The Colored Musicians Club is more than just a venue. It's a living piece of history where jazz legends have gathered, performed and shaped the culture of Buffalo's music scene.

To explore this rich legacy, we turn to George Scott, the former president of the club, whose decades of leadership and deep connection to this historic space have kept its legacy alive; Les Davis, a legendary piano player who has visited and played at the Club since the 1950s; and superfans, Joann and Roy, longtime audience members who believe the club is a living testament to Buffalo's prominent position in the national jazz scene.

Hear Here is a production of Buffalo Toronto Public Media for Visit Buffalo Niagara

Today we visit an architectural gem, the Art Deco Saarinen-designed Kleinhans Music Hall, one of the absolute best concert halls in the country and home to the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. This episode showcases the rich history of this historic building and its connection to the community.

We talk to Jess Basil, the manager of Kleinhans Music Hall, to talk about the original intention of the hall and her vision for its future; Grammy-award winning conductor and music director of the BPO, JoAnn Falletta; and curator, Lauren Becker, who refined an on-site exhibit that dives deep into the generations of musicians that have played the hall.

Hear Here is a production of Buffalo Toronto Public Media for Visit Buffalo Niagara

The vibe of Buffalo’s Allentown neighborhood has always been eclectic and funky, colorful and chaotic, unconventional and unpredictable. This ethos has been chief to its draw, and why it’s a popular destination for locals and visitors alike. But over its blocks, some addresses embody its personality better than others—and one distills into every inch of its venue. That would be Nietzsche’s, the Allen Street music hub that adheres to no genre classification, and has reverberated the style and substance of its city district for more than four decades.

In this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk Nietzsche’s legacy, future, and role in Buffalo’s live music diaspora with co-owner Dave Arakelian Jr.; discuss the club’s unique ability to connect both local and touring acts to the ethos of Buffalo with singer/songwriter Tyler Westcott; and highlight what makes the venue so special for fans.

Hear Here is a production of Buffalo Toronto Public Media for Visit Buffalo Niagara

For nearly 120 years, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery served as the beacon of Buffalo’s arts appreciation. But in the summer of 2023—after a dramatic $230 million renovation that remade an already beautiful expanse into a new kind of spectacular—it was reborn as Buffalo AKG Art Museum. This glistening campus is now home to more gallery space, more displays, and more opportunities to showcase the power of creation and improvisation in the heart of the Queen City.

One of these opportunities is the annual Art of Jazz series, set to perform inside Buffalo AKG’s Stanford and Judith Lipsey Auditorium, starting on February 2 of 2025. In this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk about the relationship between Buffalo AKG and the Art of Jazz series with the museum’s manager of marketing and media relations, Andrew Mayer; discuss what the space and series means to musicians with celebrated jazz keyboardist, George Caldwell; and learn about why the series is so special to fans with jazz enthusiasts Jack Nossavage and Krishnan Kartha.

Hear Here is a production of Buffalo Toronto Public Media for Visit Buffalo Niagara

Nestled in the middle of the eclectic reclamation project known as Silo City—filled with towering storage cylinders that once made Buffalo one of the world’s largest grain ports—sits a quirky little social hub, buzzing throughout all four seasons. In the shadows of encircling silos rests Duende, a multifaceted, multi-stage venue that’s spurned new life off the banks of the Buffalo River—and has shown how the art of music can resuscitate an expanse once lost to the past.

In this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk about how the establishment of a Silo City comfort station developed into a one-of-a-kind music venue with Duende owner, Rick Smith; discuss what it’s like to play amid the city’s iconic grain silos with longtime Buffalo musician, Tom Stahl; and learn about the many ways to enjoy music at Duende from venue regular, James Duggan.

Hear Here is a production of Buffalo Toronto Public Media for Visit Buffalo Niagara.

Buffalo’s Sportsmen’s Tavern, since first opening in 1985, has cultivated a destination dedicated to celebrating the unifying power of Americana music and its international legion of talented purveyors, one performance at a time.

On this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk about how a neighborhood tavern in Black Rock became a destination venue for music fans and traveling musicians alike with Sportsmen’s co-owner, Jason Hall; discuss what makes a daytime or nighttime performances at Sportsmen’s so special with Grosh guitarist, Grace Lougen; and learn why attendees of the venue are more community than crowd with Sportsmen’s regular, Rachel Swenson.

Hear Here is a production of Buffalo Toronto Public Media for Visit Buffalo Niagara.

Today, we visit the Asbury Arts Center. Plenty of music venues are considered spiritual places by musicians and fans alike—and the connection at Asbury Hall makes sense. 150 years ago, it was home to the city’s Delaware Avenue Methodist Church. Now, it’s a 1,200-capacity multi-faceted performance and gallery space in the heart of the Queen City—long ago rescued by one of region’s most renown musicians, Ani DiFranco and the venue’s owner Scot Fisher.

Known to both locals and visitors by its longtime moniker, Babeville, we’ll have conversations with the Vice President of Asbury Arts Center, Anna Kapechuk, Buffalo Music Hall of Fame inductee and artist, Bruce Wojick, and frequent Asbury attendee and musician, Sara Elizabeth.

Hear Here is a production of Buffalo Toronto Public Media for Visit Buffalo Niagara.

A welcoming venue for artists both contemporary and complementary, this is the singularity of PAUSA Art House amid Buffalo’s music scene, and every week, new visitors are introduced to its place and possibilities.

In this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk about PAUSA’s development, mission, and magnitude with co-founder and current owner, Lazara Martinez; discuss what makes the venue so special for musicians with jazz vocalist Alex McArthur; and explore what a night at PAUSA looks like from an attendee’s perspective with Kofi Fynn-Aikins, a patron who consistently keep getting drawn back into this magical space.

Hear Here is a production of Buffalo Toronto Public Media for Visit Buffalo Niagara.

One of the most celebrated festivals in the Buffalo music scene was started by none other than Robby Takac from the Goo Goo Dolls. As a native to the Queen City, his vision was to expose the eclectic and underground, but vibrant music that was happening right around his own studios in Buffalo. After more than 20 years of success, Music is Art has grown in size and scope.

In this episode we'll talk with festival founder Robby Takac from the Goo Goo Dolls, Mike Farrow of the band Farrow, who has performed at Music is Art for years, and Linda Appleby, a music educator and a fan, who has attended Music is Art since the beginning.

Hear Here is a production of Buffalo Toronto Public Media for Visit Buffalo Niagara.

Buffalo’s place as a border city is more than a geographic observation. It informs the region’s id, affecting everything from our population, football fans and food to the artistic influences that color the city’s moods and memories. Some might say we are a borderland—and for the founders of one popular local celebration, this description designation became the perfect name for its annual three-day gala of arts, music and camaraderie that make Western New York so special. This is the Borderland Music and Arts Festival, set to launch its sixth installment at East Aurora’s Knox Farm State Park from September 13-15, 2024. In this episode of Hear Here, we’ll talk festival specifics, how it’s grown into this year’s sixth edition, and how the event has become an end-of-summer celebration with Borderland co-founder, Jennifer Brazill; connect with Harmony Griffin of Uncle Ben’s Remedy on how the festival connects musicians with the best of the Buffalo area; and explore what makes the event so special for local and visiting fans alike with Borderland regular, Kevin Ford.

Hear Here is a production of Buffalo Toronto Public Media for Visit Buffalo Niagara.