The Reconnecter Roundup, Volume 36
Notes & Events for Social Connection & Beloved Community
- Next Buffalodown coming September 26th at The Cave!
- RIP Nikki Hicks
- Edreys Wajed at Hallwalls
- Musings on Music – Music is Art is a menagerie of community
- Featured Events – 35 this week, loving the variety, submissions welcome!
- Listening Links – all local this week
- Reading Rundown – salute and support to Investigative Post
Welcome to the Reconnecter Roundup! This free weekly email connects people, places, and causes by featuring events, news, and notes.
Happy Monday, y’all! Nine days away from our next Buffalodown – please join us on Thursday, September 26th, at The Cave!
Buffalodown: Only Human will uplift humanity amidst the rise of AI, led by the band Grosh and inspired by Only Human author and technology professional Frank Gullo.
Join us at The Cave for social connection, conversations with Frank, advocate India Walton and more guests to be announced, and a Grosh show like no other featuring their originals along with select covers and special guests – stay tuned for more info!
Reconnecter paying members get first dibs on tickets – current members received a personal email invitation this week, everyone else can become a member here! Tickets are also available online through The Cave and pending capacity at the door.
Become a supporting member of Reconnecter and receive event tickets!
RIP Nikki Hicks
Powerhouse soul singer leaves legacy of love and devotion
“Buffalo’s standing Queen of Soul” were the closing words of my 2018 review in The Buffalo News of a Nikki Hicks concert at The Tralf paying tribute to Aretha Franklin, and she held that title until this morning, according to a post by her son Carlton Sanders announcing her passing on her Facebook page. A powerhouse singer who filled the stage with devotion and warmth, her faith and love of music shone divinely through her own last words – before posting that she was in Hospice care with her son in control, she noted, “If I said I love you believe me.”
I had the honor of both presenting Nikki onstage in Larkin Square and writing about her in BN, where I opened that review, “Some people have the power to summon spirits from their immediate surroundings to the heavens, serving as a conduit to capture and fuse otherwise fleeting feelings of joy and pain in creating a communal experience.”
Continuing, “Hicks, [who has now transitioned at the age of 52], traces her music career to a performance of Aretha Franklin’s version of ‘Precious Lord’ at age 4 for her Head Start graduation ceremony – at which time in Franklin’s life she was also being raised in Buffalo.
“Preaching about love and purpose between R&B and gospel classics, Hicks spent most of the show in the crowd, balancing barefoot on that thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning that became defined as soul music.”
She was just such a joy to hear and share space with; fortunately for us, she lives on through her music and all the lives she touched – closing here with her performances of an original song thanks to Robby Takac & Music is Art’s long-lost Live @ the Center series at UB Center for the Arts, along with the last time I saw her sing, at the home-going service for her longtime drummer Tim Webb back in December, stirring her fellow mourners with conviction and devotion as she did so consistently and powerfully throughout her 48-year music career that she’s left here for us to carry on.
Must-See: Edreys Wajed at Hallwalls
“Diaphanous” exhibition traces nine years of stirring artwork
At the risk of a run-on edition of this here Roundup, a quick bit of news to note – dynamic artist Edreys Wajed, whose body of work spans from international hip-hop tours to a slew of Buffalo murals and even this here Reconnecter logo, packed Hallwalls this past Friday with a stirring opening of his latest exhibition, “Diaphanous,” that included a profound Q&A with his wife and Eat Off Art business partner Alexa Joan as well as a breakout dance party soundtracked by DJ Cutler.
From Hallwalls: “Included in the exhibition will be a series of large-scale paintings, many dozens of drawings rendered over the past five years, a collaged (but silent) compilation of music video clips, and a new 50-foot wall painting designed specifically for Hallwalls’ gallery space.
“Wajed’s artistic output evidences unique and particular strategies of image-making, both abstract and representational. Paintings often springboard from the rhythms and cadences of specific songs, though the songs sourced are never paired with the final imagery but rather serve as a catalyst for expression.”
See below for some scenes thanks to documentarian Nate Peraccini as well as the wonderful Q&A; read on at the Hallwalls website, and get thee to the exhibition site inside the Asbury Art Center at Babeville! Stunning in its size and scope, “Diaphanous” remains on view through Friday, October 25. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday 11-6, Saturday 11-2. Purchase and appointment inquires to info@hallwalls.org.
Musings on Music
Music is Art is a Menagerie of Community
Speaking of Robby and Music is Art: more than two decades ago, a Buffalonian in the midst of international rock n roll stardom had a unique vision for his hometown – a menagerie of community, a free and family-friendly feast for the senses, a circus-like spectacle of artistic expression.
As an inspired witness to the inaugural edition of Robby Takac’s Music is Art Festival in 2003 – just a month after I’d entered the depths of Buffalo’s music scene as a writer for The Buffalo News – I felt so energized and grateful that I stayed long after the last notes were played to soak it all in and clean it all up, and over the years since have served in various small roles, most recently as a stage emcee. As it’s evolved and expanded in all its chaotic communal glory, it’s become one of my favorite annual events in Buffalo, as I’ve always admired the vision and passion that Robby pours into it – he dares to dream, does the dirty work, and empowers others to realize their dreams through his.
This Saturday, the 22nd annual MiA Fest marks a new era with its new location on the Outer Harbor, while invoking another mind-bender in its ever-changing annual theme – “the truth is out there…”
…Music is Art has always been both way out there and yet so Buffalo – bring the fam or friend or come find some, catch me emceeing the Refringe and Lakeside Lawn Stages, and bask in the last days of Buffalo summer!
Become a paying member to help us present and promote Buffalo music and art!
Events in the Week Ahead
Thanks to all submitting their events! Welcoming event submissions with a flyer and link to seamus@reconnecter.org.
Become a paying member to help us promote community events!
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.
GObike’s Justin Booth and Kevin Heffernan discuss the ups and downs of biking in Buffalo – Building Buffalo – “For anyone who has ever thought about biking in Buffalo, GObike Buffalo is the organization that leads the way towards creating the safest streets possible. That said, there are other cities that are way, way ahead of Buffalo when it comes to engaging bike safety measures. While we have certainly won some hard-fought battles, cars are still king of the road in the Queen City on the Lake. Does it have to be that way?”
Igniting Hope 2024 – The Public Good – “On September 21, this free annual conference on health equity will focus on Building an Environmentally Just Community, bringing together local residents, advocates, and health and medical researchers for keynote talks and breakout sessions on community issues.”
Eric Crittenden, David Cloyd and Damone Jackson Roundtable – Why Music Matters – “Recently, Crittenden and Cloyd – who are co-founders of the Buffalo Music Club music education collective – teamed with the Sportsmen’s Americana Music Foundation and the Borderland Festival to create the Borderland Band Camp…Jackson is one of 7 professional instructors who took part in the camp.”
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.
Props again to Investigative Post for being a beacon of independent, investigative journalism in a bleak time for this essential public service. Here’s a list of their latest work, and a link to become a member this nonprofit organization – count me among the growing list of those who both support I-Post and believe that nonprofit news organizations are the future of journalism.
And the next mayor of Buffalo is …– Geoff Kelly – “We’re nine months from next year’s primary elections, but candidates to succeed Mayor Byron Brown are already testing the waters and jostling for position.”
Jail deaths substantially higher than reported – Bruce Rushton – “Erie County’s two jails are even deadlier than commonly believed. The death toll the past two decades is not in the mid 30s, as previously reported, but 57, many from poor medical care. While Sheriff John Garcia’s office cites improvements, the pace of inmate deaths has not lessened under his watch.”
Buffalo fails to collect $2.3 million in ambulance fees – Geoff Kelly – “The Brown administration has failed to collect franchise fees or negotiate a new contract with American Medical Response of WNY, whose deal with the city expired in 2020.”
So much for reforming OTB – Jim Heaney – “The hiring of Byron Brown’s lays bare just how insincere the Democrats are about cleaning up the troubled agency. OTB is likely to remain a cesspool, one that Democrats are as comfortable swimming in as Republicans.”
The continuing assault on the public’s right to know – Jim Heaney – “New York lawmakers join in the move to weaken Freedom of Information laws.”
Judges have ignored housing law for 30 years – I’Jaz Ja’ciel – “State law mandates a court-appointed panel to monitor Buffalo Housing Court, which has come in for its share of criticism in recent years. The oversight stopped in the ’90s, but state court officials say they plan to reactivate the advisory council soon.”
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!
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