Live Music Series returns to NU

Preview by Joshua Maloni
Niagara Frontier Publications, September 5, 2009

Dali’s Ghost, above, and Michael Miller, below right, perform this semester at Niagara University.

Sometimes, it’s not the quantity of bands in a music series, but the quality of each act.

Fred Heuer, the catalyst behind the Live Music Series at Niagara University, decided last year to book fewer acts. He did this for two reasons: More bands split an audience, and cost more to produce.

So, by cutting the number of Friday concerts, each performance became more rare – and more special. Moreover, Heuer was able to spend extra money on higher caliber acts, as opposed to dividing the pot amongst many, shall we say, lesser-known musicians.

His theory that less is more proved true.

“It worked out well,” Heuer said. “I was happy.”

Simply put, better bands resulted in better crowds.

“All the shows we did last year were packed,” Heuer said.

As Niagara University’s vice president for marketing, Heuer knows what is appealing to students. Having found an improved way to produce concerts on campus, “We’re trying to carry that forward again this year.”

Three performances are booked for the fall semester. Each runs from 8 to 11 p.m. on a Friday night in the Lower Level Gallagher Center.

Dali’s Ghost headlines the Sept. 18 concert. Solo artist and Son Of The Sun band member Zak Ward is the opener.

Heuer booked these acts in response to their performances at NU’s spring Music Is Art Festival.

“Both got good feedback,” he said. “That’s kind of a good indication (to bring them back).”

Likewise, Abominable Killer Snowmen, the headliner on Oct. 16, “was really another outgrowth of the Music Is Art show,” Heuer said. “The crowd loved them.”

AKS also won NU’s High School Battle of the Bands competition in 2007-08.

The final show of the fall has “a life of its own,” Heuer said.

Bruce Wojick, a well-known musician and member of bands such as KLEAR and God’s Children, will perform in a “Storytellers” format. The show features a greatest hits package, as Wojick, throughout the night, will be accompanied on stage by current and former bandmates (including Jamie Holka, Leo McDonald, Denny Pelczynski and Will Holton).

Wojick had pitched Heuer the idea, and the two had bandied it back and forth.

“He said ‘I’ve always had this dream of doing my own show, and showcasing all these bands,’ ” Heuer recalled.

Wojick’s opener is Michael Miller, a world traveler who recently toured with actress Minnie Driver. The singer’s new album, “I Made You Up,” includes collaborations with Pete Yorn and Tracy Bonham.

NU’s Live Music Series is free for students to attend, and $5 for the general public. Admission includes free pizza and beverages.

For more information, visit www.niagara.edu/live-music-series.