What a week it was with nice options for every music genre, hilarious comedy in the Cobblestone District, Civil Rights leaders speaking their minds, amazing shows at Shea's, and Hip-Hop Karaoke on Allen.

This week the variety of cool things to do ranges from Mega Superstars in Niagara Falls, getting down with a founding member of the Greatful Dead, and attending a special screening of a foreign film. Whatever you choose, there are lots of opportunities this week to get out and about in Western New York!

Here are 12 Editor's Picks of cool and interesting events going on in the area for the week of March 03 - March 09, 2014.

Be sure to check out our events calendar for much more of what's going on in WNY, and check back every Friday for a "Best Bets" for the weekend.

The Straits
Kleinhans Music Hall
Mon Mar 3
The Dire Straits legacy is alive and well, thanks to the musicians who made history with the band. The Straits features members of the original line-up, performing songs from the Dire Straits discography. For fans that missed one of the best-loved bands of the eighties, the Straits offer a fantastic musical experience. More info here.

Bob Weir & Ratdog
Shea’s Performing Arts Center
Tue Mar 4
A founding member of the Grateful Dead, Bob's musical legacy (separate from its cultural implications) will be of an utterly strange rhythm guitar player and songwriter who grew up in one of the most lasting outside bands of the 1960s. Playing with the Dead until their dissolution following the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995, Bob has since made his primary musical home in RatDog. Official site here.

Polar Obsession
Kleinhans Music Hall
Tue Mar 4
The phenomenally successful National Geographic Live series makes its Western New York debut! Presented by the Buffalo Zoo and Kleinhans Music Hall, photographer and biologist Paul Nicklen shares stories and photographs from his exciting career photographing polar bears and other animals in the most extreme environments on Earth.
A unique childhood among the Inuit in Canada’s Arctic and a professional background as a biologist in the Northwest Territories enable Paul Nicklen to take on the most inhospitable places on our planet, often working in sub-zero temperatures, suspended in water that hovers just above the freezing point. His images reflect a reverence for the creatures inhabiting these isolated and threatened environments, and he hopes that his work will put real faces on climate change, making it impossible to ignore. More details here.

Tropical Seasonings
Hallwalls
Tue Mar 4
Curated by Siew-Wai Kok, this is a special KLEX screening program featuring video works from South East Asia. The program will include works from video artists from this region and foreign artists who have traveled to the region and make work about it.
Tropical Seasonings” is a special KLEX screening program featuring 12 videos from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, UK and USA. The program includes works from artists originally from South East Asia, and foreign artists who have traveled to the region and make work about it. It’s interesting to see both the residents’ experiences and the visitors’ observations in this region. Featuring artists include Andrew Stiff, AU Sow-Yee, Azharr Rudin, Debora Bernagozzi, Jason Bernagozzi, Koji Tambata, KOK Siew-Wai, LIM Chee-Yong, Maulana M Pasha, Taiki Sakpisit, WONG Eng-Leong and Wuttin Chansataboot. More info here.

Jamie Foxx
The Avalon Ballroom @ Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort
Wed Mar 5 – Thu Mar 6
Multiple industry award winning actor, stand-up comedian and musician Jamie Foxx has starred in Academy films Ray, Collateral and Django Unchained while headlining The Jamie Foxx Show. Experience Foxx live in concert performing his platinum studded hits including "Gold Digger", "Blame It" and "Unpredictable" at Fallsview. Official site.

Funknut
Nietzsche's
Thu Mar 6
Funknut formed in 2006 when Tony Gallicchio and Tristan Greene started playing together as a key and drum duo. Since then Funknut has expanded and has been blessed to play with a rotating cast of talented musicians with Tristan and Tony as the core. In 2009, Sean Mclay became a permanent member of the band holding down the low end and making things even funkier than before. In 2010, good friend Paul McArdle joined in on the guitar. Fans of improvisation, each Funknut show is different from the next. Special guests make their way on to the stage often, you never know what you are going to see. Click here for official site.

Crisis! A Film Series | INSIDE JOB
Burchfield Penney Art Center
Thu Mar 6
Using classic and contemporary films and expert commentators, Crisis! engages the community in a discussion about the global economic crisis. Each screening begins with a panel discussion which includes experts from Buffalo State’s faculty and the community. Audiences can expect a broad spectrum of views, lively discussion and debate. All screenings that are part of the Crisis! Film series are free and open to the public. Crisis! takes place on select Thursdays throughout the spring semester of 2014. Official site.
Inside Job:
If you ever imagined that PhD economists from Harvard, Columbia, and other leading universities were above reproach and beyond the reach of the financial elite, this film will make you think again. Charles Ferguson’s compelling documentary exposes what happened when America’s most celebrated academics simply sold their souls for money from bankers whose dealings led to a worldwide economic meltdown. This documentary asks some very hard questions of a profession that still demands respect even while it rewards professors who play by Wall Street’s rules.1 hr. 48 min.

Brian Posehn from the "Sarah Silverman Program"
Helium Comedy club
Thu Mar 6 – Sat Mar 8
Posehn has been seen on "The Comedians of Comedy Tour," "The Sarah Silverman Program," "Conan" & "Just Shoot Me". He is a regular on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and was a crowd favorite at the Bob Saget Roast on Comedy Central.
Brian has also appeared in several movies, including Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects" and "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer", "Sex Drive" and "Surfs Up". In 2006 he released his first graphic novel, "The Last Christmas", and a comedy album: "Live in Nerd Rage". He is a regular on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and was a crowd favorite at the recent Bob Saget Roast on Comedy Central. More info here.

M&T FIRST FRIDAYS @ THE GALLERY
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Fri Mar 7
On the first Friday of every month—from 10 am to 10 pm—admission to the Gallery's 1962 Knox Building and select events are free for everyone. Art classes and certain tours are available to non-members for a fee. Special exhibitions in the 1905 Albright Building are available to non-members with Gallery admission. Everything is free for Gallery Members, except for service in AK Café. Click here for a list of all specific events.

Buffalo Home Show
Buffalo Niagara Convention Center
Fri Mar 7 – Sun Mar 9 & Fri Mar 14 – Sun Mar 16
Find innovative products, new ideas, practical advice and great deals in remodeling, home improvement and gardening with hundreds of experts all under one roof. From windows and flooring to cabinets and landscaping and much more. Shop, compare and save for 6 days only! Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Beerology
Buffalo Museum of Science
Sat Mar 8
Join the Buffalo Museum of Science to learn about the science of beer and have your science on tap! Beerology guests can sample beers and other brews from some of the best micro breweries in the area, snack on beer-friendly foods, enjoy home brewing demonstrations by the Niagara Association of Homebrewers, and watch lectures on a variety of beer-related topics - including the science behind skunk beer. Click here for list of Craft Beer selections, & to purchase tickets. Hurry! Only a few remain.

The Sing-Off Live Tour
UB Center for the Arts
Sun Mar 9
Featuring Season 4 Winner HOME FREE, plus VOICE PLAY & THE FILHARMONIC! The Sing-Off, NBC's popular a cappella music competition series, is hitting the road this winter for the first-ever Sing-Off Live Tour! The tour will visit 32 cities across the U.S.
The Sing-Off Live Tour! will feature the newly crowned best a cappella group in the country, along with other finalists from season 4 of The Sing-Off, performing their a capella versions of the biggest chart topping songs viewers fell in love with from the show. The show will include individual sets from each act, all new group numbers, ultimate sing-off's and a few new surprises. Official site.