It was not too long ago that UB graduate Rick Wright decided he had had enough of boring Monday evenings in Buffalo. Unlike most college kids, Wright took the initiative and breathed new life into a floundering local music scene by starting 210 And Then Productions and hosting Indie Rock Mondays at Broadway Joe's.
Hanging out at the Main Street bar one night in 2001, Wright ran his idea by owner Sam Marabella, who gave Wright the month of August to see what he could do. What he did was revitalize an indie community that, up to that point, only had Mohawk Place as a venue for shows.
"It's a small town that got used to going down to the 'Hawk every night, which made it hard at first to say, 'Hey there's something else,'" Wright said. "Marty (Boratin, booking agent at Mohawk) has helped us out and we've helped him out. No one is out to get anyone, and that helps a lot."
Along with showcasing the many local independent bands, Wright has consistently brought in top-name underground talent to the club.
"Bands like Pretty Girls Make Graves, Iron and Wine, and Her Space Holiday came in last year and played for as few as 30 kids. Now they have feature articles in Rolling Stone. This is what happens when a scene takes off, like grunge-garage in '92," Wright said.
Wright spent the majority of his early college years at his shared apartments on Lisbon Avenue and Minnesota Street throwing hardcore basement shows. While the shows were successful and fun, Wright said, "After a while you get sick of cleaning up after 300-plus kids who ran through your house, hardcore dancing."
210 and Then Productions do most of their shows on Monday nights. They also have done weekend shows. Wright's shows feature such seminal acts as Wesley Willis, Matt Pond PA, Aloha, Girls Against Boys and the Album Leaf, the latter band fresh off a tour with current indie juggernaut, Sigur Ros.
"Willis was the most fortunate case. The guy is just walking the streets of Buffalo looking for a place to play that night and we run into him, this 400-plus pound man with a golf ball-sized callous on his forehead. That had to be fairly frightening to Buffalonians," Wright said, musing on the eccentric performer.
210 and Then has eased off on the national acts as of late but this hasn't been a problem for attendance.
"We just like to promote the night in general. Keep it a night you can have a few drinks if you want, hang out, make friends and watch some bands bring the rock," Wright said. "It gets to be a community. We want to build relationships with other cities, which in turn helps the local bands here."
Wright, a Bellmore, Long Island native, graduated in the spring of 2001 with a communication degree.
"The key has been to keep things very business-like while still keeping in mind that bands need money to tour. I've learned a lot from dealing with people in the scene, working with bands on sizable labels like Kindercore, Hellcat, Jade Tree, and Lookout! amongst others. We get offers for bigger shows that we sometimes can't house and we luckily haven't had any issues with capacity," Wright said.
210 and Then has two solid bills lined up for Indie Rock Mondays for the next two weeks. Tonight's show spotlights Salt The Earth out of Lawrence, Kan., with local support from MT Cecroe. The April 14 show features Copeland and Watashi Wa supported by local rockers Misconstruity and Nothing Brings Indemnity. Admission is $5 on most nights. Additional information is at the official Web site, www.210andthen.com.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
