Brian J. Walker
Weekends
Q&A with Brian:
Favorite concert moment: I saw, and worked, a lot of concerts doing sound and lighting as I paid my way through Buffalo State and later during my time at WPhD FM from 1979-1989. Since the early 90s, it’s just been there as a spectator. There are too many shows to list, but Aerosmith, Blondie, Bowie, Buddy Guy, The Police, Bonnie Raitt, the Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Talking Heads, and U2 were some real highlights. Overall, though, finally seeing Paul McCartney in Buffalo in 2014 was the ultimate. In those heady days before “demand pricing,” I was lucky enough to get in early and got great seats in the lower golds 75’ from the stage. Sir Paul was amazing. I was living the soundtrack of my life.
Other than the Bills, what sports do you watch? I grew up across the street from the Cleveland Hill playground. We played everything from sunrise to sunset in the summer – baseball, football, tennis, even golf. I played hockey and was fortunate enough to be able to ski in the winter. I’m a big Bills and Sabres fan, with the occasional foray in to golf, tennis, and the Olympics, of course.
Any secret talents? I’ve always been into music, and dabbled with playing an instrument for years. For the last 20 or so years I’ve been playing Blues harmonica, and I played both harp and bass with The House Band for over 15 years. I also got into computers and networks, and turned that into two careers, first as a tech, then manager, then blending my media and computer experience to teach video production along with computers, networking, and telecommunications at SUNY ECC from 2002 until 2022.
What’s your ultimate vacation? I’m retired in 2022 and bought a big truck and a 5th wheel trailer, so I’m in the middle of it! I decided to see the USA, and I’ve covered most of the south from coast to coast, the middle of the country, and most recently the northern states out to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier National Park, Theodore Roosevelt NP, Mount Rushmore, and lots of points of interest in between. What a vast and amazing country! My favorite trip is the next one!
Favorite things to do when you’re not working? Live music draws me to venues large and small. We’re blessed with amazing local players in WNY and some venues who work hard to make it possible for them to play. Add a world class philharmonic, the amazing AKG art gallery, a non-stop summer festival season, and great parks and trails for getting in touch with the outdoors and I never run out of things to do!
Best thing about Western New York? We have so many of the advantages of a much larger city without the craziness and traffic of a big city. There are so many great people here everywhere you turn. One thing travel taught me is that there’s no better place to be in the summer. We often seem to sit in a little pocket of calm when there are storms and much hotter weather all around us. Winters can have their moments, but we handle snow better than you can handle wildfires, floods, mudslides, and tornados.
