Episodes

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 aud...

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, Jo...

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 sub...

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 ...

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 ...

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 s...

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 long...

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 a...

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 ...

Buffalo’s place as a border city is more than a geographic observation. It informs the region’s id, affecting everything from our population, football fans and food to the artistic influences that color the city’s moods and memories. Some might say we are a borderland—and for the founders of one popular local celebration, this description designation became the perfect name for its annual three-day gala of arts, music and camaraderie that make Western New York so special. This is the Borderland ...

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. Hear Here is a production of Buffalo Toronto Public Media for Visit Buffalo Niagara.

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 celebration specifics, its initial creation, and how it amplifies the work of its host organization with Beau Fleuve founder, Lindsey L. Taylor; discuss how the festival provide...

In this episode of “Hear, Here,” we’ll talk about the history and scenic allure of Artpark 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 in its 50th year, the multifaceted Artpark is a breathtaking expanse that melds artistic celebration with environmental appreciation, j...

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 U...

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 for...