Traditional African drum beats, recitations of spoken word artists and the clacking heels of Argentine Tango dancers will fill the ears of performers and spectators at a hundred-thousand dollar art party, which claims to be bigger than anything Western New York has ever seen—Trimania. Its news release touts, “Get ready for more—more bands, more art, and more mayhem. The first Trimania was big. The second was huge. The third will be a monster.”

For the first time since 2005, Buffalo Arts Studio is gathering talent to present what will become the third Trimania event at the Tri-Main Center in Buffalo. Upwards of 3000 people are expected to arrive before the 650,000 square foot former factory on the night of the event. Featuring musical and spoken word performances, live dancers, and a wide array of artwork, the party will be an over-the-top sensory feast. With diverse influences and carefully planned student-friendly design, Trimania has a wide appeal.

Buffalo Arts Studio is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1991. Their mission is to provide exposure and studio space for artists of every kind and to provide the Western New York community with the opportunity to take part in artistic expression through exhibitions, their Project CREATE classes, mural program, and public art. The mural program alone has reached thousands of children, completing a total of 34 murals since 1993 when project CREATE, an acronym for “Community Revitalization through Environmental Art and Team Efforts,” was formed. Classes are available for children and adults and include skilled instruction on pottery, drawing, printmaking, photography and more.

According to Joanna Angie, Executive Director of Buffalo Arts Studios, the planning of Trimania involved the work of 750 people. Without the teamwork exhibited within the 20-person committee, countless volunteers, and the community as a whole, it would have been impossible to prepare for such a large event. “Our sponsors are great,” remarks Angie. “They’re donating everything from paper cups to decorations.” With a list of at least fifteen notable sponsors, donating as little as $250 and as much $5,000 or greater, the community is certainly reaching out and embracing this cultural celebration. For example, United Graphics agreed to do all of the necessary printing for everything Trimania related for free—a huge donation considering the cost of mass high-quality printing.

The chairs of Trimania 2008 are Mary Joy Buscemi, who is known for her event-planning skills, and Billy Rupp, the pioneer responsible for the Buffalo Kootsie Ball. Buscemi, who helped create Trimania and chaired or co-chaired all three, is confident that this Trimania will be better than ever. With punchy catch phrases that correspond with the monstrous theme and fast-paced speech, it is easy to detect her level of genuine excitement. This Trimania will feature a new dance element and much more ethnically diverse music, Buscemi promises.

Among the award-winning musical staff is Brian Grunert. He shared the 2004 Grammy for Best Recording Package with Ani DiFranco in creating the packaging for her Evolve CD. The hatching egg and three-headed, winged monster theme adorning flyers, the Trimania website, trimania.com, and the billboard outside of the Trimain building was designed by Gunert. Stephen Goss from London vs. New York, one of the local bands that will be featured in the Indie Room at Trimania, was sure to mention him while speaking about the event. “I am in love with the poster art designed by Buffalo’s own Grammy award-winning artist, Brian Grunert,” he commented.

Sixteen musical performances are scheduled to take place throughout the night. Rekha Malhotra is an artist from New York City who has won acclaim through her Basement Bhangra dance parties that have been held each week for more than ten years. Going by the name “DJ Rekha,” she will be one of the featured musical performers. According to her website at djrekha.com, “On her debut, Basement Bhangra, DJ Rekha invites the listener to go with her into a world that merges the traditional Bhangra music of South Asia and the Hip-Hop beats of today.” Her performance will enrich the event, exposing the audience to an exotic display of cultural expression.

There are several local bands that will be performing at Trimania as well. Also in the Indie Room, A Hotel Nourishing will be taking the stage around 8:45 p.m. “We are a duo, so therefore we try to create a wall of sound that no one would expect from two people,” explains Sonny Baker, the bands guitarist and vocalist. “With Trimania we are going to be playing some new songs as well as trying to make the performance a not-to-miss event visually or musically,” he says. With high hopes for the show, Baker’s only regret is that it will be impossible to see every performance in its entirety without the ability to be in several places at once. He and A Hotel Nourishing’s percussionist Cameron Baker draw influence from such modern indie musicians as My Morning Jacket and Andrew Bird as well as classics like Tom Waits and Joe Strummer.

In the jazz room, Dee Adams and the Funny Valentines will leave crowds singin’ and swingin’ along to traditional jazz standards such as Billie Holiday’s “God Bless The Child” and George Gershwin’s “Summertime.” Having played events such as The Albright-Knox Art Gallery’s Rockin’ At The Knox event and the Erie County Fair, the energy and large turnout will be nothing new for the band. “We were honored to be asked to play our special style of jazz standards at this historical party at one of our city’s architectural gems, to illustrate how diverse and talented Buffalo’s arts community is,” Adams says.

At Buffalo Yoga, within the Tri-Main Center, a band that goes by the name of Family FUNKtion and the Sitar Jamz will be dishing out another tidbit of diversity. The three brothers—Ravi Padmanabha on drums, Aneal Padmanabha on guitar/bass, and Naryan Padmanabha on sitar—will be migrating from their background of classical Indian and folk music to bring their audience a taste of ethnic rock and funk.

Along with the numerous musical performances planned, there are several groups of dancers performing who will leave you tapping your feet and maybe even wiggling your middle. Fleuron Rouge is a fusion bellydance troupe recently formed in December 2007. The troupe consists of dancers Samantha Shey, J Nykkei and Nahara Mar. Presenting original choreography, the trio plans to perform a traditional veil dance; a fusion rock dance; and a Bhangra dance. They also plan on providing mini-demonstrations of simple Bhangra dance steps alongside DJ Rekha’s music. Other dance acts include Folklore Productions, Nadia Ibrahim, Naval Academy, Buffalo Argentine Tango Society, Buffalo City Ballet and Aaron Piepszny.

One of the spoken word performance groups participating in Trimania 2008 is Nickel City Poetry Slam. Curated by Gabrielle Bouliane, who is very much a performer herself, the Nickel City Poetry Slam draws poets from all over Western New York. Presenting spoken poems that are three minutes each in length, the poets compete for the most points in order to be entered into the final competition at the end of the season. With definitive rules and a strict system of penalties and points, the poets participating take the slam very seriously.

Beyond the realm of performance art, Trimania offers a great deal of art that is purely visual. Perhaps the biggest visual piece at Trimania will be Vapor Trails: Urban Graffiti featured at Buffalo Arts Studio. Vapor Trails will be open from March 15 through April 5, 2008. Artists from Buffalo and Pittsburgh utilize Buffalo Art Studio’s gallery space to create contemporary urban art, legally, in an enclosed environment. The spontaneous nature of the artists and the seemingly permanent aspect of graffiti make it enticing to the viewer. By allowing these artists freedom to express themselves in a way that is often overlooked as art, Buffalo Arts Studio is celebrating graffiti art, which they consider a “legitimate art movement.”

This year’s Trimania is also far more student-friendly than the previous two. For the first time, there is a special student ticket fee of fifteen dollars rather than the twenty dollars in advance or twenty five at the door for other attendees. Tickets are available at the UB Student Union, as well as from New World Record, Talking Leaves, and the Buffalo Arts Studio directly. Joanna Angie also encourages students to volunteer during one shift the night of the event, promising that once they’ve volunteered some time, students will be able to enjoy the rest of the festivities, free of charge. The entire design was geared more toward students than previous years. With the Indie Room and the featuring of local bands, many of which are comprised of students, Buffalo Arts Studio really tried to reach out to Western New York’s student population. Trimania, in conjunction with its sponsors, will provide transportation to and from the Buffalo Zoo and other designated areas to ensure the safety of students who enjoy the cash bars while attending the art party. “With these shuttles and buses, we’re really trying to make it as safe as possible,” says Angie.

There is little doubt among those involved that the event will be a hit. With all of the work and careful planning that Trimania entails, and with improvements made since Trimania I and II, it is expected that the party will be bigger than ever. As Buscemi puts it, “People have been inside all winter. This is an opportunity for the community to come out and enjoy themselves and experience some great things.”