This October will be more like Rocktober when the Syracuse New Times Syracuse Area Music Awards (Sammys) will be handed out during a gala ceremony slated for Friday, Oct. 8, 7 to 10 p.m., at the Pirro Convention Center, 800 S. State St. The Sammys board of directors, headed by board president Liz Nowak, revealed that tidbit along with other noteworthy news during a press conference held July 13 at the center.

The Sammys will be part of a wide-ranging weekend at the Pirro Center, which will also host the MIC: Meet, Interact, Connect networking trade show filled with clinics, conferences and keynoters. The two-day confab, on Oct. 8 and Saturday, Oct. 9, will encourage bands and musicians of a cutting-edge nature to gather alongside professionals from the music industry. According to the press release, “MIC strives to serve as a launch pad for intellectual and creative networking, as well as to nurture career growth and to contribute to building professional relationships.”

Part of the MIC will be providing information to aspiring musicians about career opportunities and programs of study. Local colleges and universities that offer a music industry program, such as Syracuse University, Oneonta, Ithaca College and Morrisville, have been invited to participate and discuss their respective curricula with prospective students. 

Music showcases will also proliferate throughout the city during the weekend, with announced venues such as The Redhouse, 201 S. West St.; Half-Penny Pub, 321 W. Fayette St.; and the lobby of the Landmark Theatre, 362 S. Salina St. Bands wishing to perform during the weekend have until Aug. 10 to enter; visit www.micnys.com for details.

The MIC festival will climax with a Saturday performance inside the convention center’s ballroom with keynote speaker Max Weinberg, known for his many years as drummer for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band as well as his 17-year stint as bandleader for Late Night with Conan O’Brien and the short-lived The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. Also lending his valuable expertise at MIC is Bob Lefsetz, a music-biz insider who has lots of opinions and isn’t afraid to dish them out. Other speakers include Central New York Jazz Arts Foundation executive director Larry Luttinger, Landmark executive director Denise DiRienzo, Salt City music veterans Mark Doyle, Bob Halligan and Frank Briggs and National Audio owner Mark Gummer.

Linking the maiden MIC voyage to the Sammys mothership should no doubt help both vehicles flourish, as local musicmakers get to hobnob with industry heavyweights. The Sammys weekend begins with a Hall of Fame reception scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 7, at the Upstairs at the Dino venue of the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, 246 W. Willow St. More details for this invitation-only celebration will be announced soon, with nominees to be revealed on Sept. 14. 

To have a Sammys show, however, musicians have to get their CDs in to the judges for consideration. Submissions for the CDs, which must have been issued during the 2009 calendar year, as well as entries for the People’s Choice Sammy, can be sent between the dates July 28 and Sept. 1 to Syracuse New Times Sammys Submissions, 1415 W. Genesee St., 13204. For more information, contact Nowak at 727-5693.