Although SIRSY is small, a husband and wife duo, their sound is mighty. Bass, drums, searing guitar, flute and a powerhouse voice make the band sound much bigger than they appear on stage. But Melanie Krahmer and Rich Libutti have been through more than the average band. While Krahmer was celebrating her seven-year anniversary of being cancer-free, the disease came back, stronger and more threatening, changing their lives completely. After seeing a long list of doctors and Krahmer being bed-ridden for four months, the band is making its way back onto the stage. They performed Aug. 27 at the New…
Author: Jessica Novak
Steven Pfanenstiel has a firm hand in the folk community: He works with the Folkus Project, runs the monthly YMCA acoustic jam in Baldwinsville, and even performs folk music. On Saturday, July 28, noon to 6 p.m., he’ll play twice during the inaugural Plainville Folk Festival at the Plainville Christian Church, 754 W. Genesee Road, Plainville. The event will feature music, food and vendors from various sponsors. There is no admission price, but donations are welcome. When the church held a winter concert series in which Pfanenstiel participated, Rev. Mike Grinalls gave him the idea for a festival. “He thought…
Pete Daniels and Andrew Wiley were Syracuse University students between 1994 and 1998 when they started jamming together throughout the Salt City music scene. They formed fast friendships with local blues players such as Tom Townsley, Phil Petroff, Roosevelt Dean and members of Los Blancos. On Saturday, June 30, 2 p.m., the duo and their band, The Roustabouts, will take the main stage at the New York State Blues Festival in downtown’s Clinton Square. “We’ve gotta jampack as much music as we can into the whole thing,” Wiley says. “It’s great that we’ll get to do what we do on the main stage and tell our story, talk…
The annual Taste of Syracuse brings a variety of acts, both nationally known and locally grown, to three stages in downtown Syracuse for a weekend of food and music. This year’s festival, running Friday, June 1, and Saturday, June 2, will feature local and regional acts like Skunk City and The Old Main, and national headliner Smash Mouth. Major acts and artists often have wild demands in their riders, which are contracts specifying a set of requests or demands for the performer. Yet Stacey Waterman, the production manager and entertainment coordinator, says Taste of Syracuse isn’t usually the festival for that. “At venues like the (Lakeview) amphitheater, yes,” she says.…
On May 19, local multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and bandleader Melissa Gardiner made a major announcement: Her trio, MG3, featuring Gardiner on trombone, drummer Byron Cage and Willerm Delisfort on organ, had just won the Bucharest International Jazz Competition at EUROPAfest. “It’s still kinda hitting me,” she reflects about the music event, which ran May 12 to 19 in Romania. “I had never gone international with my own group before and never competed like this.” Gardiner heard about the competition two years ago and followed up on the opportunity. The group was accepted, but didn’t have time to raise funds to travel to the competition. So they deferred for a year in…
Back in 2003, SubCat Music Studios was located in Skaneateles, where it also housed a record label in addition to the studio. Several bands initially signed on, including the local group Simplelife, but the focus of SubCat soon turned more to the recording side of business. Now located near Armory Square at 219 S. West St., SubCat is getting back into the record label world in a big way: It has already signed on famous bluesman Tas Cru. Studio owner Ron Keck and manager TJ James plan to offer a mix of services for the budding label. “We want to reinforce the one-stop shop with SubCat,”…
When John McEuen visits Eastwood’s Palace Theater, 2384 James St., on Sunday, May 20, the event will be about more than music: It’ll be about community. The Grammy winner will headline the Syracuse Sunrise Rotary Youth Music Festival, also sharing the stage with various youth groups and local music giants Todd Hobin and Loren Barrigar. The youth festival runs from 2 to 5 p.m. with McEuen and his String Wizards band taking the stage at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and are available online at brownpapertickets.com, by calling (800) 838-3006, or visiting the Sound Garden in Armory Square. McEuen got…
Jonathan Edwards sits down for a Q&A with SNT about his career’s origins, what he’s grateful for in music and that ever-famous hit, “Sunshine.”
Blair Crimmins and The Hookers will be performing in Homer on Friday, April 6.
For 20 years, Spark Contemporary Art Space has hosted music and visual art events for the community to share their creations. Now run by Jacob Roberts and Patrick Tuohey, the pair hopes to overhaul Spark by raising $60,000 through an IndieGoGo campaign that runs through March 23. Located at 1001 E. Fayette St., Spark is on the outer edge of downtown, albeit closer to Syracuse University and Syracuse Stage. Roberts and Tuohey want to transform the venue so it can comfortably house a soundstage and an art gallery, and provide space for movement-based activities such as yoga and healing arts.…
The local music production manager will be inducted into the Sammys Hall of Fame
Soul music talks about life, the reality of every day, personally and within the world. The Diana Jacobs Band delivers these goods on this new album, touching on topics about issues both close to home and beyond. Jacobs’ big voice fills the tracks and the band plays in the soulful styles that inspire them, with audible influences like Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder coming through. Some songs sway with the sexy groove that soul is known for, while others burst with power. The band is comprised of Jacobs (vocals, keyboard), her husband Mettis Jacobs (guitar, vocals), Sue Ferlenda (vocals, keyboards),…
The Oswego Music Hall continues to lure performers to the Lake Ontario venue
Melancholy and introspective, open yet intricate, All Poets & Heroes have a distinct, emotional sound. Where We Lived and What We Lived For, released in October, shimmers with beautiful production and songs that remind the listener of a mellow Jason Mraz a la We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The band features Rob McCall (lead vocals, guitar), Corey Jordan (guitar, vocals) and Billy Harrison (drums). They bring their select style to life with subtle strength that seems to grow through each number. Although the tracks are on the soft side, their down-to-earth lyrics do well to snap listeners’ attention.…
L.R.S. label founders Mark Turley and Nic Oliver celebrate five years with a Lost Horizon blowout