In March, there were three birthdays in our house

My older younger sister celebrates an almost-milestone birthday today. Happy birthday, Frannie! Her big day used to start a parade of cake and candles when we were growing up. Father Frank was born on March 13; mom Dolores on March 21. Youngest sibling Dory (September) and oldest sibling me got to sing and eat. That…

Red Carpet treatment at the Syracuse Area Music Awards

The organizers of Friday night’s Syracuse Area Music Awards made sure the guests felt welcome. The lobby of The Palace Theatre in Syracuse included a red carpet staging area. They put a banner with the event’s sponsor logos on it, and pushed a big replica of the Sammys trophy on the side, too. In other…

Syracuse rocks live to the voice of SpongeBob

Before the hard-working members of new hall of fame band The Flashcubes were ready to call the Syracuse Area Music Awards officially over Friday night, they invited a good friend to the stage to sing with them for one last song. SpongeBob SquarePants bounced up to perform. Well, this being real life and not Nickelodeon,…

A screen gems production

With the sun shining, I can’t walk through the kitchen without taking a peek out the window. And what should I spy but a bird on a wire. Are you a late winter bird? Are you an early spring bird? Let’s take your picture, satisfied sitting against the blue sky. Through the screen I shoot…

Time traveling with an animated dog and Greek Gods

When I was a kid, you couldn’t pull me away from the cartoon spectacular that was “Rocky and His Friends.” In one good chunk of time, I’d get the title squirrel, a moose by the name of Bullwinkle, and a smart dog and silly kid. That last pairing would be Peabody and Sherman. The Dreamworks…

Spring training makes me feel warm

Click, click, click, stop. Sigh. They are playing baseball in Florida. A weekday surf through the sports channels leads me happily to a spring training game for my New York Mets, against the Houston Astros. The Mets are leading 4-0. It’s the fourth inning, and many of the players have names that may become household…

It’s time for Syracuse to flaunt the importance of local music again

There’s no national music scene without local music. There’s no international music superstars without local music. Simply stated: Every musical journey has to start in somebody’s garage. Or bedroom. Or living room. Much of the time, they start to jam with a neighbor. Or classmate. If they get confident, they’ll play out in public at…

Getting my mental game ready for fore months

Golfing nomads wandered around the floor of SRC Arena in Syracuse. They were in search of a better golf game. There were plenty of exhibitors ready to lend a hand with new equipment available for purchase. Clubs, balls, shoes, carts, clothes … In other words, go home and think spring. Which I did without buying…

Don’t give me no lies and …

Keep your hands to yourself! So sang the Georgia Satellites in a gritty little ditty that made the Billboard top five when Dan Baird and his mates in the Atlanta band gave it to the world in 1986. You know, younger folks, it’s the catchy song that’s made the playlist of the smarmy date who’s…