What’s Good: Jan 30-Feb 5, 2025
Our weekly guide to what’s going on around Buffalo and in the world of sports and pop culture.
Thursday, 1/30
Wishy (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $15adv/$18)
Heavy dream pop. w/Ex-Pat
Gareth Reynolds (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 8pm, $33)
Reynolds has written for Arrested Development, co-hosts the podcast The Dollop, and tours the world as a stand-up.
Megan Paullet (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8pm, FREE)
Award-winning Pittsburgh singer-songwriter.
Cabin Fever (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9pm-mid, $10)
w/Hit GRL, Makeout Tactics
Baynk (Electric City, 433 Pearl St, 7pm, $31-$45)
Downtempo electronic DJ from New Zealand. w/Bad Tuner
From Belfast to Buffalo (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, 6pm, $84-$89)
A tribute to Van Morrison. Dinner included.
Stephen & Titus (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Lo Blue Flame (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, noon, FREE)
Osborne Nash (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 7pm, $10)
Django Birthday Bash (The Cave, 71 Military Rd, 7pm, $30)
Improv Mixer (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 7:30pm, $5 suggested)
Join in some low-stakes improv comedy, or just sit back and enjoy the show!
Poetry Open Mic & Game Night (Twentysixallen, 26 Allen St, 6pm)
Co-hosted by Sara Ali and Meg Specksgoor
Friday, 1/31
Real Estate (Electric City, 433 Pearl St, 7pm, $37-$85)
The Brooklyn indie rockers have just released their sixth album, Daniel. w/Grumpy
Kellen Hoxworth (Hallwalls, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $15adv/$18)
A monthly lecture series featuring this year’s UB Humanities Faculty Fellows, part of the Scholars@Hallwalls series. Hoxworth is a scholar of African and diasporic theater and performance, and author of Transoceanic Blackface: Empire, Race, Performance.
Desi Banks (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 7/10pm, $44)
Kevin Hart has praised Banks as the next great talent, and in between stand-up gigs, he’s posted over 3,500 comedy videos online.
Brazil 716 (Pausa Art House, 18 Wadsworth St, 7pm, $16-$19)
Local choro/samba/jazz outfit.
Honey Group (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 10pm, $10)
DJ sets by Danny Delta, Brian Louis, and Ryan Dils.
Moonglade (Town Ballroom, 681 S Main St, 8pm, SOLD OUT, 18+)
w/Distinct Motive, DMVU, Criso
Queen City Roller Derby (Riverworks, 359 Ganson St, 7pm, $18-$22.50/students $14, kids $6)
Two-time defending champs the Saucies take on the Devil Dollies.
UB Track & Field @ Penn State National Open (University Park, PA)
The track team continues their hot streak at Penn State.
Buffalo Sabres vs Nashville Predators (Keybank Center, 1 Seymour Knox Plaza, 7pm, $44-$195)
The Mood Swingers (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-9pm, FREE)
The Mark Harris Trio (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Bob Marley Birthday Bash (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 8pm-mid)
The Neville Francis Band & Riddim Posse pay tribute to the reggae legend.
The Strictly Hip (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, SOLD OUT)
Tragically Hip tribute band.
The Shakermakers (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $10adv/$15, 18+)
Oasis tribute band, made up of members from Previous Love, Slow Animals, and Sunday Reign. w/Uncovered
Anybody Out There (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 8pm, $25)
Pink Floyd tribute
The Rig (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, 6:30pm, $19)
Local classic rock cover band.
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
Dog Man (in wide release)
The beloved middle grade graphic novel series hits the big screen.
Companion (in wide release)
A bunch of friends rent a remote cabin, but instead of the usual slasher, the shock is that one of them is a companion robot.
Valiant One (Elmwood Center, Market Arcade, Walden Galleria)
After a helicopter crash in North Korea, a group of American soldiers have to find a way to safety without starting a war.
Green and Gold (Transit Center, 6707 Transit Rd, Williamsville)
A 13-year-old is sent to live with his weed-dealing older brother after their father is sent to prison.
Deva (Elmwood Center, 2001 Elmwood Ave.)
A skilled but defiant cop discovers layers of lies and betrayal during the course of an investigation. In Hindi with subtitles.
Majhail (Elmwood Center, 2001 Elmwood Ave.)
Tensions between rival criminal families rise with the arrival of a new police commander. In Punjabi with subtitles.
Saturday 2/1
Valentines Dance (Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave, 7:30pm-mid, $60)
Third annual event includes hors d’oeuvres, dessert, entertainment, artwork for sale, and a singles mingle hosted by Matchmaking 2 a Tee. Cash bar.
Donna the Buffalo (Town Ballroom, 681 S Main St, 7pm, $35, 16+)
Roots rock from the Finger Lakes.
Desi Banks (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 7/10pm, $44)
Kevin Hart has praised Banks as the next great talent, and in between stand-up gigs, he’s posted over 3,500 comedy videos online.
Limited Palatte 02 (The Temp, 777 Main St, 6:30-10pm, FREE)
Readings and performances include poet Ann Pedone, artist Chango, poet Diego Espíritu, and host Thom Eichelberger-Young.
UB Women’s Basketball vs Northern Illinois (Alumni Arena, 2pm, $17-$37 for doubleheader)
Womens hoops plan on spending National Girls & Women in Sports Day setting a good example, as they come back home on a 5-game winning streak and a remarkable 18-2 for the season so far.
UB Men’s Basketball vs Ball State (Alumni Arena, 2pm, $17-$37 for doubleheader)
Still can’t get enough basketball? Stick around for the men’s team, only 7-13, but coming off a home win and hoping to keep things rolling against a division rival.
UB Track & Field @ Penn State National Open (University Park, PA)
The track team continues their hot streak at Penn State.
Buffalo Bandits vs Albany FireWolves (Keybank Center, 1 Seymour Knox Plaza, 7:30pm, $34-$181)
Adventure Club! (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 6pm, $5)
Improve comedy from performers in BIH’s recreational improv program.
Various Factors (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 7pm, $12)
A fully improvised comedy Broadway-style musical. Stay for the live piano karaoke afterparty.
BPO Little Kids (Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, 10am, SOLD OUT)
A morning Philharmonic show tailored to the 5-and-under set and their caregivers.
The Sound of Cinema (Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, 7:30pm, $16.50-$119.50)
Anthony Parnther, who conduced the Oscar-winning score to Oppenheimer, leads the Philharmonic through film and TV scores, incluing Sunset Boulevard, Lawrence of Arabia, Gremlins, Avatar: The Way of Water, AI: Artificial Intelligence, and perennial favorite Star Wars.
Thomas Marinaro Quartet (Pausa Art House, 18 Wadsworth St, 7pm, $17-$29)
Jon Lehning Trio (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 1-2pm)
Bruce Jones (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 3-5pm)
Divi Romē Band (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Morgano Combo (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 3pm, $10)
w/Sue Kincaid
Stealin’ (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 8pm, $10)
Standard Living (The Cave, 71 Military Rd, 8pm, $10)
w/Twin Affairs
Houses of the Holy (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $15adv/$20, 18+)
Led Zeppelin tribute
Harry Styles Tribute Night (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, 6:30pm, $19)
Letter to Elise performs a tribute to the One Direction singer-turned-actor.
Celtic Sessions (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 4-7pm, FREE)
Sunday 2/2
Desi Banks (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 8:15pm, $44)
Kevin Hart has praised Banks as the next great talent, and in between stand-up gigs, he’s posted over 3,500 comedy videos online.
Kaisertown Polka Band (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, 1:30-2:30pm, $10)
WNY’s premier polka show band.
Buffalo Sabres vs New Jersey Devils (Keybank Center, 1 Seymour Knox Plaza, 1pm, $44-$195)
Eaglelize (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 4pm, $10)
Susan King (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 4-6pm)
The Eras Experience (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 11am, $10, All Ages)
Cami & the Fringe perform a family-friendly Taylor Swift tribute show
Anne Philippone (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8pm, FREE)
Barrelhouse blues and boogie piano.
Jazz Cache (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 8:30pm-mid, FREE)
Live music from a rotating cast of Buffalo jazz musicians.
Monday 2/3
Geoffrey Asmus (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 6pm, $33)
When not touring, Asmus’ stand-up has been featured on Laughs, CollegeHumor, and LOL Network.
Songwriter Showcase (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 8pm-mid, FREE)
Singer-songwriters from 8-9, and then an open mic for the rest of the evening.
Tuesday 2/4
UB Men’s Basketball @ Toledo
Buffalo Sabres vs Columbus Blue Jackets (Keybank Center, 1 Seymour Knox Plaza, 7pm, $44-$195)
Joe Baudo Big Band Rehearsal (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, noon, FREE)
Twang Gang (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 6pm, $10)
Steam Donkeys (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8:30pm, FREE)
Long-serving “cosmic Americana” group.
Rust Belt Comedy Showcase (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9-10pm, FREE)
A rotating cast of local stand-ups.
The Stripteasers (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 10pm-mid, $4)
Weekly burlesque show.
Open Mic (Cucina @ Hotel Richardson, 444 Forest Ave, 6-8pm)
This weekly open mic features music, poetry, and comedy. Register at jkonze@douglasdev.com.
Karaoke (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 8pm)
Wednesday 2/5
The Mid-Week Vibe (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $30, 16+)
This month’s vibe features a set by DJ Hassan, an acoustic performance by Terry Mason, and featured artist Kimera, plus free pizza and wings from Kensington while supplies last.
Anthony Robustiano (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 8pm, $31)
This high-energy stand-up has amassed two million followers online.
UB Women’s Basketball vs Toledo (Alumni Arena, 11am, $12)
Tom Robert (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Traditional blues, folk, and country.
Joe Baudo Jazz Quintet (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, noon, FREE)
Falk Marziale Band (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 6pm, $10)
Comedy Open Mic (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, sign up 7pm, show 9:30pm)
