WNY Music: National festival mixes the locals with the headliners

By Robert J. McLennan

The eighth Borderland Festival is coming up in East Aurora (Sept. 18-20), and Jennifer Brazile and the people who do the booking are still honoring the great music that comes out of Western New York by including Buffalo-area bands in the mix for the fest.  By my count, they’ve even increased it by a couple.

You know what many of us say about some of our Buffalo bands?  They’re as good as many national touring bands.  There is so much great music out there, it often all comes down to who gets lucky and gets a break at the right time, in the right place.  

This was driven home to me yet again at last year’s Borderland when I went from stage to stage getting into big-name acts and then local bands from Buffalo, and back again to the national acts.  I appreciate Borderland’s inclusion of our music; it’s almost a reminder not to take our homegrown bands for granted.  The music scene in Buffalo is its own very special thing.

I discussed Borderland’s commitment to including local music in the festival every year with the founder of Borderland, Jennifer Brazill.  She said, “The local music scene in Buffalo is what keeps us all going throughout the year and is what creates communil. We are so lucky to have so much incredible talent right in our own city, and being able to have a bigger platform to showcase these bands at Borderland is so important. It not only gives these musicians an opportunity to perform to larger audiences and have their name on national line ups, it also supports what we build our foundation at Borderland, which is community.”

I’ll start with band you’ll see most often, The Brass Machine, Buffalo’s ambassador of New Orleans music.  Led by “Kidd” Kyle Yagielski, the band includes Jamie Sunshine on drums, Jake Schoelles on trumpet, David DePauw on sousaphone and many more to make up an exciting second line snaking around the festival grounds during set breaks from the main stages. 

I spoke to Yagielski last year about their role at the fest: “I love it!  It’s awesome to be out there with the crowd; we’ll be dancing with you and moving with you,” he said. “It’s a cool opportunity to rotate the cast over the three days. They hire us to showcase local musicians, and we’ll be out there every day with a slightly different group of players.”  

I’ve experienced The Brass Machine as recently as the end of August, and there’s nobody else you’d choose to get a party going!

moe.Organ Fairchild is a Grateful Dead tribute band that was formed specifically to present a tribute to Bob Weir at the 2026 Borderland Festival, featuring two bands with Buffalo roots.  Members include all three members of Organ Fairchild; Dave Ruch, Joe Bellanti and Corey Kertzie, plus Vinnie Amico and Al Schnier from moe. and Tom Pirozzi from Ominous Seapods.

Interest in the band has grown since the idea was first announced and the band played their first performance at the moe.down festival in Pennsylvania earlier in 2026 and is also scheduled to do other shows before the end of the year.  Moe.Organ Fairchild is a supergroup, bringing together five musicians who all played some of the same Buffalo clubs in the late ’80’s and early 90’s.

Moe. has been nationally known for many years.  And Organ Fairchild has been nothing short of a Buffalo sensation over the past couple years, touring all over the country and seeing their albums reach the top of the charts.

Folkfaces, that venerable band of eclectic troubadours, continue their streak of playing every single Borderland.  They play almost every kind of music; country blues, traditional jazz, rock and roll, honky-tonk, western swing, bluegrass and old-time, jug band music and more.   You’ll hear guitars, banjo, harmonica, kazoo, fiddle, upright bass, drums and washboard, with Tyler Westcott, Patrick Jackson, Brendan Gosson and Dan Schwach.  They fit right in anywhere; they are joyful and always bring a smile to the faces of their followers.  They will play on Sunday for Bluegrass & Bloodys on the Homespun Stage from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Raucous, rowdy and rootsy comes to mind as a description of Uncle Ben’s Remedy.  The first time I saw them was at the first Sportsmen’s Americana Music Foundation summer festival in 2017 and they put on a wild, boisterous show under a tent on Niagara Street across from the river.  Since then, they’ve built a reputation for tight musicianship mixed with humor and crowd engagement in all their shows, regardless of audience size.  Their loyal following gets into their barn-burning live performances, leaving the shows sweaty and smiling. 

Uncle Ben’s Remedy is Ben Westlund, Harmony Griffin, Shawn Huestis, Brendan O’Connor and Josh Mullin, playing all sorts of traditional and rock n’ roll instruments and stomping the floors; all while singing their hearts out in service to their songs.  For their Borderland set this year, they’ll be joined by Kate Clark on fiddle and Gabe Mayer on steel guitar, as they dig deeper into the roots of American music.

UBR fits under the Americana umbrella but they offer much more by creating their own sound and style of roots-rock, gritty American music.  Their sound is rooted in the small towns of WNY, giving their music the honest, back porch feel of the country music they love.  Westlund, who writes the lyrics to their original music, said, “These are story songs. Songs about the people we grew up with, grew together with and grew apart from. This music is medicine.”  Writing their original music is a team effort for the band.

UBR has toured extensively throughout the eastern U.S. and parts of Canada and they’ve shared stages with the Wood Brothers, The Sadies, Shooter Jennings, Asleep at the Wheel, Lake Street Dive, Frank Turner, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band and more.

I spoke to guitarist Harmony Griffin about the band’s return to Borderland.  He told me, “The band was fortunate enough to play the Homespun stage in 2024 to a full house of music lovers. We still hear from folks who were first introduced to us on that stage. It speaks volumes of the folks presenting Borderland to always give up and coming local and regional original acts a home in this festival, a festival which really has become a tradition to the community.”

Griffin said that spirits were running high at the Uncle Ben’s Remedy camp as they count down the days until Borderland 2026.  In addition to old favorites, you can expect to hear new material from their new album “Garage Country” coming out this October.  

They are getting the party going on Saturday, this time on the Main Stage at 12:45 p.m..  Griffin said, “We can’t wait! See you on the Borderland!”

Roy G Biv is a Buffalo based quartet that explores several genres through improvisation and amalgamations of musical influences.  Roy G Biv won the Battle of the Borderland Bands contest last year, held at Buffalo Iron Works. 

For 2026, they are really happy to be asked to come back to the fest.  I spoke to guitarist Sean Thurman about their return engagement: “We get more time in our set this year so we can fit in some more songs. We’re going to play some originals that didn’t get played last year as well as a new cover we put our own unique spin on.”

They will have the same basic lineup as last year of Tyler “Smidge” Midgley on drums, Evan Waterstrat on bass, John Cimino on keyboards and Thurman on guitar, and they all contribute vocals.  Thurman is also a mainstay with his family’s band, The Thurman Brothers.  Joining them as a special guest this year is trumpeter Kevin Johnson.  

Thurman said, “He is a brilliant musician who plays trumpet in an amazing experimental way with a creative use of effects pedals that adds a great atmosphere and dynamic to our sound. He has the perfect touch, a great ear, and can follow any direction we take.”  

Asked to describe their music, Midgely said, “We’re rooted in funk and Rock n Roll, but we’re open to almost anything.”  

I asked Thurman how their exposure last year at Borderland has affected them.  

“We definitely have gotten some new fans from last year’s set at Borderlands who have continued to follow us. When this year’s lineup was announced, we got a great reaction from the community when they saw Roy G Biv on the list,” he said. “It’s definitely stepped us up a level in people’s minds.  We have continued to have great gigs all year and I think there’s definitely some venues who are excited to have a Borderlands band come play at their place.”

Thurman continued, “Now that we have the experience of last year under our belt, we are super ready to come in and handle business. Also, the reason we are here in the first place is because all of our friends and family came through for us big time last year and helped us win the Battle for Borderlands contest, so we are eternally grateful and extremely driven to reciprocate with the best set we can possibly play.” 

Roy G Biv plays on the Homespun Stage on Friday from 3:45-4:40 p.m.  Last year, Midgely said, “We were really happy to be selected to play and then when we found out about the Mainstage, super excited.”  

This year, in regard to the move to the Homespun Stage, Thurman said, “We are also excited to play the Homespun stage because there is always a great party going down and an amazing energy coming from the audience.”

Witty Tarbox, Lake Effect Rock:  Witty Tarbox played for the first time at Borderland way back at the beginning, in 2018.  They sold out the Town Ballroom in 2019, and then Covid hit.  That slowed them down, but they’ve been building their sound for years.  

They were on a bit of a hiatus, and spending a lot of time in the studio.  You didn’t see their name in the live music listings all the time, but now in 2026 they are about to release their second album this year.  “Midnight Sun” came out in April and very soon “Doo-Wop Apocalypse” will be shared with the world.

Alex Khoury is on guitar, Cody Tarbox on bass, Colin Gray on drums,and Seth Bykowski on saxophone. Bykowski is not an addition but a shift in the band’s center of gravity.  The sax doesn’t decorate the songs so much as move them.  In Witty Tarbox, Bykowski’s sax is a second lead instrument — by turns blistering, mournful and utterly unpredictable.  It is the thing that makes this band impossible to place.

They’re all from Buffalo, but they met in Fredonia and they’ve stayed together.  This year Borderland reached out to Witty Tarbox and asked them to come back.  Cody Tarbox said, “We’re beyond excited and humbled to be back at Borderland.”

They describe their music as covering a lot of territory; garage rock, surf rock, British Invasion, indie rock and blues.  

Elicit Magazine described them as “A rhythm-driven collision of surf rock, indie grit, and unexpected saxophone…”

Witty Tarbox will kick things off on Friday at 2:30 p.m. on the Homespun Stage.  It looks like a promising way to get the fest rolling.

Olmsted Dub System, as described on the Borderland website, is a Western New York reggae-rock band blending roots reggae grooves with dub textures, jam improvisation and feel-good festival energy. Known for their laid-back rhythms and uplifting live performances, they bring a sun-soaked vibe that keeps crowds moving from start to finish.  That’s a good description, but there’s much more to the story. 

Led by George Olmsted on guitar and vocals, the band includes Robbie Chamberlain on bass, Marshall Badger on guitar, Donnie Frauenhofer on keys and either Damone Jackson or Anthony Prude Jr. on drums.  A special guest for the fest is Eric Crittenden on keys and sax.

I spoke to Olmsted about his background and the start of the band.  “Back in the ‘80s when my friends were going out to some disco bar, I ended up finding my way to Rude Boys on Hertel, and I thought, ‘This is it, I found my home!’  I hung out a lot there or at the Continental.  Then in the ‘80s I was the drummer and singer in a Reggae band, Positive Force, and I still play drums on occasion.” 

As far as Olmsted Dub System goes, he said “This is my baby, I love this music deeply!”  He started the band in 2019, and it took a hit like everybody else during covid, but after Olmsted retired in 2021 from teaching social studies in West Seneca, the gigs started coming in and they’ve been growing since as a unit.

This is Olmsted Dub System’s debut performance at Borderland.   Olmsted said, “I’ve attended the fest in the past, so when I got the call to perform there, it felt great!  We’re very excited about it.” 

He said he’s very impressed that the fest keeps booking Buffalo bands every year even with it now receiving national recognition. Olmsted Dub System will play on the Homespun Stage at 3 on Saturday afternoon. 

“Our shows are very energetic, unpredictable and a lot of fun; we play off the energy from the crowd,” Olmsted said.

This is the third year for the Borderland Band Camp and this year saw the program more than double in enrollment. They moved from nine students the first year, to 15 in year 2, and 32 this year. The whole idea is to teach kids how to work together, experience democracy in music and listen to each other to get to the end result of a professional level show.

The Borderland Band Camp Scholarship Program, administered by the Sportsmen’s Americana Music Foundation, was bolstered by increased donations this year, which allowed them to offer full and partial scholarships to deserving music students who wouldn’t have been able to attend the camp without financial support.  Increased enrollment and contributions through their annual fundraiser concert at the Sportsmen’s Tavern allowed them to add to the staff of musical mentors this year.  

Jeff Miers, executive director of the SAM Foundation, said, “This year’s class is a particularly talented and diverse group, and we can’t wait to take the stage and share the fruits of the students’ labors with the Borderland audience!” 

 This year’s pro mentors are Eric Crittenden, Jeff Miers, Joe Bellanti, David Cloyd, Alex Overton, Damone Jackson, Danielle Alexis, Marko Wilondja and Zeki Ozay.

The Borderland Band Camp will present their show on Sunday from 12:45-1:55 p.m. on the Homespun Stage. 

VØYAGR is this year’s winner of the Borderland Battle of the Bands contest.  It took place primarily at Asbury Hall at Babeville.  It started out with 15-20 bands and came down to a final four.  Voyagr began as the passion project of singer-songwriters AJ Jabaji (guitar), Rachel Josey and drummer John Morano.  Eventually they were joined by Drew Shannon on bass and Joe Brown on guitar.  

Voyagr’s sound blends Americana, indie folk and modern-day country.  They write sons about life, loss and love, even about death and grieving that has affected their lives.  They appeared twice at the big annual Taste of Country show and now they are excited to be part of Borderland.  

Jabaji said, “It was a dream come true to play Taste of Country and then top it off with a gig at Borderland.”   Their sound continues to evolve through dynamic musicianship and heartfelt storytelling. 

Voyagr’s debut album, “Born a Believer,” is out now.  Voyagr will appear on the Main Stage from 3-3:30 p.m. on Friday. 

There will be additional WNY musicians playing on the Borderland grounds at the Split-Rail Stage, including Wildflowers, the Leroy Townes Band doing a Tom Petty tribute at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. 

On Saturday, Songbirds, a Fleetwood Mac band, will play at 4:45 p.m. and again at 6:15.  And Buffalo is Dead will do a Grateful Dead set at 8 p.m.

On Sunday, Johnny Hart and the Mess will do a tribute to classic rock at 3 p.m. and again at 4:30.

And Slow Animals will play a tribute to The Killers, Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes at 6 p.m. on Sunday at the Split-Rail Stage.  Slow Animals is a five-piece indie and alternative rock cover band made up of members of Buffalo original bands.  Founded in 2018, the band has become a staple of Buffalo bars and venues, in addition to highlight performances at Sabres games, the Buffalo Bandits Party in the Plaza and summer festivals throughout the region. 

While the band boasts an expansive set featuring hits and deep cuts from the 1960s through today, they are best known for covering The Strokes and the Arctic Monkeys.  That makes it all the more appropriate that their performance at Borderland Festival is billed as “The Indie Hour,” as the band will be delivering a hit-packed tribute to The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys and The Killers.

There’s a lot to see and hear at Borderland, but it’s cool for so many Buffalo bands to be included.  It will be exciting for many of us who go out to shows throughout the year to see these hard-working musicians on the bigger stages.

And finally, The Buffalo Hive will be there for the entire three days.  Stop by our tent/table and visit with us to find out more about what the Hive does.  You can sign up for our free newsletter and you will have the opportunity to sign up to become a member.  And you’ll have a chance to win some free tickets as well.   Rest up, it will be a busy weekend.

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Robert J. McLennan is the vice-president of the Buffalo Hive Board of Directors.