Write a commentFollowing a week of extreme winter weather in the area, local music fans were ready for a night out. The Oswego Music Hall's Saturday evening performance by folk/rock singer Leslie Mendelson provided a great escape from the ice and snow.
The Brooklyn, NY based Mendelson was accompanied on her road trip to the great white north by her longtime collaborator Steve McEwan, who joined in on acoustic guitar and vocals.
The duo began their first set with Have A Little Heart, the opening track from Leslie's 2024 album After The Party. They then proceeded to play the entire album in order to complete the set. Other Girls, the nostalgic Rock & Roll On The Radio, the title song Have A Little Heart, and Leave A Little Light On all received strong applause from the one hundred or so hardy souls who braved the wintry conditions to come to the show.
After a brief intermission, Mendelson and McEwan came back to the stage to perform songs from Leslie's three previously released albums Swan Feathers, Love And Murder, and If You Can't Say Anything Nice. McEwan, a 3-time Grammy Award winning songwriter, co-wrote several songs on each album with Mendelson. When she played at the Music Hall in 2023, Mendelson performed solo. Having McEwan provide additional guitar fills and backing vocals added a new dimension to the familiar songs.
The two performed mainly original songs during their 90-plus minute show. The exceptions were a cut from Paul McCartney's first post-Beatles solo album, Every Night, and dropping a chorus of Baby, Now That I've Found You into the original song I Know You Better Than That which shares a similar melody.
Throughout the evening, the two performers kept up a banter that showed how comfortable they were being on stage together. Mendelson even related a story about MacEwan's amazement with the icicles the previous week's snowstorm had generated here in the upstate area. "We played near Buffalo last night," Mendelson said. "As we were driving to Oswego, Steve just couldn't believe the ice we saw!"
The pair closed the second set with All Come Together, a favorite from Mendelson's 2021 album If You Can't Say Anything Nice, that featured an opportunity for the audience to join in. The duo took a bow to a standing ovation, then left the stage, only to be brought back for an encore.
Fleetwood Mac's Landslide from the album, Rumors, was a crowd favorite, and was beautifully performed. Leslie and Steve finished the evening with a sweet (and very appropriate) Good Night.
Leslie Mendelson is a very talented singer and songwriter, and is no slouch on the guitar and harmonica either. She has an incredibly deep catalog of songs, with connections to Jackson Browne and other West Coast music legends. She'll be touring in the midwest and Colorado in the coming weeks, and will be heading westward later this summer.
Next up at the Oswego Music Hall will be an Open Mic Night with guest host Dave "Big D" Schneider at 7:00 pm on Friday, March 7. The next night, the Music Hall's annual Women In Music Series will feature co-headliners The Nields and Crys Matthews on Saturday evening, March 8. The evening will feature a Meet and Greet in conjunction with Oswego County Opportunities beginning at 6:30 pm. Showtime will be 7:30 pm. Advanced sale tickets are available at www.OswegoMusicHall.org or at The River's End Bookstore in downtown Oswego.
The all-volunteer Oswego Music Hall is located inside the historic McCrobie Civic Center at 41 Lake Street in Oswego. The Music Hall is wheelchair accessible.
