Hooray for the weekend Western New York! Looks like plenty in store to enjoy.
Here are 9 Editor's Picks of cool and interesting events going on this weekend in WNY. Be sure to check out our events calendar for much more of what's going on in the area, and check back every Monday for a "Top Happenings" for the week.
Gangstagrass
Tralf Music Hall
Fri Apr 25
Banjos and rappers shouldn't sound this awesome. But they do! Bluegrass and hip-hop collide at the Tralf Music Hall. Official site.
Killing Rocco Palladino-A Hotel Lafayette Murder Mystery
Hotel @ The Lafayette
Fri Apr 25
Welcome to the grand opening of the Hotel Lafayette. It’s 1904 and you’re invited to the biggest social event of the season. However, before the night is through, Rocco Palladino will be murdered. You need to collect the clues and find the killer! Your dinner package includes a wine toast, salad, main entrée, dessert and coffee. There are prizes for the winning team that correctly guesses the culprit. Cast members will provide a tour of the Hotel at the conclusion of the performance. Official site.
The Red Revolution
Central Park Grill
Fri Apr 25
THE RED REVOLUTION CD RELEASE PARTY-"Show starts at 8pm, ends at 10pm. Strictly all original music off their new album called "The Red Coats are Coming". Gwendolyn (Singer/Founder) says "After a successful recording session with Starfield Productions, no better time than now to get it out to our fans, it's been long awaited and we can't wait!" There are always tons of drink specials and a great atmosphere at CPG's. Thanks to their hospitality and commitment to Buffalo's original music scene, we can bring to you the greatest music in Buffalo. Official site.
CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Sat Apr 26
“If anyone can extend the lineage of the Big Three—Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald—it is this 23-year-old virtuoso” (The New York Times). In what is surely one of the most eagerly anticipated concerts in recent memory, the heralded singer Cécile McLorin Salvant makes her area debut on the brink of American stardom. Since winning the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Vocals Competition, Salvant has become a European sensation. Her rapturously received recent American release WomanChild (Mack Avenue Records) offers US audiences their first real opportunity to hear the theatrical intensity she brings to a repertoire of lesser-known jazz and blues tunes, whether singing in English, French, or Spanish. Find out why Wynton Marsalis has said, “She has poise, elegance, soul, humor, sensuality, power, virtuosity, range, insight, intelligence, depth, and grace.” Official site.
DOPAPOD & AQUEOUS
Waiting Room
Sat Apr 26
With no regard towards stylistic boundaries, the sound that emerges from Dopapod both live and in the studio is as varied and diverse as the many influences that they adapt from. Their approach and commitment to complementing a distinct genre bending sound to top-notch musicianship has set them apart from many of their contemporaries and keep music lovers eagerly returning to shows. Official site.
Aqueous is a genre melting, funk-tastic groove/rock band known for bringing high energy shows night after night. Catchy songwriting, shredding guitars, tight infectious grooves, and spot on improvisation keep crowds dancing right from the first beat. The songs themselves are adventurous, smartly composed, inventive, exuberant; the jams and improv sections add immensely to the experience, as Aqueous heads off in directions heretofore unknown and previously unexplored. Like all great bands before them, Aqueous breathes as one organism when it is in full flight.
Spring Cleaning Show How
Babeville
Sat Apr 26
Communify is excited to announce their second “show-how” event, The Spring Cleaning Show How, on Saturday, April 26th at The 9th Ward at Babeville. Like Communify’s first show-how event, the spring cleaning edition will feature some of Buffalo’s most talented craftsman and business-owners, ready to share their expertise on how to best dig out from under this rough winter and get your home and community looking its best again.
This is Communify’s first major event of 2014. 2013 proved to be a successful year for the organization, as they held two clothing exchanges and their first show-how in August. The first show-how was a unique networking event that allowed attendees to pick up tips and create connections with local Western New York business owners, tradesmen and organizations.
Whether you own your home or not, spring cleaning is often a dreaded list of tasks. The Spring Cleaning Show How is focused on helping attendees get their homes ready for spring in simpler, stress-free and creative ways. When it comes to more difficult work around the house, attendees will also gain a local contact to call on. Participants include local carpenter and designer, Sean Wrafter from Wrafterbuilt, Valu Home Centers, University Heights Tool Library and more.
The Spring Cleaning Show How is being held at The 9th Ward at Babeville on Saturday, April 26th. The event will run from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with a cash bar. Presale tickets are $7.00 and $10.00 at the door. Early bird tickets can be ordered at EventBrite.com. Parking is also available at the venue. Official site.
NEW YORK STATE GOLDEN GLOVES BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tralf Music Hall
Sat Apr 26
Since its inception, Buffalo Golden Gloves has been committed to creating champions out of young men and women through the sport known as “the Sweet Science”. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines champion as “one who has the attributes of a winner.” Buffalo Golden Gloves uses boxing as a tool to build character, enrich social development and gain athletic achievement. Official site.
Lincoln Parkway Walking Tour
Lincoln Statue in the Rose Garden
Sun Apr 27
Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to be the principal approach to the jewel of his Buffalo park system, Delaware Park, Lincoln Parkway is one of the most beautiful streets in Buffalo. The homes along Lincoln Parkway, constructed in the early part of the twentieth century by some of Buffalo’s wealthiest families, represent a wide variety of architectural styles. This tour will be a ‘walk in the park’ as we explore the neighborhood and the stories of the families who have lived there! Space is limited for each tour – advance reservations are encouraged. Reserve online at explorebuffalo.org or call (716) 245-3032 to make your reservation today!
Spring Flower Show
Buffalo Botanical Gardens
Fri Apr 25 – Sun Apr 27
Don’t miss WNY’s favorite Easter tradition! The Gardens will be FILLED with spring colors and fragrances! Farmer Brown’s Animals will visit from 10am-4pm daily. Visit baby bunnies, chicks, lambs, goats, a donkey and more. Official site.
