Tag Archives: local music

Dig That Funky Music!

Posted on August 27, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

This is in the nature of a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday post, but it is really about a band I had been wanting to check out, largely because of its name: Uncle Charlie and the Meatballs.  I finally got to hear them at Community Day last Saturday at Town of Herkimer Park in East Herkimer.

They were awesome!

They rocked out with classic rock tunes, such as an old lady like me loves.  Unfortunately, none of my pictures turned out very well, hence my calling this a Waste Not Want Not Wednesday.

Of course I took the opportunity to dance.

By the time they started playing, I had run into my friends Kelly and Jim, so we made our way over and sat down at a picnic table.  I stood up and danced my way over to take a couple of pictures.  On my way back, I ran into another friend and stopped to chat, during which time I accidentally hit something on my camera which videotaped our feet.  I believe I have mentioned my problems with technology.  I erased the video, though, because we did not feel our conversation bore repeating.

I will be delighted to hear them again.

I did not listen for very long before I danced my way out, first dancing over to the tip jar and leaving a tip.  I met another friend in the parking lot with (I think) his grandson.  I mentioned that I had been dancing, at which the grandson immediately started boogeying down.  Let’s hear it for the younger generation!

I follow Uncle Charlie and the Meatballs on Facebook, so I hope to hear them play again soon.

 

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Ryan Quin and Garlic Bread

Posted on July 26, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Thursday after attending the Frankfort Town Board meeting (regular readers may remember my side hustle of covering local meetings for the Daily Sentinel), I stopped by Fratello’s Pizzeria, where I had noticed Ryan Quinn was playing.  In addition to being a thoroughly talented musician, he is a very nice young man.  I thought it would make a good blog post.  Also, the pizzeria was right on may way home.

Maybe not the best picture, but it served its purpose.

As I usually do, I took a picture right away and shared it on Facebook, inviting any of my local friends to come out and enjoy the music.  None of them has ever joined me, but I live in hope.  I did not mind sitting there myself, grooving to the tunes.  The bartender told me appetizers were half price.  I could not resist ordering garlic bread with mozzarella cheese.

YUMMY!

I shared a picture of the bread on Facebook too, just to make the people who were not joining me jealous.  I ended up taking most of it home, but it was just as good cold.  I probably could have re-heated it in the toaster oven, but I was too lazy.

A multi-instrumentalist.

I took another picture of Ryan, then danced my way back to my seat, ignoring my foot, which has been really bothering me lately (you didn’t think I was done whining about my physical woes, did you?).  I sang along to the songs I knew, and clapped and cheered at the end of each one. I have not been going to Fratello’s as frequently as I have previously done, but I am always glad I went there when I do.

Fratello’s Pizzeria is located at 158 E. Main St., Frankfort, NY, phone number 315-894-8484.

 

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Fiery Weather, Festive Attire, and Phil?

Posted on July 2, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today shall be a Wayback Wednesday post, if not a Wuss-out Wednesday.  I have spend the day lounged in front of a fan, pausing only to take a cool shower, AAAAaaaahhhh! In my defense, WKTV Weather declared it an Alert Day due to severe heat.  At my age, one had to be wary of these things.  For one reason, I have suffered from heat injuries in the past. Once you have suffered from heat injuries, you are all the more susceptible.  Stop playing those miniature violins!  I wasn’t asking for sympathy; I was merely stating a fact.  I encourage everybody out there to stay hydrated and not to overexert.

I usually spell it with a b.

Yes, this is me on many occasions.  However, I hope to revive myself as the afternoon wears on.  I may even try to put on some festive attire and venture from the house.

He is such a wonderful musician and human being!

My thought is to go to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY and hear Phil Arcuri, one of my favorite local musicians.  I used to go to Fratello’s almost every Wednesday for food and music, but I have not been in recent weeks.  What’s that all about, me?  This might be the week I make it back there!  But what to wear?

It is festive attire, yes?

This is the outfit I wore to the Pride Stride 5K in Little Falls in 2021.  Pride should be all year, should it not?  And I do love all the colors of the rainbow!  I think I still have the headband, but the t-shirt is worn out.  I shall have to see what I can come up with.  It should at least be worth another blog post!

 

 

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Another Post from the Couch

Posted on June 14, 2026 by mohawkvalleygirl

On the brighter side, I am ten-finger typing on my Chromebook.  Yes, there are a lot of brighter sides and I try to concentrate on them.  However, I have not been out on a Mohawk Valley Adventure for a while now.  In the meantime, I see a lot of things I am missing on Facebook.  Have I got the dreaded FOMO, Fear Of Missing Out?  There is no point in being afraid I might miss out; I AM missing out.  But that is OK, because, after all, one can’t do everything.

 

I did have a nice outfit.

This is from June 2021, just before I went to Little Falls, NY to run the Pride Stride 5K.  Midway through May I figured I would have to give it a miss this year, but I hoped to partake of some of the Pride festivities going on in Little Falls this weekend.  Alas, I did not, but I give them a shout-out.  Local readers, you should have been there; if not, watch for it next year!

Local music? Yes, please!

I think I mentioned recently how I miss going to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort to hear talented musicians, such as Phil Arcuri, pictured above.

Great little shop!

And then there is shopping.  To Niche Their Own in Herkimer is a delightful place.  I love to stop in there and look at all the stuff by local artisans.  I usually leave with a pair of earrings, a stuffed bat or bear, or a beautiful artificial flower.

So I have many plans for when I am mobile once again.  In the meantime, I hope my blog posts entertain.

 

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Return to Fratello’s

Posted on November 15, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Wednesday I did something I haven’t in a while:  went to Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort, NY for music an food.  Long-time readers may recall that used to be a regular thing with me.  Why wouldn’t it be? I love music, and I love food!  Additionally, I love supporting local, both restaurants and musicians.  But for one reason and another I have not made it to Fratello’s in a while.  When I saw that Gridley Paige Naked and Scared with Justin Smithson was going to be there, I made plans!

Unfortunately, only one of my pictures turned out.

I keep saying that I will never get over my disappointment that Gridley Paige is not actually naked.  That is the dirty old woman in me.  I question, too, how scared they are, but I do no purport to know anybody else’s emotional state.  I had never heard Justin Smithson play with them before but have heard him solo and like him quite a bit.  He is, as you may know, the Rock’n Roll Mayor of Frankfort.  I should see if the Sentinel wants me to start covering Frankfort Village Board meetings.  I already do the Town ones.

After quite a bit of debate, I decided on a steak and cheese wrap.  Yum!  There are so many excellent choices.  I may have to start going every week again, so I can work my way down the menu.

When I left, the band was bantering with some customers.  I listened for a minute then said, “You guys have to play another song so I can dance my way out!”  They were happy to oblige.  I took my time leaving, dancing back and forth a few times, looking like the crazy old lady I am.  Such a fun time!

Fratello’s Pizzeria is located at 158 E. Main St., Frankfort, NY, phone number 315-894-8484.

 

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A Little Local Music for Me

Posted on August 26, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Earlier tonight I made a short top at the Herkimer Downtown Chowdown, the weekly food truck festival in Meyers Park, to hear a little bit of K.O. Grainger.  It could only be a short stop, since I had to attend the Ilion Village Board meeting, but it was worth it.  For one reason, I got a hot dog from The Corner Office.  Yum!

They rock!

 

I first heard Matt Grainger playing acoustic guitar at Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort (you may have seen a couple of my blog posts mentioning him).  K.O. Grainger is a two-man band with him and his brother, and they are awesome!

A closer view.

I sat at a picnic table and ate my hot dog, tapping my feet. I had to get up and dance to one song.  Nobody joined me, but at the Chowdown, people don’t judge (that I can see).  The audience was enjoying the tunes, clapping and singing along.

There are not many weeks left of the Downtown Chowdown, which runs Mondays in Meyers Park, starting at 4 p.m.  According to their Facebook page, September 1 and 8 are the last two this year.  If you like food truck food and live music, I suggest you check it out!

 

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Happy Blogiversary to Me

Posted on May 23, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Under the heading Shows How Much I Pay Attention, WordPress just wished me a Happy Anniversary (or did they mean Blogiversary?).  I did not even remember that was coming up.  I have been blogging since 2011.  Fourteen years (took me a minute to do the math).  Full disclosure:  my lightheadedness continues, so I am not up to doing much of a blog post anyways.  I think a Throwback Thursday will just about fit the bill.

Look how cute he is (was).

From May 2011 to October 2016, my blog was unillustrated, because I did not know how to add pictures (what, unillustrated is not a word?  I’ll be damned).  One of the first posts I did with pictures featured my dear, since departed, husband Steve at Pumpkin Junction in Sauquoit, NY.

A creepy shot from one of my favorite movies.

Once I learned how to add pictures I took, I soon learned how to download pictures from the internet, so I was able to indulge my love of movie monsters.

Yes, I am a drama queen.

And I was able to use my blog to tout my community theatre endeavors in Little Falls, Ilion, and Herkimer.

This was a great evening!

 

I also like to plug local businesses as well as the music and art scene.  The above picture is Oscar Stivalo and friends playing jazz music at the Renaissance Pub in Little Falls.  The Ren was hosting an exhibit of Stivalo’s paintings, and this was the opening.

And so my blog continues.  There are some new businesses in the area I need to check out and write about, as well as some favorites I want to revisit. As always, I thank you for staying tuned.

 

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A Satisfying Sound Indeed

Posted on April 26, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last night after I attended a Frankfort Town Board Meeting (regular readers may remember I have a side hustle covering Valley meetings for Sentinel Media), I stopped by Fratello’s Pizzeria to enjoy some music with Ryan Quinn.  Oh dear, that sounds like he was my date.  No, no, he was making the music, I was enjoying it.

A very nice young man.

He was playing guitar when I showed up, and he smiled nicely when I went to take a picture.  I told him it was for my blog post.  Later he switched to keyboard, so I tried to get a shot of that, too.

And he is as talented as he is nice.

At first I thought I screwed up, because I couldn’t make the picture come up as I walked back to my seat at the bar (I like to sit at the bar), so I went back and tried again.  This time I took two.  My phone made that little “blb.”

“I’m sure I got it that time,” I said.

“It even made a satisfying sound,” he agreed.

I went to see Phil Arcuri at Fratello’s on a recent Wednesday but neglected to make a blog post about it.  How remiss of me.  In fact, I have not been catching the local music scene as much as I like to lately.  I’ll have to do something about that.

 

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The Posers at Brass Tack

Posted on August 23, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

When I heard that The Posers, my favorite local band, was playing at The Brass Tack in Frankfort, NY, I got all excited.  Then, due to the weather forecast, they changed the date from Wednesday to Thursday.  Rats!  I had someplace I was supposed to be on Thursday (nothing blogworthy).  However, after I fulfilled my commitment I managed to stop by to enjoy a little music.

OK, not the best shot.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I could hear them playing one of my favorites, “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”  I danced as I walked up the ramp to the entrance, which was right behind them.  At least the audience saw me.  I paused at the bar for a glass of wine then made my way out to the porch where a number of people were enjoying the tunes.  I found a place to sit down, asking a couple at an adjoining table if I would be in their way.  They said I would not.

Alas, my good friend Rick, the bass player, was not there.  He recently got a full knee replacement and was not able to play.  What is it with knee replacements?  One of my favorite actors can’t be in the murder mystery because he is getting one, too!  Come to think of it, one of my knees has been really hurting lately.  Oh dear.

Different angle, not much better.

Perhaps if I would have stayed longer, till the sun had dropped a little lower, I could have gotten better pictures. However, the band took a break when my wine was quite low in my glass, so I snuck away, pausing at the exit to wave, so it was not really so sneaky.  At least I had done what I could to support local music.

The next time I go to the Brass Tack, I hope to order some food.  I know they are a really good place to eat.  They are located at 4258 Acme Rd., Frankfort, NY, phone number 315-894-7996.

 

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Late Shout-Out to Phil

Posted on August 18, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have done it again:  posted then missed several days.  How can I make it up to my readers (if any remain)?  One thing I could do is tell you about a recent Mohawk Valley Adventure.

One of my favorites!

Last Saturday I walked down to Meyers Park in Herkimer, NY for the Elks Club Car Show.  I love old cars, but my primary reason for stopping by at that time was that Phil Arcuri would be playing music.  Regular readers know he is one of my favorite local musicians.  I have seen him many times at different venues and enjoyed him very much. He always has such a good time when he plays.  I love his big smile.  His daughters come up and  sang the Baby Shark Song.  I am not really familiar with that song, although I know it was very popular among a certain segment of the population.  When they were singing about Grandpa Shark and Grandma Shark, I wished they had a verse about Aunt Cindy Shark.  Of course, I am not their Aunt Cindy, but couldn’t we stretch a point?

It is pure joy when he plays.

Of course he noticed me, standing as I was right in front of the pavilion and dancing to every tune.  He added my name to “Under the Boardwalk,” singing
“under the blanket with my Cynthia…”  I remember one time at Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort,  he sang the song that way and added that we would let Steve (my husband, for anyone just tuning int)  get in on it, too.

I had had a headache earlier that day, and after standing (and dancing) around in the sun it started to come back. After chatting for a little time with Phil, I took my leave.

I feel bad that it has taken me this long to write even this brief shout-out to such a good musician.  I encourage everybody to hear him play if possible; he plays at several area venues.  The area is so blessed to have such talented musicians!

 

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