Archives
Winter/Spring 2025 Season
National Stage
Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light
Jim Shaffer opens
January 11th $17-22
Fresh off a first place win at the 2023 Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival band competition, Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light have been captivating audiences throughout the northeast. With songs as sweet and biting as the nectar and venom in her voice, Sumner's lyric-forward writing and penchant for snaking chord progressions demand something far beyond folk conventions, highlighting the acrobatic range of her brilliant bandmates Kat Wallace (fiddle) and Mike Siegel (upright bass).
Sumner is no stranger to the stage. She spent her early career on the bluegrass circuit, singing and writing with the genre-bending Boston group Twisted Pine. Since setting out on her own, Sumner's songs have been critically acclaimed, winning the Lennon Award in the folk category of the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest for her song "Radium Girls (Curie Eleison);" earning her a spot in the Kerrville New Folk Competition; and being chosen four consecutive years by WBUR/NPR as one of the top Massachusetts entries in the Tiny Desk Competition.​
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Website: https://rachelsumnermusic.com/home
Video: https://youtu.be/NBmM8UACk8c
Video: https://youtu.be/FPZoKte3zd8
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“Meticulous songwriting” – NPR
“Praised by audiences for her powerful, lonesome voice and haunting songs, Rachel Sumner carefully spins melodies that get caught in your head and delivers them “with an attitude and drive in her guitar playing...sure to strike a chord and dig deep into your heart.” – Red Line Roots
National Stage
Guy Davis
January 25th $20-25
Guy Davis is a two-time, back-to-back Grammy nominee for Best Traditional Blues, a musician, actor, author, and songwriter. Guy uses a blend of Roots, Blues, Folk, Rock, Rap, Spoken Word, and World Music to comment on, and address the frustrations of social injustice, touching on historical events, and common life struggles. His background in theater is pronounced through the lyrical storytelling of songs “God’s Gonna Make Things Over” about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, “Welcome to My World”, and “Got Your Letter In My Pocket”. His storytelling is sometimes painful, deep, and real, an earthy contrast to modern-day commercial music, meant to create thought, underlined by gentle tones from his guitar or banjo fingerpicking.
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He recently added Broadway Composer to his CV by writing the incidental music for the recent Tony nominated revival of his father, Ossie Davis' play, "Purlie Victorious". Guy won “Keeping The Blues Alive” Award, and was nominated by The Blues Foundation for Best Song of the Year, Best Acoustic Album of the Year, Best Acoustic Artist of the Year, and Best Instrumentalist. In fact, he's been nominated nearly two dozen times by the Blues Foundation.
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Website: http://guydavis.com/wp/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfuRrQ8hgzY
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“Truth be told, there just aren’t many who can deliver Americana in as interesting and entertaining a manner – or give acoustic traditional blues such a contemporary sound – as Davis, and it sure is a lot of fun hearing him explore the different sides of the genre here on Kokomo Kidd.”
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National Stage
Mike Powell
February 8th $17-22
“A Mike Powell performance is an exhibit in honest talent. One of the premier singer/songwriters in music today” – NYS Music
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A natural born storyteller with stage presence that's best described as "real". His spontaneous nature and extreme comfort behind a microphone creates a vibe that engages audiences in a way that only authenticity can. His songs are filled with powerful imagery and thought provoking themes but a Powell performance is much more than just a concert - it's an exploration into the human heart. Seamlessly weaving hilarious tales of everyday life with heartbreaking songs of tragedy, loss & blue collar hardship. Pulling from his catalog of over 200 original songs and accompanied by his musical companion of over 15 years, multi-instrumentalist John Hanus, they have become one of the "must see" acts in Central New York.
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​Website: https://mikepowell.co/home
National Stage
Leslie Mendelson
February 22 $17-22
With her enchanted voice and evocative songwriting, Leslie Mendelson has won the hearts and minds of both an adoring fanbase and fellow artists alike. No less than Jackson Browne has declared, “Leslie’s melodies are timeless. They reach me way back in my youth somewhere. I hear traces of Burt Bacharach and Carole King, and hooks and passages that remind me of the pop songs I grew up hearing on the radio,” while The Wallflowers frontman Jakob Dylan shares: “Voices like Leslie’s can get away with almost anything. Along with being a great songwriter, this leaves her with few if any peers.”
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A Grammy Award-nominated artist, Mendelson returns this summer with her fourth studio album, After The Party. For this latest effort, she collaborates with not one, but three producers: the legendary Peter Asher (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt), the young, in-demand Tyler Chester (Madison Cunningham, Sara Bareilles, Sara Watkins) and her longtime songwriting partner, three-time Grammy Award-winner, Steve McEwan. Recorded at Jackson Browne’s studio Grove Masters in Santa Monica, CA, she was joined by an ace band featuring guitarists Waddy Wachtel and John Jorgenson, bassists Leland Sklar and Derrick Anderson, and drummers Jim Keltner and Abe Rounds.
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​Website: https://www.lesliemendelson.com/
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​ “Leslie is a master of writing from her subconscious, something comes out of Leslie when she begins to write a song. It’s not from the mind; it’s from somewhere the mind can’t comprehend. Then, you return to the song and you might add details that your mind knows.” – Jackson Browne
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National Stage
Women in Music series:
Crys Matthews and The Nields
Meet & Greet reception at 6:30 with Oswego County Opportunities
“Let's make a difference together in honor of International Women’s Day! Bring a donation of women's personal hygiene product to the concert and support access to essential needs for women and girls in our community”. Some examples of items in need include: Feminine hygiene products (tampons and pads), Shampoo & conditioner (including dry shampoo), Deodorant, Toothpaste & Toothbrushes, Combs/hairbrushes, Lotion, Perfume, Laundry soap, Hand sanitizer, Body Wipes
March 8 $17-22
Already being hailed as “the next Woody Guthrie,” Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. A powerful lyricist whose songs of compassionate dissent reflect her lived experience as what she lightheartedly calls "the poster-child for intersectionality," Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation called Matthews’s gift "a reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides." She is made for these times and, with the release of her new, hope-fueled, love-filled social justice album Changemakers, Matthews hopes to take her place alongside some of her heroes in the world of social-justice music like Sweet Honey in the Rock and Holly Near. Of Matthews, ASCAP VP & Creative Director Eric Philbrook says, “By wrapping honest emotions around her socially conscious messages and dynamically delivering them with a warm heart and a strong voice, she lifts our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times.
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”Matthews began performing in 2010, but cemented her acclaim at Lincoln Center as the 2017 New Song Music and Performance Competition grand prize winner. That year she also released two new projects—her album of thoughtful songs on love and life called The Imagineers, and her EP called Battle Hymn for an Army of Lovers, which tackllly-trained clarinetist turned folk singer, Matthews is using her voice to answer Dr. Martin Luther King's call to be "a drum major for justice."
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​Website: https://www.crysmatthews.com/
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“Rising folk music star” – Ann Powers, NPR
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The Nields, the folk-rock band from Massachusetts, are delighted to announce the release of their much-anticipated twenty-first album, Circle of Days. An homage to the calendar––and really, time itself––this collection of songs is a testament to the band’s enduring creativity and unwavering commitment to their craft.
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During the pandemic, Nerissa and Katryna Nields, the band’s frontwomen, took a daily walk with their beloved dogs, Greta and Hudson. The destination was a nearby lake, where Katryna would take a daily photo. Inspired by the ever-shifting seasons, they came to realize that each of Nerissa’s new songs could be intimately connected to a particular time of year, forming a musical cycle.
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With their unparalleled ability to blend pop craftsmanship, folk sensibility, and the influences of ’60s classic rock and ’90s alternative, The Nields have created a distinctive musical style that defies categorization. Their songs, imbued with intelligence and occasional humor, offer poignant observations on life’s unexpected twists and turns. Apple Music describes their sound as “equal parts The Beatles, the cranberries, and Joni Mitchell,” a testament to their unique fusion of melodic sensibilities
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Website: https://nields.com/
“A masterful mix of modern folk with an alternative edge.”
-Minneapolis Star Tribune
Guest Curator Series
Curator: Dave Kaspar
Jazz By The Lake: The Jill Minye’ Quartet
March 14th $17-20
The opening event of the Spring season of #JazzByTheLake showcases The Jill Minye Quartet on Friday, March 14th.
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Jill Minye' was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. Jill came back to CNY after spending 20+ years in Northern California. She studied classical piano at Grunnell College. Ten years ago, Jill decided to follow a dream, going back to college for Jazz studies. Jill has played venues throughout Northern California as a solo and with trios and quartets. Jill can currently be seen in several area Jazz series including JazzingTheBurbs, BrewPubJazz, and JazzAlFresco.
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Saxophonist Frank Grosso has been a music educator for several decades in the Syracuse City School District. He has his own trio and quartet, and is a member of both The Salt City Jazz Collective and the Central New York Jazz Orchestra.
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Bassist Robert MacPartland is an Eastman graduate who has performed professionally for over ten years across many musical genres.
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Drummer Gary Iacovelli is a 35-year veteran of the CNY music scene. He co-founded the Steely Dan tribute band The Royal Scam. Gary can currently be seen playing with the Longwood Jazz Project, The Dan Pugh Trio, and the Theo Curtin Trio to name a few.
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This is presented by The Ontario Center for the Performing Arts Guest Curator Program and made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts.
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National Stage
Adam Ezra Group
​Meet & Greet reception at 6:30pm with Clear Path for Veterans and ‘Homelessness in America - In Scene and Story’ art exhibit prior to show. All proceeds from the sale of art will be donated to Clear Path.
March 22nd $20-25
Welcome To Adam Ezra Group
​He takes a month out of each year to visit the living rooms of his fans around the country. His band and nonprofit organization RallySound host a free festival every summer that raised $151,000 for homeless veterans in 2024. He live-streamed for 500 nights in a row during the pandemic. They co-produced an album with 163 fans…
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If you haven’t connected with Adam Ezra Group yet, these are just a few examples to help you understand how this underground, Americana songwriter and his bandmates seem to have popped out of nowhere, establishing a connection with their fans unlike any other, and are suddenly selling out theaters throughout the Northeast.
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These days you’ll find Adam and his bandmates, Corinna Smith (Fiddle), Poche Ponce (Bass), and Alex Martin (Percussion), constantly out on the road. If you look at their tour schedule now, you can buy tickets to see them at festivals, rock venues, and theaters around the country, but you will also see their tour continuously peppered with activism and grassroots events; a testament to an artist who will never forget where he came from, and whose mission is about much more than music.
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“This Independent Underground Folk Band Is Blowing Up Without Selling Out” – SPIN Magazine
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​Website: https://www.adamezra.com/home
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Guest Curator Series
Curator: Tom Lambert
Songs from the Trail
March 29th $20
Songs From the Trail is a multi-media “In the Round” exploration of long-distance backpacking and thru-hiking life. Songwriters Bryan Titus, Marc Apostolides and Shawn Taylor, share songs and stories from their long journeys on The Appalachian Trail, and beyond. A running slide show documents decades of their trail lives, across America’s famous long-distance trails, while scattered thru-hiking relics, further pull the trail into the room. Songs From the Trail invites you to metaphorically and musically re-hike the trail with them live, as one is never really “thru” with their hike.
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Guest Curator Series
Curator: Ann Buchau
Music, Movement & Mindfulness
April 4th $20
7 pm doors open 6:30
Back by popular demand is a two hour special guest curated event that begins with gentle yoga movement before settling into a mindful restorative pose to listen and enjoy live dreamy music by two talented musicians that will both inspire and ignite the soul and mind.
Ann Buchau, yoga instructor, Citya Studios of Pulaski, NY, in collaboration with musicians Annie Sumi and Travis Knapp.
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Guest Curator Series
Veterans Free Canteen
April 10th free Music starts at 4; Dinner 5-7
National Stage
Tony Trischka's Earl Jam--A Tribute to Earl Scruggs
Featuring Tony, Michael Davies, Casey Driessen and Jared Engel
April 12th $25-30
Tony was born in Syracuse, N.Y., in 1949, and raised in a home filled with music. There were Broadway scores and a sweeping range of classical music, from Stravinsky to Beethoven. (The first thing Trischka learned to play on the banjo, in fact, was the Ninth Symphony.) The wide- open American vistas of Aaron Copland had an especially potent spiritual and visceral impact on him, as did the folk music his left-leaning father held dear. The Almanac Singers, the solo work of its founding members Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and Lead Belly’s children’s LP were in constant rotation.
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He’s raised the banjo’s profile in many other ways as well. Through his theme song for Books on the Air and performances on A Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, From Our Front Porch and other programs, he’s been a frequent presence on NPR. His work with his pal Steve Martin too has helped the banjo gain a wider audience and deeper understanding. Trischka’s Grammy-nominated album Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, released in 2007, and Great Big World, from 2014, feature Martin within a mix of veterans and up-and-coming luminaries. He produced Martin’s Grammy-nominated Rounder album from 2011, Rare Bird Alert, which touts performances by the Steep Canyon Rangers, Paul McCartney and the Dixie Chicks. His forthcoming album, Shall We Hope, is a visionary exploration of Civil War history featuring an all-star cast—from Michael Daves and Maura O’Connell to the Femmes, Catherine Russell, Guy Davis, the actor John Lithgow and many others. In addition to his Grammy nominations, he’s earned a number of honors over the years, including the International Bluegrass Music Award for Banjo Player of the Year in 2007, and he was named a United States Artists Friends Fellow in 2012.
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“Whether or not you’re a banjo player, if you play bluegrass, you’re influenced by Earl. So it was easy to get world-class players on board,” says Trischka. Names like Stuart Duncan, Ronnie McCoury, and Darol Anger fill the album liner notes next to those of Molly Tuttle, Brittany Haas, Dominick Leslie, and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, creating a cross-generational, genre-spanning band of, let’s face it, a heaping of the best pickers alive today.
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"Tony Trischka is known as the father of modern bluegrass" - New York Times
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https://www.tonytrischka.com/home
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National Stage
Sam Robbins
Neil Minet opener
April 26th $17-22
Album Release Party at 6:30 pm
Come early and help celebrate!
All are welcome with a ticket to the show!
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.
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Sam released his debut album, Finally Feeling Young, on May 14th, 2021. The album is reminiscent of his 70's singer-songwriter heroes, with a modern perspective. On the heels of the award winning opening single, 'Remind Me", Finally Feeling Young has already garnered radio airplay and critical acclaim. Two album tracks, Remind Me and Saying Amen, won him a place as one of the six Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk winners. Americana Highways writes: “He writes of subjects that others don't explore. Saying Amen has Robbins touching that special place Leonard Cohen went. This is brilliance." Fateau Magazine in the UK writes "One of the most promising new songwriters of his generation". Sam is a solo acoustic performer who melds intricate and exciting acoustic guitar arrangements with smooth, intriguing vocals. Wherever he is performing, Sam builds an intimate, easy connection with the listener, naturally creating a feeling of closeness throughout the performance.
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Sam is a full time troubadour, playing over 150 shows a year across the country, including the MainStage at the Kerrville Folk Festival, Dripping Springs Songwriter’s Festival, and as one of the “‘Most Wanted to Return” artists in the 2023 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. In 2018, Sam was able to audition and was aired on NBC's The Voice, performing for Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and Jennifer Hudson as the first artist to perform a Jim Croce song on the show.
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“One of the most promising new songwriters of his generation” –Mike Davies, Fateau Magazine, UK
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Guest Curator Series
#JazzByTheLake: The Jeff Stockham Quartet
Curator: Dave Kaspar
May 2nd $17-20
The final installment of #JazzByTheLake's Spring season features The Jeff Stockham Quartet playing tribute to trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker.
The group showcases trumpeter/vocalist Jeff Stockham. Jeff has performed previously at JazzByTheLake with his group The Jazz Horn Legacy Sextet. He is a featured member of The Central New York Jazz Orchestra. He also appears with other ensembles including The Stock Market Swing Band. He recently played on the Sammy Award winning record of The Ripcords.
Keyboardist Barry Blumenthal is a true multi instrumentalist playing keys, trumpet, flugelhorn, and violin. He currently is a featured member of The Salt City Jazz Collective and The Latin Groove Connection.
Bassist Tom Brigandi is a member of The Central New York Jazz Orchestra and has his own group, Tom Brigandi's Jazz Bass and Beyond. He also spent time with the late great Chuck Mangione's Band touring nationally.
Drummer Jimmy Johns is one of the most sought after musicians in CNY. His trio has over a twenty year residency at Pastabillities in Syracuse. As both a drummer and vibraphonist Jimmy has delighted audiences across New York State.
The following is a presentation of The Ontario Center for Performing Arts Guest Curator Program made possible in part by The New York Council on the Arts.
National Stage
The Honey Badgers,
Season Finale & Emerging Artist Showcase Start Time: 6 PM
May 10th. $15 (free for members)
The Honey Badgers are a folk/Americana duo who are known for their intense, sparkling harmonies, their honest lyrics and melodies, and their undeniable onstage chemistry. Weaving their voices together with Michael’s driving guitar and Erin’s wistful violin, they spin stories and songs about finding yourself, finding each other, and finding your way in the world. They were voted #1 “Most Wanted” at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase 2023 and recently won Susquehanna Folk Festival’s Emerging Artist Showcase 2024. Their new album “The Earth Turns and So Do We”, released 6/20/2024, was #15 on the July 2024 FAI Folk Radio Chart.
As full time musicians and travelers, Michael and Erin look forward now to creating music that has roots growing through every place they go. They are currently promoting their second full-length album, The Earth Turns and So Do We, which was released on June 20, 2024. The record is a mature and varied collection of original songs focused on the repeating cycles of life, death, love, and time itself.
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​Website: https://www.honeybadgerfolk.com/
Guest Curator Series
Oswegonian Rhapsody
May 31st $25-30
7:00 (doors open at 6:30)
Curator: Nicholas Gentile
Your favorite local bands, your favorite rock operas, now for the first time ever unite in an explosive evening of high-energy performances and crossover extravaganza. Selections from popular musicals and concept albums performed by the likes of Gary Dunes & Code Red, MindCrime (a Johnny Bletch and Terry LeRoi joint venture), Dinosaur FM DJ Bob Brown, the Jimmy Marley Trio, and countless others will have you dancing in the aisles to a variety of musical styles. Come experience TOMMY, THE WALL, ROCKY HORROR, and many more in ways you've never imagined. This benefit concert for the Oswego Opera Theater guarantees to put both the show and the tunes in showtunes.
Fall 2024 Season
National Stage
Delaney Brothers Bluegrass
John Delaney's Birthday Celebration
September 14th $17-22
Back for the third consecutive year to open the Oswego Music Hall 2024 Fall Season, two-time SAMMY winners, Delaney Brothers Bluegrass is one of CNY's oldest and best-loved bluegrass bands. More than just bluegrass, their music is influenced by many other acoustic traditions such as country, folk, gospel, and celtic. Fans are treated to a musical experience that sets toes tapping and… John Delaney’s birthday celebration!
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Website: https://www.facebook.com/DelaneyBrothersBluegrass/
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National Stage
Alice Howe & Freebo
Cam Caruso opening
September 28th $17-22
ALICE HOWE & FREEBO
Alice Howe and Freebo present a unique study in contrasts, bringing together a rising voice in Americana music and a venerable rock, folk, and blues icon. Each a compelling performer in their own right, they both lead and support each other in their well-crafted songs with flawless harmonies and tasteful instrumentation. They have worked as creative collaborators in the studio and on stage since 2017. Freebo weaves his unique fretless bass stylings into Alice's superb vocals for a presentation with undeniable chemistry.
To hear Alice Howe sing is to be enraptured by the natural, unaffected beauty of her voice. There’s no artifice, no histrionics — just honest, authentic, emotionally resonant singing in the tradition of the roots music that shaped her. On Circumstance, her second and latest album, the Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter guitarist displays her vocal prowess and introspective writing in abundance, mining both her heart and her musical tastes for a deep, personal journey across an Americana soundscape dotted with blues, folk, country, soul and rock. Recorded in two sessions at the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where Etta James and Wilson Pickett once shook the walls, the record channels their spirits with 11 stirring tracks that pull no punches diving into the vagaries of the heart and her own personal journey. As an old soul inside a 30-something millennial, Alice puts her stamp on Americana’s venerable strands with 10 standout originals evoking both the classic singer-songwriters and the seminal music that once filled airwaves, roadhouses and juke joints.
Freebo is best known for his decade of touring and recording with Bonnie Raitt, and has distinguished himself as one of the great bassists of our time, playing on records with CSN, Maria Muldaur, John Mayall, Ringo Starr, Dr. John, and Neil Young as well as appearing on Saturday Night Live, The Midnight Special, The Muppet Show, and in concert with the legendary Spinal Tap. Not willing to simply rest on those achievements, Freebo delved more deeply into his creativity and has become a highly regarded singer/songwriter, now working on his 6th full-length solo CD. A multi award winner and finalist in numerous songwriting contests, Freebo’s music reflects his compassionate concern for the world and people around him, and his lyrics and open stage banter have helped him connect with listeners worldwide. A live musical experience with Freebo is astute, insightful, clever, and truly melodic.
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National Stage
Peter Mulvey
Mark Wahl Opening
October 19th. $17-22
Peter Mulvey has been a songwriter, road-dog, raconteur and almost-poet since before he can remember. Raised working-class Catholic on the Northwest side of Milwaukee, he took a semester in Ireland, and immediately began cutting classes to busk on Grafton Street in Dublin and hitchhike through the country, finding whatever gigs he could. Back stateside, he spent a couple years gigging in the Midwest before lighting out for Boston, where he returned to busking (this time in the subway) and coffeehouses. Small shows led to larger shows, which eventually led to regional and then national and international touring. The wheels have not stopped since.
Nineteen records, an illustrated book, thousands of live performances, a TEDx talk, a decades-long association with the National Youth Science Camp, opening for luminaries such as Ani DiFranco, Emmylou Harris, and Chuck Prophet, appearances on NPR, an annual autumn tour by bicycle, emceeing festivals, hosting his own boutique festival (the Lamplighter Sessions, in Boston and Wisconsin)… Mulvey never stops. He has built his life’s work on collaboration and an instinct for the eclectic and the vital. He folds everything he encounters into his work: poetry, social justice, scientific literacy, & a deeply abiding humanism are all on plain display in his art.
In late January 2019, Mulvey and his band, SistaStrings (Chauntee & Monique Ross) with Nathan Kilen on drums, decamped to their home turf, the Cafe Carpe, in Fort Atkinson, WI where they spent just five days making two records in the tiny back room. The live record, “Peter Mulvey with SistaStrings Live at the Cafe Carpe” is out now on Righteous Babe Records. It’s a celebration of a world that is temporarily on hold: a small folk club, packed with listeners, and a band shoulder-to-shoulder, playing and singing with intimacy and abandon.
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Website: https://www.petermulvey.com/
Guest Curator Series
Curator: Dave Kaspar
Jazz By The Lake
featuring Opus Black Strings
October 26th $15-18
SUNY Oswego students $10 (with SUNY ID)
Opus Black Strings is a dynamic violin, viola, cello string trio. Opus Black Strings reimagines the boundaries of classical music with their innovative arrangements of alternative rock, jazz and pop hits. Their captivating performances blend virtuosity with modern flair, creating a unique and unforgettable musical experience. The group was established in 2016. The contemporary trio performs music from Beyonce to Led Zeppelin. Opus Black Strings has a penchant for the unorthodox, Opus coming from the traditional catalog of a composer, and Black because they perform with Lewis and Clark carbon fiber instruments. The trio consists of Kristen Kopf, Allyson Skylar and Liz Ingersoll.
Kristen Kopf is a cellist and veteran performer and pioneer of alternative education for 30 + years. She performs with Monk Rowe, and is a freelancing musician. Allyson Sklar is the owner and operator of Valley Talent Education Center, and The Mohawk Valley Strings Orchestra. She performs with the Half Moon Orchestra, and plays viola with Opus Black Strings. The lifeforce of the Opus Black experience comes from the stylistic interpretations of Liz Ingersoll. Known fondly as Liz “Fiddle”, she was dubbed a “CNY Treasure”. Liz lights up the stage with her dynamic performance and genuine smile. Liz is a freelancing musician and educator, and owns and operates Music With Liz teaching studio and The State Bridge Collective, art and music venue MusicWithLiz.com.
National Stage
Carsie Blanton
November 2nd $25-30
Carsie Blanton is a songwriter with hooks, chutzpah, and revolutionary optimism. Inspired by artist-activists including Nina Simone and Woody Guthrie, her catalog careens through American popular song from folk and swing to pop-punk protest anthems.
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With her unique mix of humor, soul, and political wit, and fifteen-plus years on the road, Blanton has amassed a dedicated fan base and a small menagerie of viral hits (Rich People, Shit List, Fishin’ With You). Her most recent album After the Revolution, produced by Grammy-winner Tyler Chester, was released in March, 2024.
Carsie Blanton is that rare artist who knows how to combine savvy stagecraft and airtight songs with a revolutionary spirit. Take her latest hit, “Rich People,” which swept TikTok by storm with over 3 million views and, true to its name, laid bare wealth inequality in the process. Songs like “Shit List” and “Dealin’ with the Devil” lampoon neo-Nazis and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, respectively, and indicate why she has been hailed as an artist who creates “beautiful, militant anthems,” with the ability to make ”revolution desirable to your body, even if your head resists it” (NPR, American Songwriter).
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Despite the struggles she readily acknowledges, Blanton retains a sense of hope, which shines through in her songs and performances. “When you spend your time watching the news or social media, people seem cruel and stupid,” she says. “But I think that by a wide margin, people are good, and want to take care of each other.” Her songs "Be Good" and “Lovin’ is Easy" are steeped in that spirit, inviting us to “love everybody alive.”
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After keeping her band afloat throughout lockdown with live-streamed ‘Rent Parties’, going viral with a song memorializing John Prine (“Fishin with You), and releasing a critically acclaimed mid-pandemic album (2021’s Love and Rage, “fighting fascism with big hooks and an even bigger heart" - American Songwriter), Blanton chose to bring some nuance to her success, with her recent exposé in The Nation, laying bare the economics of the modern-day music industry.
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The galvanizing spirit of her work is backed up by expertise. Blanton and her impeccably dressed “Handsome Band” bring skills betraying their long tenure as live musicians. Accompanied by Joe Plowman on bass, Patrick Firth on keys, and Sean Trischka on drums, their performances are a rich musical gumbo of genres, meandering from Americana and rock to cocktail jazz, Motown, and pop punk. With three-part harmonies thickening their sound, and kazoos leavening it, her dynamic sets range from slapstick jokes to call-and-response protest songs, making Blanton and her band “a festival presenter’s secret weapon, guaranteed to win over the crowd” (Promoter Roger Menell).
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Blanton makes no attempt to disguise her far-left political leanings, but at the heart of her music is love, and her songs are capable of tethering us to our shared humanity across socio-political lines. No matter where they begin, every audience leaves her show transformed into friends and comrades, united in laughter, camaraderie, and hope.
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Website: https://www.carsieblanton.com
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National Stage
Abbie Gardner
Ryan David Green (from Ryanhood) opening
November 16th $17-22
Abbie Gardner is a fiery dobro player with an infectious smile. Whether performing solo or with Americana harmony trio Red Molly, her acclaimed tales of love and loss, both gritty and sweet, are propelled by her impeccable lap style slide guitar playing. Solo performances feature the dobro as a solo instrument, bouncing between a solid rhythmic backbone and ripping lead lines, all in support of her voice and songs. Her latest recording DobroSinger hit #11 on the Billboard Blues Chart. It’s intimate, real and raw - her dobro and voice recorded at the same time at home, without a band or any studio tricks to hide behind. You can hear every breath, every chuckle, as if you are in the room with her.
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You might recognize Abbie from the female trio Red Molly. That’s where she’s honed her skills since 2004 – writing songs, singing and playing the lap-style resonator guitar often referred to as a Dobra. It’s typically an instrument that you’d find in the midst of a 5-piece bluegrass band, but here Abbie pushes the boundaries and uses it on her own without accompaniment. Here’s the record that she always dreamed of making. Using a tiny closet recording studio in her home in the shadow of NYC, Abbie gathered a collection of songs and recorded them raw – singing and playing without a band, without separating the voice from her instrument, and without any studio tricks to hide behind.
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“DobraSinger is a naked little roller coaster of an album, when we get to hear how good Abbie Gardner really is. By turns awkward, raucous, fragile, and forceful, it sounds like Abbie is in the room with me, maybe sharing a stage and, honestly, I don’t know how to follow her. Nobody wants to follow her.” – Jonathan Byrd, Songwriter
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​Website: https://www.abbiegardner.com
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Ryan David Green's music has been called "virtuosic acoustic guitar that is remarkably accessible", with fast fingerwork that is always in service of unmistakable melodies. Performing a blend of instrumental guitar pieces and delicate vocal tunes, Green takes audiences to a place both otherworldly, and somehow surprisingly intimate.
A graduate of Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music, Ryan David Green has performed on four continents, been profiled in Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and twice been named "Best Guitarist" in the Tucson Music Awards (where he currently resides). His original compositions have received numerous film and TV placements, including shows on E!, Lifetime, and ABC Family/Freeform.
His acoustic-duo Ryanhood (with musical partner Cameron Hood) has performed with a wide-range of artists including Jason Mraz, Matt Nathanson, and Train, and were named the "Best Group/Duo" in the International Acoustic Music Awards.
His debut solo-guitar album Off and Running releases on June 14, 2024.
Website: https://ryandavidgreen.com
Guest Curator Series
Curator: Dave Kaspar
Jazz By The Lake
November 23rd $15-18 ($10 SUNY Oswego with ID)
The final #JazzByTheLake presentation of 2024 is the group Taj. This group was formed in 2019 with its first performance at #JazzInTheBurps, where they are a fan-favorite. The group has had various members over the years. The one constant is the founder, guitarist Mikal Serafim.
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Mikal Serafin arrived in CNY in 2010 with his original blues group called Funky Blu Roots. This group performed at area clubs and was featured at the Chenango Blues Fest and Syracuse Blues Fest in various years. If you are a fan of artist like Robben Ford or Larry Carlton, you are in a for a treat.
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Bassist Sean Peters hails from Utica, NY. Sean has played with various groups in CNY. He explores musical genres of Blues, Americana and Jazz. He released his first solo album in 2023. Keyboardist Dan Pugh has performed at #JazzByTheLake previously with The Count Blastula Trio. He currently has two bands of his own, The Dan Pugh Trio and Lvl 100, where he performs as a bassist. Drummer Gary Iacovelli is a veteran of the CNY music scene. He drummed for the horn band Prime Time and is also a member of the Steely Dan tribute band The Royal Scam. Currently, he performs with the Longwood Jazz Project, the Jill Minye Trio, and the Dan Pugh Trio as well as Taj.
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This is a presentation of The Ontario Center for the Performing Arts Guest Curator program. It is made possible in part by the NYS Council on the Arts.
Guest Curator Series
Curator: Phase Zero, Inc.
Holiday Rocking Relief
December 14th $16
Phase Zero Inc will be holding a Holiday Rocking Relief at Oswego Music Hall in the McCrobie Civic Center in Oswego. This evening of fun will be held on December 14 starting at 7PM and will feature The Real News. Door prizes and raffles will be held throughout the 2-hour event.
The Real News is Rochester’s premier high energy rock and cover band. It is comprised of music industry veterans; with them playing, there's not a chance the crowd will stop dancing! From Los Angeles, to Florida, to NYC and beyond, The Real News has been spreading their musical "message" to satisfied crowds for years.
This event is being held to raise money for Phase Zero which is a new nonprofit organization started in 2024 to find better ways of dealing with the refugee crisis. In a world where over 117 million people are refugees, better ways must be found! This enjoyable family-friendly night will help to do that.
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For more information, email tom@phazezeroharbor.com
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Website: https://www.phazezeroharbor.com/
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National Stage
The McKrells
December 7th $17-22
Somewhere tonight, across the country or across the sea, a singer, sitting on a stool on a pub’s corner stage, is belting out a Kevin McKrell song, and the crowd is singing along. McKrell pioneered American Celtic music beginning in 1979 with Donnybrook Fair. The original trio’s 1982 album, “Tunnel Tigers,” remains a landmark of the form, with its blend of Clancy Brothers swagger and upstate NY attitude. McKrell honed his powerful performance style further in the 80s with The Fabulous Newports, a rambunctious harmony group known as much for its antics, cut-up comedy and long list of eventual members as for its sweet singing.
In 1998, McKrell—who has three solo albums to his credit—formed a powerhouse band under his own name, merging the Irish sensibility of Donnybrook with a steely, world class bluegrass edge. The McKrells toured harder than Donnybrook, bringing its music, with McKrell’s lusty vocals supported by hot string band picking, to Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Folk, Irish and Bluegrass festivals and concert venues around the country.
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Offstage, McKrell, is a respected painter, with his work hanging in many of the halls he’s haunted, here and in Ireland, Scotland and Italy.He is best known, though, for his indelible songs—classics like “Home In Donegal,” “ You and Me”, “I Miss the Rain” and the eternal “All of The Hard Days Are Gone”—which, in addition to the raft of pub singers mentioned afore, have been sung and recorded by artists like The Kingston Trio, Bob Shane, Hair of the Dog, Wood’s Tea Company ,Get Up Jack, from Ireland The Furey Brothers, Seamus Kennedy ,The Druids, The Dublin City Ramblers from Scotland North Sea Gas, from Australia Pat McKernan.
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​Website: https://themckrells.com/