The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Cultivating, showcasing homegrown musical talent
Local Music Project: Bruce Ward gives amateur and professional musicians a place to share their love of music
HAMILTON » As a professional architect, Bruce Ward’s motto is, “I can help.” As a musician, his mantra is much the same, and he doesn’t forget where he started from back in his own days as a budding performer.
Ward knows how difficult it is for musicians to find a venue to share their talents, so six years ago he created the Local Music Project to offer a showcase for a wide variety of area acts -- from students getting their first taste of playing under the spotlight, to more experienced performers looking to try out something new before a live and appreciative audience.
Now, Ward is the host and sound technician of the biweekly event, and no stranger himself to the LMP stage … in recent seasons, he has performed sets of Broadway classics, favorite storytelling songs, and his own originals. The shows are then broadcast on Colgate University’s WRCU-FM 90.1 radio station every Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. — also available through Internet streaming — and feature the most recent date as well as vintage material. Ward also gives the musicians a CD of their set after their appearance.
Dick Canty of Camillus brought his brand-new “1-2-3-Pause” show to the LMP stage at the Colgate Inn in Hamilton on March 6, debuting his fledgling act right
there in Hamilton. Canty explained he wanted to compose a musical performance based on the tunes he enjoyed throughout his life, from “the 60s to my 60s,” he said, and came up with the show of cover songs and originals written in the same vein as the oldies. “This is something that was always on my bucket list, to write and produce my own musical,” Canty said. Singing and playing acoustic guitar and joined by English keyboardist Gavin Landless, Canty’s mini-musical featured both a memorial look at the oldies like The Beatles’ “Let It Be” and liberal doses of comedy. Some of his lyrics were adult-oriented, causing Ward at one point to quip from his engineer’s chair, “That song won’t be on the radio,” to chuckles from the audience. Canty said he appreciated the Local Music Project’s forum to debut his latest work. “I think this is an absolutely fantastic thing they are doing,” he said. “I’m glad to have the chance to bring my musical here.” “I really enjoyed this -- it was my first time in Hamilton and it was a lot of fun,” Landless added. “Looking at their schedule, the Local Music Project definitely offers a lot of variety.” Each LMP event features two sets by often quite different performers, and following Canty and Landless that evening was Westmoreland High School junior Cait Devin. She also sang and played acoustic guitar, with a set that included her own originals and covers of the Cranberries and even Britney Spears. The highlight of her set was the sampling of songs from her soon-to-come debut CD, offering both songwriting and a live delivery that were quite impressive and well beyond her 16 years. The audience could easily forget they were watching a teen with only a little over a year on the live music circuit. That is another great benefit to the Local Music Project -- not only does it give the musicians themselves a venue to perform, but the audience the chance to see acts they might not hear elsewhere. That discovery of new talents is a big part of the outreach the LMP delivers all throughout the season. Devin gave kudos to Ward for offering that live music forum. “I think it’s really good for all of the musicians to have something like this, where they can come out and share their own music,” Devin said. Ward is a folk singer/ songwriter who credits his participation in the children’s choir at his Candor, N.Y. church at the young age of 5 as his own first musical experience. A Colgate University class of 1975 graduate, Ward said he has loved music for as long as he can remember, growing up with the inspiration of a father who was a member of a barbershop quartet and used to sing around the house. Ward recalled in school he was always the first one to sign up for anything musical, whether singing in the chorus or playing in the band. At 16, his sister bought him his first guitar. It was 1969, so the folk music of acts like Peter, Paul and Mary and the Kingston Trio were big influences on his developing style. Ward also discovered the coffeehouse-style “Bound For Glory” live folk music radio shows broadcast at Cornell University, which helped lay the foundation for the Local Music Project years later. Ward’s varied resume boasts a wide range of vocal duties, including time as a singing waiter. His full-time job is as a self-employed architect, where he has specialized in designing new homes and additions since 2002. In the spring 2012, Ward wanted to create a venue where amateur musicians could perform in a setting that was more organized than a simple Open Mic event, where anyone can come in for a jam. “I knew a lot of people making good music who really deserved to be heard,” Ward said. “I decided to create my own place for them to play.” The Local Music Project series debuted in September 2012. While many of the musicians hail from the Madison and Chenango County areas, Ward said the series is open to anyone who wants to come to Hamilton to play. Upcoming acts include: March 20: Kyle Ossont followed by Mason McDowell April 3: Jenni Larchar and Tom Murphy followed by Harry Eibert April 17: O-Ryon followed by Rob Norris April 24: Clara Lantz followed by Hamilton Ramblers May 1: Lauren Mettler followed by Josh Jessen May 15: Terry Cuddy’s Cast of Thousands followed by Ghost Town Ramblers Ward says gathering all of that talent and presenting it on the Colgate Inn stage for area music fans to enjoy is the drive that keeps him committed to hosting the Local Music Project. “I really enjoy being able to give them a place to share their own songs and the songs that have influenced them,” Ward said. “I think the musicians enjoy it, too.” The Colgate Inn is located at 1 Payne St. in Hamilton. All shows are at 7 p.m. and the suggested donation is $5. For more information, find “The Local Music Project Hamilton” on Facebook.
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