To Celebrate Music is Art’s 10 Anniversary, Watch Robby Takac Take Over Jack FM! [VIDEO]

Ten years ago, on an early June weekend, a few bands set up in a recording studio parking lot on Franklin Street during the Allentown Art Festival and spent the day playing music for some curious onlookers. And so the Music is Art festival was born.

The brainchild of Goo Goo Dolls bassist, Good Charamel Records founder and GCR Audio (formerly Trackmaster and Chameleon West Recording Studio) owner Robby Takac, MIAF has grown into something huge. Featuring 100-percent local artists, musicians and more (like an escape artist!), this festival is a can't-miss celebration of Buffalo's truly amazing local music and arts scene. From six to 76, there's something for everyone, and I'm not just saying that to be cliche.

As a little high school freshman, I coerced my parents into taking me to that first festival to see Klear, one of my then- (and still-)favorite local bands. The year after, I got to see Robby and Johnny Rzeznik perform a surprise acoustic set at the festival, mere weeks before their epic Fourth of July show. I've been at, by my count, six of the nine festivals so far (I was out of town for the others), and at each, I've been introduced to at least one local band I can't wait to check out further.

The best part? The whole thing has always been totally free.

Actually, maybe this is the best part: Since 2003, the festival -- which started purely as a rockin' good time -- has been supporting the Music is Art foundation, which runs instrument drives, educational series, a high school battle of the bands and so many more programs that support Buffalo's music scene and musical education in schools.

A few years ago, the Music is Art festival moved from its original home on Franklin to the area behind the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and this year's 10th anniversary celebration will feature 300 dancers, 70 artists and 100 bands and DJs on 11 stages -- and, of course, the 250 volunteers who make it all possible. The festival has added a poetry stage, too!

In honor of MIAF's decade milestone, we invited Robby to take over Jack FM for an hour of our Awesome '80s Weekend yesterday. He's an awesome dude -- super-down-to-Earth and incredibly cool and friendly -- and we hope he had as great a time as we did!

Check out some video from his time in the studio below -- but first, get your butt over to Delaware Park and check out the Music is Art festival!