Dis/Connect: A global day to unplug from digital distractions; David Byrne comes to Shea’s; and a heavily curated list of recommended shows for the coming week! So much GOLD!

(AI Design by Kim Miers).

(Have a cool concert or interesting event you know about? Email all the info and links to jeffmiersmusic@gmail.com to be considered for inclusion in Where the Bands Are.)

Hey there, music-loving friends.

Well, we made it thorough one of the busiest, most action-packed summer concert seasons of my 38 years in Buffalo. And it ended on the highest of high notes, with both the the Borderland Festival and the Music Is Art Festival taking place within an 8-day period, reminding us all that Buffalo is a world-class music city masquerading as a tertiary concert market. (A case in point: On Thursday, absolute legends David Byrne and Johnny Marr will both play sold-out (or close to it) shows within a block of each other, in Buffalo’s Theatre & Entertainment District.)

I think we should all take a beat and indulge in some feelings of civic pride, because we’ve got it going on, against so many odds.

Of course, it’s not like things are gonna slow down too much now. The action is just going to move inside. And those of us who live for this stuff will simply go about our business, attending shows, playing gigs, supporting artists and venues, and rooting for the Bills in between.

I can certainly think of worse places to call home.

But before we all dive right back into it, here’s a bit of news that caught my eye:

“Discogs, the world’s leading music discovery and record collecting platform, has announced the launch of Dis/Connect, a global day to unplug from digital distractions and reconnect with the joy of listening to music. On Saturday, October 18, 2025, music lovers everywhere are invited to silence the scroll, skip the stream, and give their full attention to the ritual of listening to records.”

Wow, Discogs, you really, really get me. Lol. I mean, I try to do this at least once a week, but it does strike me as a positive to dedicate a country- and world-wide day to reminding ourselves that listening to music needn’t be a passive, background activity, but can in fact be a meditative, immersive action. Spinning pieces of vinyl underscores this fact, because there has always been something positively ritualistic and ceremonial about the process – digging through the stacks, selecting a record, taking it out of its sleeve, cleaning it (recommended!), slapping it on the turntable, dropping the needle, adjusting the eq of your system appropriately, and just plain sailing away into music-land.

It’s a healthy endeavor. And those pesky ‘message notifications’ and ‘breaking news alerts’ will not foul up the atmosphere and interrupt the vibe of the music, the way they do on your phone. (Yeah, yeah, I know – silence your notifications, etc. I get it. But I’ve never really liked mixing my music with my telephone. I’m listening to music. I am not obligated to answer my damn phone! Rant concluded.)

“In a world drowning in noise, Dis/Connect feels like an act of rebellion,” says Jeffrey Smith, Vice President of Marketing at Discogs. “We’re asking people to step away from their screens, even from Discogs, to remember that feeling of joy that comes from real connection. From community. From the music that makes you feel alive”

Amen.

Learn more about Dis/Connect here. And maybe share this invite with your friends.

New and Noteworthy

Keb’ Mo’

Saturday March 7, 2026, 7pm doors at Asbury Hall in Babeville, Buffalo. GA Seated $59.50, Limited Reserved Gold Circle Seating $75. Venue Presale on sale now – password: CROSSROADS. GA Tickets on sale 9/26 at 10 am.

Eric Church wsg/Ella Langley

Friday, February 13, 7:30 pm at KeyBank Center, Buffalo. Presale begins October 2nd at 10am. General Public tickets go on sale October 3rd at 10am.