As we approach mid-December, the local music scene continues to be very busy, with a bevy of holiday concerts along with a multitude of shows in area venues.
Time for Tommy
Tommy Stinson concludes his solo acoustic tour of upstate New York. Best known as the bassist for the Replacements, which he joined at age 12 (he’s now 53), Stinson also spent many years touring with Guns ‘N Roses. Along the way, he has put out some great albums of his own, including Bash & Pop’s outstanding “Anything Could Happen” in 2017. Dashdown – the solo project of Dave Ashdown of Waiting for Henry (Stinson produced their album) – will open the show.
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Barry Family Cellars, 3821 Main St., Burdett
Cost: $25, with VIP options available
Read an interview with Tommy Stinson here!
It’s Happy Hour Again
Kick off the weekend with some live music at various venues around Ithaca and Cortland: MaMa – the duo of Ginny Maddock and Hannah Martin – will be at South Hill Cider at 6-8 p.m., Richman and the Poorboys are at Ithaca Bakery at 6-8 p.m., Pete Panek and the Blue Cats play Hopshire Farm and Brewery in Dryden at 6-8 p.m., The Purple Valley is at Americana Vineyards at 6-8 p.m,, Dane Hendrix and the Hangdog Saints return to the Westy at 7-9 p.m., Mike Aiken is at Summerhill Brewing at 6-8 p.m., Doyle Lodor is at Bike Bar Ithaca at 7-9 p.m., True Blue is at Treleaven Wines at 6-9 p.m., Chickenwire Parachute is at Two Goats Brewing at 7 p.m., the Jeff Martin Duo is at BRU 64, Jimmy Lawler (filling in for Roger Decker) is at Cortland Beer Company at 7 p.m., and Tribal Revival is at Penny’s One-Cent Saloon at 9 p.m.
When: Friday
Where: Various locations
Cost: free
Barn Dance
The MacGillicuddies will play their 20th anniversary show on the site of the now-defunct Rongovian Embassy, where they played so many gigs in the past. The roots-rock-Cajun-country-etc. band will reprise songs such as “Barn Dance,” “Carve That Possum” and other favorites while laying down their incessant dance grooves.
When: 6-9 p.m. Friday
Where: Garrett’s Brewing, Trumansburg
Cost: donations
Come Dancing
It’s Old-Time Square Dance Night to benefit the Enfield Valley Grange, with the Rhiners – Joe Damiano, Valerie Graves, Matt Noonan – joined by special guest Jerone Gagliano for a night of waltzes, free-style music and more, with Nancy Spero calling.
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Enfield Valley Grange, 178 Enfield Main Road
Cost: $5-$15 suggested donation
String Fling
Mikaela Davis and Southern Star will return to Ithaca for a headline show, a few months after opening for Marco Benevento. Last year, the Rochester-based singer-songwriter-harpist Davis released “Delivery,” an album produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Angel Olsen, David Byrne) that draws on rock, pop and funk influences. The band will play two sets, and the second set will comprise a recreation of The Grateful Dead’s “Live / Dead '69.”
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: The Haunt
Cost: $12
Funky Fusions
Local favorites Metasequoia will be joined by Ohio’s soul-funk ensemble TATTAT, who won the GrassRoots Festival band contest in 2018 and returned this summer for a pair of impressive sets.
When: 10 p.m. Friday
Where: Lot 10
Cost: $5
Happy Holidaze
Answer the Muse will host their “Holidaze-Craze Wake Up Call,” a holiday concert “that won’t include a single Christmas carol, Hanukkah song, Kwanza candle, or solstice sing- along”; rather, the band will be at its “Grinchy best,” playing its own songs, including three new ones.
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Sacred Root Kava Bar and Tea Lounge
Cost: $10, open to all ages
Roots Rock Revue
Donna the Buffalo returns to central New York, as they continue to tour heavily after releasing their latest album, “Dance in the Street,” but this is probably as close as they’ll come to Ithaca until next year’s GrassRoots Festival. The Lightkeepers, fronted by fiery vocalist Jes Sheldon, will open the show.
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: The Westcott Theatre, Syracuse
Cost: $25
Christmas Cheer
Albany-based jam band Annie the Water returns to Ithaca for a special spooky “Nightmare Before Christmas” show in celebration of Friday the 13th – dress in your “coolest, funkiest, ugliest, creepiest Christmas attire” for the occasion.
When: 10 p.m. Friday
Where: The Range
Cost: $5
Dirty Disco
Dance it out with the last full moon of the decade with DJs Proper Philth and Anthony Mansfield, who will be joined by the visual team of J.Sun and Har.V.
When: 10 p.m. Friday
Forest City Lodge 180, 536 W Green St.
Cost: donations
Seasonal Sing-A-Long
Miss Angie and Travis Knapp will present a Family Holiday Sing-A-Long, as the duo leads kids of all ages through a set of holiday favorites.
When: 3-5 p.m. Saturday
Where: Jillian's Drawers Community Room in Center Ithaca
Cost: $5 for kids, $10 for adults, and $20 for families
Blurring Boundaries
The Ithaca Community Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Madeline Schatz-Harris, will present a concert titled “Classical Meets Jazz,” which will feature piano soloist Dr. Andrea Merrill, who will perform Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” The orchestra also will present the east-coast premiere of Henry Wolking’s “Powell Canyons,” which will feature the Paul Merrill Quartet, and it will perform selections from “West Side Story,” led by assistant conductor Aaron Burgess.
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Lansing Middle School Auditorium
Cost: $7, free for children
Fond Farewell
Angry Mom Records will team with Ithaca Underground and the ElectroZone to host “A Tender Farewell: A Celebration Of Tender Cruncher,” a going-way electronic concert featuring Penelope Lindsey, aka Tender Cruncher, who recently completed her PhD at Cornell. Rounding out the bill are fellow Ithacans Kristi Gogos, Demi Gogos and Anna Oxygen.
When: 6-8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Angry Mom Records
Cost: Donations
Fiddle Fever
Small Tattoo – Judy Hyman (fiddle), Michelle Delco (banjo), Jeff Claus (guitar), David Jones (banjo uke), and Sally Freund (bass) – will come to Brooktondale for a night of Appalachian music.
When: 6-8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Brookton’s Market
Cost: donations
Electronic Experiments
Prime Ruin will present an experimental show featuring touring artists John Collins McCormick and The Glass Path along with locals Magnetic Coroner and Moss Piglet.
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Grayhaven Motel, 657 Elmira Road
Cost: $7
Event Info
World Music
The Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts closes out its 2019 season with SOUK, the local band that performs traditional Arabic and Turkish instrumental music. Nikolai Ruskin plays oud and nay, with Dara Annissi and Jesse Koennecke on darbuka and riq and Max Buckholtz on fiddle.
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts
Cost: $12 in advance, $15 at the door
Double Threat
Junior Brown will make his Ithaca debut, showcasing his prowess on the “guit-steel,” a double-necked instrument that allows him to quickly switch from standard six-string guitar to lap steel. Blending country, rockabilly, surf and rock influences with his basso profundo voice, Brown is known for songs such as "My Wife Thinks You're Dead" and “Venom Wearing Denim.”
When: 8 p.m. Saturday (no opening act)
Where: The Haunt
Cost: $25 in advance, $30 at the door
Soulful Sounds
Singer-songwriter Martin Sexton returns to upstate New York. The Syracuse native has one of the most soulful voices you’ll ever hear, and has developed into quite a performer since his days busking in subway stations around Boston in the late 1980s. You can download a free compilation of his best songs from martinsexton.com.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Center for the Arts, Homer
Cost: $18-$35
Going for Baroque
NYS Baroque will present “A Baroque Noel,” a concert of classical Christmas favorites, at the Under the direction of acclaimed lutenist Paul O'Dette, the concert will feature Marc-Antoine Charpentier's “Messe de Minuit pour Noel,” a grand Christmas mass that quotes many popular Christmas carols of the 1600s, along with virtuosic concertos for oboe and mandolino by Vivaldi, as well as French Christmas carols.
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: First Presbyterian Church, 315 N. Cayuga St.
Cost: $35, $30 for seniors, $10 for students, and free for grades 3-12.
Bird Songs
Ithaca College band Quail will return to Sacred Root Kava Lounge for a show to raise funds for their forthcoming album. The all-ages show features Cheyenne Waltz as the opener.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Sacred Root Kava Lounge
Cost: $5
Night of the Dead
Terrapin Station returns to for a night of Grateful Dead tunes. Larry Honigbaum, Frank Raponi, Roy Flacco and company draw from all eras of the Dead’s catalog while putting their spin on familiar favorites and lesser-known tunes.
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: Casita del Polaris
Cost: cover charge
Solstice Songs
Scott B Adams will mark 22 years of annual Solstice concerts with the first of two shows in a new location: The 1800 House, aka Barry Family Cellars in Burdett. This one will feature the Scott B Adams Acoustic Ensemble, with Adams joined by Doug Robinson, and Eric Aceto for a matinee of holiday favorites as well as a variety of songs, instrumentals, and a few surprises. Admission is $15 in advance, limited to 30 seats. Visit orchardbeat.com for details.
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Barry Family Cellars, 3821 Main St., Burdett
Cost: $15 in advance, limited to 30 seats
Seasonal Sounds
The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra will host “Holiday Pops,” with students from Ithaca Talent Education (ITE), The Ithaca Children & Youth Chorus, the recent Youth Concerto Competition winners, brass players from the CCO Youth Orchestra, and the Ithaca Community Chorus.
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Kulp Auditorium, Ithaca High School
Cost: $10-$30, family packages available
Raising Their Voices
The Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers (DCJS) will present a concert of Negro Spirituals. The group is dedicated to preserving the Negro Spiritual and its themes of sorrow, despair, and hope to promote racial healing and social justice; and to furthering civil rights leader (and longtime Ithaca resident) Dorothy Cotton’s message of freedom and hope through music. The concert will include the debut of the Dorothy Cotton Youth Singers.
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Ford Hall, Ithaca College
Cost: free; donations welcome
School’s Out!
Hickey’s Music Rock School will present its Winter Revue, with school director Ryan Vanderhoof and student groups Beasts of Bourbon, Nuclear Pandas, Jack Black Dropouts, and Another Band Named Dave performing the songs they’ve been honing throughout the fall.
When: 6 p.m. Sunday
Where: The Haunt
Cost: free; open to all ages with a parent or guardian.
It’s Johnny Dowd Time
Stark Nights returns with the triple bill of the Johnny Dowd Band, TZAR and Cosmo Alpern. The connecting element is keyboardist Michael Stark, who played on Dowd’s latest release, “Live at GrassRoots 2006” along with Brian Wilson and Kim Sherwood Caso (that lineup will reunite for this show); is one-half of TZAR with Wilson; and who recorded Alpern’s latest batch of songs at his studio.
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Argos Warehouse
Cost: donations