“Big James” Montgomery & the Chicago Playboys come to Buffalo this weekend with the sexy, funky, blues re-hash that’s been bringing the relatively young band steadily up on the Chicago blues scene. The trombone wielding frontman “Big James” has a pedigree steeped in local blues tradition, from his first gig with the Little Milton Band to his influential association with Johnny Christian, a position with Buddy Guy’s Band and stages shared with Eric Clapton, George Clinton & Parliament, Lou Rawls and others to numerous to mention. Working regularly as a back up band for some of the greats, “Big James” & the Playboys also headline at Chicago’s best known blues clubs and beyond. They’ll play the Lafayette Tap Room this Friday (Feb. 29), 9:30pm.

A power line up comes to Niagara University on Friday (Feb. 29) featuring the power duo SIRSY (pictured) and the up and coming quartet the Innocent Bystanders. SIRSY is fronted by the multi-talented Melanie Krahmer, who plays Jethro Tull-esque flute riffs and mans a full drum kit while alternately belting and whispering the self-penned vocals . SIRSY’s other half is co-writer Rich Libutti, playing both guitar and bass. The duo has toured with bands such as Maroon 5, Collective Soul, Lifehouse, Cheap Trick, Fuel and others. Not to be outdone, the Innocent Bystanders make a triumphant return to NU after selling out their previous show last fall. A local band comprised of four former St. Joe’s students, Innocent Bystanders have recently signed to Amherst Records, and are getting extensive airplay on radio stations across the U.S. with their hit single “Under Wraps.” Expect to hear more about them in the very near future. Friday’s show is from 8-11pm, and is definitely not to be missed.

Video game bands are all the rage, and Buffalo’s ARMCANNON brings a progressive, metal edge to the electronic genre, reworking the tunes of nostalgic 80s and 90s pastimes into orchestral rocking grooves. A major headliner at the annual MAGfest (formerly the Mid-Atlantic Gaming Festival), ARMCANNON is venturing into the international arena with their second cameo at Videogames Live, a concert series held at venues around the world since 2005. If that’s not enough, the band is releasing its debut album Leg Vacuum this Friday (Feb. 29) with a CD Release Party at Nietzsche’s starting at 9pm. The music covers a whole range of sounds from down-tempo to thrash metal, easily recognizable covers to distorted improv. Oh, and the CD release show doubles as a Leap Year Party, meaning precisely what, we don’t rightly know....

Champaign, Illinois’ Headlights are no strangers to Buffalo. With every show they play here, their audience tends to grow. Best known for their guitar and keyboard driven music, their debut album on Polyvinyl, Kill Them With Kindness, invokes the sounds of bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Lush and Cocteau Twins. While that quality remains on their just released second album, Some Racing Some Stopping, the band delves further back into the 60s. More layered and complex than previous efforts, the music is delicate and all the more beautiful. Touring with Headlights is Evangelicals, a four piece that’s received rave reviews on the indie web scene for their second record The Evening Descends. With wailing falsetto and inventive guitar leads, Evangelicals end up falling somewhere between the Flaming Lips and Queen. The show is at Mohawk Place on Saturday (Mar. 1) starting at 6pm. Ice Cream Social opens the show. (This is an early show and will be done by 10pm, followed by Love Parade’s CD Release Show).

N*E*R*D stands for Noone Ever Really Dies.

Dub Trio brings some of the best studio tricks to the stage with a live show at Soundlab on Thursday (March 6). With the release of their latest CD, Another Sound Is Dying (Ipecac), they’re sounding less and less like their name indicates. This new album punishes all and leaves no deejay standing, while the Trio seems to have become dub in theory only. Sure, there’s some reverb and scratch effect for good measure, but the furious instrumentation, sonic experiementation and pulsating riffs take a serious detour on the well-traveled road to coasting and toasting. Relying on instrumentals is what Dub Trio does best, and despite the foray into vocals with a cameo by Ipecac co-owner Mike Patton, this is one instrumental outfit that’s unlikely to start looking for a singer. The show starts at 9pm with an opening set by Brooklyn electro/ghettotech band Foregin Islands