Why Music Matters With Jeff Miers

Jeff Miers
  • 5.0 (21)
  • Music Interviews
  • Updated Biweekly

Welcome to the Why Music Matters podcast. I’m your host, music journalist and musician Jeff Miers. Throughout my life in and around music, I’ve often asked myself the question - Why does music matter? This podcast attempts to answer that question, with the help of musicians, members of the music industry, and music-lovers like you. Join us!

  1. 1d ago

    Generations: Linda and Zuri Appleby

    Hey there, music lovers! Welcome to Why Music Matters!  Today, we kick off a special intermittent series called “generations,” focusing on families that have passed on their love of music from parents to children, and have created musical legacies in the process.  I could think of no better way to kick this series off than to invite Linda Appleby and her daughter, Zuri Appleby, to the studio for a chat about the way that music has crossed generational lines in their family.  Linda is a renowned and highly lauded music educator and advocate for music and the arts all across Western New York. Here in Buffalo, Linda is seen as the Queen of our music scene -  a scene that she helped to build through her work as a teacher, music director, and artist manager, and that she continues to foster through her consistent advocacy.  Zuri started her musical journey as a 5 year-old singing in church choirs, and deepened her commitment as she took up guitar at age 7, eventually settling on the bass, continuing the tradition started by her father, the renowned bassist and educator Rodney Appleby.  A mere 3 days after she graduated from the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, Zuri began her service in the Marine Corps,  as the first female bassist of color to play in the USMC Band.  After completing her service, Zuri wasted little time making a name for herself in the civilian world, and became a member of Nick Jonas’ band in 2015. After moving to Los Angeles in 2016, Zuri began to accumulate some top-tier gigs, performing with the likes of Adam Lambert and Lizzo, with whom she would go on to complete two headlining world tours.  During their visit to the studio, Linda and Zuri discussed the pivotal role that music played in their family life, the importance of music education, and the need to carve out space for reflection and personal growth within the hustle and bustle of the music industry. Welcome to Why Music Matters, Linda and Zuri!  Produced by 678Main Studio and Creative Services https://678main.com --- Follow Why Music Matters on social media https://instagram.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://www.facebook.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://twitter.com/wmmpod

  2. Jul 30

    Aaron Ziolkowski, jam band renaissance man

    Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives.   I’m your host, musician and music journalist Jeff Miers.   On today’s episode, I’m joined by my friend, guitarist, vocalist, teacher and music promoter Aaron Ziolkowski.  One of the hardest working musicians on the Buffalo scene, Aaron is a member of the Little Mountain Band, Dead Alliance Buffalo, and Eberwine.  He also manages to fit in gigs as a solo artist, and as part of the rotating cast of musicians playing one-offs at specially curated shows within the broader jam-based community.  In all of these musical scenarios, Aaron shines as a stellar accompanist, one whose subtle, incisive rhythm guitar playing elevates ensemble improvisations toward the stratosphere.  He’s also one of the most soulful vocalists you’re ever gonna hear, whether he’s singing one of his own songs, or digging deep into Grateful Dead ballad or rustic funky number by The Band.  We talked about all of this and more during Aaron’s visit to 678 Main Studios.  Welcome to Why Music Matters, Aaron Ziolkowski… --- Produced by 678Main Studio and Creative Services https://678main.com --- Follow Why Music Matters on social media https://instagram.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://www.facebook.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://twitter.com/wmmpod

  3. Jul 4

    John Bacon, Jr., a legacy in motion

    Hello, music lovers!   Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives.   I’m your host, musician and music journalist Jeff Miers.   On today’s episode, I’m joined by drummer, composer and educator John Bacon, Jr.   For several decades, John has been an artist operating at the center of the region’s jazz and new music scenes. Throughout that time, he has also been heavily involved in music academia, teaching percussion and jazz at Villa Maria College, the University at Buffalo, and SUNY Fredonia, and maintaining a roster of private drum students.   John is a drummer of great focus, virtuosity and intent. He also can swing like nobody’s business! He’s performed with the likes of Lester Bowie, Bobby Previte, Roswell Rudd, Bobby Militello and George Caldwell.   But it’s as a composer and bandleader that John has been perhaps most impactful.  He’s been a consistently forward-looking creator, with a deep knowledge of jazz tradition, and a fearlessness that keeps him rooted in the present.   For his latest venture, John and his Star People ensemble will be joining creative forces with the John Lehrer Dance Company for Legacy in Motion: Miles Davis at 100, a program combining jazz and dance in celebration of Miles’ 100th anniversary. The show takes place at Artpark in Lewiston, NY, on July 17.   Welcome to Why Music Matters, John Bacon… Produced by 678Main Studio and Creative Services https://678main.com --- Follow Why Music Matters on social media https://instagram.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://www.facebook.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://twitter.com/wmmpod

  4. Jun 9

    A Conversation with Eric Crittenden

    Hey there, fellow music freaks!   Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives.   I’m your host, musician and music journalist Jeff Miers.   For today’s episode, I had the pleasure of hanging out with my friend, the musician and music educator Eric Crittenden.   Critt, as he’s known throughout the Buffalo music scene, is a saxophonist, keyboardist and singer with deep roots in our region’s funk, soul, r&b and jam scenes. More significantly, in my view, he is one of the greatest band-leaders to call Buffalo home. Whatever the musical scenario, Critt has that elusive, difficult-to-define ability to elevate the proceedings by lending soulfulness, funkiness, and infectious enthusiasm. I know from personal experience that Critt can change the vibe among the musicians for the better as soon as he sets foot on the bandstand, before he even plays a note.   I asked him about this ability, and about his musical roots, his thoughts on how music scenes evolve and how they fail to evolve, his belief in the importance of musical mentorship, and what he believes is the real meaning of ‘success,’ when it comes to a living a life in music.   If you know Critt, you know he calls things as he sees them, eloquently, incisively, and fearlessly.   If you don’t know him… well, you’re about to get to know him over the next hour. Fasten your seatbelts.  --- Welcome to Why Music Matters, Eric Crittenden… Produced by 678Main Studio and Creative Services https://678main.com --- Follow Why Music Matters on social media https://instagram.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://www.facebook.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://twitter.com/wmmpod

  5. May 21

    Witty Tarbox - Making Music in Dreamland

    Hello, music lovers!  Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives.  I’m your host, musician and music journalist Jeff Miers. Recording today’s episode was a real treat for me. Having Alex Khoury, Cody Tarbox, Seth Bykowski and Colin Gray - who are known collectively as Witty Tarbox - in the studio with me, with instruments in hand and plenty of stories to tell, felt like one of those cool spontaneous backyard hangs around the fire-pit. A moment you didn’t see coming, but that arrived with an air of familiarity. Like, we’ve all been here before, even though we just met.  As you’ll hear, these four musicians are a band of brothers, a group of guys who found their musical tribe when they met each other, and allowed a unique, rootsy, rustic, and rockin’ sound to develop organically. They come from different backgrounds, and possess widely varied skill sets, but when they lock in together, something magical that is well beyond the sum of its parts emerges.  The band recently travelled to the fabled Dreamland Recording Studios, just outside Woodstock, NY, to track what became their new album, Midnight Sun. We talked about that experience, and the guys performed some of the material that emerged from those sessions live here at 678 Main Studios. What emerged is one of my favorite episodes of the podcast to date.  So make yourself comfortable, pour yourself a cold one if you’re so inclined, and come hang with us for a little while.  Welcome to Why Music Matters, Witty Tarbox…

  6. May 7

    A Conversation with Joe Satriani

    Ep 53: The iconic guitarist and composer talks SatchVai Band, his earliest inspirations, and his plans for the future Hello, music lovers!  Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives.  I’m your host, musician and music journalist Jeff Miers. Today’s guest is one of the most critically lauded and commercially successful rock guitarists of his generation. Since the 1987 release of his second album, the evergreen Surfing with the Alien, Joe Satriani has been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards and sold more than 10 million albums.  And he did all of this with a body of work that is almost exclusively instrumental. Taking a page from the book of the late Jeff Beck, Satriani blended a penchant for memorable melodies, intense and ambitious arrangements, and considerable virtuosity, in the process, becoming the best-selling instrumental rock guitarist of all time.  For his latest venture, Satriani has teamed with one of his oldest friends and collaborators - another legend, who also happens to be a former student of Satriani’s - the great Steve Vai, to form The SatchVai Band. (For our listeners here in Buffalo, NY, you’ll have the opportunity to catch this powerhouse in action at Kleinhans Music Hall on Tuesday, May 12.) During our chat, Joe - who also happens to be one of the nicest guys I’ve ever encountered in the music business - reflected on his earliest musical inspirations, the importance of jazz in the development of his musical imagination, why the SatchVai Band puts a perma-grin on his face, and his passion for the soon-to-be-released first studio album from that band.  Welcome to Why Music Matters, Joe Satriani… Produced by 678Main Studio and Creative Services https://678main.com --- Follow Why Music Matters on social media https://instagram.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://www.facebook.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://twitter.com/wmmpod

  7. Apr 23

    Hittin’ the Note with Todd Eberwine

    Hello, music lovers!   Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives.   I’m your host, musician and music journalist Jeff Miers.   Today’s guest is a long over-due one. I’ve known Todd Eberwine for a couple decades by this point, and during that time, I’ve been witness to some purely transcendent moments in concert clubs and bars and outdoor venues, courtesy of his guitar playing and skills as both band-leader and lightning rod for face-melting, dynamic jams.   The kind of moments where you forget where you are, forget what you were doing before the show, stop worrying about what you have to do tomorrow, and fully inhabit the moment, the here and now.   That’s a tall order for an instrumentalist to fill. But Todd is seeking those moments at every gig. He’s taken me there when I’m out front in the audience, just along for the ride as a fan. And he’s done it when I was playing alongside him on the stage, too.   Todd is a seeker, and because of that fact, he’s had an interesting life so far. His creative wanderlust has led him through tenures in some truly fantastic bands - Dive House Union was one of those bands, a true soul-rock powerhouse. Soul Roach was another.   His long strange trip has led him to a relatively new ensemble, one that trades beneath his last name, and features a cast of characters known and loved by veterans of the Buffalo and Western New York music scene.     During our chat, Todd talks about that band, Eberwine, and what it means to him. He looks back on what led him here, and looks ahead toward what’s next. And he shares some interesting thoughts on why music matters to him, and matters a helluva lot.   If our conversation sounds like a couple of longtime friends riffing on their love of music, their favorite bands, and just how awesome Jamiroquai is - well, that’s because that’s exactly what it is.   Welcome to Why Music Matters, Todd Eberwine…  --- Produced by 678Main Studio and Creative Services https://678main.com --- Follow Why Music Matters on social media https://instagram.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://www.facebook.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://twitter.com/wmmpod

  8. Apr 9

    Catching Up with Cami Clune

    Hello music lovers, and welcome to another edition of Why Music Matters. I’m your host, music journalist and musician Jeff Miers. On today’s episode, I spend some time with Buffalo-born singer Cami Clune.  Many of you will remember Cami from season 19 of NBC’s The Voice, which originally aired in 2020. Cami grabbed headlines with her performance during the season, eventually going on to the semi-finals, and finishing in the Top 9.  Since then, Cami has been recording and performing throughout the Western New York region. She recently released her 7th single, and is in the process of preparing an EP of new music for release in the late spring.  Hockey fans have had ample opportunity to take in Cami’s talents this year - this NHL season, which marks the first time the Buffalo Sabres have clinched a playoff position in 15 years, is also Cami’s first as the team’s Official National Anthem Singer. Coincidence? Maybe. But fans have certainly noted that Cami’s pre-game performances have fired up the fans on the home ice and added to the excitement surrounding the team.  During our chat, Cami talks about her love for the Sabres, her life in music, and her hopes for the future. Welcome to Why Music Matters, Cami Clune!  --- Produced by 678Main Studio and Creative Services https://678main.com --- Follow Why Music Matters on social media https://instagram.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://www.facebook.com/whymusicmatterspodcast https://twitter.com/wmmpod

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5
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21 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Why Music Matters podcast. I’m your host, music journalist and musician Jeff Miers. Throughout my life in and around music, I’ve often asked myself the question - Why does music matter? This podcast attempts to answer that question, with the help of musicians, members of the music industry, and music-lovers like you. Join us!

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