Liz Phair to perform in CFA on Oct. 20

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo will present Liz Phair in concert at 8 p.m. on Oct. 20 in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

Phair's deeply clever and often brutally candid songs have been commanding ears and raising eyebrows ever since she started writing them. After her homemade "Girlysound" tapes quickly made the rounds among Chicago's indie tastemakers in the early 90s, she followed up with what is considered one of the most accomplished debut albums for any artist in any genre, 1993's "Exile in Guyville." Ambitiously patterned after the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street," the album contained raw, unblinking songs, sharply provocative lyrics and sold over 200,000 copies -- a major feat for a small independent release.

Following "Guyville," Phair released two other highly-acclaimed albums, 1994's gold-certified "Whip Smart" (featuring modern rock radio hit "Supernova"), and 1998's deeply confessional "whitechocolatespaceegg." She also toured with the Lilith Fair, got married, gave birth to a son and got divorced. Her fourth album, "Liz Phair" was released in 2003 and included the single, "Why Can't I?"

Phair will be touring this fall in support of her fifth studio release, "Somebody's Miracle," available in stores Oct. 4.

Tickets for Liz Phair are $28, students $23. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location.