July 4 Free Concert Reunites Cross Creek and 1970s Fans

June 8, 2010 - PRLog -- CAZENOVIA, N.Y. – Members of Cross Creek, a country-rock band that formed nearly 40 years ago and played throughout Central New York, will be back on stage for an Independence Day concert alongside Cazenovia Lake. At least five of the original musicians have agreed to join the group's first reunion since a 1999 appearance at the Syracuse Area Music Awards.

    They'll perform from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. July 4 at Lakeland Park, Forman and Albany Streets in the center of Cazenovia. The free event is part of an annual gathering and features three bands and nighttime fireworks organized by the Cazenovia Lions Club and the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce

    From 1972 until late that decade, Cross Creek performed in clubs, theaters, auditoriums and campus stages around Syracuse and beyond. In addition to being featured most weekends at popular Central New York nightspots, the band opened concerts for national artists such as Frank Zappa, Earl Scruggs and Poco.        

    Its presentations of original songs, up-tempo country classics and hits from emerging groups such as the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Flying Burrito Brothers and Eagles introduced a crossover style to students and older rock fans during a decade of dramatic cultural and social change.

    The pioneering group was formed by singer-songwriter Dave Novak of Cazenovia, who remains active in two bands – including the FabCats, also in the July 4 lineup.

    Three band mates who'll join him – guitarist-vocalist John Cadley of Fayetteville, bassist John Dancks of Syracuse and drummer Jimmy Johns of Manlius –  also still perform locally. Cadley recorded a 2007 album in Nashville and leads a bluegrass group that includes Dancks. Johns is an award-winning jazz artist and percussion instructor at Colgate University.
   
    The fifth returnee, keyboardist Fred Lawrence, is flying in from Nashville – where he moved in 1981 to perform as a backup musician and later became a real estate business co-owner. Joining the group will be Syracuse music producer and pedal steel guitarist George Newton, a longtime fan.

    Cross Creek's enduring impact is evident at a Facebook page, created this spring for the reunion, that attracted more than 200 fans in two months. "I know how important the band was to me," Novak says, "and it's amazing that it touched other people in much the same way. It makes me humble, yet proud of what we did."

    One fan, a former Syracuse New Times managing editor, thinks more than music is behind the excitement that is building online for the reunion.”  "This is a chance to revisit a vivid time for people who heard this band when we were in high school, college or first jobs," says Alan Stamm of suburban Detroit, a 1971 Syracuse University journalism graduate. "It's like a homecoming visit to a memorable part of our lives." Stamm, who met his wife at Cross Creek shows, is co-administrator of the Facebook page with Bradley Venditti of Georgetown, N.Y.

    Cross Creek's venues included legendary Central New York sites such as the Firebarn Tavern in Syracuse, Owahgena Manor in Cazenovia, The Brookside in Dewitt and Jabberwocky on the SU campus. Gigs also took the band to Ithaca, Rochester, Oswego, Warren, Baldwinsville, Pulaski and many other upstate colleges. As an opening act, they entertained larger crowds at Loews State Theater downtown and the Onondaga County War Memorial.

    Alumni include nationally known banjo virtuoso and Grammy nominee Tony Trischka, who has recorded 19 albums and was part of the final Cross Creek lineup, and Danny Weiss of the national bluegrass recording act Silk City.

    For the July 4 show in Cazenovia, guests are invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets and coolers. Food and beverages will be available at Lakeland Park and as takeout from nearby restaurants.

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About Cross Creek

Cross Creek, a pioneering country-rock band in Central New York during the 1970s, inspires enduring bonds among members and fans.