Beacon On Aurora
Concert Series
Beacon On Aurora is a monthly concert series held on Sunday evenings at the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca located at 306 N. Aurora St.
Schedule
Hiroya is a one-of-a-kind guitarist and composer. Born and raised in Kyoto, Japan and in 2000, he received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music and came to the US. Since then, he has been performing internationally including United Nations, Blue Note in New York Japanese National Television. Hiroya released six albums. Most recently, he won 2nd place in International Finger Style Guitar Championship in 2022.
Past Performances
Pennsylvania-based House of Hamill is a fixture on festival stages across the US, and have shared their music and stories on the country’s premier folk stages. Their version of “Pound a Week Rise” rose to #1 on the US Folk DJ charts, and the video for their all-violin cover of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” amassed over 16 million views on Facebook, where it was shared over 400,000 times. Their latest release, “Folk Hero,” captures perfectly the frenetic energy and eclecticism of their always engaging live show. A lively collection of original instrumentals, reimagined folk ballads, and new songs that showcase the trio’s versatility, “Folk Hero” is the third House of Hamill album to be funded entirely by their fans.
Whether they’re ripping through a set of original jigs and reels, adding lush three-part harmonies into traditional folk ballads, or cracking up an audience with stories from the road, House of Hamill puts on a show that captivates audiences from the very first note.
Sunday, Feb 11, 2024
A troubadour of truth, Nashville resident Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. An award-winning, prolific lyricist and composer, Matthews blends Americana, folk, blues, and bluegrass into a bold, complex performance steeped in traditional melodies punctuated by honest, original lyrics. She is made for these times. Of Matthews, ASCAP VP & Creative Director Eric Philbrook says, “By wrapping honest emotions around her socially conscious messages and dynamically delivering them with a warm heart and a strong voice, she lifts our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times.” Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation adds, her gift is a “reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides.” Her hope-fueled, love-filled, social-justice album called Changemakers was released March 26, 2021, and the title track was named the International Folk Music Association’s “Song of the Year” in May of 2022.
Spencer LaJoye is a folk/pop singer songwriter, violinist, and vocal loop artist in Boston, MA, who believes everyone is made of the good stuff. A 2021 Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competition winner, LaJoye (luh-JOY) makes music to tell the truth and return to their body as a queer person in recovery from American Christian evangelicalism. Delivering Broadway-esque melodies accompanied by a weathered dreadnought, their performances are equal parts confident quirk and elegant storytelling.
Spencer LaJoye is a folk/pop singer songwriter, violinist, and vocal loop artist in Boston, MA, who believes everyone is made of the good stuff. A 2021 Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competition winner, LaJoye (luh-JOY) makes music to tell the truth and return to their body as a queer person in recovery from American Christian evangelicalism. Delivering Broadway-esque melodies accompanied by a weathered dreadnought, their performances are equal parts confident quirk and elegant storytelling.
Please note: the November Beacon on Aurora concert will be held at The Community School of Music and Arts located at 330 E. State St.
Aleksi Campagne is a bilingual contemporary indie-folk fiddle-singer from Montreal. As the son of Canadian Folk icon Connie Kaldor and student of Jazz Violin Legend Didier Lockwood, Aleksi combines his powerful voice with rich songwriting, all while accompanying himself on the violin and seamlessly switching between English and French.
Toronto-based singer-songwriter Julian Taylor has been part of the musical fabric and landscape in Canada for over two decades. Taylor enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2020, when his second solo acoustic album, The Ridge, earned million plays on Spotify, praise from press worldwide, and airplay from America to Australia to the U.K. Loaded with soulful Americana and country twang, the album was produced by Taylor himself and Saam Hashemi, and was recorded at The Woodshed in Toronto.
After spending five years cutting his teeth in upstate New York bars, Rowe released his first record,Magic. The album’s ten tracks were written during his time in survival school andrecorded in his hometown of Troy. Without a label or manager, Rowe and his good friend Troy released the record themselves. Soon after, Rowe got his first taste of touring in Europe and booking agent soon followed along with the independent label of his dreams: ANTI-Records, an American label behind many of music’s greats, including Tom Waits, Neko Case, and MerleHaggard.His music has appeared in several hit television shows including Parenthood, Queen Sugar,andTheBlacklist. He reached critical acclaim when his song “To Leave Something Behind” was prominently featured in the Ben Affleck-starring film, The Accountant. The popularity of the track—which has amassed more than 6 million streams on Spotify alone—has opened several doors for Rowe and helped to grow an enthusiastic and constantly expanding fanbase. Rowe has released four full-length albums and EP with ANTI-records, the most recent of which was New Lore (2016). Two years later, generous Kickstarter backers contributed enough for Rowe to head to Eau Claire, Wisconsin to record the follow-up, The Darkness Dressed inColored Lights, which was released in 2021 on the Portland label Fluff & Gravy Records.
Sunday, December 11, 2022
An Evening with The Sea The Sea
6:30pm doors, 7pm show
$20 suggested donation at the door
Cash preferred, electronic payment options (direct to artist) will also be available
Masks encouraged
The Sea The Sea, Chuck E. Costa and Mira Costa, is an Upstate New York based indie folk-pop duo featuring what Bob Boilen (NPR’s All Songs Considered) calls “excellent harmonies” & Huffington Post calls, “Two of the loveliest male-female voices you might ever hear this or any other year.”
For questions or to submit a booking inquiry please contact Lara Supan at larasupan@gmail.com.