What’s Good – April 18-24, 2024

Our weekly guide to what’s going on around Buffalo and in the world of pop culture.

Thursday, 4/18

Yoonmi Nam: Among Other Things (UB Center For the Arts Gallery, first floor, through 6/21)
Nam deconstructs everyday objects and reconsiders them as scupture.

Wuon-Gean Ho: The Heart’s Sight (UB Center For the Arts Gallery, second floor, through 6/21)
A broad selection of Ho’s work from the past 15 years, including prints, books, and short films.

Josh Johnson (Helium, 30 Mississippi, Thu 8pm, Fri 10pm, Sat 7:30/10pm, $26)
This rising star on the stand-up circuit also just became the newest Daily Show correspondent, after stints writing for that show and The Tonight Show. The Friday early show is already sold out; the other slots are sure to follow.

Wristmeetrazor (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 6pm, $26.50, all ages, under 16 w/guardian)
This post-hardcore group are touring behind their brand-new album Degeneration. with The Requiem, Silenus, Monomaniac, and Wasted Space.

Guabaza (PAUSA Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, 6:30pm, $18.75-25)
Latin roots music, including rumba, bomba, and jazz.

Choro-Samba (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6pm)
Brazilian instrumental music on guitar and mandolin.

Smac (Albright-Knox Gallery, 1285 Elmwood Ave, 5:30pm, FREE)
Local jazz, funk, and soul outfit plays AKG’s Wilson Town Square.

Figure Drawing Workshop (Albright-Knox Gallery, 1285 Elmwood Ave, 6pm, 21+)
Life drawing sessions with a live nude model.

Poetry Open Mic & Game Night (26 Allen St, 6pm)
Co-hosted by Sara Ali and Meg Specksgoor

Karaoke Night (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 9pm)

Conan O’Brien Must Go (Netflix)
The longtime late-night host travels the world to make mischief with ordinary folks in foreign lands in this new series.

Friday, 4/19

MFA Dance Thesis Concert (Black Box Theatre, UB Center For the Arts, 7:30, $22/$7 UB students)
Anne Burnidge directs this performance, choreographed by MFA Dance candidates Natasha McCandless and Hannah Walter.

Aaron Tan (Lippes Concert Hall, Slee Hall, 7:30, $10/FREE to UB students)
Tan won the 2021 Canadian International Organ competition, and the 2018 National Young Artists Competition. He performs works from Bach, Tchaikovsky, Germani, Weir, and more.

Driftwood (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $20adv/$25)
Guitar-bass-violin-drums folk-rock group. with Sweet Degenerates

Apes of the State (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $17)
with Moon Bandits, Smitten for Trash, Troll 2

Comienzos (PAUSA Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, 6:30pm, $12.50-16.25)
Brazilian and Central American folk, pop, and jazz.

Dueling Pianos (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 6pm, $10)

Live Band Karaoke (Rec Room, 79 W. Chippewa St, 10pm, $8)
Belt out your emo favorites in front of a live band.

New Movies This Week

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (in wide release)
An unconventional black ops division sabotage Nazis in Guy Ritchie’s very-loosely-based-on-a-true-story action comedy.

Abigail (in wide release)
Kidnappers ransom a powerful criminal’s daughter, only to learn that she’s a vampire.

Spy X Family Code: White (in wide release)
A spy entering a cooking competition escalates until the whole world is in danger. Based on the anime TV series, which was in turn based on the manga of the same name. In Japanese with subtitles.

Hard Miles (Transit Center)
Matthew Modine coaches teenage inmates through a 1000-mile bike ride in this inspirational sports drama.

Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver (Netflix)
Zack Snyder’s Star Wars homage continues.

Rajkumar (Elmwood Center)
A son separated from his mother in the 1971 India-Pakistan war tries to reuinite with his mother in America. In Bengali with subtitles.

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (Elmwood Center)
Elite soldiers team up to recover a stolen weapon from a madman. In Hindi with subtitles.

Saturday 4/20

UB Chamber Singers (Lippes Concert Hall, Slee Hall, 7:30pm, FREE)

WBNY Battle of the Bands (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $8/free for Buff State students)
Spud, Red Button Dilemma, Cobraz, Heart For Sale, and Uncanny Valley battle it out.

Buffalo State High School Jazz Festival (Buff State Performing Arts Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave, 4pm, $5)

Allentown Woodwind Quintet (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 1-2pm, FREE)
This newly-formed quintet performs Francaix, Van de Vate, Bozza, and more.

La Marimba (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 3-5pm)
Authentic, acoustic Mexican and central American music, on marimba and drums

Lee Ron Zydeco (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Lee Ron has performed with the likes of the Four Tops, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Otis Rush, and has played in countless Buffalo bands over the years.

Carolyn Lansom Quintet (PAUSA Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, 6:30pm, $15-18)

Disney Princess: The Concert (Shea’s Buffalo, 650 Main St, 7:30pm, $33-93)
Broadway performers sing Disney favorites including “A Whole New World,” “Let It Go,” “Part of Your World,” and more.

Workingman’s Dead (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $15)
Grateful dead cover band.

Celtic Sessions (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 4:40pm, FREE)

Sunday 4/21

Deluxxe (Area 54, 3234 Main St, 6pm, $15)
The local post-punk group headlines a terrific night that includes French Oi! punks Cran, DC glam rockers BBQT, local rockers Sweet Talker, and Buffalo hardcore group Healer.

UB Band Concert (Lippes Concert Hall, Slee Hall, 2pm, FREE)

Ahren Belisle (Helium, 30 Mississippi, 7pm, $33)
Belisle was rendered mute by cerbral palsy, but uses his phone to deliver jokes to both live audiences and his half a million followers on social media.

Ellen Pieroni & the Encyclopedia of Soul (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $15adv/$20)
Saxophonist Pieroni formerly played with Folkfaces and Buffalo Afrobeat Orchestra. Her new soul group released their debut album a year ago.

Moana (Shea’s Buffalo, 650 Main St, 2pm, FREE)
Shea’s presents the 2016 Disney favorite as part of their Free Family Film Series.

Monday 4/22

Mike Frazier (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 5pm, $12adv/$15)
Seattle-based singer-songwriter. with Small Paul, Brent Martone.

Bright Kelly (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm)
with Sara Elizabeth, Andrew Fera

Tuesday 4/23

Ryze Hendricks (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $20adv/$25, 18+)
Mr. Weird Bars himself plays a hometown show. w/Dilly Bars, BKupps, Chandler P, DJ Broh

Alice (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 6pm, $18, 16+)
with Kimono Fox, When Legions Fall, Star Theory, Kendall Cage.

Buffalo State Jazz Ensemble (Buff State Performing Arts Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave, 7:30pm, FREE)

Open Mic (Cucina @ Hotel Richardson, 444 Forest Ave, 6-8pm)
This weekly open mic features music, poetry, and comedy. Register at jkonze@douglasdev.com.

The Steam Donkeys (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8:30pm)

Rustbelt Comedy Showcase (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9pm, FREE)

Open Mic Night (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 6-9pm)

Dragula Viewing Party & Drag Show (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 9pm; $10)

Wednesday 4/24

Mes (Town Ballroom, 681 S Main St, 7pm, $28.50, 16+/12+ w/parent)
Thmb.

Comedy Open Mic (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 9pm)

The Big Door Prize (AppleTV)
The low-key, philosophical sci-fi series returns for a second season. Look for reviews here on Subject.