For more than a year now, we’ve all been looking forward to the opening of the Barking Gull. Located at 116 S. Willow St., on the southwestern corner of the basin block, the Gull, owned by the Gormel family, has hosted scores of private parties over the last decade and has been preparing to open up to the public for the past 13 months or so.
The Barking Gull will feature an upstairs outdoor bar, a state-of-the-art wood-fired pizza oven and a mix of indoor and patio seating. Everything’s ready to go, so what’s taking so long?
Owner John Gormel, who also owns and operates The Retreat and the Cobblestone, told me that staffing has proven problematic. But he recently hired a manager who formerly helmed a Route 57 restaurant, and at the April 7 village planning board meeting he filed a modified site plan application to build a new eight-by-20-foot platform for at outside cooler at the Gull.
So it could be any day now…or any month now, as they case may be…
Meanwhile, the Gull already has significant competition on the basin block: the Limp Lizard at 201 First St., and the White Water Pub right next door at 110 S. Willow St. Both of those bistros lease their locations from Liverpool Properties LLC, owned by prominent Liverpool businessman Val Lamont.
Fab Five Paul
Hot on the heels of organizing the Feb. 8 “Fifty Years of The Beatles” show at the Landmark Theatre down city, musician Paul Davie, who lives in Liverpool, will celebrate his birthday at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at the aforementioned White Water Pub.
“Don’t bring me any presents, just your presence,” Paul quipped. “I’d rather be surrounded by my bestest friends while playing great songs from the 1960s thru the ’90s. Everyone will receive a little something from me, and a few special guests will be stopping by to sit in for song or two.”
Meanwhile, Tommy Conners will entertain on Friday, April 25, and the White Water hosts an open mike on Tuesday, April 29; WhiteWaterPubLiverpool.com.
Fresh fish Wednesdays
The Fish Company is now open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays.
Previously known as Fish Cove, the Fish Company is at 209 Oswego St., toward the back of Liverpool’s Ponderosa Plaza. The price has crept up a bit over the past year or so, but a fish sandwich is still a bargain at $2.99.
The shop also sells haddock filets, shrimp, clams, scallops, calamari, smelts, zucchini, mushrooms, cheese sticks, onion rings, French fries, salads and baked beans. The Fish Company accepts cash only; 457-9839.
Jazz on Demand
The Onondaga County Public Library (OCPL) and CNY Jazz Central have forged a unique partnership in pursuit of their common cultural outreach goals with the debut of “Jazz On Demand,” a new jazz-education project. “Jazz On Demand fosters audience engagement, empowerment and involvement in entertaining ways for family audiences of all ages,” according to Jazz Central Executive Director Larry Luttinger, who lives in Liverpool.
Jazz On Demand will tour all city library branches this spring. All events are free.
Performed by the CNY Jazz Trio, the series demonstrates how jazz musicians build their ideas on the basic architecture of the song. The one-hour, narrated program includes historic background, a call-and-response blues that invites the audience to co-create a blues melody, and a flash-card experiment that gives the audience control over what song the combo plays, in what musical style and at what tempo.
“We’ll break down the ‘fourth wall’ to let the audience in on the ‘secret formulas’ that artists use to get from the beginning of the song to the end,” Luttinger said. “It’ll be lots of fun and ultimately edifying for all participants, including the musicians. We’ll have to create arrangements on the spot. Do not do this at home, folks. It takes professionals.”
Here is the Jazz On Demand performance schedule:
2 p.m. Saturday, April 26, Betts Branch Library, 4862 S. Salina St.
2 p.m. Saturday, May 3, Kinchen Central Library, The Galleries of Syracuse, 447 South Salina St.
4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 7, Mundy Branch Library, 1204 S. Geddes St.
2 p.m. Saturday, May 17, Paine Branch Library, 113 Nichols Ave.
2 p.m. Saturday, May 24, Soule Branch Library, 101 Springfield Road.
2 p.m. Saturday, June 7, Beauchamp Branch Library, 2111 S. Salina St.
For info, visit onlib.org.
