On this episode of In the Flamingo Lounge, was originally recorded October 28, 2025, Gus Walters reflects on three decades in the Buffalo music scene — the bands, the friendships, and the chaos that made it all worth it. But this story takes a turn as he opens up about his recent colon cancer diagnosis and the life-saving power of a routine colonoscopy. Listeners – Even if insurance makes it hard, there are real, accessible ways to get screened.
Gus Walters is an award-winning songwriter, audio and video producer, and an accomplished show runner. Bands that he’s helmed have gone on to place top 3 in the world in the 2014 Hard Rock Battle of the Bands, which led to opening for national acts such as Weezer, Brand New, Theory of a Deadman, The Tea Party and Canadian rock heroes Lowest of the Low. “On the scene” since 1994, he’s cut his teeth in bands such as Milkrun, Dirty Smile, At The Helm, The Cinematics, and Murder! He’s also self-taught in graphic design, audio recording, audio mastering, video editing, and video directing.
You can find links to Walters’ songs on LinkTree
MILKRUN – [1994 to 2003 with 2 reunion shows 2013 & 2017]
Beer Punk:
Like a Prayer with Megan Brown – cover
● Andy Keller – vocals guitar/bass
● Art Keller – drums
● Ron Glose – Electric Guitar/lead
● Gus Walters – Electric guitar/bass
DIRTY SMILE [2011 to current]
…recipient of the Best of Buffalo Music Award for “Best Original Music Act” is a 5 piece new-vintage rock band from the heart of rust belt realness, Buffalo, NY. Armed with a batch of honest songs & an infectious energy, Dirty Smile stands resolute in its pursuit of rock-n-roll greatness.
The band’s hometown breeds a blue collar ethic that seeps into the music. It’s palpable. They’ve put in the hours on the sweaty stages of the Western New York region & New York City honing their craft. Dirty Smile has also cut their teeth on the national stage in support of Weezer, Brand New, Theory of a Deadman, Craig Morgan, Dennis DeYoung of Styx, Lowest of the Low, The Tea Party and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Legendary Canadian songwriter & performer Ron Hawkins (The Lowest of the Low, Rusty Nails, The Do Good Assassins) produced Dirty Smile’s 2015 dual single effort & mixed & mastered Dirty Smile’s debut EP entitled “Love Songs for the Damned: Volume I” (2014). Their 2017 video single releases include “Strange Times”, “Faceless Woman” and “S.O.S.” have thousands of views on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter.
Dirty Smile found themselves on the cover of ARTVOICE newspaper in June of ‘16. They also won the Regional Hard Rock Rising 2014 competition (including Western, NY, St. Catherines, ON, & Erie, PA) which vaulted them into the Global battle. The Global competition saw Dirty Smile finish top 3 out of 10,000 world-wide hopefuls. The momentum from the Hard Rock Rising competition continues still, & has seen the band make many TV,
Radio, & New Media appearances.
● Megan Brown – lead vocals
● Erik Eimiller – drums / vocals & backing
● Jesse Raderman – electric guitar
● Mike Suda – bass guitar
● Gus Walters – acoustic guitar / vocals & backing
THE CINEMATICS [2017 to current]
The Cinematics are a visual and audio tribute act to the greatest movies/film genres on earth! Tarantino and John Hughes inspired. 14-foot screen, and clips of these movies would be shown, while the band played the soundtracks from those scenes in real time!
● Tina Marie Williams – vocals
● Marc Hunt – bass
● Bud Redding – keyboards and synths
● Elliott Hunt – electric guitar
● Gus Walters – acoustic guitar
AT THE HELM [2017 to current]
…is an award-winning American rock, pop, alternative band from Western New York. They are on a mission to shake up the status quo of today’s formulaic rock template. “Saturate” is the new single release of original music that reinforces that vision.
● Michael Culmo – vocals
● Thom Conde – electric guitar
● Mario Nobilio – bass
● Peter Myhalenko – drums
● Gus Walters – acoustic guitar
“MURDER!” [June 2022 to current]
…is a high-octane punk | hard rock | melodic hardcore band from Western New York. This is not your “average punk” band. Founded by Gus Walters and Tina Williams in early 2022, the creative duo set out with the “Murder! Mission!” of “keeping the energy up and the tempo quick”. The goal is to break the mold of the current “pop-punk” nursery school rhyme formula currently inhabited by wealthy milquetoast artists and emphatically deliver the message that “punk is not dead”
Aiming to create songs harkening back from the 90s skate punk revolution of bands like Pennywise, Strung Out, Bad Religion, and Face to Face, but with a Courtney Love femme fatale touch, “Murder!” Looks to inject “songs within songs”, teasing the listener with punk hooks, genre defining drum lines, and finally delivering a satisfying listening experience to the end user.
● Tina Marie Williams – lead vocals
● Ed Croft – electric guitar
● Peter Myhalenko – drums
● Conn Sullivan – bass guitar
● Gus Walters – electric guitar
New Project [in the works]
FLAT TOP RIOT – [2025 to current]
-rockabilly, punk, pop & rock
2 songs completed – Hoping to take off sometime in 2026.
- Ed Croft – stand up bass guitar
- Gus Walters – electric guitar / vocals
Song and Songwriting Awards [Pepper Project]: Caris Vujeck
Video work – directing & editing: WMS ENTERTAINMENT, LLC.
Videos:
● Robert Freightrain Parker (nominated 2017 NAMA) – Outside Ourselves
● Letter To Elise
● Mayday Buffalo
● Dirty Smile
● Murder!
● At The Helm