Journalism professor documents the edgy, now historic, punk rock scene of Buffalo

The punk rock scene as it flourished in Buffalo from 1977 to 1985 is the subject of a documentary film created by SUNY Fredonia Journalism Professor Elmer Ploetz, who is premiering the work at the media arts center, The Squeaky Wheel, at 712 Main Street, Buffalo on Saturday, May 15, at 7 p.m.

Punk rock in Buffalo was exciting and powerful, Ploetz said, and worth preserving for history's sake. His film merges traditional and digital media to weave together the interviews, archival footage, photos, posters and recent reunion footage that document an era which, he believes, helped bring about today's lively, independent music scene in Buffalo.

While Ploetz expects the film to undergo continuous editing as the project develops and grows, so far his compilation includes bands and musicians such as the Jumpers, Mark Freeland, the Enemies, Lip Service, Vores, the Good, Pauline & the Perils, Davy & the Crocketts, the George, and Paper Faces. "Included is rare footage of the Jumpers and the Enemies from their early days," Ploetz said.

The documentary also features people from behind the scenes such as former WBNY programmer Tom Calderone, artist Karl Kotas, former Buffalo News rock critic Dale Anderson, Rockers magazine editor Andrew Elias and McVan's club owner Joe Tearose.

Convergence of the traditional and digital media is one of Professor Ploetz's goals as he helps prepare students for a new era in journalism. "The documentary is actually just the start of the Bflo Pnk Project," Ploetz noted. "It's a jumping off point for what is turning into a community history project using Facebook as the social networking hub."

After 28 years in the newspaper business, most recently writing and editing for the Buffalo News, Ploetz joined the faculty at SUNY Fredonia to help start the journalism major there.