Tompkins Weekly

Summer music series is back at Lansing’s Myers Park



By Eric Banford
Tompkins Weekly

Summer is in full swing and that means music, music and more music.

The Finger Lakes region hosts numerous weekly outdoor music events, including Thursdays on The Ithaca Commons (free), Fridays at Cornell (free), and Saturdays at Taughannock Falls State Park (with park admission). And, as of last week, through August 17, the Lansing Parks & Recreation Department invites you to bring your dinner, coolers, and lawn chairs and enjoy pleasant Thursday evenings on the lake at Myers Park listening to some great bands.
“This music series has been going on for a lot of years, it started small and has grown a lot,” said Stephen Colt, Lansing Park Superintendent and Recreation director. “We’ve had a noticeable uptick in the past few years of the number of families that are there. Some of the crowds are really big, but of course that depends a lot on who’s playing and on the weather.”

Since the event is outdoors and there is no indoor space available, if the weather is too bad then the event is cancelled.
“If it’s semi-bad they muddle through it and people really don’t seem to mind, but if it’s really bad then it just doesn’t happen,” said Colt. “When it’s nice, people love the park.”

Park admission is usually $5 for non-residents, but is free for the music events, though donations will be appreciated, and help to fund continuing the music series.
“We stop charging to get into the park and only ask for donations into an open guitar case as people come in,” said Colt. “As long as people continue to be generous with their giving, we can continue to offer a really nice lineup.”

The bandstand is “in the round” so the audience has room to spread out and watch from many angles, according to Colt. “On the big nights there’s people 360 degrees all the way around, there’s families listening from the playground as they watch their kids. We’re really excited about the bands that are playing, and we’ll keep our fingers crossed as far as the weather.”

The music starts at 6:30 p.m.; the following is the remainder of the summer schedule:
— July 13 – City Limits is a high-energy blues-rock band with a three-piece horn section playing tunes from classic rock and soul to contemporary blues. Dan Paolangeli is featured on guitar, Andy Lockwood on vocals, Glen Porter on drums, Lisa Bloom on bass, Bob Fisher on trumpet, Jim Hull on trombone, and Robert Sarachan on sax and keyboard; music includes cover tunes from the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Blues Brothers, Joe Cocker, Lenny Kravitz, Anderson East and Joe Bonamassa.
— July 20 – Deans List is an acoustic, vocally oriented, cross-genre, soft rock band that draws upon original material and an eclectic mix of vocal covers from the Beatles and Aretha Franklin to Amy Winehouse and Adele. This group is an offshoot of the Dean Brothers Band, a Syracuse Music Hall of Fame group known throughout the Northeast concert and bar circuit in the 1970s. A multigenerational family affair, with bassist Bob Dean, guitarist John Dean, Bob’s daughter Kate Ellen, also on guitar, and niece Caroline Manring Dean on violin and guitar.
— July 27 – The Jeff Love Band is an 11-piece funk/soul band playing music from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Lead singer Jeff Love fronts this band’s classic vibe.
— August 3 – The Destination Band is a nine-piece dance band with its musical focus in the genres of R&B, Latin influenced material, swing and funk/disco.
— August 10 – Bad Alibi plays the best of classic rock from the 1970s and 1980s. Band members are Scott Hollister on drums, Rob Romano on keys and vocals, Sonny Frost on bass and Dan DoBell on guitar.
— August 17 – Iron Horse, a southern rock band, is one of the concert series’ original big draws returns this year to wrap up the season. The band’s lineup includes Lansing’s own Mark Armstrong as lead singer, Shawn Manning as lead vocalist, Steve Peck on drums and vocals, and Ron Brock on bass and vocals.

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