In LA, Syracuse native Jamie Cunningham strives for a perfect ‘anthemic rock’ show

Jamie Cunningham moved to Los Angeles in the fall of 2011, but his hometown of Syracuse is never too far from his mind. Cunningham went west to attend the Guitar Performance program at the Musician’s Institute. And he met some like-minded players to start the band The Fire & The Phoenix. Cunningham writes the songs,…

Out of the middle of the garden planted in its honor arose a butterfly

My friend Theresa brought daughter Althea by the house yesterday afternoon while running a chore through my Eastwood neighborhood. I brought them out back to show off our ever-growing butterfly garden. We have four butterfly bushes. And it is, you see, peak time for the blossoms on the bushes that serve as the centerpiece of…

I get to meet the SU fans our ‘Survival Guide to the ACC’ will educate and entertain

After the first book, if you’re lucky enough, comes the first book-signing event. My special occasion arrived Saturday, at Columbus Circle in downtown Syracuse, as big crowds filled three city blocks during the annual Arts and Crafts Festival. I sat next to Mike Waters, my veteran co-author who’s written a tidy and growing number of…

The SI cover jinx lays claim to pitcher Jason Grilli to dismay of Pittsburgh and Central New York

OK, avid sports fans in Central New York and Pittsburgh. When surprise star closer Jason Grilli turned out to be the cover boy for last week’s Sports Illustrated, don’t tell me that among all those yee-hah’s dancing around your brain there wasn’t a small uh-oh hiding out. The SI cover jinx lives. The famous second…

Curiosity, perseverance earn Maka Rouge a spot in Manhattan-based ‘The Song Is Born’ competition

Maka Rouge was surfing, working on her passion. Online research was part of the Syracuse native’s regime to become a better songwriter and performer. On this day in mid-June, Mary Katherine Rusyniak — performance name Maka Rouge is a combination of real-life — came upon a site titled “The Song Is Born.” “It was a…

From the mailbag: Acoustic fun with Dick Ward and Carol Bryant; insane Granny; K-Rockathon nears sell-out

Rarely does a promo picture make me smile like this one. Dick Ward and his lovely bride, Carol Bryant, look so darn happy, don’t they? A nicer pair you’ll never meet. The Elbridge couple can make some pretty sweet music as an acoustic duo on stage, too. Ward reports that they’ll perform at 7:30 p.m.…

With Nashville success growing, Cassidy Lynn brings her country sound back home for Central New York shows

Cassidy Lynn may soon reach a crossroads with her music. Her new EP has caught the attention of folks in Nashville because of its big sound with a full band. Other people in the music industry are telling her that it might not be long before a high profile artist records one of the songs…

Yes, Virginia, it was a gorgeous campus for an ACC football game

I can still remember the glorious late autumn Saturday during my senior year at the University of Maryland when a bunch of us student journalists for the Diamondback jumped in a car for a trip to Charlottesville, Va. My roommate and dear friend, Greg Ten Eyck, had the Terrapins football beat for the campus daily.…

It’s a long way to St. Andrew’s from Camillus Country Club

This morning-after following Phil Mickelson’s triumph at the British Open at Muirfield in Scotland, I was teeing it up to pay tribute at Camillus Country Club, a dozen or so miles to the west of Syracuse. It’s a hilly course. At one of the high spots, the members of CCC took the time to place…

Cool cars and the people that adore them gather for the Syracuse Nationals

Those of us of a certain age remember the 1973 movie “American Graffiti.” That’s the one in which red-haired and freckled Ron Howard and friends — Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford and Cindy Williams among them — came to terms with becoming an adult in a time where cruising the boulevard and racing in the streets…

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Mark Bialczak

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Monthly Archives: July 2013