music

Bob Dylan headlines a line up that includes Wilco and My Morning Jacket on July 18 at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.

Show time is 5:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $30 to $79.50.

In this short video, St. Joe's fourth-grader Andres Mateos demonstrates the use of a Bo, a martial arts weapon from Korea.

Andres was one of many talented youths from Genesee County competing in the "Make Some Noise Area-Wide Talent Show" at Notre Dame High School last night.

Proceeds from this event will be donated to the Western New York chapter of "Make Noise 4 Kids," a nonprofit organization that raises money and awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer.

Here are some of the other performers:

Natalie Matuszak (Notre Dame) singing and playing the guitar for "I Wouldn't Mind" by He is We.

Nathan Beck (Notre Dame) singing and playing the original song "Can't Wait."

Kathryn Fitzpatrick (John Kennedy School) singing a cappella "Wizard and I" (from the Broadway musical "Wicked").

Matuszak and Gabrielle Linsey (Notre Dame) dancing to Rihanna's "Right Now."

Peter Kehl (Notre Dame) singing "Bring Him Home" from "Les Miserables" (dressed as Jean Valjean).

Laura Guiste (Batavia High School) singing "Love Story" by Taylor Swift.

Jon Korzelius, Tyler Hamm and Tristan Korzelius (all from Oakfield-Alabama) performing "The Pit and the Pendulum," a rock medley of original and popular rock songs.

Hailey Natalizia (Pembroke) singing "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" by Martina McBride.

Due to some technical difficulties, I was unable to take pictures of all the performers. My apologies and congratulations on a job well done to the following:

Keara Zerillo, Erin Phillips and Serena Strollo-DiCenso (St. Joseph School), who sang "Wings" by Little Mix.

Kyle Kendall (John Kennedy School), who performed a ball spinning act.

Fiona Beck (St. Joseph School), who sang and played "Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones.

Jake Krajewski, Tyler Barrett, Peter Kehl, Janelle Fancher and Lydia Moens (Notre Dame), who performed a short play called "The Legend of Krately House."

Tyler Hamm and Jon Korzelius (Oakfield-Alabama), who performed a drum duet.

Tracy Read and Beth Johnson-Walsh (Oakfield-Alabama), who sang and played the piano for "Hometown Glory" by Adele.

The winners of the contest were, left to right, Beck (first place), Cheverie (honorable mention), Phillips, Strollo-DiCenso and Zerillo (honorable mention), Kehl (third place), Korzelius and Hamm (second place) and Natalizia (pictured separately).

So as to fit them all in clearly, here is a picture from the other side:

Natalizia was happy to be another honorable mention.

As first prize winner, Beck was awarded $150. He donated his entire winnings to "Make Noise 4 Kids."

For music lovers, the best place to be in Batavia this afternoon was Terry Hills, where Serendipity Swing serenaded a lunch crowd of more than 100 people.

Chef Gene Hewitt (pictured below) prepared a lavish buffet lunch that featured fish, roast beaf, soups (including Terry Hill's famous seafood bisque) and salad.

The Ghost Riders have released a new CD -- 34 songs recorded live from 2008 through 2011 at the annual Stafford Carnival Father's Day Jamboree.

The CD is available at all upcoming Ghost Rider gigs.

For John and Joseph Irrera, it all started with an owl who liked to play the saxophone and a little boy who signed up to play the violin without telling his parents.

Joseph and John graduated from Batavia High School in 2000 and 2003, respectively, and since then they have had a quite successful run as a piano-violin duo. On Sunday, they will kick off the "Irrera Brothers Chamber Music Series" at GCC.

The piano is Joseph's instrument of choice. He has been playing since he was 5 years old, and his love for the piano began with, of all things, the saxophone.

"I always watched 'Sesame Street,' " he said, "and there was an owl character who played the saxophone. So I wanted to play the saxophone, too."

Joseph's parents took him to Roxy's Music Store for lessons, only to learn that he was too young for wind instrument lessons.

"(The teachers at Roxy's) suggested starting with the piano," Joseph said. "I wasn't interested. But my parents -- especially my dad -- convinced me. They said that if I started with the piano I would have a good foundation, learn how to read music and get to know rhythm. And then when I actually started to learn the saxophone, it would be much easier."

And he never looked back.

"I started to play the saxophone in fourth grade and continued through high school," he said, "but it never felt like the piano did to me."

Five years later, his little brother John, a first-grader at John Kennedy Elementary School, signed up to play a string instrument.

"(He did it) on his own," Joseph said.

After Christmas, John's mother got a surprise call from string instructor Cindy Baldwin, who said that a spot had opened up for the violin.

And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Joseph and John are both currently studying for their doctorates in Piano Performance and Violin Performance, respectively, at the Eastman School of Music.

They have an impressive repertoire as a performing piano-violin duo that includes frequent performances on the radio station WXXI 91.5 (they will be featured in a noon performance on Wednesday), two performances at Carnegie Hall in New York City (one in 2009, the other in March 2012) and a 10-day tour in Costa Rica in August.

According to Joseph, the piano and violin are "the best pair you can have."

"The great thing about the piano is that it can provide both melody and harmony underneath," he said. "And then the violin is one of the most vocal instruments. It can emote a lot. So they complement each other very nicely. It has been a very popular arrangement to compose for over the centuries and has an extensive repertoire."

More after the jump (click on the headline):

The public is invited to watch the Irreras perform at GCC's Stuart Steiner Theatre, at 1 College Road in Batavia, on Sunday at 4 p.m. Cost of admission is $20 for adults and $10 for students, and tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at the Genesee Symphony Orchestra's Web site, Roxy's Music Store or GoArt! Seating capacity for the theatre is 328 people.

In its first year, the "Irrera Brothers Chamber Music Series" is a branch of the Genesee Symphony Orchestra that offers "a more intimate and sociable setting" for concertgoers.

"It's not just 'listen and leave,' " Joseph said. "The whole idea is that people get to interact with the performers."

Sunday's performance is the first of five bi-monthly concerts, each featuring performers who are in some way associated with either the Genesee Symphony Orchestra or the Eastman School of Music.

Each concert will last about an hour and a half, and this time frame will include the performances themselves, an intermission with refreshments and beverages available, and a "meet the artists" session at the end.

For the first half of their performance on Sunday, the Irreras will play two pieces -- one by Robert Schumann and one by his wife, Clara Schumann.

"We chose these because two brothers started this series," Joseph said, "and that family relationship parallels nicely with the husband/wife relationship."

In the second half, they will perform "Chaconne in G minor" by Vitali and "Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Opus 94A" by Prokofiev.

Listeners are in for a treat, because the Irrera brothers' talents were years in the making.

They began studying at Eastman's pre-college division as children. Joseph was 11, John was 8.

Before even making it to college, they received coaching from such prestigious performers as the Ying Quartet -- a world-famous, Grammy-winning string quartet.

Joseph and John both stayed at Eastman for their undergraduate degrees. John earned his master's there as well; Joseph went to the Peabody Institute in Baltimore for his master's before returning to Eastman for his doctorate.

Among John's violin instructors was hugely renowned violinist Zvi Zeitlin, who passed away in May at age 90.

"He wasn't your typical 90-year-old," Joseph said. "He was very agile, very with it. John was very fortunate to have studied with him for all three degrees."

If you were to ask the Irrera brothers what has most contributed to their success, they would probably both attribute it to two things:

• Dedication to their craft; and
• The support of their parents.

"Our parents never pushed or forced us," Joseph said. "They just wanted us to enjoy it and have fun. The hours of practice came from John and me."

"But we still did all the normal things kids do -- sports, after-school activities, etc. We found our way through positive reinforcement from our parents."

Eastman faculty were also hugely influential to them -- especially Alla Kuznetsod, with whom Joseph studied from age 11 to 18, and Boris Zapesochny, with whom John studied from age eight to 18.

For more information on the Irrera brothers, visit www.irrerabrothers.com or Joseph's personal Web site, www.josephirrera.com.

For more information on the "Irrera Brothers Chamber Music Series," e-mail Patricia Hawley at pfhawley@gmail.com.

Note: John was unavailable for an interview, which is why Joseph alone is quoted in the article.

Photos courtesy of www.irrerabrothers.com.

"It isn't often that someone makes it big in the music business, nor for the number of years that John Dittrich (second from left in picture) has."

So says Greg Luetticke, co-owner of Frost Ridge Campground in Le Roy, which will host the Grammy-nominated country music band "Restless Heart" at a concert on Friday, Aug. 17.

Dittrich, a native of Batavia and a 1970 Batavia High School graduate, has been with "Restless Heart" for more than 20 years as a drummer and vocalist. The other band members are, from left, Paul Gregg, Larry Stewart, Greg Jennings and Dave Innis.

"It's amazing to still be able to do what I do," Dittrich said.

He embarked on a profession in music in 1975, and has enjoyed a long and successful career that owes itself, in large part, to a Batavia City School District teacher.

"My most important influence and probably the guy I would credit with helping me in this direction was Neil Hartwick," Dittrich said.

Hartwick was the Batavia Middle School band director and the director of the jazz workshop at the high school.

"He brought in Ed Shaughnessy (of "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson") to do a concert," Dittrich said. "And when I found out that Mr. Hartwick had invited him specifically for me, that blew me away."

As a college student, Dittrich went to New York City once a month for two years to study under Shaughnessy.

"And he remembered me," he said.

As an original member of "Restless Heart," Dittrich was part of what he calls a "crossover" period in the history of country music.

"Our producer (Tim Dubois) had written some songs that were kind of in a gray area as far as the market was concerned," he said. "They were too pop for country, but not pop enough for pop."

Part of the band's success, Dittrich said, was due to the willingness of RCA Records to take a chance on them.

"There was a strong push in traditional country music at the time," he said. "But some groups did have more edgy music and enjoyed some success. RCA liked the direction of our music and they were willing to make the investment."

In addition to four Grammy nominations, "Restless Heart" has had six #1 hits and seven Country Music Association nominations. They have also been lucky to see 26 of their singles make the Billboard Country Charts. Their numerous crossover hits include the 1992 song "When She Cries."

A good 15-20 years have passed since Dittrich last returned to Genesee County. He said it will be "pretty nice" to be back for the concert, especially since some old friends and 10 family members will be in attendance.

"I hope somebody gives me a beef on weck!" he added.

The concert is part of the three-day "Jam at the Ridge." Gates will open at 4 p.m. Friday, with the concert itself starting at 4:30.

"Restless Heart" will go on at 8:30 p.m. for a performance of about 75-90 minutes. Singers Worthy Duncan and Johnny Bauer will open the show.

Here are the ticket prices:

Regular seating: $15 in advance, $20 at the gate.

Preferred seating: $22 in advance, $29 at the gate.

Preferred Plus seating: $42 in advance, $55 at the gate.

VIP seating: $79 in advance, $99 at the gate.

VIP seating includes front row seats, a private meet-and-greet dinner with "Restless Heart," a poster for autographing and a picture with the band.

Frost Ridge Campground is located at 8101 Conlon Road in Le Roy. For more information, call 768-4883 or go to www.frostridge.com.

Photo submitted by Greg Luetticke

The music industry has apparently found a new source of revenue: taxpayers.

ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) is, according to County Attorney Chuck Zambito, asking local governments to sign a licensing agreement for public performances of music and pay an annual fee for the privilege.

The fee varies based on population.

Legislator Ray Cianfrini called the fee "shakedown money" in the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday.

The committee voted 4-1 (Cianfrini voted no) to sign the agreement and pay ASCAP an annual fee of $637.

The license agreement will protect the county from an ASCAP-initiated lawsuit over any public performances of music on county property, but also limits what the county can allow without additional licenses.

For example, the county can't host a community orchestra or band on its property without paying an additional licensing fee.

The license agreement also requires regular reporting of any events on county property -- such as the Holland Land Office Museum or the nursing home -- where music is played along with a copy of any program that goes with the event. If a band or DJ performs, the county must disclose the performer, provide contact information, and disclose whether the performer is licensed by ASCAP to perform ASCAP-licensed music.

"This is being discussed in every county in the state and most of them are saying they're just going to do it because it's not that much money and they don't want to fight it," Zambito said. "If we don't sign it, they're going to come around and see us."

According to Zambito, local governments that have refused to sign the agreement have already received visits from ASCAP auditors.

The penalty, according to a brochure published by ASCAP, for performing copyrighted music without permission is from $750 to $30,000 per song.

According to the brochure, a public performance of music is:

The Copyright Law defines a public performance as one “in a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is gath- ered.”

The law requires a license for all public performances, whether from a recording or by a live musician. 

ASCAP is only one licensing agency and doesn't own licensing rights to all of the songs currently under copyright. There's also BMI, for example, and Zambito said so far BMI hasn't started contacting local governments.

The license fee is some formula created by ASCAP, Zambito said, based on population and other factors.

"The bottom line is they just came up with some artificial number just to get money out of you," Zambito said.

The Ghost Riders played Jackson Square on Friday night -- both bands.

The Ghost Riders country band shared the venue with the Ghost Riders Drum and Bugle Corps, which is also based in Batavia.

If it's ever possible to say Jackson Square is SRO, then last night was one of those nights. The square was nearly wall-to-wall music fans.

More than 40 bands and solo performers congregated downtown Saturday, the rain stayed away, and a good time was had by all at the annual Ramble & Arts Fest in Jackson Square.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here.

To purchase prints of these photos, click here.

The Ramble Music and Arts Festival is known as a celebration of the musical culture of Genesee County—but to many of the musicians participating, it means so much more.

“I think it’s a very popular event because all the people get to reminisce about the old times,” says Andy Hare, who will participate in the 7th annual festival for the third time this Saturday. “It’s almost like a class reunion for many of the musicians and the people who follow them—the old guys like us, chasing the Sixties.”

The “us” Hare is referring to are the members of the Moonshine Valley Band, his former group that will be reunited Saturday night. The band is one of several from the good old days that is coming together specifically for this occasion.  

“It’s a chance for guys like me to get out and show they’ve got a few kicks left in them,” Hare jokes.

Founder Bill McDonald says that the festival was started to serve that very purpose — to take a walk down memory lane by reuniting all those local musicians who had played together years ago. It has since grown from its humble beginnings — this year’s event will feature 37 acts, several artists, and “many ramblin’ revelers.”

“The purpose has always been to get the current community and folks who once called our area home involved, to share in the fun and keep the music and friendships vibrant,” he explains.

The Ramble is not strictly geared toward the middle-aged crowd — the event attracts people of all ages and generations.

“The festival day and the weeks pre and post have brought many friends, young and old, musical mates, and people in general, together for some fun,” says McDonald.

The festival-goers falling under the “young” category give the Ramble its charm, as the majority are the receivers of a passed torch.

“It shows the young people what’s coming, because many of them are offspring of the performers,” says Hare. “It’s generational entertainment.”

The Ramble Music and Arts Festival will take place from noon to 8 p.m. this Saturday, July 7, in Downtown Batavia. The 37 participating acts will perform on two different stages: the electric acts in Jackson Square, and the acoustic acts on Center Street. A remembrance of past musicians will take place at 4 pm. Admission is free.

Press release:

The Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) has released its Summer 2012 line-up for the “Friday Night in the Square” Jackson Square concerts. For more than 12 years, the BID has provided free concerts downtown to make our community a fun and active place to play. 

The "Friday Night in the Square" concert series begins June 29 and ends Aug. 31. Time is 7 to 9 p.m. The square is located in the alleyway of Jackson or Center streets. Bring your own seating. Food and refreshments will be available for sale. If it's raining, venue changes to Batavia City Centre, inside the mall.

The following is the concert schedule for “Friday Night in the Square”:

Friday, June 29 --  Penny Whiskey (Celtic/Folk)
Friday, July 6 – Bonnie & Collide ( R & B)
Friday, July 13  -- Skiffle Minstrels (Country/Cajun)
Friday, July 20  – Ghost Riders (Country)
Friday, July 27 -- 78 RPM (Big Band)
Friday, Aug. 3 – Kelly’s Old Timers (Country)
Friday, Aug. 10 – OHMS Band (Rock)
Friday, Aug. 17 – John Cole Blues Band (Blues)
Friday, Aug. 24 --  Jack Civiletto “Sinatra” (Sinatra)
Friday, Aug. 31  – Craig Wilkins (Country)

***Also, the Ramble Music & Art Fest will take place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 7, at Jackson Square.

For more information contact the BID office at 585-344-0900 or visit our Web site at www.downtownbataviany.com. Be sure to like us on our Facebook page – Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District -- so that you can keep up with events and updates.

Tonight, the Batavia Concert Band kicked off its series of free concerts at Centennial Park with a show of a collection of British melodies, marches and concert favorites conducted by Brad Meholick.