Last night, millions of sports fans watched the kickoff of a new NFL season. For local music fans, Saturday’s start of a new concert season on the Syracuse University Hill should be just as exciting.

Local promoter Herby One is starting off the year with the first annual ‘Syracuse JamFest,’ beginning at 9 p.m. at Darwin’s. The festival’s lineup includes Rhubarb, from Buffalo, and two of SU’s finest, Roast and My Friend’s Band.

‘This is the fourth straight semester of having live music every Saturday at Darwin’s,’ said One, who’s also the publisher of ‘Revolving Door’ magazine. ‘I wanted to celebrate by hosting a multi-band event featuring some of Syracuse’s own.’

Throughout the year, One plans on bringing some of the best jam acts from the Northeast to the SU area.

‘Darwin’s is the best place to see and hear high-quality regional bands in Syracuse,’ he said. ‘I expect a great turnout this week and throughout the semester.’

If past success is any indicator, My Friend’s Band should draw a big crowd as JamFest headliner. My Friend’s Band features current and former SU students Jeff Lloyd, Jim Wuest, Rob ‘Chops’ Froelich and Kinyatta King. They hope to rekindle some of the magic that made them the most prolific live act in Syracuse last year. The uninitiated can expect My Friend’s Band to deliver virtuoistic solos, funky grooves and clever cover songs.

My Friend’s Band has moved on to bigger and better things since graduating three of its members. They released their full-length debut, This Side Up, in the spring. The album includes two live tracks recorded at past Darwin’s shows and will be available at JamFest. Unfortunately, the band’s new ventures have forced them to abandon their popular weekly slot at Harry’s on Wednesday nights.

Luckily, Herby One’s production company is picking up the slack.

‘I’m pleased to continue the Wednesday night live music tradition at Harry’s. I will be booking mainly local college bands, a different one each week, so expect some great music and familiar faces every Wednesday night at Harry’s,’ One said.

JamFest’s opening act, Roast, should already be familiar to the Harry’s crowd. They played their first shows there in 2002. Those shows marked the birth of a band with a lot of promise, but not a lot of luck.

After breaking ground and turning heads in the Fall 2002 semester, a string of misfortunes stopped Roast’s momentum. First, powerhouse drummer Micah Nemiroff left the band to study abroad. Then guitarist Brendan Silver broke both of his hands and was forced to sit out for a few months. With the original lineup intact and a fresh batch of new songs, the six SU seniors from Roast are once again ready to do some great things – starting with Saturday night.

‘Roast is a collection of unique personalities,’ keyboardist Paris Schutz said. ‘When one’s missing, it just doesn’t feel right. Having everyone back has supercharged the band.’

The lineup changes and a summer apart have forced Roast to rethink their sound.

‘It helped us focus on our strong points,’ Schutz said. ‘The emphasis has shifted from the instrumental side to songwriting.’

Although Roast’s songs may now be more concise, the diversity of their influences is as broad as ever. Mixing blues, R&B, progressive rock, jazz and pop, Schutz says that Roast has something for everyone.

‘So many different people can enjoy this band,’ said Schutz. ‘People can expect to hear songs they’re gonna want to pay attention to.’

Published on September 4, 2003 at 12:00 pm