Western New York SOUND SMASH

Saturday, May 26, 2012 from 1-7pm Old Falls Street’s Middle Block in Downtown Niagara Falls, NY

Old Falls Street, USA & the Arts Services Initiative of WNY present unique collaborations from the members of MUSIC CULTURE 716.

Join us on May 26th to hear performances by:

• The Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus
• Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
• Music is Art
• Buffalo Music Hall of Fame
• Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus
• The Colored Musicians Club
• WNY Blues Society

It’s sure to be an exciting day!  Purchase a ticket to participate in wine & beer tastings hosted by The Results Group.

The party is tonight at Town Ballroom, hope to see you there.

Read more by visiting http://best.artvoice.com

Music is Art’s Summer Music Camp!

]]> https://musicisartbeat.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/summer-music-camp/feed/ 0 619 musicisartbeat SummerProgram2012pg1pdf-page-001 (2) https://musicisartbeat.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/613/ https://musicisartbeat.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/613/#respond Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:53:15 +0000 http://musicisartbeat.wordpress.com/?p=613 Continue reading →]]> Joe Krown Trio

Thursday, March 29th @ 7:30pm at the Sportsmens Tavern

Joe Krown, Walter “Wolfman” Washington and Russell Batiste started playing together in March 2007.  The Trio performs every Sunday at a New Orleans nightclub.  The combination of the soulful vocals of Walter with the big sound of Joe’s Hammond B-3 and the masterful drumming skills of Russell has developed its own unique sound, come here it for yourself!

Tickets are only $15 while they last!

Get your tickets at http://www.sportsmenstavern.com

Brought to you by Music is Art’s Big Easy in Buffalo series.

Buffalo local to work for music icon Joan Baez

On February 19, 22-year old musician Grace Stumberg is leaving Buffalo to work for music icon and social activist Joan Baez, for a five-week tour of the UK – maybe more.  For a young artist, insider career and learning opportunities rarely get better.  While it may sound like a stroke of Good Luck, it’s actually part of a bigger picture lesson, thanks to Robby Takac, Bob James and the local non-profit Music is Art.

The back story:  Flashback to 2007 winter morning when a 17-year old Stumberg sat in on a Buffalo Schools classroom workshop on Music Business Networking, presented by Grammy producer Anthony Casuccio who was visiting Music in Action – career skills training, a pilot program designed by Goo Goo Doll Takac and musician-educator Bob James.  Cassucio’s words move Stumberg to drop her college plan to become a music teacher.  Instead, she decides to pursue a career as an independent artist.

Fast forward 4 years to May 2011.  Stumberg enters the radar of Baez tour manager, Blair Woods, after Cynnie Gaasch of Young Audiences of WNY attends a Music in Action workshop, where Stumberg is sharing stories on touring, recording, and the activisms of the “tunes4food” food bank campaign.  Woods needs a new assistant for Baez.  Woods and Gaasch chat.  Dots are connected.  The fit seems right.

Music is Art’s Music in Action program is recognized by the NYS Department of Education as a proven “quality” program covering the Learning Standards for Career Development & Occupational Studies.  Students, schools and parents would like to see the program expand its reach.

To celebrate Grace’s success, the Grace Stumberg Band, Lewiston’s The Brass Monkeez and The Ruby Spirit from Toronto will play a SPECIAL BENEFIT FOR MUSIC IN ACTION on Wednesday, February 1, at 7pm at Buffalo’s Sportsmen’s Tavern at 326 Amherst @ Grant Street in Buffalo, NY.  Tickets are $10 for the all-ages, multi-media event.

The Brass Monkeez will be recorded “live” on February 1st for their upcoming CD and The Ruby Spirit will be presenting a Music in Action career workshop and concert at Lewiston-Porter High School earlier that day.

Contacts:

Sarah Rusczcyk, Executive Director, Music is Art 716-880-3377 or director@musicisart.org

Bob James for Grace Stumberg interviews & pictures 716-912-6656 or bobjames1@aol.com

Music is Art announced the 5th Annual Mardi Gras Jam, part of The Big Easy in Buffalo music education and concert series.  Headlining the February 17, 2012 concert will be Tab Benoit’s Swampland Jam featuring Cyril Neville, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and Waylon Thibodeaux.  The concert will take place at The Tralf Music Hall at 622 Main Street, Buffalo.  Tickets are $25 in advance and $28 at the door, and are available at http://www.ticketmaster.com or at 716-852-2860, and are on sale now.  All proceeds benefit Music is Art, a not for profit cultural organization founded by Buffalo native and Goo Goo Dolls bassist Robby Takac.

Also appearing will be “New Orleans’ premier washboard-sousaphone guitar trio, The Tin Men, Buffalo’s own country-rock-honkey tonk band The Steam Donkeys, and the winner of a student battle of the bands.  “The mission of the series is to bring some of the best musicians from Louisiana to Buffalo so our community and local students get a chance to experience this unique and important culture,” Music is Art Executive Director, Sarah Ruszczyk explained.

From southern Louisiana, Tab Benoit fuses electric blues guitar with a Cajun sound, and is an environmental activist through “Voice of the Wetlands”.  He is joined by Cyril Neville of the world-famous Neville Brothers, Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, and Cajun fiddler Waylon Thibodeaux to make up the Swampland Jam.  Openers The Tin Men play everything from trad jazz to Motown to hard rock – and they do it on a washboard, sousaphone and guitar.  “Over the past five years we’ve brought to Buffalo an incredible array of musical styles to represent the breadth and depth of New Orleans music”, said Big Easy in Buffalo founder Tod A. Kniazuk.  “This year we’re proud to show some aspects of that culture for the first time such as the Mardi Gras Indians and the swamp pop sound, and show that ‘only in New Orleans’ sound of The Tin Men.”

Prior to their public performance all the New Orleans artists will work with local students, including the winners of the Music is Art Big Easy in Buffalo student battle of the bands.  “It’s so incredible to give local kids the chance to learn from some top quality, world touring musicians, while at the same time opening their minds to music they might not otherwise hear,” Music is Art Founder and President Robby Takac added.

The 5th Annual Big Easy in Buffalo Mardi Gras Jam is a presentation of Music is Art, along with “Big Chief” sponsors, The Buffalo News, New York State Council on the Arts, Erie County, and Zee’s Property Services.

Music in Action’s latest set of 10 student artist tracks is being released as FREE DOWNLOADS, fitting current marketing trends in the industry.

“Paper Souls” was developed by the Music in Action team at Lewiston Porter High School during the 2010-2011 school year and includes a range of styles produced by Music in Action’s program leader, Bob James, with help from GCRAudio’s Justin Rose and a LewPort student-producer, Ryan Ankenbauer.  The cover art was designed by Rob Minicucci, who graduated from LewPort last June.

Music is Art’s Music in Action – industry skills training program was launched in September 2006 and has received several awards & a rare “quality” certification under New York State “Learning Standards” for Career Development & Occupational Studies, and The Arts.  Designed to improve student engagement in education and support the growing need for more student-centered career development resources in schools, Music in Action is now entering it’s 6th year.

The current release can be found at http://www.miaTracks.org.

Robby Takac, Founder and President of Music is Art and James are considering adding Music in Action’s first 4 CDs to the free download site.

Phil Aguglia, Ryan Casullo, Richard Gavidan, Kid Rock, Brenden Grabowski, Sam Speciale, Jr., Tod Kniazuk

Kid Rock awarded 4 not-for-profit organizations in Buffalo grants.  Music is Art sponsored 3 Ken-Ton students for grant money to support their continued study of music education.  These 3 students will receive a total of $5,000 to use for private lessons or instruments.

There were over 40 applicants for this much needed award in the WNY community.

Thanks to Kid Rock for their support of Music is Art.

WHO: Kid Rock with representatives from local charities Music is Art, Gaunches Unite, Boys & Girls Club of Buffalo and Special Spaces Buffalo

WHAT: Press Conference prior to Kid Rock’s show at the Town Ballroom

WHERE: Town Ballroom, 681 Main Street, Buffalo

WHEN: Sunday, November 20th at 6:30pm

Kid Rock has just kicked off a club tour across the county.  Along every stop, he will donate money to local charities, causes and individuals via the Kid Rock Foundation and a team of Detroit titans, to show support for other cities in need, and to show that Detroit, while experiencing its own difficulties, still has the power to unite to help others around the county.  Radio station partners in each tour market will help determine those individuals and organizations in need.  In Buffalo, the show will benefit local charities Music is Art, Gaunches Unite, Boys & Girls Club Buffalo and Special Spaces Buffalo.

This tour is a big change from Kid Rock’s Born Free Tour, which saw him playing the countries biggest stadiums, arenas and amphitheatres.  Kid Rock came up with the idea for his tour to coincide with the launch of his new single “Care,” from his critically acclaimed platinum-selling 2010 album “Born Free.”  Kid Rock will be backed by the one-of-a-kind Twisted Brown Trucker Band, his constant companions for many years on the road.  Ty Stone will be support on all dates.

There’s something about stripping down a song to its core, sharing the story behind its inspiration, and performing it alongside fellow songwriters before a hushed crowd. That something returns to the Sportsmens Tavern (326 Amherst St, $5 cover) next Wednesday, November 2^nd, and continues monthly with the return of The Good Neighborhood’s Song School series supporting Music is Art.

While many installments of the series will feature Buffalo songwriters who as yet are strangers, the November 2^nd, 7pm kickoff features four close friends – dual frontmen Brandon Barry and Joe Donohue of the Albrights and Erie Lackawanna Railroad (ELR); Stone Row, ELR, and Country-Punk Extravaganza (CPE) fiddler-singer Katie Panfil; and CPE leader Andrew J. Reimers. Each night in the series will include an instrument donation drive for Music is Art as well as a raffle.

The series, co-presented by Battin Eyecare and Buffablog, draws from a wide range of Buffalo musicians – the second installment, on December 7^th, offers Brad Gower (Photos of Wagons, Ramforinkus), Vic Lazar (Vox Humana, Patrons of Sweet), Geno McManus (the Ifs), and Andrew Moore (On the Sly, Effective Resolution); artists onboard for future song swaps include Dee Adams, Bob Buckley, Dave Calos, Vinnie DeRosa, Robert “Rojo” Joseph, Joe McCarthy, David Miller, Alison Pipitone, Nelson Starr, Grace Stumberg, Leroy Townes, Zak Ward, Alan “ADub” Whitney, and more.

“Song swaps are for lovers,” said The Good Neighborhood founder Seamus Gallivan. “This is not a party where there happens to be music to tap along to or talk over – this is a celebration of the power of song; its ability to move people in a deeper way. We ask the artists to share stories behind the songs, and when possible, perform on each other’s material; in turn, we ask the audience to bring any unused, unwanted, or ‘unworking’ instruments to donate to Music is Art to share a love of music with an area student.”

To learn more about the artists, Music is Art, Battin Eyecare, and Buffablog, and for a daily dose of the greater good, visit www.thegoodneighborhood.com.