Welcome to our Shows Page!
This is the place to find out where Idette and the SunRunners are going to be playing as well as where we've been and some History surrounding the Band!
2008
Saturday - July 19th, 2008: American Red Cross Celtic Music Festival - West Mountain Ski Center - Queensbury, NY. This is huge! We are going to be an opening act on the "Druid Stage" from 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM. Other bands on the main stage will include "Hair of the Dog" and "Black 47". Yes - "Black 47" !!!
Saturday - July 19th, 2008: Audrey May Herron Benefit - Brennan's - Route 81 - Earlton, NY. This benefit is for Audrey May Herron, missing since 2002. This multi-band show will run from 2:00 PM - 9:00 PM.
Sunday - September 7th, 2008:Private Party - Schenectady, NY. This is a private party, but it's for a great organization and a great cause.
Sunday - October 5th, 2008 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Benefit Show - Northern Lights Club - Clifton Park, NY. A multi-band show - times to be announced.
Previous Shows:
July 5th, 2008 Grant Cottage - top of Mt. McGregor - Wilton, NY. We were happy to be part of this great annual event for the fourth year in a row! We provided our unique blend of folk, country, blues, bluegrass and Civil War music!
June 28th, 2008: "The Street Was Never The Same" - 296 Fourth Street - Little Italy - Troy, NY. This was a celebration of period music in the spririt of the early 1900's and a re-enactment of Norman Rockwell's painting, "The Street Was Never The Same."
June 24th, 2008: "At the Park Concert Series" - Ten Eyck Plaza - 40 North Pearl Street - Albany, NY. What a great opportunity! The plaza was overflowing with people taking in the music, dancing, toe tapping, etc. And the weather cooperated! A great afternoon!
June 22nd, 2008: "Jake Fest" - Henry Hudson Park - Selkirk, NY. This was to be a benefit for Jake Franchi, a seven year old fighting leukemia. Sorry to say this got rained out at the last minute.
April 27th, 2008: Mocha Blend Espresso Bar & Panini Cafe - 720 Hoosick Road - Brunswick Plaza - Troy, NY. This show was from 12:00 noon - 2:00 PM. Great to be back at the Mocha Blend.
February 28th, 2008 The Corner Well Pub - 698 North Pearl Street - Menands, NY. A friendly "Cheers" type venue with great food. We played two sets while B.A Nillson of the "Metroland" weekly newspaper was there taking in the food and music!
February 2, 2008 Samson's Bar and Grill - Route 30 - Paul Smith's, NY. Out in the middle of nowhere! Who would have thought there were people looking for a party! Well, it's true - this place rocks!
2007
December 15th, 2007: King's Tavern - 241 Union Avenue - Saratoga Springs, NY. Another snow storm, but we played nevertheless!
December 13th, 2007: Red Square - 388 Broadway (corner of Hudson and Broadway) - Albany, NY. Sorry to say, this was cancelled - biggest snowstorm of the winter so far! We shall try again in 2008!
December 8th, 2007: Big G's Restaurant and Nightlife - 50 Oneida Street, Cohoes, NY.
November 30th, 2007: Dapp's Tavern - 2 Lincoln Avenue - Watervliet, NY (near Muddy II's)
November 3rd, 2007: Big G's Restaurant and Nightclub - 50 Oneida Street, Cohoes, NY. It's always a good time playing at Big G's. And thanks to all who signed up to be on our e-mail distribution list - the "SunRunners" really appreciate all our new friends!
November 3rd, 2007: "Step It Up" - Environmental Awareness Event - Corner of Glen Street and Hudson Street, Glens Falls, NY. What can we say? We came, we showed up, we froze. It was just too cold to play a concert and everybody else apparently agreed, because there was no one there. The organizers say that they will never schedule an outdoor concert in November again. Sounds about right to us! Next year - indoors!
November 1st, 2007: "All-Star Acoustic Jam" benefit for the American Cancer Society! The Lark Tavern - 453 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY. We were honored to be asked to play for such a wonderful cause. Our hats' off to the great bands who volunteered their time and talent! It goes without saying that the "SunRunners" absolutely killed! It was a great show for a great benefit!
October 27th, 2007: Mocha Blend Espresso Bar & Panini Cafe - 720 Hoosick Road - Brunswick Plaza - Troy, NY. We were back at the Mocha Blend for their big Halloween party. It was a good time as always and Tony's costume was particularly impressive!
October 6th, 2007: Big G's Restaurant and Nightlife - 50 Oneida Street, Cohoes, NY. Our outdoor performance on July 27th was rained out after just a few tunes, but Big G's invited us back for multiple performances during the fall. We had the crowd dancing at the bar as Idette wove her magic!!
October 5th, 2007: The Bayou Cafe - 507 Saratoga Road (Route 50) - Glenville, NY. This was huge! The Bayou is a great venue and we think our band was a great match. We rocked the crowd as they watched the American League Baseball playoffs.
September 20th, 2007: The Glens Falls Balloon Festival opening day kick-off party! That's right - the world famous Balloon Festival! And we were the THE band scheduled to play just before the fireworks. The location was City Park at the corner of Glen and Ridge streets in downtown Glens Falls.
September 8th, 2007: Mocha Blend Espresso Bar & Panini Cafe - 720 Hoosick Street - Brunswick Plaza - Troy, NY. Great Food! Great Coffee and Drinks! And Great People! We rocked the house and made some new friends, too!
August 24th, 2007: The Troy HotSpot Cafe - 122 4th Street - Troy, NY. This was a smokin' performance - Fred burned up the electronics in his guitar and John's effects pedal went to stomp box heaven. But Idette sang great!
August 18th, 2007: Mocha Blend Espresso Bar & Panini Cafe - 720 Hoosick Road - Brunswick Plaza - Troy, NY - This was our CD release party!!!! The place was packed! Thanks to everyone for coming out and thanks to our friends at Mocha Blend for staging the event!
July 28th, 2007 The Lighthouse Tavern - 356 Northern Blvd. - Albany, NY.
July 27th, 2007: Big G's Restaurant and Nightlife - 50 Oneida Street, Cohoes, NY. Idette and the SunRunners were asked to play for Big G's 5 year anniversary party! The idea was for us to play on the outside stage that had been set up for us. So we played three songs and got rained out! So we moved it inside and played our new CD instead! We will be back!
July 21st, 2007: Valhalla Fest in E. Poland, ME. Idette and the SunRunners drew the prime mid-afternoon slot at this music festival and played a set that had the crowd on its feet! We want to thank our friends from "The Static Port" for letting us borrow their drum kit for our performance.
July 1, 2007: Grant Cottage Historic Site - Mt. McGregor - Wilton, NY. 12:00 noon - 3:00 PM. For the third year in a row Idette and the Sunrunners were asked to provide the music for this annual family event. The event drew over 250 participants during the course of the afternoon - more than ever before. A bunch of folks brought their lawn chairs and stayed for the whole show!
June 29, 2007: Richard Genest's Moon & River Cafe, 115 South Ferry Street, Schenectady, NY: Back again with our acoustic sound! Thanks for your support, Richard!
June 23, 2007: Professor Java's - 217 Wolf Road - Albany, NY. 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM. This performance was another semi-acoustic gig in our "unplugged" tradition!
May 31, 2007: Child's Hospital at Albany Medical Center "Rock to Rebuild" This was an all acoustic performance to benefit seriously ill children and their families.
May 18, 2007 - Mocha Blend Espresso Bar & Panini Cafe - 720 Hoosick Road - Brunswick P laza - Troy, NY - Idette and the Sunrunners performed a scaled down blues/rock/folk/ballad show from 7 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at this newly opened venue. Come out and enjoy the cappuccinos, lattes, coffees, teas, panini sandwiches, gourmet pastries & fruit smoothies, etc. Oh yeah - we blew the patrons and the owners away! We'll be coming back!
May 5, 2007: Richard Genest's Moon & River Cafe, 115 South Ferry Street, Schenectady, NY: This return engagement featured the entire band for a pared down, more acoustic sound from 8:00 - 10:00 PM.
April 29, 2007: Duffy's Tavern, 20 Amherst Street, Lake George, NY: Idette and the SunRunners performed as part of a benefit concert for Brian Seelye. The turnout for this worthy cause was huge. We shared the stage with High Tide and Dirt Cheap, among others. We were the only band playing original music and the show simply rocked!
April 20th, 2007: The Troy HotSpot Cafe at 122 4th St. in Troy, N.Y. After "Wowing" the crowd at the Lighthouse, Idette and the SunRunners played one of their best shows yet at the Troy HotSpot! This is a great Kicked back venue with good food, too! We will be coming back!
Saturday – March 31, 2007: The Lighthouse Tavern - 356 Northern Blvd. - Albany, NY. It had been a couple of years since we played at the Lighthouse Tavern. We filled the place up and it was and it was a really fun evening! Check out the video of "Little Jeffrey and Sarah Jane" filmed at the Lighthouse!
February 3, 2007: Private party – American Legion Hall – Altamont, NY. Idette and the SunRunners helped a friend celebrate his 40th birthday!
2006
Saturday - December 16, 2006: Black Sheep Coffeehouse at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church - 2 Shaker El, Loudonville, NY (1/4 mile west of intersection of Albany Shaker Road and Osborne Road). Another band cancelled, so the Coffeehouse asked the "Sunrunners" to fill in. We did more than that - we rocked the place with all original music!
October 28, 2006: Big G's Restaurant and Nightlife - 50 Oneida Street, Cohoes, NY. This was Big G's huge Holloween Party!! We were really excited about this opportunity to play together as a rock band again!
September 14, 2006: This "surprise" addition to the schedule was at the Wesley Retirement Community in Saratoga Springs. This was a private show for residents only. Some folks had heard the "Sunrunners" play at the Grant Cottage in July and they asked for a similar folk / bluegrass performance at Wesley. This turned out to be a very nice event with at least 100 in the audience. And Donna wrote a special song for her mom!
August 06, 2006: Southern Adirondack Musician's Festival, aka "Kribstock" - Corinth, NY. This outdoor event is a fund-raiser to help to assist musicians with health care expenses. There were over 20 musical acts of great variety on the schedule. The "Sunrunners" were asked to close the show!
July 2, 2006: Grant Cottage Historic Site - Mt. McGregor - Wilton, NY. This was the stripped down folk / bluegrass version of the "Sunrunners". The "Friends of Grant Cottage" put on a picnic and ice cream event with music each year during Independence Day weekend. This year the picnic drew over 250 participants - more than ever before. We played for the Grant Cottage last year and we were asked back - how could we refuse? The storms missed us to the south and east - good weather, good food, good music, and a fun crowd is hard to beat
2005
August 20, 2005: Private Party. A good friend of the "Sunrunners" had a son who was getting married and, yup, we were the wedding band! A big thanks to Tony Vazquez who has been associated with the band for years for sitting in on drums for us at this gig!
August 27, 2005: "Hillstock 3.5" - Central Bridge, NY. This was a 3-day music celebration that drew hundreds of rowdy biking and music fans. A variety of bands played on both Friday and Saturday including Catalyst, Acoustic Trauma, Fuzebox, Permagrin, The Rock Bottom Band and many others. The "Sunrunners" were on stage Saturday, August 27th, from 1:45 PM - 3:00 PM.
July 3, 2005: Grant Cottage - Mt. McGregor - Wilton, NY. This was the stripped down bluegrass version of the "Sunrunners". Idette was feeling well enough to play two short sets at this event in support of the "Friends of Grant's Cottage". This event drew more people to Grant's Cottage in one afternoon than the historic site normally gets for an entire season! We hope to do this again next year.
July 17, 2005: Big Bobby Brown's Rockin' BBQ - 113 Route 9P (just off Northway Exit 12), Saratoga Lake, NY. CANCELLED. It was a tough call in deciding to cancel this show, but Idette was not yet up to doing 4 sets of intense rock 'n' roll.
July 1, 2005: Black Cat Ale House - 25 White Street, Cohoes, NY. CANCELLED.
June 12, 2005: Big Bobby Brown's Rockin' BBQ - 113 Route 9P (just off Northway Exit 12), Saratoga Lake, NY. CANCELLED.
June 4, 2005: Black Cat Ale House - 25 White Street, Cohoes, NY.
May 21, 2005: Moon and River Cafe - 115 South Ferry Street, Schenectady, NY. This was a semi-acoustic set with the "Sunrunners" in a stripped down mode with Idette, Donna and John.
May 20, 2005: Flavour Cafe & Lounge - 228-230 Fourth Street, Troy, NY. This was an annivesary show to celebrate the Flavour Cafe's original opening for business!
May 14, 2005: Black Cat Ale House - 25 White Street, Cohoes, NY. Just because the "Sunrunners" have been playing in Schenectady and Troy of late, don't think for a minute that we have forgotten about our friends in Cohoes! Yup, we were back at the Black Cat and what a return it was! A great crowd filled up the place and "booth dancing" appears to have become a new tradition!
May 1, 2005: "Earth Day" at Riverside Park in Troy, NY. A great outdoor venue - sort of like a mini-SPAC! The sun came out about 10 minutes before we started playing and warmed things up. Turned into a really nice day with a really nice crowd!
April 23, 2005: "Earth Day" at the Jay Street Pedestrian Concourse in Schenectady, NY. Thanks to Tim at the "Spring Eagle" we had a canopy and thanks to our friends at Hermie's Music Store we had cymbals! It only rained a little. Despite the rain, you could still say that we drew a crowd of onlookers and they liked what they heard!
April 15, 2005: Big G's Restaurant and Nightlife - 50 Oneida Street, Cohoes, NY. We had planned a heckuva show and it was! Thanks for having us back!
April 9, 2005: Flavour Cafe & Lounge - 228-230 Fourth Street, Troy, NY. Before we left the Flavour Cafe on March 5, the "Sunrunners" were already booked for this additional date. We are calling these shows at the Flavour Cafe "semi-acoustic" now and we are rocking just a little bit harder! Thanks again for the opportunity to entertain the very friendly patrons at the Flavour Cafe. We'll be back!
March 5, 2005: Flavour Cafe & Lounge - 228-230 Fourth Street, Troy, NY. This acoustic show ran from about 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM and the room was packed for most of the evening. Idette and Donna showcased some new material and everybody got to eat some great desserts!
February 6, 2005: Flavour Cafe & Lounge - 228-230 Fourth Street, Troy, NY. The "Sunrunners" were the first band ever to take the stage at the Flavour Cafe. It was Super Bowl Sunday, but the place was still packed. Good music, good food, and good times were on order for the evening. Our thanks to the management and the congenial crowd at the Flavour Cafe for giving us a listen. We will be back, too!
January 28, 2005: The Van Dyck Restaurant - Union Street at the Stockade Gate, Schenectady, NY. The "Sunrunners" rocked the house at one of the best clubs in the area. And there was a great turnout from our Schenectady area fans! Many thanks to Kevin Gavitt who opened for us and to to the management at the Van Dyck for helping us to make this show a reality. Also thanks to Dan who ran sound for us througout the evening.
2004
December 8, 2004: Last Resort - 2624 Broadway, Schenectady, NY. Thanks to all for the opportunity to participate in this great open mic! Shared the stage with the band, "The Leftovers" and Kevin Gavitt. The "Sunrunners" got to play for an hour. A rousing good time!
December 1, 2004: The Van Dyck Restaurant - Union Street at the Stockade Gate, Schenectady, NY. This was another open mic night hosted by Paddy Kilrain. More fans of the band wanted to see us, so we showed up again! Needless to say, we rocked the place!
November 26, 2004: Ashley's Sports Pub - 330 Ontario Street, Cohoes, NY. The day after Thanksgiving on a holiday weekend! A good sized crowd, nevertheless. Thanks to Ashley's for having us back!
November 20, 2004: Boreali's Restaurant - Route 7, Howe's Cave, NY. This was a benefit for Veronica McAvoy's husband, Henry "Van" Pindar III - "A Celebration of Life". The "Sunrunners" (all original music) played two sets followed by "At Risk" (covers). All styles of music were played during the course of the evening and we celebrated a life. Everyone had fun and the evening was a rousing success!
October 30, 2004: Big G's Restaurant and Nightlife - 50 Oneida Street, Cohoes, NY. Big G's was packed for their Halloween bash! It was our biggest crowd to date and with Tony Vazquez helping us out on the board, it was the best we have ever sounded. Thanks to all for your support and enthusiasm!
October 22, 2004: The Lighthouse Tavern - 356 Northern Blvd. - Albany, NY. This was our first time at The Lighthouse. We had a rockin' good time, played some new songs, and made some new friends! Hope to be back soon!
October 10, 2004: "Beekman Street Festival" - Beekman Street, Saratoga Springs, NY. The "Sunrunners" did an all-acoustic set of folk and rock oriented tunes. A little rain did nothing to stop us!
October 9, 2004: Mabee Farm - Route 5S - Rotterdam Junction, NY. This outdoor event included arts, crafts, and some great music with historic overtones! The "Sunrunners" showed up in costume and did an all-acoustic all-original set of folk, ballads and bluegrass tunes. Our thanks to the organizers for asking us to participate. And as always, we made some new friends!
September 25, 2004: Mickey Doyle's Irish Pub - 3 Brunswick Road - Troy, NY. This was a benefit show for Scott Carroll - proceeds will assist with Scott's medical expenses. The "Sunrunners" played for three hours, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM. Thanks to all who supported the benefit and thanks to the enthusiastic crowd - we are glad you enjoyed the music!
September 19, 2004: "Brother's Keeper" benefit show. This was at Big G's Restaurant and Nightlife - 50 Oneida Street, Cohoes, NY. Thanks to all who showed up at for a big turnout and to help with the benefit.
September 11, 2004: Big G's Restaurant and Nightlife - 50 Oneida Street, Cohoes, NY. Another enthusiastic crowd! The "Sunrunners" played from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM. This performance marked the return of our collaboration with Tony Vazquez, formerly our drummer. Tony plays in a metal band, Necromancy, but he enjoys running a sound board, too. Now he is doing sound for the "Sunrunners"!
September 10, 2004: Black Cat Ale House - 25 White Street, Cohoes, NY. Yup - the "Black Cat" is under new ownership - again! And we came back! The "Sunrunners" played from 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM. It was great seeing some familiar faces! Thanks for having us back!
September 9, 2004: The Van Dyck Restaurant - Union Street at the Stockade Gate, Schenectady, NY. This was open mic night hosted by Paddy Kilrain. Some fans of the band had actually been asking for us to show up, so we did! We played two of our best new songs, "You Put the Hurtin' On Me" (slow blues) and "My Resistance Is Down" (rockin'!).
August 22, 2004: Benefit Concert - Clifton Park, NY. A pool party and benefit rolled into one! Thanks to all who came out in support!
August 20, 2004: "Sunday Music Series" - Riverfront Park - Hudson, NY. Another open air venue. The "Sunrunners" reported for duty at the last minute when another band cancelled. Dancing on the lawn is definitely the thing to do while enjoying the music! A big thanks to the organizers for inviting us to play and thanks to the preceding bands for letting us use the PA!
August 15, 2004: "Sunday Concert Series" - Riverside Park - Coxsackie, NY. Live music at the Gazebo! The "Sunrunners" played from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM. We were all watching what was left of Hurricane Charlie move up the coast, but it never rained once! Looks like Coxsackie was the place to be that evening!
August 7, 2004: Big G's Restaurant and Nightlife - 50 Oneida Street, Cohoes, NY. The "Sunrunners" played from 10:30 PM until 1:30 AM! We enjoyed the late night with the very enthusiastic crowd. We are very pleased that you enjoyed our new stuff!
July 22, 2004: Artie's River Street Stage - 194 River Street, Troy, NY. This was a double bill with our friends from "Release" opening and playing from 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM. The "Sunrunners" played from 10:00 PM 'til midnight! It was 120 degrees on the stage! The music was hot, too!
Who's On First? So, who is playing lead guitar for the "Sunrunners" now? Well, that depends on which song we are playing! It's time for everyone to know that within the make-up of the "Sunrunners" there is multi-instrumental talent galore! Fred can play sizzling blues lead guitar whenever the need arises! So, who plays bass when Fred plays lead? Why Donna, of course! And John will continue to provide his undisciplined lead guitar work on the rock oriented songs as always. Meanwhile, Brant continues to provide the percussion to hold us together and Idette just keeps writing and singing new songs for all of us to enjoy! See you at the next show!
Dan Dearstyne Departs: Dan Dearstyne, a great guy and a great guitar player, has left the "Sunrunners" to pursue the lead guitarist slot with "Railway". We will miss Dan, but we wish him much success with his new band.
June 5, 2004: "Art on Lark Festival" - El Loco Restaurant - corner of Madison Avenue and Lark Street in Albany, NY. The "Sunrunners" unplugged! This turned out to be a great opportunity to introduce new people to our music. As always, we made some new friends and added folks to our e-mail distribution list. Many thanks to the owners of the El Loco Restaurant for feeding us while we were waiting for "showtime!" The food at the El Loco is great, so give them a try sometime!
May 23, 2004: "Old Iron Spring Festival of Music and Art". This was a benefit for St. Mary's School in Ballston Spa. Technically, this was an open mike session for the "Sunrunners", but when we started playing, the folks liked us so we just kept on playing for almost and hour! Many thanks to Mother Judge for hosting this part of the event.
FLASH!! The "Sunrunners" keep on running! Just when things were looking dark, a new opportunity was presented to us. Our old friend Ralph from the Black Cat hooked us up with Ashley's Sports Pub in Cohoes and we were able to perform on Saturday, April 24, 2004 as originally scheduled. A good sized crowd plus "Sunrunners" CDs made for a great evening of rock 'n' roll! We are looking forward to future performances at Ashley's. See you down the road!
April 25, 2004 "Earth Day" at Riverside Park in Troy, NY. A great venue - sort of like a mini-SPAC! We rocked the house along with a great lineup of bands from our region. Mother Nature gave a bit of sunshine, a bit of rain, and a whole lot of good times! Not bad for "Earth Day"!
April 24, 2004 Ashley's Sports Pub - 330 Ontario Street, Cohoes, NY. See above - thanks to all who made this show possible. And guess what? This enthusiastic crowd included folks in their 20's, 30's, 40', 50's, etc. "Sunrunners" music knows no boundaries!
April 10, 2004 "The Egg" - Empire State Plaza. This was the Talent Showcase for the Capital Region! In an evening filled with "50-Cent" and "Beyonce" wannabes, the "Sunrunners" were the musical alternative!
April 10, 2004 "The Forum" - 2200 Route 9, Lake George, NY. It was "Rock the Forum Weekend"! Not many people in the audience, but we had an opportunity to say hello to our friends from "Release". We also got some great contacts and advice from the stage management at "The Forum". We hope to get some dates in Lake George during the summer season. Should be rowdy!
March 18, 2004 Black Cat Ale House - 25 White Street, Cohoes, NY. The day after St. Patrick's day! We tried out some new stuff on you all and played some of your favorites, too! John wants to thank everybody for putting up with his self-indulgent guitar solo on "Gloria"!
Transitions: Enter Dan Dearstyne. Dan is the new lead guitarist for the "Sunrunners". A talented Stratocaster player, he also brings slide quitar and mandolin capabilities to the band. Shortly after joining up with us, Dan and John Seacord discovered one of the most bizarre links to the past imagineable: Both Dan and John are veterans of bands that played the local college / frat house circuit and both have played at the ultimate off-campus fraternity house, the infamous "Castle" in Troy!!
Transitions: Bill Crowley, lead guitarist, has left the "Sunrunners". Along with Idette, Bill was one of the founding members of the band and he has been with the "Sunrunners" from the very start. His distinctive guitar sounds contibuted greatly to the overall "Sunrunners" sound. Rock on, brother!
February 20, 2004 Black Cat Ale House - 25 White Street, Cohoes, NY. Thanks to the pole dancers and everyone else for their enthusiastic support! We recorded this show - LIVE! During the next two months we hope to mix down the recording and burn a CD.
Transitions: Tony Vazquez, aka "WOOF", has left the "Sunrunners" to pursue a variety of musical interests. Tony is a talented multi-instrumentalist and we thank him for his years of dedication to our band and its development. Fortune was looking down on us with the arrival of Brandt Jones less than 24 hours after Tony's departure. Brandt is an outstanding drummer who helped to pick us up right where we left off. We are looking forward to many more shows and helping our fans "ROCK ON"!!
January 17, 2004 Black Cat Ale House - 25 White Street, Cohoes, NY. Another enthusiastic crowd! Another good time! We had 'em dancing in the aisle this time!
