The Syracuse show, the first date of the Stillborn Fest tour, marks one of ALOL’s first returns to the stage after their hiatus. The group came back to the live scene in October at CMJ, the College Music Journal’s Music Marathon, an annual festival held in New York City.

Those who know Syracuse Jazz Fest executive director Frank Malfitano in his primary role as the master of ceremonies for the Salt City’s premier summer music festival might vividly recall the man’s drive.

She’s been in the music biz since her wonder years and at age 28 still has a few more productive decades ahead of her, so catching LeAnn Rimes.

Music industry analyst Bob Lefsetz will share his controversial opinions during his October appearance at the MIC summit The New Times Interview By Matt Mumau

It wasn’t hard to elicit music industry writer Bob Lefsetz’s most controversial, recurring point during a Sept. 14 phone interview. Asked what topics have most often been the center of discussion during his many recent speaking engagements throughout the country at music festivals and industry conferences, Lefsetz kept it simple: “Most of these acts suck!”

The sights and sounds of centuries-old history will echo through the Central New York countryside on Saturday, Sept. 25, as Kellish Hill Farm in Manlius hosts Distant Drums in the Rolling Hills: Native American Festival. The daylong event will feature authentic Native American crafts, dancing, storytelling and foods with music provided by Native blues band Corn Bred. 

Syracuse New Times Syracuse Area Music Awards (Sammys) Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement and Music Educator awards were announced at a press conference on Wednesday, Sept. 15. So too were the nominations for the awards show that honors the best in Syracuse music. All will be feted during Sammys weekend, Oct. 7 to 9.

For the past three weeks The Lost Horizon’s doors have been closed, but the venue has been far from quiet. Crews have been working around the clock to revamp The Lost and restore its look and feel to what it was in the late 1960s when Greg Italiano first opened the place. Italiano died in May, and his nephew, John Hanus, 35, began managing the family-owned operation. His first order of business has been to make some much-needed improvements in the hopes of taking the venue back to its glory days.

Enjoy the clean look while it lasts: Inside the renovated Lost Horizon, which features two big shows on Friday and Saturday. MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTO

Jason Mraz makes it all look so easy. The Southern man turned surfer dude has built a devoted following with easy-breezy pop tunes that sound as though they came to him in a stream of mellow consciousness. On stage, he can make a theater feel as intimate as an evening at the coffeehouse, or as rousing as pep rally.

Jason Mraz: Rocking Utica’s Stanley Theatre on Monday.

Coming attractions: Clockwise from top left, this week’s Chevy Court acts include the Eli Young Band, Mitchel Musso, Little Big Town and Robert Randolph and the Family Band. 

From a musical standpoint the first half of the 2010 New York State Fair has already made its mark on concertgoers, especially with the Grandstand spectacles that featured rock warhorses Aerosmith on Aug. 26 and sexy strutting with Rihanna on Aug. 28, plus spillover crowds during the freebie shows at Chevy Court with Styx on Aug. 28 and Blues Traveler on Aug. 29. The fair’s second half continues to offer mucho music at its two popular venues, with the reconfigured space at Chevy Court about to be severely tested on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 8 p.m., when Lady Antebellum doles out its country pop to an expected humongous crowd.