Welcome the ReConnecter to our site! One of the things The Buffalo Hive is seeking to do is to collaborate with great people already doing great things around Buffalo and the entire Western New York region. One of them is Seamus Gallivan, who has been tirelessly dedicated to bringing the communities of the region together, whether it’s for music, bicycling or social change. His weekly roundup for the “The ReConnecter” is an always-enthusiastic look at some of the things going on in our community. — Elmer Ploetz, Editor-in-Chief, The Buffalo Hive

Notes and Events for Social Connection

By Seamus Gallivan

    Welcome to the Reconnecter Roundup! This free weekly email connects people, places and causes by featuring events, news and notes.
Happy Monday, y’all! Yet another week of peak engagement here – this time in my inbox with more inquiries than ever, from event submissions to ideas and subscriptions from people I’ve never met – thank you all for being here and helping it grow! Again, If you’re appreciating this space of radically inclusive social connection, would you please share this with others who might enjoy it and encourage them to subscribe as well? Sharing is caring, thanks in advance!

• Sharing is caring!
• Reflecting on last week’s events – this is who we are; looking to the light
• Musings on Music – long live reunions!
• Featured Events – 36 this week, submissions welcome!
• Listening Links – a treasure trove of social connection
• Reading Rundown – local, national, international

Week in Review
Community fun trumped by assassination attempt

Though I was originally going to reflect here on some wonderful community events I attended last week, let’s be real about the magnitude of the week in review – for the third time in my lifetime, a current or former President of the United States survived an assassination attempt. An innocent bystander, former firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed while shielding his family. While details are still being revealed and hot takes are flying faster, the latter makes me sick – how desensitized we are to such violence that we see it as an opportunity to score points on social media. Indeed, this is who we are; rest in peace, Corey Comperatore. Regardless of my feelings about the fitness of the former President to lead our country, in this space we practice nonviolence while speaking truth to power; wishing him well and continuing in the foundational inspiration of assassinated leader Martin Luther King, echoing the response of his daughter Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change:
“‘This is not who we are, America’ just doesn’t ring true to me.

”My father was assassinated in this nation, gunned down on a motel balcony in Memphis, where he was engaged as a nonviolent warrior for nondiscriminatory, humane wages.

”He was killed for working to end racism, poverty, and militarism, which he called the Triple Evils, and which are all still perpetuated both in policy and practice by the United States of America.

”This is not who we should be.

”With that honest statement about our culture of violence, political and otherwise, we can rise up to eradicate injustice and violence, and reform our rhetoric.
“Sincere, love-centered calls for ‘unity’ must be accompanied by work for true peace, which includes justice. ‘Justice at its best,’ my father said, ‘is love correcting everything that stands against love.’”
As MLK also said late in his shortened life, “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” While we’re organizing for more political action over the coming months – this is not a neutral space – in this email are dozens of ways to go toward interconnected community, leading with another foundational force behind Reconnecter, a beloved Buffalonian who recently and peacefully transitioned to the ancestry, Gail Wells. Thankfully, Mama Gail’s family is carrying the torch she lit in founding Buffalo Freedom Gardens, in the spirit of her favorite principle of Ubuntu, meaning, “I am because we are” – the same spirit as Dr. King’s belief in our ultimate interdependence, “an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” Let us go forward, intentionally intertwined, like a nourishing forest of love and justice.

Another way to look to the light and serve the greater good comes from our friends at Big Big Table, who sent this flyer with a call for volunteers. “At a traditional restaurant, a guest is asked to exchange money for their meal. At Big Big Table, guests are invited to exchange money, time, or groceries in exchange for their meal. Our pay-as-you-can model strives to promote healthy individuals and communities.” 

Become a paying member to help us promote beloved community!

Musings on Music

Long Live Reunions!
Picking up where I left off last week – of course I love a reunion, it’s part of the spirit of Reconnecter! Reminds me of an concert series I started long ago, maybe time to run it back – anyone interested in reuniting bands, whether you’re a band member or a longing fan, please reach out with any ideas! Last week as part of the Thursday & Main free concert series presented downtown by Buffalo Place, the band Son of the Sun brought those beautiful reunion vibes with their first show in a decade – the smiles onstage along with the anxiety of uncertainty over whether or not they still “got it”; the long-lost fanbase in the crowd, in many cases embracing for the first time since the last show; the mutual reminiscing in between songs while reliving “The Good Ole Days,” to quote a Son song. And then, of course, the best part – that moment when we all realize that the songs still slap. While some were straight-up rocking out, others were wondering how the band never broke through to greater glory – sure, they could hang if placed on main stages from here to Lollapalooza, as I said so often back in the day. And yes, they went for it, with professional management, promotion and touring, even had some brushes with stardom – in one case, Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz took a shine to them at a New York City show and put them on his Austin showcase during the South by Southwest Festival in 2012. Best I can make sense of it all is that music is subjective, original music is part of “the road less traveled,” and the “big break” doesn’t always come to those who seem qualified. We can still enjoy it for what it was and still is – good times and great songs, closing as they often did with their finale ballad, “Tell Me.” And we can clamor for more as long as they’ll listen – “tell me” that there’ll be another show, guys! – especially while supporting their current musical endeavors, such as Son of the Sun frontman Zak Ward debuting a new band, called the Million Dollar Question, at Food Truck Tuesday in Larkin Square on August 6th.

  And the reunions keep on coming, with another one I’m happy to have a hand in – this week brings an annual gathering of the Talking Dead Heads, who of course combine the canon of the Talking Heads and Grateful Dead for a spirited celebration of good vibes and great songs. Led by ever-loving Buffalo expat Jason Staniszewski, who now lives in South Carolina, the band has been bringing it back home for a few summers now with a whirlwind week starting with a free show at Live at Larkin Wednesdays, followed by an always sold-out show on the USS Little Rock, and in turn a third show at the Sportsmen’s Tavern this Friday.

Events in the Week Ahead

Thanks to all submitting their events – click on each image for more info! Welcoming event submissions with a flyer and link to seamus@reconnecter.org.

  Yes I know this is now going out too late to make this ride – they do it every Monday, and as Slow Roll Buffalo cofounder with continued love for the people and cause, I’m keeping this spot warm for each week’s new ride theme and location while staying hopeful that I’ll soon be able to send this our earlier each week – the juggle is real…
…Slow Roll is in need of new board members – click here to inquire.

Listening Links

• As we prepare to launch the Reconnecter podcast and a section for podcasts on our website, adding weekly listening links that align with the intentions of Reconnecter.
• In the Flamingo Lounge – 120 episodes and counting! – Reconnecter subscriber and music lover Greg Hennessey reached out last week to promote his prolific podcast, documenting the Buffalo music community through deep-dive interviews, most recently with the comically-named Celtic band Almost Seamus. Many thanks for this fun and valiant effort – I’ll keep linking them here, new episodes drop weekly!
• Live Music Curator and Lifelong Music Lover, Dave Wedekindt – Why Music Matters with Jeff Miers – A Reconnecter supporter and one of those 120+ past guests “In the Flamingo Lounge,” Artpark interim president Dave Wedekindt has a wonderful history of behind-the-scenes brilliance in our community.
• Adam Grant: Is A Fulfilling Life Different Than A Successful One? – House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy – “What motivates us, what gives us meaning, and how we can live more generous and creative lives.”
• Robert Putnam Knows Why You’re Lonely – The Daily by The New York Times – “The author of ‘Bowling Alone’ warned us about social isolation and its effect on democracy a quarter century ago. Things have only gotten worse.”
• The Supreme Court Is Not Done Remaking America – The Daily – “When the Supreme Court wrapped up its term last week, much of the focus was one the ruling that gave former President Donald J. Trump sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution. But another set of rulings that generated less attention could have just as big an impact on American government and society.”
• The Real Danger Within the Democratic Party of a Fundamental Crack-Up – The Ezra Klein Show – “It was once a fringe opinion to say President Biden should drop his re-election bid and Democrats should embrace an open convention. That position is fringe no more. But when the conventional wisdom shifts this rapidly, there’s always the danger of overlooking its potential flaws.”
• What’s Next? | Reconnecting to Prevent Social Unrest – WBFO – Leaving this link up for a while, as I’m honored to have been invited onto this profound program – this went real deep from the jump, please listen! Here’s how they described it: “Seamus Gallivan’s latest endeavor is Reconnecter, a ‘social connection space’ that aims to bring people together in person and online ‘by illuminating the ties that bind us.’ That means music showcases, variety shows, and media elements — all to help provide a need that he believes can help prevent social unrest. Gallivan sits down with Thomas O’Neil-White to speak about the power of reconnection and his plans for the new project.”

Reading Rundown

• With intent to connect, inform, and inspire action, every Reconnecter Roundup closes with links to other sources and stories that deserve more attention. Always welcoming links to read and share at seamus@reconnecter.org.
• In July breeze, a ‘Blues Memorial’ speaks to a city’s hurt and hopes – The Buffalo News – Attendees of our Buffalodown: Living the Dream event will recognize this memorial art project; I was honored to have a small hand in this behind the scenes, mainly by bringing in two beloved elders featured in this article, Dennice Barr and Ada Hopson-Clemons. “The idea is individual reaction, thousands of times over, from people too rarely asked what they are feeling – and then to ‘put those intentions in the wind…’”
• Buffalo sued over inner-city lead poisoning – Investigative Post – “By not implementing the law, and really by failing to inspect and regulate rental housing in the city of Buffalo for decades, they are not providing a clean and healthful environment for the city’s renters,” Andrea Ó Súilleabháin, executive director of the Partnership for the Public Good.
• Pass on a love of reading with a Little Free Library – Buffalo Magazine – I was happy to see a friend who I referred to writer Chris Schobert featured in this article about a beautiful example of beloved community. “When I put out a call on Facebook for owners who might like to chat, I was flooded with recommendations—and wonderful stories. I found that every owner has a desire to make free books available for people of all ages, backgrounds and interests.”
• Food aid is piling up inside Gaza. Here’s why it’s not reaching those in need – NPR – “Independent experts say Gaza is at risk of famine and the entire population is struggling without enough food as families report going two and three days on a single meal.”

Thank YOU for reading this far and being part of it all – extra thanks to everyone supporting this work with a membership at www.reconnecter.org!

Please share with friends to sign up for next Monday’s Reconnecter Roundup, and reach out with any feedback, all ideas welcome – we’re just getting started!