The Christmas Party at Pearl Street Grill & Brewery

Saturday, December 25

From it’s roots as a friends only underground celebration to an all out party for Buffalo’s DJ scene, the Christmas Party at Pearl Street Grill has been one of the city’s biggest Christmas extravaganzas since the 1990’s. This year it’s back with a bigger lineup than ever for it’s sixth year at Pearl Street. 18 DJs will be scattered throughout three rooms for a night of dancing, holiday cheer, and heavy bass with music ranging from funk, disco, and hip hop on the first floor to dub step and electro on the second floor patio. The main room will feature DJs Marcos Udagawa, Ryan Liddell & 3PO, Jessee Aron & Kyle Moody, Steve Kream, and more playing house, breaks, and techno all night while inventive local DJs Hoogs & U.S. Marshall reunite after a five year hiatus to lay down some drum & bass alongside Big Basha, Arehouse, and DJ Medison in the third room. Along with four bars, pretty much everyone who is fairly popular for spinning records in this city is playing, so after the holiday turkey and eggnog, hug the relatives and head down to the Pearl Street Grill on Saturday (Dec 25). —cory perla

10pm. Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, 76 Pearl St. (856-2337 / pearlstreetgrill.com) $10.

Thursday, December 23

Culture in Cinema: Love's Labor's Lost

Some of Shakespeare’s plays readily offer themselves for modern interpretation. Love’s Labour’s Lost might seem to be one of those, with its comical story about a quartet of noblemen who decide to spend three years in chaste seclusion and study, only to fall victim to the charms of a female entourage. But its revelry in language and contemporary literary allusions makes it one of the more challenging plays in the canon for audiences unwilling to engage the dialogue on its own term. Even aficionados may have some trouble with jokes that depend on having studied Latin in grade school. By all reports the production of Love’s Labour’s Lost mounted at Shakespeare’s Globe (the theater built in 1999 on the site of the original Globe) has struggled and largely succeeded at making this comedy accessible to modern viewers without diluting its language. Some of it may fly over your head, but no one has made that decision for you by editing Shakespeare’s dialogue. London’s Observer says that Dominic Dromgoole’s production “sends its audience out in a mood of high exultation,” while the Independent notes that it “succeeds in captivating the audience to a degree that I would not have thought possible… It’s a treat.” Love’s Labour’s Lost will be presented for one performance only, Thursday (tonight!) at 7 pm as part of the “Culture in Cinema” series of HD broadcasts at the Amherst Dipson Theater. —m. faust

7pm. Amherst Dipson Theater, 3500 Main Street. (834-7655 / dipsontheatres.com) $20.

Monday & Tuesday, December 27 & 28

Super Chexx Bubble Hockey World Championship

In 1982, Innovative Concepts in Entertainment Inc. manufactured the first coin-operated Super Chexx bubble hockey game in Clarence, New York. The game was an instant success, and has become a staple in restaurants, bars, arcades, and bowling alleys across America since. 28 years later, Super Chexx is still a big hit, so big, in fact, that I.C.E. is hosting the first ever Super Chexx Bubble Hockey World Championship as part of the “Fan Fest” tied into the IIHF World Junior Championships. On Monday (Dec 27) and Tuesday (Dec 28), the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center will be the playing field for 64 players and teams to duke it out on 16 Super Chexx tables, with up to $20,000 distributed in prize money. The format is simple: win and you play on, lose, and you’re out. Play commences on Tuesday until a winner emerges from an expected field of 1024 players in both the single and team brackets. Dreams will be shattered, a champion will be crowned, and history will be made in what is being billed as the largest bubble hockey tournament ever. For information on rules and registration, visit www.icechexx.com. —jon wheelock

1pm. Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, 153 Franklin Street. (855-5555 / buffaloconvention.com) Singles $10, doubles $20.

Wednesday, December 29

Joseph Wooten

Joseph Wooten, the keyboardist who has traveled the world with the Steve Miller Band, will be joining Buffalo’s gospel vocal trio the Union on stage at the Tralf on Wednesday (Dec 29). The musicians will be performing to benefit the Food Bank of Western New York and those going to the show are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to drop at the door. Wooten, who comes from a musical family, has performed with the likes of Curtis Mayfield, the Temptations and War. Wooten and his brothers performed all over the country and his brother Victor, who he also tours with now, is a three-time Grammy winning bass player. The Union has performed with Gregory Hines, Ziggy Marley and Peter Gabriel, and have been touring the east coast for the last quarter century. So come down to the Tralf on Wednesday to catch some funky vibes and to help out Western New York’s hungry. —justin sondel

7pm. Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com). $35 advance, $40 day of the show.

Friday, December 31

Sound in Motion: Album Night

It’s not often that you can go to a local show and experience an entire night of new, never before heard tunes, and a few well-known favorites, but Sound In Motion: Album Night at the Tralf promises just that. The line up will include three local bands debuting new music. Progressive jam band Peanut Brittle Satellite will debut their new album Planet Girth full of Phish-like extended jams and riffing guitars. Slow motion jazz rockers Rhubarb prepare to release their latest record Shoot Yer Body Baby, while local atmospheric rockers Lazlo Hollyfeld will introduce the world to their new guitarist Sonny Baker and some brand new material. The night will climax when members from each band come together to perform Beck’s psychedelic, groundbreaking 1996 album, Odelay, in its entirety. When this group of eight talented local musicians combines to strum the wobbly and melting first chords of “Devil’s Haircut,” or blast the schizophrenic sound effects of the “New Pollution” you better bet that you’ll no longer be in the year 2010. DJ Cutler will take the stage to finish up the night with a danceable funk fest. It all happens on New Year’s Eve (Dec 31) at the Tralf. —cory perla

9pm. Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com). $10.

Friday, December 31

Nietzsche's New Year's Party

There is no shortage of options when it comes to celebrating New Year’s Eve, but if you find yourself at Nietzsche’s, you’re in the right place. Allentown’s tried-and-true local music venue has a full slate of live music on two stages lasting until the wee hours of 2011. Universe Shark gets the party rolling at 10pm on the big stage, with Family Dinner continuing the funk-fusion vibe at 11pm on the front stage. Family Funktion and the Sitar Jams ring in the New Year at midnight with their psychedelic blend of jazz, funk, and, Middle Eastern music. Blood Thirsty Vegans and Shapes of States will guide you through those early champagne-hazed hours of 2011, and all is right in the world. There are free hats and noisemakers to go around, and of course, a champagne toast at midnight. —jon wheelock

10pm. Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St. (886-8539 / nietzsches.com) $5.

Saturday, January 1

Hip Hop Karaoke

If you’re going to delve into the potentially embarrassing world of karaoke, you might as well do it with the swagger of your favorite rapper. On Saturday (Jan 1) nurse your New Year’s Eve hangover with Hip Hop Karaoke, the kick off edition at Acropolis. There is no cover, all contestants will receive a free drink, and the greatest performer of the night will receive a gift card. Launched in December 2004, Hip-Hop Karaoke was fittingly born in New York City by founders J. New, DJ Wex and Digs. The night caught on instantly and spawned chapters in London, Toronto, and Iceland, it’s just two turntables, one mic, and you. Hip Hop Karaoke was designed for the inner Big Daddy Kane or Jay-Z in all of us. They provide the beats, the lyrics, the mics, the DJ, and even a hypeman to help you out. All that’s left is for you to come on up and rock the crowd. The event will be webcast live on the internet, but be sure to come out and find out what has already captivated audiences all over the world. There are over 400 songs to choose from, such as 2Pac’s “California Love,” Outkast’s “So Fresh So Clean,” Will Smith’s “Welcome to Miami,” Talib Kweli’s “Get By,” and more. Pick your favorite song, perfect your flow, and head over to Acropolis to make hip-hop fun again. —jill greenberg

10pm. Acropolis, 708 Elmwood Ave. (886-2977). Free.