Hailing from Vinton, Louisiana, Marcia Ball will be bringing her unique sound to Caffè Lena on Friday, August 30. USA Today described her music as being a combination of “Texas Stomp Rock” and “Louisiana blues-swamp,” an intriguing combination. Each performance of Marcia Ball’s becomes a musical party of joyful music and triumphant vocals, and every note comes with a twist that is all her own.
Marcia Ball has won many accolades over her career, including a recent induction into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2002, she won the Blues Music Award for “Blues Album Of The Year” for Presumed Innocent. In 2004, her album So Many Rivers was nominated for a Grammy Award and won the 2004 Blues Music Award for Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year, as well as the award for Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year . She has been awarded a total of ten Blues Music Awards, ten Living Blues Awards and has been nominated for a Grammy five times.
Clearly, Marcia Ball is an incredibly talented musician who has cultivated a sound and style that can only be described as her’s. She will be performing two shows at Caffè Lena, an early show at 6:00, and a late show at 8:30. To get tickets to the early show, go here. To get tickets to the later performance, go here.
When Doc Severinsen plays, each note holds a bit of American nostalgia. Well known as the leader of the big band who played on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson for over thirty years, Doc has become a familiar face on television screens nationwide. Since Carson’s retirement in 1992, Doc has continued to hone his craft. He has played on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show with The Roots and has been touring across the country.
Doc is well known for playing a game with the audience called “Stump the Band” in which the crowd would attempt to think up a song the band couldn’t play. His sense of humor also included nonsense country songs, often thrown into the mix after he would cry out “Key of E!”
If you’d like to conjure up memories of those late-night television antics, you can see Doc Severinsen perform in one of three shows at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs. He will be appearing on Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24 at 8 pm, as well as Sunday, August 25 at 7 pm. He will be joined by his band, the San Miguel 5, with Gil Gutierrez on guitar, Charlie Bisharat on violin, Kevin Thomas on bass, and Tiki Pasillas on drums.
The fourth installment of Thursdays on the Village Green concert series takes place on Aug. 8 on Hamilton’s Village Green. In addition to live music performances, each night includes family-friendly events. The Aug. 8 show features The Lightkeepers, a regional favorite with a bluesy jam sound. Led by Jes Sheldon with her powerful, soulful voice, the band is rooted in funk, rock and jazzy blues.
The Lightkeepers will take the stage at 7 p.m., and the family activity will be Racing Night with Matt Janczuk Racing! Kids can complete in racing-themed activities and sit in a real race car. This activity starts at 5:30 PM. Attendees are encouraged to dine on the Village Green or enjoy the music from the patio of the Colgate Inn. The evening’s concert and activities are free for all to enjoy. Blankets, chairs, and dancing are encouraged. The series will also give locals and visitors alike a chance to enjoy downtown Hamilton’s eateries and boutiques.
Brooklyn-based band Of Clocks And Clouds are hitting the road and bringing their heavy-hitting brand of psychedelic rock to Riverboat Bar in Alexandria Bay this Saturday, August 3. Comprised of Joe Salgo (guitar, vocals), Tom Salgo (guitar, vocals), Nick Salgo (drums, vocals), Yuri Soussov (bass) and Zander Ryzinski (keys, synth), the fivesome delivers a sonic adventure that is both emotive and groovy. Of Clocks And Clouds was originally formed in 2014 and some changes have taken place since, making 2019 a transitional year for OCAC. A lineup change occured back in January in which front-man Joe Salgo invited his twin brothers Tom and Nick to join the band, and shortly afterward another change took place and Sussov and Ryzinski became new members. Now with a fresh take on an already solid catalogue, the band has been hard at work writing new material and creating a new, unique sound.
Upcoming Shows:
August 3 – Riverboat Bar – Alexandria Bay, NY
August 24- Night Lights Music Festival – Sherman, NY
The second annual Wood Fest Music Festival features a variety of nine regional and local artists covering genres from jam, Southern rock, indie rock, groove and Americana. The family-owned ski area transforms the slopes into a family-friendly music venue offering craft beers from members of the Heart of New York Craft Beverage Trail, bounce houses from Varano Super Jump, yoga by Just Breathe Yoga Studio, and local food trucks.
Spanning two stages over the course of the day and night, this year’s lineup features Annie in the Water, a Capital-region based band with 11 years under its belt, has recently released its second album Time to Play and has been touring incessantly. Annie in the Water’s sound incorporates a unique, groovy combination of funk, reggae, blues, and rock that gets the audience moving while the band feeds off of that vibe to create a truly interactive experience.
The Old Main is returning to Woods Fest for its second year, with their original brand of Americana. They have performed throughout the Northeast and have gained many followers along the way, including a fervent Woods Valley following. Equally comfortable performing in a small room or the big stage, this is a band on the rise. They have released two albums of original material, 2016’s Arlene and Too Far Gone, released in 2018. The live environment is where this band really shines. Audience interaction is what it’s all about so don’t be alarmed if Nash Robb suddenly shows up behind you in the crowd with his standup bass in tow.
The Black River is quickly becoming a recognized name throughout Central New York and beyond with its blend of classic and roots rock mixed with the soulful storytelling of band leader Mike Powell. The band recently concluded a month-long residency at the King of Clubs in Syracuse’s Armory Square; a stretch that saw the band hone its sound to create a sonic tour-de-force unlike any in the area. You can check out their recent performance at A Lovely Time Festival here.
Central New York’s premier Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Hollow joins the Woods Fest 2 lineup hot on the heels of their Barn Party at Critz Farms in Cazenovia. The band features a wealth of Central New York’s greatest musical talents and has been creating original takes on the Grateful Dead experience since 1996.
Nina’s Brewcomes to Woods Fest from Burlington, VT. They recently performed as part of Twiddle’s Tumble Down Festival and are quickly gaining traction throughout Central New York as a tremendous live act.
Los Blancos are Central New York’s musical godfathers. This band grooves like no other with its own take on the blues, Zydeco, Latin, roots, and funk. They’ve performed alongside such luminaries as Little Feat, moe., Los Lobos, Govt Mule, and Dickey Betts (formerly of the Allman Brothers Band), earning a fervent following of fans not only in Central New York but across the state and beyond.
Les Brers return to Woods Fest after a tremendous set last year. Les Brers are the region’s longest-running and best Allman Brothers Band tribute act. Many of last year’s attendees commented on last year’s set, saying that if you closed your eyes, you’d swear you were at an Allman Brothers Band show.
Late Earth comes to Woods Fest via the Syracuse alt-rock scene. Fresh off a performance at the A Lovely Time Festival at Snow Ridge, the band is spreading its unique sounds at venues and festivals throughout the area. This is another band on the rise and one that will surely grab your attention at Woods Fest. Their self-titled debut album packs an original rock crunch with an alternative bent that incorporates ska, blues, jazz, and punk. You can find it on all the streaming services and for purchase through Bandcamp.
Substanance returns to Woods Valley after making a splash on St. Patrick’s Day. This unique trio is the epitome of a family band. Father Joe Coniguliaro and his sons Quinn and Ben come from Saugerties packing a lunch box full of original material that combines elements of funk and harmonic indie rock that will provide food for your ears.
Advance tickets are available in person at Copper City Brewing Company, 1111 Oneida St. in Rome or online for $25 through the Woods Valley website at this link. Children ages 6-12 are $5, 5 and under are free. Passes include parking, all-day admission to the festival, and use of bounce houses for children.
Gates open at 11:00 am with the music beginning at noon. For more information or questions on Woods Fest Music Festival, visit the festival website.
After failing to secure venues in New York State, where the original Woodstock was held, officials sought to move the whole thing to the venerable Merriweather Post Pavilion the weekend of Aug. 16-18. That event has now been canceled.
Following news of another venue change, artists originally slated to perform began announcing that they would not be participating. John Fogerty was the first to withdraw. A statement from the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman’s camp, on Thursday, said, “John Fogerty knows where he will be for the anniversary weekend of Woodstock. At only one site… at the original one – the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.”
This announcement was quickly followed by similar statements from Jay-Z, Dead & Co. On Monday Miley Cyrus, the Raconteurs, the Lumineers, John Sebastian, Santana, and Country Joe McDonald followed suit.
In what was supposed to have been a free ticketed event being staged as a fundraiser for HeadCount and global warming causes, another wrench in the works was the previously scheduled Smashing Pumpkins and Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds show already scheduled to take place at Merriweather on the 17th, smack dab in the middle of what was supposed to be a three-day Woodstock festival.
On Wednesday, organizers officially declared the event dead, stating:
“We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the Festival we imagined with the great line-up we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating, said Michael Lang, co-founder of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. “When we lost the Glen and then Vernon Downs we looked for a way to do some good rather than just cancel. We formed a collaboration with HeadCount to do a smaller event at the Merriweather Pavilion to raise funds for them to get out the vote and for certain NGOs involved in fighting climate change. We released all the talent so any involvement on their part would be voluntary. Due to conflicting radius issues in the DC area many acts were unable to participate and others passed for their own reasons. I would like to encourage artists and agents, who all have been fully paid, to donate 10% of their fees to HeadCount or causes of their choice in the spirit of peace. Woodstock remains committed to social change and will continue to be active in support of HeadCount’s critical mission to get out the vote before the next election. We thank the artists, fans and partners who stood by us even in the face of adversity. My thoughts turn to Bethel and its celebration of our 50th Anniversary to reinforce the values of compassion, human dignity, and the beauty of our differences embraced by Woodstock”
Is this the end of Woodstock 50? A statement from Seth Hurwitz, chairman of I.M.P., which owns the 9:30 Club in Washington and manages Merriweather, suggests that there may still be something in the works, “Hopefully, with plenty of time to prepare, Merriweather will become the site of a future festival that captures the original vibe. A lot of people clearly wanted it to happen.”
A jazz legend in the making, Kamasi Washington, will perform on Thursday, August 1 at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, NJ, bringing his West Coast jazz sound and multi-instrument skills to an eager audience. Born in Los Angeles, Washington’s 2015 debut album The Epic received critical praise and was awarded the inaugural American Music Prize. Subsequent albums Heaven and Earth and Harmony of Difference received similar acclaim, with the latter debuting at the 2017 Whitney Museum of Art Biennial.
When Kamasi Washington released his tour de force LP, The Epic, in 2015, it instantly set him on a path as our generation’s torchbearer for progressive, improvisational music that would open the door for young audiences to experience music unlike anything they had heard before. The 172-minute odyssey featuring his 10-piece band, The Next Step, was littered with elements of hip-hop, classical and R&B music, all major influences on the young saxophonist and bandleader, who exceeds any notions of what “jazz” music is. Washington followed that work with collaborations with other influential artists such as Kendrick Lamar, John Legend, Run the Jewels, Ibeyi, among others. Washington’s mass appeal continues to grow, drawing vibrant, multi-ethnic and multi-generational crowds with tour stops at the world’s most prominent festivals such as Coachella, Glastonbury, Fuji Rock, Bonnaroo and Primavera. He is currently on tour with Herbie Hancock in August.
Since the 2018 release of Heaven and Earth and its counterpart The Choice, Washington has toured the world over with sold-out shows in North America and Europe, including New York’s Apollo Theater and London’s Brixton Academy. Washington recently debuted his short film As Told To G/D Thyself which originally premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Watch an interview with Washington discussing the movie below.
Joining Washington at White Eagle Hall is Taylor McFerrin, who recently released Love’s Last Chance, his first full-length album since his 2014 debut Early Riser. The collection, which featured Nai Palm, Thundercat, and Taylor’s legendary father Bobby McFerrin, earned praise from Pitchfork who hailed it as “an album built for slow weekend mornings spent in bed with a loved one.” Love’s Last Chance is McFerrin’s first album with his own voice on it. “Over the years, I’d learned how to convey myself well through my instrumentals,” says McFerrin. “But singing brings me closer than ever to being able to share everything that’s going on inside of me.”
On Aug. 11, Mipso will be performing two shows at Caffè Lena. Hailing from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the quartet is known for its blend of folk and modern-alt sounds. Rolling Stone recently named them an “Artist You Need to Know,” which is fitting given their ability to create songs that are fragile in narrative but robust in sound. With gentle vocals, Mipso sings about life’s truths, softening the blows of a sometimes harsh reality.
Their most recent album, Edges Run, was released on April 6 and includes notable tracks such as “People Change” and “Moonlight.” Originally pigeon-holed as a bluegrass band, this album marks a break-away from the bluegrass sound with a wide array of styles ranging from ballads to more upbeat pop songs utilizing instruments that aren’t typically associated with a bluegrass band such as the electric guitar.
Mipso will be performing at both 6:00 and at 8:30 pm. For tickets to either show, please go the Caffè Lena website.
Full of energy in constant motion, Fela! The Concert will bring the award winning Broadway musical to Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on Monday, July 29. The sensual, eclectic sounds and powerful lyrics of Fela Kuti, the founding father of Afrobeat, prove why he became one of the world’s most celebrated and rebellious music legends of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Set against a soaring canvas of projected images, Fela! The Concert is driven by the electrifying rhythms from a live Afrobeat band, with singers and dancers who bring to life Fela’s provocative spirit. Fela! The Concert features members of the original Broadway cast from the highly acclaimed Tony Award winning production Fela! This unique concert experience radiates joy and leaves audiences on their feet wanting more.
Prior to Fela! The Concert, at 7 p.m. SPAC will present a high-energy, professionally choreographed final performance by 80 local children who have been participating in The Performance Project: Youth in Motion. Led by the award winning National Dance Institute and presented in partnership with the Capital District and Saratoga Regional YMCA’s, SPAC’s Performance Project is a two-week dance intensive designed to teach children dance skills while instilling in them a belief in their own abilities and capacity to achieve success.
More information on Fela at SPAC can be found here.
New York State is boasting with amazing talent and artists across all genres. Inevitably an overwhelming sea of music has drifted down the shorelines into Branford, CT. This coming Thursday, August 1, Dark Star Orchestra will find themselves split between Stony Creek Brewery and the picturesque Branford River that runs out into Long Island Sound.
What’s better than beer and Music? In tandem with GoodWorks Entertainment, The Cranky Concert Series, named after the breweries iconic IPA, has hosted several groups ripe in NYS Music’s wheelhouse of regularly coverage. And for those heavy IPA drinkers, the Double Cranky is a must try at 9.5% ABV. So kick back, relax and jam on as Dark Star takes you on a trip, that you can sip along to.
The show is 21+ with tickets ranging from $45 to $97 for VIP with open bar on the brewery’s second level, with balcony viewing. GA tickets are standing room and food trucks will be available. Doors at 4:30pm and the show kicks off at 6:00pm, rain or shine. Stony Creek Brewery is located at 5 Indian Neck Ave. in Branford, CT.
We work with a company called GoodWorks who books all the talent, we’ve done a couple concerts with them so far and its been amazing. The fact that we have such an amazing location on the water; and we have gotten so many more people that would not have normally come to the brewery before to see great music.
Ali Turnbull, Event Coordinator – Stony Creek Brewery
Unbox, Dark Star Orchestra; a continuation of spirit, improvisation and the greatest acid-trip, that ever was, the Grateful Dead. In the midst of digging, we teleport back to the sounds we fell in love with in 1965, obsessed over by ‘69, and post ‘96, we’re left, only aching for more. Dark Star (DSO) is NOT a cover band. They give birth to all that is Dead, then reinterpret it in modern day. DSO is a time capsule – like the vivid memories, postcards and totems we buried long ago.
Dark Star Orchestra is the idiom of self-expression. In true honor of the Grateful Dead, DSO has made this genre all-inclusive – pulling from rock, jazz, country, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, psychedelia and blues. For Koritz, the list goes on. A melting-pot would be far too mundane to describe this stew.
Their testimony goes out to Deadheads and non-cult listeners alike. There is a common thread that weaves through our mind and ears. It’s music. “They hear it and say WOW” added Koritz. “Pretty much everybody will find something.” And when you get confused, just listen to the music play.
