Bess Greenberg has been a basketball player in Europe, a gallery curator in New York City and has toured with bands as a photojournalist. Now she’s on the other side of the camera lens — as a musicmaker.
Greenberg and her musical partner JimmyJohn McCabe perform as The Falconers, a harmonious Binghamton duo backed by upright bass and guitar. The pair will be part of the Old Boy Records Showcase on Saturday, Nov. 21, 9 p.m., at Funk ‘n Waffles Downtown, 307 S. Clinton St.
Greenberg and McCabe work together on singing and songwriting, a dynamic they’ve been honing for only three years, when she first decided to pursue a musical career. “I had never played bass before,” she says. “But I knew Claire Byrne and Jackie Columbo in the band Milkweed and they were like, ‘Buy a bass and be in Milkweed.’” So she did.
Greenberg had been on the road to document the travels of Byrne’s other band, Driftwood. When Byrne asked her to get going on the upright bass, it simply marked the start of her next adventure.
“Everyone was so supportive,” Greenberg says. “I put as much as I possibly could into it. I feel really lucky. I met JimmyJohn, we clicked right away and The Falconers were born.”
That was back in 2012 when Greenberg was splitting her time between Binghamton and New York City. She was managing an art gallery on Central Park West, a space with 3,000 square feet upstairs and a 2,000-square-foot basement. She had convinced the broker to let her use the space, which had been vacant for more than two years. The result: more than 230 exhibits that Greenberg curated herself. She called the upstairs 25 CPW (named after the address) and the downstairs Red Roots, which became the name of The Falconers’ first full-length album.
“That’s where we (Greenberg and McCabe) started writing,” she explains. “It’s passionate for us. We carried that forward.”
Greenberg fell in love with music as she played with Milkweed and The Falconers. “I’ve always been someone who gravitates wherever my heart is leaning without trying to think too much about it,” she says. “I just trust that it’s gonna make me feel most fulfilled. Now, learning this new language of communicating with people … it’s overwhelming in some ways. Music makes me feel so full inside. The more I play, the better I feel. I’ve done a lot of different things in life, but music … it’s just endless.”
Both musicians knew Chris Merkley, a Binghamton musician who enlisted them for his Old Boy Records label. The band currently has a six-song EP titled The Frame Maker, and the 16-song full-length album Red Roots.
“JimmyJohn has had a relationship with Chris long before I met Chris,” Greenberg said about the connection. “So, he’s (Chris) been one to embrace The Falconers. He’s done so much for the area and he just welcomed us into everything.”
The band has only played a few Central New York shows, but the Old Boy Showcase is the biggest yet. “It’s a great opportunity to break into Syracuse more,” she says. “I get excited about things and go toward them. If I feel that excitement inside, I tend to run.”
The Old Boy Records Showcase, featuring Los Blancos, Merkley & Morgan, The Falconers and Quona Hudson, takes place Saturday, Nov. 21, 9 p.m., at Funk n’ Waffles Downtown, 307 S. Clinton St. Tickets are $10. Visit funknwaffles.com or oldboyrecords.com.
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