Restaurateur Jason Davidson (Sully’s Harbor Bar/Liberty Hound/The Terrace at Delaware
Park) and veteran Buffalo music journalist & musician Jeff Miers have announced the
lineup for the 2025 season of their Music Matters Summer Concert Season, which kicks
off at 7 pm on Thursday, June 5, with ‘Buffalo Souljah,’ a funky reggae dance party
featuring members of regional legends Olmsted Dub System and Critt’s Juke Joint.
Davidson and Miers teamed for the inaugural season of the music Matters Concert
Series – an outgrowth of Miers’ bi-weekly podcast Why Music Matters with Jeff Miers,
which features members of the regional and national music scene discussing the positive
impact music can have on culture and quality of life – in the summer of 2024. The
Thursday evening series found large and enthusiastic crowds gathering in the gorgeous
Erie Basin Marina to welcome a lineup of Buffalo’s finest bands and artists across a wide
array of genres, from jam band, to reggae, to funk, to classic rock and indie/alternative.
This year, the lineup has expanded to include 14 Thursday evening shows, as well as a
pair of special Friday evening shows, all slated for 7 pm at Sully’s Harbor Bar, 329 Erie
Street.
“Our first year was a real thrill for us, because we were able to create and cultivate a
unique vibe on a gorgeous piece of waterfront real estate, and curate a roster of bands
that both fit with and cultivated that vibe,” says event producer Jeff Miers. “We are a
region that is abundantly blessed with homegrown musical talent, and employing that
talent to bring people together in the spirit of togetherness and community that only
great music can provide – well, that was our mission from the beginning, and we’re
undershooting that mission within an even deeper lineup of talent this year.”
“I’m excited to be teaming with Jeff Miers for our second year of the Music Matters
Summer Concert Series,” says Jason Davidson. “Our first season at the Sully’s Harbor Bar
site was incredible, and this year, we’re psyched to build on what we started last year, by
bringing even more top-tier talent to the Waterfront and celebrating all that Buffalo has
to offer during the summer months, at this breathtakingly beautiful site.”
The full lineup for the 2025 Music Matters Summer Concert Series is as follows:
Thursday, June 5:
Buffalo Souljah: A Funky Reggae Party featuring Olmsted Dub System & Critt’s Juke
Joint
Thursday, June 12
An Evening with Organ Fairchild
Thursday, June 26
The Strictly Hip
Thursday, July 3
Grosh
Thursday, July 10
Jeff Miers’ Grateful Birthday Bash, featuring Jason Staniszweski, Aaron Zilkowski, and
more
Friday, July 11
Push the Lil’ Daisies: A Tribute to Ween
Thursday, July 17
Little Mountain Band plays the music of Little Feat & the Band
Thursday, July 24
Lazlo Hollyfeld & Bue
Thursday, July 31
The Scales
Friday, August 1
Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad
Thursday, August 7
Relics plays the music of Pink Floyd
Thursday, August 14
Sunday Reign
Thursday, August 21
The Garage Doors play the music of The Doors
Thursday, August 28
The Damone Jackson Outcome & Tiger Chung Lee
Thursday, September 4
The Black Rock Beatles
Admission for the Thursday shows, as well as the two special Friday performances, will
be $10. Plenty of free parking is available on Erie Street, adjacent to the venue.
Additional information is available through HarborWalkBuffalo.com.