OSWEGO — The Oswego Music Hall Season Finale has become a much-anticipated music and food fest. It takes place on Saturday, May 21 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the McCrobie Civic Center in Oswego.
CNY native, Dennis Goltermann, will kick off festivities at 5:00 followed by dinner and an Emerging Artist Showcase featuring homegrown singer-songwriters Bill DeMott, Brynn Race accompanied by Jenny Lapp, Violet Burdick accompanied by Ryan Burdick, and Erik Mosher. The headliner, The Sea The Sea, will take the stage at 7:00.
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.” The group’s 2020 release, Stumbling Home, dubbed “otherworldly” by RollingStone marks the duo’s third full-length album, and the duo’s first primary recording / engineering credits on one of their albums, as well as that of co-producers—teaming up with recent Grammy and Tony award winner Todd Sickafoose (Hadestown, Anais Mitchell, Ani DiFranco, Andrew Bird).
Previous releases from The Sea The Sea—Love We Are We Love (2014), In the Altogether (2016 / EP), and From The Light (2018)—have been praised by outlets including NPR, American Songwriter, and No Depression, and the animated video for their song “Waiting” sparked viral interest from Buzzfeed and Pitchfork, as well as inclusion at the international TED 2015 conference. The band has garnered features across all music platforms including Apple Music “Best of the Week” and “A-List Singer/Songwriter,” gathering 20+ million streams on Spotify to-date.
Live performance broadcast appearances of The Sea The Sea include Mountain Stage, whose host Larry Groce calls them “ready to take their place among the best young male/female duos now performing,” Audiotree, and Paste Music / Daytrotter—recently describing the band as “defined by their infallible vocal harmonies and their unconventional song arrangements. The Sea The Sea is a pop band only in their melodic infectiousness—otherwise they are at their best when subverting conventions.” For further information, visit https://www.theseathesea.com or their Facebook page.
Dennis Goltermann has been involved in music since he was 8 years old. His first instrument was the piano. In his early teens he was introduced to the guitar by his older brother who taught him to play ‘Scotch & Soda’ and ‘One Note Samba’. Also, during this time, he was a devoted fan of Peter, Paul & Mary, Tom Lehrer and Shel Silverstein. His repertoire of 400 or so songs include a batch of 60 to 70 humorous pieces including several parodies. In addition to those influences he has been greatly influenced by Gordon Lightfoot, The Beatles, the Eagles and many other lesser-known songwriters. From late 1996 until 2003 he, along with a bunch of other musical misfits ran an open mic at Happy Endings in Syracuse. Nowadays he can be seen at numerous open mics including TK’s in Camillus, Lock 1 in Phoenix and the Oswego Music Hall.
Bill DeMott is a visual artist and teacher who recently moved his creativity into the area of singing and songwriting. He is a regular at open mic nights and performs at Porchfest events. He sings a cappella covers and originals.
Brynn Race is a sophomore at Mexico Central High School and has been taking music lessons from the Gina Marie Music Studio and writing songs for 5 years. She’s working on releasing her first EP later this year. In addition to music, Brynn is also a cheerleader and loves cats. Her accompanist Jenny Lapp is an employee of Gina Marie Music Studio.
Violet Burdick is a 6-year-old from Jamesville. In 2020, a video of her singing went viral, and as a result, Violet appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show, singing Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” Violet began learning piano this year, and often performs with her father, Ryan Burdick of the Ruddy Well Band. Violet hopes to learn violin and guitar someday. Ryan will be her accompanist.
Erik Mosher is a native of Oswego and began performing at age 4 as part of the choral ensemble in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Salt City for the Performing Arts in Syracuse and continued performing musicals in both Syracuse and Oswego. At age 16, he taught himself to play guitar and was awarded a Music Scholarship from Oswego High School. Erik performs locally as both a solo act and with his newly formed band, The Dust Creatures. He is the proud single father to Odin, Olive, and Ivan.
Following this musical feast, the evening ends with a complimentary toast to the sunset and musical interlude by homegrown singer-songwriter Mike Zellweger.
Mike Zellweger was born and raised in Liverpool and has been playing guitar for about 50 years. Though not drawn to focus on any single style of playing, Mike has always preferred both playing and listening to instrumental guitar music, what Beethoven calls a “mini orchestra.”
BBQ Chicken Dinner, by Kickn’ Chicken, is available for $15. There is a vegetarian option and both include salad, rolls & butter, with produce and cider donated by Ontario Orchards, dessert, and hot & cold beverages if people don’t bring their own.
Admission to the Finale is free for members of the Oswego Music Hall. Non-member tickets are $15 (half price for ages 16 and under and under 5 free). Tickets for the show and dinner can be purchased online at https://www.oswegomusichall.org/ and at the river’s end bookstore in Oswego; also at the door. Membership can also be purchased online or at the door for as little as $10.
The wheelchair accessible venue is located in the McCrobie Civic Center, on 41 Lake Street in Oswego. It is adjacent to Breitbeck Park and overlooks Lake Ontario and the Oswego Harbor. The atmosphere is intimate with candle-lit tables surrounding a small stage.
Oswego Music Hall is a family-friendly, non-profit organization that has been run entirely by volunteers since its inception in 1977. Volunteers can earn admission to shows through different tasks. For more information email Volunteer Coordinator Michael Moss at [email protected] or access the Music Hall website.
The Music Hall pays close attention to CDC, State, and local guidelines and is trying to do what’s best for performers and patrons; mindful of everyone’s safety and their enjoyment of the show. Masks are now strongly recommended. Should conditions warrant, we may revert back to stricter requirements without notice. Please check https://www.oswegomusichall.org/ for updated information. Masks will be available at the door.
Find more information via the Oswego Music Hall Facebook page, https://www.oswegomusichall.org/ or email [email protected].
Concerts are made possible in part with funding by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the governor and New York Legislature. Other major supporters are the City of Oswego and Shineman Foundation.
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