Inside the expansive back room in the northwest corner of the old Kenmore Hotel hangs a drab, grey curtain concealing the last piece of history tied to the space.
The curtain protects a mural called “The Court of Cleopatra,” painted on the wall above a modest stage on which Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey, Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington played. It’s a depiction of the Queen of Egypt, whose beauty was unparalleled and whose intelligence matched that of the powerful men she seduced, most notably Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. It’s placement high upon the wall implied that this was the room in which the masters of the universe was expected to frolic.
The space is now in the midst of a multi-million dollar renovation project that’s breathing new life to the North Pearl eyesore. Modern day Dapper Dons in hardhats expose the promise of a bright future, and at the same time enhance the ghosts of the hotel’s storied past.
When William Kennedy wrote about the Rain-Bo Room in “O’Albany,” he was still able to observe a piano on that stage. He imagined someone playing “Happy Days and Lonely Nights,” a tune Ruth Etting made popular in 1928, and a reported favorite of the Kenmore’s most famous resident, Jack “Legs” Diamond.
Diamond’s name was never mentioned during the press conference called by Redburn Development to announce the Rain-Bo Room’s intended rebranding as the Kenmore Ballroom. Nor would it be expected. He was a New York City mobster, whose charges included burglary, kidnapping and bootlegging. Nonetheless, he was a celebrity.
Diamond’s vocation aside, his choice of haunts reveals that the Rain-Bo Room was Albany’s top nightclub during the Roaring Twenties. Stars of the Big Band area would flock up the Hudson River to play there, especially lured by the prospect of broadcasting their live performances on the radio.
“The Kenmore Ballroom is the heart of this building at the heart of this development,” said Jeffrey Buell, principal of Redburn Development. “We want to fill the space with life, life that spills out into the surrounding streets and supports all of the Downtown.”
Katie O’Malley Maloney and her husband Nate Maloney will manage The Kenmore Ballroom. O’Malley Maloney has her own long history with the City of Albany. She served as the 50th Anniversary Tulip Queen and worked for the City of Albany planning events and fundraising under former mayor.
Jerry Jennings. She also owns and runs Katie O’ Weddings and Events, an event planning firm celebrating its 10th anniversary later this year. Nate brings over 20 years of corporate and not-for-profit marketing, communications, and event experience to their first venture together. Katie will oversee the day-to-day operations along with Casey Benson, Vice President of Operations for the organization.
“We are thrilled to be back in Albany and to be a part of the revitalization of Downtown” said O’Malley Maloney. “The Rain-Bo Room was once a vibrant centerpiece of Albany culture and society. We are excited to return the vibrancy of this historic space as the Kenmore Ballroom.”
The Kenmore Ballroom will accommodate up to 300 people for a seated function. The ornate double staircase, demolished when the building was turned into offices, will be rebuilt as the centerpiece of the space. It will also have a separate bar lounge and rooftop deck. For Elizabeth Young Jojo, she focused on the opulence of the room’s past while choosing all of its fixtures and accents.
“We chose an Art Nouveau inspiration,” said Young Jojo, vice president at Redburn Developments. “That, mixed with some super, super modern elements, as well.” The Art Nouveau style was popular during the turn of the last century, a look characterised by curves and asymmetric shapes to provide the illusion of movement. The juxtaposition of elements, Young Jojo said, “I think will be very fresh, that there is no other space like that in the Capital Region.”
“Projects like the revitalization of The Kenmore and its ballroom are transforming downtown Albany,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “Thank you to Redburn for their commitment to Downtown, and to Katie O’Malley Maloney and Nate Maloney for believing in Albany and investing in Albany’s newest neighborhood.”
The Kenmore Building rehab project is part of a nine-building, $82 million neighborhood revitalization that will bring 350 apartments and 11 commercial spaces to a three-block radius. The first phase of the multi-building project, The Knick at 16 Sheridan, will welcome new tenants this week. The Kenmore is expected to be open by October 2020.
This article was originally published by The Spot 518
Umphrey’s McGee has released the first batch of tour dates for next year for their ‘Hindsight 20/20’ Tour, including two-night runs in New York City, Detroit and Asheville, which will all have umVIP packages available. The tour will also be making a stop in Pellham, TN at The Caverns, where UM will perform in a gorgeous underground amphitheater.
The Caverns in Pelham, TN
The tour kicks off with a two-night run at Beacon Theatre in New York City on January 17 & 18, and then the band will stick around to play Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn. The tour will then make its way through PA, stopping at Stage AE, and the month of January ends with a two-night run at The Filmore in Detroit, MI. The tour continues into Tennessee, where UM will make a stop at The Carverns on February 13.
Additionally, Umphrey’s will welcome The New Deal for a handful of dates, as well as Billy Strings and Empire Strikes Brass. The Toronto-based live electronic trio returns with new drummer Davide Di Renzo, joining Jamie Shields (keyboards) and Dan Kurtz (bass) to create the third incarnation of the dance party powerhouse, The New Deal. Singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Billy Strings takes the stage in Asheville with his unique take on psychedelic Americana, after Asheville’s own Empire Strikes Brass opens the two-night run with their blend of high energy brass, funk, and rock.
See the full list of Hindsight 20/20 Tour dates below, tickets are on sale now.
Umphrey’s McGee Tour Dates
Jan. 17 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY Jan. 18 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY Jan. 19 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY Jan. 23 – Penn’s Peak – Jim Thorpe, PA* Jan. 24 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA* Jan. 25 – Express Live – Columbus, OH * Jan. 29 – Clyde Theatre – Fort Wayne, IN* Jan. 30 – MGM Northfield Park – Northfield, OH* Jan. 31 – The Fillmore – Detroit, MI* Feb. 1 – The Fillmore – Detroit, MI * Feb. 12 – Soundstage at Graceland – Memphis, TN Feb. 13 – The Caverns – Pelham, TN Feb. 14 – ExploreAsheville.com Arena – Asheville, NC^ Feb. 15 – ExploreAsheville.com Arena – Asheville, NC^
* with The New Deal
^ with Billy Strings and Empire Strikes Brass
Umphrey’s has also just announced Hall of Fame: Class of 2018, a robust collection of the best of the best live tracks performed by the band in 2018 as voted on by the fans. Available in a limited edition, double LP set featuring splattered three-color vinyl, this year’s HOF collection contains four-and-a-half hours of music and enough improv to confuse pop fans everywhere.
Fish House Road, a New Jersey-based power jam/rock band, has released their latest single “Honey Drip” in collaboration with 2nd Act Brewery.
The Dover-based brewery teamed up with Fish House Road as part of their mission to produce musically inspired brews. “Like the 2nd Act of a concert, 2nd Act Beer is the up-and-coming main event, ready to take the stage,” and with early collaborations like this, there is great potential for this craft brewery.
“Honey Drip” also features artwork developed by the owner of Y’all Art Project, which uses art as the catalyst to heal and empower victims of child abuse and others traumas. Printed copies of the artwork will be featured on t-shirts, posters and more, with proceeds donated back to the non-profit.
The beer itself, Honey Drip, is a 6.5% abv, hop-forward ale from that is pale in color and brewed with local organic honey from Bird and the Bee honey and a touch of vanilla. The beer is dosed with two dry-hop charges, lead by amarillo and supported by motueka and saphir, which combine for lemon/orange citrus characteristics with herbal undertones.
Fish House Road, who blend shades of funk, blues, trance, and Americana, have a unique sound that connects with audiences of classic rock and jam band enthusiasts. It’s easy to be drawn in by roaring guitars, sweet harmonies, and a dynamic rhythm section, found on originals that translate from studio to stage. The group, comprised of Nick Deblasio (vocals, ukulele, harmonica, percussion), Rocky Tironi (guitar, keyboards, banjo), Dan Morrell (guitar), Kayne Neugebauer (bass) and Nick Van Leer (drums), started out in 2011 and have performed across New Jersey with shows in New York, Pennsylvania and New England mixed in as well. Check out their upcoming shows here.
You can catch Fish House Road on Friday, October 4 with After Funk at Barranquilla Studios in Brooklyn; January 3, 2020 at Mercury Lounge; and they’ll be at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ with Splintered Sunlight on Saturday, October 12.
With his autumnal tour schedule this year, Keller Williams will be making two fall stops in Upstate NY with shows in Albany at Skyloft on October 24 and Syracuse at the Westcott Theater on October 25. Williams is an artist who defies categorization. With his dynamic and unpredictable live performances, he has developed a reputation for his genre-defying work and creativity.
Williams is constantly evolving as an artist, with 24 studio releases and countless eclectic side projects. After just releasing his latest studio album Add on May 31, Williams is set to come out with his 25th studio release SPEED on November 22. SPEED will feature his bluegrass outfit Keller and the Keels, comprised of Keller on vocals along with progressive flatpicker Larry Keel and bassist Jenny Keel. The record will be their reinterpretation of popular songs with their psychedelic, Appalachian bluegrass style, including Fiona Apple’s “Criminal,” Kacey Musgraves’ “Slow Burn,” Weezer‘s “Island In The Sun,” and many more. This will be the group’s third collaboration together, following their 2006 release GRASS and the all-covers album THIEF, released in 2012.
Williams inhabits an equal parts entrancing and perplexing center of a Venn diagram that includes…bluegrass, jamgrass, musical humorism, satire, and instrumental prowess that combines flatpicking sensibility with Phil Keaggy-style ingenuity.
Justin Hiltner – The Bluegrass Situation
Check out fall tour dates below, for more information and tickets, go to Keller William’s website.
Keller Williams 2019 Fall Tour Dates
October 11 – Eureka Springs, AR – Hillberry “The Harvest Moon Festival” *
October 12 – Live Oak, FL – Sewanee Roots Festival *
October 17 – Columbus, OH – Woodlands Tavern
October 24 – Albany, NY – Skyloft
October 25 – Syracuse, NY – Westcott Theater
October 26 – Holyoke, MA – Gateway City Arts
November 1 – New Orleans, LA – Tipitina’s *
November 2 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony
November 7 – Edmonds, WA – Edmonds Center for the Arts #
November 8 – Bremerton, WA – Admiral Theatre #
November 9 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom #
November 10 – Bend, OR – Tower Theatre #
November 15 – South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Ballroom
November 16 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
November 22 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
November 23 – Denver, CO – The Ogden Theater @
December 5 – Brevard, NC – 185 King Street
December 6 – Carrboro, NC – The Arts Center
December 27 – Savannah, GA – Southbound Brewing
December 28 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
* with Keller & The Keels
^ with Grateful Grass ft. The Infamous Stringdusters and Oteil Burbridge
# featuring Keller Williams’ Pettygrass
@ with Grateful Grass, Keller & The Keels, Love Canon
Starting on Thursday, Oct. 3, Capital Records Live! will be returning to the stage with another installment of this unique entertainment series. Designed as a way to display the Capital Region’s musical talent, Capital Records Live! began in spring of 2018 with a tribute to the Beatles and continued that fall with a celebration of music from 1969.
Taking place at Schenectady’s GE Theatre at Proctors, with this latest installment—Dark Blue Sea—Capital Records Live! gives its interpretation of the phrase, “Together, I lost myself with you.” Teaming with Collar City-based collaborative dance company, Synergia Dance Project, this will be a three-act narrative dance performance that will bring film and movement to the stage, in addition to the musical performances of pop-rock band, Dark Honey, Eddie Award-winners Girl Blue, and indie folk-pop duo, The Sea The Sea.
With narratives from Chromoscope Pictures and artistic director/choreographer Nadine Medina, this production will explore the concept of loss. Combining the abstraction of dance with the raw power of live music and stunning multimedia visuals. The audience will get to experience live performance in a new, innovative matter.
Tickets for Capital Records Live!Dark Blue Sea, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, are available at the Box Office at Proctors, 432 State Street, Schenectady; by phone at 518.346.6204; and online at the Proctors website.
The Furious Bongos are extending the season of Halloween shenanigans and observing the unofficial holiday of Frank Zappa! They’re returning to some of their favorite venues and expanding into new territory as things are rapidly growing for this fiery band. They’ll kick off tour at The Chance in Poughkeepsie on November 1, then make stops in Albany and Buffalo. Bring your ponchos…or your best Zomby Woof costume!
When bassist/arranger Conrad St. Clair decided to tackle this project, knowing Zappa drew on influences ranging from Stravinsky to Leadbelly, he felt it was important to assemble musicians with backgrounds as farflung as Zappa’s influences. As a result, the band has a heavyweight and eclectic resume, including work with artists like Yo Yo Ma, India Arie, Mick Fleetwood, and Les Paul. This tour will also feature amazing violinist Randal Harrison and master mallet player Matt Peters, as well as Grammy-winning Jay Frigoletto on keyboards for the first half of the tour.
Since Zappa’s music was constantly evolving and adapted to the musicians he was playing with at a given time, doing a note-for-note rendition of ‘Song X‘ from ‘album Y‘ while staring at their shoes didn’t seem like the proper way to go about this project. The Furious Bongos tracked down hundreds of pages of transcriptions and quickly scribbled notes from former band members and other sources, painstakingly compared different versions of the songs, and even dug up copies of rare scores in Frank’s own hand (coffee stains included). The end result is arrangements that you won’t hear anywhere else.
The Furious Bongos understand that however people describe Zappa, safe or vanilla aren’t usually first in mind. And, they appreciate Frank’s role as an entertainer, not just as a composer It’s a show that pays respect to an iconic legacy but is still new and different and dangerous and FUN, with lots of eyebrows. Kinda like Frank.
Gov’t Mule and Warren Haynes made a stop on their Bring On The Music fall tour on September 19 with a performance at Albany’s Palace Theatre. The name of the tour is a play on the band’s new concert film and corresponding live album, Bring On The Music – Live From The Capitol Theatre, which came out in June on CD, vinyl, DVD, and BluRay.
To see the Southern rock jam band Gov’t Mule live at this beautiful and historic Albany landmark was an amazing experience. The lighting was nothing short of perfection, which added greatly to the experience.
Photo by Stephanie J Bartik
Gov’t Mule is comprised of guitarist Warren Haynes, drummer Matt Abts, multi-instrumentalist Danny Louis, and bassist Jorgen Carlsson. Haynes took the stage and commanded the crowd’s attention with his soulful vocals and guitar chops while wowing the eager fans with the first song, “Traveling Tune.” His talent is known throughout the music world and he is the inspiration of many guitar players. He was the guitarist for The Allman Brothers Band and put together Gov’t Mule with the late Allen Woody (bass) in 1994 as a side project.
There is a connection between Haynes and bass player Carlsson and Abts on drums that can be easily observed. Each band member became completely immersed in not just their individual instruments, but the songs themselves. With Haynes’ soulful voice and virtuosic solos with expansive guitar tones, Carlsson’s expert bass playing, Abts locking it in with insane drumming, and Danny Louis dazzling the crowd on keys, each tune was performed to perfection
Jorgen Carlsson on bass
With rock at its core, Gov’t Mule integrated a full range of musical styles including blues, jazz, soul and some funky rhythms. No one left the room disappointed. If given the chance to see this band first hand, you owe it to yourself to do so.
Check out the Gov’t Mules website for a full list of the band’s upcoming tour dates, ticketing, and more information.
Set One: Traveling Tune (part 1), Mule, Pressure Under Fire, Time To Confess, Lay Your Burden Down, Inside Outside Woman Blues, Unring The Bell, Endless Parade, Revolution Come, Revolution Go
Set Two: Wandering Child, What is Hip?, (with Jerry Marotta, without Matt Abts), Freeway Jam, Child Of The Earth, Lively Up Yourself, Fool’s Moon, Thorazine Shuffle, Traveling Tune (part 2)
After a sixteen-year hiatus, legendary hip-hop duo, Gang Starr, is temporarily back on the scene with a new release, Family and Loyalty. The record, their first release since their 2003 LP The Ownerz features a posthumous verse from fabled Emcee Guru, along with current hip-hop juggernaut, J. Cole.
Backed by DJ Premier’s renowned scratching and drums, Guru opens and closes the record with his acclaimed delivery, flow and rhymes. With his verses being interrupted by J. Cole, who delivers a devastating lyrical onslaught in his own right. It is the first single from what appears to be a new Gang Starr album.
DJ Premier, one of the most revered producers in hip-hop and the duo’s other half, has been teasing fans about a new LP with cryptic social media messages, tweeting, “I WONDER WHAT PEOPLE WOULD SAY IF I RELEASED A NEW…,” alerting fans that new music may be on the way but left it unspecified.
The mythical Premier seems to have confirmed the suspicions, after posting what appears to be a promotional video on his Instagram which features a voicemail from legendary rapper Nas. Saying, “Yo Premier, what up man it’s your man Nas. Is it true there’s a new Gang Starralbum? That’s crazy man let me know man. Alright chill.”
Nas and DJ Premier have a history in their own right, with the producer handling a lot of the production on the rapper’s acclaimed debut project Illmatic.
A new Gang Starr album would be much anticipated. The duo, known for classic hip-hip songs like “Work,” “Above the Clouds,” and “Mass Appeal,” would surely bring many fans memories of the genre’s golden age.
It will also be refreshing to hear unreleased verses from Guru, nearly a decade after his death from cancer in April of 2010 at 43-years-old.
The 19th Annual Native American Music Awards will take place at Seneca Niagara Hotel and Casino in Niagara Falls on Nov. 2. Among this year’s nominees are four New York-based acts. Public voting is now open through the NAMA website.
Syracuse’s Irv Lyons, Jr., Joanne Shenandoah, and the Ripcords were each nominated as well as Buffalo’s Nick Lone. Lyons earned two nominations, one for Best Rock Recording for his Sisters and Brothers album and one for Song of the Year, “Looking for the Light” from that album.
Lyons recorded his latest album at SubCat Studios in Syracuse with an all-star cast of area musicians that included Joe Driscoll, Billy Harrison, Melissa Gardiner, Edgar Pagan, Melanie Krahmer, Richie Melito, and others. Lyons is a Oneida Nation native and also a member of the Ripcords, who have also been nominated this year. His band’s sounds are rooted in blues, Latin jazz and country. The lineup he put together for his latest album brings hip-hop, jazz, rock, Latin jazz performers, producing a truly eclectic album.
Irv Lyons, Jr.
Shenandoah is up for Best Indie Single of the Year for her song “We Will Rise Up.” She is a Grammy-winning and 14-time Nammy winning Oneida Nation Native that not only writes and performs but is also an internationally recognized humanitarian and peace advocate. She is a founding member of the Hiawatha Insitute for Indigenous Knowledge and has performed for the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela. The Associated Press has described her as “America’s most celebrated and critically acclaimed Native American musicians of her time.”
Joanne Shenandoah
Buffalo’s Nick Lone is nominated in the Best Rap/Hip Hop/R&B category for his song “Native Pride.”
The Ripcords are a Syracuse-based band influenced by the blues, roots rock, rock-a-billy, and the music of New Orleans. They’ve been on the Syracuse music scene since 2003 and have performed throughout the Northeast. The band has been nominated in the Best Blues and Best Live Video categories for this year’s Nammys for their album Live at SubCat Studios.
The full list of this year’s nominees is below.
19th Annual Native American Music Awards Nominees:
Artist of the Year
Bear Fox (Mohawk) – Life Blanket
Murphy Platero (Navajo) – Butterflies, Horses and Guitars
Shelley Morningsong (Northern Cheyenne) – Simple Truth
Tonemah (Lumbee) – Red Dirt Remark
Vince Redhouse (Navajo) – A Distant Star
Wade Fernandez (Menominee) – Journey of the Heart
Group or Duo of the Year
Crazy Flute (Cherokee) – We Belong To The Music
Cree Confederation (Cree/Various) – Medicine Horse
Larry Redhouse Quartet (Navajo) – Naomi’s Dance
Sihasin (Navajo) – Fight Like A Woman
The Cody Blackbird Band and Connor Chee (Dakota, Cherokee, Navajo) – Live From White Horse Black Mountain
Young Spirit (Plains Cree/Various) – Red Dress Special/Love, Life, Round Dance
New Artist or Debut Artist of the Year
Alex FireThunder (Lakota) – Makȟóčhe Kiŋ Theȟíla (Love For The Land)
D Johnson (Navajo) – K Town
David Lopez (Comanche/Tarahumara) – If I Won The Lottery
On Saturday, Sept. 28, Riverboat Bar will host the first annual ‘Alex Bay Summer Send-Off,’ a full day of live music, with doors opening at 2:00 p.m., to close out the summer season. The headlining performance will be funky reggae-jam fusion band, Annie in the Water. Other scheduled acts throughout the day include Root Shock, Eggy, The Old Main, Big Sexy and the Scrambled Eggs, and Trampoline Jetstream. In between sets, there will be DJ sets provided by D.C. area’s Schwa and Proper Philth.
The night is capped off with an All-Star Super Jam featuring musicians from throughout the day. On top of all that, Ben Carrey of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will be the artist-at-large for the day.
Annie in the Water has played a significant role in shaping the original music scene in Upstate New York and their shows are always high energy and filled with positive vibes. A couple of bands will be making their Riverboat debut on Sept. 28 including Root Shock, a Syracuse-based soulful roots-reggae based act, and Eggy, a 4-piece improvisational rock band from New Haven, CT. Utica’s The Old Main returns to Riverboat with its original Americana folk jams. Commemorating the amazing summer season, Trampoline Jetstream and Big Sexy and the Scrambled Eggs will both return to the Riverboat after making their debuts earlier in the summer.
The music starts at 3:00 p.m. and continues all day long. Click here for more ticketing and event information.
DJ Premier, one of the most revered producers in hip-hop and the duo’s other half, has been teasing fans about a new LP with cryptic social media messages, tweeting, “I WONDER WHAT PEOPLE WOULD SAY IF I RELEASED A NEW…,” alerting fans that new music may be on the way but left it unspecified.
