Now that the Super Bowl is over, we’re looking forward to some more ways to have some fun during the winter season. Valentine’s Day is coming up, as is Dyngus Day, but so is the revered The Big Easy in Buffalo. Each year we celebrate the culture and spirit of New Orleans by listening to some great live music – ragtime, jazz, zydeco… Cajun style!
Not many people think of Buffalo as a place that drums up live music that embodies the New Orleans spirit. Truth be told, this city is home to some pretty amazing musicians and bands that manage to capture that spirit very nicely. Mixed with some sounds of Polka, there’s a lot to look forward to thanks to the ongoing efforts of The Big Easy’s Artistic/Executive Director Tod A. Kniazuk.
While these bands will not be playing live in 2o21, there are still plenty of reasons to dress up, dance, and party with your close friends while watching the shows.
Since 2007 The Big Easy in Buffalo has brought New Orleans and Louisiana music and culture to the Western New York region.
“We’re excited to continue our successful local music series, and to finally bring New Orleans bands back even if we have to do it virtually right now,” said Kniazuk.
Here’s the virtual Buffalo line-up for 2021, all with a 5:30pm start time:
- Feb. 13 – Ten Cent Howl, The Brass Machine, the 14th Annual Mardi Gras Jam – Americana band Ten Cent Howl and New Orleans style brass band The Brass Machine will each perform and join each other for a unique jam bringing two very different musical genres together.
- March 13 – Grace Stumberg – a solo performance by the singer/songwriter/guitarist who has toured the world with Joan Baez.
- April 3 – The Buffalo Touch – celebrate Dyngus Day a little early with “America’s polka party band” (with a rebroadcast on Dyngus Day April 5).
- May 8 – The Barroom Buzzards – one of Western New York’s original New Orleans-inspired bands, the Buzzards are a Traditional Jazz ensemble performing New Orleans Jazz, Swing, Blues, Dixieland and Ragtime music.
Aside from all of this amazing Buffalo talent, there will also be a highly anticipated premiere of “a special Mardi Gras virtual show” featuring exclusive performances by New Orleans musicians John “Papa” Gros Band, Joe Krown, Josh Paxton, Marc Stone, and the Storyville Stompers Brass Band. The show will be available to view all day, on the morning of Fat Tuesday February 16.
“Celebrating both Mardi Gras and Dyngus Day is the textbook definition of The Big Easy in Buffalo,” Kniazuk added. “The five Buffalo and five New Orleans bands we have coming up next in our series are all world-class and we can’t wait to share these shows with everyone.”
The Big Easy in Buffalo
The shows will be live-streamed at www.facebook.com/TheBigEasyInBuffalo
The shows are free of charge, though tips for the bands are strongly encouraged
All shows will be streamed thanks to buffalo.fm and posted at www.facebook.com/TheBigEasyInBuffalo, as are frequent live streams from New Orleans artists
Lead image: Ten Cent Brass Machine | Photo by Ally Spongr