Pop goes the memories, says Gary Frenay, and it is good

Gary Frenay, File Under Pop Vocal Northside Records Syracuse music fans know what a cool cat Gary Frenay can be. He’s got nine band lives, too. Well, that number’s a bit of a stretch, but the singer and guitarist has made the Syracuse Area Music Hall of Fame twice with the power pop of the…

Celebrating a Sammy with Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers didn’t just accept his shiny black Sammys trophy and go home. Well, the singer, guitarist and songwriter perhaps did something of that sort the night in March after he won the Syracuse Area Music Award category for best Americana recording. Rodgers instead planned a Syracuse gig for the band that recorded the…

Kimberly Rossi nourishes her many loves

When Kimberly Rossi is on the other side of the message, I know the story likely is going to be interesting. She’s the one who urged me to review the hot new CD by the Fabulous Ripcords and write about the dentist who provided free work to those who served on Veterans Day and write…

Photo 101: A gallery for Sammy

The weekend assignment for Photography 101 was to set up a gallery. Friday night I shot plenty at the Syracuse Area Music Awards at the Palace Theatre. In fact, I had two previous years of iPhone photos from the Sammys stored in my iPad Air, too. Sammys Gallery, here we come. You can click any…

Syracuse music, with The Works

And the winner is … Friday night, 13 best-of category recipients will be announced at the Syracuse Area Music Awards annual ceremony at the Palace Theatre. There also will be shiny black trophies handed out for the Brian Bourke Award for best new artist, hall of fame inductees (including Chris Goss of Masters of Reality)…

Beatlecuse proves to be an excellent match of city, music

Why would dozens of Central New York’s finest musicians get together on a cold February night in the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse to play Beatles music? Because they can. I mean, they really, really can. Beatlecuse 2015 on Friday night proved for the second year running that when you set these all stars of several…

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers gets there with folk strings style

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, “Almost There” Label: Words and Music Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers starts this dozen-song collection off with “Eight Days in January,” an interesting story in which the Syracuse singer, songwriter and acoustic strings player enlists the help of Rani Arbo on fiddle and harmony vocals. I thought I was off on a trip to…

A gift of song from Todd Hobin

Syracuse singer and songwriter Todd Hobin sent out an email to friends and family last night, and I just opened it now. The member of the Syracuse Area Music Awards Hall of Fame talks about a fruitful 2014, tells of good plans ahead for 2015, and, most importantly, shares the story behind his original Christmas…