The Roaring 20's will make their snazzy return to the Town Ballroom on Sunday, February 8th, when Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller hosts his third-annual "Catwalk for Charity III" event at the former speakeasy. The event starts at 6:00 PM. Get your tickets at www.thesteadfastfoundation.com.

By Dan Creahan

In a world where Kanye West can put out an album like "808's and Heartbreak," one has to wonder about the future of hip-hop.  As labels and publishers rush to defend their copyrights, it seems that the days of classic sample-laden hip-hop tracks are numbered.  Enter a new wave of hip-hop youth, who have rejected

Last year, we saw a number of local churches get into the spirit of community events. Many of the events were a bit out of the ordinary - gatherings that were not typically related to what we might think of when going to church. That's why I was struck when I saw this cool-looking function to be held at the Unitarian Church on Elmwood. I mean, how many times do you see a church booking where a band named Bloodthirsty Vegans is playing? 

The monthly gathering turns out to be a potluck dinner and micro music festival. I asked singer/songwriter Kilissa Cissoko what the scoop was and

The (Grateful) Dead are back and they're heading to Buffalo, sans Jerry of course. This should prove to be quite the show for well-heeled deadheads as well as a new generation of bear boomers. To tell you the truth, The Grateful Dead hadn't even crossed my mind (or my iTunes) in quite some time. So when I saw the HSBC concert announcement pop up, it brought back a few concert flashbacks and prompted me to bring out some of the old live sets. Here are the details:

The Dead, featuring original members Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann joined by keyboardist Jeff Chimenti

BRO viewer submission by Michelle Perkins

On January 10, three-time Artvoice Best of Buffalo award-winners the Skiffle Minstrels performed to a packed house--well, a packed warehouse--at Flying Bison Brewery. Buffalo poet Lisa Forrest called the event "uniquely Buffalo," saying, "Where else can you stand around in your winter coat with good friends, listen to honky-tonk, and drink beer straight from the tap?"

Local music supporter Susan Jaworski, echoed Forrest's sentiment, "This event was great. It not only showcased local talent, it showcased a local product. The

Entitled 3 X 3 @ AKAG, this new series of Thursday evening films is being organized and presented by University at Buffalo professors Bruce Jackson and Diane Christian.  Three films by three distinguished international film directors will be featured each month as follows:/lifestyle/index.html

Buffalo's semi-pro basketball team took the court at the Canisius College Koessler Athletic Center for its season opener on January 3rd, and Head Coach John Fitzpatrick couldn't have been more proud.
Hired on December 21st, with just 5 practices to get in before the Premier Basketball League (PBL) team's first game, Fitzpatrick said, "I'm happy with the effort and pride of the team.  The loyalty, conviction, maturity and coach-ability is exactly what it needs to be."
Fitzpatrick pointed to the fact that the

The Ann Arbor Film Festival meets Squeaky Wheel on Friday, January 30th, for an evening of avant-garde films that provoke, challenge and inspire.  The longest-running collection of independent, experimental and artistically inspired film in North America, Variety magazine named it as one of its "Top Ten Festivals We Love".

/lifestyle/index.html

Internationally renowned and award-winning pianist, André Watts, will perform at a private home in Buffalo to benefit  AIDS Community Services of Western New York, Inc. (ACS).

="font-size:

By Tony Astran

For those expecting an amazing concert Saturday night at the Town Ballroom, City and Colour did not disappoint. The sold-out show offered a few surprises, too--mostly good, some disappointing.

/lifestyle/index.html

In case you missed it, Jarkko Ruutu of the Ottawa Senators had an altercation with Andrew Peters during Tuesday night's game.  During the incident, Ruutu apparently bit Peters' thumb through his glove.  Now that's quality sports entertainment. 
The biting incident, which is not the first in the NHL, reminded Peters of the infamous Tyson-Holyfield ear chomp.  When questioned after the game about his actions, Jarkko Ruutu responded with an elegant denial - "I didn't bit (sic) him."  
Check out the Sportscenter segment on the incident.  
/lifestyle/index.html

After previously offering buyouts to about 10% of its staff, The Buffalo News has announced another round of buyout offers.  This time, the offer has been extended to up to 300 staffers including newsroom employees.  
The Buffalo News has a brief announcement while Reuters has a more lengthy analysis.  
Our local paper isn't unique, of course, as the Tribune

In case you missed it, the Seneca Gaming Corporation filed their 10K with the SEC on December 29th. In their filing, the Senecas revealed they generated $32,747,000 in 'net revenue' at the Buffalo Creek Casino for the 12 months ended Sept. 30, 2008.  Now, the Senecas deduct the cost of 'promotional allowances' (complementary food, beverages, etc) from gross revenue to arrive at 'net revenue,' so the Buffalo Creek Casino actually generated more revenue than the $32.7 referenced above.  But let's

Rent, written by Jonathan Larson and directed by Michael Greif, opened at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre, on April 29, 1996 following a history-making, sold out, extended limited engagement at off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop. It became one of the most loved and most acclaimed shows on Broadway, even spawning a major motion picture

We want to thank all the visitors to buffalorising.com for a great 2008.  With nearly 600,000 unique visitors from 192 countries and all 50 states, almost 2 million total visits and over 5 million pageviews, we're proud this site has appealed to so many people.

And we're hoping that the new site allows us to build on the momentum of 2008. 

Happy New Year!


="mt-enclosure

Sure, we don't like country music, and I speak for myself.

What we do like is a band that describes the act of one of its members this way: Along with the great Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, Weber is going to

Sold out for two weeks now, the Ice Ball at Delaware Park Casino tonight is going to be a smash!  Today we received an email from Ice Ball originator, Steve Poland, and while he's sorry there are no more tickets for regular sale, he's amused by the postings on Craig's list.
This one is his favorite.  We sure hope the guy in question finds what he's looking for and that - if he doesn't - the gaffe doesn't set a tone for his entire 2009.  
/lifestyle/index.html

In a giant 'Screw You' to Bills Fans and rationality, Ralph Wilson has decided to keep Dick Jauron as head coach of the Bills, reports ESPN and others.  Meanwhile, Mike Shanahan has been fired by the Broncos.  
Shanahan has a career record of 146-98 while Jauron is 57-76.  But Jauron went to Yale, so he stays.  
Some reaction from the Twittersphere on the heartbreaking news:
/lifestyle/index.html

As you may have noticed, we're continuing to improve the new website by refining the design and adding functionality.  We're getting good feedback from users and we're accommodating many of the requests we've received.  
Here's a quick recap of the changes we've made:  
We have changed the color of the font in most places to help improve readability.
We've just added the ability to 'follow' both users and authors as well as the

C O Jones to perform at the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame 2008 Reunion Benefit at the Lafayette Tap Room.

The Class of 2008 is back. If you missed them at the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame (BMHOF) 25th Anniversary Induction Gala at the Tralf this past October,  you get to see them perform again at the Lafayette Tap Room this Sunday at 4:00 PM.

C O Jones last performed at an electric performance at the Mohawk Place in October. You will have another chance to see them on one of the slowest entertainment days of the year, the Sunday