Celebrate the holiday season with some live music, as there are several cool shows in the coming days around the area – it’s the most wonderful time of year! Plus, Yet To Be Gold debuts with some familiar faces at the Argos Warehouse, Trampled by Turtles make their delayed visit to the State Theatre of Ithaca, and the Great Salt City Blues Concert returns to the Palace Theatre in Syracuse!
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!
Blue Christmas
The Brewhouse Blues Holiday Party will feature the house band – Andy Lockwood, Dan Paolangeli, Barry Miller, and friends – playing a bunch of blues-rock tunes along with the annual Ugly Sweater Competition – “wear yours and enter to win the GRAND PRIZE!”
When: 5:30-9 p.m. Thursday
Where: Hopshire Farms and Brewery
Cost: free; donations welcome
Dashing Debut
Yet To Be Gold, a new project featuring Gregor Sayet-Bone (guitar, vocals, songs), Jeb Puryear (guitar), Luca Greenspun (drums), and Jonas Puryear (bass), will make its debut in the intimate Argos space.
“Songs have been a treasured art form throughout all ages and all times. Be it to bring laughter through satirical verses, to cheer up and warm those near a campfire, to tell heroic historical tales, or to simply tell the stories of the day. They bring joy to those around the world.
But nothing brings more joy than friendship. Without it you may simply take your bow and quit the stage.
And here we have both… Friends playing songs.”
Richie Stearns will open the show.
When: 8-11 p.m. Thursday
Where: Argos Warehouse
Cost: $10-$20 suggested donation
Three of a Kind
Ithaca trio Strong Maybe returns to The Downstairs. Mark Karlsen (baritone sax), Chad Lieberman (synthesizers), and Matt Saccuccimorano (drums) “went to music school a long time ago. They have played gypsy jazz, Iranian folk, surf metal, drum & bass reggae, salsa, Americana singer-songwriter, hip-hop, and avant-garde classical music. Now it’s their turn.” They promise an experience that “will be mostly improvised and unrepeatable.” Find out more here!
Opening the show is Dara Anissi, who plays oud and guitar and writes original pieces for both instruments with influences from Middle Eastern music, Jazz, Blues, Classical, and Celtic music; he’ll be joined by Martin Shamoonpour, an “autodidactic multi-instrumentalist, composer, actor, and visual artist from Tehran.”
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Where: The Downstairs
Cost: pay what you can
Fun Fundraiser
Stone Bend Farm and TradeDesignBuild will host a holiday fundraiser party for the Finger Lakes Reuse Remap Program, featuring “a ton of amazing prize donations for the silent raffle from all our favorite local businesses!” and live music from Richie Stearns, Aaron Lipp, Ben Gould, and Pat Burke. Plus, it’s the farm’s very last night of wood-fired pizza until spring 2022!”
When: 5 p.m. Friday CANCELED!!
Where: Stone Bend Farm, 196 Porter Hill Road, Newfield
Cost: donations welcome
All in the Family
“The Nth Annual Walsh Family and Friends Christmas Show” returns to Hopshire Farms and Brewery in Dryden, featuring Madd Daddy, Unreal City, GoGone and “a boatload of Walshiness” once again performing a variety of original and seasonal tunes.
When: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday canceled!
Where: Hopshire Farms and Brewery
Cost: donations welcome
Cortland Rocks
Celebrate Christmas Eve Eve in downtown Cortland as the Unknown Woodsmen team up with PeoplePeople for “a night of Blues, Rock, and Funk bouncing off the walls of Rose Hall’s first floor studio.”
“Since their start in 2011, The Unknown Woodsmen have spent countless hours honing their signature sound and tirelessly performing throughout the Northeast. With their crafty hooks, old-school grooves, and energetic stage presence, the band has captivated crowd after crowd at clubs and festivals in the Central New York region and beyond.
“People People is one of the newest bands to emerge on the Cortland music scene. Pulling together an original cocktail of blues, jazz, funk and rock, the band’s driving grooves and thoughtful lyrics mix with fine-tuned musicianship that effortlessly lifts the spirit and energizes the soul.”
When: 7 p.m. Friday postponed to Feb. 3, 2023!
Where: Rose Hall, 19 Church St., Cortland
Cost: $10, available online here; $15 at the door
Blues in the ‘Cuse
Held annually on the day after Christmas at the Palace Theatre in East Syracuse and curated by Blue Wave Records founder Greg Spencer, the Great Salt City Blues Concert returns for its sixth edition. “Each concert is unique and never to be repeated with a changing line-up of performers featuring some of the area's greatest musicians. Each concert is a thematic show honoring some of our greatest Blues Artists with participating musicians chosen specifically because they are best fitted for the show.” This edition will pay tribute to Etta James, Sleepy John Estes, Elmore James, and Little Junior Parker, and feature some of Central New York’s top players, including Tas Cru, Morris Tarbell, Colin Aberdeen, Ava Andrews, Dave Liddy, Jes Sheldon, Jeff Stockham, Rod Zajak, Ronnie Leigh, Rob Spagnoletti, Jake Capozzolo, Garnet Grimm, Steven T. Winston, Raedwald Howland-Bolton, Don Williams, Larry Kyle, Lee Tiffault, Mike Davis, and Matt Lomeo. The show is dedicated to the late Kim Simmonds, the British blues guitar legend and founder of Savoy Brown who lived in the area for decades until passing away on Dec. 13.
When: 7:30-10:30 p.m. Monday
Where: The Palace Theatre, 2384 James St., Syracuse
Cost: $30 in advance, available online here: $40 at the door if available
Chips off the Block
It's a midweek happy hour with Sons of the Deep, featuring the offspring of some local jazz masters. The band features Daniel Zawel on keys, Silas Richardson on drums, Max Rubenstein on bass, Jacob Merrill on sax, and Nate Silas Richardson on guitar. After, hang around for the Deep Dive Big Band, which plays at 8-10 p.m. (see below for more info on that).
When: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28
Where: Deep Dive
Cost: free
Turtles All the Way Down
Hailing from Minnesota, Trampled by Turtles will make their delayed Ithaca debut at the State Theatre. (Their originally scheduled date in November was postponed after frontman Dave Simonett got laryngitis.) The sextet is touring to promote its new album, “Alpenglow, which was produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and includes 11 new songs that showcase the group’s signature blend of rock, folk, punk, country, and progressive bluegrass. Find out more here!
Langhorne Slim, who performed at the Hangar Theatre in October, returns to promote his seventh album, “Strawberry Mansion,” a collection of songs written in March-May 2020. Since his 2004 debut album, “Electric Love Letter,” he has developed a wide following with his raucous live shows and sincere songwriting.
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28 (postponed from Nov. 9)
Where: State Theatre of Ithaca
Cost: $42-$54, available online here
Read a recent Trampled by Turtles interview here!
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, Dec. 28
Where: Deep Dive
Cost: free; ages 18 and up
Ready for Release
Two area favorites will combine forces to celebrate the release of their new CDs: “Friday Night Nowhere” by Dan Forsyth and “Pearls” by KidBess. Known as a co-founder of Driftwood, Forsyth will be joined by drummer Sam Fishman and bassist Ryan Cirbus for this show. Kid Bess, the stage name of Bess Greenberg, will be joined by her band the Magic Ring, which includes Mike Amadeo on bass, Joe Alston on guitar, Jeff McAuley on cello, and Moses Valle on drums.
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 29 (postponed from Dec. 15)
Where: Atomic Toms, 196 State St., Binghamton
Cost: $15 in advance, $20 at the door; $40 ticket pre-order includes both CDs. Go here to purchase tickets.
Read a recent interview with Dan Forsyth here!
More Shows
The Argos Grove Trio plays jazz at the Argos Inn at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays
Sacred Root Kava Bar and Tea Lounge hosts its weekly Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Wednesday
Sarah Noell, Loveday Greene, and JP Payton will play at the Press Bay Winter Market, which runs 2-6 p.m. Thursday
Richie Stearns and Friends return to South Hill Cider at 5-8 p.m. Thursday
Roger Decker is at Mangia Stattizitto in Cortland at 6-8 p.m. Thursday
Pat and Dan are at Cortland Beer Company at 6 p.m. Thursday
Scott B. Adams hosts Open Mic Night at the Scale House Brewery at 6-9 p.m. Thursdays
Benny T brings his Open Mic Posse to Crossroads Bar and Grille in Lansing at 6:30 p.m. Thursday
Nate Marshall is at Deep Dive at 5-7 p.m. Friday
Whistlin’ Dyl is at Two Goats Brewing at 5-8 p.m. Friday
Sandra Esparza is at Summerhill Brewing at 5-8 p.m. Friday
Mike Passarelli and Luke Hart are at Heuga’s Alpine in Tully at 6-9 p.m. Friday
Steve Romer is at Homer Hops at 6-9 p.m. Friday
A Cast of Thousands is at Moondog’s Lounge in Auburn at 7-10 p.m. Friday CANCELED!
M3 is at Cortland Beer Company at 8 p.m. Friday
djGOURD will host a Holiday Soiree with DJ Anthony Mansfield at Deep Dive at 9 p.m. Friday
Scott Adams is at Solera Tap Room at 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday
The Argos Grove Trio plays jazz at the Argos Inn at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays
Sacred Root Kava Bar and Tea Lounge hosts its weekly Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Wednesday
Regional Shows
Dec. 22, Celtic Woman: “A Christmas Symphony”, Del Lago Resort, Waterloo
Dec. 22, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, KeyBank Center, Buffalo
Dec. 27, Sulaco, Inertia, and Babayaga, The Bug Jar, Rochester
Dec. 27, Tony Orlando, Turning Stone Showroom, Verona
Dec. 30, Mike Powell, 443 Social Club, Syracuse (SOLD OUT!)
Dec. 30, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, The Club at Water St., Rochester
Dec. 30, Zac Brown Tribute Band, Turning Stone Showroom, Verona
Dec. 30-31, Driftwood, The Range, Ithaca
Dec. 30-31, Jimkata and The Comb Down, Deep Dive Ithaca
Dec. 31, Andy Frasco, Town Ballroom, Buffalo
Dec. 31, Goo Goo Dolls, Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino, Niagara Falls
Dec. 31, Stephen Phillips, Funk N Waffles, Syracuse
Dec. 31, Hairball, Del Lago Resort, Waterloo