The big day is almost here. One year after our coming out party at Riverside Park, the Sportsmen’s Americana Music Foundation is presenting out 1st Annual Awards Night. Information on that is presented below, along with an update from Buffalo Bob on the membership card you will be receiving very shortly and free ticket opportunities. Also in this edition is the September version of Kenny’s Korner and Don Nelson’s update on the educational efforts of SAMF and a message from the Chairman of the Board, Dwane Hall.
Buffalo Bob Sez
The Sportsmen’s Americana Music Foundation has had a highly successful first year as the premier non-profit music organization in WNY. A variety of events have been held, we’re consistently increasing our membership and we’re moving full steam ahead to make Buffalo the equal of Austin and Nashville. Our 1st Annual Awards Show will be a very prestigious event showcasing the best of the WNY music scene along with distinguished and influential national Americana music stars.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! For the SAMF 1st Annual Awards Show. We’re less than a week away. Monday, September 21st is the day, at 7 PM at the Sportsmen’s Tavern. Tickets are only $25 for members and $35 for non-members. Reserved seating at a downstairs table and the front row of the balcony are $50, if available. This is going to be a great night with Jim Lauderdale, Bill Kirchen and Kim Lenz and the Jaguars. Bill Kirchen is the SAMF national spokesman and Jim Lauderdale, the regular host of the Americana Music Association awards show in Nashville, will help to emcee the program. This Awards Show will really help to kick the Foundation into high gear as we’re almost there with the start of “Live at the Rock.” So make sure you wear your best cowboy or cowgirl shirt and be there for the Americana music event of the year!
For this year, the Board of Directors chose the award winners but rest assured, next year it’s going to be the full membership that votes on who wins the illustrious recognition of being a SAMF award winner. This year’s honorees:
Jim Lauderdale Songwriter of the Year
Leroy Townes
Bill Kirchen Pioneer Award
Bill Kirchen
Americana Band of the Year
John and Mary and the Valkyries
Male Vocalist of the Year
Willie Schoellkopf
Female Vocalist of the Year
Joelle Labert
SAMF Member of the Year
Susan Jaworski
$25 tickets for members must be purchased at the Tavern, $50 reserved seats must be purchased on-line and $35 non-member tickets can be purchased either way. Call the Tavern at 874-7734, Dwane Hall at 553-4713 or Bob McLennan at 864-5648 for more information.
Membership Cards
We’ll be ready to distribute the membership cards to all members in the very near future. This will be a great benefit of membership. There will be discounts at the Sportsmen’s Tavern and other venues, exclusively for members of the Foundation. We’ll contact you when your card is up for renewal. We signed up about 15 new members at Larkinville on September 9th and we’re in the process of getting the cards printed. Much more information will be available soon.
Free Tickets For Members
Buffalo Iron Works
Congratulations to Tricia Tramp and Jason McGrath who each won a pair of tickets for The Dusty 45s, and to Kay Czechowski and Anna Laba who both won a pair of tickets to Professor Louie and The Crowmatix with the Hitman Horns. Bob Mortimer won for Wishbone Ash and Anna Laba won again for the 1st Annual Awards Show.
Kenny’s Korner
While communicating with bands & agents from all around the country, they are taken aback by the amount of free or soft ticketed shows available in western New York. After I explain that these shows are scheduled 5 nights a week, the typical reply is that most markets have one or maybe two of these events per week. The amount of free/soft ticket shows on a weekly basis is a huge benefit for the community, but it does pose a challenge for venues booking and selling tickets. Please keep in mind that the music clubs in town are providing high quality shows 12 months a year & truly appreciate your support.
The last of free / outdoor shows just wound up this weekend. It’s sad when any promoter has to deal with weather as did MIA, Edgefest & the Niagara Falls Blues Fest when the rain never stopped falling all day this past Saturday.
Sturgill Simpson, Avett Brothers, Alabama Shakes, Gurf Morlix, Peter Rowan, Wayne Hancock, Reckless Kelly, Bottle Rockets w/ Mark Olson, Maria Muldaur, Jon Dee Graham, Hardin Burns, Linda McRae, Terri Joyce & The Tagalongs, Appleseen Collective, Kinky Friedman, Runaway Dorothy, Professor Louie, Cabinet & Max Creek are just a sample of Americana / Roots bands scheduled to perform in Western New York in the next month, go and support them!
Bottle Rockets, Reckless Kelly
Bottle Rockets
Reckless Kelly
Check out this article from No Depression. The Honeycutters have performed in Buffalo several times & Whitney Rose is scheduled to in Nov. & Dec.
http://nodepression.com/article/five-artists-not-be-missed-americana-music-association-september-15-20-2015
http://www.npr.org/event/music/439236535/watch-the-2015-americana-honors-awards-ceremony
Whitney Rose
Whitney Rose
Don Nelson – SAMF Education Czar
The Sportsmen’s AMF sponsored classes on Americana Music wrapped up its seven week program on August 17th. On August 20th the class, led by Katie Panfil, put ona concert for the entire Valley Center, friends and family. The students performed a number of the many songs they learned over the summer including “Clementine”, “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” and “Old Dan Tucker.” Perhaps the highlight of the afternoon was the class leading everyone, students, staff, friends and family in an enthusiastic rendition of the Woody Guthrie classic, “This Land is Your Land”. After the performance, the Valley Center treated students and guests to pizza and ice cream.
