Love is in the air this weekend, with lots of shows to help you celebrate (or not) on Valentine’s Day and beyond!
Rock ‘N’ Roll
Luke G and the Candyhearts will team with Bronwen Exter for a Valentine’s Day show. Luke Gustafson has been writing original songs that sound like classic rock ‘n’ roll or doo wop tunes from the 1950s, and he’s joined by guitarist Jason Shegogue, drummer Liam Summers and bassist Ben Gould in the latest edition of the Candyhearts. After releasing her album “Snakeskin, There” in 2018, Exter put out the two-song EP “Never Invited You” last fall. DJ Eddie Fondu will spin tunes between sets.
When: 9 p.m. Friday
Where: The Range
Cost: $5
It’s Happy Hour Again
Kick off the weekend with some live music at various venues around Ithaca, Cortland and beyond: Dennis Winge plays solo jazz guitar at Monks on the Commons at 6-9 p.m., Vinegar Williams is at Ithaca Bakery at 6-8 p.m., Erin and the Backwoods Blues Project is at Hopshire Farm and Brewery at 6-8 p.m., Off The Rails is at the Westy at 7-9 p.m., Ivan Rubenstein-Gillis and Jorge Cuevas are at Bike Bar Ithaca at 7-9 p.m., Throw Down Cold will bring the rock to Flynn’s Roadhouse Café in Lansing at 8 p.m., and Chasing Neon is at Summerhill Brewing at 5-8 p.m. In Cortland, Billy Golicki returns to Cortland Beer Company at 7-10 p.m., Ted Romer is at the St. Charles Hotel and Steve Daniels will play jazz and more at BRU 64 at 7-10 p.m.
When: Friday
Where: Various locations
Cost: free
Cookin’ Country
The LakeWatch Inn will host country-themed Valentine's Day Dinner and Show featuring singer Aaron Kelly, a former finalist on “American Idol,” and Tailor-Made, who have been bringing country rock to the region for more than 30 years.
When: 5-7 p.m. for dinner, 7 p.m. for music
Where: LakeWatch Inn
Cost: Tickets are $15-$75 and are available on eventbrite.com; for just the music, which starts at 7 p.m., it’s $15 in advance, $20 at the door; dinner is 5-7 p.m. and costs $40 per person, $75 per couple.
Go Go Go to this Variety Show
The Community School of Music and Arts will host the “Go Go Go Variety Love Show,” a benefit for Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services of Tompkins County. Hosted by MeeAe Caughey, the event will feature video, dance, music and spoken word, with performances by Angela Marion, Haven Wong, Indira White, Kathy Lucas, Lauren Cranidiotis, Mee Ae, Nina Svatovic and Shira Evergreen.
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Community School of Music and Arts
Cost: $10 at the door
Joining Forces
Several Ithaca bands will team for a benefit show for Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes. The bill includes Quail, Kyra Skye, Vee Da Bee, Lady Borderhop, Abby Sullivan and Jonah Hirst, and is emceed by Mickie Quinn.
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: The Haunt
Cost: $10
Event Info
https://www.facebook.com/events/1805259316270639/
Circle of Songs
The bimonthly Songwriters’ Night returns, with a special Valentine’s Day version to follow up last week’s snow-hampered show. Hosted by Andrew Alling, the lineup will include Bob Hutko, Jess Youngquest, Josh Dolan, and Aidan Cole singing songs and swapping stories.
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Sacred Root Kava Lounge and Tea Bar
Cost: donation
Dance Zardoz Dance
The ElectroZone will present “Zardoz Dance! Dance! Dance!” The night will kick off at 6 p.m. with a free screening of John Boorman’s 1974 sci-fi epic “Zardoz”; that will be followed by sets from electronic performers Dr. Hamburger, Anna Oxygen, Sine Caster and Without A Chord.
When: film at 6 p.m., dance party at 9 p.m.
Where: Forest City Lodge 180
Cost: Admission is on an ascending scale: $5 if in costume, $10 if not in costume at 9-11 p.m.; $15 from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m.; and $20 at 12-1 a.m. (No entry after 1 a.m.)
Songs of Love
Max Childs – the soul-pop project of local singer-keyboardist Max Shuhan – will play a Valentine’s Day show that will feature “originals and soulful love song covers by the likes of Donny Hathaway, S.O.S. Band, Joey Dosik and more.” He just released a new single titled “I’m in Love With You” – check it out on Spotify!
When: 10 p.m. Friday
Where: Lot 10
Cost: $5
Saturday Songs
Catch some free music around the area: Sam-I-Am is at Chateau Dusseau in Locke at 3-5 p.m., Andrew Alling is at Summerhill Brewing at 5-8 p.m., and Doyle Lodor is at Bike Bar Ithaca at 7-9 p.m. Later, 222 is at Groton’s Union Tavern at 9 p.m. and Custom Taylor Band is at Goody’s Lake Como at 9 p.m.
When: Saturday
Where: Various locations
Cost: free
Campus Concert
The Cornell Concert Commission will present a show with Peach Pit, an indie-pop band from Vancouver, and Texas singer-songwriter Dayglow, touring to promote his new album, “Fuzzybrain.”
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Bailey Hall, Cornell University
Cost: $14-$20, via cornelltickets.com
Two for the Show
Durand Jones and the Indications, the Indiana-based quintet that draws inspiration from great 1970s soul ensembles such as the Delfonics, O’Jays and the Impressions, will make their Ithaca debut. The band’s self-titled 2018 debut album, which included the slow-jam hit “Is It Any Wonder?” earned lots of praise, as did its follow-up, 2019’s “American Love Call.” Sharing the show is Y La Bamba, the Oregon-based indie-folk-pop band fronted by Luz Elena Mendoza. Last year the band released the acclaimed album “Mujeres,” followed in the fall by the EP “Entre Los Dos.”
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Haunt
Cost: $16 in advance, more at the door; VIP packages are also available
IU + Goo = Cool Concert
Ithaca Underground and Goo Lagoon will once again to present a show in downtown Ithaca. The lineup includes Rochester’s Madeleine McQueen, Syracuse’s Sarah Gross, Amherst, Mass.’s Sleep Destroyer, and Ithaca’s own GWEN.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar
Cost: $6
Feelin’ Funky
NEO Project returns to the Range for a Post-Valentine’s Funk Party. The local favorites will be joined by guest singer Hannah Martin for a night of classic soul, R&B, pop and funk tunes from the past through the present.
When: 10 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Range
Cost: $5
CNY Troubadours
Two of Central New York’s leading singer-songwriters will team for a show at in downtown Cortland. Chris Merkley has made his name in a variety of projects – The Crooners, Digger Jones, Merkley and Morgan – and also co-founded the popular Seedstock festival. Originally best known as a star lacrosse player at Syracuse University, Mike Powell has been gaining a following around the region both as a solo act, and with his band the Black River, and has released eight albums.
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Cortland Repertory Theatre Downtown
Cost: $10
Sunday Songs
Catch some free music around the area on Sunday: Jen Cork will be at Red Newt Cellars in Hector at 1-2:30 p.m., the Inner Crazy will be at Six Mile Creek Vineyard at 2-4 p.m., the weekly Ithaca Jazz and Blues Jam returns to Mix at 4-7 p.m., Robert Ervin is at Ithaca Bakery at 4:30-6:30 p.m., and jazz guitarist BD Lenz returns to Maxie’s at 6-9 p.m. Please note that the MSZM show at the Argos Warehouse, originally scheduled for this day has been postponed to Feb. 27.
When: Sunday
Where: Various locations
Cost: free
‘Uncommon Ensembles’
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra will present “Uncommon Ensembles,” which features unusual combinations of instruments. The program begins with Beethoven’s “String Quartet, Op. 29” (string quartet plus a second viola) that shows once again, how masterful Beethoven could be. In “Serenata, Op. 46,” Italian composer Alfredo Casella created a truly delightful work using the unique combination of violin, cello, clarinet, bassoon, and trumpet.
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: First Unitarian Church of Ithaca
Cost: Tickets are $10 for students, $27 for adults
Jamming for Emily
The Jam for Emily will benefit for Emily Dilger, a young single mother battling Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hosted by Benny T, the event will feature performances by Nate Marshall, the Grady Girls, Cozmic Theo, the David Graybeard Band, All Strung Out, Wild Bill and Marty Flynn’s Good Time Band. There also will be raffles and prizes, and food and drink will be available for purchase.
When: 3-7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Flynn’s Roadhouse Café, Lansing
Cost: donations
Forecasting the Future
Soul Coughing co-founder Mike Doughty will bring his “Mike Doughty Tells Your Future” tour to Ithaca, as he and longtime collaborator Andrew “Scrap” Livingston “test the limits of their clairvoyance as they interact with the crowd and respond to online submissions unique to each show.” Baby Men will open the show.
When: 8 p.m. Sunday
Where: The Haunt
Cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the door
Touring in Tandem
Bound for Glory continues its winter season with Carolann Solebello and Joe Iadanza. Solebello was a founding member of Americana trio Red Molly, and now tours both solo and with modern folk quartet No Fuss and Feathers; Iadanza is a stellar guitarist and singer whose latest release was 2019’s “Common Man.”
When: 8-11 p.m. Sunday
Where: Anabel Taylor Hall, Cornell
Cost: free