Music community

[styphon]

How is it that buffalo, the second largest city in ny, has a music community less active than smaller cities? How can a place Rick James once called the best blues city in america have such a stagnant musical scene?

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Comments

[xoxo_______fufu]

Uh... you're obviously not looking in the right places. We have a rather active music community actually. There are talented locals playing at any given night at a number of places around the city and suburbs. Open your ears and your eyes. Music is Art just took place this past Saturday showcasing 30+ local bands. Listen to 91.3FM WBNY's Local Show & Glorified Rehearsal every Thursday night 7pm - 11pm. Tune in or listen online - wbny.org. I believe there are other stations (the lake? the edge?) that feature local talent at some point as well. Cruise wnymusic.com and buffaloshows.net

[styphon]

Apparently I am not. I am looking not looking to go to shows, I am looking more for musicians to play with, recording studios, producers... It seems like these things are in shorter supply as opposed to, say rochestor

[deadkidsyntax]

I would say that the community is "tight-knit." Hang at Mohawk and Soundlab and you'll meet plenty of local people to play and record with.

[faerieboy]

And by "tight-knit", like the rest of the arts community in Buffalo, he means it's cliquish, insular, and so poorly unorganized that getting something new started is next to impossible.

[vyl8]

Our we have a strong experimental/noise community (as well as a strong tradition in new classical/experimental classical due to Mort Feldman teaching at UB at one point.) But most people don't really care about it because they don't consider it to be "music."

[longnwindngroad]

I have a co-worker who does this. I was hesitant at first but we went to a show he did and we were hooked.

[sarahspock]

You are obviously NOT living in Small Town, USA.

Where I'm from, people consider places with a mall that is more than a glorified plaza and doors that are actually locked at night...the Big City. Where I'm from, people with Masters degrees take jobs at Wal-Mart or the grocery store cuz there's nowhere else to work.

Buffalo has tons of opportunity. And for those who want to make it really big, it's a great stepping stone to get your feet wet before taking a leap.

Sure, they might be limited...in terms of making it say, on Broadway, but there are SOOO many more opportunities that are overlooked all the time in Buffalo. It kinda makes me sad, to be honest.

[evilaphrodesia]

This post comes on the heals of the Music is Art festival that took place over the weekend, put on by Robbie of the Goo Goo Dolls-- a local success who keeps the music alive here!

I get emails every week with tons of shows upcoming. We have talent here, it's just that you have to look for it. Like the band Free Henry!, who is extremely talented and plays around here all the time. It's expensive to plug bands and such and word of mouth is the way to go.

My dad is well connected in the music community. What d'ya need? He's recorded music here, played all over the place, and has met a lot of great musicians in the area. And funny enough, he generally plays the BLUES! He can help you out with what info you need. It really is all about knowing the right people for things like recording and producing.

[vivitalia]

I second what everyone here has said: you're just not looking in the right places. And oh, the Irish Center does have sessions. I forget what night, and they are unofficial, but I've been to several over the years. So does Ulrich's, and the Blackthorn, and several other pubs whose names escape me.