Here is what you need to know before you go: doors open at 7 PM, the show starts at 8, it is 18+, and Funk ‘n Waffles is the kind of close, unpretentious Syracuse room where you are never far from the stage. If you have been sleeping on Shannon McNally, this Friday night on South Clinton Street is the correction.
About Shannon McNally
McNally is an Americana-blues singer-songwriter from Hempstead, New York who has spent decades earning her reputation the hard way — touring relentlessly, recording records that blur the lines between country, blues, and soul, and building a following that values the real over the polished. She studied anthropology, busked in Paris, landed a Capitol Records deal, and eventually settled in Oxford, Mississippi, which tells you something about the direction her music goes. Dr. John once said she “sings like Patsy Cline and Otis Redding at the same time,” and that is about as concise a summary as anyone has managed.
Her most recent studio record, The Waylon Sessions (2021), is a Waylon Jennings tribute that pulled in Jessi Colter, Buddy Miller, and Rodney Crowell. NPR’s Ken Tucker called it an album that “rearranges the molecules of Jennings’ music, turning his tales of cowboy machismo into the stark declarations of a woman taking control of her life.” In 2024 she released a new track called “Trouble” — worth finding before the show. She has toured as support for Stevie Nicks, Ryan Adams, John Mellencamp, and Son Volt, and she was a special guest with Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs in 2024. Grammy-nominated and with two-plus decades of road miles behind her, this is not a name to let pass through town.
About Funk ‘n Waffles
Funk ‘n Waffles on South Clinton Street is one of those Syracuse rooms that makes a night feel earned rather than just attended. It is a music venue and restaurant — arrive by 7 PM when doors open and get a table before the set starts. Touring national acts play here regularly, and the room keeps things close enough that no spot is a bad one.
Tickets & Pricing
Brian Thomas & The Strikes open. Tickets start at $23.63. This is an 18+ show. Doors at 7 PM, showtime at 8.