THE HOT 5
An opinionated to-do list
By Christopher Schobert

A new year is upon us, and as usual, 2010 is already looking jam-packed with concerts, festivals, galas, and the usual assortment of Spree-tastic events. Some, like Martini Gras, are perennial favorites. Others can only happen once, i.e., Anvil. All offer a wondrous bit of respite from these cold months, and a sure-fire cure for Buffalo cabin fever. You’ll drink to that, and these.


1. Martini Gras at Shea’s
A little bit of Bourbon Street comes to Buffalo on February 20 at this annual fundraiser, and why shouldn’t it? The Queen City has long enjoyed celebrating the Crescent City and its beads-around-the-neck atmosphere, with several events for Fat Tuesday. Shea’s Performing Arts Center’s Martini Gras has featured this spirit for years now, and it comes to life with food, drinks, and an all-around feeling of winter good times. It’s a twenty-one-and-over event, and it’s a blast.
8 p.m.–midnight on Saturday, February 20, at Shea’s Performing Arts Center, 646 Main St.; www.sheas.org.

2. Jillian McDonald: Red Rum
Red Rum image courtesy of Jillian McDonald
There are certain movies that, if happened upon during casual channel surfing, cause one to abandon all else, and simply sit and watch. My list is an odd one: Oliver Stone’s The Doors, the cinematic classic that is Road House, Goodfellas (“KAR-en!”), and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. I have to think that Jillian McDonald shares my fascination with the Overlook Hotel, hence her solo exhibition at Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, Red Rum. According to Hallwalls, “McDonald examines the ways film genres and archetypes affect their audiences and the fan subcultures that fuel the film industry. … [Her] current work concentrates on the manufacturing of fear as entertainment that the horror film genre accomplishes. Unlike contemporary horror films, her work offers no extreme violence, little gore, no character development, and zero plot. These are stripped away in order to highlight the protagonists and their dilemmas.” Sounds very, very cool, and even more interesting is that Red Rum was filmed on location in Buffalo during the artist’s September 2009 residency and features local actors, students, musicians, and homes. For more details, McDonald’s website, www.jillianmcdonald.net, is a good place to start.
Friday, January 15, through Friday, February 19, at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, 341 Delaware Ave.; 854-1694 or www.hallwalls.org.

Anvil image by Brent J. Craig, from Anvil! The Story oif Anvil.
3. Anvil at Town Ballroom
Speaking of films, no one could have predicted the success of Anvil! The Story of Anvil. The documentary about the Canadian metalheads wasn’t just a surprise box-office success—it also brought a new level of respect and interest to a band that had, well, never received any. Sure, albums with titles like Hard ’N’ Heavy and Metal on Metal were unlikely to ever receive Flaming Lips or Wilco levels of praise, but what the doc did make clear was that this is a band whose music was nothing if not fun, and that the individuals involved evidence a resilience that is commendable. Now, they’re on fire, opening for AC/DC and even inspiring Oscar talk. (Sadly, the doc didn’t make the final shortlist of fifteen, but many critics did put forth the possibility of a nod.) They’ll perform live and screen the film at Town Ballroom on January 12, and for one night, at least, it’ll be like the nineties never happened. I expect hardness and heaviness.
Doors open at 7 p.m. at on Tuesday, January 12, at Town Ballroom, 681 Main St.; for tickets visit Town Ballroom, tickets.com, or call 888-223-6000.

4. The Big Lebowski Event at Riviera Theatre
More movies?! Yes, the January/February Hot 5 is cinema-crazed. I’ll never forget seeing the Coen Brothers’ Dude-centric The Big Lebowski on its release date (which also happened to be my eighteenth birthday), March 6, 1998. I walked out a tad uncertain. This was not like Fargo, at all … In fact, I wasn’t sure what it was. But over time, I came around, as did the world. Today, Lebowski is a cottage industry, and one of the more beloved cult hits of the last two decades. There is an annual Lebowski Fest, an online religion (“Dudeism”), and “The Big Lebowski Event” at the Riviera Theatre on January 16. It will feature a screening of the film, the de rigueur bowling, and Dude-only-knows what else. (Nihilists? Urine-soaked rugs? White Russians?)
7 p.m. on Saturday, January 16, at the Riviera Theatre, 67 Webster St., North Tonawanda; 692-2413 or www.rivieratheatre.org.

5. Spree art at the Kenan Center
We are always proud of the photography and illustrations created every month for the pages of Buffalo Spree, and we’re especially excited to announce a special opportunity for the public at large to share in our enthusiasm. From February 28 through April 4, the Kenan Center in Lockport will exhibit the artwork of kc kratt, our staff photographer, and Jean-Pierre Thimot and Josh Flanigan, Spree graphic designers/illustrators. A free public reception will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. on February 28, and we hope we’ll see many of our readers there. Congratulations to kc, Jean-Pierre, and Josh—we’re looking forward to seeing their art in a context other than inside the covers of Spree.
Reception: 2–5 p.m. on Feb. 28; exhibition: through Apr. 4 at the Kenan Center, 433 Locust St., Lockport; 433-2617 or www.kenancenter.org.

All work and no play makes Spree associate editor Christopher Schobert sleepy.


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