The Ithaca music scene is as vibrant and fiercely independent as the city that spawned it. The signs are everywhere. Well over a dozen clubs, restaurants, and other retailers offer live music on a regular basis, as do numerous spots on the local college campuses. If you're a performer, Ithaca offers a wealth of resources, including more local music stores, recording studios, and sound companies than you'd expect from a town this size. And then there are the festivals. Ithaca Festival, GrassRoots, and MuseFest overflow with a wide variety of local talent and provide bookends for the summer season, and those only begin to scratch the surface. From shape note singing to speed metal, Americana to mbangqua, bluegrass to hip-hop, if a style exists, chances are you'll find it here.

Bands

Mary Lorson playing at this summer's GrassRoots Festival. Photo from www.saintlow.com.

It's almost impossible to give a complete overview of Ithaca's performers. The Muse Festival Magazine, which is available in various local stores right now, as well as on-line at www.musefestival.org, covers just a fraction of them in its 100 or so pages. You'll also find good coverage of upcoming concerts via the Ithaca Times, the Ithaca Journal, and wvbr.com. With so many options on any given night, it can be hard to choose, so here are ten acts you should try to see at some point. They're just a few of Ithaca's local treasures. And yes, I know that I may have left out your favorite; I left out lots of mine, too.

Johnny Dowd: Quirky doesn't even begin to describe this local master of dark, roots-based music. Tom Waits is the closest comparison point, though they work in differently twisted worlds.

The Horseflies: Old-time instrumentation meets new-time grooves in one of many local acts that defies easy categorization. You may have seen a couple of the band members on tour with Natalie Merchant. If you like them, check out Boy With a Fish, too.

Hubcap: Offering up well crafted rock and roll tinted with dust and twang, Hubcap are one of the bands keeping the alt.country torch lit in Ithaca, but they're much more than that label implies.

John Brown's Body: One of the nation's best reggae bands is based here in Ithaca. Multiple vocalists and songwriters keep things interesting.

Mary Lorson: Whether solo or with her current band Saint Low, Mary will take you on a journey through broad landscapes with her piano and guitar based songs, anchored by her warm voice.

Plastic Nebraska: Their sound is almost impossible to describe, and impossible to listen to without dancing. If you like them, you'll also want to check out their other projects, including The Thins and The Moles.

Hank Roberts: The world's premiere jazz cellist calls Ithaca home. His band, Wiggy Dog Boy, offer up improvisational funky jazz that features thought-provoking lyrics.

Samite: Samite (Sah-mee-tay) plays traditional-sounding original music that is strong with the flavor of his native Uganda.

Jennie Stearns: Jennie's music is atmospheric with a slight country leaning. She's a master of the waltz and of vividly descriptive lyrics. Her band features a who's who of local talent.

Patti Witten: Patti is an award-winning songwriter whose songs have popped up on compilations alongside David Bowie and Tom Waits, as well as in various documentaries.

Retail

Whether you're in the market for a new (or new-to-you) instrument, supplies, or CDs, Ithaca is almost an embarrassment of riches. For general needs, McNeil Music in the Triphammer Mall and Hickey's Music on Dey Street have you covered. Both feature lots of guitars, keyboards and drums, PA equipment, band and orchestra instruments, and more and both can special order what they don't have.

If you're a guitarist or bassist, your destination should be Ithaca Guitar Works in the Dewitt Mall. They've got the biggest selection of guitars and other stringed instruments in the Ithaca area, including everything from student guitars to high-end Taylors and Martins. They also have their own in-house luthiers who make their own special breeds of guitars and violins.

Vintage lovers owe it to themselves to check out Rumbleseat Music, on State Street, regularly. The ever-changing stock of instruments and amplifiers always has at least a few pieces that will leave you drooling.

Several CD stores in the area will help you keep your collection growing. Sounds Fine, on the Ithaca Commons, has a large stock of new and used CDs at competitive prices. Small World Music, on State Street, specializes in world music and are happy to work with you on special orders for more obscure artists. You'll find CDs by local artists at both stores, as well as Ithaca Guitar Works, Green Star, and a couple of the big boxes (Borders and Barnes and Noble). Ithaca also has its own on-line music retailer, roots music specialists Funkyside.

Collective Spirit

One of the best parts about the local music scene is its cooperative spirit. Local musicians reach out to each other in many different ways and forums. They share band members, knowledge, song ideas, and bookings. Two organizations have arisen in Ithaca to formalize these connections.

I-Town Records is Ithaca's local record label. I-Town is a collective that operates more as a cross-promotional tool for its member bands than a corporation. It's home to many of the area's roots-based artists. Regular showcases (watch for one this fall) and compilation CDs (the third of which was released at the start of the summer) offer a great opportunity to learn more about this part of the music scene.

The Ithaca Show Syndicate is a group that turns the spotlight on Ithaca's harder-edged music. Ithaca has a long tradition of having great punk, hardcore, and indy music, and these are the folks who help to make it happen. They offer a free monthly e-mail of upcoming shows, too.

In addition, you'll want to check out Radio Free Ithaca. This streaming radio station has playlists of all sorts of Ithaca music and also highlights acts who are coming into town. It's a totally volunteer effort and a labor of love spearheaded by Mike Levy, bass player with local pranksters The Marty Withers Band.

Explore

This is just a scratch at the surface of what Ithaca has to offer on a musical front. Both Cornell University and Ithaca College have a lot of music going on of all sorts, including plenty of classical, jazz and a capella. There's a tremendous folk music scene in town, including WVBR's Bound for Glory, which is North America's longest running live folk concert radio show. Annual festivals celebrate gospel music, old-time and bluegrass, jazz, and more. The recent revamping of the State Theater has allowed us to be visited by popular touring musicians year-round. So whether you're already a music lover or just open to new experiences, Ithaca will provide you with ample opportunity to explore and appreciate it in almost infinite variations. Keep an eye on the listings and the posters around town and get out and explore all that Ithaca has to offer.

Alan Rose is one of the area's foremost music consumers, buying every locally produced CD he can get his hands on. He's also a local performer himself, with a growing following. Check him out at www.alanrosemusic.com.