Guest Opinion: The ‘No-Show’ Epidemic Crushing Live Music Venues
By Julie Leone, Co-Owner of The 443 Social Club in Syracuse It’s no secret that the live music industry has been all but decimated by the COVID-19 roller coaster of the last two years. It’s tough to keep a business running when your existence depends on gathering large groups of people together – and that […]
Rabbit in the Rye Rocks The Dock in Hamilton
Alex Lavon, Brendan O’Connor, and Joseph Mettler, who comprise the folk-rock trio Rabbit In The Rye played a special show on Lake Moraine in Hamilton for a captive audience on October 2. It felt almost like a summer day with spectacular weather, though the Upstate fall was captured in the reflection of the changing leaves […]
EDITORIAL: Inaugural Suburbs Fest Proves that Not All Bad Came from the Pandemic
This is a story about friendship. Actually, several friendships. On the weekend of October 1-3, 2021, a group of friends gathered in the nation’s capital, most of whom were meeting for the first time in person. These people come from all walks of life and from all parts of the U.S. What brought all of them […]
Birds of a Feather are Flocking Outside – Live Venues in NYS Eying Spring and Summer Dates
Special thanks to Anthony “Zee” Donaldson of The Disruption Network for sharing. Many of us who have loved live music for most of our lives have never really taken the specialness, or the togetherness, that occurs at shows for granted. Well, maybe sometimes, sure. After all, we’re human. But most of the time we knew the greatness […]
Remembering Tragically Hip Frontman Gord Downie on the Third Anniversary of his Death
Editor’s note: Gord Downie, lead vocalist for the Tragically Hip succumbed to glioblastoma on this day in 2017. The following is an editorial dedicated to the life and legacy of the Canadian icon which originally appeared at NYS Music on Oct. 19, 2017. When your nation’s leader gives a tearful press conference lamenting that they […]
An Irish Goodbye: Saying Farewell to Our Celtic Friend
I believe we can all agree that 2020 has not been the year we anticipated. In fact, it’s been pretty bad so far, and the punches keep coming. The Central New York Celtic music community received a heartfelt loss when we lost a dear friend, Steve Phillips, a member of Celtic rock band The Elders. […]
315 Flashback: John Lennon Celebrates his 31st Birthday in Syracuse
John Lennon would have been 80 years old today. Did you know he spent his 31st birthday in Syracuse? The Beatles fell apart in 1970 for many reasons. Many have attributed the breakup to Lennon’s relationship with Yoko Ono, a Japanese multimedia artist, but in reality, there were many factors that contributed to the demise […]
Into the Night – A Farewell to My Friend Benny Mardones
I first met Benny Mardones at a show in Rome at the Capitol Theatre in 2010. I was star struck to say the very least. I grew up singing his music and watching him on American Bandstand. Never in a million years would I ever have told my 16 year old self that I would […]
When the Stage Goes Dark
Guest Editorial by Diana Ladio – The Moxie Strings/Drriift Editor’s note: Diana Ladio is a member of the duo The Moxie Strings. While now based in Nashville, the Moxie Strings have a strong connection to Central New York, having performed at the Great American Irish Festival in Frankfort, the Syracuse Irish Festival and conducting several […]