Upcoming Events
Doors open at 7:00 pm; show at 7:30 pm
Fall 2023 Season
Oswego Music Hall Ticket Information:
-
Season Pass Holders purchase the entire season at a discount. They get the best seats in the house which are typically upfront tables. Anyone sitting with pass holders must purchase VIP seating.
-
VIP seating (typically $3 above general seating) is preferred, forward seating. It is usually table seating.
-
General seating is the balance of seating in the house. Any ticket level may sit there.
National Stage
The Rough & Tumble
Mark Wahl Opening
December 2 $15-18
The Rough & Tumble, a dynamic duo comprised of Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler, have been captivating audiences with their unique blend of dumpster-folk and thrift store-Americana for over a decade. The Pennsylvania-born Graham and Central California's Tyler have a knack for weaving together elements of joy, sorrow, comedy, and drama in their music, leaving audiences on the edge of their seats. Now, in 2023, the band is set to release Only This Far, a 12-song collection drawing from the highs and lows of their lived experiences over all those years.
With a smorgasbord of eclectic instruments and a stunning blend of harmonious vocals, the band has crafted a work of profound emotional depth with this new album. The songs are a symphony of raw, unbridled emotion, weaving together tales of love, loss, and longing with a deft touch that could only be crafted by these two songwriters who have quite literally lived on the road for the better part of a decade. It’s a true testament to the band's unwavering dedication to their craft.
Standout track "Ain't That The Way" is a shining anthem of perseverance; a rousing call to action for those who have been told their best isn't good enough. With its powerful gang vocals and uplifting message, this song is a triumph of the human spirit, a celebration of the resilience and determination that lies within us all. On the other side of the coin, "God of War" — a semi-autobiographical sketch by Graham — delves adeptly into heavier subject matter. It’s a searing exploration in the complexities of identity, a stark and unflinching look at the dark underbelly of modern American culture. With its haunting lyrics and evocative soundscape, this song paints a vivid portrait of a nation at war with itself, grappling with the legacy of its past and the weight of its responsibilities. The band’s ability to seamlessly navigate the contrasts between bold, unflinching balladry and sunny-day sing-alongs makes Only This Far quite the enriching listen.
Winter/Spring 2024 Season
Winter/Spring Season Pass $170
Oswego Music Hall Ticket Information:
-
Season Pass Holders purchase the entire season at a discount. They get the best seats in the house which are typically upfront tables. Anyone sitting with pass holders must purchase VIP seating.
-
VIP seating (typically $3 above general seating) is preferred, forward seating. It is usually table seating.
-
General seating is the balance of seating in the house. Any ticket level may sit there.
National Stage
Adam Ezra Group
Meet & Greet Reception at 6:30 (details to follow)
January 13th $16-19
Working outside the confines of the traditional music industry, Adam Ezra and his bandmates – Corinna Smith (fiddle), Alex Martin (drums), Poche Ponce (bass) - built a community of fans through sheer grit and determination, regularly performing hundreds of shows a year for the past two decades without any major label or mainstream radio support. Fusing folk intimacy and rock energy with soul power and pop charm, the band first emerged from Boston in the early 2000s and quickly garnered widespread acclaim for their bold, insightful songwriting and interactive, euphoric performances. From hole in the wall bars and house concerts to sold-out headline shows and dates with the likes of Little Big Town, The Wallflowers, Gavin DeGraw, Train, and The Wailers, Ezra and his bandmates treated every single gig like their last, attracting a die-hard following that believed not just in the music, but in their commitment to activism and social change, as well.
After their tour was cancelled at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ezra brought the show online to continue this commitment and created The Gathering Series which to-date has reached a cumulative audience of 15 million viewers. The bands ongoing daily livestreams since March of 2020 stands as a testament not only to Ezra’s artistic endurance, but also his ability to connect with viewers and provide an accepting and supportive space for newcomers to join his tight-knit community of fans. Their homegrown festival, The Ramble, hosted by RallySound, raises money and marshals resources to help homeless veterans find safe and dignified housing for the last ten years. This year, after an incredible day of music and community, an unprecedented effort from our volunteer army, and the generosity of this inspiring community that literally spans the globe, we have raised an astounding $143,000 for our veteran heroes!!!
Website: https://www.adamezra.com/
National Stage
Mile Twelve
TBD opening
January 27th $15-18
Mile Twelve is back in motion. From the first manic, dissonant downbeat of their virtuosic new record, Close Enough to Hear, you’ll discover a band that is ready to explode from a restless pandemic-induced hiatus. The first track “Romulus,” glides and rages as the narrator wrestles with the ultimate impermanence of the empire he’s forged.
Next comes the magical realism of “Johnny Oklahoma,” the youth who volunteers to be fired out of a cannon for the good of his community, in one big beautiful nihilistic burst. These musicians are clearly working through some hard questions posed by the last few years. You’ll hear the same warmth and innovation that earned the band IBMA’s 2019 Album of the Year nomination and 2020 New Artist of the Year Award, and that’s gained them an international reputation as one of the most dynamic groups in contemporary acoustic music. The title track “Close Enough to Hear,” is a stripped-down dream of all that we missed so dearly in those early, terrifying months of lockdown.
Something else is close enough to hear on this new album. You’ll notice the presence of two new members: fiddler and vocalist Ella Jordan and mandolinist Korey Brodsky. Take note of the new dimension they add to the band, and their ability to lock in with founding members Evan Murphy (guitar, vocals), Catherine Bowness (banjo), and Nate Sabat (bass, vocals). These aren’t session players; this album captures the formation of a new coherent unit.
This is a band looking forward — simultaneously shoring up their bluegrass foundations (in the transfixing a capella opening of “If Only,” for example) while also pushing their musical boundaries and driving into new territory. You’ll detect flavors of jazz (“Red Grapes on the Vine”), acoustic pop (“Take Me As I Am”) and trance music (“Light of Angels”). Heard as a whole, Close Enough to Hear displays the vast potential of acoustic string band music in the hands of capable players.
Website: https://www.miletwelveband.com/home
National Stage
Driftwood
February 10 $17-20
The title track and first single from Driftwood's forthcoming spring 2024 album, “December Last Call” is out everywhere 11/10. Penned by guitarist-songwriter Joe Kollar, the track transports the listener to the middle of a rowdy, college dive bar. “December’s a drink song, so much so I don't remember writing it.”
After two years of starts and stops, a few pauses from Covid, one scrapped attempt and lots of late nights in the studio, the upstate New York folksters finally wrapped up recording sessions for “December Last Call” this Fall. Recorded in the basement studio of Kollar's parents' upstate home, the album concept was simple: Keep it organic. “We grew up making music in that basement, after recording our last album with a well-known producer in an out-of-town studio, it felt so right to be back down there, growing the tracks from scratch on our own,” says guitarist-songwriter Dan Forsyth.
The album is due out in Spring 2024 and is definitely Driftwood's most explorative effort yet. From full on, electric guitar-laden rock tracks to barren, stripped down, acoustic ballads, the palette is big but the offerings are sincere and purposeful. “These songs are a snapshot of us over the last few years. They are a reflection on life, past, present and future. They portray a group of great friends who have continued to evolve together and separately over more than 15 years,” says violinist Claire Byrne.
Formed by two high school friends bent on traveling the country playing folk music together, Driftwood have turned into one of the hardest working, original bands in the business. In 2008 they met Byrne and started touring full time in 2009. In 2010 Bassist Joey Arcuri joined and by then they were regularly hitting the East Coast club circuit. Drummer Sam Fishman, a more recent addition, joined in 2021.
With three people sharing the vocal and songwriting duties, there are certainly some disparate elements at play reminiscent of other well-known, multi-singer bands. But it’s very apparent Driftwood have no interest in emulation; their focus seems to be purely on creation.“I feel blesse
d to have 3 main singer-songwriters in our band. It allows us to paint from a pretty big pallet and also to challenge each other. Sometimes it can take a minute to make our styles flow but really it’s been such a huge part of our growth as a band and as individual writers.”
National Stage
Vance Gilbert
Cam Caruso opening
February 24th $15-18
"If Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens had a love child, with Rodney Dangerfield as the midwife, the results might be something close to the great Vance Gilbert", says Richmond Magazine.
Vance's new album, "The Mother Of Trouble”, features Grammy winner Lori McKenna on background vocals, Juno award recipient and Bonnie Raitt Grammy hit song co-writer Joey Landreth on guitars, and Americana-Roots master mandolinist Joe K. Walsh. 30 years into his career, the songwriter’s influence can be felt all over the contemporary Folk and Americana realm as he has helped pave the way for many of the BIPOC artists who have followed.
Vance was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. Starting out hoping to be an R&B and jazz singer once at college, there he discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of the acoustic singer-songwriter thing. Word spread like wildfire about Gilbert's stage-owning singing and playing, and Shawn Colvin invited him to be special guest on her 1992 Fat City tour where he took much of America by storm and by surprise. “With the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god..” wrote the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Noted not only for being the ever consummate performer, Gilbert has recorded 13 albums, including 5 for Philo/Rounder Records. Along with being opener of choice for artists as varied as Arlo Guthrie, Anita Baker, The Milk Carton Kids, and Southside Johnny, the mid 2000’s found Gilbert opening 150+ shows for comedian George Carlin.
Gilbert has also been a prominent presence at some of the world’s most prestigious gatherings and halls, among them the Newport, Winnipeg, Rocky Mountain, Calgary, Ottawa, and Falcon Ridge Folk festivals, the Kate Wolf Music Festival, and Australia’s Woodford Folk and Mullum Music Festivals, Mountain Stage, Boston's Symphony Hall, Nashville’s Lyman Auditorium, The Barns at Wolftrap, and a private party for his veterinarian where there was terrific lo-mein.
Gilbert has been a songwriting, performance, and voice coach all around the world, kinda, from Australia to Winnipeg, at all the festivals above plus The Kerrville and Rocky Mountain Song Schools, he is currently on staff as Instructor/Professor at the University Of Colorado Denver and has a decade worth of summer programs at the Berklee College Of Music under his belt. What? Private coaching? Yes, 6-10 students weekly too.
Website: https://vancegilbert.com/
National Stage
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
March 9th $17-20
Multi-Grammy nominated Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen is a torrent of mind-blowing bluegrass. Known for their meaty pile-driving rhythms and Frank’s dynamic and bold vocals, the band’s last two albums have both received a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album. They have twice been named IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year and earned numerous other IBMA noms including Male Vocalist of the Year, Mandolin Player of the Year, and in 2013, received Banjo Player of the Year. Their massive sound and show stealing performances command the most prestigious stages in the country and abroad; from The Grand Ole Opry to the biggest international festivals across Europe, South America and Australia. The band has performed at the biggest bluegrass festivals including Telluride, MerleFest, Grey Fox, RockyGrass, Delfest, Strawberry Music Festival, Pickin’ in the Pines, ROMP, and countless more. Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen is among the most respected and sought-after bands in the business. FS&DK’s respect and deep understanding of the bluegrass tradition collides, live on stage, with rock-tinged fiery virtuosity that pushes the boundaries of the genre. Other influences include country, jazz, blues, southern rock, and soul.
The band’s highly anticipated new album, Hold On was released September 2, 2022 with high expectations as the band’s previous two releases have both been Grammy nominated for Best Bluegrass Album.
Frank and company bring it up a notch on their newest release HOLD ON. Together with bandmates banjo master Mike Munford, guitarist Chris Luquette and bassist Jeremy Middleton, the band dazzles on covers including Newgrass Revival’s, “Sail to Australia” (featuring NGR’s bassist John Cowan on harmony vocals), Buzz Busby’s “Lost,” and a crafty cover of Orleans’ “Sails,” bringing their instrumental savvy and deep groove to each track. But the real heart of the album is the original material Solivan contributes here, including several outstanding new songs destined to take their place in the bluegrass canon.
The upbeat “I’m Already Gone” and “Hold On” which open the album are both ready-made bluegrass classics, the later written by Solivan in about 15 minutes right before the recording session. “Goodbye, Goodbye,” co-written by Solivan and his cousin singer/songwriter Megan McCormick, has one of the catchiest choruses you’ll hear in any kind of music, and the achingly beautiful “Modesto,” co-written by Megan McCormick and Amanda Fields, is a gorgeous tip of the hat to the town where Solivan was born. The album also features a re-record of the Solivan-penned instrumental dazzler “Scorchin’ the Gravy,” the first tune the band ever played together. This version, recorded live with no overdubs, leaves little doubt why the quartet is a multiple IBMA Instrumental Award winner.
Website: http://dirtykitchenband.com/
National Stage
Shawna Caspi and Rachael Kilgour
March 23rd $16-19
Women in Music Series
This is the first year for our new series to highlight and recognize female singer songwriters. This year our Women in Music Series will feature a co-bill with two excellent Canadian artists.
Shawna Caspi
Toronto-based singer-songwriter Shawna Caspi takes her time crafting lyrics that are poetic and meaningful, often using unusual rhymes and surprising turns of phrase. She spent years on the road playing solo shows at festivals and in concert halls, train cars, backyards, and living rooms, supporting her warm, clear voice with intricate fingerstyle guitar accompaniment, and drawing energy from shifting landscapes and long drives through Canada and the United States. After taking a break from the road to rest, reflect, and write, Shawna returns with her fifth album, Hurricane Coming, a collection of raw, deeply personal songs set against a backdrop of colourful cinematic soundscapes. Shawna also created a series of abstract paintings inspired by the songs on the album, seamlessly combining her work as a musician and visual artist.
Hurricane Coming was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award for Contemporary Album of the Year and an Ontario Folk Music Award for Album of the Year, and Shawna’s songs have won awards from Folk Music Ontario and the Songwriters’ Association of Washington. She strives to tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable, to empower listeners to come to terms with the parts of themselves and the world that they might find scary, and to look for hope in the dark.
Website: https://shawnacaspi.com/
Rachael Kilgour
Rachael Kilgour is a Canadian-American songwriter and performing artist whose plain-spoken, lyric-driven work and intimate performances have endeared her to listeners and fellow artists alike. The 2015 grand prize winner of the international NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition and winner of the 2017 Kerrville New Folk Contest, Kilgour has been featured at NYC’s Lincoln Center, at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and at the Sundance Film Festival.
Rachael Kilgour's exquisite fourth full-length collection, My Father Loved Me, is a tribute to her late father, produced by JUNO Award-winning songwriter Rose Cousins and recorded in the senior Kilgour's native Canada. In the spare, often gutting language for which she is known, Kilgour gives us a complex portrait of a man as seen through his daughter's eyes. With unwavering acuity she poses questions about identity, inheritance, and grief, and affirms the value of one ordinary working man's life to an often indifferent world. Her oft-noted “unapologetic lyrics” (Rolling Stone) and “master crafted indie folk” sensibilities (Billboard) are on full display in this latest collection of songs.
Website: https://rachaelkilgour.com/
National Stage
Big Sky Quartet
April 13th $15-18
Well-crafted songs, lush harmonies, and a sound that feels like you’re hanging outside on a warm summer evening. – The Burg Magazine
Big Sky Quartet is an award-winning, original four-piece roots/folk music act based in central Pennsylvania, now in its fifteenth year of music-making and performing throughout the Eastern United States. The band has been recognized for the best harmonies in the region, and recently was awarded Best Trio (2019), Best Folk Band (2021), and the Best Album of the Year in 2021 (Red Fire Rising) by the Central PA Music Awards. All four members come together to bring you music that has been called "beautiful, deep, uplifting, and moving," and "a sound that feels like you're hanging outside on a warm summer evening." And in fact, there's nowhere more the members of Big Sky Quartet would like to be.
Sarah Fiore is the band's lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been writing melody, lyrics, and guitar for the band since its formation in 2008. Named Best Female Artist in 2022 by the Central PA Music Awards, Sarah is known for her prolific stream of stand-out melodies, salt-of-the-earth vocals, and true lyrical artistry. Sarah recently released an original solo album, Appalachia Blues (2023), which showcases Sarah's signature songcraft and production talent. The opening track, Lonesome Sparrow–a bright, folk-pop love song– was selected as a finalist in the 2023 Rocky Mountain Songwriter Contest.
On vocals, accordion, penny whistle, and autoharp, Jason Whetstone brings a depth of musical talent to the group with his professional background in sound engineering and years of experience in theater, singing, and musical collaborations. Brilliant when building harmonies with the group, his ability to play multiple instruments throughout performances is a joy for audiences to experience.
On drums, Kelly McClain is one of the founding members of the group. He brings a unique and powerful energy to the drum kit and lifts the music up to another level with his talents. Entirely self-taught, Kelly brings his passion for music in the styles of blues and roots to the band's folk genre.
On vocals and hand percussion is Jennifer Hara. Her deep love for moving people through music is easily seen and felt on stage with her passionate and powerful voice, and her warm and uplifting energy throughout the performances.
Website: https://bigskyquartet.com/home
National Stage
Tickets coming soon!
Livingston Taylor
April 27th $33-36
Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of 13, which began a more than 50-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting, and teaching. Born in Boston and raised in North Carolina, Livingston is the fourth child in a very musical family that includes Alex, James, Kate, and Hugh. Livingston Taylor’s career has encompassed performance, songwriting, and teaching. Described as "equal parts Mark Twain, college professor, and musical icon, Livingston maintains a performance schedule of more than a hundred shows a year, delighting audiences with his charm and vast repertoire of his 22 albums and popular classics. Livingston has written top-40 hits recorded by his brother James Taylor and has appeared with Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, and Jimmy Buffet. He is equally at home with a range of musical genres - folk, pop, gospel, jazz - and from upbeat storytelling and touching ballads to full orchestra performances. In addition to his performance schedule, Livingston has been a full professor at Berklee College of Music for 30 years, passing on the extensive knowledge gained from his long career on the road to the next generation of musicians. Liv is an airplane-flying, motorcycle-riding, singing storyteller, delighting audiences with his charm for over 50 years.
From top 40 hits “Carolina Day,” “Get out of Bed,” “I Will Be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running,” to “I Can Dream of You” and “Boatman,”( the last two recorded by his brother James), Livingston’s creative output has continued unabated. His musical knowledge has inspired a varied repertoire, and he is equally at home with a range of musical genres—folk, pop, gospel, jazz. You can also find Livingston performing with a full symphony orchestra.
For over three decades, Livingston taught at the Berklee College of Music where he created a course on Stage Performance.Former students include Charlie Puth, Liz Longely, John Mayer, Molly Tuttle,Gavin McGraw, Susan Tedesci, Matt Cusson, Grace Kelly, Clay Cook, and Betty Who. Livingston now takes his course “ on the road” and teaches at a variety of colleges and institutions,including the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, NASA’s Goddard Space Center, and Tulane Law School among others. His book, Stage Performance, based on his course and 50+ years (5,000+ hours) of real and practical on stage time has become the go to book for those interested in elevating their presentation and performance standards from good to downright to professional.
"Livingston Taylor: Life is Good,” a documentary feature film directed by Tracy Anarella was released in 2018 at national and international film festivals, garnering awards, nominations, and accolades, including The Van Gogh Award for Feature Documentary at the Amsterdam International Film Festival. The film is currently available to the public on Amazon. Click here to watch the trailer.
Also in 2019, American Public television filmed and released “Livingston Taylor Live from Sellersville Theater: Songs and Stories" which broadcast across PBS stations nationally and featured Matt Cusson and Chelsea Berry, both former students and touring musicians.
Website: https://livingstontaylor.com/
National Stage
Season Finale
Emerging Artists Showcase with Sam Robbins
May 11 $15 (free for members)
6:00 PM start time (subject to change)
Sam Robbins is often described as an "old soul singer songwriter." A Nashville based musician whose music evokes classic 70's singer songwriters like James Taylor and Neil Young, Sam adds a modern, upbeat edge to the storyteller troubadour persona. An avid performer, he has gained recognition from extensive touring and as one of the six 2021 winners in the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk competition, one of the largest and most prestigious songwriting competitions in the country.
A multi-instrumentalist from a young age, Sam began learning drums and piano, falling in love with guitar at age 13. He then started writing original music, recording his first CD during his sophomore year of high school, while playing open mics in his hometown of Portsmouth, NH.
Sam is a full time troubadour, playing over 150 shows a year across the country, including the MainStage at the Kerrville Folk Festival, the Dripping Springs Songwriter’s Festival, and as one of the “‘Most Wanted to Return” artists in the 2023 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.
Since moving to Nashville in September 2019 following his graduation from Berklee College of Music, Sam has made a splash in music city - performing at the Bluebird Cafe within a month of moving, and sitting in again at the legendary venue with Liz Longley in February, and was a winner at the Eddie's Attic Songwriter's shootout competition in Atlanta in early March 2020.
In 2018, Sam was able to audition on NBC's The Voice for Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and Jennifer Hudson as the first artist to perform a Jim Croce song on the show.
Sam considers himself a student of songwriting, constantly searching and learning about why songs have the impact they do. A 2019 graduate of Berklee College of Music's songwriting department, he has hosted many songwriting workshops and masterclasses, including at the Harvard Music Department and the Boys & Girls Club of Boston. In his performances and workshops, Sam explores the magic behind the craft of songwriting, and tries to help others express themselves through the unique and powerful medium of songwriting.
Sam's second album, Bigger Than in Between, was released in August 2022 to critical acclaim.
Website: https://samrobbinsmusic.com/home
NEW: Oswego Music Hall Guest Curator Program:
The Ontario Center for Performing Arts (aka Oswego Music Hall) offers its resources and expertise to facilitate programs produced and curated by others outside of its own calendar. Although we facilitate, endorse, and promote these events, they are otherwise independent of OCPA, and admission to Guest Curator events is not included in Music Hall season passes.
Oswego Music Hall
is supported by