In our April issue, we sit down with two Syracuse police officers to hear about their day to day jobs, how they chose the field and learn about plans to build a new satellite police office at the Southwest Community Center. We also feature a photo spread from The Stand’s Five-Year Anniversary party held last month. The event welcomed staff, …

Blowin’ in the Wind uses its talents to raise money for children Tony Baird is a military service veteran and an entrepreneur. He owns Tony Baird Electronics, Inc. The company provides audio-visual and Internet technology solutions for defense, transportation and medical companies. He is also a musician. Tony plays bass for a local band called Blowin’ in the Wind (BITW). …

Jeff Houston plays, writes and hopes to record as he battles cancer Some people say music is healing. Jeffrey Houston of the Jeff Houston Experience believes that wholeheartedly. Jeff is a local guitarist and bandleader. He has been performing since his childhood in a number of local bands, including Strive, Fresh Air, Soft Spoken Band, Positive Attitude and the J …

Anthony Williams bought his first conga drum 44 years ago, paying all of $5 for it. At the time, he wanted the drum because he saw the way girls flocked to his brother, who played in a band. Williams, now 62, has been playing ever since. On Syracuse’s South Side, he has played with dozens of drummers in many groups. …

Minister practices his faith by combining singing and preaching Kevin Stephens, now 52, grew up in church. Literally. On Sunday mornings while many families were packing into the family station wagon to head off to a church down the road, Kevin and his 10 siblings were congregating in their living room for Sunday morning worship with their parents. His father, …

It’s a Thanksgiving Homecoming Reunion with a ’70s Blast theme Back in the 1980s, his name was “DJ Grand Electric Shock” when he used to DJ at Top Cats, Gardenia and Nowhere City. Shock was widely known then because he had a reputation for playing good music and promoting “positive events.”

Local Starlight Band brings new energy to well-recognized songs As many of you may already know, I play in a band. For those of you who don’t, the name of my band is the Soft Spoken Band, or SSB. The SSB has been in existence without pause since 1984. Being around for almost 30 years, we’ve seen a few changes. …

The Stand currently has two openings for community members to join our Board of Directors. Board members meet every other month for two hours on a Saturday morning. Members discuss story suggestions, events, advertising opportunities, workshop offerings and any questions or concerns.

Saxophonist, vocalists catch attention with their strong musical performances I ran into Pat Odom about a month or so ago in the supermarket. Pat was my daughter Maricia Danielle’s chaperone back in 2003 when she won first place in the local ACT-SO competition in the vocal music category. The win allowed her to travel to a national competition in Miami. …

National act Garland Jeffreys to perform at historic Palace Theatre on April 20 Over the past couple of years, A Friendly Five column has spotlighted many groups, bands, individual musicians and singers. With each story we have tried to share some insights with our readers as to the variety of musical styles and talents in our city. Occasionally we have …