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As a student in the Bandier Program and musician in my band at home, I chose Syracuse University for its live music scene. I was excited to connect with others who shared my passion for live music, just like I had back home in New Jersey.

I imagined meeting bands after their sets and hoped to start one of my own, playing similar shows as a way to bring a piece of my life in central New Jersey up to central New York.

But when I arrived, I quickly realized I missed the height of the Syracuse music scene. I’ve felt deprived of my love for live music since then.

Syracuse was once home to numerous house venues, with up to five running their respective shows every weekend. Some of the most notable spots included The Recital, The Harrington, The Dollhouse, Mudpit and Redgate.

Now, Syracuse only has two primary active house venues – Cage Collective and The Shipyard – hosting acoustic artists and DJ sets. As the scene surrounding campus mostly begins and ends with these two venues, those hoping for other live music options won’t find very much.

Nevertheless, all of those venues served as hotspots for musicianship and socialization outside of DJ sets and parties.

As much as I’ve loved my first semester here, I miss the local venues and DIY places I played at home in New Jersey, and I know plenty of others share that feeling. There’s still a huge demand from musicians and music lovers alike for a revival of the house scene, yet no one seems to be capitalizing on it.

That said, Dazed, formerly Redgate – shut down its house show venue after their landlord and his insurance company stopped permitting basement parties – has found creative ways to deliver rock performances to Syracuse again. Cooperating with Wescott Theater and fraternities such as Tau Kappa Epsilon, the group has hosted occasional shows to carry on the Redgate legacy. While their efforts are a step in the right direction, these sporadic shows aren’t what I was hoping for.

For many years leading up to my first semester of college, I’ve immersed myself in live music. Between going to numerous concerts, playing shows with my own band, We Don’t Know Eddy, and working as a sound engineer at a local venue every weekend, I experienced this scene through numerous perspectives and goals. As distinct as each role was, the connection between the musicians, audience and music was always clear.

There’s a certain exhilaration that I’ve only felt in the presence of live music, and I have been chasing opportunities to inspire that feeling in incoming music fans and musicians for generations to come. This was the central drive behind my interest in Bandier and my reason for being here.

The lack of house venues being passed down from graduating students is so disappointing to me because I know what the Syracuse community is sacrificing by not addressing it – community itself.

I’ve made most of my friends through our shared love of music – my best friends come from my years at the Somerville School of Rock, and those relationships only expanded when I started working at a local venue. I not only experienced what it was like to run and operate a venue, but I also met so many bands and saw their bonds with the audiences shine first-hand. Working these shows was the highlight of my year.

Since coming to SU, I’ve witnessed the pride students have in fostering a tightly knit community. Preserving a culture of the live music scene will only further this. The lack of response, especially with such high demand, is disheartening as a musician. We must lead the charge to bring back house show culture.

Now is the time for up-and-coming aspiring venue owners and lovers of live music to take advantage of this open market. I’d like to see a change to this trend, hopefully sparked by the brand new launch of The Stoplight venue.

I remain hopeful for the future of the house show scene until I have the opportunity to run a house venue myself. Until then, we can’t leave Syracuse’s music community hanging – a comeback is overdue.

Ronnie Kabbash is a freshman recording & entertainment industries major. She can be reached at rekabbas@syr.edu.

Published on November 11, 2025 at 8:20 pm