This month, Central New York’s hospital emergency rooms have been inundated with people experiencing negative reactions after ingesting so-called synthetic marijuana. Upstate University Hospital’s emergency room saw upwards of 30 such patients last week, and the problem has also been noted right here in the village.
On April 9, a young man collapsed at Liverpool Public Library. Authorities said he had a history of using a pot-like product called “Spike.”
Michele Caliva, director of the Upstate Poison Control Center, called at a press conference on April 17, to report a significant increase in reports of seizures, tremors and high blood pressure experienced by users.
Caliva called the trend “disconcerting.”
Previously referred to as “bath salts,” products with brand names such as “Spike,” “Geeked Up,” “Keisha Kole” and “Panic” are labeled as “herbal smoke blends” and marketed as “incense.”
Upstate emergency-room physician Dr. Ross Sullivan said the products, often called “bath salts,” have become stronger in recent months. He thinks certain chemical additives are causing “profound changes in the patients’ symptoms.”
Caliva finds the trend “disconcerting.”
And what’s really disconcerting is that many of those synthetic pot smokers are becoming violent. Syracuse Police have witnesses some throwing punches at moving vehicles, and Rural Metro personnel have been instructed to heavily sedate patients under the influence of such drugs.
Sale and possession remain against the law.
Josey will dive in
Now that the experts say it’s okay to jump into Onondaga Lake, U.S. Navy veteran Sean “Josey” Wells, who lives in Liverpool, wants to be the first person to swim across the mile-wide body of water since swimming was banned there in 1940. Josey plans to dive in when the water warms up in June.
Sake, sushi and swing
While audience members sipped sake and swallowed sushi, the Melissa Gardiner Trio held forth Thursday evening, March 26, at Tokyo Seoul Japanese and Korean Restaurant, 3180 Erie Blvd. East, Syracuse. The Liverpool native who holds a master’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music fronted a combo also featuring organist William Gorman and drummer Phil Leone.
Melissa complements her horn-playing with vocals, and she and Gorman harmonized pleasantly on Miles Davis’ 1959 classic, “All Blues.” When she put her mouthpiece to her lips, however, Melissa shined even more brightly. She displays a consistently sturdy tone, clever instrumental phrasing and a playful sense of improvisation.
By the way, she’s also a composer. She sang a bewitching and bittersweet original, “Here We Go Again,” a retro-romance ballad that repeatedly asks, “How many times?”
But Melissa also enjoys sharing the spotlight. On the 26th, she happily introduced guest vocalist Kirsten Tegtmeyer who covered Meghan Trainor’s debut single, “All about that Bass.”
Melissa and her combo appear every fourth Thursday of each month at Tokyo Seoul Japanese and Korean Restaurant. The next show is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, April 23; 449-2688; tokyoseoulsyracuse.com.
Melissa’s ‘Transitions’
An alumna of Liverpool High School, Melissa Gardiner studied music at the University of Michigan before earning a master’s degree at the Juilliard School of Music where she studied under “Saturday Night Live” trombonist Steve Turre. In 2011, she released her debut disc, “Transitions,” which includes tunes such as “But Not for Me” and “Black Orpheus.”
Melissa has entertained at prestigious New York City venues such as Lincoln Center, The Iridium, Smalls Jazz Club and The Blue Note. She has also blown her horn on Carnival Cruise Lines and at Disneyland.
Melissa is woodshedding a seven-piece Syracuse-based brass band that will make several appearances at area venues this summer. She has also joined the CNY Jazz Orchestra; melissamaymusic.com.
Arnold returns in April
As we draw closer to the opening of Skä·noñh: Great Law of Peace Center’s opening this coming fall, its founding director, Syracuse University religion professor Phil Arnold will update the Liverpool community about museum plans at 7 p.m. April 27, at Liverpool Public Library. That program is sponsored by the Historical Association of Greater Liverpool; 428-1864 ext. 314, skanonhcenter.org
By the way, Phil is married to Sandy Bigtree, the Syracuse Area Music Awards hall of famer who will perform on July 22, at Johnson Park with her re-constituted Sandy Bigtree Band.
The columnist can be contacted at [email protected].
