CNY Songbirds - Dear Linda: A Musical Love Letter to Linda Ronstadt

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Something special happens when voices blend in harmony. When the CNY Songbirds blend their voices, their “tighter than three coats of paint” harmonies create magic!

The Songbirds have been entertaining enthusiastic Central New York audiences for years, breathing new life into classics by Steely Dan, CSN&Y, Linda Ronstadt, and more at venues including The Ridge in Chittenango, the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Chevy Court at the NYS Fair, and the Center for the Arts in Homer. Their outstanding musicianship and sophisticated interpretations always leave audiences cheering for more.

The band includes many names familiar to the CNY music scene:

Multi-instrumentalist Kristopher Heels (guitar) has been a performing musician since 1984. As a regional, touring and session player, his goal is to compliment the song and the artist with his unique approach to whatever style he’s given. 

Maureen Henesey (vocals)  has been singing throughout CNY over the past 20 years. She was a long-time member of local party band Mere Mortals and the SAMMY award-winning original bluegrass group, The Easy Ramblers. 

Tom Hillenbrand (guitar) brings the same craftsmanship to his guitar playing that he brings to his day job as a goldsmith. Tom currently performs with Prime Time Horns, Monkey Fever, and is a featured performer at venues across CNY.

Brett Hobin (bass) is a 30-year veteran of the Syracuse music scene. He has owned and operated Hobin Studios for 25 years, playing on hundreds of records and producing dozens of others, to critical acclaim. 

Joanna Jewett (vocals) has been performing throughout Central New York for over 30 years, as lead vocalist with a variety of bands, including The Critics, a party/wedding band that played across New York State. Currently, Joanna performs with Dangerous Type, Radio Floyd, The Mix Tapes, and the CNY Songbirds. 

Liz Strodel (drums) has been playing locally since 2001. Whether it’s blues, country, hip hop or rock, she prides herself on backing artists of all different genres. She stays busy with both live and studio performances. Liz wrote and released an EP of original songs entitled “Nights & Weekends”.

B Kelly Wilcox (keyboard) is best known as the keyboardist and co-singer with the progressive rock group Cold Sweat, as well as opening for Marillion on their first US tour with Steve Hogarth. He has been a key figure on the Syracuse music scene, participating in rock tribute shows, most notably alongside Earl Slick and Bernard Fowler for “Ruby Tuesday: Music of the Rolling Stones.”

“I see a lot of shows and there are precious few that leave me wanting more, but when I heard the Songbirds I really could have listened all night. I really think that’s about as good as it gets in this town for “local musicians”... I was really, truly impressed with the singing, the playing, and the whole presentation.”--John Cadley

This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by CNY Arts.

This project is made possible with funds from the Tier Three Project Support program, a regrant program of the County of Onondaga with the support of the County Executive and administered by CNY Arts.

  ~ This project is also made possible through the support and generosity of our Folkus members. ~