Vocals/guitar/drums-
George F. Olmsted has been a contributing member of the Buffalo music scene as a drummer and singer since the late 70’s. Growing up on the West Side of Buffalo as the son of a prominent and talented artist, Westley G. Olmsted, 1934-2011, Olmsted was exposed at an early age to a unique pastiche of art and music. Many of his parents’ friends were artists and musicians in the community and helped to inspire in him a love of expression. Forming Member of Positive Force, Dry Bones, Hayden Fogle and the Ambassadors, and many more musical acts. Now with The Olmsted Dub System, and NRG Reggae, Olmsted is bringing reggae sounds once again.
As an award-winning middle school social studies educator, Olmsted developed a highly successful(2005-2021) after-school rock music program, ROCK.ED. ROCK.ED was focused on helping middle school students find a path to success in middle school. This program attracted students who were normally not part of the traditional school music education curriculum. Students who played “rock instruments” were discounted and shunned by teachers and curriculum leaders as “not serious musicians.” They tended to dislike school because they felt that their creativity and dedication was ignored and unsupported.
Olmsted recognized them and knew this to be a continuing falsehood and spent well over 15 years proving his point. ROCK ED students excelled academically and demonstrated high character values throughout their tenure in the program. ROCK.ED students performed in countless venues throughout the community at very high levels, and found themselves on the largest stages in front of 1000’s of attendees, always amazing audiences and attracting new fans, especially inspiring others like themselves to do the same. Many ROCK.ED students have gone on to be accomplished musicians in their own genres and look back at their time in the program as a defining moment in their lives. Olmsted is also a distant descendant of famed landscape architect, Frederic Law Olmsted Follow him @rockeddirector and @olmsteddubsystem on Instagram/FB
