Nothing exemplifies leisure and entertainment in the Finger Lakes region like live music, lush scenery and picturesque wineries.

On Saturday, Treleaven Wines in King Ferry, NY hosted its second annual “Destination After Dark,” an evening of music featuring local favorite nine-piece dance band, The Destination.

Setting the scene…

A sea of colorful lawn chairs crowded the space on either side of Treleaven’s wooden pavilion area. Hundreds of people from the Cayuga Lake region and beyond filled the laid-back, outdoor venue, enjoying the last of this year’s summery weather.

Under the pavilion, people sat and enjoyed local wine, beer and cuisine from food trucks parked on the property. On the dance floor under strings of lights, people of all ages, from toddlers just learning to walk, to the elderly, danced to the classic rock sounds of The Destination.

The band’s elaborate set-up included keys, amps, horns, two percussion kits, guitars, vocals, bass and more. Their energy breathed new life into many of the classic crowd-favorites they played.

What is “Destination After Dark?”

Treleaven’s tasting room manager, Brian Mulvey, said the winery hosted the event for the first time last September to bring the community together to enjoy the fleeting warm weather. The event centers upon The Destination.

“We wanted to do something fun in the fall with this band, The Destination, because they have a big local following. Whenever we had them for events here in the past, it’s always been a huge draw for the local community,” Mulvey said.

Though this year was only the second “Destination After Dark,” the group has played at Treleaven for the past three years as part of the winery’s Kings of Summer event. Kings of Summer showcases a handful of local bands, and each year The Destination headlines.

Because The Destination is in such high demand in the area playing at weddings, wineries and other events, Mulvey said Treleaven booked them for Destination After Dark a year in advance.

Who is The Destination?

One of the pieces of equipment the band carried had a sticker on it that read, “The Destination, Tried and True.”

Joe Lonsky, who goes by the stage name, Joey J., is the frontman and founder of the band. He started The Destination in 1995. He said he saw the film, The Commitments, a comedy about musicians who form a soul band, and was inspired to start one of his own.

The Destination plays mostly classic rock, blues and soul songs. They represent the quintessential wedding band, playing music that excites the crowd and gets them dancing.

The other eight musicians, Karen Lonsky, Bill Avery, Pat Driscoll, Bill King, Jorge Cuevas, Mike Dubaniewicz, Ryan Zawei and Jeff Stockham have been part of this configuration of The Destination for over a decade.

“These guys have stuck with me a long time. It’s a good lineup,” Lonsky said. “Everybody has fun with the group.”

Lonksy said he believes the music scene in the Finger Lakes region is moving in a direction favorable to reputable bands like The Destination.

“We’re a good band for the area, really. We compete with Syracuse and Rochester and even New York City …  This is the direction that the Finger Lakes is going. It’s going to bigger, better venues and places that are really putting it out there.”