What’s Good – July 18-24, 2024

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

Thursday, 7/18

Joe Gatto (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 9:30pm, $51)
Gatto founded the Tenderloins Comedy Troupe, and has starred in Impractical Jokers and The Misery Index. Other showtimes already sold out.

Relationships don’t finish, they change (Hallwalls, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm)
This performance piece includes songs inspired by conversations with the untrained performers in artist Kyla Kegler’s previous works, Mountains and The Frontier.

Zoomagination Lantern Festival (Buffalo Zoo, 300 Parkside Ave, Thu-Sun 6:30-10:30pm, through 9/6, $20/$16 under 13)
An all-new lineup of lanterns featuring animals from across Asia and Africa. Nightly cultural performances, artisan-made goods, and a beer garden.

SQWERV (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $12adv/$15, 18+)
Indie jam band from Denver. w/Chirp

Boys of Fall (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 6pm, $20, 16+)
w/Shallow Pools, We Were Blank, Wild Once

Kidd Kyle & the Big Deal (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
High energy jazz for all ages

Improv Mixer (Amy’s Place, 3234 Main St, 7:30pm, $5 suggested)
Get teamed up with veteran improv performers and make some comedy, or just sit back and watch the show!

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

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

Friday, 7/19

Quasi Kings (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $15adv/$20, 18+)
Reggae with catchy hooks and tight harmonies. w/Tobyraps

Honeycrush (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $13adv/$15)
NYC songwriter and poet Alexandra Antonopoulos and her band.

Allan Rayman (Electric City, 433 Pearl St, 7pm, $14-$69)
Toronto singer/songwriter

The Grip Weeds (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $18adv/$20)
w/Perilous, 145

Whitford Klyma Band (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Two sets.

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

New Movies This Week

Twisters (in wide release)
Tornado-hunters track even bigger storms (but nobody mention climate change!) in Lee Isaac Chung’s sequel to the 1996 disaster movie hit.

Oddity (Elmwood Center, Transit Center, Walden Galleria)
A blind medium has to solve her sister’s murder, in this paranormal horror film.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Porco Rosso
Spirited Away
Whisper of the Heart (North Park Theatre, 1428 Hertel Ave)
The animated classics are back on the big screen as part of North Park’s Studio Ghibli Fest.

My Spy: The Eternal City (Amazon)
Dave Bautista, Chloe Coleman, Kirsten Schaal, and Ken Jeong return for a sequel to the 2020 spy comedy.

Find Me Falling (Netflix)
Romcom with Harry Connick Jr, Agni Scott, and Ali Fumiko Whitney.

Bad Newz (Elmwood Center, Transit Center Walden Galleria)
Saloni Bagga’s pregnant with twins… and Akhil Chadha and Gurbir Pannu are each the father! In Hindi with subtitles.

Darling (Elmwood Center, 2001 Elmwood Ave)
Raghav dreams of a honeymoon in Paris, but his life is thrown into chaos when he abruptly meets and marries Anandhi. In Telugu with subtitles.

Saturday 7/20

Billy Bragg (Town Ballroom, 681 S Main St, 7pm, 16+, 12-16 w/guardian)
The legendary folk/punk troubadour.

Kenzie Cait (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $15adv/$18, 18+)
Up-and-coming pop singer, in the vein of Ariana Grande and Olivio Rodrigo.

Jay/Sharptet (PAUSA Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, 6:30pm, $12.50-19)
It’s Christmas in July, as the group performs holiday favorites as immortalized by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Vince Guaraldi, and more.

Citizen Soldier (Electric City, 433 Pearl St, 6:30pm, $28-$64)
w/Iron For Hire, Skydaddy

Zane Merritt (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 1-2pm)

Joe Rozler’s Rockin’ Little Trio (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)

JP Sears (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 6/8:30pm, $51)
This Texan comic claims his work, “takes an unapologetic stand for freedom and free speech,” so make of that what you will. Not the same JP Sears who pitches for the As.

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

Sunday 7/21

For the Birds: A Benefit Show for Bird Piché (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 5pm, $12adv/$15, All Ages)
Piché suffered a spinal cord injury during a concert in April, so this lineup of some of her favorite local groups is assembling to raise money to help with her recovery. With music from Ashford (pop punk), Previous Love (shoegaze), TWMSO (post-hardcore), Freddie O (alt rock), Lila Cadillac (punk)

Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Electric City, 433 Pearl St, 7pm, $28-$64)
Pioneering prog-rock drummer Carl Palmer performs with a new band, but also plays alongside rare footage of the late Emerson & Lake.

Lisa Hasselback Trio (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 4-6pm)

JP Sears (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 6pm, $51)This Texan comic claims his work, “takes an unapologetic stand for freedom and free speech,” so make of that what you will. Not the same JP Sears who pitches for the As.

Susan Peters Jazz Band (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 4-6pm)

Monday 7/22

JPs (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 6pm, $51)
ThAs.

Tuesday 7/23

Frozen Soul (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 6:30pm, $20, 16+)
w/Creeping Death, Gates to Hell, Enforced

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)

Spud’s Buds/The Stripteasers (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 10:30pm, $4)

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

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

Wednesday 7/24

The Strike (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 7pm, $18, 16+)
w/Alt Bloom

Heart II Heart (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 7pm)
Bluegrass Happy hour.

Captain Tom Trio (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9pm)

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