Kellish Music Barn

I have another favorite venue for acoustic music run by two of my favorite people, Rick and Kathy.

I’d worked with Rick for several years and grew to respect his gentle nature and ability to always keep the needs of a patient front and center no matter what else was going on in his world. He was the same person each and every day, a smile on his face, his passion for providing excellent patient care shining brightly. There should be more healthcare professionals in this world with Rick’s values.

Kathy and I met face-to-face about a year ago when we both attended a musical event at Onativia Church and I introduced myself to her. I felt as if I’d known her, having had phone conversations with her in my role handling employee benefits with I worked with Rick. She and I went on to become Facebook friends.

Hubby and I finally, finally, finally made it out to their amazing farm and music barn a couple of Friday nights ago for a concert. Larry Hoyt and Eileen Rose, two talented local musicians we’ve often had the pleasure of hearing at the Monday night open mic at Tipp Hill hosted by Joanne Perry and Wendy Ramsay (we often enjoy listening to Larry Hoyt’s Sunday afternoon radio show, Common Threads, on WAER, too) played the first set, a combination of cover songs and Larry Hoyt originals. Shannon Wurst, a singer/songwriter from Fayetteville, Arkansas, followed – what a treat! Check her out on You Tube! Buy her CD! You won’t be disappointed!

We fell in love with the ambiance of this venue, mostly the result of the huge welcome Kathy gives each guest. We happily returned to the farm last Thursday night for their weekly open mic, hosted that week by Mark Zane, that drew area musicians Brian Francis, Dave Gillespie, Dusty Pascal, Brad Thomas, Tim Stevens, Dan Brown, Mark Matthews….and so many more I’ve forgotten their names, including a woman from Cary, North Carolina and Dave from Hamilton, whose mandolin accompanied many and was truly the “star” of the evening.

What a time we had there! If you will, please vote for them for the Best Acoustic Venue in this year’s SAMMY Awards. Here’s the link: http://www.syracuseareamusic.com/peopleschoice