The Gusto Blog

The City of Buffalo, under pressure from arts organizations to deliver on its promise of funding for cultural and anti-violence groups, released its long-delayed funding application this week. The city has given groups until April 5 to apply for the funding. Here's a copy of the application, which lays out the city's requirements for applicants. 

According to Arts Services Initiative Executive Director Tod A. Kniazuk, the city did not send the application out to all eligible organziations. Kniazuk also said that the city will not employ the inordinately useful Cultural Data Project, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts specifically designed for situations like the current funding delay at City Hall and to depoliticize the cultural funding process.

ASI is sending the application out to all eligible groups today.

"So, there you have it," Kniazuk wrote in an email. "A two week turnaround for the organizations who were lucky enough to find out about it."

Continue reading "UPDATE: Buffalo releases long-delayed arts funding application" »

John Mayer performs during Tiger Jam, Saturday, April 30, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP file photo/Julie Jacobson)

Another day, another big name musical star announces he will be coming to Darien Lake this summer.

John Mayer, on his "Born & Raised Tour 2013," will make a stop at the Performing Arts Center on Aug. 13.

The show will include special guest Phillip Phillips.

The Grammy-winning Mayer has had a raft of hits in the past 10 years, including "No Such Thing," "Waiting on the World to Change" and "Daughters."

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through Ticketmaster outlets. Ticket prices range from $36 for lawn seats; $99 for a four-pack of lawn tickets; $55 and $75 for reserved seats.

Buffalo's newest concert venue, the Waiting Room (334 Delaware Ave.), welcomes Jonathan Richman  for a performance at 7 p.m. June 19.

Tickets are $16 advance, $19 day of show and go on sale at noon March 22 through www.ticketfly.com, at the Town Ballroom box office (681 Main St.) and through the After Dark box office (630 Elmwood Ave.).

This is the newest concert announced for the Waiting Room, which opens April 1. Previously announced shows include: Polar Bear Club with !Outernational!, Anchor Me Down and Cedar Kites, April 1; The Slackers with B Side Bastards, Uncommonly Smooth and DJ Ruben of Culture Clash Soundstystem, April 4; Shane Sweeney (Two Cow Garage) and Todd May, April 11; a CD release show for Head North with Knockout Kid, Rescue Dawn, Casey Bolles, Lo & Behold and Friends U Cant Kill, April 12; and Andrew WK, April 15.

For the full lineup and more information, visit www.waitingroombuffalo.com.

Flogging Molly, joined by Lowest of the Low, will perform at 6 p.m. Aug. 2 at the Outer Harbor Concert Site, 325 Fuhrmann Boulevard.

Tickets are $30 advance, $38 day of show and go on sale at noon March 22 through Ticketmaster, the Town Ballroom box office or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000.

For more information, visit www.OuterHarborConcerts.com.

Michael Tilson Thomas, former music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, is finding the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the continent. Thomas has for a long time been the music director of the San Francisco Symphony. And the San Francisco Symphony is up to his neck in labor problems.

The orchestra had to go so far as to cancel its concerts at Carnegie Hall. The concerts were supposed to take place today and tomorrow, and were to feature the celebrated pianist Yuja Wang. Also canceled were concerts at the Kennedy Center and the New Jersey Center for the Performing Arts.

What a mess!

With luck the orchestra's problems will be worked out soon.

-- Mary Kunz Goldman

I am fascinated by the situation involving Michelle Shocked, who appears to have committed professional suicide. I mean, she seems to have completely torched her career.

Apparently she was giving a show on Sunday night at Yoshi's, in San Francisco, when she came out with a speech about how if Proposition 8 is overturned ... wait, let me quote her directly because there is already too much second-hand quoting going on. According to the Guardian in England -- Shocked has, or had, a lot of fans there -- she said: "When they stop Prop 8 and force priests at gunpoint to marry gays, it will be the downfall of civilisation, and Jesus will come back."

She said this in San Francisco, of all cities! Well, in Oakland. I have been at Yoshi's. I saw Dizzy Gillespie there, a wonderful night of music. I also have been a Michelle Shocked fan at certain times in my life. I like  "Arkansas Traveler" -- that picture at left is from that album -- and I was happy to notice her signature on the ceiling of Nietzsche's.

Shocked became a born-again Christian 20 years ago, and the word has been out about that. This review of a show she gave at the Tralf years ago suggests that she has always been kind of a loose cannon. Still she had never dropped a bomb like this. She is no right-winger either. She was arrested while participating in Occupy Los Angeles, she toured with Lilith Fair and she hated George W. Bush, everything you would expect from an artist the Guardian calls "an alternative-music icon." 

Anyway. Whatever you think of Proposition 8, this is a great human drama. Shocked emerged after intermission appearing to be nervous and agitated. That is how you would behave if you had resolved, say, to throw yourself off a bridge. She knew the reaction was not going to be good. But she had just promised herself she would do this. She faced her audience and she did it.

Continue reading "A singer's professional suicide" »

The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival will hit the stage of the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center beginning at 1:10 p.m. July 14.

The festival lineup includes Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Mastodon, Amon Amarth, Machine Head, Children of Boredom and Behemoth. Tickets are $45, $55, $65 and $85 reserved seating, $35 lawn (with $105 lawn four-packs and $20 early-bird lawn seating) and go on sale at noon March 22 through www.livenation.com, www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000.

Dave Matthews performs at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center last July. (Harry Scull Jr/Buffalo News file photo)

Dave Matthews Band is making a summer stop at Darien Lake.

The band will perform at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on July 3 with special guest Fitz and the Tantrums.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through all Ticketmaster outlets.

Tickets are $75 for seats and $40.50 for a spot on the lawn.

Earlier this evening, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz delivered his first "State of the County" address in the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The location he chose to deliver that speech, the cultural flagship of Western New York and one of the driving forces of the region's ongoing arts renaissance, speaks volumes about the county executive's understanding culture's importance to the identity of Western New York.

And what he said in the speech about the role of the arts here -- something that until very recently a local public would never have acknowledged to the extent Poloncarz did -- will be heartening to the dozens of cultural organizations who lobbied so hard for the demise of his predecessor:

The Albright Knox is just one example of the abundance of riches we have in Erie County including: nationally renowned museums; an amazing philharmonic orchestra; landmarks from architectural giants; and, a thriving theater scene other cities would love to have.

...

I believe investment in our arts and cultural assets should be no more optional than funding our parks, roads and bridges. Each one of these is an integral part of the infrastructure of our community; some are steel and concrete, others are body and mind. The resident doesn’t need to ‘use’ the arts any more than the need to use every single road or bridge or park supported by their tax dollars to derive a benefit from them thriving. 

This is progress. Much more work remains to be done, including the creation of a more equitable approach to funding the county's cultural organizations, and making sure our region doesn't put the cart before the horse when it comes to cultural tourism. But compared to the state of cultural funding and government foresight in this region two years ago, things seem to be looking up.

--Colin Dabkowski

Kathleen Battle might not be much for interviews but she shows an endearing sisterly attitude toward up-and-coming singers. Teenage soprano Emily Helenbrook sent in this picture of herself with the celebrated diva, who is singing spirituals on Friday night with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

The picture was taken at a reception following Kathleen Battle's 2005 recital at UB's Center for the Arts.

Emily was 10. She writes: "She was the first singer I ever heard in concert, and she encouraged me to pursue music and my voice. She was so kind and her warmth, generosity, and sincere encouragement gave me the inspiration to pursue music as a career.  I followed her advice, and my excitement and honor to be on the same season with the BPO as her is unparalleled."

Kathleen Battle is singing at 8 p.m. Friday at Kleinhans Music Hall. Emily Helenbrook sang there in December during the Classical Christmas Concert with the BPO and Music Director JoAnn Falletta. Here is a picture of that.

Kathleen Battle's enthusiasm and kindness paid off!

For info on BPO events, call 885-5000.

-- Mary Kunz Goldman