NYS Music 20​18

Author: Michael Hallisey

  • Hearing Aide: Mirk ‘Sense’

    Mirk has been a part of the local scene since it first formed in 2009. Each of the band’s previous six releases has its own vibe, which makes it difficult for anyone to pigeonhole the band into a specific genre. The band’s sound is best described as “dance clap,” incorporating elements of pop music from different eras to get audiences onto the dance floor, and clapping.

    In the past, Mirk has played with the harmonizing doo-wop of the ’50s, the horn arrangements common in soul music from the ’60s followed by the predominant guitar and drums of the ’70s. Mirk’s sound, however, never strays from its roots of hip-hop, R&B and soul.

    Mirk’s seventh and latest album Sense is inspired by the music frontman Joshua Mirsky hears from his clients at his Foster House Studios in Albany. Mirsky said it delves more into the pop, which is evident from the electronic beats on some of the tracks. But, overall, the album is steeped in rich and soulful R&B.

    The baseline on “Priceless,” the album’s opening track, sets the tone for the entire listening experience. It introduces the listener to a smoldering atmosphere with a danceable beat with electric accents. It aptly holds your hand into the next track, “Cleopatra,” an equally hot song featuring Stellar Young frontman John Glenn.

    Glenn is one of four local musicians brought along for the ride on this 12-track album. Another, Nick Horace of The 7th Squeeze, lends a powerful performance on the ambient track “First of Her Name.” Tara Merritt lends her vocals on two tracks. The Albany singer has been associated with members of Groovstick and The Chronicles. She really shines through on the final track, “Rapture.”

    Your up-close and personal dance tracks move aside after “Pretty Brown Eyes.” featuring Troy R&B artist James Rock providing the hook with his silky smooth voice. From there, the pace picks up a notch with “Options” and “Living It Up,” only to ease back subtle like.

    By the time you get to “So Bad,” you will understand that this is not a disco dance compilation. Sense is light the candles, turn the lights down low, sexy. This is the soundtrack to your Friday night; whether you have plans with someone, or you plan to cruise the scene downtown. Audiophiles with their headphones should also check this out. Whatever your intent may be, this is good music.

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYSmusic. TheSpot518 and NYSmusic work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.

  • Mark Anthony Manning: The story of a rising 20-year-old Albany singer

    The 20-year-old man’s voice soared as he played the piano in a minuscule practice room, eyes shut as he swayed to the music and several veins appeared across his face and neck. The dim lighting and tight space made the experience feel more intimate and hearing his voice echo sonically through the surrounding walls projected the impression of a cathartic release of pent-up energy and passion.

    Mark Anthony Manning had invited me to meet him there at the Massry Center for the Arts in the College of Saint Rose in Albany. He is currently a junior student there and studying towards a bachelor’s degree in Music Industry. Performing a few original songs on the black Steinway & Sons piano which he’d penned, he said that he mainly plays pop and R&B music, is a songwriter, and he has two music-related jobs.

    First, he has been working as a wedding singer for Silver Arrow Band, a company which performs at festivals, corporate events, private functions, and weddings, since early summer. In Manning’s case specifically, he travels with them across the state to perform a collection of requested songs for people’s weddings. Silver Arrow Band has won numerous accolades, including WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards every year since 2016.

    “It’s by far the best job I’ve ever had. There’s just so many musicians and you just get offered gigs. I’ve never been to a wedding with like the same exact band, it always like switches out because it’s a company,” Manning said.

    According to him, he usually gets paid at least $500 or $600 per wedding, although it depends on what musical instruments and how many fellow Silver Arrow Band members are brought for the wedding performance. “It helps me pay the bills and I like getting to travel with them,” he said.

    His second stint is being the frontman and lead singer of his own live student band, called Mark Manning and the Sexy Bitches.

    His fellow bandmates are Joseph Taurone on the drums; Gabriel Klinger-Horn playing the guitar; Sam Walczyk on the bass; Dan Carr who is in charge of synth, auxiliary percussion, and can substitute for drums guitar and bass; and finally, Kyle Robinson and Amy Branham who both serve vocals and play the piano too. All are St. Rose students, whom Manning met when he was still a sophomore, and they collectively rehearse together every Monday night.

    Manning first met Klinger-Horn during a college party early last fall where after some small talk, Manning expressed his desire to start a band. He was surprised when Klinger-Horn revealed he plays the guitar and knows of two peers, Taurone and Walczyk, who play the drums and bass. Over time, the remaining members joined but ironically, the band did not have an official name yet.

    It was not until the day of their very first performance together, which occurred at the Rice House — a venue that showcases local collegiate and young adult music talents — in Albany back in October 2017. He noted that that was the night the band made a name for itself in the Saint Rose community and the overall local music scene.

    “That day, I was like, ‘I don’t even know what to call us, guys.’ But there was this other band called Hasty Page and one of its members, Josh Morris [who serves vocals and plays the drums] said ‘Mark Manning and the Sexy Bitches’ as a joke,” he admitted. “I then slipped and said it accidentally onstage. But the performance was so much fun and looking back now, we weren’t really friends back then and we’ve since improved so much. It was the first night we really clicked and bonded. The name just stuck since then.”

    In fact, he recalled that eventually, people from Silver Arrow Band once saw him perform with his own band, and they asked him if he was interested in working for them too as a wedding singer.

    Having started to write songs upon entering college, Manning said “right now, all our songs are about relationships, unreciprocated love and how they don’t work out.”

    “I have not one happy song,” he joked.

    Regarding his songwriting process, it “usually starts with me getting my feelings hurt in some shape or form, and I’ll come to practice and I tend to have the chords first, before getting the melody and tempo. I mean, every song is different though. Some songs, the melody will come to me first in my head before I work on it with the piano.”

    Originally from Long Island, he identifies himself as “maybe a baritone but I’m definitely not a tenor. But I wouldn’t just say I’m a bass either.” Among his sources of inspiration are Beyonce, John Legend, Daniel Caesar and Kirk Franklin. He personally enjoys gospel, jazz and soul music.

    “My three siblings, cousins and I were all like a gospel and sang a lot of gospel, and it was cute that we were all family and being in church,” he recalled his childhood days. “We were called like The Manning 6, but eventually, they all grew out of music and I just didn’t.”

    After Manning began trying to take piano lessons in second grade, then fourth grade, and again in tenth grade, it was not until attending St. Rose where he had to take four semesters of piano to genuinely improve his piano proficiency.

    He was also highly active in musical theater growing up, particularly when he attended Patchogue-Medford High School in Suffolk County, Long Island.

    In terms of high school musicals, he played Gary Coleman in “Avenue Q,” Mr. Black in “Wild Party,” The Wiz in “The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical” and Donkey in “Shrek the Musical.” In college, his credits include playing Seaweed J. Stubbs in “Hairspray” and Mitch Mahoney in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

    “It just feels like this was something I was born to do, I don’t want to do anything else,” he concluded. He hopes to eventually move to California sometime after graduation to grow as an artist. He even wants to become head of A&R — standing for artists and repertoire, they choose certain artists to get signed and develop their brand — of a music label someday.

    “In California, there’s so many record labels and young people out there chasing their dreams,” he said. “I just feel like the resources are more open there. If you want to be noticed by someone important, that’s the place to go. But I really believe in myself and have so much faith. You have to, no one else is going to if you don’t.”

    For now, Manning maintains a website at iammarkmanning.weebly.com and has an upcoming extended play coming out in either October or November.

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYS Music. TheSpot518 and NYS Music work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.

  • Coffee and Conversation: Learning about Yaddo Gardens

    Locals got to learn more about the Yaddo Gardens, an artist community in Saratoga Springs, and its historical origins during the Friday, Sept. 14, installment of the Coffee and Conversation series at the Bethlehem Public Library.

    Lesley LeDuc, a docent and a member of the Board of Directors at Yaddo, spoke about how it is a recognized place where artists, filmmakers, poets, musicians and writers can apply to stay for a period of time to escape their everyday surroundings and work on their crafts. Its renowned resident artist program is divided into five categories: Literature, Visual Art, Music Composition, Performance, and Film & Video.

    This “artist colony” is located just off exit 14 on Interstate 87. While the area is accessible to the public, the property remains privately owned.

    LeDuc introduced the prominent Trask family, the patriarch of whom was financier and philanthropist Spencer Trask (1844-1909) a graduate of Princeton University who founded his own law firm. He and his wife, Katrina (1853-1922) a fellow philanthropist and author, had several children, all of whom died prematurely.

    Together, they bought this 400-acre estate back in 1881 and moved into the currently-standing house in 1893, after the original burned down in 1891. It became an artist colony around 1926, according to LeDuc.

    “There’s 55 rooms in this 45,000-square foot estate, 20 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and I think if I remember correctly, there’s 16 fireplaces,” LeDuc said, chuckling. “When we do public tours of the area, someone always asks me about the number of fireplaces.”

    Tours of the Yaddo Gardens are offered every summer and fall. The estate, which serves as the site for “25 to 35 weddings every year,” according to LeDuc, is also notably populated with multicolored gardens, fountains, marble and a pergola.

    In addition to presenting numerous historical photographs of the family, the estate and its gardens, LeDuc also displayed postcards that featured the estate in the early 20th century. She also shared about how the property’s overall aesthetic features, including its statues and fountains, began to deteriorate over the years, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s, and how there has been an effort to restore them ever since.

    “We clean the marble statues with toothbrushes once or sometimes twice every year,” she explained. “They’re all marble so they’re very porous and we have to be very careful.”

    The pergola, the so-called dominant feature of the gardens, consists of 38 ionic columns and is about the length of a football field. It is a popular location for weddings at the estate.

    The pergola also had to be restored as it was made out of terra cotta which deteriorates “from the inside out … and the columns were all taken down.” While some columns were still capable of being reused after restoration, others had to be replaced completely.

    “We were all afraid of when the columns were taken down,” she said. “And the restoration cost almost $500,000. But eventually, they were all put up again and they just look like they came back, looking better than ever.”

    An audience member later asked how the name “Yaddo” came about. LeDuc said that while there have been at least six untrue “fanciful” versions of where the name came originated from, it actually came from Christina, the Trasks’ young daughter who once mispronounced the word “shadow.”

    Each week, the Coffee and Conversation series features a visiting speaker who comes to discuss either their professional or personal expertise about a work of art or a local landmark for about an hour. The series, co-sponsored by Bethlehem Senior Projects, Inc., takes place at the Bethlehem Public Library weekly on Friday afternoons beginning at 1 p.m.

    The next Coffee and Conversations event will take place on Friday, Sept. 21. For more information about this week’s visit here.

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYS Music. TheSpot518 and NYS Music work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.

  • USPS remembers Beatles legend John Lennon with new stamp

    Preceding the ceremony to unveil the new John Lennon stamp, his late-Beatles wife expressed gratitude for the throngs of fans who gathered at the Naumburg Bandshel in New York City’s Central Park for the event.

    “Even if it was five or ten people, I would have appreciated it,” said Ono, with their son Sean at her side. “But, look at this. This is beautiful.”

    Instead, hundreds of fans gathered to pay tribute to a complex man who first stirred teenage girls into a frenzy and later helped lend a voice to a rebellious generation against war. John has been dead for nearly as long as he was alive, assassinated outside of his home in December 1980, at the age of 40. Earlier this month, the U.S. Postal Service honored the singer and songwriter with a stamp.

    John Lennon Stamp

    “It’s a privilege to commemorate the life of John Lennon – one of the most celebrated musicians and iconic personalities of the 20th century,” said Postmaster General and CEO Megan J. Brennan. “The world was influenced by John Lennon’s music and his commitment to the ideals of peace and unity. We continue to be inspired by his memory.”

    John joins Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Sarah Vaughan as artists immortalized by the USPS in its Music Icons stamp series. The commemorative stamp features a photo taken by noted rock ’n’ roll photographer Bob Gruen in August 1974. It shows the musician on the rooftop of his Manhattan apartment taken for the 1974 album Walls and Bridges. The original black-and-white image was treated in gradations of color to create the artwork for the stamp, which is now available for purchase.

    John Lennon Stamp

    Gordon Thompson has yet to purchase the stamp. The Skidmore College professor is considered the local expert on all things Beatles. He is the music department chair for Skidmore. He said he remembers the Ed Sullivan broadcast that introduced his generation to the Mersey Sound. Thompson is a ethnomusicologist, or one who studies the relationship between music and culture. He’s taught classes on how The Beatles influenced culture from the 1960s to today. Though he is a fan of John and the Fab Four, he said he does not collect memorabilia.

    “Unless books and recordings are memorabilia,” said Thompson, “in which case I’m guilty.”

    Ono’s perplexing admission that she was concerned few people would attend the day’s ceremony contrasts against her late husband’s iconic status. He was, of course, a founding member of the Beatles. The Beatles still hold records for a string of hits released from 1962 to 1970, including “All You Need is Love,” which later served as an anthem for John’s humanitarian endeavors. John also was a successful solo artist. His last of seven studio albums, “Double Fantasy,” was released three weeks before he was killed. It includes “Beautiful Boy,” a lullaby to his son, Sean.

    Julian Lennon, John’s son from his first marriage, did not attend the ceremony. Since his father’s death, he has been candid with details describing a dismissive and abusive father. In a 1998 interview with The Telegraph, Julian called his father a “hypocrite.” As the world recalled hearing him sing “give peace a chance,” Julian recalled how that same voice could easily “tear someone up.” Julian had a distant relationship with his father, both geographically and emotionally. He didn’t know him as the doting father Sean did.

    “I think [John] Lennon offered us an example of our best and worst impulses,” said Thompson. “He was no saint, but neither was he evil; and we watched as he wrestled with his impulses on a very public stage.”

    Thompson referenced a line from The Beatles’ 1967 hit “Getting Better.”

    “I used to be cruel to my woman, I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved.”

    It was an innoxious statement fans seldom thought to analyze when it was released on “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonley Hearts Club Band.” John, however, would later admit to Playboy magazine, quoting from his own song, that he was an abuser.

    “I was a hitter,” John told Playboy. “I couldn’t express myself and I hit. I fought men and I hit women. That is why I am always on about peace.” He added that he did not curb his volatile behavior until he met Ono. Soon afterwards, the world would see Lennon as an advocate for peace, a champion for women’s rights and a critical voice against organized religion.

    “He questioned the role of religion in society and the righteousness of those who present themselves as religious,” said Thompson. “He recognized the hypocrisy inherent in religious practice and spoke out about it. And for that, he was assassinated. His killer had harbored resentment over the comments about the relative popularity of Jesus and brought these with him to New York.”

    John Lennon was shot dead on Dec. 8, 1980, in the archway of the Dakota Apartments by Mark David Chapman. He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994.

    Julian was left out of his father’s will. Though a trust was established to benefit all of John’s children, Julian sued to obtain his share of his father’s estate. Julian told The Telegraph that he continues to reach out to his brother, Sean, but that the relationship is distant.

    The USPS designed the John Lennon stamp pane to resemble a vintage 45-rpm record sleeve. One side of the pane includes the stamps and brief text about John Lennon’s legacy. A black-and-white photograph of him seated at his white piano appears on the reverse.

    “Not to be too cliched, but I think Lennon’s death symbolized for us the official passing of an era,” said Thompson. The Beatles expert was absorbed in the music and culture of India when Lennon was killed. The young ethnomusicologists had “moved on.”

    “Lennon and the Beatles had shaped a major part of our lives, he said, “but we, and they, had moved on. We had abandoned a phase in life when we had ignored the consequences for our actions. We had become adults. John Lennon had once been Peter Pan, lured into the world of mortals. Now, we recognized that we had lost something special.”

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYS Music. TheSpot518 and NYS Music work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.

  • Lark Fest to Pack a Punch this Weekend in Albany

    When Adrian Lewis takes the stage at Lark Fest this Saturday, Sept. 22, he will complete an unofficial Triple Crown here in the Capital District.

    Better known as The Age, Lewis played Rockin’ on the River and Alive at Five this year. He and his band will headline upstate New York’s largest one-day street festival this Saturday.

    “I’m super excited about Lark Fest,” said Lewis. “I’ve wanted to be a part of it for a few years now and it’s kind of mind blowing that we are going to be a headlining act this year.”

    To place his excitement into perspective, he opened for the B.B. King Blues Band featuring Tito Jackson at Alive at Five this June.

    The Age is one of two headlining acts which also includes Stellar Young. Saturday’s performance will be Stellar Young’s third at Lark Fest.

    “We’re so humbled to be a part of such an awesome event,” said lead vocalist John Glenn. He added that the band will be selling sunglasses to fund its third release “And Turned to Ash.”

    The lineup to this year’s festival, the 37th for Lark Street, is worth taking note.

    The music starts with Becoming a Ghost at 11 a.m. Becoming a Ghost most recently played at WEQX’s Battle of the Bands at Jupiter Hall. It put on a high energy, interactive performance that moved the crowd. The band could have just as easily won the competition to open last week’s Pearlpalooza.

    The lineup continues with the Ryan Leddick Trio, Onlyness, Bendt, Greens, Mirk, Apostrophe S, Kimono Dragons, Useless Cans, and JB & Victory Soul Orchestra. Stellar Young takes the stage at 3:45 and The Age follows at 4:20 p.m.

    The all-day event expects to attract 50,000 people with live music, local vendors, food trucks and more. Start walking at 10:30 a.m. and finish the day at 5:30 p.m.

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYS Music. TheSpot518 and NYS Music work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.

  • A Look into Proctors and its Founder

    Frederick Freeman ProctorOn Friday, Sept. 7, locals were able to learn more about both the personal and professional life of vaudeville impresario F.F. Proctor — full name is Frederick Freeman Proctor — who is known for developing the original Proctors in Schenectady back in 1912.

    The event was titled “Proctor: A Man, His Theater, Our Heritage” and was part of the Coffee and Conversation series at the Bethlehem Public Library, which is co-sponsored by Bethlehem Senior Projects, Inc.

    The series takes place every Friday through Nov. 16, starting at 1 p.m. with visiting speakers and musicians talking about their craft, followed by an hour of complimentary coffee and light snacks at 2 p.m.

    Marilyn Sassi — a long-time museum curator, and adjunct professor at both Hudson Valley Community College and Schenectady County Community College — did her research before presentation that Friday, hoping to educate the audience about the theater’s origins, since it has been a significant landmark in the Capital District.

    While providing a slideshow of vivid historical photographs of Proctor himself who lived from Mar. 7, 1851 to Sept. 4, 1929 as well as the theater’s appearance through the decades, she also spoke about how the man grew from being an acrobatic performer himself to achieving his dream of opening his own theater.

    A self-professed theater lover, Sassi personally volunteers at Proctors where she has served as a tour guide for 13 years now. She recounted how she first watched movies at the theater with her grandfather when she was around five years old. Eventually, she became fascinated with Proctor’s life as well as how throughout the 20th century, his theater was developed, maintained, almost demolished and renovated for the modern times.

    To gather her research, Sassi worked with historians at the Schenectady County Historical Society, a historian near Central Valley as well as Proctor’s closest living relative, his great-grandnephew, who supplied exclusive information and photographs.

    She discussed how Proctor himself was a professional acrobat and performed in vaudeville houses in the late 19th century, calling himself “F.F. Levantine.” Gaining a desire at age 29 to buy and manage a theater though, “the only thing he can afford was a rundown, really shabby theater down on Green Street in Albany called the Gaiety at the time,” she said.

    Eventually, he oversaw the openings of more theaters nationwide and in 1925, the aforementioned Albany theater was moved to its present location in Schenectady. Sassi noted that the introduction of television, shopping malls and World War II factored into the theater’s downfall eventually, as well as Proctor’s own death in 1929.

    Falling into particular disrepair by the 1960s and 1970s, the theater was almost demolished but was saved when the Schenectady Council of the Arts intervened and money was raised via grants to begin renovations. It officially reopened on Jan. 3, 1979. Since then, the theater has undergone further renovations and maintenance in an effort to return it to its former aesthetic glory from the early 20th century.

    “Now, when you go into the theater, you are walking into what people would have seen when the theater first opened,” Sassi concluded her presentation, resulting in sheer applause from the mostly-packed audience.

    The next Coffee and Conversation event is this Friday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m.

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518. 

  • Hearing Aide: Ariana Grande ‘Sweetener’

    When a terrorist bombed the Manchester Arena in England after Ariana Grande’s concert there in May 2017 which killed 22 and injured 500, this overt attack on music caused many to wonder what the singer’s next move would be, or if she would consider leaving the industry altogether. But she bravely returned for a $23 million-raising benefit concert called One Love Manchester on June 4, and was an apt appetizer to her next album, Sweetener.

    This theme of healing and inner peace would tightly inform this album, which first welcomed worldwide listeners on Aug. 17. An overt contrast from her last album, 2016’s Dangerous Woman which was darker and sexual in nature, Sweetener is lighter and calmer.

    “It’s kind of about like bringing light to a situation, or to someone’s life, or somebody else who brings light to your life, or sweetening the situation,” Grande said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last May.

    Given the album’s tragic background concerning the fateful concert, it was assumed that Sweetener would have a melancholic and depressed sound overall, which lead single “No Tears Left to Cry” briefly teased when it premiered back in late April. But after 20 seconds, the song jumps from its expected slow tune into a bopping uptempo dance-pop number, with Grande dancing animatedly on her feet. Its lyrics related to that transition, in that Grande has to move on and be resilient professionally and personally.

    Sweetener actually begins with a 38-second a cappella introduction, “Raindrops (An Angel Cried)” which hauntingly soothes the listener with her bare vocals. The second song, “Blazed,” features acclaimed singer and producer Pharrell Williams whose signature happy-go-lucky sound is very evident, as listeners start getting warmed up with this delicate dancing number.

    The third entry, “The Light is Coming,” features rapper Nicki Minaj, who actually released her own album, “Queen” a week earlier on Aug. 10. This disappointing collaboration failed to measure up to high expectations like “Side to Side” (another Grande-Minaj duet in 2016) and only peaked at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100.

    Euphoria and positivity mostly permeates through this album though. A highlight is “Breathin” which addresses the singer’s anxiety, its lyrics confessing that people have told her to use drugs to feel better. Its universal message of self-help, hope and mental health can easily connect with listeners, especially within the music realm as fellow musician Demi Lovato survived an overdose in late July. It is a clear example that exposing one’s vulnerabilities can ironically showcase their strengths.

    The four last tracks—“Better Off,” “Goodnight N Go,” “Pete Davidson” (her fiance’s name) and “Get Well Soon”—particularly continue Grande’s mission to spread tenderness and optimism. These are slower and quieter, and her almost-whispery diction make the quartet the perfect soundtrack to one’s slumber.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6QwoGTCJsk

    Sweetener slightly recalls her earlier albums, back where she was not too concerned with landing chart toppers and focusing more on delivering joyful, grin-inducing pop and R&B songs.

    Still unafraid to use art and visuals for getting her point across, the marketing for the album, including its lead single, “No Tears Left to Cry,” and the album cover itself, often displayed Grande and words as being literally upside down. This was a subtle commentary on how Grande’s personal life and career spiraled aimlessly for a while, in the aftermath of the May 2017 concert bombing.

    But with Grande’s determination to not be swayed away by negativity and danger, she bravely set out a new course for herself, making this light-sounding album sound less like a scared murmur for pity but more like a stance of defiance.

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYS Music. TheSpot518 and NYS Music work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.

  • Photo Gallery: Halestorm

    The Albany Capital center hosted a triple-bill of heavy metal music on Friday, Aug. 3 — Halestorm, In This Moment and New Years Day — all of which featured a female lead singer. Halestorm, the Grammy Award-winning band out of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, may have been the headlining act, but it was a special night for Maria Brink of In This Moment. For Brink, the Capital District concert was a homecoming event for the Clifton Park native. She dedicated her band’s set to her family and friends in the audience.

    Check out our Halestorm photo gallery below.

  • The X takes to The Net: Popular radio program returns to the area as RadioRadioX.com

    Art Fredette, of RadioRadioX.com, is banking on the belief listeners will turn on and tune in to his newly launched internet radio station. It’s a continuation of the “X” brand that disappeared when 106.1 WAIX-FM dropped off the air in May. Fredette was both a sales representative and program director for the station.

    Internet radio is far from a new concept, but it’s growing. NetRadio is credited with the concept of web-based audio when it started broadcasting back in 1995. That’s when a network of four different formats out of Eden Prairie, Minnesota took to the “world wide web” through the program RealAudio. With most audiences consuming data at 56 kilobits per second, reception was spotty. Compared with today’s tech, the sound quality left something to be desired after overcoming several minutes of buffering.

    Flash forward 20 years, Forbes proclaimed the medium as the next marketing boon with the screaming headline, “Why Internet Radio is The Biggest Advertising Opportunity of The Future.” By now, audio streaming services like Spotify have had the largest influence upon the music industry since college kids pirated Limp Bizkit songs off Napster. The ubiquitous presence of iPods have stepped aside to smartphones, unlimited data packages and bluetooth. Auto manufacturers don’t roll out cars with CD players anymore, because everyone streams music.

    According to a Pew Research Center survey, nearly half of Americans (44 percent) listen to internet radio in a car through their phone.

    Now, as we sit inside his Waterford studio, he continues to wear multiple hats to jump start his new station.

    “You are literally looking at the entire staff,” he said.

    That will soon change.

    For listeners of “The X,” the musical content will be familiar, deep cuts and B-sides intermingled with familiar tracks. There will be an emphasis on local music, too. Ralph Renna and Jim Barrett will return to the airwaves, each with their respective shows, “Shuffle” and “Kaleidoscope.”

    When The X was taken off the air in May, people responded. The station’s social media channels were bombarded with angry listeners who wanted it back on the air.

    “Everything was taking off, and then it was all taken away,” said Renna. “Artie asked me to bring [Shuffle] back, and I volunteered.” Renna will return as an on-air personality in the coming weeks.

    It’s a Collar City contingent among the three personalities, so far. Barrett’s radio show had a 50-year run before WAIX went off the air. Outside the show, he runs The Beat Shop record store on Troy’s River Street. Renna has long been advocate for Troy’s heavy metal scene in addition to acting as the frontman for Let Go Daylight and The Otherside.

    The station is on the air now as it continues to develop. Renna said he’s confident in the direction this new station is heading, without corporate interference. “We’re just doing it our way — Artie’s way,” said Renna. “All the songs are great. I’m into it and I’m also getting educated on songs I’ve never heard before.”

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYS Music. TheSpot518 and NYS Music work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.

  • Park Playhouse Permanently Expanding to The Cohoes Music Hall

    Building on 30 successful years in Albany’s Washington Park, Park Playhouse is expanding its year-round artistic and educational program offerings at the Cohoes Music Hall in the City of Cohoes. In addition, the company announced that it is creating Playhouse Stage Company, a new division which will support the growth of these programs throughout the Capital Region.

    “We are excited to announce this fantastic partnership with the City of Cohoes and our new division, Playhouse Stage Company,” said Playhouse producing artistic director Owen Smith. “We will continue enhancing our popular and growing summer programming in Albany’s Washington Park.

    The creation of Playhouse Stage Company is an important strategic move for Park Playhouse, which strengthens the company’s role as a leading regional arts and education organization serving families and children in the Region since 1989,” continued Smith. Many Park Playhouse alums have performed nationally and internationally, appearing in performances on Broadway, in national tours and on major television networks including AMC and HBO.

    “It’s incredible that just two years ago we were a struggling mill town trying to find our identity, and today we are one of the premier locations within the Capital Region- known for our stunning Music Hall, top rated Rock The Block concert series, highly reviewed restaurants, and now home of Park Playhouse, one of the most celebrated theatrical organizations in the region,” Cohoes Mayor Shawn Morse said. ” It’s exhilarating to know that such a highly regarded organization as Park Playhouse, with many of the region’s top-rated professionals serving as staff and board members, sought out Cohoes to be their new home. It sends a loud message that Cohoes is alive, well and the place to be.”

    As part of the partnership, the City of Cohoes will support an expansion of the company’s programming at the historic Cohoes Music Hall, which will grow from five shows in 2017 to seven shows in the 2018-19 season. This opportunity has enabled the company to present theatre year-round, as well as offer a subscription series. In addition, the city will support new programming produced by Park Playhouse in the summer of 2019 at the new amphitheater in Canal Square Park.

    “Our partnership with the City of Cohoes and Cohoes Music Hall is a significant development in the history of Park Playhouse,” said Board President Allen S. Goodman. “We are grateful for their generous support and dedication to Park Playhouse’s success.

    “We look forward to expanding our presence throughout the Capital Region by establishing a home at the Cohoes Music Hall, launching our Playhouse Stage Company division, expanding our educational programming to more schools throughout the Capital Region and growing our 30-year presence in Albany’s Washington Park offering free summer theatre,” Goodman continued. “All these initiatives will continue to grow our impact on families and children throughout the Capital Region and its surrounding communities.”

    Park Playhouse will continue to produce their Broadway-style free musicals sponsored by Albany Med, KeyBank and other corporate and individual donors in Albany’s historic Washington Park. These productions have been presented for the past 30 years and have been attended by more than 1.25 million people. Over the past several years, Park Playhouse has offered a year-round slate of musicals, school programming and educational services at venues including Albany’s Washington Park, Cohoes Music Hall, Palace Theatre and the City School District of Albany as well as more than 40 schools in the region.

    “We have been honored to work with the City of Cohoes and Music Hall Arts Alliance over the past year and welcome the opportunity to further expand our year-round programming in Cohoes as we head into our 31st Season,” said Smith. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to grow this programming in Cohoes and are grateful to the City for supporting our expanded artistic and educational programs.”

    Smith noted that Park Playhouse programming at the Music Hall during the last season resulted in over 7,000 visits to the Music Hall and City of Cohoes; this number is expected to continue to grow as the company builds its year-round regional presence. As part of establishing the Playhouse Stage Company division, Park Playhouse will continue to lead the Cohoes City School District’s free summer youth arts program for city students. Additionally, the Playhouse will bring each of its school touring productions to the Cohoes Musical Hall for Cohoes district students. Playhouse staff will also provide venue management support to Music Hall Arts Alliance for the operation of the Cohoes Music Hall. Most notably, the company’s summer programming will be expanded beginning by mounting two productions in Cohoes’ beautifully renovated Canal Square Park next summer, including a musical revue-style production and a “Theatre for Young Audiences” musical for families.

    Titles for the 31st Season of Park Playhouse, including next summer’s lineup in Washington Park, a series of musicals to be presented at Cohoes Music Hall year-round, new Canal Square Park programming, and scholastic touring productions, will be announced later this month. “It is a tremendous step forward for our organization to present unique theatrical programming in Canal Square Park alongside our traditional summer musicals at the Washington Park’s lake house in Albany,” Smith said. “It allows us to move even further toward our long-held goal of implementing a regional summer theatre festival to connect and enhance the lives of more people through the arts. None of this could be possible without the support of the City of Cohoes and the establishment of our new Playhouse Stage Company division.”

    This article was originally published by The Spot 518. is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYSmusic. TheSpot518 and NYSmusic work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.