I’ll be playing for all my buddies at Drumlins this Friday evening (5/13) from 5:30-8:30. It’s been over a year since I’ve been able to venture inside a restaurant. I’ve been practicing endlessly over that time — trying to keep sharp and upgrading my arrangements. Of course, I have also added even more tunes to my repertoire. It’d incredibly encouraging that I’ll finally be able to perform them in public.
Please stop by if you can.
Believe it or not, I finally got to leave my bubble and sing. Never thought the time would ever come, but it has.
For those of you who’ve been to Lakeside Vista, you know that it’s a large venue with high ceilings. I played there last night and felt totally safe. Jae and his crew follow all the safety protocols. Plus the diners wore their masks when other than at their table.
By the way, the food looked excellent.
So I was singing away at Lakeside Vista one evening this summer when a gentleman stopped by to say how much he liked what he was hearing. He then asked me to contact his bar restaurant to schedule a gig; he thought my music would be a perfect fit for a Thursday night.
And that’s how it came to be that I’ll be playing at A.T. Walley & Co. this coming Thursday, 12/12 from 6-9 . I’m especially happy to play for any place that lists music first before wine and spirits on its webpage. They sure seem devoted to promoting shows of one sort or another, alongside whiskey tastings, seasonal events, and other happenings. Check out their website: https://www.atwalley.com/.
Hope to see you Thursday (and, with any luck, many Thursdays to come) — Michael
Performing at this gem on Otisco Lake is pure fun. Yes, the owners and their staff are all delightful. But the best part is that the patrons are so uniformly supporting and enthusiastic. Last time several groups stayed for almost the entire three hours just to listen (and despite occasional gale force winds). I’m thrilled that my guitar and I will be headed toward this wonderful spot throughout the summer.
I been performing at a popular new bar/restaurant downtown in the Herald Commons area for the past few months. It’s pure fun, with a gymnasium décor, lots of TVs, endless numbers of beers, and a clever menu featuring what my buddies said were unusually good hamburgers as well as pizzas, crab cakes, and sandwiches. You can see the full menu here.
What’s kind of funny is that Dino Babers sometimes “opens” for me because he does his radio show before I go on. The place is full of fans and former football players for the first half of my gig and then it shifts to people who are there for the beer and music. Last time SU was on the road so I had the place to myself.
I’ll be there next on December 6th. Come visit. I’m sure you’ll love the place.
Last Thursday’s gig was an absolute delight. Turns out Syracuse hosted a competition for Sweet Adelines, an international organization of women’s a capella singing groups. About 60 of their members were in the Crowne Plaza lounge with me, singing along for a solid three hours. You can imagine it was quite a thrill having that many backup singers. Of course, the highlight was hearing harmony on the Gordon National Anthem (a.k.a. That Shit Ain’t Right). Thanks to Brenda from Canada, here’s a bit of the fun.
Performing at the Crowne Plaza is a pure joy for many reasons, not the least of which is that lots of you have taken advantage of its proximity and stopped by. But, of course, many who sit in the comfy confines of the bar lounge are hotel guests from all over the world. Last week I met members of the Hershey Bears hockey team, many of whom were Canadian. Yes, I dusted off a slew of Gordon Lightfoot tunes. But then a group from Eastern Europe sat down and requested John Denver songs. You never quite know what the night will bring – which is great.
Turns out that the obviously bright and forward-looking management at this iconic landmark along Almond and Genesee Streets wants some good acoustic music in their bar area. So I’ll be playing there every Thursday evening from 6-9 pm starting 2/9. It’s a great venue for me to perform and for my people to relax with a drink, enjoy food from the bar menu, or order a full dinner. Totally looking forward to it.
