Category Archives: Community Events

Mark Lyon
and 
Mary Ann Casale

Sunday, December 8, 3:00 PM

At The Hermitage
(Robin McClellan’s home)
in Sanfordville.

I’m not sure you’ve heard, you may have been in solitary confinement or on retreat in a silent monastery, but the impeachment hearings have given a public voice to some amazing people, many who are immigrants, who have dedicated their lives to the service of the United States. While I see their testimony as confirming that the President tried to use public money to influence the upcoming election some see it as business as usual, and the divide between Red and Blue still appears insurmountable.

But you may have noticed that the hearings have catalyzed a little change in the race. Suddenly there’s money coming into Tedra’s campaign from all over the country and that’s great!

What doesn’t get talked about, though, is that Tedra has raised twice as much money from within New York State as her opponent has and over 5 times as much as she has in the district! This is extraordinary and I think that this will mean a lot to the voters in the district. (If you want to see more about the fundraising of the two candidates, go to https://www.opensecrets.org/races/geography?cycle=2020&id=NY21&spec=N.)

Mary Ann, Mark, and I want to help you help her increase her donations from inside the district and experience some great music at the same time, so please join us on December 8 for beautiful music for a noble cause.

If you aren’t able to attend and want to donate to her incredible grassroots campaign, click here!

Thanks,
Robin

Mark Lyon

Mary Ann Casale

Mark draws from folk, blues, country, and bluegrass and is guided by nature and ethereal influences. He teaches guitar privately. Mary Ann says, “He is a very very very VERY good guitar player. He is very engaging with the audience and his easy way is something that you don’t find too often. He plays to play, not to perform.”

He is also interested in the use of music in the healing arts. “It is my goal to make people feel when they listen to my music,” said Mark. In addition to playing, he built his own guitar in local luthier, Tracy Cox’s shop. Mark has been performing as lead guitar player in “The Gathering” and playing duo gigs with singer/songwriter David Wells.

Mary Ann has had a busy year, performing nationally and working on Tas Cru’s next album Drive On both in arranging and adding backing vocals. After a full summer of performances both locally, nationally, and in Canada, she’s currently writing for two new projects. She continues to do small concert venues locally and on the national blues festival circuit and is booking into 2020.

For more information click here to go to my website where you will find directions to the Hermitage.

Bee Children will Perform for the Benefit of

The Ugandan Water Project Partners
and
Legal and Charitable Aid Uganda

Saturday, October 5^th at 7 PM

The Hermitage
(Robin McClellan’s home)
465 Old Market Road,
Sandfordville, NY

The members of Bee Children are involved in a number of organizations that work for the benefit of society and they have generously donated their time, thought, organizational skills, and their music to support them. Their last performance here was in benefit of two local organizations: Renewal House and the Potsdam Food Pantry. This time they are performing in support a cause farther afield: The Ugandan Water Project Partners and Legal and Charitable Aid Uganda

Bee Children channel the do-it-yourself attitude of the 1960s and the indie spirit of the 1980s into original music that is impassioned, cerebral, and atmospheric. Created as an acoustic folk-pop project, the band’s sound has evolved over the past half-decade into a more ambitious, electric mix that showcases their post-punk, new wave, synth-pop and college radio influences. Words of hope, melancholia, and empowerment combine with complex soundscapes that alternate between light and dark, past and present. The band released its debut album, Veranophonic, in 2015, and followed it up with 2018’s Gather the Exiles, a collection of nine songs headlined by the propulsive, inspiring “Get Free.” The video for the song was filmed live at the legendary Java Barn.  The band has played in a range of venues from intimate acoustic spaces and local bars to music hot spots and regional concert series and festivals.

*Bee Children* are John Collins (guitar, vocals), Shane Rogers (keyboards, vocals), Terry DuBray (bass, guitar, vocals), and Sarah Gates (guitar, vocals).

This concert is open to the public. Admission is free but monetary donations will be accepted and will go to the Ugandan Water Project Partners and Legal and Charitable Aid Uganda. Come on out to help us celebrate and support these great causes!

For directions, go to https://robinmcclellan.com/ where you’ll find a link.

For more information, visit www.wearebeechildren.com, or contact Bee Children at beechildren@gmail.com.

Mark Lyon
and 
Mary Ann Casale

Sunday, October 28, 4:00 PM

At The Hermitage
(Robin McClellan’s home)
in Sanfordville.

I am excited that Mary Ann, a dear friend and a regular here, will join Mark for the final benefit of this campaign season at the Hermitage. They were scheduled to kick off this year in January, but when Mary Ann fell ill, it turned into a solo concert for Mark who carried it brilliantly. Now, at last, they will perform together and it should be a great show.

Tedra has had an amazing quarter, raising $715,000, primarily from individual donors and without accepting contributions from corporate PACs. 65% of her donors live in the 21st Congressional District and 87% live in New York State. And she has crisscrossed the district, talking with and listening to the people in it.

I have known Tedra for many years. She combines a passion for the region and those of us who live in it with the ability to work with people of all stripes to craft policies that are effective and fair. This is something sorely needed in these divisive times. I truly believe that she will serve the needs of the people in this district because she knows and understands those needs and will work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to be effective.  For more information on Tedra go to her web page or her Facebook page.

If you aren’t able to attend and want to donate to her incredible grassroots campaign, click here!

Mark

Mary Ann

Mark draws from folk, blues, country, and bluegrass and is guided by nature and ethereal influences. He teaches guitar with the Musical Way Academy. Mary Ann says, “He is a very very very VERY good guitar player. He is very engaging with the audience and his easy way is something that you don’t find too often. He plays to play, not to perform.”

He is also interested in the use of music in the healing arts. “It is my goal to make people feel when they listen to my music,” said Mark. In addition to playing, he built his own guitar in local luthier, Tracy Cox’s shop. He is recording at SUNY Potsdam this fall and winter and hopes to release his first album soon. He is also working on a full band project.

Mary Ann has had a  busy year of touring both as a duo with Tas Cru and a member of his Band of Tortured Souls. With over 60 performances from the famous Rum Boogie Café on Beal Street in Memphis to a summer filled with festivals throughout the northeast and Canada, this has been a year of travel. She has also logged in many hours recording full backup vocals for 3 of Tas’ albums at Subcat Studios in Syracuse. Her Sammy Award (Syracuse Area Music Award) nominated album, Restless Heart has gotten a good amount of national and international airplay.

2018 was a busy year as she set out to join the band mid-tour with a lineup of 7 shows in Topeka, Kansas, and Memphis in mid-January. This tour had also earned her a spot on the acclaimed Women in Blues Showcase Stage in Memphis. She has co-written two songs Heal My Soul and the acclaimed Memphis Song for Tas Cru’s latest album, Memphis Song,  as well as adding multiple vocal tracks for that album. After a full summer of performances both locally, nationally, and in Canada, she’s currently writing for two new projects. She continues to do small concert venues locally and on the national blues festival circuit and is booking into 2019.

I hope you’ll be able to come out and listen to great music and support our local candidate for Congress.

I have 2 upcoming events on September 16 and 18 and I want to make sure that you don’t miss them because one was lost below the fold!

September 16: An evening of fine food, beer, and music, to benefit Planned Parenthood (Reservations Required).

September 18: A musical benefit for Tedra for Congress with Gretchen Koehler and Daniel Kelly.

Click the links for more details about each of them (or just scroll down); they both promise to be lovely!

Gretchen Koehler
and
Daniel Kelly

Light Refreshments from
Big Spoon Kitchen

Tuesday, September 18, 7 PM

The Hermitage (Robin McClellan’s)
Stockholm

It’s an honor to host another benefit for Tedra, this time with two world-acclaimed musicians, local fiddler Gretchen Koehler and pianist Daniel Kelly. Among the terms used to describe them are “genre-busting,” “irresistible rhythmic environments,” “captivating soundscapes,” and “a delivery that ranges from elegant to fierce, searing to sensitive. ” But my favorite accolade comes from another local musical legend, Barb Heller, on Folkalley.com, “Koehler & Kelly deliver The Picture and The Thousand Words.” (For more about this fine duo, check out their website.)

But wait, there’s more! In addition to the music and comradery, there will be light refreshments provided by the inimitable Big Spoon Kitchen. This local venture is new, but its founders, Rose Rivezzi and her son Will Trithart, have been cooking, eating and appreciating healthy and tasty food all their lives. This is a great opportunity to sample their savory delights and find out more about their weekly take-home meals.

I do hope you’ll be able to join me for an evening of fine food and fine sounds and to offer generous support to Tedra’s campaign for Congress.

This is an open event so please disseminate this invitation or its contents widely. The campaign is also trying to gauge how many people will be coming so please RSVP to events@tedracobb.com if you can…but if you find yourself free at the last minute, come anyway.

If you can’t make the event and want to donate to Tedra’s campaign you can do that here.