SALTspace — Attraction in City of Syracuse

From the dark bus ride on Thursday morning I ponder the question, "What did I do with the beautiful evening of Wednesday anyways?"

I made the last ten minutes of Happy Hour and ordered up a Dogfish India Pale Ale.

I don't know why A Mano has a happy hour because even on a Wednesday night, dinner parties showed up at the bar for just one drink before going to a table.

A Mano has plenty of patrons who aren't going to look at the happy hour specials because one member of the party has plans to pick up the check without looking at its line items.

Anything worth doing Wednesday night started at Seven and by Seven I really want to be thinking about going home.

I did notice a band named the Silver Arrow Band holding a showcase at the SALTSpace, an open house for anyone considering the band for a wedding booking.

I'll never know when I'll need a wedding band for myself or a person close to me, right?

I considered this because I had yet to see the warehouse converted into an event center and concert hall.

And the man who leads the band has the flair of a Jimmy Dorset or a Tommy Dorsey, making all the players audition for spots during the showcase.

I watched this guy working his schtick twice at Funk and Waffles, which just has a slacker atmosphere unsuitable for asking for a big check from a parent of the engaged.

So I reached out to the band leader on LinkedIn, or rather, the guy I though was the band leader, Curtis Brink.

"Hi, missed the showcase at SALTspace last night.

Haven't visited SALTspace, so I am deeply regretful this morning.

I did see SAB do a showcase at Funk & Waffles, more of a joint than a place for a showcase, really.

Are you the band leader?

Because I rather liked how the band leader 'mixed it up'".

I like that.

I like imagining what happened in a space and place when I wasn't even present.

Muskegon has totally become an imaginary city for me and just by reading a few posts on Facebook, I can imagine what has happened day by day.

My friend Dennis became the chef at the 18th Amendment Spirits Company, a restaurant and Distillery.

Another friend became the bar manager.

And another friend made the unofficial, hush hush soft opening when the house tried out all those mysterious cocktails.

Especially, the Chesterfield, which only the snip from the cocktail menu can describe well enough.

Cinnamon syrup, orange bitters and bourbon served in a bottle of hickory and apple wood smoke, an 18th Amendment Original.

February 23, 2019

I could have finished the evening there, but the performance space not yet open in the WCNY building had a show called, “Fragile White Guy”, inspired by the recent bombshell book, “White Fragility”. The official opening of the SALTspace must wait until April, the cruelest month. Nothing quite like a new show in a new space. I felt it was my duty to sit in the front row and experience my fragility first hand.

SALTspace has yet to officially open as Syracuse's newest performance space. Yet, it's perfect for workshop performances of the one man show, "Fragile White Men". The show is part confessional, part Cirque D'Soleil spectacle and part homage to the rock band Foreigner. Inspired by the book, "White Fragility", the hour long performance examines the question, "Why is it so hard for white people, even liberal white people, to talk...

What a great new space in Syracuse for collaborative art. It is hard to believe what they have done with this building. Syracuse needs more of this. We recently attended the CD release party for Melissa Gardner. It was very well attended by those who are in the music industry in Syracuse. Very professionally done. I cannot say enough about the space. Besides the theater there are also various Studios and recently was made aware that there are apartments in this building as well. Keep up the good work...

I held an important event at the black box theater at SALTspace. The pricing was reasonable, the space was exactly what I needed for the event, and the staff was helpful and easy to work with. For future events, I will once again support this non-profit organization by utilizing their...