NYS Music 20​19

Tag: Jupiter Hall

  • Pigeons Fiesta at Jupiter Hall

    Raise your hand if you’ve ever seen a jam show in a shopping mall. If anyone could pull it off, it’s Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, who brought the flock to an upstate NY mall filled with buzzing Saturday night consumers. Albany’s Crossgates Mall quickly melted from its usual demographic into a sea of sequins, tie dye and feathers as a sold out crowd poured into Lucky Strike’s concert venue, Jupiter Hall.

    A long line trailed past an abyss of arcade games, around the corner and right out of the venue’s front doors while a Denver, CO three-piece, Cycles, instantly grabbed hold of the crowd with demanding stage presence and a larger than life sound, jam packed with fast, frenzied bass slaps and hard hitting notes.

    With a fired up stage and audience waiting in the tightly packed hall, Greg, Jeremy, Gator and Ben hopped onstage just as excited to see their devoted fans as each gig prior.

    With a warm welcome and a few simple words, Greg admitted that its been “Too Long” since they’ve played in Albany, segueing into the Pizzaz party favorite. Momentum kept moving with “Yo Soy Fiesta” followed by

    a blissful and beautifully performed “Poseidon” which brought the biggest jam of the night so far. Energy skyrocketed through the bowling alley music hall you instantly forgot you were inside of as “Pop Off” and “Upfunk” came next. Pigeons bowled a strike by sandwiching Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” between “J Town,” as the classic rock tune had all heads banging, including bassist Ben and his luscious, wavy locks. Winding down the set, P4 served up another tasty sandwich, this time with “Julia” > “Beanstalk” > “Julia.”

    Set one ended at a perfect time, allowing for both musicians and fans to breathe, regroup and re-energize for an equally powerful second set. Every song seemed to be the crowd’s favorite, as the Maryland natives cycled through a “Havana” opener and a mesmerizing double whammy of “Melting Lights” and “Whirled.” The show was perfectly composed of party anthems and the deep, groovy jams kept pleasing with “Somethin’ For Ya,” an unfinished “Zydeko,” and “Lightning” with a “Kiwi” sandwich between two slices of “Time to Ride” bread. An encore of “Snake Eyes” and “Dawn a New Day” kissed the Albany audience goodnight to end the unsuspected mall party everybody was confused about, yet didn’t know they needed.

    Pigeons Playing Ping Pong at Albany’s Jupiter Hall on 3/30/19

    From playing tiny venues like Albany’s Red Square back in 2015, opening for Dopapod in Saratoga Springs in 2016, to selling out Jupiter Hall and various venues on tour to date in 2019, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong keep climbing the rungs to success while showing their fans endless appreciation along the way. Catch them at their very own 10th Annual Domefest from May 16-18 in Masontown, West Virginia.

    Pigeons Playing Ping Pong March 30, Jupiter Hall Setlist:

    Set 1: Too Long, Yo Soy Fiesta, Poseidon, Pop Off, Upfunk, J-Town > Black Dog > J-Town > Julia > Beanstalk > Julia

    Set 2: Havana > Melting Lights > Whirled, Somethin’ For Ya > Zydeko^ > Lightning, Time To Ride > Kiwi > Time To Ride

    Encore: Snake Eyes, Dawn A New Day

  • Katie Louise Unleashes Debut EP

    Capital District pop artist, Katie Louise, is releasing her first EP, celebrating with a no-holds-barred show at Jupiter Hall. Louise, 21, will release Unleash today, Friday, March 15.

    The seven-song EP will show its feathers later that night. The show will start at 7:30 p.m. and feature other local artists like Justin Charles, Nick Rossi and the Broken View. Tickets range from $15 to $20 and can be purchased at ticketfly.com. Jupiter Hall is located at 1 Crossgates Mall Road, inside Lucky Strike Social Club.

    For Louise, this is an album of baggage. It’s also an album of redemption, empowerment and validation. The young star started as a classically trained pianist; she was on the fast-track to professional stardom at just 14 years old.

    “I always had this talent for piano and in a lot of ways, I was just pushed into following that skill until the end,” she said. “I had written ‘Imprisoned in Paradise’ and realized I had the ability to write music. However, when I wrote ‘Broken,’ I realized this was something I really needed to pursue.”

    Katie Louise faced some adversity from those around her, particularly from those who were in the classical music circuit. As she transitioned into pop, she had to dig down to find the empowerment to keep going.

    “This EP is so incredibly vulnerable and real for me because I really open myself up in my songwriting,” she said. “I’ve always been blessed to be able to open up relatively easy, but I’ve been through a lot of pain in my childhood and this not only helped me express it, but helped me let some of it go.”

    Fans can expect a mixture of sounds. The two singles she has already released, “Imprisoned in Paradise” and “You Can’t Talk To A Woman Like That,” are drastically different — “Paradise” is more of a ballad with dreamy accompaniment, where Woman has a kick in its step. Louise said each song will be markedly different from the one before it, but they all complete the bigger picture and help answer the question of who she is — in all of her facets. All songs are written organically, with Louise finding inspiration in things she says or what she sees around her.

    She hasn’t completely abandoned her roots. Louise is excited about the piano solo on “Unleash,” the namesake of the EP.

    “It’s like I’ve blended my two biggest passions now and am able to draw from what inspires me in both,” she explained. “I’m confident that I can do this. I’m nervous, excited, stressed and overwhelmed.”

    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.