When Sam Harris, lead singer of X Ambassadors, envisioned an event celebrating the band’s hometown of Ithaca, he never imagined the idea would evolve into the festival it is today.

Now in its second annual installment, Cayuga Sound will have an added day of music, with headlining acts including Young the Giant, Matt and Kim and its hometown host, X Ambassadors. Held at Stewart Park in Ithaca, the festival is designed to showcase up-and-coming acts from the area and support local charities — a significant portion of the event’s proceeds are donated to their respective causes, said Dan Smalls, co-founder of the festival.

Cayuga Sound formally began as a shared concept between Smalls, owner of Dan Smalls Presents, and Seth Kallen, manager of X Ambassadors.

Harris said Cayuga Sound has given him the opportunity to give back. He said the people and places within the city have helped him develop during his formative years in many ways. Growing up in the lakeside town, Harris said he remembers how it shaped him and his brother, Casey Harris — X Ambassadors’ keyboardist — into who they are today.

“I benefited from a lot of these local organizations as a kid,” Harris said. “I took music lessons at the community school for music and arts, went to Stewart Park day camp and after school programs at the activities center.”

This year’s proceeds will primarily benefit several organizations addressing the opioid crisis in central New York and throughout the state — a crisis, Harris said, that has become a national epidemic in need of a resolution.

“It’s important for us to give back to our community in whatever way we possibly can,” he said. “There is some great work being done by some folks in Ithaca toward helping reduce the impact of this crisis.”

Many recovery services and detox centers in Ithaca have doubled down on efforts to help people struggling with opioid addiction. It made sense, Harris said, to focus on one large issue within Ithaca’s community and curate a lineup of local and major acts equally as passionate about fixing the crisis.

This year’s lineup features major acts such as Sofi Tukker and Young the Giant alongside bands representing the musical taste of host X Ambassadors.

“I wanted it to reflect the style of music I was listening to when I was a kid and it was all over the map,” Harris said. “It was R&B, it was hip-hop, it was alternative rock, it was soul, it was folk.”

For the festival’s founders, Cayuga Sound is their means of revitalizing Ithaca with a more selfless approach than the typical music festival.

“A lot of festivals are born out of the almighty dollar and this one was the exact opposite,” Smalls said. “We want to donate as much as possible to the local community, to organizations that matter to the band and matter to us as producers.”

Smalls said at least 5,000 people are expected to attend the Cayuga Sound festival at Stewart Park this weekend.

Published on September 19, 2018 at 10:03 pm

Contact Randy: rmplavaj@syr.edu