Friendraiser Followup – Family Promise and West Side Neighborhood Housing Services Share Spotlight
By Seamus Gallivan
Huge thanks to the many new and minority of current friends who attended last night’s Friendraiser at the Sportsmens Tavern, perhaps our best yet! It was entirely inspiring to hear the different ways that people made their way to the gathering – from monthly regulars to regular readers of this site curious as to what it’s all about, to nonprofit professionals who got a mass email urging attendance, there were so many new faces, truly challenging my ability to go around the room and remember everyone’s name – I nearly pulled it off, too…how could I forget an Irish name like Molly? That was my first dog’s name, for cryin’ out loud…
There were many great individual stories, such as Read more
Song of the Day – Rebop, Live Improv at Merge
By Seamus Gallivan
Like most Buffalonians who have been to Merge on a final Friday over the past year or so, I was sufficiently socknocked from the first sight and sounds of Rebop, a live hip-hop group improv experience led by one of Buffalo’s surefire showstoppers, keys/sax/singer Eric Crittenden, and joined by a cast of pseudo-regulars including the Chilharmonic Orchestra – DJ Cutler, Tone DiGesare on MPC, VJ Brown on guitar, and Nick Gonzales on bass – along with a slew of emcees and assorted ringers.
The combination of Cutler’s funky turntable tricks and DiGesare’s jazzy mad scientist MPC sampler comps lay a foundation rooted in innovation, with which Brown and Gonzales give a smooth and steady groove for Critt to turn it out, engaging and enveloping throughout as he releases himself to the rhythm. It’s a riot to watch, and there’s nothing else quite like it – Read more
Tales from the Tifft – Snowflakes in Focus at Frosty Fun Festival
By Andrew Stadler, Education Assistant, Tifft Nature Preserve
Have you ever looked at a snowflake up close and wondered how such an intricate pattern can form on such a small bit if frozen water? From afar, we often forget that snowflakes are as complex as they are. It is easy to look at snowfall and say, “Oh, it’s just frozen water particles falling to the ground,” but it’s that and oh so much more! Read more
Squeaky Bi-Weekly – Residency Applications Open; Channels Screening at Library
By Goda Trakumaite, Outreach Coordinator, Squeaky Wheel Media Arts Center
First, in INTERNATIONAL news, the deadline is very quickly approaching for applying for Squeaky’s International Media Artist/Filmmaker Residency. This Residency program, which is funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, is directed towards mid-career experimental filmmakers and media-makers who reside outside of the WNY region.
The idea is that we bring someone in, give them a place to stay, and let them use all of Squeaky’s facilities for a month. They get to know Buffalo as they Read more
Tonight: Friendraiser Focus – Family Promise House Concerts for the Homeless
By Seamus Gallivan
Tonight we return to the Sportsmens Tavern (326 Amherst St) – site of Wednesday night’s incredible installment of Song School – for our monthly Friendraiser, where good neighbors gather to connect and inspire. The free event will begin with open bar and networking from 6-7pm, upon conclusion of which we will introduce everyone, leaving the spotlight on staff and board members of Family Promise of Western New York, with whom we are planning a series of house concert benefits inspired by past Friendraisers. At 8pm, the Alison Pipitone Band will take the stage for their monthly rock n’ roll residence at the Sportsmens.
Family Promise provides Read more
Song of the Day – Bruce Springsteen & the Seeger Sessions Band, “Erie Canal”
By Seamus Gallivan
“You’ll always know your neighbor and you’ll always know your pal/If you’ve ever navigated on the Erie Canal” – Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal, by Thomas S. Allen
The validity of that lyric is currently at stake with respect to the Western terminus of the Erie Canal. If the overdue evolution of Buffalo’s Canal Side district is to occur in line with the will of the people, the businesses that drive this district will be owned by our neighbors – not by people in other communities who are much less likely to always be our pals.
Anyone who agrees with that statement and can be at Canal Side, 95 Perry St, at 1pm today should consider joining a rally organized by Buffalo First demanding that Read more
Keepin’ it Local – Make Local Business the Anchor Tenant at Canal Side: Part Two
Buffalo First intern Hannah Hanover continues the community’s case for local and independent businesses at Canal Side in this two-part article. Part One, published last week, focused on why local business should be considered the “anchor tenant” at Canal Side, rather than a big-box gamble that won’t best meet the needs of the local economy, local history, and most importantly, us locals ourselves. Part Two looks to examples of successful, local economy-focused and character-driven redevelopment to provide useful insights for how best to spend the region’s redevelopment dollars.
By Hannah Hanover, Buffalo First!
The ongoing conversation about redevelopment at Canal Side is only one prominent aspect of a larger issue concerning the region and its approach to economic development. Our present concern is the shape the Canal Side project will take. Read more
Song of the Day – Robert “Rojo” Joseph, “Child of the Sun”
By Seamus Gallivan
Robert “Rojo” Joseph’s free spirit folkie soul shines bright as he lights the way for his “Child of the Sun,” in this the first song I saw him perform. It has the flow, storyline, and warmth of the songwriting greats Rojo emulates, some of whom he namedrops in this brief Q&A done in advance of tonight’s Song School song swap series supporting Music is Art at the Sportsmens Tavern (326 Amherst St, 7pm, $5), co-presented by Battin Eyecare and Buffablog and featuring Rojo along with Dee Adams, Leroy Townes, and Alan “ADub” Whitney sharing songs and stories in the round as we collectinstrument donations for Music is Art to distribute to area schoolkids.
Like countless in the crowd at the Sportsmens Tavern in the short time Rojo has been in town, my first response was, “Where did this guy come from?!” Enjoy this version of “Child of the Sun” with guest percussionist Gus Russo, performed earlier this month at the PeopleArt Coffeehouse, and come see for yourself tonight the mysterious yet inviting Rojo… Read more
