Hear Here: Live Music in Buffalo
Have you ever been to a concert in Buffalo? If not, Buffalo is an perfect destination for the lover of live music. Don’t believe us? Hear it from the musicians, fans and owners of Buffalo’s awesome venues!
From elegant concert halls to indie-rock watering holes, we’ve got it all going on, seven days a week. Our city is home to a large population of deeply talented professional musicians working in every imaginable genre, and an even larger population of true music lovers eager to bask in the region’s all-but-limitless live music offerings. That’s why we’ve created a podcast about it!
Each episode of Hear Here will have everything from behind-the-scenes tours to interviews with experts from different venues, Q&As with music icons, testimonials from fans and plenty more. Listen to the latest episodes of Hear Here or subscribe where ever you listen to podcasts!
Hear Here is a production of Buffalo Toronto Public Media for Visit Buffalo Niagara
Episode 15: Colored Musicians Club
The Colored Musicians Club is more than just a venue. It’s a living piece of history where jazz legends have gathered, performed and shaped the culture of Buffalo’s music scene.
To explore this rich legacy, we turn to George Scott, the former president of the club, whose decades of leadership and deep connection to this historic space have kept its legacy alive; Les Davis, a legendary piano player who has visited and played at the Club since the 1950s; and superfans, Joann and Roy, longtime audience members who believe the club is a living testament to Buffalo’s prominent position in the national jazz scene.
Episode 14: Kleinhans Music Hall
Today we visit an architectural gem, the Art Deco Saarinen-designed Kleinhans Music Hall, one of the absolute best concert halls in the country and home to the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. This episode showcases the rich history of this historic building and its connection to the community.
We talk to Jess Basil, the manager of Kleinhans Music Hall, to talk about the original intention of the hall and her vision for its future; Grammy-award winning conductor and music director of the BPO, JoAnn Falletta; and curator, Lauren Becker, who refined an on-site exhibit that dives deep into the generations of musicians that have played the hall.
Episode 13: Nietzsche’s
The vibe of Buffalo’s Allentown neighborhood has always been eclectic and funky, colorful and chaotic, unconventional and unpredictable. This ethos has been chief to its draw, and why it’s a popular destination for locals and visitors alike. But over its blocks, some addresses embody its personality better than others—and one distills into every inch of its venue. That would be Nietzsche’s, the Allen Street music hub that adheres to no genre classification, and has reverberated the style and substance of its city district for more than four decades.
In this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk Nietzsche’s legacy, future, and role in Buffalo’s live music diaspora with co-owner Dave Arakelian Jr.; discuss the club’s unique ability to connect both local and touring acts to the ethos of Buffalo with singer/songwriter Tyler Westcott; and highlight what makes the venue so special for fans.
Episode 12: The Art of Jazz
For nearly 120 years, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery served as the beacon of Buffalo’s arts appreciation. But in the summer of 2023—after a dramatic $230 million renovation that remade an already beautiful expanse into a new kind of spectacular—it was reborn as Buffalo AKG Art Museum. This glistening campus is now home to more gallery space, more displays, and more opportunities to showcase the power of creation and improvisation in the heart of the Queen City.
One of these opportunities is the annual Art of Jazz series, set to perform inside Buffalo AKG’s Stanford and Judith Lipsey Auditorium, starting on February 2 of next year. In this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk about the relationship between Buffalo AKG and the Art of Jazz series with the museum’s manager of marketing and media relations, Andrew Mayer; discuss what the space and series means to musicians with celebrated jazz keyboardist, George Caldwell; and learn about why the series is so special to fans with jazz enthusiasts Jack Nossavage and Krishnan Kartha.
Episode 11: Duende
Nestled in the middle of the eclectic reclamation project known as Silo City—filled with towering storage cylinders that once made Buffalo one of the world’s largest grain ports—sits a quirky little social hub, buzzing throughout all four seasons. In the shadows of encircling silos rests Duende, a multifaceted, multi-stage venue that’s spurned new life off the banks of the Buffalo River—and has shown how the art of music can resuscitate an expanse once lost to the past.
In this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk about how the establishment of a Silo City comfort station developed into a one-of-a-kind music venue with Duende owner, Rick Smith; discuss what it’s like to play amid the city’s iconic grain silos with longtime Buffalo musician, Tom Stahl; and learn about the many ways to enjoy music at Duende from venue regular, James Duggan.
Episode 10: Sportsmen’s Tavern
Buffalo’s Sportsmen’s Tavern, since first opening in 1985, has cultivated a destination dedicated to celebrating the unifying power of Americana music and its international legion of talented purveyors, one performance at a time. On this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk about how a neighborhood tavern in Black Rock became a destination venue for music fans and traveling musicians alike with Sportsmen’s co-owner, Jason Hall; discuss what makes a daytime or nighttime performances at Sportsmen’s so special with Grosh guitarist, Grace Lougen; and learn why attendees of the venue are more community than crowd with Sportsmen’s regular, Rachel Swenson.
Episode 9: Asbury Arts Center
Today, we visit the Asbury Arts Center. Plenty of music venues are considered spiritual places by musicians and fans alike—and the connection at Asbury Hall makes sense. 150 years ago, it was home to the city’s Delaware Avenue Methodist Church. Now, it’s a 1,200-capacity multi-faceted performance and gallery space in the heart of the Queen City—long ago rescued by one of region’s most renown musicians, Ani DiFranco and the venue’s owner Scot Fisher. Known to both locals and visitors by its longtime moniker, Babeville, we’ll have conversations with the Vice President of Asbury Arts Center, Anna Kapechuk, Buffalo Music Hall of Fame inductee and artist, Bruce Wojick, and frequent Asbury attendee and musician, Sara Elizabeth.
Episode 8: Pausa Art House
A welcoming venue for artists both contemporary and complementary, this is the singularity of PAUSA Art House amid Buffalo’s music scene, and every week, new visitors are introduced to its place and possibilities. In this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk about PAUSA’s development, mission, and magnitude with co-founder and current owner, Lazara Martinez; discuss what makes the venue so special for musicians with jazz vocalist Alex McArthur; and explore what a night at PAUSA looks like from an attendee’s perspective with Kofi Fynn-Aikins, a patron who consistently keep getting drawn back into this magical space.
Episode 7: Music is Art Festival
One of the most celebrated festivals in the Buffalo music scene was started by none other than Robby Takac from the Goo Goo Dolls. As a native to the Queen City, his vision was to expose the eclectic and underground, but vibrant music that was happening right around his own studios in Buffalo. After more than 20 years of success, Music is Art has grown in size and scope. In this episode we’ll talk with festival founder Robby Takac from the Goo Goo Dolls, Mike Farrow of the band Farrow, who has performed at Music is Art for years, and Linda Appleby, a music educator and a fan, who has attended Music is Art since the beginning.
Episode 6: Borderland Music + Arts Festival
This is the Borderland Music and Arts Festival, an annual three-day gala of arts, music and camaraderie, set to launch its sixth installment at East Aurora’s Knox Farm State Park from September 13-15, 2024. In this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk festival specifics, how it’s grown into this year’s sixth edition, and how the event has become an end-of-summer celebration with Borderland co-founder, Jennifer Brazill; connect with Harmony Griffin of Uncle Ben’s Remedy on how the festival connects musicians with the best of the Buffalo area; and explore what makes the event so special for local and visiting fans alike with Borderland regular, Kevin Ford.
Episode 5: Buffalo Iron Works
On this episode of Hear Here, we head to Buffalo Iron Works in the Cobblestone District to talk with owners Josh Holtzman and Grace Vesneske about the evolution of the club. We get to meet an Iron Works superfan and season ticket holder, Melissa Stadler. And finally, Michael Gantzer from Aqueous joins us for an introspective conversation about what Buffalo Iron Works means to him.
Episode 4: Beau Fleuve Music & Arts Celebration
The Beau Fleuve Music and Arts Celebration was conceived to be a celebration of diversity and arts of all kinds. The four-day event is now in its eighth year, and preparing to bring an exciting array of installations and live performances to the campus of Buffalo Central Terminal. In this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk with Beau Fleuve founder, Lindsey L. Taylor; discuss how the festival provides a stage to the city’s most diverse collection of creative talent with installation artist Nekea Brown; and highlight what makes the event so special for fans with Visit Buffalo Niagara tourism professional Renata Toney.
Episode 3: Artpark
In this episode of “Hear, Here,” we’ll talk about the history and scenic allure of Artpark, now in its 50th year, with its interim president, Dave Wedekindt; discuss how the destination’s natural beauty can add to performance with O.A.R. guitarist, Richard On; and hear about how some shows can become spiritual experiences with Artpark board member and ardent music fan, John Camp. Now, after years of memorable shows amplified from its various staging areas, Artpark has become one of the country’s distinctive, internationally celebrated destinations.
Episode 2: June in Buffalo
Championed internationally by the renowned Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and echoed for generations inside spaces like Kleinhans Music Hall, classical music can bring listeners back to the streets of our one-time City of Light and deepen their appreciation of the modern Queen City. Throughout the summer, there are scores of classical performances across the region. But with the annual June in Buffalo—the June 9-15, 2024 festival dedicated to contemporary composers and set on the campus of the University at Buffalo—fans can enjoy multiple days of classical music appreciation and get lost in the beauty of arrangements that have stood the test of time. In this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk festival specifics and legacy with June in Buffalo Artistic Director, Jonathan Golove; examine the genre’s trajectory and intricacies with conductor of the BPO, Fernanda Lastra; and connect with Buffalo-born composer, Amy Williams about her musical upbringing—and where classical music could take us next.
Episode 1: Town Ballroom
On this episode of Hear Here, we visit the iconic Town Ballroom. Initially called The Town Casino in the ‘40s, 50s and ‘60s, the Town Ballroom on Main Street in Buffalo, NY hosted legends such as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Miles Davis. In the following decades, the building would change ownership multiple times. Nearly twenty years ago, hoping to establish a premiere concert venue in Buffalo, Artie Kwitchoff and Donny Kutzbach of Funtime Presents decided to “restore the old girl to her former glory.” In this episode, Donnie and Artie share their story of transforming this iconic venue to showcase local, national, and international acts. Bentley also visits with Max Kerman, the lead singer of Arkells, to find out what it’s like to play here. Finally, we meet Town Ballroom superfan Jim Lemoy, who has officially obtained VIP status, attending more than 400 concerts, and counting.