Filed under: Features, Issue 19 | Tags: Bo Diddley, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Buddy Guy, Castaways, Caution Children, Charlie Musselwhite, Cornell University, Dandy Little Lions, Dark Star Orchestra, Donna the Buffalo, Dread Zeppelin, Fanclub Collective, Felicia's Atmoic Lounge, GrassRoots Festival, Haunt Bar and Grille, Ithaca College, Ithaca Underground, J-san & the Analogue Sons, jeff buckley, John Brown's Body, Johnny Dowd, Junior Wells, Kites in Space, Koko Taylor, Lyle Lovett, New York Philharmonic, Pete Panek and the Blue Cats, Popcorn Youth, Radio the Ape, Robert Cray, Sim Redmond Band, Sixteen Sixteen, Soul Asylum, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Texas Flood, The Allman Brothers Band, The Burns Sisters, The Nines, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Shop, Tundra Toes, WICB
Caution Children are one of the many bands that characterize Ithaca sound
Nestled in the foothills of the Finger Lakes, right in the heart of wine country, Ithaca is a community secluded from the rest of the world. There are no major interstates that cut an unsightly swath through its downtown; no passenger trains rumbling across the Cayuga Valley. One could easily assume that if it wasn’t for Cornell University and Ithaca College, Ithaca would have just been another Podunk upstate burg at the edges of the Rust Belt.
Yet this small college city, just over a one-hour drive from Syracuse and a little under five from New York City, is home to one of the country’s most eclectic, powerful, and thriving music scenes.
After all, the ever-elusive “Ithaca Sound” was created here, a fusion of familiar and ethnic music styles, fundamental to the popularity and acceptance of Roots. Acclaimed reggae group John Brown’s Body considers Ithaca home, as do country singer Johnny Dowd and folk singers The Burns Sisters. College-town venue The Nines has been hosting the Blue Monday jam session for over 29 years. And the local award-winning college radio station WICB carries such programming as “Home Brew,” a weekly show dedicated to local music, while graduates at the School of Music at nearby Ithaca College go on to play with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. Continue reading
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