Get to know a Buffalonian...

Seamus Gallivan: Music promoter, good neighbor

If you like local music and believe in good causes, you’ve probably given Seamus Gallivan $5 at the door some time in the last couple years. Gallivan is a (nearly) tireless promoter of this community and its musicians, and his website, the Good Neighborhood (www.thegoodneighborhood.com), is a meeting ground for those two passions. He’s got two shows at Pearl Street Grill & Brewery this week: one on April 7 to benefit victim’s of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami (9pm), and another Speakeasy Sunday on April 10 to benefit the Give for Greatness (7pm).

Tell us about the Good Neighborhood.

The Good Neighborhood is an umbrella that covers people, organizations, and events dedicated to the greater good. The idea formed when I was living in Texas and plotting a move back home to Buffalo—I wanted to create a company rooted in Buffalo’s strong community spirit. Since I started this alone, that tone was set with my own skill set, which is mainly writing and gathering people for a good time in honor of a good cause. This is achieved through daily community coverage in www.thegoodneighborhood.com, and at events—mostly concerts—at places like the Sportsmen’s Tavern and Pearl Street Grill & Brewery. The long-term goal is for the Good Hood umbrella to cover a wide range of services, all under the banner of Gathering for the Greater Good.

Tell us about Good Neighbors Helping Japan. How’d that come together?

Good Neighbors Helping Japan is as much a response to the calls of Good Neighbors as it is to the crisis in Japan itself. Our coming-out party was last January with Good Neighbors Helping Haiti at Pearl Street, which also benefited the direct relief efforts of the Red Cross. We raised $2,000 and had a blast with local artists DJ Cutler, Lazlo Hollyfeld, Gruvology, and Emile Latimer. We connected with Asakivle: Buffalo Friends of Haiti, and our support for them continues.

The calls came to organize an event for Japan, and we’ve responded by gathering Good Neighbors Helping Japan tonight at Pearl Street Brewery (9pm, $5), featuring the Ifs, led by Geno McManus, who’s fresh home from another tour of Japan; DJ Cutler, who has prepared a Japanese-inspired set including kindred spirits such as DJ Krush and Osaka Monaurail; and the Blue Collar Dreamers, a new jazz quartet led by Japan native and Buffalo resident Kengo Yamada. We’ve connected with local Japanese college students, who’ve prepared scores of origami paper cranes that will serve as tickets for a “Cranes for Planes” raffle with prizes such as skydiving and area small plane adventures.

Do you find that artists and musicians seem more than usually willing to give their time and work to charitable causes?

Absolutely—although, a core tenet of The Good Hood is that, with rare exception, the performers get paid. The artists on my speed dial are those who are humble, concerned about the community around them, and always up for a good time in honor of a good cause. Thankfully, that list continues to grow.

You promote musicians and write about musicians. Do you play music?

I play a mean dashboard and am a legend in my own car, and I own a lonely bass guitar. Some folks say I can sing, but I’m not ready to make a habit out of doing it onstage—I talk a lot and throw out my voice all the time.

What’s next for you? What do you have coming up?

Besides our Japan and Speakeasy Sunday events, we’re having a Friendraiser at the Sportsmen’s Tavern on Tuesday evening to welcome more contributors to the website and events. First round’s on the bar for all who contribute.