#SIRSY #UpcomingShows #PickOfTheWeek #KaitlinLembo #TheSpot518
SCHENECTADY — SIRSY, the popular rock duo that consists of Melanie Krahmer and her husband Rich Libutti, jump back on stage for two shows this week, starting with a set at Freedom Park on Wednesday, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m.
The band has been on hiatus since Krahmer was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier in the year. Wednesday’s show marks her return since receiving treatment, and she has expressed her excitement over getting back on stage.
Kaitlin Lembo: Will you be playing the drums at your upcoming shows like Freedom Park and the Saratoga Winery?
Melanie Krahmer: YES! I have been in physical therapy for a few weeks now. I am back on the drums in full swing. Rich and I have been practicing every night. Music really is therapy and it’s been lifting our spirits and making us feel like ourselves again.
KL: What are you looking forward to most about getting back to performing?
MK: I miss everyone! I can’t wait to see all the friends we’ve made performing out there at the shows. I also miss feeling like myself. I’ve had way too much time to think! I’m ready to rock! Rich and I have also written a few new songs and we can’t wait for everyone to hear them.
KL: Does anything about touring change now that you’ve been through this battle again?
MK: There are some logistical challenges right now. I have to get a chemo shot every 28 days — and I have to do that locally at my hometown cancer clinic. So, that makes it tough for us to go on long tours. We already had the rest of the year booked before this all happened. So, we’re trying to keep all the shows as they are booked. There’s one run down south, where we have to drive all the way home from DC to get my chemo shot and then head right back out and drive south again to hit the rest of the shows in the Carolinas and Florida. All in all, it’s a small price to pay to be healthy and get to do what we love. I have to have another big surgery facing me- most likely at the beginning of next year. So, that will force us to take a bit more time off. But the chemo shots will be done then and we’ll be ready to go on our national tour (our do-over for what got cancelled this year). This battle has been (and continues to be) a hard one for me — and much harder than my first time around. But the love that everyone has given me makes me want to fight. And the music that will always be in my heart and soul, makes me want to sing!
SIRSY performs at the Saratoga Winery on Friday, Aug. 24, at 6 p.m., before opening for Steppenwolf at the New York State Fair on Monday, Aug. 27.