Indie-jam band Glass Pony has been performing throughout the Capital District over the last year, with a wave of fans in tow for each performance. On November 2, they’ll release their self-titled debut album with a release show at Parish Public House that night.
“Stardust” features dense sonic elements from dreamy background vocals meshed with guitar effects and funky bass grooves. The lyrical depth offers just enough ambiguity for listeners to develop their own meaning against a backdrop of the other musical elements. When performed live, “Stardust” serves as a vehicle for standout jams with the solo section navigating to new territory before being led back into the composition by guitarist Greg Pittz.
Lyrically, “Stardust” is meant to be open for personal interpretation with the underlying theme being the search for our place in the big picture of life – the questions, insecurities and realizations that are present in every stage of growth and development, with the goal of finding and settling into our place. Guitarist Eddie Hotaling says of “Stardust,” “Everyone is ultimately the king or queen of their cosmic experience, but the discovery of that concept manifests differently for everybody. That message can be found in the lyrics, “It takes a moment / let the stardust settle down / and all your thoughts could be delivered / everybody wears a crown.”
Glass Pony’s debut album Stardust was recorded and mixed by Eddie Hotaling at The Stables in Albany, NY and was mastered by Scott Apicelli at Blue Sky Recording in Delmar, NY. Glass Pony is Chanda Dewey (drums, vocals), Eddie Hotaling (vocals, rhythm guitar) Jeff Picarazzi (bass, vocals) and Greg Pittz (lead guitar). Featured on “Stardust” and multiple tracks on the album is Matt Richards (keys, Formula 5, Annie in the Water).
Greensky Bluegrass has announced an expansive Winter Tour to kick off 2020 with stops in Ithaca, NYC and Albany.
With the first show in St. Louis, MO at The Pageant on January 15, the tour winds through the Midwest and East Coast, and finishing with a two-night stand at The Tabernacle in Atlanta. Ghost Light will joining Greensky as the opener for a majority of the dates, with another act being announced in the near future. General on-sale begins on Friday, October 18.
Ahead for Greensky Bluegrass this fall include appearances at Hulaween & Hangtown festivals, then an epic Midwestern Halloween weekend run kicking off in Chicago at the Chicago Theatre on Halloween, then off to Kansas City and St. Paul. The band will appear at ‘What The Night Brings’ tribute to Jeff Austin on November 4 then a duo of shows in their hometown of Kalamazoo, MI Nov. 29 & 30. Greensky will debut at Denver’s new Mission Ballroom on Dec. 6 & 7 before heading to Mexico for Cloud 9 Adventure’s Strings & Sol. The band will ring in 2020 with a three-night stand at The Riverside in Milwaukee, WI – with support from Horseshoes & Hand Grenades on 12/29 and 12/30, and a three-set Greensky NYE event to close out the year.
The band’s third incarnation of its Camp Greensky Music Festival is the latest confirmed 2020 date, happening June 4 to 6 in Wellston, MI, tickets are available now.
Greensky Bluegrass Winter Tour dates
1/15 – The Pageant, St. Louis, MO
1/16 – Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville, KY
Pearl Street Pub in downtown Albany is generally a home to college students, Albany natives, and ‘out of towners’ alike. On Friday, however, the patrons all had something in common. They all shared a love of funk, and they all loved Ripe.
The night began with a set from the Australian-based group Castlecomer. The quartet got the collective blood flowing just as the packed room began to cut loose. A roar came over the crowd when the headliners later took the stage. Lead singer Robbie Wulfsohn welcomed the band and belted out the beginning to “Pretty Dirty.” “A Little Lighter” followed and the band went into a night-long serenade to the vibrant fans.
The group is taking their tour south later this month as they head to Hulaween, and then head out to the midwest. They will return to the Northeast with shows in Burlington, VT; Syracuse, NY; Northampton, MA; and Norwalk CT in mid-November.
Ripe Setlist: Pretty Dirty, Little Lighter, Talk to the Moon, Passerby, Cease Fire, Lola, Ladies Night, Caralee, Pedro, Young Tom Rose, Text You First, Goon Squad, Flipside, Downward.
Marco Benevento threw a party in Cohoes and the audience came prepared to get down and dance. As he always does, the Mad Hatter of the jam scene brings a show full of non stop fun to the Capital Region, and for the first time, at historic Cohoes Music Hall. Energy was in no short supply with bassist Karina Rykman jumping for joy and happily bouncing around the stage throughout the groovy, disco-tinted set.
Opener Mikaela Davis was equally impressive, playing harp with a full band, and driving the songs home collectively. The pairing of Davis and Benevento is wonderful and one we hope to see more in the future.
Setlist: Say it’s all the Same, Let it Slide, Solid Gold, Dropkick, Greenpoint, Heartbeats, Baby don’t make me Wait, Live a Certain life, Stay in line, I can’t see the Light, You got Away, Coyote Hearing, Story of Fred Short, Tyrone Encore: At the Show
The Massry Center at The College of Saint Rose has unvieled their 2019-20 season, featuring the Wooten Brothers, Martha Redbone, Martin Sexton, Dallas Brass, Milk Carton Kids and Kat Edmonson. The acoustically incredible Kathleen McManus Picotte Recital Hall and other concert spaces play host to a full slate of musical performances during the year, including orchestral works, chamber music, Latin jazz, zydeco, and more. The calendar also features several performances by Saint Rose Camerata in October, February and March.
Martha Redbone – Saturday, October 12
Martha Redbone is one of today’s most vital voices in American Roots music. A multi award-winning musician, the charismatic songstress with the magnificent voice is celebrated for her tasty gumbo of roots music embodying the folk and mountain blues sounds of her childhood in the Appalachian hills of Kentucky mixed with the eclectic grit of her teenage years in pre-gentrified Brooklyn. With the power of her gospel singing African-American father’s voice and the determined spirit of her Cherokee/Shawnee/Choctaw mother, Redbone broadens all boundaries of Americana.
Saint Rose Camerata – Saturday, October 26 – George Crumb’s 90th Birthday Celebration
Saint Rose Camerata honors American composer George Crumb for his 90th birthday (b. October 24th, 1989. The concert includes a group of songs from his early period, works for amplified instruments, and the use of extended techniques. Written in 1969 during the Apollo 11 flight, Night of the Four Moons features extracted texts from poems by Federico Garcia Lorca and an unusual ensemble combination of mezzo-soprano with flute, electric cello, banjo, and an array of ethnic percussion instruments. Celestial Mechanics [Makrokosmos IV], a piano masterpiece of twentieth century, will be performed with special lighting and projected images.
Dallas Brass – Saturday, November 9
Founded in Dallas, TX in 1983 by Michael Levine, the Dallas Brass has become one of America’s foremost musical ensembles. The group has established a unique blend of traditional brass instruments with a full complement of drums and percussion, which creates a performing entity of extraordinary range and musical challenges. They play an eclectic mix of classical masterpieces, Dixieland, swing, Broadway, Hollywood and patriotic music, all with their own unique and sometimes very comical twist!
Milk Carton Kids – Saturday, December 7
The Milk Carton Kids are a neo-traditional folk duo from Los Angeles, California. Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan-formed harmonized vocals and tightly entwined guitar lines might conjure shades of the Everly Brothers or Simon & Garfunkel, but their music has a unique American roots-folk flavor. Their witty onstage banter snaps as crisply as their guitar licks. They’re known on the road for their adversarial, Smothers Brothers-evoking comedic banter as well as their virtuosic guitar skills.
Saint Rose Camerata – Saturday, February 15 – Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century Chamber Music
Saint Rose Camerata presents 19th and 20th– century chamber music including a cello sonata by Beethoven (2020 marks the year of his 250th birthday anniversary), works by Dvořák, Martinů, and American composer Juliana Hall.
Wooten Brothers – Sunday, March 1
Victor Wooten, a five-time Grammy Award-winning artist and a founding member of the eclectic group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones,has also been playing with his brothers for over four decades. They are recognized as some of the most innovative musicians in existence and are collectively known as one of the most talented and dynamic band of brothers the world has ever known
Saint Rose Camerata – Saturday, March 28th Season Finale: Saint Rose Composers and Façade by Walton
Season Finale: Saint Rose Camerata presents a new work about Chilean artist Violeta Parra by Emily Pinkerton, Assistant Professor of Music Industry, and a work for voice and guitar by American composer Domenic Argento. The program also includes Façade: An Entertainment by British composer William Walton. The work is a clever and entertaining combination of recited poems by Edith Sitwell and Walton’s instrumental music. Saint Rose Camerata will perform selected movements from the collection of over forty poems, which were assembled between 1922 and 1928.
Kat Edmonson – Saturday, April 25
Kat Edmonson forged her sound, an unusually charming and seamless blend of old and new, performing in small rooms and clubs before touring worldwide and performing with the likes of Lyle Lovett, Chris Isaak, and more. She has emerged as one of the most distinctive performers in contemporary American music. With a sweetly mellifluous soprano echoing Blossom Dearie’s lighter-than-air approach as well as her gift for evocative songwriting, Kat is a rare artist who embodies the spirit of the past while remaining resolutely au courant.
Martin Sexton – Saturday, May 16
Syracuse native Sexton got his start singing in the streets and subways of Boston in the early ’90s. Still fiercely independent and headlining venues from The Fillmore to Carnegie Hall, he has influenced a generation of contemporary artists. His songs have appeared in television series and in numerous films, though it’s his incendiary live show, honest lyrics, and vocal prowess that keep fans coming back for more.
Click here for more info on the Massry Center’s 2019-2020 season.
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
The historic Cohoes Music Hall just north of Albany is hosting an incredible slate of music this fall. Built in 1874, the venue has been the hub for entertainment and culture in the Spindle City, with an ornate style, brilliant acoustics and intimate setting for shows of all genres, as well as musicals and more. All shows are all ages, with doors opening at 7pm and music starting at 8pm. Click here for more info on the shows.
Thursday, October 10 – Melvin Seals & JGB
Melvin spun his B-3 magic with the Jerry Garcia Band for 18 years and in doing so helped pioneer and define what has now become “Jam Band Music”. From blues to funk to rock to jazz, Melvin Seals serves up a tasty mix with a little R&B and gospel thrown in to spice things up. John Kadlecik will be joining the band on lead guitar.
Saturday, October 12 – Marco Benevento with special guest Mikaela Davis
Touring in support of his new record ‘Let It Slide’. Dubbed “one of the most talented keys players of our time” by CBS Radio, Benevento’s released six critically acclaimed solo albums over the last decade, performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall and Newport Jazz to Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. “It’s safe to say that no one sees the keyboard quite like Marco Benevento’s genre-blind mashup of indie rock, jazz and skewed improvisation,” the LA Times raved, while NPR said he combines “the thrust of rock, the questing of jazz and the experimental ecstasy of jam.”
Friday, November 8th – Marc Cohn
After winning a Grammy for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man. Rooted in the rich ground of American rhythm and blues, soul and gospel and possessed of a deft storyteller’s pen, he weaves vivid, detailed, often drawn-from-life tales that evoke some of our most universal human feelings: love, hope, faith, joy, heartbreak.
Saturday, November 16th – North Mississippi Allstars
Founded in 1996 by brothers Luther (guitar and vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, piano, synth bass, programming and vocals), the now venerable blues rock band are entering their third decade. “This is a very exciting time for North Mississippi Allstars,” Cody says. “There’s been this explosion of creativity lately and it’s encouraging that for a band who has been around for twenty years now, our music is as vital and fresh as ever. It’s like the opposite of burnout — I can’t explain why but it feels totally brand new again.”
Wednesday, November 20th – Tommy Castro & Tinsley Ellis
Tinsley Ellis wears his Southern roots proudly. Born in Atlanta in 1957, he grew up in southern Florida and first played guitar at age eight. Averaging over 150 live shows a year, Ellis has played in all 50 states, as well as Canada, Europe, Australia and South America. Whether he’s out with his own band or sharing stages with major artists like Buddy Guy, The Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule or Widespread Panic, he always digs deep and plays, as Guitar Player says, “…as if his life depended on it.”
Whether Tommy Castro is squeezing out the deepest blues or playing the funkiest soul grooves, legendary blues and soul giant Tommy Castro knows how to ignite a crowd. Over the course of his still-unfolding career, the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter has released 15 albums ranging from horn-fueled soul and R&B to piping hot blues to fiery rock ‘n’ roll.
Thursday, November 21st – Lotus with special guest Wax Future
Lotus has always been difficult to define musically; an instrumental jamband that has favored groove-based improvisation instead of gaudy solos and noodling. Influences of classic electronic dance music, funk, post-rock and dance-rock have all made their way into the Lotus sound. Approaching two decades together, Lotus has toured actively throughout the US working their way up from dingy basement clubs to world-class venues such as Red Rocks.
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
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)
