy,” she says. “Each girl does their part to open the door for another girl, whether it’s women in late night, women in movies, and even women being allowed to have funny parts in movies.” Shlesinger anticipates that comedy will be more gender-balanced. “I think we’re in the middle of a pretty cool movement in comedy where girls are getting to act like guys and are being treated on the same level.” (Bridesmaids anyone?) If you want to see a girl with an edge and who will undoubtedly make you laugh, catch Illiza Shlesinger this weekend at Helium Comedy Club.

- Jeff Czum

Thursday 2/5: 8PM / Friday 2/6: 7:30PM & 10PM / Saturday 2/7: 7:30PM & 10PM, Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St. (853-1211 / heliumcomedy.com) $15-$30

Friday & Saturday, February 6 & 7

Sam Roberts Band

You would be hard pressed to find a better representation of the rapidly evolving music industry than the Sam Roberts Band. Roberts emerged on the Canadian scene in 2002 after the release of The Inhuman Condition. The 2nd track, “Brother Down” went to #1 on Canadian charts, and his career took off. Roberts signed with Universal Canada and in 2003 released We Were Born In a Flame. His major-label debut earned him Juno Awards for Artist of the Year, Rock Album of the Year and Album of the Year. Roberts has always been a unique songwriter who takes risks, and his latest release, Lo-Fantasy was a big gamble for the folk-rock artist. SRB chose to work with Youth, a British producer known for dub-punk and electronica, something the band has never done before. The collaboration’s more adventurous output is displayed with hints of edgy soul, disco and reggae. Although the band struggles to maintain a strong following south of the border, Buffalo will be welcoming the Montreal quintet this weekend for two sold out shows at Town Ballroom Friday and Saturday night. If you didn’t buy your tickets, then you’re SOL. At least you’ll have the opportunity to pick up Lo-Fantasy and hope Roberts and his band return their “favorite” American city soon.

- Jeff Czum

Friday 2/6 & Saturday 2/7: 7PM Town Ballroom, 681 S. Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $22-$25

Friday, February 6

Soul Patch

Buffalo has always been a sucker for great cover bands, but no one gets into it better than Soulpatch. Made up by members of Every Time I Die and Quintana, this group has quickly become Buffalo’s favorite alternative rock cover band. If you have a soft spot (and who doesn’t?) for bands like Nirvana, Weezer, Silverchair, Stone Temple Pilots, and Toadies, you’re going to love singing along as your slamming down PBRs by the bar. You won’t hear anyone else perform The Cardigans’ “Love Me” or Nirvana’s “Breed” quite as good as Soulpatch. You’re going to think you were transported back to the days when the world’s biggest fears were Y2K and Scream-Masks. Grab your dirtiest plaid shirt and come on down to Iron Works this Friday night (2/6 @ 9PM) to see these guys blow you away.

- Robert B. Dwyer

9PM Iron Works, 49 Illinios St. (200-1893 / buffaloironworks.com) FREE

Friday, February 6

4th Annual Johnny Cash Birthday Bash

It’s been 12 years since the death of one of America’s greatest songwriters, Johnny Cash, but the legacy still lives on. The rugged tone of The Man in Black survives and serves as inspiration for many musicians today. His songs crafted a persona of the dignified, resilient voice for the common man, while maintaining the dark edge Cash was known for. One of the most haunting (yet awesome) lines in popular music comes from “Folsom Prison Blues,” which went No. 4 on the country charts in 1956: “I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.” It was the first time a generation was greeted with such grit and danger in country music. It’s no easy task to recreate the elusive atmosphere of Cash, but if anyone can do it, it’ll be The CPX, Ten Cent Howl, Stoneflower, David Michael Miller, and Jim Candytree & Megan Brown this Friday night at Nietzsche’s. Come on down at 10PM for the 4th annual Johnny Cash Birthday Bash. Each band will be performing the iconic songs of Johnny Cash for 4 straight hours between 2 stages. “The Johnny Cash Birthday Bash is one of our favorite annual events in The Good Hood,” says Seamus Gallivan. “It’s an uplifting celebration honoring an all-time American icon, and we know The Man in Black would appreciate that so many attendees make time to give back by supporting the ‘Big Rivers’ off of which we live.”

- Jeff Czum

10PM Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / nietzsches.com) $5 Ages 21+

Saturday, February 7

The Cure vs. The Smiths

The rivalry between The Smiths’ Morrissey and The Cure’s Robert Smith is one of the greatest in rock n’ roll history. They’ve been at each other’s throats since the early 1980s. It’s pretty funny that these two mopey, sexually ambiguous English boys who sang melancholic ballads over jangly guitars can hold such animosity towards each other. Can you imagine if they both started seeing the same woman? Someone would definitely be dead by now. Luckily, we didn’t lose anyone to the war on jealousy, and if we look closer at the two bands, we can see how truly awesome they both are. Transmission DJs Bill Page and Jason Draper will be hosting the 12th annual “The Cure VS. The Smiths” dance party. The party will be popping off at 9:30PM and will be going all night long. Whether you feel pressured to choose a side, or just want to dance to both, Iron Works is the place to be on Saturday night.

- Jeff Czum

9:30PM Iron Works, 49 Illinios St. (200-1893 / buffaloironworks.com) $5 Ages 21+