NYS Music 20​18

Tag: Dave Frisina

  • SAMMYS 25th Anniversary Inductees and Nominees Announced

    The Syracuse Area Music Awards held a press conference Tuesday morning to announce this year’s Hall of Fame class and nominees in 14 categories for the 25th anniversary of the awards. Recipients of the Educator of the Year Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award were also announced at the presser at Eastwood’s Palace Theater.

    The 2018 SAMMYS honor albums from Central New York musicians released in 2017. This year’s ceremony takes place March 2 at the Palace Theater of Syracuse. Advance sale tickets for the awards show are $20 and can be purchased through the Syracuse Area Music website.

    This year’s SAMMYS Hall of Fame class includes a mix of musicians and music industry professionals. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place March 1 upstairs at the Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse. Tickets for this are $25 and also available through the Syracuse Area Music website. Honorees this year are Stacy Waterman, a production manager responsible for many of the biggest concerts in Central New York over the past 20 years. She has had a hand in handling shows such as moe.down, the Saranac Concert Series, Taste of Syracuse, K-Rockathon as well as her most proud accomplishment, the Salt City Waltz, a celebration and tribute to the music of The Band and their farewell concert, The Last Waltz.

    Also honored this year is Maryjo Spillane. Spillane is a tour and production manager who has risen through the ranks of a primarily male dominated industry to become one of the most respected in the injury. Her clients have included Kelly Osbourne, Slayer, Dolly Parton and Heaven & Hell (the latter day Ronnie James Dio-fronted version of Black Sabbath). She has been thrice nominated as a Pollstar “Road Warrior” and made the publications “People to Watch” list, the first woman to ever receive both honors.

    Guitarist John Cadley is the third member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2018. Cadley learned to play guitar at the age of 13, playing along with Kingston Trio records. He formed his first band, the Rum Runners, at boarding school and continued to play with various bluegrass bands throughout his college years. He was a member of the Long Island folk group the Glencoves, who score at top 40 hit in 1963 with the song “Hootenanny.” Cadley continued his career into graduate school, where he connected with Tony Trischka and Tom Hosner to form the Down City Ramblers.

    https://youtu.be/hIrb9f7MdjY

    The final 2018 inductee is the band DOVE. DOVE was a five-piece outfit influenced by the early ’70s glam movement. Setlists of the time often included covers of David Bowie and Jethro Tull, along with DOVE originals “Kidd” and “I Know.” From 1971-1973 Howie Bartolo (vocals, sax, flute), Rick Cua (bass, vocals), Dave Hanlon (drums, percussion), Larry Serafini (guitar, vocals) and Larry Arlotta (keyboards) packed venues across Upstate New York.

    DOVE

    The 2018 Educator of the Year Award recipient is the Director of the Fillius Jazz Archive at Hamilton College, Monk Rowe. Rowe has an extensive resume of performing, educating and presenting throughout the Mohawk Valley and beyond. Since beginning his teaching career at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School in 1974, Rowe has taught in various schools right up to the present day. As Director of the Fillius Jazz Archive, he has conducted oral histories of over 330 jazz personalities throughout the United States.

    PHOTO: NANCY L. FORD

    The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to 105.9 The Rebel DJ and Program Director, Dave Frisina. Already a member of the SAMMYS Hall of Fame, Frisina has been a champion of local music since beginning his local music spotlight show “Soundcheck” in 1979, which airs at 9 p.m. on Sunday nights. Frisina has also incorporated a weekday “Local Lunch” into his regular 2-6 p.m. slot on The Rebel. Throughout his 40 years in Syracuse radio, Frisina has been the rock behind the local music scene, not only through his Sunday night programming but at local venues. If there’s a show happening in the Syracuse area, chances are Frisina is in attendance.

    Dave Frisina

    All Hall of Fame inductees will be honored at a ceremony Upstairs at the Dino on Franklin Street in Syracuse on Friday March 1. Awards for the 25th Annual SAMMYS will be presented on March 2. Musicians performing at the awards show include a reunited DOVE, the Merry Pranksters, Elephant Mountain, Professional Victims and Count Blastula.

    The People’s Choice Awards, selected through online voting that is ongoing leading up to the ceremony will be awarded in the categories of Best Artist, Best Venue and Best Festival or Music Series. Voting can be done at the Syracuse Area Music website.

    The Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist will also be presented that night. The award is voted on by industry professionals and music journalists. The winner of Best New Artist will receive six hours of recording time at SubCat Music Studios.

    The full list of nominees is below. Of particular note is the presence of multiple nominees, Chris Eves (Floodwood, Skunk City and Chris Eves & the New Normal) and Billy Harrison (All Poets & Heroes, Jess Novak Band).

    Best Pop

    All Poets & Heroes – Where We Lived and What We Lived For
    Nate – Summer is the Cure
    Sera Bullis – The Road to Marcellus
    Ben Mauro – Good Day
    BEA – Old Habits

    Best Jazz

    Peter Allen Alt Jazz – It Was Just About That Time
    Tim Herron – Thinquisition
    Robert Holz – Visions: Coast to Coast Connection
    E.S.P. – Zero Gravity

    Best Hip Hop or Rap

    Sophistafunk – Real Vibration
    Seth Dollar – Vanity
    Wigs – No Turning Back
    Steve Cook – M.I.D. Twenties
    Suppa Satty – Who You Thought It Was?

    Best Americana

    Mark Wahl – Circadia
    Austin MacRae – Keeper
    Jane Zell – Almost Real
    Harmonic Dirt – Anthracite
    Ruddy Well & The Region Legion – Common Ground

    Best Alternative

    The Action! – 5
    Goodnight Forever – Dim Lit Motivation
    Mattydale Music Collective – Dreamwyld
    Phantom Chemistry – Everything’s Great
    Against The Giants – Harden Your Heart

    Best Rock

    Flashcubes – Forever
    The Alpha Fire – Embers
    Tommy Gunn – Talk of the Town
    Jess Novak Band – Fireworks
    The Penetrators – Legacy

    Best Hard Rock

    Ecliptic Vision – Omphalos of the Void
    Sampere – World of Illusion EP
    Jeremiah’s Razor – Jeremiah’s Razor
    Breaking Solace – The Stand
    Between Hope and Fear – With the Water

    Best Other Style

    Answer the Muse – Now
    Leo Crandall – The Art of Swimming
    A Cast of Thousands – The Fifth
    John Harris – Wake the Dead
    Harriet Tubman Freedom Music Festival – Music for Freedom: Harriet Tubman Freedom Music Festival Live! Vol 2

    Best Jam Band

    Late Earth – The Prevail
    Barroom Philosophers – Barroom Philosophers
    John McConnell – By Design
    Chris Eves & the New Normal – Find Your Way
    Old Deer Ensemble – Festival

    Best Singer/Songwriter

    Amanda Rogers – Heavy Blue
    Alex Gideon – Know Different Than Before
    Cam Caruso – On the Other Side
    Sydey Irving – Hello Stranger
    J. Schnitt – How to Be Happy About the End of the World

    Best Blues

    Bad Mama’s Blues Band – There Goes the Rent
    Matthew Black and the Blues Dragons – Matthew Black and the Blues Dragons
    Moon Dog Howlers – One Track Mind

    Best R&B

    Skunk City – Sparked
    Kings of the Fall – The Ascension
    Diana Jacobs Band – Good Metticine

    Best Country

    Floodwood – Till I Die
    Matt Dunn Band – I Am this Road

    Best Electronica

    Leper Pony – White Savior
    Mazedude – American Pixels
    Man Woman Machine – Ultra-Xenosonic

  • The Black River Release Debut Album, ‘Classic Universe’

    Syracuse’s The Black River, led by singer-songwriter Mike Powell, has released its first album, entitled Classic Universe. The soulful quintet, who take their name from the North Country river that passes by Powell’s childhood home, came together just over one year ago and have been quickly making their name known throughout New York.

    black river Classic UniverseThe album was produced by Jeff Aderman at Utica’s Big Blue North Studio and exhibits The Black River putting an impressive foot forward in its debut. In the year since the band debuted, they have opened for such artists as The Sadies, Shooter Jennings, The Trews, Mondo Cozmo and Eric Tessmer. A powerful afternoon set at last year’s moe.down also won the band new fans.

    “One of the things we always talk about when we are sculpting these songs is to be sure to listen to one another. That may sound like a very simple concept but when you’re creating a collective sound it’s important that no player be on a sonic island. We aim to be one connected land mass of sound,” Powell said when asked about the goal of his new band. “I have surrounded myself and my songs with monster players that could easily step out and flex their muscles at anytime but all of us understand the importance of doing what is best for the song first.”

    Powell’s assessment of this band is certainly true. All come from different musical backgrounds to forge a sound that isn’t easy to categorize. Longtime Powell collaborator, guitarist John Hanus’ metal chops and experimental solos add an unexpected yet welcome edge to Powell’s personal songwriting and the soulful force created by keyboardist Shane Kelsen and the rhythm section of Joe Bell and Dom Scicchitano. The band’s frequent live performances have helped hone its unique sound over the past year and the band is gelling as a unit at the perfect time.

    black river Classic Universe

    To celebrate the release of the new album, the Black River recently performed the inaugural live session for Syracuse radio show Soundcheck at SubCat Studios. You can view that peformance below. The show, hosted by long time Syracuse radio personality and SAMMYS Hall of Famer, Dave Frisina, has been on the air since 1979. It showcases local and regional musicians each Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. on 105.9 The Rebel.

    Frisina’s new series is called Live @ SubCat Studios and will feature a different local act performing live in front of a studio audience each month.

    The Black River’s Classic Universe is available now on all streaming platforms. Recent performances have included stops at the del Lago Resort and Casino in Waterloo and Three Heads Brewing Company in Rochester. They’re also scheduled to perform at Al’s Wine and Whiskey Lounge in Syracuse in March and Funk ‘N Waffles Syracuse in April. Follow The Black River on Facebook or at their website for information on upcoming performances.

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