Greg Klyma has been part of Buffalo's music scene for over 20 years now, winning fans over with his mix of virtuoso guitar and banjo picking and lighthearted lyrics. On Friday night, Klyma appeared at The Ninth Ward at Babeville for the release party for his new album Another Man's Treasure. It was an uproariously fun evening that featured a great deal of crowd participation. If you didn't know who Klyma was going into the show, you were likely a fan of his when you left.

Opening the show was folk singer-songwriter Savannah King. King saw her profile increase considerably last year due to The Alphabet Project, a once-a-week video project where she released a cover (and a few originals) for every letter of the alphabet. King will be releasing her third EP in the spring, and while it doesn't have a name yet, if Friday's performance was any indication, it will be very strong. New tunes like "Habit" and "Bonnie And Clyde" were huge hits with the crowd, and illustrated how King has matured as a lyricist.

Klyma took the stage without introduction (he didn't need one) and quickly launched into a raucous rendition of the bluegrass standard "Cripple Creek," which had everyone clapping and dance by the time it was over. From there, he went into the original composition "How's It Goin'," the lead track from Another Man's Treasure. Klyma was energetic enough that while he was playing by himself, it often felt like there was a full band with him.

Klyma's ability to combine the silly and the serious was best evidenced with a song left off his new album (he wants to get it just right when he records it) in which he contrasts his Grandfather's more quirky traits with his reluctance to talk about his experiences in World War II. The song is genuine, heartfelt, and likely relatable for a wide portion of the audience.

In Klyma's second set, he dipped into his back catalog, and the crowd sang along with older tunes such as "One Foot In The Grave (Ballad Of The Self-Abusers)," a song that could be a theme for anyone who has a few too many drinks now and then, and "Ex-Girlfriends Are Cheaper Than Ex-Wives," a tune that was sung along to with equal gusto by the men and women in the crowd. The heart of set, and arguably Klyma's signature song "Two Degrees In Buffalo," in which he laments that our fair city's achievements in art and culture will never been as well known as the chicken wings.

The show was uproariously fun from start to finish; a real hootenanny if there ever was one. Hopefully, this excellent gig will lead to some strong sales for Klyma's new album. He's one of the finest artists in Buffalo's folk scene, and after 20 years in the business, he's honed his craft as well as anyone else.

Savannah King is one of the most talented up-and-coming artists the Buffalo music scene has to offer. Her sound could best be described as primarily folk, with a bit of jazz and soul thrown in for good measure, and her smoky voice gives her music an extra bit of warmth. Last night, she played a two-hour gig at Merge on Delaware Avenue, and the performance was incredibly strong throughout.

After beginning the night with covers of the Beatles and Bob Dylan, she threw the audience a curveball with a cover of Steve Miller's "Fly Like An Eagle." I was struck by how strong the classic rock staple sounded as an acoustic folk tune. That, however, is a big part of King's live shows; taking songs from other genres, and giving them her own take. In the past, this included a rousing rendition of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs."



As the set went on, King continued to switch things up, performing songs by artists from various genres. These included Sarah McLachlan ("Building A Mystery"), Mumford & Sons ("White Blank Page"), and in another twist, Katy Perry's "E.T." The ladder was one of her strongest performances of the night, as she transformed a generic pop radio hit into something genuinely soulful. In her second set, she took this to extreme with LMFAO"S "Sexy And I Know It." I'm pretty sure this was a joke, but in any event, it blew the original out of the water.

She performed several originals as well, including all the songs from her latest EP, She Sends Her Love, which really showcases her range as an artist. From the 60s folk of "Magnolia Creek," to the sultry jazz of "Sweet," every song on the EP brings something different to the table, and all sounded lively and vibrant at Merge last night. She also performed a few from her 2010 EP Throwing Stones, with the standout being the catchy, sing-a-longish "You, Me, and Ronald Reagan."

In the second half of her set, she continued to draw songs from every area imaginable, opening with a killer cover of Michael Jackson's immortal "Thriller." Later, she gave us her best performance of the night, with a beautiful cover of Bobby Darin's classic "Dream Lover." The song suited her voice extremely well, and she brought its yearning loneliness to life in a beautiful way.

When King began her sat, the audience seemed a bit preoccupied, but by the time she finished, everyone - including a particularly exuberant server - had been won over. King is an extremely talented young artist, and her skill was on full display last night. It'll be interesting to see what the future holds for her.