The first big storm of winter has passed, which means it’s time to get out of the house and catch some live music – everything from old-time, Americana and jazz to soul, funk and opera is on tap this week around Ithaca.
Two of a Kind
Richie Stearns and Aaron Lipp continue their musical partnership with another show in Ithaca that will draw from their respective deep song catalogs
When: 6-9 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Maxie’s Supper Club
Cost: free, donations welcome
Antiquity Meets Modernity
“Queen of Carthage,” an opera-oratorio by composer Ellie Cherry scored for orchestra, choir, and solo vocals, will premiere at Cornell University. A setting of the fourth book of Virgil’s “Aeneid” in the original Latin, Cherry’s composition narrates the later life and death of Queen Dido, incorporating elements of ancient Greek and Roman music in a sonic commentary that highlights, questions, and interprets events in Virgil’s text that are socially relevant today. The Cornell production features soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon singing the lead role of Dido.
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Sage Chapel, Cornell University
Cost: free
Celtic Sounds
Members of Traonach host this weekly Irish jam session, which features traditional tunes and plenty of special guests.
When: 7-9 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Argos Inn
Cost: free; donations welcome
Three of a Kind
Jazz trio Argos Grove – Ithaca College faculty members Nicholas Walker (bass), Greg Evans (drums), and Andrew Carroll (piano) – continue the celebrated Wednesday happy hour community music tradition initiated by i3° at Bar Argos. The trio’s repertoire ranges from Duke Ellington and Stevie Wonder to the Beatles, Disney, swing, funk and bossa nova.
When: 5-7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Argos Inn
Cost: free; donations welcome
Happy Anniversary
Thru Spectrums will help Ithaca Beer Company mark its 21st anniversary with a soul-filled show featuring original songs and cool covers. Enter through the shipping-and-receiving door.
When: 5-8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Ithaca Beer Company
Cost: $30 in advance, $40 at the door; includes food, music and one drink ticket
In the Swing
The Pelotones return to downtown Ithaca for a night of swing, blues and R&B tunes that are perfect for dancing.
When: 7-9 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Sacred Root Kava Lounge and Tea Bar
Cost: small cover charge
Holiday Celebration
The Arts at Grace, in collaboration with the SUNY Cortland Performing Arts Department and Triphammer Arts, will present “Celebration of the Holidays,” with the SUNY Cortland Choral Union and baritone Steven Stull performing a program ranging from holiday choral works to a medley from “The Grinch.”
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Rose Hall, 19 Church St., Cortland
Cost: free; donations welcome
Looking at Laurie
The last Ithaca Music Forum will take a look at Laurie Anderson's 1981 breakout hit "O Superman," which remains one of the strangest and most mysteriously compelling moments in late-20th century music. In this talk, Dr. Alex Reed – author of “Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music” and co-author of a volume on the music of They Might Be Giants in the popular 33 1/3 series – displays previously unseen and unheard elements of the song's curious beginnings and details the detective work that uncovered them. The presentation is adapted from his forthcoming book with Oxford University Press on Laurie Anderson's debut LP “Big Science.”
When: 5-6 p.m. Thursday
Where: Whalen Center for Music, Ithaca College
Cost: free
Musical Merriment
DSP Shows will host its annual holiday party with a triple bill that includes: the Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, the Massachusetts roots-rock band that played at the 2018 Cayuga Sound festival; the Suitcase Junket, the one-man band of multi-instrumentalist Matt Lorenz; and the River Bones Band, the Philadelphia-based band fronted by Cortland native Hannah Taylor (she played a solo opening set for Low Cut Connie at the Haunt in August).
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: The Haunt
Cost: free; RSVP on the Facebook event page or Eventbrite page
Tune Time
The ubiquitous Richie Stearns returns to Bike Bar Ithaca for a solo show on the window stage. He’ll be playing his unique original tunes as well as some old-time classics on banjo and tenor guitar.
When: 7-9 p.m. Thursday
Where: Bike Bar Ithaca
Cost: free; donations welcome
Feelin’ Funky
Funk Night returns to downtown Ithaca, with Dean’s Kids – Dan Keller, Max Shuhan, Owen Erickson, Archer Cowen and Hayden Frank – putting their spin on funk, soul, and pop favorites from the past few decades.
When: 9:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: The Range
Cost: $5