Buffalo Music: Science and music meet in Artpark production

By Elmer Ploetz & Chloe Kowalyk

ArtPark and ONNA have teamed up to do something incredible.

ONNA is a music label and education/advocacy group that blends ecology, art and music.

“The Secret Symphony of Plants,” created by ONNA cofounders Coco Reilly and Sophie Delila Baudry, alongside Artpark New Music Program curator Brent Chancellor, features the sounds made by plants, composed into music.

But how did they do it?

ONNA used electrodes to capture the bioelectrical signals of a variety of different plants, including moss, speedwell, black cherry, wild leeks and buckthorn — all locally grown right here in Western New York at Artpark.

These bioelectrical signals were created as the plants responded to changes in touch, temperature and light. They were then translated into MIDI data, which is basically a set of instructions for how a sound should be played, including things such as pitch, tone and timing.

The conversion of each plant’s data into a sound allowed for unique rhythms.

Five composers (Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Ricardo Romaneiro, John Kaefer, Marcus Foster and Chancellor) translated this data them into full pieces.

This resulted in five unique pieces, one from each composer: “Speedwell,” “I Miss The Way You Swim,” “Stil de Grain: Fading Yellow,” “Black Cherry” and “Wild Resonance.”

The works were also performed live at the Artpark Mainstage Theater by the LUX Ensemble, conducted by Chancellor.

The pieces all have a distinct sound, each one striking in their own way. The powerful rhythms and chords are all the more intriguing as a listener imagines the plant that created them.

It’s inspiring to hear the work of science collaborating with human creation in an age of increased use of artificial intelligence.

In alignment with ONNA’s mission, the royalties earned from listening to the pieces support Artpark’s Conservation Fund, giving back to the origin of the plants.

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Bruce Wojick & the Struggle: ‘The Hard Way’

When you hear Bruce Wojick & the Struggle’s new album, your first reaction might be “so when is this band hitting Buffalo on tour?” Except that they’re already here; they just sound like a band that should be hitting the big time.

Wojick is a WNY music lifer who made a name for himself as guitarist in God’s Children and Klear before releasing his own material as Bruce Wojick & the Struggle. Oh, and you might also know him from Strictly Hip.

His new album is out and chock full of the kind of vintage rock coming at you from a late 1970s-early ’80s foundation. It’s the kind of music that would sound perfectly at home amid the classic rock on 97 Rock (except that 97 Rock doesn’t play much of anything new or anything local).

The album has a big production sound with heavy drums and some wicked guitar. The title track, in particular, cooks as Erin Hoyle guest duets with Wojick.

Here’s the Spotify feed on that one:

Wojick himself has a Bob Segeresque voice should sound great on an LP on a good sound system (and the record is available from Segno Records HERE. The songs carry a sense of looking back, too, whether it’s on “1983” or “Louder Than Concorde,” the latter a reminiscence on Wojick’s first concert, an Elton John show in the rain at Rich Stadium in 1976. It was John’s “Louder Than Concorde (but not quite as pretty)” tour.

The Struggles has a stellar lineup with Will Holton (saxophone), Dan DeLano (keyboards), Denny Pelczynski (drums) and Leo McDonald (bass), plus various guests (including drummer Bobby Rondinelli, who has spent time with Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult).

Wylie Something: ‘You Wreck ‘Em & We Fix ‘Em’

Wylie Something is on a roll, releasing new music left and right.

We recently reviewed “Up Through The Rust,” which was released in August 2025, in a previous edition of The Music Box.

On Friday, Oct. 17, Wylie Something released two new songs with the single “You Wreck ‘Em & We Fix ‘Em.”

The first piece, “Thick Air,” has a dreamy instrumentals mixed with bold vocals and distortion that compliments the clarity of the backing sounds.

“Dang It, John” has a really catchy guitar riff that continues through the song. Something about the pitch of the instrumentals and vocals really remind me of the fall, making it a perfect release for mid-October.

You can check out Wylie Something on Instagram @wyliesomething.

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