Write a commentWhen Leslie Mendelson opened for The Wallflowers at Lincoln Hill Farms in Canandaigua in August, she was told by several concert goers that they'd be seeing her in Oswego in October. Mendelson is playing at the Oswego Music Hall on Saturday, October 21st.
"Although I've never played in Oswego, I'm really looking forward to it," she said. "I've been playing in the midwest recently and will have a couple of weeks off, with this show falling right in the middle." The Brooklyn resident will then head for several dates in New England in October and November.
iHeart Oswego was able to talk to Mendelson in advance of her appearance at The Music Hall.
She has been playing songs from her 2020 album, If You Can't Say Anything Nice... and her 2021 EP, In The Meantime. She told us, "The album came out just prior to the pandemic, and we couldn't take the songs out on the road..." as concert and club dates evaporated overnight. "That's kind of how In The Meantime came about. I was able to play some Zoom shows from home, as many artists did, and I reworked some of the songs for an acoustic setting."
"I'll be playing a solo show in Oswego, in a more intimate setting," she continued. "I think the more stripped-down arrangements will work quite well."
Mendelson went on to say that she had just recently wrapped up recording the songs for a new album. "I don't have a title for it yet, but I have a couple in mind. I will be playing a few of the new songs for you, though." She said the new collection will likely be released in the spring of 2024.
Mendelson doesn't consider herself to be a political songwriter, even though some of her song titles might suggest otherwise. 'Would You Give Up Your Gun' is one such tune. "There is an epidemic now of gun violence. Our regulations need to change for the benefit of everyone, and that is where this song comes in - what will it take for us to make a change?"
"I have opinions," she continued, "but I am against injustice and hypocrisy. I tend to sing about these things rather than specific political issues."
While Leslie Mendelson will be playing a solo show, she has previously performed with some greats along the way. She co-wrote and performed a song for the AIDS documentary "5B" with Jackson Browne in 2019 entitled 'A HumanTouch', and has also recorded with Bob Weir of Grateful Dead fame.
She was even selected by rock legends The Who to open several shows for them at Madison Square Garden. "We did two of those shows, but the others were postponed due to the pandemic."
Mendelson is looking forward to her performance in Oswego. "We'll play some older songs and some new ones too. I think that people will relate to them, and maybe they'll help us understand ourselves a little bit more so we can get to a better place."
Leslie Mendelson will play at 7:30 pm on Saturday, October 21 at the Oswego Music Hall at 41 Lake Street in Oswego. Tickets are $16-19, and can be purchased through the Music Hall's website, oswegomusichall.org or at The River's End Bookstore in downtown Oswego.
