“So, I have a new EP out,” Jonatha Brooke said to the crowd gathered at Caffè Lena on Thursday night. The news was received with warm applause. “And I’m naked on the cover.” At this point she posed, arms stretched outwards and upwards, ready to take on whatever the audience sent her way.
Jonatha is the second performance of Caffè Lena’s pride series, which has a way of making performers feel safe enough to be completely honest. Jonatha’s vulnerability is only accentuated by her presence on the stage, a lone woman with a mic and a guitar.
The performance was incredibly satisfying. Perhaps it was the way her voice eased through the room, settling in comfortably with the crowd. Or it could be the fact that she is a self-proclaimed “terrible liar” and her brand of off-beat candor was refreshing.
Jonatha spoke openly about her relationship with her mother, doing impressions of her throughout the night. She has written and performed in a musical based on living with her mother while she dealt with Alzheimer’s. The musical is called My Mother Has 4 Noses and is based off a quote made by her mother, who said, “After all, how many people do YOU know who can say they have FOUR noses?”
After “mothering her mother” as she so put it, Jonatha spoke about how it had helped her better understand herself on a new level, one in which she experienced what she described as a, “I would take a bullet for you feeling.” This led into a performance of a song that she played as a member of The Story – “So Much Mine.” This song describes the perspective of a mother watching over her child and the worries that spring to mind when one thinks about them.
Many of Jonatha’s songs revealed different aspects of her inner workings, such as her song “Imposter,” off of her new EP of the same name. The song is played on mandolin, and in it, she calls herself the imposter. She said that the song was about her own feelings of self-doubt that sometimes haunt her, a relatable feeling to be sure. “Liar, loser, phony. No one ever says so, but I know it’s true. Poser, lightweight, cheapskate. I wanna be, but woe is me. Someone better muster up the truth,” she sang, her voice clear in the small space. She calls herself her “own best saboteur,” harkening on the very realistic feeling many have of having to fake their way through the day, to bend themselves to appear less weak or to hide their flaws from others.
And yet, there was no denying that Jonatha Brooke wasn’t as uncertain of herself as “Imposter” may have led the audience to believe. Before performing her song “Fire,” Jonatha strolled casually across the stage and proclaimed, “I am kind of liking getting older sometimes because I don’t give a shit anymore.” Amen to that.
She chose to end with “Linger,” her big hit from 2001. It was comforting to hear that someone as successful as she is could still harbor doubts. In this, Pride Night at Caffè Lena has once again provided Saratoga with a space of security where doubts were eased.
Caffè Lena will continue their Pride Series with a performance by Jonatha Brooke on July 18th at 7:00 pm. Jonatha has an extensive music resume. She has released eight albums under her own label, Bad Dog Records. Her songs have appeared in Disney films and in popular television shows, most notably the theme song for the television show “Dollhouse”. Currently, she has been writing songs with Katy Perry and The Courtyard Hounds.
Jonatha Brooke also wrote and performed in “My Mother Has 4 Noses” which was based upon living with her mother while she went through the later stages of Alzheimer’s. While living with her, she would write down the entertaining bits and pieces of their day to day life. She would encourage Jonatha and was a part of the process, noting when something she had said was particularly good. The title of the play itself comes from her mother, who said, “After all, how many people do YOU know who can say they have FOUR noses?”
Many have been touched by the play, and Jonatha has included a section on the website for “My Mother Has 4 Noses” where people can submit images of their loved ones and write something to honor them.
Jonatha has performed at functions in the past to support the LGBTQ community such as the LCCP (Lesbian Community Cancer Project) and is an ally to the LGBTQ community.
Beach balls were flying and raindrops were falling during CountryFest at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Hosted by 107.7 WGNA, a country radio station out of Albany, CountryFest featured A-list country acts like Eli Young Band, Big & Rich, and Old Dominion. SPAC’s Live Nation Country concerts usually have a large turnout and this was no exception. The amphitheater was filled by the time Eli Young Band took the stage at 6:30 and the fans had already been enjoying themselves tailgating in the parking lot before making their way to their seat or placing their lawn chairs in the perfect place to view the concert.
Eli Young Band kicked off the show with a roar from the crowd. The rain didn’t keep the fans from having a good time singing along to the band’s hits, such as “Crazy Girl” and “Drunk Last Night.” They were a perfect opening act. Getting the crowd pumped with some of their country classics from the 2000’s, Eli Young Band started on the right note. Lead singer Mike Eli’s voice sounded just like the recordings fans know and love. It was very refreshing to hear country music sound as real as the topics being sung about.
The show took a turn when a DJ from Schenectady, New York started playing confusing mash-ups of country hits with early 2000’s hip-hop high school dance songs. Country music has been in its teenage phase of life and experimenting with many different elements of music, some further away from the singing pedal steel and lively fiddle riffs than others. An avenue that many country artists have tried out is rap and hip hop, incorporating the use of drum machines and quick-witted rap verses.
Big & Rich displayed that they are one of those artists that decided to drive head-on into this new sub genre of country music by inviting Texas country rapper Cowboy Troy on stage with them to add clever verses to their old songs and many of the cover songs that they performed. The whole performance felt a little too far from the celebration of country music that one would expect when going to a country music festival. They definitely brought the most “Wow” factor to the show and, for better or for worse, the crowd seemed to enjoy it. There were many parts of the performance where the looks on fans’ faces said, “What is going on?” Mostly when a man in a Spiderman suit came out and they started singing the Spiderman theme song. One commendable aspect of the show that was heartwarming and made any sense was when John Rich invited a United States veteran on stage and asked him to say a few words. After the few minutes of clarity, it went right back into a medley of songs from all different genres, from “American Pie” by Don McClain to “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, before finishing with their smash hit “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).” Overall, the whole set left fans happy but slightly confused and wondering if they were still at CountryFest.
The night ended with the high energy, lovable group of guys known as Old Dominion. Their pop-country hits had people singing along and dancing until the end of the night. Matthew Ramsey’s charming personality reached out to many fans in the front by giving out high fives and signing personal items. They played a humanizing acoustic set while sharing their stories coming up as songwriters in Nashville, Tennessee. Playing songs that other country artists such as Blake Shelton and Dierks Bentley have made famous, the frontmen of the band, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, and Brad Tursi, revealed to the crowd that fans had been listening to their music for a while before Old Dominion was even making music together. Their story was very inspiring and the short acoustic versions shed light on not just how musically gifted the group is, but what brilliant songwriters they are as well. They announced that their new album is coming soon and gave CountryFest a sneak peek at a new song on the record called “Smooth Sailing.” The tune fits perfectly into their sound with a catchy melody and clever lyrics. Country music fans should keep their eyes and ears open for Old Dominion’s next album because if the rest of the record is as good as “Smooth Sailing,” it will be a great listen that embodies the fun aspects of country music.
It was a humid Friday night in Saratoga Springs, where people of all ages were buzzing in anticipation for a throwback experience from singer/songwriter Jackson Browne at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. “Have you seen him before?” was one of the questions floating around the amphitheater and the responses varied from person to person. Many different dates of shows spanning from the early ’70s and onward came from the mouths of dedicated fans, proving the long-lasting impact Browne has had in his career. The show started right on time at 7:30 p.m. with the Brooklyn-born indie pop band Lucius.
Photography: Carl Scheffel
Lucius opened the show with a chilling a capella rendition of “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” with the women fronting the band wearing matching red ponchos and body glitter on their faces and palms. Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig stood around one microphone at center stage facing each other and immediately caught the attention of the crowd with their powerhouse harmonies. Though the stage setup allowed for the singers to be intimate and have a clear way to communicate cues for each other, it took away from the audience engagement and closed off a relationship fans desire from a live performance. The one microphone did aide the duo in creating a fading or floating audio and visual effect during their last song “Woman” which played with the depth of the dynamics of the song nicely. The show heavily featured the two fronting ladies, however, the group consisted of three other band members playing their share of instruments, swapping between percussion and guitar frequently. Jackson Browne joined them in the middle of their half hour set to perform “Willin’,” entrancing the amphitheater with their three-part harmonies. Lucius released a compilation album of their back catalog, new songs, and a duet with Roger Waters in 2018 called Nudes.
Loud cheers from women and men alike echoed through the walls of SPAC when Jackson Browne and his band took the stage to close out the show with an impressive two hour set. Browne’s performance was filled with many of his classics that were easy to sing and dance along to even if you didn’t know the words. “Take It Easy,” which Browne co-wrote with The Eagles, was the second song in the more than 20-song set and it brought everyone to their feet. Browne’s easy-going vibe on stage seemed to take the edge off the heat and provided a relaxing atmosphere after the excitement of the 4th of July the day before. Browne joked about his age after there was a guitar mix up, saying to the stagehand, “I think you brought me the wrong guitar,” followed by the stagehand coming back out with the supposed right guitar and a sense of confusion. After a few seconds of conversation and bending down to read the setlist, Browne admitted that he was wrong and that he should have brought his glasses with him on stage. Many of Jackson Browne’s songs relate to immigration and issues that America deals with today. He played songs such as “Walls and Doors” that was written by Cuban singer/songwriter Carlos Varela and “Lives in the Balance” which were both in reference to South America and its culture. “Lives in the Balance” featured a very soulful performance from one of Browne’s backup singers, Chavonne Stewart, whose beautiful voice brought new life to an old classic. Lucius came out to help Browne on the last four songs and it was the perfect climax of vocal harmony and instrumental genius. The two acts were clearly very close and the respect and love for one another made for a really enjoyable performance.
Photography: Carl Scheffel
Lucius setlist: A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes (Ilene Woods cover), Tempest, Right Down the Line (Gerry Rafferty cover), Something About You, Go Home, Turn It Around, Willin’ (Little Feat cover), Two of Us On the Run, Woman
Jackson Browne setlist: I’m Alive, Take It Easy, The Pretender, Enough of the Night, The Long Way Around, Tender Is the Night, You Love the Thunder, These Days, Mohammed Radio (Warren Zevon cover), The Dreamer, Lives in the Balance, Walls and Doors (Carlos Varela cover), Doctor My Eyes, Somebody’s Baby, I’ll Do Anything, In the Shape of a Heart, Running on Empty, Dusty Trails (Lucius cover), City of Immigrants (Steve Earle cover), I Am a Patriot (Little Steven cover) Encore: The Waiting (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover)
With a summer tour progressing steadily along, and each subsequent venue seemingly raising the bar higher at each stop, expectations for the upcoming set of Phish shows at Saratoga Performing Arts Center were at a fever pitch. The band never seems to disappoint at this classic Upstate NY shed, showing us this is what SPAC sounds like when the boys from Vermont come to town. Coming off of three stellar shows in Camden, marked with a notably missing “Tweezer Reprise” from the final night, expectations about the SPAC opener (and rest of the show) were rampant and lofty.
In vintage Phish fashion, the band bypassed the “Tweezer Reprise” opener many expected to happen as a nod to the unfinished business in Camden and replaced it with a first-time-played cover of The Everly Brothers’ “Cathy’s Clown,” leading to a confusing and somewhat mellow start. Afterwards, the expected “Reprise” was delivered in full force which fired up the crowd instantly and began a long stretch of high energy rock anthems, including “Carini,” a song that’s already opened two previous shows this tour. A silky smooth transition of funk from “AC/DC Bag” to “The Moma Dance” then followed before a mid set “Theme From the Bottom” that served as a respite of sorts. A rare performance of “Home” was a welcome surprise in the first set and set the waves in motion for the powerful “Bathtub Gin” that followed. That would have been more than sufficient for a complete first set, but Phish had other ideas and tacked on the perennial “Walls of the Cave” set closer in typical high octane, raucous fashion.
After a brief “Cool Amber and Mercury” to open Set 2, Mike Gordon provided the opening bass slaps to “Down with Disease” and with that we were off and running with a 21 minute gem of a jam. This instant classic found its way into the full “Scents and Subtle Sounds,” complete with intro which was soundchecked earlier that night, then dipped into “Twist” to continue a set of deep exploration. From there, the energy was sustained with “Wilson” > “Scent of a Mule” and “Fuck Your Face,” before a mild breather in the form of “Halley’s Comet.” The set closed out with a “Harry Hood” that closed out yet another Phish set that sustained the all killer/no filler trend that has been steady since Camden.
For the encore, much discussion led to Fishman tapping the kick drum to signal the start of “Fee,” which found Trey having megaphone issues but still pushed through with the help of the audience. “A Life Beyond a Dream” from Ghosts of the Forest, built up towards a pleasant landing ground, and after slight discussion, Phish wrapped up their second 3-song encore in a row with “First Tube.” Trey ran around the and marched from stage left to stage right hamming it up with the fans as he burned through the pinnacle show closer.
If you are heading to Phish at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), here are some veteran tips for making the most out of the two-day run, especially for out-of-town phans.
Saratoga Spa State Park is easy to get lost in, as this is an expansive park, and you can easily wind up walking around for an hour looking for the lot your car is in, or altogether become disoriented. Save the map below, just in case.
In the interest of making sure everyone knows what has been the norm in the past, whether you have been here before or not, keep these few things in mind:
State Troopers. Keep all alcohol in a cup and don’t test the troopers. Phish fans are typically well behaved, but this is a state park, just like Jones Beach, something that shouldn’t be ignored while pre-gaming in the lots.
Hotels. Some establishments have been known to call-in suspected drug use. Be smart when pre-gaming at the hotel or getting back, and try to enjoy the post-show scene before getting some needed sleep.
Leaving SPAC. Expect checkpoints for drunk driving and K-9 units for the obvious. Don’t leave the park without a sober driver and when you do, drive the speed limit. Whether you’re driving down Route 9, Route 50, I-87 or towards the small towns north and south of Saratoga, take your time.
Post Shows – more info coming soon!
If you are headed south out of SPAC, or looking for music and eats, stop off in Malta for two nights of post shows at Nanola. Where is Malta? Just 10 minutes south of SPAC, off Exit 12 right on Route 9. The menu is fantastic — great Cajun-inspired food and American dishes, as well as one of the best draft and bottle selections in the Capital District.
There is an amazing amount of music lined up after each day of this year’s Phish SPAC run. That’s the beauty of seeing Phish at a venue like SPAC — the town opens up its doors to Phish with many options for music, art and daytime and nighttime activities.
Dead and Company ushered in the summer concert season at SPAC on Tuesday, June 18 with their bluesy, jazzy jam sessions that lasted late into the warm evening. Check out the setlist and photo gallery below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMeieLIBVfE
Set 1: Feel Like a Stranger>Hell in a Bucket>Alabama Getaway, When I Paint My Masterpiece>It Must Have Been the Roses>Cumberland Blues>Cassidy>US Blues
Set 2: Here Comes Sunshine>Shakedown Street>Wharf Rat>Playing in the Band>Uncle John’s Band>DrumsSpace>Viola Lee Blues>Dear Prudence>Casey Jones
Erin McKeown will be the first show that starts a new tradition at Caffè Lena this month. Caffè Lena has been proud to promote an inclusive environment and present a diverse range of performers on the stage.
On June 20, Erin’s performance will mark the first of a new monthly pride series where LGBTQ performers will be featured. It will be a safe space for people to hear the stories of members of the LGBTQ community. Sarah Craig, Executive Director of Caffè Lena, is excited to expand Saratoga’s musical horizons by giving these performers a stage. Through her years of collaborating with Saratoga Pride, Sarah has been “blown away by both the turn out and the quality of performances” that have been presented during the Pride Open Mics. The talent and creativity are there, and Caffè Lena wants to give these LGBTQ performers a chance to display it.
Erin McKeown was an excellent pick to start the new series. An out and proud lesbian, Erin has garnered a solid reputation as a performer and activist. Throughout her career, she has released ten albums, the most recent being Mirrors Break Back in 2017. Miss You Like Hell, her first musical, has garnered multiple awards including five Drama Desk Awards. The Wall Street Journal named it the “Best Musical of 2018.”
Future shows in the Pride Series include Jonatha Brooke in July, David and Sophie Buskin in August, and a mystery performer in September that Sarah Craig is particularly excited about. Tickets for this show and all future events in the Pride Series can be purchased at the Caffè Lena website.
Grenadian-Canadian banjo singer and vocalist, Kaia Kater, returned to Caffe Lena on Thursday, June 6 to promote her folk album, Grenades. The 2018 album highlights Kater’s lush, tenor voice to tell the story of her father’s immigration from Grenada after the US invasion in 1983. The talented Kater, whose velvety voice and traditional use of folk tells a story of social injustice, inspired a small group of fans to leave their home sofas. They sat on Lena’s comfy couches for the night to hear songs laced with themes exposing racism and ethnocentrism, told with raw honesty and soothing sound.
Accompanied by Dan Riccione on electric guitar and vocals, and Andrew Ryan on upright bass and vocals, Kater informally took the stage at the historic Caffe Lena with a brief “hi” before launching into her song “St. Elizabeth.” The small crowd of approximately 40 audience members quieted quickly as she plucked her banjo, creating a soul soothing sound. And just like that, Kater had the house’s full attention.
The 25-year-old Kater demonstrated wit and dry humor when speaking of herself as “much older and wiser now,” when contrasted to her tour approximately three years ago that brought her to Saratoga. Her current tour was intended to showcase the new album Grenada, an album she envisioned would help her move forward “by looking at the past.” But first, she revisited “The Heavenly Track,” an earlier piece that used vocal harmonies to raise the audience’s spirit and sense of hope
Kater played newsreels and interviews with her father sporadically in between the songs inspired by his immigration story, starting with the excitement of her father Dino’s memory of the peaceful revolution that brought Maurice Bishop to power in 1979. Her responsive songs captured the hopeful energy of a time with major chords and somewhat naïve lyrics representing a time in Grenadian history, that shifted despair to hope for many. “Meridian Ground” and “Canyon Land” both paired faster moving sections of the songs with slower, drawn out choruses, emphasizing both the uncertainty and the hope of the era.
Kater returned to a previous favorite next with “Nine Pin,” juxtaposing satisfying harmonies once again with desperate lyrics about loss of self. Shortly after, as if reading the audience’s emotional state, Kater returned to the Grenada theme, playing a news reel about how the National Women’s Organization in the early 1980s were providing education and social service support to the young. The trio, accompanied only by the bass, sang a folk-esque song in French, sounding like children’s voices. Kater smiled, admitting she liked singing that song. The audience had too, resting back a bit more, and breathing easier.
“Starry Day” and “New Colossus” finished the first set. Kater, just like those in folk before her, had a reason to tell her stories and was pleased to share them with the focused audience. She shared that “New Colossus” was inspired by the famed Emma Lazarus poem printed on the Statue of Liberty. “I always loved the Statue of Liberty. Here’s this huge woman, holding a torch, taking up space.” She suggested the statue was a reminder of how “bad-ass” women can be, and her song: a reminder to women to take up the life long work to be bigger and take up space. The inclusion of the statue, often a sign of hope for immigrants, brought the audience back to the reminder that the overarching story of the night belonged truly to immigration.
After a longer break of thirty minutes, the trio returned for a second set. “Everything is free” was her opener, a song by Gillian Welch and David Rollings. Featuring both guitar and bass solos, the group’s energy seemed to crescendo into the second song, “Little Sorrow,” written by Kater’s aunt, Julia Kater. The bass’ long and slow bow strokes, combined with Kater’s authentically sorrowful voice, translated the meaning of the song sung in French, even for non-French speakers.
And from there, the group transitioned back to Grenada with perhaps one of the most powerful pieces of the night: “Grenade.” Ronald Reagan sent a war to Grenada in 1983 with over 18,000 troops landing on the small island. Punished for their successful use of African culture and social-economic successes based in community efforts, supporters of Maurice Bishop on the island found themselves with nowhere to hide. The Reagan recording expressed Grenada’s successes were a threat somehow to Americans; he demanded its citizens to “act like the hemisphere” in which they live rather than embrace African cultures or face invasion. And with that, the US brought war to Grenada.
The song’s minor key shadowed the sadness felt in all that was lost, including Dino’s dreams of serving his community as a lawyer. The song described the dogs of war marching into the small island and the sense of powerlessness felt by the citizens there: “You can shout at the mountain / but they’ve already crowned him.”
It reflected that there was little resistance to the US’s government of choice for Grenada. “We always seem to get played” was a heart -breaking reminder of how America’s ethnocentric policies were more than rhetoric; implemented in developing countries around the world to enforce American values. These policies stole the very hopes and dreams of entire countries, and led us to our current crisis within the world as well.
Kater didn’t let the audience stay with this heartbreak, though. She told a light -hearted story about a Swedish vampire movie that inspired the next song, “The Right One.” Watching the bass player look at Kater, it wasn’t hard to imagine that he believed she is absolutely his right one. Gazing at her in a trance, the musician’s admiration for his colleague was tremendously moving and joyful. Riccione and Ryan playfully made ‘scary movie’ music as she tried to playfully explain her song, and even Kater started to laugh at their antics.
The ensemble’s friendship is a part of its charm. From there, they ran through a number of other songs, bouncing between moods, like a rapidly cycling manic-depressive. “Everly” reflected on falling apart, while “Little Pink” was a traditional song from West Virginia ,demonstrating Kater’s vocal range.
Kater humbly thanked the audience repeatedly, and expressed enjoyment in playing at the historic Lena. She finished the night with her father’s story of resiliency. He was able to escape Grenada through a student program chosen to tour Quebec to raise empathy and awareness of the plight of those in developing countries. Encouraged by his grandmother, Kater’s father let go of his dream to work in the public sector in Grenada and pursue his new life in Canada. “Poets be buried” was a moving testimony to his struggles and courage.
Kater generously returned for an encore performance of “Trouble in Mind,” a bluesy folk song with a heavy bass line and smooth guitar. She let go of her banjo and crooned about the ups and downs of life. “Sometimes I feel like living, sometimes I feel like dying,” she sang.
Kater began the night by sharing her belief that she had to look at her past in order to move forward, and her album Grenade looks at Grenada’s past with honesty that is painful at times. It is also inspiring, hopeful, and at the end of the concert, mindful, that being human includes sorrow alongside joy. Kater certainly appears ready now to move forward, fully aware of her family’s past and using the tradition of folk’s raw honesty to remind listeners that ugliness juxtaposed with great beauty offers hope.
Nestled in an unassuming building next to a Russian Orthodox church is a passionate and energetic group of people with a common interest. That interest? Singing music they actually want to sing. Music that is well known, loved and mainstream.
Seventy-percent of the members of Rock Voices can’t read music. Some have never had any sort of vocal training or musical practice, yet everyone shows up. The members applaud one another (literally and loudly) for doing something right. They also lean on one another for support in both music, and everything else.
After the rehearsal, a few members and director, Nate Altimari, joined me at a local restaurant to chat and have some dinner. Contemplating over a spread of nachos, cheese fries and beverages, bass vocalist, Brian Rose, was tired. “I love being tired from singing,” he said. “It feels like we accomplished something and it feels great.”
Altimari, who conducts the Albany and Saratoga chapters, was attracted to the prospect of having his own chorus for many years.
“When my family and I moved from Boston and settled down here, I went through a significant period of time with no musical outlet,” Altimari said over a beer and steak nachos. He’s sitting with five of his longest members. “The opportunity presented itself several times to have my own choir. This was the first one that felt right.”
Altimari had never had his own group like this one. He’s an award-winning singer for his Boston-based group Firedrill!, but this was new territory. After four seasons, he’s learned to let it go. Not everything will be perfect, and that’s perfect in itself.
“This is such a casual, inclusive environment,” he said of his group, which hosts people of all ages, races, ethnicities and religions. “We have no divas or anyone who thinks they are better. We all just love music and want to sing.”
Rock Voices was founded on a simple motto:
Healing ourselves and others through song.
Born from the brain of Tony Lechner, the performer and Rock Voices Executive Director creates of the program’s harmonies himself. Boasting an impressive 15 chapters across the Northeast, the groups all take advantage of the same programs. This makes it easier for those who travel a lot or have scheduling conflicts to attend rehearsals. Even if you can’t make the group you enrolled in, you’re welcome to join other rehearsals to get the practice you need. Because most members can’t read music, Rock Voices provides tracks for each vocal part to help members learn what they need. There are also sheets with strictly lyrics for those who find sheet music daunting. Altimari has 20 years of vocal experience and can smoothly hit all notes, including the sky-high soprano register.
Even after the rehearsal, the five members flanking Altimari have a contagious energy that could ignite passion in even the coldest of souls. Every single one invited me to join the group and asked me about who I was, as well. They listened as intently as they spoke. Their warmth to a stranger they met just three hours ago was like an incubator; I felt at home, accepted and at incredible ease.
Rose is usually the only bass at his rehearsals. With a rehearsal size of 65 (120 people will be on stage at the May 5 show at Sage), you could hear his booming, smooth voice as clear as day.
“It’s just fun,” Rose said. “I walked in a couple of weeks after Mike Hyrny in season one. I came because I wanted to sing “Africa,” [by Toto] which was on the program. I didn’t know this was what I needed, but the feeling I get when those harmonies marry and that moment when it all clicks in rehearsal is something I cannot explain. It feels incredible. I’m hooked.”
Rose expressed the added pressure, if you will, of being the only bass at most rehearsals actually helps him learn his part better because he has to carry his own. Unlike the women and the tenors, there isn’t anyone else to cover for him if he makes mistakes.
Hyrny is sitting two seats down from Rose. Like Rose, he joined without knowing it was what he needed.
“I had gone through some major surgeries before getting here,” Hyrny explained. “Nate had spoken to the Daily Gazette about the first season in February 2018.
“The first rehearsal was actually the day of my surgery,” he continued. “Four weeks later I came in and saw this little chorus of seven or eight people. We had 17 people at the first concert.”
The sound those seven or eight people produced that night was so energetic and impressive, Hyrny immediately joined. In the 16 months and four seasons, Rock Voices has been in Albany; he’s been involved in every one.
Ronnie D’Alauro is Hyrny’s junior high classmate. One day over lunch, Hyrny was telling her about the chorus with a bit of embarrassment. They met again a couple of weeks later and he invited her to the show.
“Everyone looked like they were having fun,” she said. “I didn’t know the background of this group, but I wanted to join.”
D’Alauro described the emotional experience she had at the first show, where she knew this was a group of people who wanted to sing and just have fun. As she talks, her eyes are bright and animated. Her personality is big and intriguing; you want to be around her, as you do the other members.
“I can make any conversation come back to Rock Voices somehow,” she said. “The way we connect, the way we sound — it’s a no brainer.”
Ronnie D’Alauro
The connection is what keeps Altimari coming back and what keeps his chorus stronger than anything the members could have imagined.
“When the music comes over you and the adrenaline is pumping, there’s nothing like it,” soprano Penny Blaisdell said. Blaisdell’s presence at rehearsal was prominent; every single time the group started singing, she would break out in dance. She moved with the music effortlessly. As I moved around the room, her warm smile greeted me whenever we made eye contact. Her church choir roots bred her for this exact situation.
“This music brings me so much nostalgia,” she said. “This music brings me back to those moments from long ago and simpler times. It’s freeing.”
Perhaps the biggest breakout story of the night was Kim Strosahl. A self-proclaimed introvert, Strosahl joined in season one with a fear of singing in front of people. Today, you’d never know that was the case. Since joining, she’s had a solo in each performance. At rehearsal, she belted the iconic “Brighter Than The Sun” solos with confidence and exuberance.
“I was looking for friends and that’s something that’s so hard to find in the second half of your life,” she said. “I wanted something with music in my life. I heard about this and realized it was exactly what I was looking for. No auditions and rock music. I’m in.”
The five singers credit Altimari for bringing the group into its own. A kind soul with the patience of a saint, he corrects with a soft voice and refrains from chastising.
“I couldn’t have done this the way Nate did,” Rose said. “The charisma that Nate has and his ability to bring us all together is something unique to him.”
The other four agreed. D’Alauro called him a kind person in an odd way. Altimari’s energy and presence is something that people seem to be drawn to in practice. Everyone wants to talk and give input.
Altimari struggles with his own expectations, he said. There will be times where he feels the group is much further ahead than it is and it promptly slapped back to reality during rehearsal.
“A couple of weeks ago, I was frustrated with how much we had to do and I was just biting off everyone’s heads,” he explained. “I had to check myself in the car on the way home and then had to email all the members and apologize.
“I have to remind myself that this isn’t about being perfect,” he continued. “The brand of Rock Voices is about fun and expressing yourself. We’re going to be a little rough around the edges sometimes because we are human beings and that’s just human nature.”
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
