A Tuesday at Sugarpearl

I write better while listening to music. As I write this, I'm sipping tea at Sugarpearl Espresso Bar and Lounge, located at the corner of Burnet and Crouse in Syracuse, NY. It's been a lovely addition to my neighborhood.

While sipping my tea I am absolutely enjoying listening to my friend Melissa Clarke's cover of James Taylor's "Steamroller Blues. It's making my toes tap. She knows how to work the guitar, that's for sure! It's one of my favorite blues tunes, when done right, and she's doing it right.

So -- you might ask -- isn't this a distraction, to be listening to live music and writing at the same time? Oh, yeah, definitely sometimes. But in a good way. Usually I can still find my words and scribble away. I've written the first two stanzas of a new poem before turning to this blog post while listening to Melissa. I listen to CDs at home while writing, why not live music? It inspires me in an entirely different way.

I once wrote an entire poem beginning to end while listening to the Barrigar Brothers play at the Red and White Cafe in DeRuyter last summer. I enjoyed them tremendously, although they cast me curious glances throughout the evening. I like the poem I wrote, hardly edited it at all.

Mark Zane has often found me scribbling in my notebook while watching him perform. I think singer-songwriters in particular understand: when the muse arrives, we open our arms to her, wherever we might be. Mark has even written a song about this called "Is There a Banjo in Your House?" Hopefully it will appear on his next CD. It is about the odd times that inspiration strikes us.

I find inspiration in the rhyme schemes of others, in subjects they've been drawn to write about, in the magic woven between their lines.

And so I'm loving this Tuesday lunch hour at Sugarpearl. Melissa has been singing some Beatle songs, a lovely, haunting version of Mary Chapin Carpenter's 9/11 song "Grand Central Station, some Leonard Cohen, Lucinda Williams and John Prine covers as well as her outstanding originals: "Spirit of America", "What's In Me" and "Women at Work" (and I apologize for probably getting the titles wrong.) I loved one she wrote about her mother-in-law who is suffering from dementia, which takes on the tone of a modern day love song; its lyrics pull you in, take you into the pain of such a relationship, and the joy.

What a delightful treat this was for me today, in addition to the sun shining for the second day in a row. I could nod my head and believe it when Melissa sang, "Here comes the sun...do, do, do, do."

I'll be back another Tuesday...even if it may mean skipping my writing group. Thanks, Melissa!
And thanks Phyllis and Deb for providing lunch time music for the neighborhood.

Mark Zane and Friends at the Red and White Cafe

Mark Zane and Frankie Diamond played Saturday night at the Red and White Cafe.


The Red and White Cafe, DeRuyter, NY....check it out, it's a great place to go!

Donna Colton Plays at Onatavia Church

One of the best kept secrets in local music has to be the First Friday concerts at Onatavia Church in LaFayette. We were lucky enough to catch Donna Colton there in July. As Donna herself put it, it’s a “listening audience”. This alcohol-free environment lends itself to truly hearing the music. Donna, Sam and drummer Julius were brilliant. We felt as though we were hanging out in someone’s living room, just chatting and jamming. It was delightful.

I tend to get nervous when singers cover Joni Mitchell, especially songs from her Blue album, my absolute favorite. Usually I find that other singers try too hard to imitate and fail miserably. The talented Ms. Colton knows better and made “Carey” her very own, wrapping the lyrics and melody around her voice until you convinced yourself that Joni Mitchell had never sung a note of it. I was mesmerized and enraptured. I’ve played the Tryst CD so often at the camper, I’m fearful I’ll need to buy a second one as I’m wearing this one down.

If you have the chance to see Donna Colton and the Troublemakers, you’ll never be disappointed. And, please, I urge you to make the trip to this tiny little white church off the beaten path on a first Friday of the month to hear some music. Mark Zane will play there next March, Dana “Short Order” Cooke in November. The intimacy is lovely. They serve homemade desserts and pass the collection plates (that’s how the musicians get paid) and you can sit back and enjoy some of Central New York’s best musicians

Mark Zane Gets a SAMMY Nomination!

Syracuse has a very lively music scene.....it's one of the good reasons to live here that offsets the horrible weather. A local newspaper, The Syracuse New Times, presents their annual version of the Grammy awards called the SAMMY (Syracuse Area Music) awards. And as many artists will tell you, being nominated is a big deal.

And Mark Zane has been nominated in the "Best Americana" category for his "American Hunger" CD!

He has some stiff competition. I'm hopeful at least one of the judges may have read Richard Wright and taken the time to really listen to Mark's lyrics; if so, they will know that this CD is the only possible winner in this category. As I've been saying here all along, this CD deserves to be heard. When I learned of Mark's nomination, I was dancing around our music room....it was the best news I'd had all day! I'm wondering if I can bribe the judges with chocolate chip cookies, but I think Mark's songs will work their own magic.

Congratulations, Mark! We'll be keeping our fingers and toes crossed that your name is called during the awards show on Friday, June 5th during the Taste of Syracuse Festival in Clinton Square. We hope to be there!

Listen to a song or two from "American Hunger" at http//www. myspace.com/markzane1

Mark Zane at Burritt's Cafe

On April 4th, we traveled on that snowy Saturday to Weedsport to hear Mark play at Burritt's Cafe.

When we stepped inside Burritt's Cafe, I wondered if we'd arrived via subway...here was a slice of Greenwich Village transported to the midst of....of....well, nowhere, actually. What a delight this cafe is to the eye, to the ear and to the taste buds! Brick walls and antiques, delicious foods, owners who are charming and friendly as they take your orders and provide excellent service. I highly recommend the seafood bisque. Go visit them...it's worth the drive.

The stage area at Burritt's was definitely not constructed as an after thought. It allows the audience an intimacy with the performer, and Mark Zane is the perfect artist to take full advantage of the arrangement. He banters easily with the crowd, draws them into this songs until they are hanging onto his every word, never wanting the songs to end. Mark knows how to play to a crowd, changing gears to add a cover of "Country Roads" to his set so an elderly couple there to watch him (they'd been to previous shows) could dance, and they did, with elegance and grace. And the sound system here is amazing. You can tell the owners have a love and respect for music, it's not just something they think might be cool to add to the menu.

Mark welcomed a walk-in guest who happened to play the sax up on stage for that number and a couple more. It was the magic created by musicians who love what they do. The bass player, Steve Pederson, quietly played beside Mark, a powerful addition to Mark's music. We enjoyed hearing all our favorites....my particular favorite "Is There a Banjo In the House?", hubby's favorite "Ruby". We hummed "Hambone" all the way home. It was nice to hear him do a John Prine tune, also.

Mark Zane is a PRO....playing throughout the afternoon, making each and every song special, each song's story begging to be heard in spite of the rattle of dishes or folks placing lunch orders. Another performer mentioned previously in the blog would never have made it through his first attempt at a song here.

The highlight of the day? The cafe was a delightful surprise and Mark rocked the place. But what warmed our hearts on this snowy day was the news that Mark and Alice are engaged! Congratulations. Guess Mark isn't such a Knuckleheaded Fool after all.

March Madness?

A performance scheduled for tonight (advertised in the Syracuse New Times and most likely other places) for singer songwriter Mark Zane has been cancelled. (Please read older posts about this amazing performer.) The reasons for the cancellation? Well, possibly because it's Lent and folks don't come out to eat BBQ (the venue, a few miles outside of Syracuse cooks BBQ) during Lent supposedly. But it's really about SU playing basketball tonight.

I was raised in a family where the change of seasons was identified by what sport was being played. My brother is the Sports Editor of a newspaper. There's nothing I love more on a summer day than sitting in the bleachers and watching a baseball game. I can live without the hoop-la surrounding March Madness, however. If we are watching the news and catch the press interviewing SU players after a game, we fall into this game of counting the times the players say "you know" and wish they'd spent more time in English class.

Mark Zane is working hard to promote his first CD, and it's a CD that deserves to be heard. This cancellation seems a bit unfair. After all, there are folks who wish to escape the March Madness frenzy and go hear good live music. Not everyone is Catholic adhering to the customs of Lent. We would have loved having the option of eating some juicy BBQ and listening to Mark's music as entertainment tonight, even if we had to travel a few miles away from home.

Thankfully we live in a community that does offer options. We have to flip a coin to decide what to do tonight: a screening of The Divorcee at Friday Night Flics at Artrage OR going to Sugar Pearl Lounge to hear Miss E play. Still, it would have been nice to have added "go hear Mark Zane" to our list.

Friday Night at the Blue Frog

As a surprise for our wedding anniversary, Mark Zane graciously agreed to add a song to his show at the Blue Frog in Cortland on Friday night. He sang "In My Life", the song my brother Alan played when Chris and I were married. I was honored that he did this for us. I had expected that song to be the highlight of the evening for me. We've seen Mark perform live and on tape now, and I've listened to his CD almost every day for a couple of months now. You'd think the music would get too familiar after awhile....that doesn't seem to be the case.

His songs become "friends". I missed not hearing him perform "Ruby" at this show. And was delighted to hear my favorite tune from his "American Hunger" CD, the song "Casualty Officer" about the man with the job of coming to your door to inform you of the death of your child serving in the military. As I've said before, Mark's lyrics haunt you. In this song he forces you to consider multiple definitions for causalities of war.

His cover songs at this show included some Neil Young, Townes VanZandt, a couple of very well done Dylan songs and Cohen's "Hallelujah" again. I enjoyed watching my brother, a musician himself, delight in Mark's music, and had to laugh when my cousin whispered in my ear that she'd like to take him home and cook him a good meal, which is similar to foreplay in our family.

The surprise of the evening came for me with an original song I had not heard before that has stayed in my head. I've hummed it all weekend....on Saturday night as we sat through a dinner theatre of Joey and Maria's Italian Wedding and all day Sunday as we drove out of town to help the son in crisis-mode (at least he's out of jail) , a day that ended with renting a U-Haul, loading up his furniture, and....yeah, he's on the couch downstairs.... but more about that another post.

That song, "Is There A Banjo in the House?" is about those times when your muse arrives and you're doing something else. One verse is about trick or treating with the kids and asking someone "is there a piano in the house?" I often have this issue myself......how lucky I am to only need a scrap of paper to write down a few words......musicians need paper and something to pluck out the melody that's running through their head. I hope to hear that song again soon.

Thanks, Mark, for another great performance.

Hallelujah! Mark Zane at Sparkytown!

Mark Zane did NOT disappoint us at Sparkytown's last night! He made good on his promise to play his new song, "Maybe" and many songs off his new CD "American Hunger". His keen observations of the state of the world are reflected in his lyrics. He makes you laugh, shake your head, tear up, but -- most importantly -- he demands your attention and you can't stop thinking about his songs long after he's put his guitar down. As a poet, I'm always in awe of songwriters who can pull off the tough rhymes.....as he does in his song "Ruby" where he manages an end rhyme for "erection" that works.

There's always a highlight or two in a live performance and one of them for me came when Mark announced he'd do a cover of the Leonard Cohen anthem "Hallelujah". (It's on the playlist I shared a few posts ago...one of my absolute favorites from the father of song.) I was initially excited, then wondered if I could stand to hear another performer butcher what I consider to be one of the finest songs -- both lyrics and melody. I had once been excited to hear Willie Nelson's version and then cringed, although I have grown to like it a little more.

But Mark nailed it - and it wasn't just because some others from the audience sang a soft harmony. His voice is powerful and his guitar playing strong; his bass player was excellent. Mark's performance of "Hallelujah" was bone chilling and delicious, creating the magic a musician weave only when he understands a song completely.

Even though I've been listening to Mark's CD as I do dishes or cook dinner, after hearing him perform these songs, they take on new meaning. It's difficult to pick a favorite. I thought it was "Bethlehem" but this morning it might be "Man Under the Bridge". Then again it may be the other song that touched me last night, Mark's song about a fallen soldier in Iraq, "Going Home". This is the song that has stayed with me, keeping me company this morning.

We had a great time. Sparky, thanks for opening up your restaurant to music for the 'hood. Mark, thanks for sharing your music with us.

Come on Down to Sparkytown....hear Mark Zane

Not only does Sparky serve the best lunch around the neighborhood at her restaurant at the corner of Burnet and Catherine, always welcoming our writing group with a smile and hugs, she's now open for dinner on the weekends with live music!

You'll certainly be treated to a delightful dinner and a musician who'll you be sure to tell folks "I heard him when" if you drop by this Saturday night to hear Mark Zane play from his latest CD, "American Hunger". You will not be disappointed.

Check him out at http://www.myspace.com/markzane1