By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio

The last Levitt Amp Utica concert was held  Friday, August 29, 2025 in Kopernik Memorial Park at 5:30 p.m. It was the final installment in a series of 90 concerts over the event’s decade long span.

Syracuse based “Rising Ghosts” opened the show with slow, contemplative music that fit the relaxed yet wistful mood of an event that both celebrated and ended a concert series that had grown to be a vital part of Utica summer nights for so many Utica residents.


“It’s a beautiful day, thank you for spending your evening with us. We are Rising Ghosts. We have a few original songs and a few covers for you,” announced lead singer Ashley Rose before shifting the mood to pure happiness with her energetic version of Elton John’s “Benny and the Jets.”

Audience members were a bit slow to get up and dance during the one-hour set, as the evening was unseasonably cold for August, but two couples and a small crowd of children took to the area between the park and the stage early. They were later joined by more people as Rising Ghosts moved into covers of the Fugee’s version of “Killing Me Softly,” Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House,” and some of their own original music, including a sample of an unreleased song and the catchy alternative rock tune “Everything You Asked For,” featuring the memorable line “You don’t want me to go, but you never planned to stay.”

The versatile band concluded their one-hour set with a tribute to rapper Mac Miller.
Before the intermission acts took the stage, Levitt Amp Utica Coordinator Michelle McCarrick greeted the crowd.
“Welcome to the last Levitt concert, don’t boo me,” she said jokingly to a chorus of good-natured boos from the audience. McCarrick went on to thank the many community members who were a part of creating the series over its ten years, all of the Levitt Amp sister cities across the country, all of the local interns, and the many vendors who have participated. After calling the rest of the Levitt Amp staff to the area in front of the stage, McCarrick again spoke to the audience, this time taking a serious tone.
“I really hope we have brought the same joy as you have brought us over the years,” she said. “Remember to always support musicians. Always support creative people. I want to personally thank you for everything all these years.”
Before the intermission act could begin, the Utica Common Council made a surprise announcement. Two days earlier, on August 27, 2025, they issued a proclamation honoring McCarrick for the service her leadership on Levitt Amp Utica provided the community over the course of the past decade.
Echoing the diversity of musical styles Levitt Amp Utica had come to be known for, intermission acts included Broadway tunes by Cassandra Dolan and Anthony Graham and a Rap performance by Leeky XIV.
Offstage, Leeky XIV is known as Malik Johnson. He served as Assistant Producer for the Levitt Amp Utica concert series. Reflecting on the final concert before the show, Johnson said, “I’ve been a part of this for four years, and I love the community this has introduced me to.”
Other members of the staff expressed similar appreciation for all that Levitt Amp has given not only to them, but to the community as a whole.
“This has been my first year,” said Marketing Assistant Jonas America. “I’ve come to really love it, the community, the team members. I’m just sad this will be the last time I will get to be a part of it. It makes me wish I had joined sooner.”
Digital Media Coordinator Grace Monaco echoed the wistfulness at the series ending and the appreciation for the community it brought together.
“It’s obviously very sad, but I think all good things must come to an end. It’s bittersweet,” she noted. “I love the way this has elevated the community.” Monaco detailed her hope that the series provided not only a positive impact during its time in Utica, but inspiration and encouragement for others to plan and coordinate other local music events in the future. “Hopefully this will have a domino effect,” she said.
This blending of sadness at the end of a beloved event with celebration and looking forward to the future was echoed in the audience throughout the rest of the evening.
Soul/R&B act Joslyn & The Sweet Compression performed as the very last headliner of the local concert series. As their energetic music drifted across the street and into the little park dotted with food trucks, lawn chairs, and brightly painted bucket seats, audience members could be seen dancing, eating, resting after a hard week at work, and of course, listening to some great music while making summer memories with the neighbors, friends, and family that make up our community.


Goodbye, Levitt Amp Utica. We will miss you….and look forward to what you inspired our community to do next.

By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, 955 The Heat, Phoenix Radio

On July 22, 2025, music fans mourned the loss of Ozzy Osbourne. One of the most important figures in the heavy metal genre, Osbourne passed away at just 76 years of age, much earlier than expected for his generation, following a battle with Parkinson’s disease and emphysema. Osbourne leaves behind a legacy that includes not only heavy metal music as we know it today, but a profound impact on several other genres of music, including some most music fans would never connect to Ozzy, Black Sabbath, or metal in general. 

Clear connections: Punk, alternative, and grunge 

Most would not be surprised to learn that Ozzy and Black Sabbath had a profound influence on punk music. While the website “This vs. that” lists key differences between the two genres in every category from lyrics to fashion aesthetics, it notes that they share a “loud, aggressive sound” and “rebellious spirit.” More importantly, punk artists have long noted the influence metal, and in particular Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, have had on their music.  

Henry Rollins of Black Flag has been widely reported to be heavily influenced by Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. Just four days ago, on July 25, 2025, writer Jack Whatley posted his article “The Black Sabbath Album that Changed Henry Rollins’ Life” from the vault of “Far Out,” a UK-based magazine. In 2011, Rollins spoke to Artisan News about the history of Black Sabbath, noting that Black Sabbath “defined Heavy Metal,” describing them as a band who “took the Blues into Heavy Metal” and first realizing that his “life had soundtrack” when he first heard Black Sabbath (Artisan News Service, 2011) 

Other genres widely known to be heavily influenced by Ozzy’s music and stage presence include alternative and grunge, with members of Pearl Jam and Nirvana noted as lifelong fans. 

Breaking stereotypes and blending: Pop music

Watch any movie or television show filmed or set in the 1980s to early 1990s, and you will likely leave with the impression that pop music of the time and metal music did not mix. The “good” kids, defined by pop culture as the ones in the popular crowds, listened to pop music. Black Sabbath and other metal bands were for for the “bad” kids, the ones who only went to school to meet up so they could smoke behind the building, crudely criticize everyone else, and plan wild parties. 

While there was a distinct teen subculture based around Heavy Metal music during the 1980’s and early 1990’s, many pop music fans and pop music artists are also big fans of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. As tributes from a variety of celebrities poured in following the news of Osbourne’s passing, one of the most surprising may have been from Elton John, who was reportedly not only a friend of Osbourne’s but a fan of his music. 

Beyond unexpected fans, Ozzy’s influence on music reaches into modern pop music overall. Plenty of perky, happy, lighthearted pop music certainly still exists, but Ozzy’s dark lyrics and image invited darker, more introspective themes into popular music overall. Today, it is not at all unusual for pop music, even that with a seemingly happy or hopeful beat or melody, to address deeper or even morose themes in the lyrics. There is even a subgenre of pop music today known as “dark pop,” in which the sounds of pop music are blended with the more introspective, morose, or even depressing or frightening themes Ozzy brought to the mainstream. 

Billie Eilish, Lorde, and Lana DelRay are among the most often mentioned “dark pop” artists. 

Completely unexpected: Hip-hop and country 

Hip-hop and country fans may be tempted to think Ozzy had no impact on their favorite music at all, as the styles, lyrical content, and aesthetics of each of these musical genres are not only typically quite different from each other, they are noticeably different from anything we associate with Ozzy or Black Sabbath. 

Hip-hop fans may be surprised to learn that many of their favorite tunes contain samples of Black Sabbath songs. The “Black Sabbath” page on the music sampling listing website “Who Sampled” lists 259 songs that sampled Black Sabbath lyrics, a large number of them Hip-hop or Rap songs. The list for “Ozzy Osbourne” lists 79 more. 

“Let’s Go,” a 2004 song by Trick Daddy, featuring Twista and Lil’ Jon is perhaps the most famous example of this blending of Ozzy’s music and Hip-Hop, as “Crazy Train,” seems to echo in the background of the entire Rap song. 

As artists from rock and other genres began experimenting with country crossovers, multiple news articles reported Ozzy as having no interest in doing so himself. Yet while Ozzy had no direct connection with country music, both Carrie Underwood and Jelly Roll have performed crossoever covers of his songs, and Dolly Parton participated in the farewell tribute following the final Black Sabbath concert just weeks before Ozzy’s death. 

His passing has left countless fans and fans of those influenced by his music, behind. 





Works cited:

Artisan News Service You Tube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwuhurXyOSc

by Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, 955 The Heat, Phoenix Radio

 At midnight on May 19/May 20, 2015, the Heat Beat mascot, a four and a half pound Chorkie, Miss Callie Santacroce, was born. Today Callie spends her days providing love, comfort, and an iron paw that keeps the day organized as each edition of “The Heat Beat” is written.
To celebrate her tenth birthday this week and wish her many more, this edition of “The Heat Beat” is dedicated to Callie, with a top five list of songs about dogs.

The songs on this list span genres and are in no particular order.

Martha My Dear: The Beatles

On the surface, this does not seem to be a song about a dog. The lyrics mention encouragement for Martha to hold out her “hand,” not a paw. They go on to remind Martha to “be good to me.” These details led listeners to speculate that the song was about Paul McCartney’s girlfriend at the time the song was written and released, a woman whose name was not Martha, but Jane.
In later interviews, however, Sir Paul McCartney has confirmed that the “silly girl” he sings of so lovingly was not a girlfriend, but Martha, his Old English Sheepdog.

Everything by the Beatles stands out, but “Martha My Dear” is a particularly enduring and endearing dog song, as it perfectly creates an image of a playful, loving and very loved dog in the listener’s mind.

Man of the Hour: Norah Jones

Like “Martha My Dear,” the lyrics of “Man of the Hour,” start out in a way that might make some listeners think the narrator is singing about romantic relationships. She describes two problematic potential boyfriends, noting she cannot decide between guys with these two issues. The song goes on to detail the narrator’s decision to instead choose neither of them, refuse to put up with any potential relationship issues, and instead choose her dog.

This of course means the narrator/singer will have to give up romantic love, but she’s fine with that. The trade-off is worth it. In the end, she asks her dog to be her “only man of the hour,” and he responds with a “yes” in the form of a bark as the song closes.

Searches for “Jazz songs about dogs,” will bring up a fair amount of results, including some full playlists, but most of the songs featured only use dogs, traits associated with dogs, and the word “dog” to describe or allude to human traits or behavior. “Man of the Hour” stands out as one of the few that is not only about an actual dog, but was written for a real dog, Jones’ poodle named “Ralph.”

My Dog and Me: John Hiatt

The lyrics of “My dog and me,” leave no room to question if the song is about a dog or a person. It is the straightforward story of spending a day in the outdoors with a dog, beginning with a description of the dog marking their trail and asking “How many times can one dog pee?”

​Despite the opening, the main character in the song has no real complaints about their dog. The rest of the lyrics go on to detail the feeling of freedom the narrator has when spending a day outdoors with their dog. Of course every dog owner does not enjoy outdoor activities, and all dogs will not run along a trail as the dog described in this song does, but the song is relatable to anyone who loves to spend time with their dog, as we can all relate to a relaxing afternoon just hanging out with our canine best friend.

I Love My Dog: Sublime

“Sublime” in its original lineup was on the music scene from 1988-1996, ending with the death of lead guitarist and singer Bradley Nowell from a heroin overdose at the age of 26. Perhaps best known for their 1996 songs “Santeria” and “What I Got” the band blended elements of ska, punk, reggae, and other genres to create their unique sound.

Although his life was tragically cut short, Nowell’s fans can look back on one memorable bright spot, his Dalmation, King Louie, nicknamed “LouDog.” King Louie is mentioned in “What I Got,” and can be seen in several of the band’s videos, as he served as their mascot.

King Louie/LouDog was reportedly adopted by the band’s manager following Nowell’s death, and himself passed away at age 12 in 2001. (Typical of larger breeds, Dalmations have a shorter lifespan than the typical expectation of 15-18, with most living to be only 11-13 years old. LouDog had a long life for his breed).

The song “I Love My Dog” was written about a week that LouDog went missing in the early 1990s. They announce simply that the narrator, who we know to be Nowell writing about himself and his real life, loves his dog and has to keep going on.

Cold Wet Nose (Teala’s Song): Kevin Keating

Utica musician Kevin Keating has written and posted three songs about his dogs on his YouTube channel as of the writing of this article. Each song is about one of his Border Collies who has since passed away. There is “Forever Home (Dolly’s Song), “One More Walk” about the passing of Teala, and “Cold Wet Nose” about the love and support Teala provided to him.

In “Cold Wet Nose,” Keating describes a dog who was by his side and keeping him smiling and happy with the” love behind her cold wet nose,” even through his toughest times.

Whether remembering a beloved pet who now waits in Heaven, honoring the best friend beside you, or looking forward to getting a new dog, pet parents can certainly relate to “Cold Wet Nose,” and its portrayal of a dog as a constant companion through it all.


While most songs are written about human relationships, dogs can have an immense impact on music, whether that be through comforting us through the ups and downs of our relationships with other people, keeping us company throughout our day, or serving as a mascot and inspiration for a song.