NYS Music 20​18

Category: Capital Region

  • Celebrate 23 Years of Albany Latin Fest this weekend

    Culture and nationalism are often based around beloved traditions, zany family, tasty food and festive music alike. For its 23rd year in operation, Albany LATIN FEST calls on the diversity and flavor of Hispanic culture in the Capital Region to come together for a family-oriented day filled with live talent, traditional recipes, arts and craft vendors, child entertainment, information booths and more. 

    Albany’s Washington Park acts at the event’s annual stomping grounds from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 25. LATINFEST celebrates the widespread diversity and beauty of Hispanic cultural heritage and pinpoints the contributions made by Hispanic Americans on all levels from local and state to national and international. Through this non-profit organization and event, the community is given a unified voice to speak for an often under served and underrepresented group of people.

    Having already created a name for themselves in the Capital Region, the annual celebration is chock-full of musical acts both local and international and provides the ability for patrons and businesses to engage with one another in an effort to address world issues and disaster relief aid.

    In 2017 after hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, ALFA crafted Una Noche Espléndida where all proceeds went to the Puerto Rico Disaster Relief Fund as well as a Benefit Concert where all money would go to Puerto Rico Disaster Relief. Over $10,000 were raised in an extremely rewarding effort.

    This year, attendees can look forward to letting loose to the Latin flavor from three well-known acts. Bachata Heightz began as four men in Manhattan, veering away from the streets and towards their musical passions. Climbing the ladder of success, they’re sure to bring tropical hip hop vibes while the south Bronx’s Don Sonero welcomes salsa beats to the stage paired with creative lyricism and social messages. Also making an appearance on the lineup is the seven-piece, Conjunto Cuboricua, ready to unleash the mixed musical stylings of Cuba and Puerto Rico with meringue and Caribbean nods as one of the Hudson Valley’s favorite acts.

    Past festivals have displayed talents such as Tony Vega, Ray de la Paz, Jorge Blanco, Raulin Rosendo, Hector Tricoche, Alex Torres & his Latin Orchestra, Tito Rojas, Tony Swing, Anissa Gathers, Michael Stuart, Ismael Miranda, Jose Alberto ‘El Canario’, Chembo Corniel, Puerto Rican Power, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Frankie Negron, Kevin Ceballo, Luisito Carrion, Nestor Torres, Jimmy Bosch, Brenda K. Starr, Choco Orta, Larry Harlow and the Latin Legends, Joe Cuba, and many others.

    Check out the Albany Latin Fest musical schedule below:

    August 25 at Washington Park:

    11 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. – Washington Park Rumberos

    11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Triquis Sin Fronteras

    12 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. – SUNY Albany Great Danes Marching Band

    12:30 p.m. – 1 p.m. – Salsa Class

    1 p.m. –  2 p.m. – Cuboricua

     2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Local acts

    2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. – DJ

    3 p.m. – 4 p.m. – Don Sonero

    4 p.m. – 5 p.m. – DJ

    5 p.m. – 6 p.m. – Bachata Heightz

  • Photo Gallery: Mallett Brothers Band at Troy Rockin’ on the River

    For the second week in a row, Troy’s Rockin’ on The River had a rainy start before the sun came out. Saratoga Springs’ North and South Dakotas kicked off the night with a mix of Americana, mountain folk and bluegrass. The Mallett Brothers Band headlined, featuring brothers Luke and Will who formed the band in Maine in 2009, and occasionally have Phish drummer Jon Fishman behind the kit. Their new album Vive I Acadie is out now.

  • 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.

  • Slayer Brings Their Farewell Tour To Albany

    Slayer brought their Farewell Tour to the Times Union Center in Albany, NY on August 1, along with a handful of some of the metal genre’s best acts. Lamb of God, Anthrax, Testament and Napalm Death joined the legendary thrash metal band’s going away party. In January, Slayer announced that they would be embarking on a farewell tour, playing concerts all across the United States along with select dates in Canada. The show started right around 5 pm with Napalm Death taking the stage. Following a short set by Napalm Death, Testament was up next. The band played many fan favorites among music off their latest album, Brotherhood of the Snake. Anthrax took the stage next playing fan favorites such as “Indians.” The thrash metal band out of New York City also delivered a tribute to Pantera.

    slayer farewell

    Slayer opened the show with guns blazing, courtesy of one of their newer songs, “Repentless.” Next, they played “Blood Red” followed by “Disciple.” For the rest of the show, Slayer treated fans to career-spanning songs ranging from the early days up to their latest album. The line up featured Gary Holt from Exodus on lead guitar who has been with the band since the passing of the great Jeff Hanneman, along with Paul Bastoff on drums who has been in and out of the band throughout their career. Slayer’s legacy began when they formed in 1981. What made them stand out is that they pushed metal to its limits. The group out of Huntington Park, California is known to be one of the heaviest and most influential bands in the metal music community. They have produced many of the most important albums in the scene including their third album, Reign In Blood. They are also part of the “Big Four” of thrash metal which also includes Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth who all toured together between 2011-2012 all over the world, including a special concert at Yankee Stadium. Slayer has released 12 studio albums over their career and will always be known as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Fans will truly miss them.

  • Photo Gallery: Sir Sly and The Late Shift at Alive at Five

    For the final installment of Albany’s Alive at Five summer concert series, the rain location at the Corning boat launch played host to local opener The Late Shift and Los Angeles based Indie band Sir Sly. Formed in 2012 by lead singer Landon Jacobs, Haydon Coplen and Jason Suwito, the group played a mix of alt-pop songs off their albums Don’t you worry, Honey and You Haunt me. For their encore, they played “Oh Mama,” a song Landon wrote about his mother who recently died of cancer. Sir Sly will be back in New York, performing at Warsaw in Brooklyn on October 20 with Joywave, and are also on the Austin City Limits Music Festival lineup.

  • Chicago Celebrates 51 Years

    Chicago celebrated 51 years as a band on July 31, 2018 with REO Speedwagon and Michael Tolcher at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

    Photos by Shawn LaChapelle

  • Photo Gallery: Rubblebucket at Troy’s Rockin’ on the River

    What started out as a rainy day in Troy led to a beautiful night of music with Rubblebucket, And the Kids, and Onlyness. Rubblebucket band leader Kalmia Traver and Alex Toth lead the group with a mix of dance rhythms with colorful costumes and props. Check out their new album Sun Machine, due out on August 24.

  • Photo Gallery: Yonder Mountain String Band at Alive at Five

    For the penultimate Alive at Five at Jennings Landing in Albany, Colorado’s Yonder Mountain String Band brought out their jamgrass sound for the second time in four years at the free summer concert series. It was a hot Albany day, and as the sun set over the city, the crowd moved forward into the shade and closer to the rail for Yonder. Highlights from the set included the set opener “Lord Only Known (Part One)” and the segue into “I’m Lost,” the newer “Chasing My Tail” which featured an impressive jam that worked its way into “Frankenstein,” an audacious cover that perked up many in the audience. Closing out with “Sidewalk Stars” for another extended jam, Yonder Mountain came back for a fast-paced “Sharecropper’s Son” and bid Albany farewell until next time. Blind Crow, a local band from Albany, opened the night and performed an array of bluegrass, folk, and Dawg tunes.

    Alive at Five concludes it’s 2018 Summer season on Thursday, August 2 at the rain location at the Corning Preserve Boat Launch with Sir Sly and The Late Shift.

    Setlist: Lord Only Knows (Part One)> I’m Lost, High on a Hilltop, I’ve Got A Name, Landfall, Chasing My Tail> Jam> Frankenstein, Around You, Damn Your Eyes, Sidewalk Stars
    Encore: Sharecropper’s Son

  • Evanescence and Lindsey Stirling – Orchestration and Ballet at a Rock Show

    Evanescence and Lindsey Stirling shared the headline at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Saturday, July 28th, cutting through the humid and steamy night with ethereal vocals and punchy, athletic dancing.

    Juxtaposed with the ballet at SPAC the previous week, and the Philadelphia Orchestra which is scheduled to open Wednesday at the venue, both Amy Lee and Lindsey Stirling hosted local musicians on stage to fill a full orchestra. Complete with graceful professional dancers, a LED screen with coordinating visuals, and well-timed light shows, both artists offered thoroughly enjoyable and unique performances.

    Amy Lee took the stage promptly at 8, and Evanescence opened with “Overture,” which served both to check and tune the instruments as much as to tune the audience into the heavier orchestrated sound. Lee’s vocals were on pitch as she moved between piano and the microphone on “Never Go Back” and “Lacrymosa.”

    Singing some incredibly sad songs, Lee spoke optimistically to her fans. She voiced gratitude to the musicians on stage with her, and would later remind audience members to be present and “enjoy the music tonight.” Her just be here now message brought a roar of approval from fans, many of whom have followed Lee for 20 years.

    A highlight of the evening was Evanescence’s cover of the Beatles tune “Across the Universe.” Lee was backlit with images from nature as she sweetly sang the lyrics “Nothings gonna change my world.” While better known for heavier sounds contrasted with her voice, Lee’s vocals on this cover shifted the mood during her longer set of seventeen older tunes. “Hi-Lo” followed, with Stirling dancing on stage at the end with her fiddle.

    Lee’s rendition of their famous song “My Immortal,” while still beautifully performed, lacked the usual punch from the bass and orchestration typically associated with the piece. There were a number of moments that the balance seemed a bit off, perhaps due to having different musicians each night in the orchestra, or simply a sound issue? Either way, Evanescence’s performance was still a treat.

    Evanescence ended the set, bowing with bringing their children on stage to wave at fans and enjoy the applause. There was a moment of recognition that Evanescence has traveled a long way as a group, not just this summer, but over the past 20 years, to bring this experience to us. Their coordination with local musicians on songs, old and newer, and ease of performance reflect their experience and wealth of confidence.

    After a brief stage change, Lindsey Stirling’s set began with a video of her quoting Teddy Roosevelt’s famous words from “The Man in the Arena.” She seemed set immediately to disprove judges from America’s Got Talent, who previously reflected Stirling’s talent, while interesting, wasn’t “enough” for her to hold an audience and fill a show. She entered in costume, kicking and dancing with her fiddle on her arm, as she performed her piece “The Arena.”

    Stirling is a dancer and a performer, and each song demonstrated that while her violin playing might not be up to par for a classically trained orchestra, her fiddling while dancing can entrance young and old alike. Her costume changes, use of set, and even role-playing as she danced with the other performers told stories and held the audience’s attention in her unique presentation. She battled ghosts using her feet and bow in dance, she “flew” above the crowd on a rising platform, and she danced with wood nymphs as she rescued them from magic.

    Stirling took a few long breaks to talk to the crowd, including one during which she showed her fifteen-year-old self-dancing with her high school friends to an Evanescence song. She expressed high regard for Amy Lee and spoke to young fans about being willing to chase dreams. “I was not good enough at anything,” Stirling said, “but I was willing to work enough.”

    And she worked the crowd beautifully, inspiring the young faces who looked upon her graceful and playful dancing with dreamy eyes and pursed lips, perhaps imagining their own dreams coming to life.

    Amy Lee joined Stirling, singing vocals on “Shatter Me.” Stirling kept the energy and imagination moving through her set of fourteen pieces, ending with a dramatic “Phantom of the Opera” encore for her fans.

    Stirling offered a unique performance, one you couldn’t get from listening to her CD. She captivated the crowd with motion, and while her fiddling was only mediocre, her spirit soared with her feet as she chased her dream around the stage.

    Not quite the ballet, and not quite the orchestra, both Evanescence and Stirling demonstrated similar components (orchestra, dance) used to entertain Saratoga Springs. And while not classically executed, both performances were unique in offering their authentic voices to the mix of what SPAC brings each summer and, like their classical counterparts, brought great joy to their fans.

  • Gabriel Sanchez Presents The Prince Experience at Rockin on the River

    Gabriel Sanchez started The Prince Experience as a small local theatre production of Purple Rain which has expanded into a night of unbelievable entertainment. Costumes and choreographed dances really had the Troy waterfront rocking and dancing July 18, playing all of Princes hits into the night. Sanchez along with musicians from Wisconsin and Chicago bring the music of Prince to a new tribute band standard.

    Adrian Lewis performing as The Age, opened the night. He plays around the Capital region and Downtown Troy, performing his Neo-soul mix of music. The crowd enjoyed his soulful singing and hot electric guitar with a great band. The Age is releasing a new EP with his Neo-sou; sound with a Jazzy feel.

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