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. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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…

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. Mar 5

    Professor of Music Jon Nelson Talks Frank Zappa, Meridian Arts Ensemble, and Supporting His Students’ Creativity

    Hello music lovers, and welcome to another edition of Why Music Matters. I’m your host, music journalist and musician Jeff Miers.   Today is a special day for the Why Music Matters team - we’re celebrating our 50th episode. And as we do so, I’d like to thank all of you for listening and for your continued support. We’re just getting started, and we’ve got some exciting new ventures planned for the future. Thanks for coming along on the ride.   A special episode demands a special guest, and today, we’ve got one, in the form of UB Professor of Music Jon Nelson.   I’ve known Jon for a long time, and have always been impressed and inspired by his love for music, as both a musician and an educator. Whether as co-founder of Pausa Art House, a vibrant home for jazz and contemporary chamber music in Buffalo; as a founding member of the renowned Meridian Arts Ensemble and leader of the brave and daring Genkin Philharmonic; or as an educator eager to push the envelope of the traditional with the student ensembles he leads at the University at Buffalo, Jon has been a tireless advocate for contemporary music. Jon’s latest project involves the arrival of an archival recording of the Merdian Arts Ensemble performing at the home of the late, great composer, guitarist and iconoclast Frank Zappa. “The Zappa House Concert” documents Jon and the ensemble’s 1996 performance for an audience of Zappa, his family, and a group of close friends, all recorded in Zappa’s home studio, the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen, using a single microphone.   During our discussion, Jon tells us all about the experience, and he details what Zappa’s work has meant to him throughout his musical journey.   Welcome to Why Music Matters, Jon Nelson!   You can find The Zappa House Concert through meridianartsensemble.com or bigroundrecords.com --- 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. Feb 12

    Rising star Alex McArthur and jazz legend George Caldwell talk Billie Holiday, jazz and America

    Hello music lovers, and welcome to another edition of Why Music Matters. I’m your host, music journalist and musician Jeff Miers. Today, my guests represent a cross-generational journey through the ever-evolving world of jazz.  Alex McArthur is a singer and storyteller whose resume reads like that of a musician three times her age. A winner of multiple JazzBuffalo Vocalist of the Year awards, Alex brings a distinct soulfulness to any music she lends her voice to, whether she’s singing something she wrote herself, or flexing her interpretive muscles on the works of legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, and Mavis Staples.  Alex is joined today by a man who has acted as a significant mentor in her musical journey.  Pianist George Caldwell is credited by Alex as, quote, “the first person I ever attempted to sing jazz in front of, and the person who encouraged me to explore vocal jazz and improvisation in the first place.”  In his role as Director of the Student Jazz Ensembles and Music Piano Performance Instructor at the University at Buffalo, George has employed his decades of experience as a Grammy-winning professional musician to help mold the musical imaginations of countless young artists-in-the-making.  Those decades of experience include tenures with the Count Basie Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, tap dancer and choreographer Saivon Glover, R&B legend Ruth Brown, and right here in Buffalo, the awe-inspiring Star People, a Miles Davis Repertory Ensemble.  Currently, Alex and George are in the midst of performing Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, a recreation of Billie Holiday’s final performance, with Alex inhabiting the role of Lady Day, and George acting as Musical Director.  The show, a MusicalFare production, is running at Shea’s Smith Theatre in Buffalo’s Theatre and Entertainment District, through February 15. (You can learn more about the production and purchase tickets through musicalfare.com.)  Welcome to Why Music Matters, Alex McArthur and George Caldwell!

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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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