Welcome Members!
With the beautiful weather comes lots of outdoor music opportunities of which we have a few to offer you. Read below about how successful our Derby Day was – what a blast and a beautiful day with beautiful music. Upcoming events include our Silo City Alive 2 on July 1st and our annual Fest on September 15th.
Don Nelson updates us on our Education Programs. We will miss him as he retires from the board next month. Those are pretty big shoes to fill – figuratively and literally. We know he will always be there as a consultant if we need him.
Our monthly ticket giveaways are pretty desirable this month!
SAMF membership has been hovering around 400 members. Each month a handful of members expire and a monthly email reminder goes out to the month’s expirees. We hope you will respond by renewing your membership. Please talk to your friends about joining. We have so much fun!!!
Thanks to all!
Angela Hastings, Director of Membership
Buffalo Bob Sez
There is great music around town to pick from every day. I wrote about many of the performers and venues in WNY in last month’s JAM. Summertime offers even more choices. When we finally get some hot summer weather, remember the Sportsmen’s Tavern is now air-conditioned and there is live music there seven days a week. See below for a listing of all the musical partners and sponsors of the SAM Foundation.
The Sportsmen’s Tavern is offering two shows this month for a lucky member to win a pair of free tickets, Igor and the Red Elvises on June 4th and Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun on June 14th.
Artpark is starting their summer season and they’re offering two great shows. On June 19th, a double bill of Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers and The Wood Brothers will appear. On June 26th the Blue Rodeo and Colin James show is also available for the drawing.
On Saturday June 9th, the East Aurora Fest will happen throughout the village, 70 bands in 20 different venues and shuttle buses going all over town. But there will be a Fest within the Fest at Fireman’s Field, presented by The Buffalo Music Coalition, featuring McCarthyizm, Ten Cent Howl, Critt’s Juke Joint, Geno McManus and Stoneflower and The Band from Buffalo’s Last Waltz Live! Additional music between sets will be from Middlemen, Hard Cider, Ally Rose and Darryl Tonemah. Buffalo MC is offering two pairs of wristbands for the day’s festivities.
Email me by Sunday night May 27th at 9 PM to enter your drawing of choice, or all of them.
The next big Foundation event is Sunday July 1st at Silo City. Much more information coming about that event in the next JAM.
Bob McLennan, President
SAM Foundation
Education
“One of the key goals of the Foundation is to promote and expand awareness, appreciation and even passion for Americana music. Getting instruments into the hands and great music into the ears of kids throughout Western New York will help insure that the flame continues to glow.”
Education Update
With Memorial day just a couple of weeks away, the spring educational program are starting to wind down. Three of the five programs that kicked off way back in January, the ukulele club at the Holland Boys and Girls club along with the Americana music appreciation programs at the Valley Community Center and the Boys and Girls Club of Buffalo, wrapped up their final sessions over the past couple of weeks. And as of this writing both the Rock and Roll Workshop and the Community School music workshop both conducted at PS#198 have two more sessions left.
By the time the remaining two programs wrap up, The Foundation will have touched the lives of over 100 young Western New Yorkers this spring. Kids who had never heard of a dobro or dulcimer, bodhran or even banjo, now not only know what they are but they’ve played these and other instruments; guitars of course, the violin and mandolin. One never knows when the experience of strumming a guitar, making music for the first time, will spark in interest that turns into a lifetime passion.
There were three programs this spring that were noteworthy because they were firsts: Doug Yeomans headed up the first ukulele program at the Holland Boys and Girls Club. Ukulele programs are terrific for kids, really kids of all ages, in that they’re easy to handle, fun to play with a low learning curve. Another “first” was Mark Panfil’s music program at the Buffalo Boys and Girls Club. The program was very well received and there’s interest in doing a summer program with the foundation as well. Then last but not least is the music workshop that’s part of the Community School at PS#198. The Saturday morning sessions, two hours in length, have been one of if not the most popular program at the Community School. Each session sees at least 30 different students participate in Helen Butler’s and Mark Panfil’s acoustic guitar lessons followed by a one hour jam band session where the drum kit, electric guitar and bass are broken out for an ear splitting good time. Several of the regulars at The Rock and Roll workshop show up for the Saturday program as well.
And speaking of the Rock and Roll workshop, a group of the participants will be performing at the Buffalo City Public library on Thursday May 24th as part of the city wide public school talent show. Performance time TBA.
Finally I must report that as the spring programs wrap up within the next couple of weeks so too will my tenure on the Board of Directors of The Sportsmen’s AMF. It was an honor to be asked by Dwane Hall if I would be interested in sitting on the Board of the organization that he founded and its been an absolute pleasure being a member on a terrific team. Let’s keep working to get instruments into the hands and great music in the ears of kids in the region. Keep the flame lit and burning brightly!
Don Nelson, Vice President
SAMF
Events
Derby Day – May 5th at Flying Bison Brewery and Buffalo Distilling Company
Big Thanks to Tim Herzog of Flying Bison Brewery and Roy Bakos of Buffalo Distilling Company for a day full of sunshine, fun and great music.
The Foundation booked the music for the event which included The Creekbend Bluegrass Band and The Legendary Longjohns at Flying Bison Brewing Company, along with The Brothers Blue at Buffalo Distilling Company.
Music
Here Are a Few New Albums to Check Out
“Free Yourself Up” by Lake Street Dive
“Something Higher” by Leftover Salmon
“Loversity” by Sam Lewis
“Other Arrangements” by Parker Millsap
“Life Is Good on the Open Road” by Trampled by Turtles
Member News
If you are an Active member and do not have a SAMF membership card, please email me at samusicfoundation@gmail.com. If you are unsure if you’re an Active member, please don’t hesitate to ask.
NOTE: To receive discounts, you must show your membership card. To enter to win tickets, you must be an Active member. And as always, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the email address above.
DISCOUNTS FOR MEMBERS
The discounts we’ve arranged at this time are:
- Sportsmen’s Tavern – The first Tuesday of every month, all members who show their card at the door will get free admission to The Twang Gang.
- Buffalo Ironworks – 10% off all food items
- Allentown Music – 10% off all regular items
- Smolen/Bonghi CPA – 10% off all tax preparation and accounting services
- Korona Jewelry – 2 discounts
- Watch batteries installed for $5 instead of $7.
- 25% off the regular price of anything in stock.
- Ellicott Small Animal Hospital – 30% off regular exam
- Flying Bison Brewery – 10% off
- Buffalo History Museum – buy one regular admission and get one free.
- American Reperatory Theater – $10 tickets (1/2 price)
- Red Thread Theater – $15 ticket (regularly $25)
- MusicalFare Theater – $5 off General Admiss. online. Enter SPORTSMEN in coupon code. Limit 4
- Byrd House Restaurant – 10% off food
- Arts at the Bakery – 10% off admission
- Buffalo Distilling – 10% off food and drinks
- Kissing Bridge Discount Pass – look for emails from SAMF for discounts throughout the year.
