What’s Good – August 31-Sept 5, 2023

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

Thursday, 8/31

The Frankfurters (Hofbräuhaus, 190 Scott St, 6-9pm, FREE)
Swiss Alphorns? Bavarian Cowbells? A musical saw? Yodeling? This authentic traditional German band has it all!

Troy Brothers (Thin Man Brewery, 166 Chandler St, 6-8:3-pm, FREE)
The Brothers Troy wrap up the Jazz at Chandlerville series for the season.

Food Truck Thursdays (Northland Workforce Training Center, 683 Northland Ave, 5-7pm, FREE)
Every Thursday in August, a wide array of food trucks convene, alongside craft vendors, live music, bounce houses, and more family-friendly fun.

One Piece (Netflix)
Teenage pirates search for treasure in this adaptation of the beloved manga. 

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (Max)
This spinoff, about gender-flipped versions of Adventure Time’s characters who made the occasional appearance on that series, is pitched at an older audience. Because everything is about multiverses now, former Ice King Simon Petrikov, and non-magical versions of Fionna and Cake travel through the multiverse having adventures.

Friday, 9/1

German Fest (Cheektowaga Town Park, 2600 Harlem Rd, Cheektowaga, Fri 6-10pm, Sat noon-9pm, $10/FREE under 12)
Celebrate Buffalo’s German heritage with Bavarian dancers, big bands, vendors, and contests. 

Jack Assadourian & Steven Ho (Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St, 7:30pm, $27)
A double bill with Netflix Is a Joke and Laugh After Dark vet Assadourian, and ER tech-turned stand-up Ho.

ComedySportz (Harlem Rd. Community Center, 4255 Harlem Rd, 7:30-9pm, $15/$12 students)
Two teams compete for your laughs, in Buffalo Comedy Collective’s flagship improv show.

George Kane and Tim Clarke (AKG Art Museum, 1285 Elmwood Ave, 5:30-7:30pm, FREE)
Acclaimed local jazz guitarist Kane and versatile horn player Clarke perform on the Scupture Terrace as part of First Fridays at the museum.

Big Bubble Rave (Rec Room, 79 Chippewa St, 9pm, $28.50)
An underwater-themed rave in which undersea-themed costumes are encouraged. The slogan “It’s Dumb, Just Come Have Fun,” and the disclaimer about a name change suggests that this was at one point Spongebob-themed before Mr. Krabs’ lawyers showed up.

New Movies This Week

The Equalizer 3 (in wide release)
Denzel and Antoine Fuqua round out the trilogy, as a retired marine once again takes justice into his own hands.

The Good Mother (Transit Center)
Hillary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby) plays a journalist investigating her son’s murder, with the help of his pregnant girlfriend, Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon) on the seedy streets of Albany.

Kushi (Elmwood Center)
So many romantic comedies are built around the meet cute, but this one follows an already-married couple. Vijay Deverakonda is a humble telecom employee married to corporate striver Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and the two try to keep the spark alive in their marriage. In Telagu w/English subtitles.

Saturday 9/2

National Buffalo Wing Festival (Ralph Wilson Stadium, 1 Bills Drive, Orchard Park, Sat noon-9pm, Sun noon-7pm, $20/day)
Wings and other food and drink for sale (but mostly wings!), and hourly events including Bobbing For Wings, Hot Wing Eating Contest, Celebrity Influencer Sauce-Off, live music and more. Free parking. Buffalowing.com for more info.

Banjo Juice (Jack Rabbit, 1010 Elmwood Ave, 1-4pm, FREE)
The local jazz supergroup plays a monthly jazz brunch.

Night of a Thousand Arianas (Rec Room, 79 Chippewa St, 7pm, $20/$25 day of)
A drag show and dance party paying tribute to Ms. Ariana Grande. With Carina Gunn, Claire Voyant, Majorie Logan Price, Neleh Slay, your Willa DeWhisp, and introducing Mx. Purrrrrr. 

Banjo Juice (Jack Rabbit, 1010 Elmwood Ave, 1-4pm, FREE)
The Bills’ long-snapper is signing autographs for $15.

Reid Ferguson Meet & Greet (Buffalo Gift Emporium, 4232 Delaware Ave, Tonawanda, noon-1pm, $15/day)
The Bills’ long-snapper is signing autographs for $15.

Sunday 9/3

Buffalo Jazz Festival (Richardson-Olmstead Park, 444 Forest Ave, 1-8pm, FREE)
The Richardson Hotel hosts the annual Labor Day festival on its south lawn. Lineup includes The Jay Sharp-tet, The Lindsey Holland Unit, Donny Frauenhofer plays Herbie Hancock, The Wendell Rivera Latin Jazz Ensemble, and The Troy Brothers Organ Quintet.

The High Kings (Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave, 8pm, $30)
These Irish folk stalwarts are touring behind their new album The Road Not Taken. 

Weedeater w/King Parrot, Rebreather, Malarchuk (Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St, 8-11pm, $27)
Weedeater brings their trademark Southern rock sludge, alongside Australian grindcore outfit King Parrot, and Youngstown noise rockers Rebreather, and local hard rockers Malarchuk.  

Bills Mafia Boat Parade (Canalside, 44 Prime St, noon-7pm, FREE)
Come see a parade of boats decked out in Bills paraphernalia sail down the Buffalo River, starting at Canalside. We can’t guarantee one of the boats will jump through a folding table, but we wouldn’t be surprised.

Monday 9/4

Labor Day Ride (Eugene V. Debs Hall, 483 Peckham St, 6:30-10pm, FREE)
This week’s Slow Roll group bike ride starts, appropriately enough, at Debs Hall, named for one of the most prominent leaders of America’s early 20th-century labor movement. This week’s route hadn’t been announced as of press time, but Slow Roll is always a good time!

X-Raided (Stamps, 98 Main St, Tonawanda, 7pm, $15/$20 day of, 18+)
West Coast rapper X-Raided comes through on his A Prayer In Hell tour, with a lineup that includes C-Mob, G Premacy, Psylence, Clarity, Frazier, $uper G, DJSimmons, Hoodbound Business, Ba$key, and DJ Nitelite on the decks.

Belvedere w/On the Cinder, Muddle (Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St, 8pm, $15)
Western Canada skatepunks Belvedere are touring the US for the first time in 20 years!

Jazz Festival at the Tower (Seneca One Tower, 1 Seneca St, noon-6:30pm, FREE)
Not to be confused with Sunday’s jazz fest, this is a wrap of up Seneca One’s Summer Jam series, featuring The John Troy Quintet, Kevin Hall, Trigger & the Sermon, Ed Croft and Jared Tinkham, The Dave Hill Group, Saranaide, and the Wendell Rivera Latin Jazz Ensemble.

Tuesday 9/5

The Psychedelic Furs (Town Ballroom, 681 Main St, 7pm, $40)
The Furs had one of the iconic hits of the ’80s with “Pretty in Pink,” and in 2020 released their first album in nearly 30 years. (Singer Richard Butler also co-wrote songs on Depeche Mode’s new album, Memento Mori, which you can hear on Subject Radio!)

Sarah Shook & the Disarmers w/Pine Fever (Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St, 8-11pm, $18)
Rochester native Shook has become a rising star in the alt-country/Americana scene.

Food Truck Tuesdays (Larkin Square, 745 Seneca St, 5-8pm)
Dozens of food trucks from Buffalo and Rochester ply their wares, along with live music from Blaised & Confused.

Wednesday 9/6

The Mid-Week Vibe (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 8pm, $30)
This week’s lineup includes comedian Yolanda Smilez, singer Anthony-Dounte, an acoustic performance from singer-songwriter Moe Badger, and free pizza and wings while they last!