Dave Guilford, co-founder, Band Together Buffalo, says they started it with the shutdown. All their musician friends had their calendars cleared out, no more jobs, no more gigs so Band Together Buffalo moved local music online. Their Shutdown Showcase is providing a performance platform for local bands. Guilford says they started it partly to get jobs for themselves, they were all out of work, so they said let’s make some work for ourselves and that was the beginning of it and then it just took off.
Andre Pillette is Band Together’s producer, director and he has been pulling together all the filming of bands for the online shows. He says this is round three. They are producing it multi-camera, multi-track audio, full blown production for the top 16 bands who got voted in by the viewers from all around Western New York. The Shutdown Showcase gives bands a chance to perform and also win prizes like future gigs at venues when things open band up again.
Ameri Monroe is from Poppas Crates Band. He’s not playing the showcase but instead has stepped up to lend this photography skills to the production. When asked how’s it been like through the pandemic to have something like this to do that is in your industry. He says this has been completely amazing because he’s been in the house because what else can you do, and then something like this comes along and to be able to do it, be a part of the community and to pay it forward, why not.
Monroe says most of the time we see people trying to connect with the bigger and famous artists but there is so much more talent on the local level that businesses can partner with and boost the economy for the entertainment industry.
As of tomorrow night, you can go to www.BandTogetherBuffalo.comand vote for your favorite artists. If you tip the bands, you get an extra vote
You can follow Band Together on Facebook, @BandTogetherBuffalo and on their website by clicking here.
