New music alert! Robin Taylor Zander, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, and more; Some new concert announcements; and a curated list of this week’s must-see gigs.

By Jeff Miers

(Have a cool concert or interesting event you know about? Email all the info and links to jeffmiersmusic@gmail.com to be considered for inclusion in Where the Bands Are.)

Hey there, music-freak family.

I had big plans over the past two weeks, including a trip to Cleveland to catch AC/DC’s Pwr Up tour, and a slew of shows closer to home. Alas, a pretty brutal strain of the flu had other plans for me, and I missed all of them.

Being bedridden did allow me to dig into some new music, though. I spent some time with the new single from Robin Taylor Zander, the multi-instrumentalist wunderkind son of Cheap Trick singer Robin Zander. “Nobody’s Home” is a slice of ornate power-pop, featuring RTZ handling all of the instruments and vocals, with production by the legendary Jack Douglas – who produced, among many other timeless classics, the debut Cheap Trick album, way back in, ahem, 1976.

*Robin Taylor Zander. Photo by Jay Gilbert/Chris Schmitt*

This led me back to RTZ’s 2023 debut full-length, The Distance, which dropped in 2023. That whole album is worth your time and attention, if you’re a lover of elegant power-pop with ornate melodies, and sublime singing.

RTZ is a full-time member of Cheap Trick these days, and he’s on the road with the band all summer, including a stop in Toronto opening for Rod Stewart at the Budweiser Stage on July 22.

Check out RTZ’s new single, and share your thoughts…

We’re one week out from the release of the new King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard album, Phantom Island, the band’s 27th (!) effort, and the first KGLW album to feature orchestral arrangements for both strings and horns. Check out this very cool video, a sort of ‘making-of’ montage, and fasten your seatbelts for what is looking like another wild ride with these musical freaks from the land down under. Also note that King Gizz has never played in Buffalo, and while I continue to hold onto the hope that this will change, if you live in Western New York, you’ll have to travel to Philadelphia (July 28), New Haven (July 30), or Queens (August 1 and 2) if you want to catch them this summer .

There’s a whole batch of new releases in the coming weeks that I’m psyched about, including Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Curse EP; Bruce Springsteen’s Tracks II: The Lost Albums; Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention’s Cheaper Than Cheap: The Soundtrack; The Cure’s Mixes of a Lost World; GoGo Penguin’s Necessary Fictions; Joshua Redman’s Words Fall Short; Alice Cooper’s The Revenge of Alice Cooper; Steve Hackett’s The Lamb Stands Up Live at the Royal Albert Hall; Grant Lee Phillips’ In the Hour of Dust; Neal Casal’s No One Above You; and the Black Keys’ No Rain, No Flowers.

Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention circa 1974. Cheaper Than Cheap drops on June 27.

New And Noteworthy:

Music Is Art Festival 2025: Power to the Players!

Saturday, September 20, 11 am-11 pm. Buffalo’s Outer Harbor Terminal B. Free.

Funtime presents

Gary Numan

Thursday, October 9, 7 pm at Town Ballroom, Buffalo. Tickets on sale Friday, May 23.

Funtime presents

Bob Mould Solo Electric w/J. Robbins

Friday, September 12, 7 pm at Town Ballroom, Buffalo. $53.75/$39.25

T-Pain: TP20: Celebrating 20 Years of T-Pain

Friday, October 10, 7 pm at Buffalo Outer Harbor Terminal B Ampitheatre. $69/$178

After Dark presents:

Blue October

Thursday, November 20, 8 pm at Riviera Theatre, North Tonawanda, NY. $40-$100

Grabbitz

Saturday, October 4, 7 pm at Electric City, Buffalo. Presale Thursday, May 22 at 9 am. Passcode: FLOWERS. Tickets on sale Friday, May 23, 11 am.

Chris Duarte w/ Alastair Greene

DINNER & SHOW: Wednesday, June 18, 6:30 pm doors at The Caz, South Buffalo, NY. $84-$89

Johnny Marr

Thursday, September 25, 8 pm at Electric City, Buffalo. $61.76

Billy Strings

Wednesday, November 11, at Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY. $57.50-69.65

After Dark presents:

Peach Pit

Tuesday, September 15, 7 pm at Buffalo RiverWorks, Buffalo. $58.50-$178.30

Craig Finn & The Band of Forgiveness w/James Felice

Tuesday, October 21, 8 pm at Asbury Hall in Babeville, Buffalo. $30/$35

Melvins w/ Red Kross

Friday, September 26, 8 pm at Electric City, Buffalo. $39.36-$92.66

Cannibal Corpse

Tuesday, September 22, 7 pm at Buffalo RiverWorks, Buffalo. $51.66 – $77.29

This week…

An Evening with Chris Trapper

Friday, June 6, 9 pm doors at Sportsmens Tavern, Buffalo. $25/$30

Royal Prodigy Entertainment presents:

Dead on the Farm: Dead Alliance Buffalo

Friday, June 6, 7 pm doors at Becker Farms, Gasport, NY. $10/$15

EXTC (XTC’s Terry Chambers & Friends)

Friday, June 6, 6 pm doors at The Caz, South Buffalo, NY. $30-$40

Beü

Friday, June 6, 8:30 pm at McGarret’s, Buffalo. $

Royal Prodigy Entertainment presents:

Prince Earth Day Tribute ft/Universal Phunk, Damone Jackson & The Outcome, and The Unity Band

Saturday, June 7, 7 pm doors at Buffalo Iron Works, Buffalo. $25/$28

The Vores and The Horizontal Stripes

Saturday, June 7, 7 pm doors at The Lounge at Revolution Gallery, Buffalo. $10.

June in Buffalo

Through Saturday, June 7 at the University at Buffalo North Campus, Buffalo.

Includes seminars, lectures and workshops; Professional presentations; Participant forums and open rehearsals; Afternoon and evening performances open to the public. Senior composers include Peter Gilbert, George Lewis, Karola Obermüller, David Sanford, and Ming Tsao. Get the full festival schedule here.

Lazlo Hollyfeld performs Radiohead – In Rainbows

Saturday, June 7, 7 pm doors at Town Ballroom, Buffalo. $22.50

Ladies First Jazz ft/ vocalist Donna DeLano-Kerr

Saturday, June 7, 8 pm at Sportsmens Tavern, Buffalo. $20/$25

Comes A Time For A Friend – Benefit for Matt Brown & Family: Little Mountain Band Trio and Wild Knights

Saturday, June 7, 3 pm (5 pm – Little Mountain Band Acoustic Trio,
7 pm – Wild Knights) at Coconut Grove Pavilion, Main and Transit Fire Department,, Williamsville, NY. $40