We head into the Labor Day weekend with five days chock-full of all kind of music on tap in venues in Ithaca and around Central New York. Plus, the State Fair concludes its run in Syracuse!
Please be sure to check with each show’s event page for various venue 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!
Vocal Virtuoso
The CFCU Downtown Ithaca Summer Concert Series continues with Danielle Ponder. Hailing from Rochester, the powerhouse singer draws on soul, R&B and gospel influences for her trademark sound. After five years as a public defender, she decided to leave law in 2018 and pursue music full time. She’s scheduled to release a new album, “Some of Us Are Brave,” this fall. Find out more here.
When: 6-8 p.m. Thursday
Where: Bernie Milton Pavilion, The Commons
Cost: free
Roots Travelers
Golden Shoals will bring its rootsy sound to Ithaca’s South Hill Cider. Formerly known as Hoot and Holler, the duo of Amy Alvey (fiddle, guitar) and Mark Kilianski (guitar, banjo) met at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and started touring the country five years ago. Now based in Asheville, N.C., the pair has released three albums, including 2017’s “Reasons to Run” and 2020’s “Golden Shoals.” Find out more here.
When: 5-8 p.m. Thursday
Where: South Hill Cider
Cost: free
Ready to Rock
Tailor Made concludes Myers Park’s 2021 Summer Concert Series. Fronted by singer-guitarist Tink Bennett, the long-running CNY favorite plays a mix of classic and country rock alongside several excellent originals. The band recently released its latest album, “Hate The Game.”
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Myers Park, Lansing
Cost: free
Going Solo
More than a decade since his last shows in Ithaca, Dream Syndicate frontman Steve Wynn will return to Central New York to kick off his solo tour in Syracuse. He’ll be playing songs covering the entire span of his 40-year recording career, from “The Days of Wine and Roses” (his debut album with The Dream Syndicate) all the way through selections from his solo records, The Baseball Project, Gutterball and more. He will be traveling with a full merchandise suitcase including copies of “Decade,” his critically acclaimed new 11-CD box set and his book of complete lyrics from 1982-2017.
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Wildflowers Armory, Syracuse
Cost: $20, available here
It’s Happy Hour Again
Friday, catch some happy hour shows around the area: Night Train is at Buttonwood Grove Winery at 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Nick Santamaria is at Homer Hops at 6-8 p.m.; Austin MacRae is at Bright Leaf Vineyard at 6-8 p.m. ($5); The Notorious Stringbusters are at Hopshire Farm and Brewery at 6-8 p.m.; SingTrece and Kenneth McLaurin will be “Singing Notes and Slinging Jokes” at Two Goats Brewing at 6-8 p.m.; The Ampersand Project is at Treleaven Winery at 6-9 p.m. (cover is $5); Lydia Garrison is at Finger Lakes Cider House at 6:30-8:30 p.m. ($5); and the 86ers and Pine Box reteam at the Dock at 8 p.m.
When: Friday
Where: Various locations
Cost: free; donations always welcome
Resounding Sounds
Cornell ReSounds will offer a musical pilgrimage around the Cornell University Arts Quad, as well as installations and kinetic sculptures at the Johnson Art Museum. Performers will include individuals and groups, including Lucy Fitz Gibbon, the MikeDropDuo, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Desmond Bratton, HereNowHear, Fallingwater, Rebecca Anderson, Amy Saunders, Antuan Byers, Jones/Butterfield Duo, Annie Lewandowski, Electrolyte and Fifth Parallel. “For many of us, live performance represents a sacred ritual, one that begins as you take your place next to a stranger and ends with senses elevated, one that vanished as the pandemic spread. As we slowly approach a new normal, this ritual looks markedly different. The ReSounds Festival celebrates this newness as intimate collaborations, new music and unusual spaces intersect to create a soundscape that is uniquely Ithacan. This series of artistic presentations — music, dance, poetry, theater, sound sculptures – reminds us of the power of undistracted listening, of being fully present.” Read this essaybefore you go!
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Johnson Art Museum) and 4 p.m. to sundown (Arts Quad), Saturday and Sunday
Cost: free
Trio Grande
New Vine Records “From The Vine” series continues with Spazzare, who recently recorded a live set at the New Vine Studios. The Ithaca psychedelic/heavy rock trio of guitarist John North, drummer Jeff Asbrand, and bassist Emma Underwood released its self-titled debut in 2018, which you can find here.
When: 8 p.m.
Where: livestream on Facebook and YouTube
Cost: free; donations welcome
Lonsky Beat
The Destination return to the Treleaven stage for the annual Labor Day Weekend bash, with frontman Joe Lonsky leading some of the area’s top plays through a variety of classic funk, soul, pop and R&B at 6 p.m. Allie Torto Music will open the festivities with an acoustic set at 3 p.m.
When: 3-9 p.m.
Where: Treleaven Winery, King Ferry
Cost: $10; tickets available here
That’s The Plan
Drummer Zaun Marshburn will lead his Plan Z project to east shore of Seneca Lake for a night of jazz and soul instrumentals. “Most of the material is original music,” says Zaun. “I spent the last year learning ProTools and tracking ideas on keys and drums at home, pretty much every night. I started sending files to some of the players I've known over the years, and a few of my HS buddies played on some of the tracks. Since they are out of state or limited with travel, I reached out to my people here in the area, and this is the start of it.” For this gig, he’ll be joined by Mike Stark on keys, Marc Devokaitis on sax/flute, Pete DeBoer on guitar, and Andrew Battles on bass (regular members Paul Merrill and Ryan Zawel have gigs elsewhere that night.)
When: 6-9 p.m. Saturday
Where: Grist Iron Brewing, Hector
Cost: free; donations welcome
Fair Fun
The Great New York State Fair, which bills itself as “the largest free music festival at any state fair in America,” continues in Syracuse. A variety of shows covering a huge range of genres are set for this Labor Day weekend at Chevy Court and Chevy Park stages, including: The Roots (replacing Third Eye Blind, at 8 p.m. Thursday, Chevy Park); Starship with Mickey Thomas (7 p.m. Thursday, Chevy Court); Uncle Kracker (2 p.m. Friday, Chevy Court); Blues Traveler (7 p.m. Friday, Chevy Court), Cold War Kids (2 p.m. Saturday, Chevy Park); the Stone City Band and Mary Jane Girls (7 p.m. Saturday, Chevy Court); YG (8 p.m. Saturday, Chevy Park); Jesse McCartney (2 p.m. Sunday, Chevy Park); Joan Jett (1 p.m. Monday, Chevy Park); and Cheap Trick (6 p.m. Monday, Chevy Park). Also worth noting: the Mavericks will play TWO shows Sunday at Chevy Court, including an “En Espanol” set at 2 p.m., followed by their usual mix of country, pop, Latin and more at 8 p.m.
See the website for a full list of concerts at the various stages around the fairgrounds.
When: Through Sept. 6
Where: New York State Fairgrounds, Syracuse
Cost: The shows are free to attend; they’re included with the $3 admission fee to the fair.
Living for the Weekend
Catch some more music this weekend: Saturday, Rachel Beverly is at Summerhill Brewing at 5-8 p.m., Gerard Burke is at the Westy at 6-8 p.m., Stereopticon is at Two Goats at 6-8 p.m., Chasing Neon is at the Stone Lounge in downtown Cortland at 6 p.m., Dirty Doves are at Homer Hops at 6 p.m., The Cousins play at the Dock at 8 p.m., and Billy Golicki and Yayle Hues team up at Cortland Beer Company at 8 p.m. On Sunday, the Analogue Sons are at Lucky Hare Brewing in downtown Ithaca at 12:30 p.m., Tenzin Chopak and Emmett Scott return to Red Newt Cellars at 1-2:30 p.m., Delta Mike Shaw is at Treleaven Winery at 1-4 p.m., Jen Cork is at Summerhill Brewing at 1-3 p.m., and Darwin is at Two Goats Brewing at 6-8 p.m.
When: Saturday & Sunday
Where: Various locations
Cost: free; donations always welcome
MAQ Attack
MAQ returns to South Hill Cider, with Eric Aceto (violin), Harry Aceto (bass), Doug Robinson (guitar, vocals) and Chad Lieberman (accordion) teaming up for a set ranging from classic and modern jazz to Brazilian bossa and folk music. Learn more here.
Finger Lakes Flatbread will be serving pizza throughout the night.
When: 5-8 p.m. Monday
Where: South Hill Cider
Cost: free