Why Music Matters With Jeff Miers

Latest Episodes:

Willie Nile, Rock ’n’ Roll Poet Nov 24, 2023

Show notes

Today on Why Music Matters, I’m hanging out with my old friend, singer, songwriter, and true believer in the power of rock ’n’ roll to lift our spirits and enrich our lives, Willie Nile. Praised by The New York Times as “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to have emerged rom the New York scene,” Nile was born in Buffalo, but moved to New York City decades back, where he launched a career that would eventually make fans of the likes of Bono from U2, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend of The Who, and Lou Reed, many of whom Nile has shared the stage with over the years. Join us as Willie shares stories from a life that, in many ways, reads like a rock ’n roll fairytale.

Peter Conners on Getting Shown the Light in the Strangest of Places Nov 09, 2023

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Today on Why Music Matters, my guest is Peter Conners, musicologist, novelist, Grateful Dead scholar and a hero of mine for the way he has devoted his life to exploring the connection between the majesty of music and the power of the written word.
Whether it’s his nonfiction works, like Growing Up Dead: The Hallucinated Confessions of a Teenage Deahead, Cornell 77: The Music, the Myth and the Magnificence of the Grateful Dead’s Concert at Barton Hall, and White Hand Society: The Psychedelic Partnership of Timothy Leary & Allen Ginsberg, or his recent novel, Merch Table Blues, Peter’s writing reads like my favorite music sounds.
Join us as Peter shares some insight on getting shown the light in the strangest of places!

Dan Dunleavy: Buffalo Sabres Play-by-Play Announcer & Serious Music Lover Oct 26, 2023

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Today on Why Music Matters, I’m joined by Buffalo Sabres play-by-play announcer Dan Dunleavy.
In addition to his considerable game-calling skills, Dan is a died-in-the-wool music lover with an enduring passion for artists as diverse as Elvis Presley and Eddie Van Halen, the Tragically Hip and AC/DC.
Throughout our chat, Dan offers some insight on the connections between music and sports, a lifetime’s worth of musical obsessions, and how music has helped him through his darkest days.
Welcome to Why Music Matters, Dan Dunleavy!

Mike Gantzer of Aqueous Oct 12, 2023

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This week on Why Music Matters, I get to hang out with my friend Mike Gantzer, guitarist and vocalist with indie jam-rock quartet Aqueous, as well as side project Death Kings - with Ryan Stasik of Umphrey's McGee and Ryan Nogle of Funktional Flow. Mike has spent the past decade on the road, and during that period, Aqueous has grown from a Buffalo band to a major player in the world of jam-based music, performing across the country and at prime annual music festivals like The Peach Festival, Electric Forest and Summer Camp. With Aqueous embarking on a hiatus, Gantzer reflected on the band's first ten years, the significance of the friendships that birthed the band, and the role that music plays in his day-to-day life. Welcome to Why Music Matters, Mike Gantzer!

A Conversation With SZA Bassist (And Guy I Know Pretty Well), Declan Miers Sep 28, 2023

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Today on Why Music Matters, I get to spend some time with one of my favorite musicians, with the added bonus that he happens to be my son.
Declan Miers is a bassist, producer, composer and guitarist who is currently on the road with alternative R&B superstar SZA. He’s performed and recorded with a host of Neo-soul, R&B, pop and jazz artists, including Mac Ayres, Renee Rapp, Brass Tracks, Cautious Clay, Cisco Swank, Gene Coye, Mikki Howard, Ava Max, and Alex Isley.
But in my eyes, he’s still that little kid who fell in love with music when he was still crawling around on the floor in front of the stereo, my longtime concert buddy, and the kid who left home at 16 to attend the Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship, and then headed out into the world to pursue his musical dreams.
Declan was raised to speak his mind, and he does so here, in a conversation that touches on the mentorship he received from the Buffalo gospel, jazz, rock and funk music communities, the life of a young touring musician, and the role that music can play in teaching us all how to speak less and listen more.
Welcome to Why Music Matters, Declan Miers. Let’s have some fun!

Building Better Cities With Music, With Shain Shapiro Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

Today on Why Music Matters, I’ll be speaking with Shain Shapiro, founder and chairman of the economic consultancy Sound Diplomacy, director of the global nonprofit Center for Music Ecosystems, and author of the forthcoming book This Must Be the Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better.
Shain is a serious music-lover, who turned his passion for music into pioneering work on how music can radically transform not just the people who live in a city, but that city itself.
Over the past decade, Shain has reimagined the way in which all of us should view the convergence of music, culture and urban policy. He’s an expert on music’s ability to speak to our better selves, and has keen insight to share on how those better selves might build better cities.
Thanks for joining us on Why Music Matters.

Goo Goo Dolls Bassist and Music Is Art Festival Founder Robby Takac on the Power of Music to Build Community Sep 08, 2023

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On this episode of Why Music Matters with Jeff Miers, I catch up with Goo Goo Dolls bassist and Music Is Art founder Robby Takac. As one of the most successful musicals to have emerged from Buffalo over the past 30 years, Robby has a unique perspective on the ever-changing landscape of the music industry. And as founder of the annual Music is Art Festival, which celebrates its 21st anniversary on September 9, he has relentlessly pursued a vision of music as an agent of community building here in his hometown. He’s also just a really cool, passionate, humble, and funny guy.

Jennifer Brazill, Founder of the Borderland Festival, on Music’s Ability to Effect Meaningful Change Aug 31, 2023

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On this episode of Why Music Matters, I spend some time with Jennifer Brazill, founder of the Borderland Festival, which celebrates its fifth year at Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora, New York, September 15 through 17.
This year’s Borderland marks a serious breakthrough for Brazill and her team, as she presents three full days’ worth of roots music, Americana, and jam-band sounds across multiple stages, with headliners Goose, Trey Anastasio Band and Moe lending significant star power to the lineup.
Jen’s journey has taken her across the country over the last 20 years, as she worked at independent record labels, in concert production and promotion, and in artist management, including a stint with the Dave Matthews Band’s management team. Jen brought all of this experience back to her native Western New York when she founded the Borderland Festival in 2018.
Through it all, Jen has been guided by a deep and abiding love for music and an enduring belief in its ability to transform and elevate.

A Chat With Musician, Songwriter, Performer & Activist Michael Franti Aug 17, 2023

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On this episode of Why Music Matters with Jeff Miers, I'm speaking with musician, singer-songwriter, poet, activist and social justice advocate Michael Franti. Franti recently performed an emotional, jubilant show with his band Spearhead at Artpark in Lewiston, NY, and he took some time prior to that gig to talk about music as an agent of transformation, in his own life, and in the lives of his listeners.

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Produced by 678Main.

A Conversation With Maestro JoAnn Falletta Aug 03, 2023

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On this episode of Why Music Matters with Jeff Miers, I’m speaking with JoAnn Falletta, Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Called "one of the finest conductors of her her generation” by The New York Times, Maestro Falletta is the first woman to be appointed Music Director of a major American ensemble. Throughout the course of her career, she has been a tireless champion of music’s ability to transcend cultural and physical boundaries, and to speak to our shared humanity.
Tune in! And don’t forget to subscribe!

Watch the video version here!

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Visit my website

Visit my Substack

Produced by 678Main.