Taking Back Sunday

Saturday, October 12

At the peak of Taking Back Sunday’s popularity studded-belt wearing punk-rock fans would gather in dilapidated concert venues and, rather violently, herd around the front of the stage just to get close enough to smell and (if they were lucky) get sprayed by the sweat dripping off of frontman Adam Lazzara. Lazzara would move swiftly across the stage, swinging his microphone around his neck and occasionally bend over to sing to his screaming fans. They’d chant lyrics like, “If I’m just bad news, then you’re a liar” and “I wanna hate you so bad, but I can’t stop this anymore than you can.” Taking Back Sunday rode the post-hardcore skirt-tail of the early 2000’s. Their music, in conjunction with many of their contemporaries, revamped the alternative rock scene—slightly shifting direction into more vocal, lyrical, and instrumental complexities. To the unacquainted listener, Taking Back Sunday’s unparalleled songwriting style and emphasis on personal stories embedded in certain lyrics would not have the same emotional connection as it would for the millions of loyal TBS fans. Their last two albums, Taking Back Sunday and TAYF10 Acoustic—a live album released this year—manifest both nostalgia and true musical maturity. The latter album is comprised of acoustic covers of classic TBS songs like, “Cute Without the ‘E’” and “You’re So Last Summer.” Their 2011 self-titled album (produced by Queens of the Stoneage’s Eric Valentine) conveys a classic yet ripened TBS; the tracks sound like the TBS we know and love, but the musical talent has undoubtedly changed for the best. You won’t want to miss the rejuvenation of this most-loved post-hardcore band when they come to the Town Ballroom on Saturday (Oct 11) with Polar Bear Club.

- kellie powell

7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $23 advance, $27 day of show

Saturday, October 12

Rob Falgiano Band CD Release Show

Local music fans might recognize the name Rob Falgiano. The singer-songwriter has been at it since the 1990s, fronting bands like Plaster Sandals and the Contortionists. In the early 2000s he retreated into solo acoustic performances only to return to a band setting in 2008 when he formed the Rob Falgiano Band. The funk-rock band grooves with hints of soul and jazz, influenced by groups like Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and the Robert Glasper Experiment. He joined up with lead guitarist Mike Criscione, bassist Jonathan Hughes, and drummer Ray Hangen to form the band that has opened for notable acts like Jakob Dylan and Matthew Good. Now the band is preparing to release their new record Nice Mouth, which bounces from pop-rock on tracks like album opener “Can’t Give It Up ‘Til It’s Magic” to acoustic ballads like “Don’t Tell Anyone” and even some bossa nova influenced tracks like “Why Must The Dreams Die So Hard?” On Saturday (Oct 12) the Rob Falgiano band will have their official CD release show at the Tralf Muic Hall where they’ll show off some of their favorite tracks from Nice Mouth. Buffalo jazz sax player Will Holt and keyboardist Walter Kemp will open the show.

- cory perla

7pm The Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com) $10 advance, $13.50 day of show

Saturday, October 12

Sugar City Rides the Metro Round and Round

It’s been an unfortunate year for local art and music spaces with many closing their doors for the last time this year. In return a new crop of eclectic pop-up venues have sprung up in their place, the NFTA Metro station, for one. This weekend the train might be the hottest spot in town to get your cultural fix at Sugar City’s Metro Round and Round. For just the cost of a round-trip Metro ticket you can go underground for an art and music event never before experienced in Buffalo. Sugar City will lead a guided round-trip tour starting at University Station (Main st. near Niagara Falls Blvd) to the Erie Canal Harbor Station and back again. Riders will have the opportunity to disembark at various stops for a variety of music, art, and perfomances. Local artists include Jack Topht, Gas Chamber, the Goo House Comedy Group, Nicky Gordon, Frank Napolski, Matthew Baker Thompson, the Momentary Museum, Caitlin Cass, Marissa Lehner, Bryan Johnson & Family, and Mario Fanone & David Adamczyk. There’s even a rumored performance by the infamous Mark Twain. The metro tour also gives participants an opportunity to admire artwork that’s adorned the stations for years from distinguished artists such as Charles Clough, Martin Rogovin, & Cindy Sherman. Sugar City has always strove for a strong community united by creativity. While they no longer have a physical home they remain active hosting readings, gallery shows, teaching workshops and more. With support from the University of Buffalo after many collaborations with the NFTA, countless hours of brainstorming, and time trials, Sugar city has put together an event showcasing some of the talented individuals that make our city unique.

- sarah barry

7pm University Station, 3434 Main St. (at UB South Campus) (buffalosugarcity.org) $4 for a round-trip ticket, all ages

Sunday, October 13

UB Fall Fest 2013: A$AP Rocking and A$AP Ferg

In the last couple years UB has built a reputation for bringing some of the most relevant and cutting edge hip-hop acts around. From this year’s Spring Fest with Kendrick Lamar and last year’s with Rick Ross, to last year’s Fall Fest with J. Cole and Childish Gambino, Buffalo’s biggest university has done it right. This Fall Fest will be no different with popular headliners A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg taking the stage alongside rising rapper Ace Hood and party rocking DJs Super Mash Bros. Rocky and Ferg, the most notable members of Harlem hip hop collective A$AP Mob, have dominated the hip hop scene this year. In January A$AP Rocky released his highly anticipated debut album Long. Live. ASAP, which featured everyone from Drake to 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar, Danny Brown, and even Skrillex. 24-year old A$AP Ferg followed suit in August with his debut, Trap Lord, featuring everyone from Waka Flocka Flame to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Both albums received plenty of praise from critics and fans alike. Opening act Super Mash Bros will come with a slew of party rocking mash ups, followed by supporting act Ace Hood, who will bring his brand of trap-style hip hop beats and autobiographical lyrics to Baird Point (in case of rain, Alumni Arena) on Sunday (Oct 13), presented by the UB Student Association.

- cory perla

5:00pm UB North’s Baird Point Amphitheater. (sa.buffalo.edu) $35 for Non-UB College Students with valid school ID at the door, $45 for general admission tickets, free for UB students.

Sunday, October 13

Wolfgang Gartner & Tommy Trash

When it comes to American house music a few names stick out, one being Wolfgang Gartner aka Joseph Youngman. The house music leader has been signed to one of this country’s leading EDM labels, Ultra Records, home to well known acts like Deadmau5, Kaskade, and David Morales. Though Gartner has much in common with the aforementioned acts, the 31-year-old musician certainly owes more to French electro acts like Daft Punk and Justice than to most American house music artists. With steaming hi-hats, exploding kick drums, and twisted synth lines dominating his sound on singles like “Undertaker,” and “Illmerica,” Wolfgang Gartner has built quite the fan base among the fuzzy boot and tank-top wearing bro scene. His EDM colleague Tommy Trash (pictured) has followed a similar path, racking up Youtube hits with scorching electro tracks like the cheesily-sexy “Monkey In Love” and “Reload,” which are among the dozens of singles he has released over the last five years. Together, Gartner and Trash put on a fist pumping, seizure inducing live show that they call the Hounds of Hell Tour. The two producers will bring their tour to the Town Ballroom on Sunday (Oct 13). This show was originally scheduled for Rochester’s Main Street Armory, so tickets purchased for that show will be honored at the door.

- cory perla

8pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. (852-3900 / townballroom.com) $25 advance

Wednesday, October 16

Man Man

Honus Honus and Pow Pow are the leaders of Philadelphia weird-rockers Man Man. Combining diverse instrumentation—from vibraphones and melodicas to accordions and marimbas—with wild lyrics, the five-piece band has created everything from circus-esque gypsy music to dark indie rock ballads. Their break-out album, 2006’s Six Demon Bag, is a mystical, over the top record that juggles Eastern European influences and ramshackle rock. Strapped with waxed mustaches and whacky instruments, the band released their next album, 2008’s Rabbit Habits, which moved them in an equally weird, yet at times more guitar based direction. Following that trend, 2011’s Life Fantastic stripped down their sound and leaned in a more pop oriented direction. Though their sound has been tamed a bit—with less gnarly hollering from vocalist Honus Honus and more of a focus on rhythm—the band sill maintains a wild, carinvalesque live show. Last month Man Man released their fifth album, On Oni Pond, which has the band studying the darker side of love with quixotic lyrics and their most groovy rhythms to date on songs like “Loot My Body.” The experimental rockers will come to the Tralf Music Hall on Wednesday (Oct 16) with support from Brooklyn based latin alt-rock band Xenia Rubinos.

- cory perla

7pm The Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. (852-2860 / tralfmusichall.com) $16 advance, $18 day of show

Thursday, October 17

Zappa Plays Zappa

Frank Zappa, one of the 20th century’s most innovative musicians and greatest guitar players, has been resuscitated and revamped by tribute band Zappa Plays Zappa. Led by Frank Zappa’s eldest son, Dweezil Zappa, Zappa Plays Zappa will be internationally touring to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Roxy & Elsewhere, one of Zappa’s staple avant-garde albums. Forty years later, songs like, “Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?” “Echidna’s Arf (Of You)” and “Be-Bop Tango (of the Old Jazzmen’s Church)” are immutably complex songs that can be undertaken only by the boldest of musicians. Since 2006 this Grammy Award winning band has manifested their richly sophisticated musical talents, confirming that their notoriety is entirely unrelated to nepotism. Dweezil Zappa carries out his father’s legacy, including his father’s classic, sardonic wit. His intricate guitar playing is impressive and he performs his father’s songs quite beautifully. In “Echidna’s Arf (Of You)” Sheila Gonzalez’s electrifying saxophone sounds uniquely parallel those of Napoleon Murphy Brock, the track’s original saxophone player. Gonzalez’s endless talent includes playing the saxophone, flute, keyboards and singing, sometimes all in one song. Not only have they proven that they are fully capable of covering the elder Zappa’s instrumentally complex musical layers, but each musician is as individually talented and progressive as the musical pioneers of the Mother’s of Invasion. Zappa Plays Zappa will play at Kleinhan’s Music Hall on Thursday (Oct 17).

- kellie powell

8pm Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle (883-3560 / kleinhansbuffalo.org) $45 - $55

Thursday, October 17

Buffalo Without Borders

Each year, the International Institute of Buffalo—which has been assisting refugees and immigrants here since 1918—celebrates the city’s diversity with a party that might better be called a bazaar. This year the main floor at Asbury Hall will host food vendors including Caribbean Experience restaurant, Gatur Ethiopian restaurant, Gelato Gypsy, Manakeesh and More restaurant, Pure Peruvian and Rakhapura & Mutee mango sushi from Westside Bazaar, Sun Burmese restaurant and sushi, and Taj Grill. The entertainment includes DJ Projex, Jama Jama African drumming, Soraiyah and Habibi of the Nile Bellydance Academy, and UB Bhangra dance. Downstairs, Babeville’s Ninth Ward will be transformed into an international marketplace by David Tiftickjian & Sons, who will bring rugs, ottomans, and pillows to create a rug market. The souk will also feature a henna tattoo artist, crafts from West Side Bazaar, Global Villages, and So Chic, a Bhutanese sewing collective. Take a look at the new faces of Buffalo—and support a good cause.

- geoff kelly

6-9pm Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave. (852-3835 / babevillebuffalo.com, iibuff.org) $35