Cobra Cadaver and Sweats play album-release gigs, the Ithaca music scene bands together for a Reggae Night benefit, and the Electrozone hosts another eclectic show. Plus, dozens of area bands will be onstage this week for Thanksgiving Eve and Black Friday shows – it’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Note: the events are listed below in chronological order, in two separate sections. And see the list of regional concerts at the end of the post!
Positive Vibrations
The Crucials and DJ Double Tiger will join forces for a pre-Thanksgiving Reggae Night to benefit Mosaic Foundation frontman Cha Cha, who’s recovering from a bout with malaria. Expect lots of guests throughout the night from many area bands, including Big Mean Sound Machine, The Comb Down, Denver Reggae Social Club, Dom Martyr, Double Tiger, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Hollings, Jimkata, John Brown's Body, Max Childs, Mosaic Foundation, Nahko & Medicine for the People, New Planets, Root Shock, Scuba Jerry, Trauma Cat, and more!
When: 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23
Where: Deep Dive
Cost: $10 in advance, available online here; $15 at the door
Let’s Dance
The Argos Warehouse Lounge & Event Space will host the “Harvest Yer Mind Dance Party,” featuring several DJs – Rain, Mateo, Obvi Objx, Dijon – go-go dancers, the Algal Boom house band, and more!
When: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Argos Warehouse
Cost: $10; additional donations are welcome for Skate of Mind
Ready for Release
Regional rockers Sweats will host a release show for “I End Where You Begin,” the second album from this self-described “band of brothers mothered on rock and roll.” They include: Travis Durfee (vocals, guitar), JM Sincock (drums), Rob Kurcoba (bass), Tony DeLuca (keys), and Nick D’Aloisio (guitar). Check them out here!
When: 5-8 p.m. Friday
Where: Two Goats Brewing
Cost: free
Blues Bash
“The Seneca Lodge is hosting its 14th annual Autumn Jam and it’s gonna be a doozy! Plan on rockin’ out with StratCat Willie and a great gathering of his talented friends. Proceeds will benefit “Veterans for Schuyler,” whose mission is to provide direct support for local veterans. Come dance off that turkey dinner!”
When: 7-11 p.m. Friday
Where: The Seneca Lodge, Watkins Glen
Cost: $5
Friday Night Lights
The Electrozone returns with an eclectic “Black Friday special you seriously don't want to miss out on! We're offering Faith Kelly, Caswyn Moon, skræling, Bogo La$ik, Stepwriterun, and Phantom Project for the low low one night only price of $10! This offer is exclusive to Sacred Root Kava Lounge! Don't wait! Save the date! Offer void outside of Ithaca! All sales are final! See you there!”
“Originally from the heart of the Pennsylvanian Appalachian mountains, Faith Kelly performs her take on folk in the only way she knows how, with her spacey raw rock'n'roll mind! After years of touring with her psychedelic band Ruckzuck, she decided to start a solo endeavor over quarantine to connect with her roots and to spread those sounds around America. Currently touring her album Ferfuksake! With her 2nd album For Cryin' Out Loud in production.
Caswyn Moon is a songwriter who has captured the hearts of his many fans throughout the Catskill region. He is a man who lives outside of time where the spirits of the muses and the ancestors dwell. His soulful voice, beautiful melodies and poetic lyrics evoke the melancholy of bittersweet memories.
skraeling is a mood-dependent project exploring grief, love, rage, and resilience. looped guitar, flute, tape manipulations, and ambient noise from Gaawaabaabiganikaag.
Bogo La$ik is a badly-behaved iPad kid and midwestern werewolf. His work is touch-based and crosses from ambient to unsettling, often in the span of one song.
Stepwriterun is Jason Leifer, and his performances are all about improvisation. He uses a mix of modular synths, samplers, turntables, iPads, effects pedals, synthesizers, and sequencers to produce on the fly. His music is influenced by ambient, dub, techno, house, and triphop.
Phantom Project is the mass hysteria and conspiracy theory laden noise project of E Weber-Han of the ElectroZone and Avoidance. Using noise oscillators, samples, iPads, weird pedals, and drum machines Phantom Project ritualistically probes the depths of the unending Satanic Panic and occult crime.”
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar
Cost: $10
Bop ‘Til You Drop
Deep Dive hosts a Black Friday bash featuring Syracuse’s own Sophistafunk, the hard-touring hiphop/funk/rock band that includes Adam Gold, Jack Brown, Emanuel Washington, and Tommy Weeks. They’re currently the house band on the new Food Network show, “Guy’s Ultimate Game Night,” hosted by Guy Fieri. They’ll be joined by Felix Free, a Southern California-bred MC who founded the Luminaries band, and also has performed with the House of Vibes All Stars, and Southern Oregon’s Free Creatures. He’s currently based in rural upstate New York, hence the title of his debut EP, “Hood to the Woods.” His latest album is “Rocketship Theory.” DJ Proper Philth will round out the festivities with a variety of choice cuts throughout the night.
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Deep Dive
Cost: $17 in advance, available online here; $25 at the door
Tiger Burning Bright
Artist-producer Double Tiger (aka Jay Spaker) will bring his nine-piece band to downtown Ithaca, returning to the Range to showcase material from his two albums for Easy Star Records. His band includes members of Jimkata, Mosaic Foundation, and other area bands. They’ll be joined by djGOURD, who will be spinning a variety of funky discs during the evening, for “a heavy soul shakedown party.”
When: 9:30 p.m. Friday
Where: The Range
Cost: $10
A Good Cause
Regional country-rock favorites Chasing Neon will perform at a benefit for Zack Weber, an Ithaca firefighter and EMT who suffered a spinal-cord injured when he fell out of his tree stand last week; he’s being treated at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. The event will feature a silent auction, raffles, t-shirts and much more.
When: 6-11 p.m. Saturday
Where: American Legion, 4431 E. Seneca Road, Trumansburg
Cost: donations requested
Ready for Release
Local rockers Cobra Cadaver will host a release show for their long-awaited debut EP, which features six songs that fuse “face-melting metal riffs and bluesy punk-inspired vocals into high-voltage unorthodox arrangements.” Check it out here!
They’ll be joined by Delaques for the show, which also will feature food by She Messy Tacos.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Downstairs
Cost: free
Going Goth
Modern Alchemy Game Bar hosts its “Dark Alternative Monthly” Goth Night, with DJ Rob Haze and DJ Law laying down “darkwave/postpunk/ebm/goth/industrial/electro/synth/bass” throughout the evening. Open to 21 and up.
When: 9 p.m. Sunday
Where: Modern Alchemy Game Bar
Cost: $5
Get Rhythm
Dave Davies RhythmMakers return for Jazz Mondays, as Dave Davies, Doug Robinson, Brian Earle, and Chad Lieberman will play classic jazz, blues, originals, and more.
When: 5-8 p.m., second and fourth Mondays of each month
Where: South Hill Cider
Cost: free; donations welcome
In Concert
The Cornell University Klezmer Ensemble will present a concert, as “fiddles, winds, and percussion play beautiful, old-world Jewish wedding tunes.” The lineup includes Rebecca Couillard, cello; Dave Davies, trombone; Greg Ezra, poyk; Rima Grunes, violin; Elena Hafner, clarinet; Nancy Lorr, piano; Allen Lutins, clarinet; Dana Mandel, mandolin; Atilla Osan, violin; Barb Schoss, violin; Sara Schneider, flute; and Ryan Zawel, trombone/tuba.
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Barnes Hall, Cornell University
Cost: free and open to all
Soulful Strings
Silver Rein and La Llorona return to the Downstairs for “an evening of unforgettable dark strings music.” See Silver Rein’s previous show here:
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday
Where: The Downstairs
Cost: $5
Bach for More
Cornell’s “Midday Music for Organ” series continues with Anna Steppler, who will present seasonal favorites by J. S. Bach to welcome the Advent and Christmas season.
When: 12:30 pm Wednesday, Nov. 30
Where: Anabel Taylor Chapel
Cost: free and open to all
Going Big
The Deep Dive House Big Band continues its every-other-Wednesday residency under the direction of local jazz professor Greg Evans, who teaches at Ithaca College and Cornell University and plays drums with Rose and the Bros and other area bands. The DDBB will feature players from Cornell University, Ithaca College and the greater Ithaca Community every other Wednesday for the coming month.
When: 8-10 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30
Where: Deep Dive
Cost: free; ages 18 and up
Bass Ace
Karina Rykman, who’s been playing bass with Marco Benevento since 2016, will bring her own band to Ithaca. She has released several singles since 2019, blending pop, psychedelic, and jam-rock influences into an energetic sound. She’ll be joined by Adam November (guitar/looper/effects) and Chris Corsico (drums) in her power trio. Find out more here! Grub, a “multi-genre trio capable of delivering funk-driven madness, improvisational bliss, and shoe-gazing glitch-o-matic electronic soundscapes,” will open the show.
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30
Where: The Upstairs
Cost: $15 in advance, available online here
More Shows
The Center for the Arts in Homer hosts its weekly Open Mic Night at 7-9 p.m. Tuesday
SingTrece will host her monthly “Open Mic for Singers, Rappers & Poets” at the Downstairs at 7-9 p.m. Tuesday
Scuba Jerry plays Bike Bar Ithaca at 7-10 p.m. Tuesday
The Argos Grove Trio plays jazz at the Argos Inn at 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays
The Levi Dusseau Duo plays Summerhill Brewing at 5-8 p.m. Wednesday
Rob Ervin is at Owasco Lake Brewing at 5 p.m. Wednesday
The Jesse Collins Trio hosts “Jazz at the Market” at Brookton’s Market at 6-9 p.m. Wednesday
Molly and the Ringwalds are at BRU64 at 6 p.m. Wednesday
Bob Holz and guests are at Cortland Beer at 6 p.m. Wednesday
Steve Romer and Brad Allen play Homer Hops at 6-9 p.m. Wednesday
Cortland Beer Company hosts Open Mic Night at 6 p.m. Wednesdays
Tru Bleu is at Salt Point Brewing at 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday
The Shylocks are at ONCO Fermentations at 7-9 p.m. Wednesday
Logan Wannall (7-8:30 p.m.) and Roger Decker (9-11 p.m.) are at The St. Charles in Cortland on Wednesday
Rocco Rich plays the Dryden Hotel at 7-9 p.m. Wednesday
Chasing Neon plays Stonehedges Golf Course in Groton at 7 p.m. Wednesday
Gabe Stillman returns to Garrett’s Brewing Company in Trumansburg at 7 p.m. Wednesday
Sacred Root Kava Bar and Tea Lounge hosts its weekly Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Wednesday
The Range hosts its weekly Salsa Night Latin Dance Party, featuring DJs and dance lessons, from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesday
Solera Tap House hosts a Pre-Thanksgiving Bash with DJ Da Geeza at 8 p.m. Wednesday
Merkley & Morgan join the Rollin’ Rust for the annual pre-Thanksgiving Bash at the Red Jug Pub in Cortland at 8 p.m. Wednesday
DJ Tuggle spins at the Rook at 9 p.m. Wednesday
Payton Bird and Sean Fried are at McGraw Box Brewing at 5-8 p.m. Friday
Chickenwire Parachute plays Hopshire Farm and Brewery at 6-8 p.m. Friday
10th Avenue plays Grist Iron Brewing at 6-9 p.m. Friday
djGOURD hosts an all-vinyl dance party at South Hill Cider at 6-9 p.m. Friday
M3 is at ONCO Fermentations at 6-9 p.m. Friday
The Rezenens play Homer Hops at 6-9 p.m. Friday
Billy Golicki is at Cortland Beer at 8 p.m. Friday
Public Water Supply is at Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards at 1-4 p.m. Saturday
Andrew Alling is at Chateau Dusseau at 3-6 p.m. Saturday
Tenzin Chopak and Emmett Scott play Stone Bend Farm at 5-7 p.m. Saturday
St. Vith plays Two Goats Brewing at 5-8 p.m. Saturday
Cisco plays Grist Iron Brewing at 6-9 p.m. Saturday
The Ampersand Project plays Summerhill Brewing at 6-8 p.m. Saturday
Bradford Allen is at McGraw Box Brewing at 6-8 p.m. Saturday
John West and Ted Romer are at Homer Hops at 6-9 p.m. Saturday
Wingnut is at Liquid Shoes Brewing in Corning at 6:30-9 p.m. Saturday CANCELLED!
Travis Rocco and Steve Daniels play Hobo’s in Homer at 8-11 p.m. Saturday
M3 is at Cortland Beer at 7 p.m. Saturday
Terry Grimes at the Cortland Country Music Park at 2-5 p.m. Sunday ($8)
Tim Herron is at ONCO Fermentations at 2-4 p.m. Sunday
Virgil Cain is at Homer Hops at 2-5 p.m. Sunday
The Center for the Arts in Homer hosts its weekly Open Mic Night at 7-9 p.m. Tuesday
Regional Shows
Nov. 23, The Frank White Experience and A Kid Called Danger, Funk ‘n Waffles, Syracuse
Nov. 25, The Old Main, Funk ‘n Waffles, Syracuse
Nov. 25, A Cast of Thousands album release show for “Songs from the Second Floor,” Carriage House Theatre, Case Research Lab, Auburn ($15, includes CD) CANCELLED!
Nov. 25, 10th annual Food Drive and Rock Show with Xyta Vrijmoet, Perilous, Amerikan Primitive, and Preacher, Moletrax Studio, Syracuse
Nov. 25-26, Hamell on Trial, 443 Social Club, Syracuse
Nov. 26, Bret Michaels, Del Lago Resort, Waterloo
Nov. 29, NYChillharmonic and Aberdeen, Westcott Theater, Syracuse
Nov. 30, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, MVP Arena, Albany
