Good news, Kaitlyn Jackson fans. She made ‘American Idol’ group night

One of the most maddening pursuits in “American Idol”-land is the hunt-and-search for a favorite contestant during Hollywood week. After the successful audition by Kaitlyn Jackson, the teen country singer from Norwich, N.Y., I promised here more to come about her progress in season 13. I could not spot her last night as FOX made…

It’s time for the nominees to start hoping for a Sammy

All it took was the voice and keyboard work of Ronnie Leigh to get me excited about the Syracuse Area Music Awards all over again. In Syracuse, jazz singer Leigh has been The Voice for many decades before NBC started a singing competition named “The Voice.” To start the festivities to announce what’s-what for this…

Remember Pete Seeger, rich of voice, deep in commitment

Over my two decades covering music for the big daily in Syracuse, I got the opportunity to talk with a whole lot of interesting people. One morning, I talked to Pete Seeger on the phone. He agreed to the interview because he would be coming that little stretch north and west to Central New York…

Music is timeless, but the Grammys is a show for the ages

Watching the 56th edition of the Grammy Awards unfold across my flat screen on Sunday night, I couldn’t help but be struck again about music’s relationship with time. Put a great song on a record, or on tape, or in the digital world, and time stands still, forever thereafter. In one hour, in January, 2014,…

RIP, sweet keyboardist Al Dunn, you gave so much pleasure to so many

Mr. Owl passed away Thursday. That was the stage name of Al Dunn, a keyboard player who fed the music jones of Central New Yorkers with his exciting performances and steady presence. Al Dunn was a cool guy in a lot of bands. He was part of the first lineup for Masters of Reality, the…

From the Mailbag: Irv Lyons, Safe, Todd Hobin-Garland Jeffreys, Austin John Band-Kohlton Pascal

My last trip to the Syracuse New Times office to hand in a bunch of movie ticket stubs for reimbursement — I know, lucky me, paid to review an opening movie every week — I was greeted by Kimberly Rossi. She wanted to talk about music, not movies. So she brought up the new CD…

A teen singer from Norwich, N.Y., Kaitlyn Jackson, makes ‘American Idol’ night one intriguing

Part way into the Boston auditions that opened this new season of “American Idol” on Wednesday night, a 15-year-old singer introduced herself. Kaitlyn Jackson was her name. And she told of the night her grandpa fell ill while she was performing at the Chenango County Fair. My ears perked up. That’s just down the road…

A movie weekend for a tragic battle, alluring voice, Greek legend and family troubles

It was not pretty, that time spent on the mountain when four American SEALS tried to fend off hundreds of Taliban. “Lone Survivor,” opening this weekend, allows Mark Wahlberg to demonstrate the drama and tragedy. Also opening this weekend is “Her,” where Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with his IOS system voice. Well, it is…

The Palace Theatre reminds me why I like it in Syracuse

Sometimes when the thermometer is struggling to reach 0, the wind won’t stay below 20 and the ice seems to make every path in front of you glisten with menace, you wonder. Why, exactly, do I live here? My latest winter pass by my local Syracuse city neighborhood theater gave me a marquee reminder. We…

From the mailbag: The Easy Ramblers, ESP, and Beatles anniversary tribute

As promised and without further hesitation, here’s your next installment of my From the Mailbag feature. Maureen Henesey filled my home metal box with a hard copy of her group’s new CD as quickly as she promised. And so I post. The Easy Ramblers, “Country Livin’ “ Maureen Henesey once again shows off her lovely…