A Note From the Executive Director

Roots/Americana icon Willie Nile to headline SAMF Fest 2025!

Hello, and Happy Spring, SAMF members and supporters.

To kick off what promises to be an exciting summer of activities for our Foundation, we’re excited to announce the lineup for the 2025 SAMF Fest, which will take place at Sportsmen’s Park beginning at 1 pm on Memorial Day, May 26. 

This year’s Festival is a special one for us, as it welcomes new friends, continues long-standing relationships with SAMF-supporting artists, and  presents an icon of Americana music, in the form of the great Willie Nile and his band. 

The full lineup also includes performances by The Love Supreme School, Leroy Townes Band, and 10 Cent Howl. 

The inclusion of The Love Supreme School in the SAMF Fest lineup is a big deal for us. 

For the past two years, your support of our Foundation has allowed us to support the Love Supreme School – a division of the Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Collective offering after-school music education classes, workshops and performance opportunities to under-served youth in the city of Buffalo – through a grant administered by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, as part of the Ralph Wilson Jr. Foundation’s Arts & Culture Initiative. 

SAMF Fest will mark the first time members of the Love Supreme School faculty and student body will perform at a Foundation event, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to present them! 

Both 10 Cent Howl and the Leroy Townes Band are long-time stalwarts of the Buffalo region’s roots and Americana music scene, as well as continuous supporters of the Foundation’s mission. 

We’re also more than excited to welcome Willie Nile to town for his first SAMF-related event. One of the finest rock ’n’ roll songwriters of the past 40-plus years, and a man who has made fans of artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Pete Townshend, and Lucinda Williams, Willie is a class act, a tireless example of the transformative power of live music, and a man who can claim more than a few masterpieces in his discography, among them Beautiful Wreck of the World (1999), Streets Of New York (2006), House of A Thousand Guitars (2009), and American Ride (2013). Never one to let the grass grow beneath his Doc Martens, Willie’s just finished recording a new album, which he plans to release later this year. 

Tickets are on sale now, through https://www.showclix.com/event/samf-2025-fest-willie-nile-more. They’re priced $ 20 for SAMF members, and $ 30 for the general public. Feel free to bring a chair, and remember, SAMF Fest is a rain-or-shine event! 

If you’re an active member and you’d like to purchase online, look for an email from samusicfoundation@gmail.com for the promo code to get your discount.  You may also purchase tickets at the Tavern and Tuesday evenings at the Store from 6:00-9:00.  Bring your membership card.  There will also be a list of active members for those who have misplaced their cards.

Looking forward to seeing you all there to help us kick off the Summer of SAMF!

Yours in music,
Jeff

Jeff Miers
Executive Director, Sportsmens Americana Music Foundation