Jeff Miers

In January 2024, Matt Aquiline, who was a guest on the podcast in 2023, and also runs a Facebook page entitled “Buffalo & WNY Garage Bands” posted a clipping from the 1965 WKBW 16-hour Variety Telethon featuring over 65 local performers. One of the bands on that broadcast, The Avantis, featured this week's guest, Richard Sargent. No stranger to the podcast, Richard was the very first guest and returned to share more stories on Christmas Eve in 2022. He now marks the season finale.

We discussed in detail the telethon's bands and the story behind the article. As a special ending, "She's Gone," The Avantis' only recorded song that was included on the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame's Compilation CD IV and Compilation Vinyl Album Volume 1, 2016 is featured at the end of the episode.

On Tuesday, February 27, 2024, Joy Ann Wrona, Michael Wah and David G. Poole from the Imperial Court of Buffalo joined Rockabilly Greg to talk about musical theatre and their upcoming MisCast fundraiser.

All have worked together on stage over the years and reminisced about the many facets of performing in live musical theatre productions.

This week's guest, Caroline Mallonee, joined Rockabilly Greg In the Flamingo Lounge on January 25, 2024 for a fascinating conversation on her musical compositions.

Caroline is an award-winning composer and performer based in Buffalo, NY. Inspired by scientific phenomena, visual art, and musical puzzles, she has been commissioned to write new pieces for prominent ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Spektral Quartet, Firebird Ensemble, Present Music, Wet Ink Ensemble, Antares, PRISM Quartet, Ciompi Quartet, Ethos Percussion, and the Buffalo Chamber Players, for whom she serves as composer-in-residence. 

She has been recognized through commissions and awards from the Fromm Foundation, Meet The Composer, the Jerome Fund for New Music, and ASCAP, from which she received a Morton Gould Young Composers Award. 

Most people know this week’s guest, Jeff Miers, as the former music critic for The Buffalo News. Jeff visited the Flamingo Lounge on January 27, 2024 and talked about his music, his family and son Declan.

These days Jeff can be found contributing to his BLOG “Miers on Music” as well as his bi-weekly podcast “Why Music Matters”.

A Buffalo Music Hall of Fame inductee, Jeff also currently sits on the board of Music is Art and is the Executive Director for the Sportsmen’s Americana Music Foundation.

Zuri Appleby joined Rockabilly Greg In the Flamingo Lounge on Friday, December 29 to talk about her music and help celebrate the 100th episode of the podcast.

Zuri is a professional bassist, vocalist, model, and educator. The daughter of musicians and educators, Rodney and Linda Lombardo Appleby she has been described as “The complete package” and “Looks like a million dollars and plays bass like five million”.

Zuri has toured with a multitude of artists including Nick Jonas, Adam Lambert and Lizzo.

Zuri also has a passion for education and has taught for Young Audiences of Western New York, where she worked with children in junior and senior high schools.

This week’s guests In the Flamingo Lounge are Blaise-Mercedes and Malachi Fibonacci from Blaised and Confused: A femme led, high energy rock band from Buffalo, NY. They joined Rockabilly Greg in the Flamingo Lounge on January 6, 2024.

Blaise Mercedes stands as the guitarist, singer, songwriter, and the visionary band leader. From picking up the guitar at the age of 9 to almost a decade of professional singing, Blaise's musical journey is a testament to their versatile artistry. They have a voice that carries grit, power, and a vulnerable edge, the emotional centerpiece of their sonic exploration. Beyond the notes and chords, their lyrics tell a deeper story, often delving into the intricate landscapes of mental health.

Malachi Fibonacci is a self-taught multimedia musician born in Buffalo. He started playing in a small band in 2017 and eventually went on a quest to find like-minded musicians and found Blaised and Confused in that journey.

Tyler Bagwell joined Rockabilly Greg In the Flamingo Lounge on Tuesday, January 16 for some music chat and some original folk music.

Tyler is a folksinger, historian, and brewery worker with a vast repertoire of songs and stories. His original pieces are reflective of folk writing styles melded with a fervent interest in Buffalo history.

Music can be found on “Smugglers of Buffalo w/ Low Bridge Everybody Down” released in 2019. A forthcoming album with fiddler and vocalist Sally Schaefer is to be released in March.

His historical nonfiction has been published in American History Magazine, Rise Collaborative, and Belt Publishing's Buffalo Anthology.

He lives and works in Buffalo, NY.

This week’s guest In the Flamingo Lounge, Patti Parks, is a multi-award-winning vocalist and was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame in 2016. Patti joined Rockabilly Greg In the Flamingo Lounge on January 10, 2024 for a great conversation on her music and musical endeavors.

Patti is a soulfully uplifting singer, handling ballads, driving blues, swing and Motown with ease and style. Patti is also a dedicated working nurse, and has received national recognition for “Nurse’n Blues” the unique therapeutic program she founded in 2015. 

She just released a new album, COME SING WITH ME, featuring soul blues legend Johnny Rawls, who teams with her on two duets. As a performer and a nurse, she understands the healing power of the blues.

This week’s guest In the Flamingo Lounge, Bob "The Record Guy" Paxon is the person most responsible for my love, and familiarity of local music. He is one of the most knowledgeable music collectors in Western New York, particularly with local, Buffalo-area records. He was a regular contributor to WNYFM, a virtual museum of the music culture of the Buffalo/Niagara region of Western New York and contributed a feature on local 45 records from the 50’s and 60’s entitled “45 Fridays”.

He was also a member of Grim Reaper, the band that eventually evolved into Aunt Helen, the Toys and the New Toys, becoming one of Buffalo’s earliest punk/new wave bands.

Bob joined Rockabilly Greg on January 3, 2024 for a great conversation on local musicians and records.

This week's guest In the Flamingo Lounge, Jamie Sunshine, is a percussionist and educator from Buffalo, New York. She holds a Masters degree in Music Performance from West Virginia University and a Bachelors degree in both Music Performance and Music Therapy from The State University of New York at Fredonia. She has studied Western percussion extensively, and performs with various percussion ensembles, orchestras, jazz ensembles, classic rock groups and children’s groups throughout Western New York.  She can work with and perform for children in elementary schools to adults in nursing homes.

Her interest in travel and culture has influenced her to study different musical styles from around the world including West African drumming and xylophone, Mexican marimba, and Brazilian drumming.