Phil Cafarelli has been hosting live music at the Central Park Grill for nigh on 30 years, and in that time the joint has been a home away from home for any number of Buffalo greats, from Gamalon to Shakin’ Smith. Its proximity to UB’s South Campus and the student-heavy University Heights neighborhood means that its stage sees a steady influx of new talent as well, drawn in by Cafarelli’s catholic taste in the music he books. We spoke to him not long ago about CPG:

Artvoice: Tell us a little bit about the history of live music here at the Central Park Grill.

Phil Cafarelli: I’ve been here for about 33 years, and live music has probably been a part of this establishment for at least 30 of those. I’ve seen bands come and go, I’ve seen national acts come in and sit in with local bands. Some of the talent that’s crossed the stage, whether they be national that just stop in, or whether local, has been amazing.

AV: You’ve hosted local bands that achieved some national prominence.

PC: Yeah, Gamalon’s been in and out of here for probably 15 to 20 years.

AV: Is there a particular kind of genre of music that you prefer here?

PC: You can never book bands by what you like. You have to go by what the public’s gonna want…we go anywhere from jazz to Black Sabbath. I’m pretty open to anything.

AV: What inspires you to continue to put live music here?

PC: I think there’s enough talent in this city to keep any club filled with bands any day of the week, every day of the week. It’s a matter of getting the local support for these bands. You can only support a band for so long, as a club owner. You’ve got your limits, you can go out on a limb and say sooner or later they’re gonna catch on, and you know they’re good, and the people that do come know they’re good. But I’ve seen them fall off in the years where people are more willing to go out and spend 75 dollars on a national act rather than come out and spend five dollars and see a great local band, a great show. They want to go with the flow. What’s hot. What’s national. Where, for five dollars on any weekend, in a lot of clubs in the city, you can see a great show.

AV: But that trend towards seeing national acts hasn’t kept you from bringing in the good local acts.

PC: No, I prefer to stick with the local talent.

AV: And you do jazz nights on Monday, right?

PC: Yes, we’ve been working with a band called What Would Mingus Do?, which is part of the old jazz band that ran here for years on Mondays. Mondays can be an off night, but we are starting the show early at eight o’clock so people can really get out and get home before they have to worry about getting to work the next day. We’re gonna keep going with it.

AV: Are there any bands that play here that have been favorites of yours?

PC: Probably the longest-running band has been the Maniacs, which is a Grateful Dead cover band. And they always seem to get a lot of support, probably because it’s the Grateful Dead’s music. The local support has always been there for them. They do a great show. And I just love to have them play in the back room.