The Young Blood Discovery Festival debuts at the Upstairs, Regina Spektor and the Wood Brothers return to the State Theatre, the Quartetto di Cremona comes to Cornell, and Vanessa Carlton visits Homer’s Center for the Arts! Plus, Austin MacRae releases his latest album at Hopshire Farm, Freight and Friends pay tribute to Willie Nelson at South Hill Cider, and lots of local bands will take the stage in the coming days!
Note: the events are listed below in chronological order, in two separate sections.
Plus, lots of local bands will take the stage in the coming days around the area!
Note: the events are listed below in chronological order, in two separate sections.
Also, NPR’s 2023 Tiny Desk Contest is now open for entries! Find out more here.
‘Home’ on the Road
Regina Spektor returns to Ithaca for a sold-out show that was postponed from October due to Covid; she’s touring to promote her latest album, “Home, before and after.” Spektor has performed on Broadway, Saturday Night Live and contributed to many projects spanning film, television, and music including The Hamilton Mixtape. Her 2006 “Begin to Hope” includes singles “On the Radio,” “Better,” “Samson,” as well as “Fidelity” which climbed the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Her new LP follows 2016's “Remember Us To Life,” which earned widespread acclaim. Find out more about her here!
See her recent Tiny Desk concert here!
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 1
Where: State Theater
Cost: SOLD OUT!
Going Galactic
The Galactic Escort Service returns, this time on every other Wednesday at Deep Dive, promising “another epic journey through sonic cosmology.” Core players include Tenzin Chopak, Emmett Scott, Michael Schuler , Josh Oxford, and Ashley Ickes, who create improvisations on a variety of instruments.
When: 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 1
Where: Deep Dive
Cost: $5
Red Hot
Simply Red will host a pop-up event at South Hill Cider, with chef Samantha Buyskes dishing up her famous fried chicken and catfish from Mama Red’s Comfort Kitchen. Live music will be provided by the quartet of Richie Stearns, Jason Zorn, Leah Grady-Sayvetz, and Steve Selin. “For many years Steve played music with Richie Stearns at Chef Sam's restaurant Simply Red in Trumansburg, at Sheldrake Point Winery and at Red Newt Cellars. She is bringing her recipes and Steve will play the string-band music that he loves!” All items will be available à la carte until she runs out; take-out will be available, as will indoors and outdoors seating, depending on the weather.
When: 5-8 p.m. Thursday
Where: South Hill Cider
Cost: free, but donations welcome; separate cost for the food
Songs to Share
Dan Forsyth of Driftwood hosts Songwriter’s Night at Hopshire, a series taking place every first Thursday of the month at Hopshire Farms and Brewery: “This is an opportunity for songwriters to share their craft with each other. Bring a song you are working on, it doesn’t have to be complete, to get input from your peers. All are welcome to come listen respectfully.”
When: 6-8 p.m. Thursday
Where: Hopshire Farms and Brewery, Dryden
Cost: free
Read a recent interview with Dan Forsyth here!
In the Spotlight
Hosted by DJ ha-MEEN, Deep Dive continues with the second edition of its new monthly Open Stage Night. “Vocal arts, dancing, playing instruments, comedy, poetry, acting, mini-lectures, etc. — it's your stage! We welcome all performance and artistic talents... within reason. All performers should sign up here in order to be guaranteed a slot. Walk-ins cannot be guaranteed a slot. Make sure you sign up no later than NOON on Open Stage Night! Any sign-ups after then will be considered a walk-in. Please text Open Stage Night's host, DJ ha-MEEN, at 607-227-4295 with questions.”
When: 7-10 p.m. Thursday (the first Thursday of each month)
Where: Deep Dive
Cost: free; open to 18+
Underground Folk
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Seth Faergolzia (Dufus/Multibird) comes to Sacred Root Kava Lounge and Tea Bar along with local openers Ryan B. Curtis and Aria Dawn. “Seth Faergolzia is an experimental musician and frontman of the bands Dufus and Multibird. Seth and his bands have announced the upcoming release of a 12-album series, set to be released in early 2023, showcasing their signature blend of eclectic sounds and boundary-pushing experimentation. Faergolzia's music ranges from improvisations to toe-tappers and has been described as ‘like Johnny Cash on 5 double-espressos’ and ‘the 21st-century equivalent of the Fugs at their finest.’” Find out more here!
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar
Cost:
Read Jeff Spevak’s recent interview with Seth Faergolzia here!!
Underground Sounds
Local favorites Willie B and Keir Neuringer will be joined by composer/synthesizer wizard Josh Oxford for a night of improvisational music in downtown Ithaca,
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Where: The Downstairs
Cost: $10/pay what you can
The Force of Four
“Winner of the 2019 Franco Buitoni Award, the Quartetto di Cremona is noted for its lustrous sound, refined musicianship, and stylistic versatility. Celebrating its 22nd anniversary in the 2022–23 season, the quartet was established in 2000 at the Accademia Walter Stauffer in Cremona, Italy. Since then, the Quartetto has toured extensively in Europe, the United States, South America, and Asia, appeared at leading festivals, and performed regularly on radio and television broadcasts. The Cremona’s extensive repertoire encompasses key masterworks—Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert—and essential twentieth-century contemporary literature by Debussy, Schoenberg, Webern, Bartók, and Shostakovich along with contemporary works by Golijov, Lachenmann, Fabio Vacchi, and Silvia Colasanti.”
For their Bailey Hall performance, the group will present a program of works by famed Italian composers: Boccherini’s “String Quartet in C major, Op. 2, No. 6”; Verdi’s “Quartet in E minor”; Puccini’s “Crisantemi”; and Respighi’s “Quartet in D major.”
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Where: Bailey Hall, Cornell
Cost: $19-$34, available online here and at the box office
Full Nelson
Freight and Friends pay tribute to Willie Nelson’s 1975 album, “Red Headed Stranger.” Joined by Rena Guinn, Rev Ezra, Drew Kiddoo, Janet Batch, and Josh Dolan, Freight will play Willie’s honky-tonk noir masterpiece. “Sparse, dark, and conceptual, Red Headed Stranger reinvented the possibilities of country music in 1970s Nashville. Originally rejected for major label release, ‘Red Headed Stranger’ became a classic among country and mainstream audiences alike and is consistently cited as a watershed moment in country music history. The ‘Sgt. Pepper’s of country music.’ ‘Red Headed Stranger’ is haunting, otherworldly, and timeless in its simplicity. Freight plays homage to the album and reinterprets with some of Ithaca’s favorite honky-tonk musicians at South Hill Cider.”
When: 5-8 p.m. Friday moved to Saturday due to inclement weather!
Where: South Hill Cider
Cost: $10
Ready for Release
Local singer-songwriter Austin MacRae will host a release show for his fourth album, “New Weather,” on which he explores his experiences as a stepfather. He’ll also display many of his recent paintings, which draw inspiration from the area’s landscapes. Find out more about the album here! He’ll be joined by several guests at the show, including many who contributed to the new album.
When: 6-8 p.m. Friday
Where: Hopshire Farm and Brewery
Cost: free; donations welcome
Read an interview with Austin MacRae here!
Voices Raised
“The Cornell University Chorus’ Empowerment through Music events take place this weekend and will center around a recently premiered project: “Freedom on the Move, Songs in Flight.” Basing their music on the Cornell-founded “Freedom on the Move” database (the largest crowdsourced database of fugitive slave advertisements in North America), composers and performers including Shawn Okpebholo, Mason Bynes, Tsitsi Ella Jaji, Rhiannon Giddens, and more collaborated to weave narratives from the source material to sound out liberation and re-humanization of people escaping enslavement.
“For these events, composer Mason Bynes and countertenor Reginald Mobley will be visiting campus to speak about the project, perform selections, and work with students. Mobley will give a solo voice masterclass at 6 p.m. Friday in Barnes Hall. The weekend will culminate at 7 p.m. Saturday in Barnes Hall with a performance by the Chorus and Glee Club of Bynes’ “Three Dialogues,” a performance by Mobley of solo selections, and a roundtable discussion about the “Songs in Flight” project with Bynes, Mobley, Martha Guth (professor of voice at Ithaca College and co-founder of the project), and Ed Baptist (professor of history at Cornell and co-founder of the Freedom on the Move database).
When: 6 p.m. Friday; 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Barnes Hall, Cornell
Cost: free and open to all
Just Jazz
The Diana Leigh Quartet plays Ithaca's new jazz club and restaurant, Seven Of. Vocalist Leigh will be joined by Kevin Jones, Stu Zimny, and Keith Evan Green for an evening of jazz and pop standards. No cover charge, but tips are appreciated! In the former Lot 10, street level. Join us! See less
When: 7-10 p.m. Friday
Where: Seven Of jazz club (in the former Lot 10)
Cost: free; donations welcome
Johnny Dowd Time
The Johnny Dowd Trio – Dowd, Michael Edmondson, and Jif Edmondson – returns to downtown Ithaca for an intimate show. “Over the last 30 years, Dowd has been creating records that defy trends, creating a unique catalog of work. Now join Johnny and the band to hear some of the new tunes he's releasing on vinyl this year.”
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: The Downstairs
Cost: $10
World Music
Annette Richards will present an organ recital titled “Magnificent Worlds,” featuring music celebrating the cosmos, nature, and the human by Buxtehude, Frescobaldi, Schildt, and van Oortmerssen.
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Anabel Taylor Chapel, Cornell
Cost: free and open to all
Roots Rocks
The Sim Redmond Band returns to the stage to showcase their much-beloved repertoire of rootsy songs that blend a variety of influences with uplifting lyrics. The Makers – the newly formed band of Nate Silas Richardson and Lydia Garrison – will open the show: “A shared admiration for the music of Mali brought them together, and a potent creative chemistry emerged between them. The result is an intricate weave of melody and rhythm that escapes classification, and goes straight for your heart. Their eclectic songs explore the triumphs and tragedies along life’s beautiful and bumpy road.”
When: 8:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Deep Dive
Cost: $14 in advance, available online here and at Press Café; $20 day of sale
Blood Rush
Ithaca College’s South Hill Entertainment presents the inaugural Young Blood Discovery Festival, with performances by Wall Carpets, Leo and the Maydays, Metasequoia, and Well Wisher. “Find your next favorite artist at Ithaca's very first Young Blood Discovery Fest! Local artists will open the show with something that might sound familiar, but make sure to stick around for our louder bands coming out later in the night! I hope you're ready for a moshpit! Young Blood Fest is all about celebrating some truly talented up-and-coming rock bands as well as some of our local favorites. Check out the bands here before buying your ticket!” Find out more here!
Open to 21 and up
When: 9 p.m. Friday
Where: The Upstairs
Cost: $10 in advance, available online here; $15 at the door
Check out interviews with Leo & the Maydays and Metasequoia!
Trio Grande
The Wood Brothers return to Ithaca to promote their forthcoming album, “Heart is the Hero,” which has already produced the single, “Pilgrim.” The trio of brothers Chris and Oliver Wood along with Jono Rix have built up a wide following since joining forces nearly 20 years ago, bringing a variety of influences together to create their distinctive sound.
Michaela Anne, the Nashville singer-songwriter who made her local debut at the Hangar Theatre last year, will open the show. Her latest album is “Oh To Be That Free.”
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: State Theatre of Ithaca
Cost: $28 and up, available online here
Dynamic Duo
“Ultimate party bands” Chestnut Grove and Disco Risque join forces for a show in downtown Ithaca.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Range
Cost: cover charge
Taking a Trip
Ryan Vanderhoof & Field Trip will make their debut in downtown Ithaca. A former member of Akron/Family, singer-songwriter-guitarist Vanderhoof will be joined by locals Eric Harvey, Chris Ploss, Angelo Paradiso, and Justin Roeland to present “Original Songs performed on traditional instruments of the Indie Rock genre; heavily reliant on the Lydian mode, as well as the keys of E, F and C major. Medium Tempo.”
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Downstairs
Cost: $10
Head Space
The Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble plays the annual "head chart" project – “music learned entirely by ear and kept in the players’ heads. This year the music is Monkish: tunes either written by Monk or standards that he put his unique spin on.”
When: 8:15 p.m. Saturday
Where: Ford Hall, Ithaca College
Cost: free and open to all
Ordinary World
The composer/performer collective Ordinary Affects will present works written for the ensemble: Alvin Lucier's “Corner Church and High,” Jordan Dykstra’s “32 Middletones,” and a new piece by Laura Cetilia for strings, electric guitar, and glissando-ing Farfisa. Also on the program will be a work for piano and sine tones by Chiyoko Szlavnics, “Constellations I-III.”
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Lincoln B20, Cornell
Cost: free and open to all
Event Info
In Session
After a successful launch last weekend, Traonach and Friends kick off their Live Irish Music Session on alternating Sundays at the Watershed, continuing in the fine tradition of their much-beloved sessions at the Argos, The Chapter House, and Micawbers.
When: 5-8 p.m. Sunday
Where: The Watershed
Cost: free; donations welcome
Music+Dance
Cornell’s Southeast Asia Program will present a dance and musical performance by Arja Saraswati Puja featuring Sanggar Seni Citta Usadhi and the New Atlantic Chamber Gamelan. Contact ef429@cornell.edu for more information
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Barnes Hall
Cost: free and open to all
The Man from Troy
The Beacon on Aurora Concert Series will host a show featuring Sean Rowe, a singer-songwriter and avid forager based in Troy, New York. Rowe (rhymes with plow) has released four full-length records and two EPs. His latest album, “The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights,” was released in October of 2021 via Fluff & Gravy Records. NPR’s All Songs Considered says of Rowe’s vocals, “He can just crush granite with that voice. It’s so powerful.” The Wall Street Journal proclaimed, “Mr. Rowe's ringing baritone is as timeless as his approach, recalling the ecstatic intensity of late-'60s Van Morrison and stark subtlety of late-era Johnny Cash.”
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: First Unitarian Society of Ithaca (FUSIT)
Cost: $20 suggested donation at the door (cash or e-payment directly to artist)
Ukrainian Unity
DakhaBrakha returns to Ithaca, 11 months after its most recent appearance at the State Theatre. The foursome has become familiar faces to local concertgoers, with several shows here in the past few years. But since the 2021 Russian invasion of the band’s native Ukraine, their concerts have taken on an added emotional weight in conjunction with the music, which blends a variety of regional and world folk influences.
When: 8 p.m. Sunday
Where: State Theatre of Ithaca
Cost: $27 and up, available online here
In Harmony
Singer-songwriters Emily Scott Robinson, Alisa Amador, and Violet Bell’s Lizzy Ross will team up for a show in Homer. “Fans will hear music from each artist individually and the trio will come together to perform songs from Robinson’s latest release with Oh Boy Records, ‘Built on Bones,’ a collection of six original songs for the Witches of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The recordings feature Emily Scott Robinson (writer/composer), Alisa Amador (NPR Tiny Desk Contest Winner 2022) and Lizzy Ross (of duo Violet Bell) as the three witches singing through the tragedy of Macbeth in three-part harmony.”
When: 8 p.m. Sunday
Where: Center for the Arts, Homer
Cost: $20, available online here
Art, Love, Music
Vanessa Carlton brings her “Future Pain” tour to Central New York to promote her latest album, “Love Is An Art,” which came out in 2020. “Like the record itself, the song is a meditation on the eternal seesaw that is human connection: the push, the pull, the balance, the bottoming out. It’s that constantly evolving nature of love, expectations and compassion that Carlton analyzes from all angles on Love Is An Art, from romantic, to parental, to the friends that hold us up and the leaders that repeatedly let us down. And on tracks like the album’s opener, “I Can’t Stay the Same,” that also includes the relationship with the person staring back at us in the mirror, each and every morning.”
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 8
Where: Center for the Arts, Homer
Cost: $25, available online 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, March 8
Where: Deep Dive
Cost: free; ages 18 and up
Triple Threat
Practice at Presents returns with another show at the Upstairs, this one featuring Albany’s Ladybyrd and CPS, along with Ithaca’s own Plaster Men, which includes AJ Strauss, Eric Trichon, Kim Sherwood Caso, and Brian “Willie B” Wilson!
When: 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 8
Where: The Upstairs
Cost: $10
More Shows
Jesse Collins hosts the Sandwich Sessions at Brookton’s Market at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday
The Argos Grove trio plays jazz at Bar Argos at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays
Levi Dusseau is at Salt Point Brewing at 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday
Sacred Root Kava Bar and Tea Lounge hosts its weekly Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Wednesday
The Salsa Night Dance Party returns to the Range at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays
Atwater Vineyards hosts “Bring Your Own Vinyl Night” at 5-8 p.m. Thursday
Pat and Don are at Cortland Beer Company at 6 p.m. Thursday
Clint Bush is at McGraw Box Brewing at 6-8 p.m. Thursday
Scott B Adams hosts Open Mic Night at the Scale House Brewery at 6-9 p.m. Thursday
Marc Ryan plays the Cortland DAV at 6:30 p.m. Thursday
Benny T brings his Open Mic Posse to CrossRoads Bar and Grille in Lansing at 6:30 p.m. Thursday
Whistlin’ Dyl is at Two Goats Brewing at 5-8 p.m. Friday
Adam Parker is at McGraw Box Brewing at 5-8 p.m. Friday
Clint Bush is at BRU64 in Cortland at 6-8 p.m. Friday
Tim Herron and Friends play at Heuga’s Alpine in Tully at 6-9 p.m. Friday
Dave Turner is at Homer Hops at 6-9 p.m. Friday
Marc and Monica are at the Dryden Hotel at 7-9 p.m. Friday
Billy Golicki & The Therapists and Sam I Am are at Cortland Beer Company at 8 p.m. Friday
Robin Burnett and the A Band is at Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards at 1-4 p.m. Saturday
Rachel Beverly is at Treleaven Winery at 2-5 p.m. Saturday
The Kitestring Duo (Josh Ross and Joe Massa) is at Chateau Dusseau at 5-8 p.m. Saturday
Fish Creek Rodeo is at ONCO Fermentations in Tully at 5-7 p.m. Saturday
Cielle on Solid Ground is at Two Goats Brewing at 5-8 p.m. Saturday
Two Horse Johnson is at Grist Iron Brewing at 5-8 p.m. Saturday
Melanie and The Boys are at Summerhill Brewing at 5-8 p.m. Saturday
The Shenanigan Brothers (Marc Ryan and Tink Bennett) play McGraw Box Brewing at 5-8 p.m. Saturday
Pat Young is at Homer Hops at 6-9 p.m. Saturday
Steve Daniels and Friends are at Cortland Beer Company at 8 p.m. Friday
The Due South Band is at Landon’s Pub in Watkins Glen at 8-11 p.m. Saturday
Virgil Cain is at Homer Hops at 2-5 p.m. Sunday
Widely Grown is at Two Goats Brewing at 4-7 p.m. Sunday
Gabriel Tavares plays the Downstairs at 8 p.m. Sunday ($5)
The Center for the Arts in Homer hosts Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesday
Auburn Public Theatre hosts Open Mic Night at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays
The Westy host its new Open Mic Night at 9 p.m. Tuesdays
The Argos Grove trio plays jazz at Bar Argos 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
The Salsa Night Dance Party returns to the Range at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays
Regional Shows
March 1, Matt Nathanson and Stephen Kellogg, Asbury Hall at Babeville, Buffalo
March 1, Skillet, Main Street Armory, Rochester
March 1, Flogging Molly and Anti-Flag, Landmark Theatre, Syracuse
March 2, Wolves at the Gate, The L, Horseheads
March 2, Sean Rowe, Abilene Bar and Lounge, Rochester
March 2, Matt Nathanson, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel
March 3, Sunny War, Funk N Waffles, Syracuse
March 3, Easton Corbin, Kegs Canalside, Jordan
March 3, Jude Roberts, May Memorial UU Society
March 3, Skerryvore, The Egg, Albany
March 3, Creed Bratton, Del Lago Resort, Waterloo
March 4, Larry the Cable Guy, Del Lago Resort, Waterloo
March 4, Sean Rowe, 443 Social Club, Syracuse
March 4, Josh Ritter, Asbury Hall at Babeville, Buffalo
March 4, You Bred Raptors?, Funk N Waffles, Syracuse
March 4, Aqueous and Litz, Westcott Theater, Syracuse
March 7, Tossers and Working Class Stiffs, Mohawk Place, Buffalo
March 9, Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew “Remain in Light” tour, Empire Live, Albany
March 9, Nikki Glaser, State Theatre, Ithaca
March 9, Hank Roberts and Strange Heavy, Deep Dive, Ithaca
March 9, Quiet Riot and Hair Nation, The L, Horseheads
March 9, Karan Casey, Community School of Music and Arts, Ithaca
March 9, Life of Agony, Empire Live, Albany
