Buffalo Bob Sez: Here's a look at the month's great shows, plus Emerging Artists gallery

The SAM Foundation Board of Directors recently approved the idea of expanding distribution of The JAM in the coming months. We’ll try to increase the content, add a calendar of live music in Western New York and drop the hard copy off at more locations – and we hope to sell some advertising space.

Every month we list all the free ticket opportunities available to SAMF members, but as you know there is great music going on just about every day of the week at locations all over WNY.

Alex McArthur at the Feb. 26 Emerging Artists Showcase at the Sportsmen’s Tavern. The full gallery is at the bottom of the page.

So in the spirit of those two aspects of the SAM Foundation, for this month I’m going to list some of the shows coming up that most grab my attention, including the ones offering a pair of tickets to a lucky SAMF member. This is very subjective list; there’s so much going on, there’s no doubt I’m missing some things.

March 3: Foundation Night with The Twang Gang, the first Tuesday of the month (as always!). Get SAMF info and enjoy the increasingly eclectic Twang Gang/Sportsmen’s Tavern
March 4: The High Kings at Babeville, a special St. Patrick’s month show.
March 10: While I’m on St. Patrick’s music, check out the Buffalo Irish Center for The Druids and look throughout the month for other Celtic highlights.
March 5 and 19: Bluegrass lunch at the Sportsmen’s Tavern – Buffalo’s best bluegrass players.
March 6: More bluegrass-Folkfaces and Dirty Blanket at the Sportsmen’s. They’re calling it Dirty Folkin’ Blanket Faces.
March 8: Our annual SzelestFest on Sunday afternoon, featuring Jimmy Calire, coming in from the West Coast. Doug Yeomans will be the bandleader – Sportsmen’s Tavern.
March 11: The Cave presents Amy LaVere and Will Sexton.
March 12: The Irishman in Williamsville – Celtic Cross with SAMF board member and violinist Michael Miskuly!
March 13: At the 189 Public House in East Aurora. Dave Thurman.
March 13: Ten Cent Howl and The Observers in a Friday night show at The Cave
March 14: Workingman’s Dead at the Sportsmen’s. This year is the 50^th anniversary of the album “Workingman’s Dead.”
March 14: The Town Pants at Buffalo Iron Works. I was amazed at their performance at the Sportsmen’s several months ago.
March 15: Professor Louie and The Cromatix, Sportsmen’s.
March 20: Matthew Blue of the Brothers Blue at the 189 Public House.
March 22: Jim Whitford’s Original Music: 20 Years of Poison in the Well-2019’s SAMF Pioneer of the Year will be celebrating his CD from 20 years back (recorded with Gurf Morlix, Ian McLagen and Linda McRae among the participants). Look for him to be joined by several of his former Pine Dog friends as well.
March 26: Miss Tess and the Talkbacks, Sportsmen’s Tavern.
March 28: Tom Waits Tribute-Old Shoes and Picture Postcards, at The Cave. This one is presented by Dale Metzger and Silverfest Cottage Industry and features a great lineup of performers.
April 3: Chicago Farmer & The Field Notes at the Sportsmen’s Tavern and profoundly inspired by fellow Midwesterner John Prine.
April 3: Last month Rose and I went on our annual Cayamo Americana Music Cruise, headlined by Mavis Staples, Rodney Crowell, Jeff Tweedy and Brian Wilson. One of the bands that was voted onto the cruise (which they do every year and I’ve encouraged a few WNY bands to go for it) was Them Coulee Boys. From Milwaukee, they’re a very lively, rockin’ bluegrass band. They’ll be at Duende at Silo City.
April 4: Fuzzy and the Rustbelts, Ten Cent Howl and Copper & Gin at Mohawk Place. Fuzzy and C&G are former SAMF Emerging Artists.
April 4: The Sadies, Canadian roots rockers at Buffalo Iron Works.
April 10: New Orleans Suspects, at Iron Works. The name says it all, presented by The Big Easy.
April 11: Buffalo Music Coalition presents “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” At The Cave. A Celebration of Women in Music, an all-star lineup of women performing new and classic songs from women songwriters and performers (and yes, BMC is also another group I’m involved in).
April 14: The Infamous Stringdusters, at Buffalo Iron Works. “With a nod to the past and a firm foot down on the gas toward the future, the ‘Dusters… don’t leave bluegrass behind; they’re stretching it from within.” – New York Times
And finally, there are many bands with regular residencies at area venues. Don’t take them for granted; get out and support them. Go see McCarthyizm, Freightrain, Skiffle Minstrels, Kensingtons, Shaky Stage, Steam Donkeys, Miller and the Other Sinners and many more.