Launching Into Buffalo Live Music With Pocketship
Photo by Sam Ray-Johnson.
Going to outdoor venues during the summer time used to be something I looked forward to every year – the sun dipping over the horizon, the smell of fresh food grilling on the air, the hustle and bustle of people excitedly scurrying across the blacktop in anticipation of a track to dance to. Local vendors are some of my favorite aspects of an open air event, a chance to get to know the community in little slices. A small skincare business here, an independent artist there, and maybe a cold beer in hand if you’re over 21. The Yard at Perry provided a space for families to come bring their smaller participants, with a jungle gym type set up with big blocks and fun kid sized furniture, and even a photobooth or two. All the ingredients for a fine, warm evening in July were aligned – the kind that’s perfect for memory making.
When I moved to the Buffalo area late in 2025 after spending 26 years on the West Coast, I was ready to bury that part of my past away and never think of it again. It’s no secret that most of my recollections of my previous life in Nevada were difficult, filled with hardships and emotional baggage, with lots of painful flashbacks I don’t care to think about. I thought until now that was the overtone of my time spent there – until I heard Pocketship doing a sound check for a familiar tune.
Suddenly, I was transported back to Shoreline Amphitheatre, watching Dead & Company for the first time, before the pandemic. I was fairly happy during those years, this was back when I had a large friend group to share in festivities. I was surrounded by a diverse group of music lovers, some in tie dye shirts with dancing bears on them, some wearing fluffy onesies, some in just a tank top and cargo shorts, old and young and of all backgrounds and walks of life. Pocketship’s practice of “Shakedown Street,” brought forth one of the few good ghosts that haunt me, one singular, beautiful memory – one I was abruptly, incredibly grateful to have experienced.
And I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a band that’s made me feel that before.
After speaking with André Pilette, bass player and team leader of Pocketship, I was reminded, too, of why I love speaking with local bands and musicians so much.
“It’s a life passion,” Pilette said. “I just started bringing in some of my friends who've played with me, and I just feel so fortunate and blessed that I have a plethora of musicians locally that want to jump on board when I start up a project.”
Pocketship describes themselves as a “future-funk” band, one that blends disco, dance, rock, electronic elements and grooves, a real high energy show. There’s not a dull moment with these guys. With a mixture of original work and covers, this was the first time in a long time I’ve watched a group deliver a polished yet organic, wild ride of a concert, including the lead singers jumping down into the crowd to dance along with us.
“People have come up to me and said, ‘We are here because of the tagline,’” Pilette said. “They said that sounded like a good time, and then after the show, they came up and [said], ‘And you delivered.’ …What a compliment, right?”
Photo by Sam Ray-Johnson.
With a stellar line up of truly, talented Buffalo musicians – from rapidfire, rhythmic beats to smooth, melodic bassline, soaring guitar solos akin to Santana and cascading, swirling keys, each artist got their own spotlight for a few minutes, and each were mind blowing. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to tout each player in a group being equally as gifted across the board, but damn. The chemistry between everyone was seamless, all the way down to the vocals. With three strong leading ladies at the helm, I thought it was unique they each had a song they fronted, so there was no one person that overpowered the rest.
Pilette says that’s just how it is here in the Buffalo music scene: it really is the City of Good Neighbors, full of caring individuals.
“So many good musicians here… it's a really strong network of people.” Pilette said. “So many people have each other's backs… what I see primarily, certainly with the people that I involve myself with, is love and respect. There's an honor to it here.”
I thought it was funny Pilette called Buffalo a small city – which is understandable with his experiences in bigger places, but from my background in the Biggest Little City in the World, I was surprised to hear that a challenge in this neck of the woods is promotion and marketing: getting the word out about gigs. With promoters and event organizers having to manage venues, vendors, staff and crew, on top of coordination between multiple teams, it makes sense they’re being pulled in a million directions. Pilette runs a marketing company as well called Lake Effect Music, in an effort to help businesses and bands endorse concerts in town.
“We need to get the word out to more and more people to come and see the music that Buffalo is creating, which is a really hard thing to do,” Pilette said. “Promotion takes a ton of extra effort. There's so much talent here, and so, hopefully with people like yourself and other media outlets, just more and more positive reinforcement of what the beautiful Buffalo scene is, that's what I hope for.”
Pilette says advertisement of shows in Buffalo shouldn’t fall on the bands themselves, and sees promotion as a co-investment for Buffalo music venues.
“I understand the frustration. I understand everybody's only got so much to give, especially to the arts,” Pilette said. “I feel for everybody. I can only hope more collaboration and more communication will help build and grow the scene.”
And I certainly hope it does – as I left The Yard at Perry, I felt rejuvenated, with a refreshed sense of creative spirit. I’m glad the first local Buffalo band I spoke to was Pocketship, because not only did they bring up long lost fond memories I didn’t even know I had, but they reignited my passion for local music. I started this blog because I believed neighborhood bands and musicians are the heartbeat of a city; if you want to get to know the character of a town – talk to them. I saw something special back in Reno, and wanted to make sure it didn’t disappear. These guys gave me a glimpse into what it’s really like here in Nickel City, and it made me feel at home again. That’s not something I carry lightly, and I hope that Pocketship sees more success as they continue on their jammin’ journey.
They will be opening for Dizgo at Buffalo Iron Works on August 7th, as well as performing at an indoor Buffalo music festival at Town Ballroom in October, with eight acts across two stages while the Bills are on their “bye week.” They have residencies at Molly Maguire’s and Jack Rabbit, and I look forward to seeing them again very soon.
To follow Pocketship, visit their Instagram here.
Enjoy our short video snippet of the concert below!
Video by Sam Ray-Johnson.
