If you’re disappointed with the local music scene, you probably haven’t done much to explore it. Having spent years soaking up the situation in cities like New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Austin, Nashville, Memphis, Detroit, Atlanta, Athens, Chapel Hill, Pittsburgh, Boston, Philadelphia, Tampa, and more, from the point of view of a traveling band from Buffalo, I say with total candor that our town sparkles.

The Steam Donkeys (photo by Rose Mattrey)

Whether you’re talking about our rich classical music tradition so proudly being carried forward by the BPO, or the prestigious new music composers who’ve worked at UB, or the folkies who’ve cut their teeth at Mike Meldrum’s open mic nights at Nietzsche’s for decades, or the hipsters revving up at the Mohawk Place, or the seasoned pros keeping the beat going at the fabulous Colored Musician’s Club, or the country troubadours and polka fanatics drinking vodka and coke at the Sportsmen’s Tavern, or the hip-hop DJs rocking the house at dance clubs, or the blues masters telling it like it is to a bunch of bikers, or the Celtic performers of South Buffalo—nearly everywhere you turn here, there’s some kind of music waiting to turn you on.

For the past couple of years, Artvoice has run our Battle of Original Music (BOOM) contest. Who knew there were literally hundreds of performers in the area writing and performing their own unique material? And who knew that many of these acts boast a fan base capable of packing some of our most famous venues, like Nietzsche’s, the Mohawk Place, and the Tralf?

The artists below have earned recognition by winning the approval of our readers who’ve learned what a happening music scene we’ve got going here. Thanks to our local music fans, we can all step out any night of the week and catch some great stuff. Believe me, the folks in Ft. Wayne, IN, can’t say the same thing. Trust me.

—buck quigley

Best of Buffalo 2009 Nominations Mysteries of Buffalo • The Way We Eat • The Way We Drink Where We Shop • Our Kind of Music • These are Our People Our Culture, Great and Small • This is Our Town And the Winners Are...