Last Thursday, Vermont-based band Annie in the Water made the trek down to Geneva to perform at one of the city’s newest venues, FLX Live. The business has been working to incorporate national touring artists and student performers since opening.
This past Thursday, FLX Live chose to feature Annie in the Water based on the ties the band has with both Geneva and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Talent buyer and musical director, Matthew Elkin chose to highlight this band for multiple reasons – a major one being that lead singer, Brad Hester, is a 2009 Hobart graduate.
“We’re definitely focused on the Geneva connection,” said Elkin. “We want to rebuild the relationship the Colleges have with music.”
Elkin and the rest of the management team believe strongly in the power of music. They hope to draw larger crowds by consistently featuring a variety of high-caliber performers.
When co-owner of Annie in the Water, Michael Lashomb, was contacted by Elkin to play at FLX Live, he was excited to return to where it all began. “The first place that Brad Hester and I ever jammed was at the dorms at Hobart,” recounted Lashomb. “Its been years since we last played in Geneva – lots of memories there and its always good to remember where you came from.”
Beginning at 8 pm on Thursday, there was a clear blend of city residents, band followers, and HWS students. With the goal of deepening the connection with the Colleges and music, student performer, Zach Felder took his place on the stage between acts.
The stage also welcomed Peter Purcell to provide an additional dynamic to the performance.
Lashomb spoke to the special combination adding, “It was an interesting bill because we had not only local musicians play a couple sets, but we also had a musician friend, Peter Purcell, play some songs so the whole night was a great blend of original music, creativity and fun.”
The night ended at around 1 am, as danced-out students and friends of the band filed out of the music hall’s doors.
Lashomb added, “We feel that FLX has great potential to make Geneva a stopping point for high-caliber touring acts and we are excited to come back and really blow it up.”
For the downtown music hall, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday are dedicated to unique, Finger Lakes-esque performances. Owner, Ian Pattison, uses Facebook as a platform to get the word out about upcoming events. The FLX Live page is constantly being updated and reaching out to encourage local people to attend the variety of events. As an HWS alum, Pattison keys in on connections to extend invitations to music-lovers in the area.
“That venue is a really special spot with great people,” Lashomb said of FLX Live. “I think the students are very lucky to have such a great outlet there.”
Check out FLX Live’s schedule to stay up to date with upcoming performances.
– Ali Townsend, FL1 News Intern
Ali is a senior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva studying media and society. Over the next several months she will be contribute to FL1 News covering a range of events and experiences from around the region. Catch her stories and coverage exclusively here on FingerLakes1.com. Send news tips and story ideas to [email protected].
