Folkus Fridays / first and third Friday of the month / May Memorial UU Society 3800 East Genesee St., Syracuse; (315) 446-8920 / website / how to get there Reserve Tickets: Call 440-7444 or e-mail tickets@folkus.org.

"Second Saturdays" / second Saturday of the month / Westcott Community Center Corner of Euclid Ave. and Westcott St., a half-mile east of SU; (315) 478-8634 / website / how to get there Reserve Tickets: Call 478-8634.

"Words and Music" Songwriter Showcase / schedule varies / series website Jazz Central, 441 E. Washington St., Syracuse; (315) 479-5299 / website / how to get there Reserve Tickets: e-mail showcase@wordsandmusic.info.

Thanks to Sparky Town! Catering assistance for Folkus shows is provided by Sparky Town restaurant, at 324 Burnet Avenue (at the corner of Catherine St.). Great for lunches, Sparky is now serving early dinners on weeknights. We love Sparky Town! Check it out. 422-8401 / website

Tony Trischka Postponed to Friday, March 12!
Due to unexpected scheduling conflicts, the Tony Trischka "Second Saturday" concert originally scheduled for Feb. 13 at the Westcott Community Center has been postponed to Friday, March 12. Tickets purchased for the Feb. 13 date will be honored on March 12.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Folkus Project / Westcott Community Center “Second Saturday” concert
Another Larrypalooza Acoustic Variety Show
A variety show featuring some of Central New York's most talented acoustic performers

Westcott Community Center
826 Euclid Avenue, Syracuse, N.Y.
East of SU at the intersection of Euclid Ave and Westcott Street

Saturday, February 13
8 p.m. / donation of $5 to $10
For reservations call the Westcott Community Center at (315) 478-8634.

The Second Saturday Concert Series presents a variety show hosted by Larry Hoyt, host of WAER's folk radio show, Common Threads, and featuring some of Central New York's most talented acoustic performers:

Larry Hoyt & the Good Acoustics - folk and acoustic music from vocalist and guitarist Larry Hoyt, with vocalist Eileen Rose playing mountain dulcimer, and Judy Stanton on violin and backing vocals. Always an eclectic, entertaing mix of folk, old-time country, pop and oldies.

Dana "Short Order" Cooke w/Joe Cleveland - one of Central New York's most talented singer/songwriters, Cooke also perfoms favorites and rarities from the Great American Folk Songbook.

-Hondo Mesa and Midnight Mike - (aka Dennis Kinsey and Mike Petroff) - fiery acoustic blues and originals, accented by Midnight Mike's too-hot-to-handle harp!

Dana Klipp - one of Central New York's most accomplished acoustic performers, playing traditional songs and old-time country blues.

Judy Stanton - known to many as one of the finest violinists in Central New York, Stanton also is establishing herself as one of this area's most gifted singer/songwriters. Come hear Judy sing some of her originals!

Plus special guests and more!

The Second Saturday Concert Series at the Westcott Community Center is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

The Folkus Project receives grant support toward programming from the Cultural Resources Council of Onondaga County. Thanks CRC!

Tracy Grammer
Songs of Dave Carter and more from this Falcon Ridge Folk Festival favorite

Where: May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society
3800 East Genesee St, Syracuse, N.Y.
(just inside the Syracuse city limits from Dewitt)

Friday, February 19, 2010
8 p.m. / $15
For reservations, email tickets@folkus.org or call (315) 440-7444.

Artist’s website / Artist’s MySpace

Tracy Grammer rose to acclaim due to the brilliant collaboration she shared with her partner in music and life, singer-songwriter Dave Carter. They released three internationally celebrated albums featuring Carter's award-winning songcraft and earned a diverse and devoted following with their indelible live performances at festivals and venues across North America. Sadly, Carter died of a heart attack in 2002 while touring. Determined to honor the journey the duo had begun, Grammer has kept to the road, performing his songs of mysticism, humor and stark beauty as well as her own new compositions.

“Tracy Grammer is a brilliant artist and unique individual. Her voice is distinctive, as is her mastery over the instruments she plays.” -- Joan Baez

Grammer invokes Carter's legacy every time she steps onstage, revealing how in tune she is with his songs, where layers of meaning and mystery wait to be discovered. She digs deep into the spirit of the poetic verses and haunting melodies and colors each one with her warm, poignant vocals. The result is a bold, rewarding, and transcendent love letter to the world.

"Her gifts as a musician are like those of a painter who is a master of chiaroscuro, offering light and shadow at every turn." -- Mary Chapin Carpenter

Grammer is an outstanding singer, fiddler and mandolin player as well as a sensitive interpreter. Every performance exemplifies the quiet strength, refined sensitivity, and consummate skill for which she's known. With her natural, relaxed vocals and deep engagement with the beauty and mystery of being alive, she is one of the most compelling new voices in contemporary folk.

“One of the finest pure musicians anywhere in folkdom.” -- The Boston Globe

Joe Driscoll
w/ Melody Calley, Ben de la Garza, and host Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

Joe Driscoll brings his groundbreaking hip-hop/folk to the Words and Music Songwriter Showcase

Jazz Central
441 E. Washington Street, Syracuse
(315) 479-5299

Saturday, Feb. 20
7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7) / $10
For reservations, email showcase@wordsandmusic.info.

Joe Driscoll brings his masterful one-man-band show to a hometown crowd in Syracuse. Now based in London, Driscoll tours Europe, the U.S., and Africa with his high-energy blend of hip-hop, folk, funk, reggae, and more.

“Probably the most energetic performer on the planet, Joe Driscoll is as real as it gets.” --Revolving Door magazine

Though the sound is hard to define, the formula is simple: one man, an array of instruments, a couple of effects pedals, and a lot of imagination. Joe Driscoll's groundbreaking live looping set has rocked capacity crowds throughout America, Europe, and Africa. A sound that defies an easy description, it is equal parts folk and hip-hop, funk and reggae, storytelling and dance music. A modern day one-man band, he incorporates beatbox, guitar, harmonica, didjeridoo, drums, vocal harmonies, and much more--all chopped up live onstage every night to create the soundscape of a full band.

Originally from upstate New York, Driscoll is a winner of the U.K.'s prestigious Indy Award for Best Solo Act. He has received airplay on BBC's Radio One, appeared on national television shows in both Europe and America, and performed at many of the best venues and festivals in the world. The diversity of the music is reflected in the acts he's performed with, opening for Gym Class Heroes, Regina Spektor, Matisyahu, and many others. www.joedriscoll.net/
 
Melody Calley started out as a singer/songwriter playing heartfelt acoustic songs at open mic nights in Syracuse when she got her first guitar at age 14. Lately she has kicked the power up a notch by performing her original music with a heavy rock band called the Best Dream. Founded in 2008, the band spent its first two years performing at summer festivals in Utica and shows at the Westcott Theatre and recording an album packed with raw energy, musical chemistry, and passion. Melody played her first Words and Music Songwriter Showcase in early 2008 and will debut a new song called “If I Lose” when she returns to play the series February 20th. www.myspace.com/melodysvision
 
Ben de la Garza is a guitarist and singer from Syracuse. He has released four solo albums independently and played solo shows throughout the Northeast, and his music spans many genres. Over the last several years he has refined his skills as an acoustic guitar soloist, and his recent material reflects that. In 2009, he spent a three-month work sabbatical in New York City, playing regularly at Brooklyn and Manhattan venues. During the day in Syracuse, Ben works in human services, helping to manage a support center for those in the mental health system. His passion for that work has inspired music that aims to comfort others in their struggles. bendelagarza.com

Series host Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, winner of a grand prize and Lennon Award in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, is a contributor to NPR’s All Things Considered and founding editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine. He will release two new recordings this spring: Stop, Drop, and Roll, a set of original songs featuring Joshua Dekaney on percussion, and Dead to the Core, an EP of classic Grateful Dead songs reinvented with voice and guitar. www.jeffreypepperrodgers.com

The Words and Music Songwriter Showcase is a celebration of original music from Central New York and beyond, featuring established and emerging artists of all genres in an up-close-and-personal acoustic setting. Since its debut in January 2008, the series has featured such top talent as Maura Kennedy, Powell (the Polite Rebel), John Cadley (The Lost Boys), Dusty Pas’cal and Loren Barrigar, Ashley Cox, Bob Halligan Jr., Joe Crookston, Jamie Notarthomas, and Gary Frenay and Arty Lenin.

The Words and Music series is sponsored by the Folkus Project and WAER and is a program of the CNY Jazz Arts Foundation.

Next Meeting: Mar. 2, 2010
A meeting of and for local songwriters . . . play something new and get the reactions and advice of other songwriters . . . then return the favor. For more info.