Jack Rabbit is a Cultural Asset. Protect It.

A small but aggressively vocal group of neighbors has been claiming fault where there is none to be found for several years.

AI Design by Kim Miers

There’s a tendency in any and every community for members of that community to take its cultural assets for granted until it’s too late.

So many of us cried when we lost the ‘Old Pink,’ Mohawk Place, Mulligan’s Brick Bar, or going back further, the Continental, or the Cabaret, or the Tralf. But if we’re being honest, were we all still supporting those venues wholeheartedly at the time of their closing (or their destruction, in some cases)?

What we mourn when we lose venues is not solely the brick and mortar or the physical space - it’s really the loss of a part of our culture. Music venues are a major component of any city’s culture, and Buffalo, this is particularly true, in my view. We are a region rich in talent, diversity, and we boast a musician per capital ratio - 35.5 musicians for every 100,000 jobs - that lands us in the discussion with far larger cities like Seattle, Boston, San Francisco and Austin. Perhaps none of this would matter if we didn’t also have a large segment of the population that values live music almost as much as it values its beloved Buffalo Bills.

For the past 4 years, Jack Rabbit, a restaurant, live music venue and bar in the heart of the bohemian elegance that is the Elmwood Village, has been everything a Buffalo venue should be.

It’s a hub of our music scene.

It’s a core component of what it means to be a lover of music and the arts in Buffalo.

It’s a community clubhouse.

It’s a place where neighbors gather and act neighborly.

It’s a showcase venue for a broad, diverse array of musical artists, crossing demographic, cultural and stylistic lines.

It’s a place where multiple generations of musicians and music-lovers gather in a judgement-free environment of inclusion.

It is, in short, a cultural asset.

Jack Rabbit was conceived of, and is run by, veterans of the Buffalo music & arts scene. Care and commitment is part of everything these people do, and is readily apparent, whether you’ve stopped by for dinner, strolled in for brunch, swept into on a weekend evening for a healthy dose of live music, or shown up to play your own gig.

For Josh Mullin, his partners, and their crew, being a good neighbor and a respectful member of the Elmwood Village community has been a paramount concern from the get-go. That has meant toeing the line with permits and adhering to weekend live music time restrictions consistently and without fail.

Photo by Kim Miers

But despite all of this, a small but aggressively vocal group of neighbors has been claiming fault where there is none to be found for several years. As has been the case with our country as a whole for a good while now, these non-representative gripes have been granted an undeserving megaphone, a platform for perceived injustices that are not backed up by fact or consensual reality.

So now Jack Rabbit’s business model, which is the same business model every other independent music-based venue in the city, the state and the country follows, is under attack. It’s our job to raise our voices to protect Jack Rabbit, because doing so is protecting our very culture. So don’t wait. We are seeing daily the cost that is paid when we cede control of our culture to bad actors and over-amplified naysayers with axes to grind. We should not let this happen in Buffalo. Our Buffalo.

As I write this, Visit Buffalo Niagara - our region’s tourism marketing agency - is in the midst of a campaign called Hear, Here, aimed at solidifying, celebrating, and expanding Buffalo’s nascent status as a live music destination. What message are we sending if we allow major components of the very music scene we’re hoping will attract tourism, financial investment, jobs, and a brighter future, to be bullied to the brink of having to abandon their business model or, god forbid, close their doors? The wrong one, to be blunt.

There can be no renaissance that doesn’t include music, the arts and culture. Full stop.

Protect Jack Rabbit.

Photo by Kim Miers

Read on for information on how you can lend your voice in support…

A note form Josh Mullin of Jack Rabbit:

Since May 2021, we’ve been proud to operate as a restaurant, bar, and live music venue on Elmwood Ave in our beloved home of Buffalo, NY. Our mission has always been to celebrate and support the local community—showcasing Buffalo’s incredible musicians, artists, food vendors, breweries, distilleries, and winemakers while providing a vibrant space for thousands of guests who appreciate what we bring to the neighborhood.

We’re more than just a music venue. We’re a true neighborhood bar, open daily for lunch and offering locals a welcoming second space to relax, connect, and enjoy great food and drinks. From casual lunches to lively evenings, we’ve become a gathering place for the community—a place where everyone feels at home.

However, our ability to continue offering live music on weekends—a cornerstone of what makes our venue special—is now under serious threat. Despite being fully permitted, following regulations, and adhering to consistent weekend time restrictions for the past three years, a very small group of neighbors have relentlessly lodged complaints against us. These persistent grievances have led to the New York State Liquor Authority (NYSLA) pursuing a case against Jack Rabbit. This case threatens to jeopardize not only our ability to feature the live music that our community has come to love and expect but it will seriously impact our staff, our patrons and the overall community.

THIS ISN’T JUST ABOUT US — this is about the livelihood of the local musicians we pay to perform, the 100+ beautiful humans we employ, and the cultural heartbeat we help sustain in Buffalo. Over the years, we’ve gone above and beyond to be good neighbors. We’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on soundproofing and other measures to address noise concerns, paid over $800,000 directly to local musicians, donated meals to food banks, massively supported local charities - including being the primary sponsor of Music is Art. All while providing the wonderful people of Buffalo with great food, drinks, and entertainment.

In 2022, we celebrated our first anniversary with performances by Handsome Jack, Deadwolf, Grosh, and The Love Underground, and a Labor Day weekend bash featuring Aqueous and Nerds Gone Wild. Despite their success and adherence to all regulations, these events have only added fuel to the ongoing campaign by a handful of neighbors determined to shut this flourishing business down.

Now, this baseless hostility threatens to drastically limit, and effectively silence live music at Jack Rabbit — this would deliver a devastating blow to our neighborhood, our patrons, our employees, the local musicians - everyone who values the culture, creativity, and connection that music and the inclusive community Jack Rabbit has strived to foster and promote.

We are fighting back, but we need your help. We need to show the SLA that Jack Rabbit is a local business that truly fosters and promotes an environment to serves and support a majority of the Elmwood Village community and beyond, that Jack Rabbit has promoted job growth and visitors to our neighborhood.

By signing our petition, you can stand with us to protect live music in Buffalo. Let’s ensure that a small but vocal minority doesn’t strip away the joy and vibrancy we’ve worked so hard to build. Your support can make all the difference. Together, we can show that Buffalo stands for art, music, inclusivity and community.

Personal letters of support are also welcomed and can be sent to josh@jackrabbitbuffalo.com.

Our staff, our patrons, the owners and their families thank you.