By Jess Santacroce
Writer/Editor: The 315
The Tramontane Cafe, known as “The Tram” has long been known as haven, hub, and second home to a large portion of the Utica artists community. On Saturday, September 26,2026, two pillars of the local music scene took the stage. Each musician played a one-hour set of his own choosing, but the two artists fit together, as both are known not only for immense talent and skill but for versatility in their work.
Lou Santacroce took the stage first, opening the evening with “The Concert Song,” a zany tune jokingly warning the audience that they’re actually crazy for coming out, as nearly every problem imaginable is happening around them, some of their own making. He moved on to more serious songs, including “Picture of the Pain,” which Lou described as a “divorce song,” noting “Fortunately I don’t have to write those anymore.”
Other songs addressed real-life situations that impacted the community as a whole. The lyrics of “Connie and Carl” tell a fictionalized version of the 2015 prison break in Dannemora, New York. “With Your Eyes” is a portrait of a man grappling with depression, told from the point of view of someone who knows him. While the song is not written about a real person, each depression symptom highlighted is real. “Mama Gets Drunk” tells the story of a little boy the narrator knows, a child forced to live with a neglectful single parent.
And of course, Lou can also write a beautiful, personal love song. He introduced “Traces” as a song about “the perfume my wife wears” and ended his set with “The One Who Holds My Heart (for Jess),” an engagement song written for his real-life wife and one true love.
Throughout the evening, the spirit of cooperation and support always in evidence at any Tram event could be felt from audience members and performers alike. Friends, family, and fans of both musicians gathered around the tables near the stage, occasionally strolling around to check out the music and other art for sale along the bar, purchase food and drinks from the counter, and greet the performers and each other. A true “listening room experience,” everyone in attendance was there for the music and the musicians.
As he prepared to turn the stage over, Lou introduced “the incredible Frank Bianco,” to which Frank responded, “Not better than you, Lou” from the audience.
Frank Bianco began his set with vocals, then quickly moved on to guitar and vocals and then to instrumental music. He described his shift from vocals to purely instrumental music explaining, “The funny thing about pursuing all of this is that for the past three years I was kind of in the singer-songwriter category.”
Throughout his set, Frank explained that much of the experimentation he does with the sound of his instrumental work comes from variations in tuning on his guitar. His ability to find inspiration and ideas for his music reaches just as far as his skill in writing and playing.
One instrumental piece was described as “a song for my dog, Murphy,” with the backstory “He was at my feet as I wrote this song.”
Another instrumental song was introduced with “This next one goes out to my alter ego, Brian. He retired and he became a Buddhist monk in Nepal.”
The song, “Oh 8 or 840 Upside Down” received a shorter introduction, only described as “a little spooky.”
As his set drew to a close, Frank circled back to guitar and vocals, with an unreleased song titled “Port and Touch,” a tale of walking into a bar/massage parlor and “telling a masseuse about the tension in my soul”, “Couch Fly,” from his first album, and “Haul Away Joe,” described as a “repurposed sailor song.”
As the evening drew to a close, audience members quickly finished drinks and meals and drifted out to the sound of conversation and congratulations for both of the artists on two outstanding performances.
For more information about each of these fine musicians, including upcoming performances and releases, be sure to follow their professional pages.
Frank Bianco’s Band Camp page can be found here: Music | Frank Bianco
Lou Santacroce’s professional page can be found at: Lou Santacroce | Santacroce315
Those who would like to purchase physical copies in person should stop in at the Tramontane Cafe at 1105 Lincoln Avenue in Utica. Be sure to follow them on facebook for updated hours, menus, and other great events featuring these and other Utica artists. Their page is available here:Facebook
Photo credit: Jess Santacroce
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