Hello, music lovers! Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives. I’m your host, Jeff Miers. Today, we’ve got a very special guest - legendary progressive and hard rock musician, son of western New York, and virtuoso bassist Billy Sheehan. We know Billy from his groundbreaking work with Talas, David Lee Roth’s band, Niacin, Mr. Big, Sons of Apollo, and many more. Currently in the midst of a farewell tour with Mr. Big, which includes a homecoming gig at Electric City in Buffalo on June 6, Billy chatted with me from the road, where he’s been enjoying a string of sold-out dates with his bandmates. I started things off by asking Billy if he recalled that fateful night night in December of 1980, when a then-unknown band called U2 opened for Talas at Stage One in Buffalo - on what turned out to be the night that John Lennon was murdered, in New York City. Billy and his Talas bandmates reacted by performing a set of the Beatles tunes they’d grown up revering, as a tribute to Lennon…

Hello, music lovers!  Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives.  I’m your host, Jeff Miers. Today’s guests are two of my favorite musicians in all of the Western New York area, and they also happen to be two-thirds of one of my favorite bands - the postmodern, jam-based trio Organ Fairchild.  Guitarist Dave Ruch and drummer Corey Kertzie have been playing in bands together since meeting as high school students. They’ve been a major part of the Buffalo-area music scene for decades, but instead of sliding into complacency and plucking the low-hanging fruit, they challenged themselves and their audience by forming Organ Fairchild five years back, employing the deep musical bond they’ve been nurturing for years as a springboard to a fresh, forward-looking instrumental sound.  With their latest effort, Songs We Didn’t Write, about to drop, and a long summer of local, regional and festival appearances about to kick off, Dave and Corey took some time to chat with me about the role that music has played in their lives and their friendship, and about why music continues to matter so much to them at this stage of their careers. Welcome to Why Music Matters, guys…

Today’s guest is Chris ‘Bulldog’ Parker, the voice of Buffalo Sports radio, co-host of the afternoon show on WGR 550, and our conduit to all things Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres for as long as most of us can remember. Bulldog knows sports, and his passion for our Buffalo teams knows no limits. But he’s just as passionate about music, and the role it has played in his own life, the lives of his kids, and in the broader community. Whether he’s talking about the boundless athleticism of Bills quarterback Josh Allen, or extolling the virtues of bands like Wilco and the Clash, Bulldog wears his heart on his sleeve. And that’s why we love him.

Hello music lovers! Welcome to Why Music matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives. I’m your host, Jeff Miers. Today’s guest is an old friend of mine, a veteran of the Western New York Music Scene, and a 2016 inductee into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. Alison Pipitone has been writing songs, playing gigs and releasing albums since she formed her first band, as a teenager in the late 80s. Over that time, she’s fine-tuned an astute blend of rock ’n’ roll, roots music, and raw Americana influences. She recently released “Best Things,” her 10th album with the Alison Pipitone Band, and our conversation touched on the writing and recording of that album, Alison’s earliest musical experiences, what being an educator has taught her about songwriting, and what continues to inspire all these years into her career. Thanks for joining us!

Hello music lovers, and welcome to another edition of Why Music Matters. I’m your host, music journalist and musician Jeff Miers. Today, my guest is the jazz musician, bandleader and educator Walter Kemp. Walter just released an astounding new album, called Black Whole Live, a fiery, dynamic live set featuring a band that includes saxophonist Brent Birkhead, violinist Scott Tixler, bassist Rishon Odel and drummer Allan Mednard. Kemp describes the sound this ensemble makes as “Afro-Terrestrial Sonic Interplay,’ and he’s right - in this mix, you can easily hear the jagged edges of forward-looking improvisation milestones from jazz history, and the sounds of the music of the future. As a performer, composer, producer, touring musician and educator, Walter Kemp has crystallized the positive force that music can be in our lives. He’s got a lot to say about why music matters, in his life and in the culture as a whole. Let’s get to it!

My guest today is the bassist, songwriter, bandleader and all around awesome human being Karina Rykman.  A self-taught bassist and guitarist, Karina started playing in bands in and around New York City when she was barely a teenager, and was touring as a member of legendary keyboardist Marco Benevento’s band while still attending college.  The stint in Benevento’s band prepared Karina for forming her own trio and hitting the road, a period during which she caught the eyes and ears of some major players, among them Phish guitarist and band-leader Trey Anastasio.  Last year, she released her debut album, ‘Joyride,’ a dizzying collection of psychedelic indie, alternative and jam-based tunes that made my top 10 list of rock albums for 2023. Anastasio co-produced the album, and lent his inimitable guitar stylings to half of the tracks.  Throughout ‘Joyride,’, Karina’s bass playing reveals the depth and breadth of her musical influences, and her always vibrant, sometimes playful, and occasionally dreamy vocals lead the listener on a journey through her colorful imagination.  Listeners in the Buffalo, NY area will be able to catch Karina and her trio as part of the Rail Rider Jamboree Festival on Saturday, March 23, at Holiday Valley in Ellicottville. Learn more and grab your tickets at railriderjam.com.  Welcome to Why Music Matters, Karina Rykman!

My guest is cellist, creator and collaborator Alex Cousins.    A classically trained musician and Peabody Conservatory graduate, Alex has performed as a soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, played with a variety of original alternative bands, and been seen and heard in venues from Western New York to Italy.    But what sets Alex apart is his passion for the electric cello, a unique instrument that he employs in his quest to stretch the envelope and challenge the notion of what a 21st century musician can be.    Alex is a musical seeker whose tastes run from Bach to Alternative rock, and so many genres in between. Today, he’ll tell us his story, and introduce us to the magical world of the electric cello.   Take it away, Alex!

Today on Why Music Matters, my guest is musician and DJ Chelsea O’Donnell. Chelsea began her career in radio as host of the local show on 107.7 FM Alternative Buffalo, where she helped that station celebrate the rich variety of local and regional indie rock from Western New York. These days, you can hear Chelsea on WBFO The Bridge, where she hosts The Scene, a show focusing on original independent music from Western New York and Southern Ontario, every Sunday. Concurrent with all of this, Chelsea writes, records, performs and tours with her indie rock band, Stress Dolls. This immersion in independent music has granted Chelsea a unique perspective on Why Music Matters - to cities, to scenes, and to each of us individually.  Join us!

Today on Why Music Matters, I have a conversation with Ray Wawrzyniak. Ray is a devout music lover. Musicologist, author and collector whose main passion in life aside from his family, of course, is the Canadian progressive rock trio RUSH. Ray joined me to chat about our shared love for that band, about RUSH co-founder Geddy Lee's new memoir, and about why All music matters but in Ray's world, RUSH music matters most.

Today on why music matters, my guest is composer, author, storyteller, and Recording Academy 2023 class member, Barron Ryan. Whether he's working on commissioned compositions to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, collaborating on music meant to help us deal with personal loss, or ruminating on music's ability to help us discover and present the beauty we're uniquely positioned for, Barron has significant insight into why music matters.

Today on Why Music Matters, I spend some time with Fernanda Lastra of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.  Hired as Conductor Diversity Fellow by the Orchestra in September of 2022, Fernanda quickly made her mark, combining her fiery presence at the podium with a passion for community engagement, overseeing the BPO Kids and Music for Youth programs, working as cover conductor for Maestro JoAnn Falletta, and serving as a member of the BPO Diversity Council.  In recognition of her abundant talent, the BPO extended Fernanda’s contract as Diversity Fellow and promoted her to Assistant Conductor of the Orchestra in October of this year.  Born and raised in Argentina, and a graduate of the Penn State School of Music, Fernanda has led orchestras around the US, in Argentina and in Brazil. Along the way, she’s gained keen insight into the power music holds to connect us and speak to our better selves.  Welcome to Why Music Matters, Fernanda Lastra!

Today on Why Music Matters, I’m hanging out with my old friend, singer, songwriter, and true believer in the power of rock ’n’ roll to lift our spirits and enrich our lives, Willie Nile. Praised by The New York Times as “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to have emerged rom the New York scene,” Nile was born in Buffalo, but moved to New York City decades back, where he launched a  career that would eventually make fans of the likes of Bono from U2, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend of The Who, and Lou Reed, many of whom Nile has shared the stage with over the years. Join us as Willie shares stories from a life that, in many ways, reads like a rock ’n roll fairytale.

Today on Why Music Matters, my guest is Peter Conners, musicologist, novelist, Grateful Dead scholar and a hero of mine for the way he has devoted his life to exploring the connection between the majesty of music and the power of the written word. Whether it’s his nonfiction works, like Growing Up Dead: The Hallucinated Confessions of a Teenage Deahead, Cornell 77: The Music, the Myth and the Magnificence of the Grateful Dead’s Concert at Barton Hall, and White Hand Society: The Psychedelic Partnership of Timothy Leary & Allen Ginsberg, or his recent novel, Merch Table Blues, Peter’s writing reads like my favorite music sounds. Join us as Peter shares some insight on getting shown the light in the strangest of places!

Today on Why Music Matters, I’m joined by Buffalo Sabres play-by-play announcer Dan Dunleavy. In addition to his considerable game-calling skills, Dan is a died-in-the-wool music lover with an enduring passion for artists as diverse as Elvis Presley and Eddie Van Halen, the Tragically Hip and AC/DC. Throughout our chat, Dan offers some insight on the connections between music and sports, a lifetime’s worth of musical obsessions, and how music has helped him through his darkest days. Welcome to Why Music Matters, Dan Dunleavy!

This week on Why Music Matters, I get to hang out with my friend Mike Gantzer, guitarist and vocalist with indie jam-rock quartet Aqueous, as well as side project Death Kings - with Ryan Stasik of Umphrey's McGee and Ryan Nogle of Funktional Flow. Mike has spent the past decade on the road, and during that period, Aqueous has grown from a Buffalo band to a major player in the world of jam-based music, performing across the country and at prime annual music festivals like The Peach Festival, Electric Forest and Summer Camp. With Aqueous embarking on a hiatus, Gantzer reflected on the band's first ten years, the significance of the friendships that birthed the band, and the role that music plays in his day-to-day life. Welcome to Why Music Matters, Mike Gantzer!

Today on Why Music Matters, I get to spend some time with one of my favorite musicians, with the added bonus that he happens to be my son. Declan Miers is a bassist, producer, composer and guitarist who is currently on the road with alternative R&B superstar SZA. He’s performed and recorded with a host of Neo-soul, R&B, pop and jazz artists, including Mac Ayres, Renee Rapp, Brass Tracks, Cautious Clay, Cisco Swank, Gene Coye, Mikki Howard, Ava Max, and Alex Isley. But in my eyes, he’s still that little kid who fell in love with music when he was still crawling around on the floor in front of the stereo, my longtime concert buddy, and the kid who left home at 16 to attend the Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship, and then headed out into the world to pursue his musical dreams. Declan was raised to speak his mind, and he does so here, in a conversation that touches on the mentorship he received from the Buffalo gospel, jazz, rock and funk music communities, the life of a young touring musician, and the role that music can play in teaching us all how to speak less and listen more. Welcome to Why Music Matters, Declan Miers. Let’s have some fun!

Today on Why Music Matters, I’ll be speaking with Shain Shapiro, founder and chairman of the economic consultancy Sound Diplomacy, director of the global nonprofit Center for Music Ecosystems, and author of the forthcoming book This Must Be the Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better. Shain is a serious music-lover, who turned his passion for music into pioneering work on how music can radically transform not just the people who live in a city, but that city itself. Over the past decade, Shain has reimagined the way in which all of us should view the convergence of music, culture and urban policy. He’s an expert on music’s ability to speak to our better selves, and has keen insight to share on how those better selves might build better cities. Thanks for joining us on Why Music Matters.

On this episode of Why Music Matters with Jeff Miers, I catch up with Goo Goo Dolls bassist and Music Is Art founder Robby Takac. As one of the most successful musicals to have emerged from Buffalo over the past 30 years, Robby has a unique perspective on the ever-changing landscape of the music industry. And as founder of the annual Music is Art Festival, which celebrates its 21st anniversary on September 9, he has relentlessly pursued a vision of music as an agent of community building here in his hometown. He’s also just a really cool, passionate, humble, and funny guy.

On this episode of Why Music Matters, I spend some time with Jennifer Brazill, founder of the Borderland Festival, which celebrates its fifth year at Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora, New York, September 15 through 17. This year’s Borderland marks a serious breakthrough for Brazill and her team, as she presents three full days’ worth of roots music, Americana, and jam-band sounds across multiple stages, with headliners Goose, Trey Anastasio Band and Moe lending significant star power to the lineup. Jen’s journey has taken her across the country over the last 20 years, as she worked at independent record labels, in concert production and promotion, and in artist management, including a stint with the Dave Matthews Band’s management team. Jen brought all of this experience back to her native Western New York when she founded the Borderland Festival in 2018. Through it all, Jen has been guided by a deep and abiding love for music and an enduring belief in its ability to transform and elevate.

On this episode of Why Music Matters with Jeff Miers, I'm speaking with musician, singer-songwriter, poet, activist and social justice advocate Michael Franti. Franti recently performed an emotional, jubilant show with his band Spearhead at Artpark in Lewiston, NY, and he took some time prior to that gig to talk about music as an agent of transformation, in his own life, and in the lives of his listeners. Tune in! And don’t forget to subscribe! Watch the video version here!  Listen on Spotify Visit my website Visit my Substack  Produced by 678Main.