Community News

     The Oswego Music Hall`s gala Finale show at the end of its annual season has become a much-anticipated music and food fest. This year`s Finale, Sat. May 31, 4:30 - 9:30, will feature two Boston -based singer-songwriters with past connections to Buffalo and Syracuse: Greg Klyma--a multi-instumentalist, old-school troubadour with a fresh savvy flair, and Ryan Fitszimmons-- a compelling songwriter with a growing reputation for powerhouse shows that are compelling and genre-bending.

     The Finale is a five-hour extravaganza. It includes two sets at 4:30 and 7:30 from headliner Greg Klyma-- shared with Ryan Fitszimmons-- followed at 5:20 by BBQ dinner and an Emerging Artists Showcase that highlights a wonderful range of area musicians. After this musical feast, the evening ends with with a complimentary sunset reception on the deck: a cornocopaeia of gourmet desserts.

     The evening will be alive and thrumming with music. The Music Hall is excited to bring Greg Klyma, a seasoned performer steeped in the timeless art of the American folk tradition, to its stage. He's a prolific songwriter with a 15 year career and a treasure chest of material that assumes his audiences are both smart and able to laugh. His enduring themes, amusing and articulate stories, and populist ideas make him one of those rare young musicians who carries the torch for Woody and Ramblin' Jack. Klyma has had dozens of national tours and recorded seven albums; he averages more than 150 tour

dates a year with guitar and mandolin in hand (just ask his van!).

     Going beyond the Woody Guthrie/Mark Twain sass of recent years, Klyma isn't afraid to navigate the riskier landscapes of modern life; that's where the contemporary savviness and fun comes in. Here's how Sarah Craig describes Klyma's preformance at Caffe Lena in Saratoga: Klyma's "stories blend seamlessly into songs, evoking a flavor of Mark Twain, Woody Guthrie, and David Sedaris."

     To learn more about Greg Klyma's career (and watch a video of Greg's story and song that became a suubject of a blog by Huffington Post's Dan Duffy), check this site: http://klyma.com/

     Over the past 10 years Ryan Fitzsimmons has woven his way throughout New England, developing a strong presence in a number of local music scenes. While he was living in Providence RI, the Providence Phoenix awarded him the title of Best Male Vocalist. Ryan was also the founder of the AS220 Sunday Songwriters Series which continues to this day. Upon relocating to the Boston area, Ryan has become a fixture in the Americana scene with regular appearances at a number of venerable Cambridge venues and garnered an enthusiastic fan base.

     The Emerging Artists session at this Finale is always of special interest. It's a great way to see and hear a range of homegrown talented, aspiring, and usuallly young singer/songwriters. Jim Brady, John Samson, Marc Warner, Casey Collins, and a Trio of Mark and Erik Petrie with John Dancks are slated to take the stage with their guitars, Native American Indian flutes, and no doubt other instruments.

     With five hours of great music and good food, the Finale is a party not to be missed. Tickets for the May 31 performances are free for members of the Oswego Music Hall. Non-member tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at oswegomusichall.org and at River's End Bookstore in Oswego. Purchase of a Music Hall membership for $10 provides admission and saves $5. Children 5-12 are half price not available online); children under 5 are free. The price for the BBQ pulled pork (or vegetarian ) dinner and beverage ( water, soda, coffee or tea) is $10. There are no advance tickets for the dinner; they'll be sold at the door while supply lasts. BYO is permitted for those of legal drinking age.

     This season Finale is a family-friendly jamboree from 4:30 until after sunset at the usual Music Hall venue (41 Lake St. Oswego). For more information call 315-342-1733 or access the Music Hall website. The next season for the Oswego Music Hall – its 38th --will start Sept. 27th with the worldbeat-vaudeville wonder Zoe Lewis. Save the date, and access the Music Hall website: http://oswegomusichall.org/ to see the new schedule as it gets firmed up over the summer. Music Hall concerts are made possible in part with funding by the NYS Council on the Arts.