There is nothing like seeing a band come into their own, moving to the ranks of the elite. The Alan Smithee Band based in Los Angeles, CA., has steadily been building that record industry hype to indie buzz and reality. Their performance at The South Buffalo Irish Center on February 13th before a full house showed the band to be confident and polished performers but with a few rough edges. The band (featuring Buffalo’s own Ryan Puckhaber on drums, David Jonelis on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Matthew Emmer on lead guitar, Paul Brantley on bass and Frank Haggerty on keyboards) plays a power pop style with plenty of hooks and catchy melodies. An elaborate opening video montage of the band segued into the first song “Everything” followed by “Girls Gone Psycho” and “So Far Away’. Other highlights included the beautiful sounds of their new single “California Calling”, Confused”, “Like A Friend”, “Cry” and “When I Fall”. A raucous version of “Happy Birthday” to a female audience member added to the party atmosphere of the evening.  A driving medley of two of the most unlikely songs ended the set. Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville” and The Fine Young Cannibals’ “She Drives Me Crazy” sent the crowd wild with girls swaying on their boyfriend’s shoulders and everyone dancing and singing along. The band returned for an encore and closed the show with a stunning version of the U2 song “All I Want Is You”. Opening the show was the band Nothing Personal featuring the powerhouse vocals of the petite Robyn Morella. Opening with Billy Squire’s “My Kinda Lover” they played a wide range of original and cover songs including a slinky version of the Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks classic “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”, B. J. Thomas’ “Hooked On A Feeling” and a power chord version of The Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out”. For pictures of the show and more info on the bands check out www.whoisalansmithee.com and www.nprocks.com