CNY MUSIC SCENE

Tune in to the Central New York Music Scene

Listen Up reader J.J. Jenkins dropped a note with a plug for the David Byrne concert coming up at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse on Nov. 29.

"Saw the show in Albany on Nov. 5," Jenkins writes. "Outstanding, and sold out. Talk it up. I haven't seen much coverage yet. He puts on a great show. (Ticket price of) $35 at a great venue is a steal."

I wrote about the Byrne concert here on Listen Up and then in The Post-Standard as soon as it was announced in early October.

And I immediately put in a call requesting a phone interview with the man who made Talking Heads tick.

Alas. Publicist Joe Cohen wrote with the bad news that he couldn't get any phone interview time with Byrne lined up.

Cohen did, however, send me a lengthy press packet about Byrne's "Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno" and his collaborative new CD with his former Talking Heads and solo producer "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today."

"Byrne is doing the most open-hearted singing of his career," says the Washington Post.

"(Byrne) is an avatar of new-wave individualism," says the Toronto Globe and Mail.

Continue reading "Here's a music fan that says David Byrne's Syracuse concert is a must-see" »

John Rossbach and Chestnut Grove perform tonight for the last time in Central New York before Rossbach's move out of state. The concert, which is part of the Folkus Project, takes place at 8 p.m. at May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society (3800 E. Genesee St.). Tickets are $12.

Violinist Leila Josefowicz performs Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra tonight at part of the orchestra's Classic Series. The concert starts at 8 p.m. at the Mulroy Civic Center (411 Montgomery St.). Tickets range from $15 to $70.

The Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra performs the works of students Billy Joel Fellow and Ian Hartsough in a concert at the Jules R. Setnor Auditorium on the SU campus. The concert starts at 8 p.m.

Martin Simpson performs at 8 p.m. at the Ithaca Unitarian Church (306 N. Aurora St., Ithaca). Tickets are $20.

The Vogues bring their old-school sound to Le Moyne Manor (629 Old Liverpool Rd.) tonight for Christmas with the Vogues. The event includes dinner and dancing to the music of the group responsible for such classics as "Turn Around" and "Special Angel." Call (315) 457-3000 to make reservations.

Continue reading "John Rossbach's farewell show at May Memorial tonight" »

While catching up with Syracuse music veteran Todd Hobin during the get-together for the release of the Big Mike Fiss holiday CD on Wednesday night at the Palace Theatre Cafe, he dropped me a good nugget.

Hobin and fellow local legend musician Joe Whiting appeared together for a taping of "Food for Thought" on WCNY-TV.

Appearing with Fiss, they all made pizzas.

Cool.

More cool is the fact that Hobin and Whiting sat down and made music together in the same room for the first time. Ever. Even Hobin says that's kind of hard to believe, considering how their legacies stretch back through the decades.

"We jammed," Hobin said, simply. The songs they delivered: "O Christmas Tree," the piece Hobin plays on the Big Mike CD; "Auld Lang Syne," Whiting's contribution to the album; and the classic good time song "Route 66."

CNY music scholars may dive into their collection and discover that the pair have appeared on the same CD. One of Hobin's, he says. Alas, they recorded their parts separately.

Co-hosted by George Kilpatrick and Chris Xaver, this holiday edition of the show will be broadcast at 12:30 p.m. Thanksgiving day on WCNY-24.

Says Big Mike: "Joe is his usual best, in fine voice. But you gotta see Todd play the piano. Todd is certainly known as a great guitarist and over the years I've seen him play the keyboard a bit, but never with such intensity as during the taping."

Saturday's Best Bet: Marcellus-based indie band Jackson's Kid Summer plays CD release party for the their new record "Sierra Sunshine" at the Westcott Theater.

More Best Bets...

Thursday: Th3 hosts its monthly Visual Arts Open at all the museums in and around Syracuse

Friday: John Rossbach and Chestnut Grove play a farewell concert at May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society

Sunday: Soprano Helen Boatwright performs a concert at the Everson Museum

More than a handful of Central New York musicians got an early wave of Christmas spirit Wednesay night at the Palace Theatre Cafe in Eastwood.

SUNNY 102 morning host Big Mike Fiss was the man with the microphone in the midst of a party thrown by the folks at P&C Foods. The cause: Celebrate the release of "Big Mike's Christmastime in Syracuse," the 14th edition of the compilation of holiday sounds recorded by fine Syracuse-area musicians.

"It's an incredible CD," said Todd Hobin, co-producer of the CD along with Fiss.

The Hobin family scored three cuts on the compilation: dad Todd's "O Christmas Tree;" son Bret's "UpOnTheHouzTop" in his bass-playing role with rock band Simplelife; and son Corey's "Joy to the World" in his drummer position with pop-rock singer Erika Desocio.

Others on the CD are Grupo Pagan, Nancy Kelly with Lyman Strong, Letizia, Dave Hanlon's Cookbook with the Fayetteville-Manlius High School 16, Loren Barrigar, The Billionaires, Donna Colton, Gary Frenay and Arty Lenin, Ronnie Leigh with Rick Montalbano, Kanjira, Prime Time, and The Joe Whiting Band with Evan Knight and Michael Davis.

"This is a room full of very, very talented musicians," Fiss said. "How many of you have been able to come to an event like this without having to unpack your instruments."

The music came from them; only this time it was the recorded version from the CD. I'll review the work on Dec. 18 in the Post-Standard with my holiday CD reviews.

It's on sale now at P&C Foods supermarkets. The price is $6, and proceeds will benefit Elmcrest Children's Center and Casey's Place.

THIS WEEK
Blues in Adams Center
Boston band plays Funk n' Waffles
Stevie Tombstone plays Auburn

Continue reading "Music Notebook" »

If you think Christian music is boring, you're in for a surprise if you check out tonight's Revolution '08 concert at the Palace Theatre (2384 James St.). The concert is headlined by Christian rockers Relevant Worship and features rap, hip-hop, classic rock, and gospel groups. The lineup also includes Hillsong United, Sonz of Thunda, Whisper, Prodigal, Universal Soldier, Greg Minix, Freedom 48, and more. The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $7.

Sophistications Jazz Cafe (441 S. Salina St.) presents the Seth Marcel Slick Tongue Spoken Word Open Mic Poetry. The event starts at 7 p.m.

Stevie Tombstone and the Last Band on Earth with special guest Loren Barrigar is at the Auburn Public Theatre (108 Genesee St., Auburn) for a 7 p.m. show. Tickets are $10.

The Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra performs selected works of Vivaldi, Liszt, and Tchaikovsky at the Smith Opera House (82 Seneca St., Geneva). The concert starts at 8:15 p.m. and tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for college students, and free for children 18 and under.

The ACME Mystery Company's annual holiday mystery/comedy starts tonight at the Spaghetti Warehouse (689 Clinton St.). This year's production, Nick Saint, Private Elf, runs every Thursday at 7 p.m. through January 8. Tickets are $25.95 for dinner and the show (not including tax and gratuity). The show starts at 7 p.m. with seating beginning at 6:45. Reservations are requested. Call 315-475-1807 for more information.

Continue reading "Christian music festival at the Palace Theatre tonight" »

A check of voting results reveals that Central New York country singer-songwriter-guitarist Cassidy Lynn trails Kurt Thomas 54 to 46 percent after the first day of voting in CMT's Music Madness round of eight.

It's the closest of the four matches.

Cassidy Lynn returns home from Nashville next week for Thanksgiving holiday, and I've already made the appointment for a catch-up interview. You can find more about her experience winning the first three rounds of the huge national competition as well as her studies of the country music world at Belmont University right here next week.