I will try to be kind to Lana Del Rey.  I really will. I'm in one of my "generous of spirit" zones; my soccer team won over the weekend, the Sabres are off, it's a winter wonderland out there in Buffalo and I have contented joy in my heart. It's kind of weird actually. So, from that happy space I will endeavor to not bag on Lana Del Rey too badly even though she kind of deserves it. Why? Because even though it's frankly become a little too fashionable to let her have it, she is most definitely fiction, no question. 

There was a controlled tension as two massive lines formed in front of the double doors in the Town Ballroom lobby Thursday night. Biggie's vocals emitted from the speaker system as tickets were bought and go-ers shifted anxiously waiting for the security to let them through. When the doors opened the two lines converged on the opposite side and came together as a massive form on the floor. The opening DJ warmed the crowd up with choppy transitions but familiar and great hip-hop tracks nonetheless.

Heavy bass hits had a man nodding his head in time to the music, trill-like. His fists came up to his face, shoulders shrugging and leaning back rhythmically. The crowd eager for the openers to be through began to chant "A$AP!" Lighters sparked sporadically and puffs of smoke rose upwards, visibly disintegrating into the purple and blue lighting above.

After the three opening acts finished their sets, A$AP Rocky crossed the stage and grabbed the mic. The hyphy energy of the room was long-awaited.

"Mind if I swig my 40?" he asked the crowd then grabbed a 40 ounce of malt liquor that was posted on stage. Everyone was overjoyed as he swigged the amber colored liquid hastily.

Halfway through "Bass" and unsatisfied with the audience, he demanded the energy to peak and his wish was commanded. Starting it over, Clams Casino's perfectly mastered instrumentals put more hands in the air and had girls grinding their hips the second time around.

"I just wanna see you guys spread the love," he advised through the mic. After a few stage dives and curious questions about who 'got lit', A$AP led into his closing song.

Clearly his most well-known track, the bell induced intro of "Peso" had voices screaming along with his recurring line, "I be that pretty mothafucka". Then suddenly, the show was over. Even with the other songs performed and regardless that he has only released one mixtape, the show was a little short. Coming back out for an encore, "Peso" began, again. Whether repeating the closing track for the encore would be considered faux pas or not, I still nodded along.

Unsatisfied that I didn't get to hear "Demons", perhaps A$AP Rocky was going for one of the rules in the music business; always leave them wanting more.

Must-see show tonight for Beatles fans. Yellow Dubmarine, a D.C./Baltimore reggae tribute to the Beatles, is bringing "Abbey Dub" to Nietzsche's. The performance is a dubbed-out rendition of my personal favorite Beatles album, Abbey Road, complete with reggae riddim and an impressive horn section. Yellow Dubmarine's versions of the Fab Four's compositions are originally imagined; for example, I saw a video of "Octopus's Garden" sans vocals, with the saxophone and trombone emulating Ringo's melody.

Opening the show will be Universe Shark and their infectious brand of "carnivorous spacefunk." And a portion of the $12 cover charge will go to a great cause, Buffalo Outdoor Urban Education. Doors at 9 p.m.

Continuing in the tradition of support for paralyzed guitar gun-slinger Tony Lorenzo, an all-star hardcore reunion show has been put together at the Mohawk Place tonight. Local legends and Trustkill alumni It Dies Today headline a bill thats sure to stir some memories for those of us who were around to witness their hayday in the early 2000's. What makes it even more special is that it's a reunion with their original singer, Nick Brooks, who formed 1/5 of the "classic lineup."

The band quietly called it quits two years ago after releasing Lividity with singer, Jason Woods. Jason was undoubtedly a great singer, but the chemistry with their original singer, Nick Brooks, was special. Their first album, the Caitiff Choir, is an undeniable classic of the genre and the band were absolute killers live.

Also reuniting for the cause are Buffalo's Infamous (featuring Joe who now plays with Goodbye Cruel World), mosh masters xtothisdayx, and Rivalry. Bestower are playing as well. Because the show is a benefit you have the option of donating 10, 25 or 50 dollars for the cause. Events like this only happen once in a great while. It's for a good cause and the show is sure to be epic. Contribute what you can and bring some money for Tony! 7pm kickoff.


Check out It Dies Todays excellent Depeche Mode cover (with original singer Nick Brooks) below.

Tonight, experimental Buffalo 10-piece Wooden Cities gets together for one of it's rare performances at Hallwalls to play, among other pieces, a version on John Zorn's Cobra. Cobra is an experimental, improvisational piece that rather than having written music, is scripted with cue notes. The number and type of musicians that can be associated and play the piece can change, and in this instance, the Wooden Cities crew is featuring a 10-person lineup, featuring band prompter / conductor Brendan Fitzgerald, acclaimed Buffalo sax player Steve Baczkowski, horn player Nathan Heidelberger, among quite a number of other musicians. The piece never sounds the same twice, as each time it will be imrpovised by groups of different instrumentation and size. It was created in an experimental scripted manner that was made famous by composers like John Cage, and the group will even include some pieces by Cage in their set tonight, as well pieces by 104 year old Elliott Carter, and band member Nathan Heidelberger. The show will no doubt take some unexpected turns throughout the improv, and much of the musical tension will be built by the musicians relationships and musical bonds with one another, rather than by scripted musical notation. This is definitely a great Friday night event for fans of classical, imrpov, and avant-garde music alike. Things get started around 8pm, and tickets will cost you $10, unless you are a student ($8), senior ($8), or a Hallwalls member ($5).

Com Truise is back in Buffalo, headlining at Soundlab (110 Pearl St.) after a six-month absence since his last performance as a supporting act for Phantogram and The Glitch Mob. If you are a fan of 1980’s dreamy futurist electro grooves then you should definitely head on over tonight. Truise, aka producer Seth Haley, has made a name for himself within the blogosphere, remixing Daft Punk, Foster the People, and Neon Indian as well as writing and performing own signature tunes, which have been featured heavily on both Pitchfork and Hype Machine. Be there at 9:30pm sharp with $15 bucks cash for the four B’s (bleeps, bloops and bumpin’ bass).

Eclecticism will be on full display tonight at Nietzsche's, whose Friday showbill boasts bands that are rather hard to categorize. Kicking off the night will be Peanut Brittle Satellite/Lazlo Hollyfeld hybrids Logo City (pictured above), whose jazz influences rival their jam band tendencies. Next, Family FUNKtion and the Sitar Jams will bring their downtempo Indian grooves to the Allen Street stage. See the video below for an interestingly plodding yet hypnotizing jam from the three-piece (bass, drums, sitar), which is followed by a more uptempo piece. Also playing will be Shapes of States.

The Fairweathers have an unmistakably jangly lo-fi rock'n'roll sound, and if thats your sort of thing (which it is mine) you best head down to Mohawk Place tonight to witness it. To be honest, I'd never heard the Buffalo band until a few days ago when my friend Nick recommended them to me. Since that time, their three songs, which you can find on youtube, have been constant rotations on my playlists. Rounding out the bill are two other local upstarts, Cosmic Shakedown, a heavy, blues/psych based rock band and the Americana lovin' Evil Things. This is what rock is all about people. Great local bands at a great venue for cheap. Get there at 9.

Have you been to Slyboots Headquarters yet?? If not, then tonight is a great night to stop by. It's the headquarters of Slyboots School of Music & Art where you can take lessons, but at night you can catch some of the best local music around.  Tonight, newly formed band Effective Resolution takes the stage.  I saw them play at Nietzsche's not too long ago and they were so much fun and very talented.  Their music brings many musical influences including R&B, reggae, and hip hop. The show will also feature a light display by Ripe Audio. The show starts at 9 pm with Effective Resolution taking the stage at midnight. According to facebook, there are some special guests to perform before and possibly no cover (don't take my word on this, its all according to facebook). Have fun!