Songs in their Hearts

Four singer-songwriters will caucus at Eve Galleria's Circle of Songs

Singer-songwriter Bill Ring moved north to Central New York from New York City four years ago and noticed a major difference in the music scene. While Manhattan singer-songwriters rotate among clubs on Monday evenings, often hitting four or five open mikes in a night, around these parts the focus seems more heavily centered on the instrumental jams. 

"There's a huge emphasis on songwriters in the city," Ring says. "There are so many open mikes in the East and West Village. It's the other way around up here"."

In an effort to draw out singer-songwriters, Ring developed "Circle of Songs," an evening featuring four songwriters who will offer new and old compositions as well as thoughts about the songs they share. It's Ring's first swing at such an event and he pulled out all the stops to ensure success, such as corralling internationally known friends Jennie Lowe Stearns and Mary Lorson as well as local performer Larry Hoyt. The show takes place at Eve Galleria, 6456 Collamer Road, East Syracuse, on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Stearns' songs have appeared on a Starbucks compilation album alongside Wilco, Norah Jones and Los Lobos, while Lorson has become best known for her time as the lead singer of Madder Rose, an alternative pop group. Hoyt is an active musician both solo and with his band, The Good Acoustics, as well as host of the Sunday-afternoon program Common Threads on WAER-FM 88.3. And ringleader Ring spent most of his performing career in the Big Apple and has released five CDs of original material throughout his career.

Ring notes the mix will have something for every taste: Lorson is more folkie, although she is widely known as a new wave rocker thanks to her Madder Rose credit. Sterns brings an alt-country vibe, Hoyt takes a more traditional twist and Ring has something for everyone. 

"I have a record collection that look like it belongs to six people who don't like each other," he says. "I'm all over. If you don't like a genre I'm playing, just wait five minutes."

Ring has high hopes that the event will spark a series of similar-styled shows, enabling local singer-songwriters a place outside the cities where they tend to gravitate. "It's easy to find good instrumentalists up here," Ring says "It's a fertile area for acoustic music."

There is a suggested donation fee of $5 to $10 for the Circle of Songs. For more information, call 463-0216.

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