Cornell University hosts pioneering rock guitarist June Millington of Fanny, Bruce Springsteen returns to Syracuse, Chickenwire Parachute releases their debut EP, and Herman Nugent marks his 50th birthday – all that and more is happening tonight!
String Thing
“Sam Schmidt and Cap Cooke are a dynamic duo that knows how to have fun. The spirit of joy in the music they play is palpable and positive. Grounded in old-school Bluegrass and old-time music, they carry on an unbroken musical tradition that has fermented in Tompkins County for generations. Banjo, fiddle, guitar, ballads, harmonies….. Need I say more? Sam and Cap will start the night off as a duo, and will be joined by local greats Sally Freund and ‘Fiddle Pete’ Thompson for an old-time jam in the latter half of the evening!”
When: 5-8 p.m. Thursday
Where: South Hill Cider
Cost: free; donations welcome
Three of a Kind
Singer-songwriters Annie Sumi, Travis Knapp, and James Bird will join forces at Sacred Root for “some earthy & heart-felt folk music.”
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar
Cost: $10 suggested contribution
Community Ties
Practice at Presents returns to Deep Dive with another Music Community Showcase featuring two Cornell bands, two Ithaca College bands, and two “townie” bands. On the bill are Crease, BCME, Vinyl Room, Safe in Sound, Motherwort, and Night of the Iguana. “Come on out and celebrate the incredible and diverse music community we have!”
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Deep Dive
Cost: $10; 18+
Boss Tunes
Bruce Springsteen returns to Syracuse along with the E Street Band for a concert postponed from Sept. 7. They’ll be playing a career-spanning set that includes hits, deep cuts, and more. (Here’s what they played in Albany on Monday night.)
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse
Cost: $59 and up, available online here
Tag Team
DJ Blackroot and DJ Fox West will team up at the Downstairs for this week’s Afties 607 party, which follows the monthly Ithaca Unplugged: Rhymes, Rhythms, and Revelry running 7-9 p.m.
When: 9 p.m. Thursday
Where: The Downstairs
Cost: $5 suggested
More Shows
Joe Lule is at Atwater Winery at 6-9 p.m. Thursday
Aiken Nadge is at Cortland Beer Company at 6-9 p.m. Thursday
Scale House Brewery hosts Open Mic Night at 6-9 p.m. Thursdays
Benny T brings his Open Mic Posse to The Ridge in Lansing at 6:30 p.m. Thursday
WonderMonday is at Brookton’s Market at 7 p.m. Thursday
Chickenwire Parachute throws an EP release party at Bike Bar Ithaca at 7 p.m. Thursday
Atlas Bowl in Trumansburg hosts Vinyl Night at 7-10 p.m. Thursday; DJ Wolfy will spin tonight!
Herman Nugent hosts his 50th birthday karaoke party at the Upstairs at 10 p.m. Thursday
Rock Pioneer
The Cornell Department of Music will welcome Filipina-American guitarist and songwriter June Millington, co-founder of the 1970s rock band Fanny, to campus from Thursday through Saturday for three events.
“Before the Go-Go’s or the Riot Grrrl movement, there was Fanny, the first all-women rock band to be signed by a major label, record five albums, and tour internationally. Championed by David Bowie, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Elliot, and others, Fanny defied the “isms” through undeniable talent. In 1987 June Millington, with her partner and co-founder Ann Hackler, founded the nonprofit Institute for the Musical Arts (IMA) a teaching, performing, and recording facility to support women in music. Feminist, queer, and multicultural from the beginning, IMA is located on 25 acres in Western Massachusetts where they offer rock camps for girls and young women each summer.
“At 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Lincoln Hall 124, Cornell faculty Steve Pond and Judith Peraino will be in conversation with Millington at the Music and Sound Studies Colloquium, discussing her life, her art, and the joys and troubles of being the first badass “girl group” in rock. Pond and Peraino are “interested to hear June’s take on music’s intersections with political and cultural shifts at that important time [in rock history].” The conversation will also discuss how the music industry has expanded to welcome queer and gendered minorities since then, as well as how June’s composing and guitar playing have evolved. Pond notes that “despite their pioneering career, not to mention their enthusiastic following by rock legends, Fanny barely gets a mention in rock history books. But this seems to be changing.”
At 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Lincoln Hall B20, there will be a screening of Fanny! The Right to Rock. This 2021 documentary directed by Bobbi Jo Hart profiles the band and features archival footage, new material, and interviews with numerous music icons about the band’s impact.
Then at 7 p.m. Saturday, Millington will perform a solo concert of guitar and vocals in the Klarman Hall Rhodes-Rawlings Auditorium.
All events are free and open to the public.
June Millington Colloquium Event Info (4:30 p.m. Thursday)
Fanny doc screening Event Info (7:30 p.m. Thursday)
June Millington Solo Concert Event Info (7 p.m. Saturday)