Tag Archives: band

More Music on Wednesday!

Posted on December 1, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

Regular readers may have wondered if I was ever going to return to my Wednesday Night Thing of going to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort for music and food. Well, tonight I finally did. I had the best time!

I got there between 5:30 and 6:00, and noticed a bald, bearded man setting up equipment. I asked who the musical talent was. The bartender, Kimberly, told me it was Justin, at the same time the man setting up told me, “Justin!” I said, “What’s your last name, Justin?” He told me Smithson but I could put “Smithsonian.” I told him I would put it in my blog post, and he acquiesced with Smithson. Another patron told me Justin was the lead singer with Showtime. I have heard of that band but never seen them, so I was interested to hear this Justin.

Great guitar!

I was not disappointed. He opened with “Layla,” followed by “Peaceful, Easy Feeling.” He asked for requests, so after a couple other numbers, I asked if he knew “Sister Golden Hair.” He looked up the lyrics on his IPad, saying he would rather cheat and do that rather than cut the song short. He did a wonderful job on the song.

“Looking up lyrics on your IPad isn’t cheating,” I told him. “It is research!” He liked that.

I like the hockey pennants you can see in the background.

I greatly enjoyed my evening. I even stayed for one more song than I intended, dancing with another patron. It was a friendly crowd at a friendly venue with a friendly, talented singer. How I have missed my Wednesday Night Thing!

Fratello’s Pizzeria is located at 158 E. Main St., Frankfort, NY, phone number 315-894-8484. They are open 11 a.m. to 10 pm. Monday through Saturday, 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday. Local music is featured other nights than Wednesday. You can follow them on Facebook to find out more.

I Don’t Rock the Iron Rock

Posted on September 19, 2021 by mohawkvalleygirl

So I ran the four and a half mile Iron Rock Run, and I am not sure what I can say about it. As I was actually running it, I was not having as much fun as I has hoped. For one reason, it was hot and sunny. There was not enough shade and not enough breeze.

Still, one must put up with these things. I was running faster than my accustomed pace, but that is normal for race days, I think for most people. I wore my Garmin so kept checking my speed, time and distance. I kept telling myself it was OK to slow down, but I tried not to do so.

Steve took this shot while waiting for me to cross the finish line. We petted those nice labradoodles before the race. He thought he had gotten a picture of me running, but apparently he did not.

After the race we sat in Iron Rock Brewing Company and listened to a band. There was to be another band later, but we did not stay. I wanted to go home and shower.

On our way out, I took a picture of the sign with the band’s name. It occurred to me that people don’t write things down any more; we just take pictures.

I don’t rule out doing the Iron Rock Run again, if they make it an annual thing. I’ll try to train a little better next time.

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Posted in humor, personal, running commentary and tagged band, blog post, blogging, community event, Iron Rock Brewing Co, Iron Rock Run, running. Bookmark the permalink.

Oh, That Band!

Posted on August 17, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

When I was running the Boilermaker 15K in July, I LOVED the band that was playing outside the Utica Zoo. They were bluesy and danceable. I dance-ran by them, a move which I am sure looks perfectly ridiculous but is fun nevertheless. I still had not gotten around to looking up who the band was. In my defense, I’ve been busy.

Fast forward to Chicks Along the Canal, part of Little Falls Canal Fest, last Saturday, Aug. 12. While the cast of The Tempest (remember, that play I’m in?) waited to perform, the best band was playing! They were bluesy! They were danceable! I went over to the tent and danced.

“Bands like it when you dance to their music,” I told my fellow cast members. Another listener was dancing, a gentleman wearing an ARMY cap. He waved at me, and went over and dance with him.

It was while I was dancing that the band began to sound familiar. Ooh! Was it the awesome band from the Boilermaker? I thought maybe!

After their set, I saw the lead singer chatting with someone, so I approached and asked if they had been in front of the Zoo during the Boilermaker. They had!

“I LOVE you guys!” I said. “What is the name of your band?”

“The Cathie Timian Band,” was the answer. She gave me a card. When I got home, I looked up their website: http://www.cathietimian.com/. I also Liked the Cathie Timian Facebook page. I hope to hear them play again soon. You bet I’ll write a blog post about it.

I Rock Out

Posted on January 26, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’ve given a shout-out to the Rick Short Band before (I think my exact words were, “They rock!”). Thursday night, we were excited to attend their CD Release Party on the Utica College campus.

The party was in the Pioneer Pub in the Strebel Center. Steven and I felt fortunate to catch a ride with our friends Phyllis and Jim. They are also fans of the band, and quite familiar with the Utica area.

We arrived right around five. We had marked “going” on the Facebook event, so they had name badges for us. We also got wrist bands. That way any time I left and came back (say to utilize the Ladies Room), I could show my wrist band and say, “I’m in the club.” It’s the sort of thing I do.

Shaye Jennings played an acoustic set to start things off. She was very good, very mellow. Then when the Rick Short Band took the stage, we were ready to rock. So were they.

We got drinks and something to eat and enjoyed the sounds. When I had to cross in front of the band, I danced my way across, to let them know I was enjoying the music. I was happy to see two lovely ladies get up and start dancing. I asked Steven to dance with me. Later when Steven didn’t feel like dancing again, I danced with the two ladies. I love to dance.

My antics on the dance floor won me a copy of the CD. Later I purchased a t-shirt. I felt since I had gotten something for free, I should also buy something. Also, I wanted a t-shirt.

It was so much fun. We were all very glad we went. I can’t wait till the next time I can catch the Rick Short Band. For more information on the band, visit their website at www.rickshort.com, or you can Like them on Facebook. If you do that, you can easily find out when you can go hear them play.

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Posted in humor, music, personal and tagged band, CD Release Party, local musicians, Pioneer Pub, Rick Short Band, Utica College. Bookmark the permalink.

Props to the Belly Up Pub

Posted on June 27, 2013 by mohawkvalleygirl

I believe I’ve given a shout-out to the Belly Up Pub before. It is on Albany Street in Herkimer, NY, in the space that formerly housed Albany Street Cafe and before that something called Dineen’s (that was before my time). My husband Steven and I had a very fun time there last Saturday night.

It was a sort of a reply to Utica’s Saranac Thursdays: a live band in the parking lot. Simple Props was playing.

We arrived shortly after eight and paid our $5 cover, then wandered into the bar to get a drink. We found a tall table (my favorite kind) next to the window. Steven had been at work all day and wanted to sit down just at first. We noticed a couple of people had brought their own chairs to sit outside in. Not a bad idea.

We ended up going back and forth between inside and out. We’d go outside and enjoy the band, then go back inside when our feet started to hurt. There was not as much dancing going on as I would have liked, but we did boogey down to one song.

The band, Simple Props, was excellent. I especially liked their ’80s covers. They were obviously having a good time, which is something I always look for in a band. Some people congregated across the street, listening for free. The lead singer invited them over, but I don’t know if any of them came. I think at least some of them were underage.

The event drew a pretty good crowd. I observed a variety of ages, which I always like to see. Security was very much in evidence, but nobody was getting out of hand while we were there. Even I behaved myself.

We did not stay too late, because Steven had to work the next day. The Belly Up Pub is close enough to our house that we could walk, which is another think I like on a night out. We’re going to watch for more bands at the Belly Up. If you like them on Facebook, you can watch, too.

Mohawk Valley Girl