Two album release shows top this weekend’s calendar, along with the relaunch of Cortland Main Street Music Series and several other cool shows. Plus, Shovels & Rope and Wynton Marsalis return for sold-out concerts!
Please be sure to check with each venue for its covid protocols, as well as potential postponement or cancellations due to the weather. Stay safe, and enjoy as much live music as you can in the coming days!
In Bloom
Ithaca-based singer-songwriter Sandra Esparza will release her new solo album “Seasons of You & How to Say Goodbye,” an intimate, self-produced collection of deeply personal songs featuring just her voice and acoustic guitar. She’ll have copies of the CDs for sale, along with stickers, t-shirts, and other new merch. Find out more about her here.
When: 4-8 p.m. Friday
Where: Chateau Dusseau, 5292 Erron Hill Road, Locke
Cost: free; donations welcome
Note: She’ll also play at Brewer’s Café and Taproom in Dryden at 6-8 p.m. Saturday
Welcome Return
The Cortland Main Street Music Series returns after two-year hiatus in a new venue, Rose Hall, a former church in downtown Cortland. The four-show series kicks off with a triple bill featuring Cortland-born, Ithaca-based Rachel Beverly, Syracuse singer-songwriter Mike Powell (along with longtime guitarist John Hanus), and CNY country-rock favorites Chasing Neon.
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Where: Rose Hall, 19 Church St., Cortland
Cost: free, limited to 200 people
Two in Tune
Driftwood’s Daniel Forsyth and Joseph Kollar will come together for a night of tunes from their various projects past, present, and future.
When: 6-8 p.m. Friday
Cost: free
Night of Deadguy
Ithaca Fantastik will present a one-time-only screening of “Dead Guy Killing Music,” the authorized documentary that chronicles the short-lived career of the band Deadguy and their seminal hardcore album “Fixation on a Coworker.” Directed by William Saunders, the film features never before seen pictures and videos, unearthed live audio recordings, interviews with every member of the band and industry peers, and more
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Cinemapolis
Cost:
Piano Man
Pianist Andrew Zhou will present “Distant Presences,” a panorama of rare, virtuosic French piano music spanning over three centuries, in advance of the release of the new album “Présences Lointaines.” which fatures works by Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (her grand suite in D minor), Antoine Mariotte (his hyper-romantic piano sonata), Didier Rotella (a new commissioned work), and an original transcription of Ravel’s Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloé. Also included are gems by Lili Boulanger, Marie Jaëll, and Camille Saint-Saëns. Learn more here.
When 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Barnes Hall
Cost: free and open to all
Note: Campus visitors and members of the public must adhere to Cornell’s public health requirements for events, which include wearing masks while indoors and providing proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test.
Let’s Party
Self-described as “A band by party people, for party people,” Rochester’s Kids in the Basement return to downtown Ithaca to “throw a wild post-Halloween party.”
When: 10 p.m. Friday
Where: The Range
Cost: $5
Event Info
Trio Grande
Jam-rock trio Organ Fairchild returns to Ithaca to promote its recently released debut album, “Brewed in Buffalo.” The band – Joe Bellanti (organ, keyboards), Corey Kertzie (drums, percussion), and Dave Ruch (guitar) – are longtime veterans of the Western New York rock and jam band scenes who reunited in 2019 in this new organ-trio project. Read more here.
When: 10:30 p.m. Friday
Where: The Upstairs
Cost: small cover
Master Class
The Cornell Department of Music, A.D. White Professor-at-Large program, and College of Arts & Sciences welcome back Pulitzer and Grammy-winning trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and educator Wynton Marsalis as Professor-at-Large. He’ll perform with the Cornell Wind Symphony, conducted by Barbara & Richard T. Silver '50, MD '53 Assistant Professor of Music James Spinazzola, along with Marsalis and his rhythm section, perform a wide-ranging program including ragtime, blues, and jazz.
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where; Bailey Hall
Cost: SOLD OUT! A livestream will also be available through CornellCast here
Steppin’ Out
After a decade fronting the Blind Spots, powerhouse vocalist Maddy Walsh will celebrate her solo debut album with a big release show featuring an all-star band, three sets of music, and the premiere of a new short film. Read more about the show here.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Hangar Theatre
Cost: $20 in advance, $30 at the door
A Good Cause
Help local nonprofit No Mas Lagrimas pay their rent at their new space in the Henry St. John's building with a night of music, laughs and empanadas. Hosted by comedian Kenneth McLauren, with music from the Amalgamators, Vicious Fishes, and the 86ers.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Upstairs
Cost: donations welcome
Joining Forces
After a successful debut at Ransom Steele, local roots-rockers the Dart Brothers will host another Americana Rock Night in Ithaca, this one featuring Freight (the recently formed trio of Liam Lawson, JP Payton and Colleen Countryman) and Mortal Combine (led by Caywood’s Mike Callahan, the band just released a new album). “This will be a special night of original, roots rock and tasty Americana,” they promise.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Rock
Cost: small cover
Ready to Rock
Local stalwarts Stranded with a Kiss and Secret Service Men join forces for a downtown rock show. The latter band released its debut album this summer, while SWAK has been working to complete its second album in the coming months.
When: 10 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Range
Cost: small cover charge
Sonic Exploration
In “colours and humours,” Thomas Feng and Richard Valitutto explore texture, color, resonance, memory, and drama, performing works for two pianos by Claude Debussy, Errollyn Wallen, Linda Catlin Smith, and Rebecca Saunders.
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Barnes Hall, Cornell University
Cost: free
Note: Campus visitors and members of the public must adhere to Cornell’s public health requirements for events, which include wearing masks while indoors and providing proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test.
Sunday Sounds
Schola Cantorum of Syracuse comes to Ithaca as part of the “Music at St. Luke” series. Under the direction of Barry Torres, the “The Schola Six” will perform “Les Deux Guillaumes - Music of Machaut and DuFay.” This concert will be both in person and livestreamed on the Music at St. Luke Ithaca’s Youtube Channel.
When: 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: St. Luke Lutheran Church, 109 Oak Ave., Ithaca
Cost: free and open to all.
In Harmony
Americana favorites Shovels and Rope return to Ithaca for a sold-out show. The husband and wife duo of Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst are on their “Bare Bones Tour” – just voices, guitar, and piano – and say, “Expect some classics, some deep cuts, and maybe a few new tunes. Let’s get intimate!”
When: 8 p.m. Sunday
Where: Hangar Theatre
Cost: SOLD OUT
More Shows
The Old World Warblers are at Grist Iron Brewing at 6-9 p.m. Friday
Clint Bush is at Homer Hops at 6 p.m. Friday
The Brian Spencer Blues Project returns to the Dock at 8 p.m. Friday
Greg McQuade is at Cortland Beer Company at 8 p.m. Friday
The New York Records Fair sets up shop at Triphammer Mall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
Six String Shotgun is at Summerhill Brewing at 6-8 p.m. Saturday
Green Holler is at Grist Iron Brewing at 6-9 p.m. Saturday
Quona Hudson is at Homer Hops at 6 p.m. Saturday
Andrew Alling and the Greenleaf Trio team up at Sacred Root Kava Bar and Tea Lounge at 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Aiken is at Cortland Beer Company at 8 p.m. Saturday