NYS Music 202​0

Category: Capital Region

  • Caffe Lena Cancels Reopening

    Update: Based on the rise of new Covid-19 infections in the Saratoga Springs region, Caffe Lena have announced the halt of live audience concerts at their venue. This postponement comes just after the announcement of a series of live audience concerts that were to be held starting July 14. Programming will continue via livestreams. Once the infection has diminished Caffe Lena plans on reopening their doors to a live audience.

    See original announcement below.

    Saratoga’s Caffe Lena Set To Reopen During Phase 4

    Saratoga Springs‘ famous 60+ year old concert venue, Caffe Lena, begun preparations to reopen, as performance venues are given the green light during Phase 4 of New York’s reopening plan.

    In a press release Caffe Lena’s Executive Director Sarah Craig explains their plan:

    “We’re taking it in baby steps, starting with 25% capacity. Live performance venues were the first to shut down, and they’re the last to reopen. It’s essential for the future of music that we work out a way to open stages safely. Our goal is to meet and surpass the NYS Health Department guidelines.”

    The venue’s first regular concert would have taken place on July 14 with ensemble members from the New York City Ballet. Serving as an alternative opening night due to the cancellation of their Saratoga Performing Arts Center performance, the five musicians would have been able to play for 12 parties as well as hundreds that will be tuning in via an online stream. In compliance with social distancing, guidelines seating would have been in groups of two to four with no individual tickets being offered the time. The New York City Ballet will now be live-streamed event instead of being a live audience concert after the postponement.

    https://youtu.be/UCH4LeK8iY4

    When New York hit pause in March Caffe Lena was forced to close its doors to the public. Due to designation as an essential business for live broadcasting use, the seats remained empty but thousands watched via the venue’s Youtube channel, concerts taking place on Lena’s stage.

    “Recognizing that many of our patrons are not in a position to return to public gatherings, we’re becoming a kind of hybrid live-stream and live-audience venue,” explained Craig. “From now on, our headline concerts will be available in real time via Vimeo for a small fee, and our community programs and shows featuring local amateur talent will be streamed on YouTube for free.”

    Tickets and Information about Caffe Lena’s upcoming schedule are available on their website.

  • Discover up and coming bands with EQXposure Featured Artists of the week

    WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to a ever-expanding listening audience. Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm on 102.7 FM, you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. NYS Music will bring you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.

    Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear music from Asa Morris, Olsen Brothers Band, Dylan Giambatista, Zam Smarkey, Brian Kaplan Band and many more!

    Asa Morris – You’re Always Home

    Asa has been a part of the Upstate NY music scene for more than a decade and is currently living in Burlington, VT. On Tuesday, July 14th he will be releasing his 35th solo EP in six years. Seriously. Go check him out at Bandcamp and count them for yourself. The new EP, God Has Entered My Body. My Perfect Body, My Same Size was recorded this past spring and features many of his former band mates who all recorded their parts remotely and will be available at all major digital retailers with proceeds being donated to organizations in support of both Black Lives Matter and Police abolition.  

    Olson Brothers Band – Candle in A Storm

    These brothers from Bennington, Vermont say “This is a song about having the strength to say NO to Violence, to say NO to ALL forms of discrimination,” It’s “about equality and the journey to obtain it. Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself, even if it gets you into trouble.”

    Dylan Giambatista – Run For It & Vote For Me

    Essex County (VT) House Rep. Dylan Giambatsta recorded and released a two track album about the experience of running for office. He says he grew up in the southern Route 7 corridor of Vermont and he has announced plans to run for one of the six Chittenden County Senate seats in January. He is giving away 7” records of his two songs “Run For It” and “Vote For Me” which you can get by visiting vtdylan.com and clicking on the “Music for 2020” tab.

    Zam Smarkey – Helado

    Zam Smarkey is a band from Saratoga Springs who just released an album called The Ice Cream Album. The idea came about when the band members were discussing what they would like to do for a summer job and they kicked around some ideas like a shaved ice business and buying an ice cream truck. Ice cream truck was the winning idea but they don’t like ice cream truck music. So what are a bunch of musician friends to do? Make an entire album of songs about ice cream. That’s what. They have yet to procure an ice cream truck but I can imagine by the sound of their stuff that they have the passion to get it done. 

    Brian Kaplan Band – Only For Tonight

    This song is from Brian Kaplan’s new album Make No Mistake. EQX’s Jason Keller says “With Brian’s latest album, you’ll find an experienced musician, writer, and storyteller who is comfortable with showing you that one album doesn’t have to be one style. You’ll find some crunchy guitar riffs, like on “Break From the Weight,” but you can also find songs like “You Can Have It” that slow things down a bit and capture a slightly more sentimental vibe. Brian’s clear, strong, voice really brings this production together.” Listen to the track on the band’s website.

  • Rock the Dock and Eastbound Throwdown festivals cancel for 2020

    Two beloved music festivals in the 518 will not return until 2021 due to COVID-19. Rock the Dock, held in Lake George, and Eastbound Throwdown, held in Salem, have each postponed their scheduled events until next year

    rock the dock eastbound throwdown

    Originally scheduled for July 17, then rescheduled for August 14, the festival was looking forward to their fourth year at Lake George Steamboat Company, but have made plans for July 23, 2021 to hold the annual event.

    Founded by Formula 5 in 2017 as a way to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Lake George Steamboat Company, the band played their final show on July 12, 2019 at Rock the Dock. The festival hosts regional and national acts with a stage on the pier of the Lake George Steamboat Company, with three steamboats framing the event.

    Keyboardist Matt Richards of Formula 5 was slated to return with Annie in the Water for this year’s installment, but that will have to wait another year. Other announced artists included Dogs in a Pile, Raisinhead, and Big Time Kitty.

    eastbound throwdown

    Eastbound Throwdown, hosted by beloved Northern rock outfit Eastbound Jesus, was scheduled to take place September 11-12, 2020. New dates have not been announced, and only Eastbound Jesus was announced for the lineup this year. Past lineups have included The Mallett Brothers Band, Girl Blue, Driftwood, Formula 5, The Ghost of Paul Revere, among many others.

  • Flashback: Phish headline for the first time at SPAC

    On July 10, 1994, Phish headlined for the first time at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Two years prior, the Vermont group had opened for Santana at SPAC, one of the few opening slots Phish would perform in their career.

    via Brendan McKenna, as published in PhanArt: The Art of the Fans of Phish

    The summer of 1994 would feature The Eagles, Peter Gabriel, James Taylor, The Beastie Boys and the debut of Dave Matthews at the classic Upstate amphitheater, in addition to Phish, whose performance was at the tail end of their summer tour.

    Of note from the first set is the “Stash,” which appears on Live Bait 10, and fun with the lyrics of “Julius,” adding “I haven’t decided, no no no’ during the chorus, and “Ya Mar” where the band gave shout-outs to Trey’s dog Marley, including “Who is she?” (also their record label’s name) and “Who’s the Mar Mar?”

    Tickets were only $18.50 for reserved seats

    The middle of the second set held the heat with a strong “Mike’s Groove”, adding in “Low Rider” to the typical three song sequence inside of “Mike’s Song.” At the end of the second set, The Dude of Life came to the stage and sang his composition “Crimes of the Mind” with the band.

    Listen to the show below or tune in via Phishtracks.com.

    Phish.net/Rec.Music.Phish shirt from 1994, via PhanArt

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Phish – SPAC, Saratoga Springs, NY – July 10, 1994

    Soundcheck: Jive Talkin’, The Old Home Place, Nellie Kane, work on Jive Talkin’

    Set 1: Chalkdust Torture, Horn > Peaches en Regalia > Rift, Stash, If I Could, My Friend, My Friend > Julius, Cavern

    Set 2: Sample in a Jar, David Bowie, Glide, Ya Mar, Mike’s Song -> Low Rider -> Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Bouncing Around the Room, The Squirming Coil, Crimes of the Mind

    Encore: Golgi Apparatus, Rocky Top

    Notes: My Friend included a Purple Haze tease and Julius contained a Buried Alive tease from Trey. The Dude of Life sang vocals on Crimes of the Mind


  • Saratoga’s Caffe Lena set to reopen during Phase 4

    Saratoga Springs‘ famous 60+ year old concert venue, Caffe Lena, has begun preparations to reopen, as performance venues are given the green light during Phase 4 of New York’s reopening plan.

    In a press release Caffe Lena’s Executive Director Sarah Craig explains their plan:

    “We’re taking it in baby steps, starting with 25% capacity. Live performance venues were the first to shut down, and they’re the last to reopen. It’s essential for the future of music that we work out a way to open stages safely. Our goal is to meet and surpass the NYS Health Department guidelines.”

    The venue’s first regular concert will take place on July 14 with ensemble members from the New York City Ballet. Serving as an alternative opening night due to the cancellation of their Saratoga Performing Arts Center performance, the five musicians will be able to play for 12 parties as well as hundreds that will be tuning in via an online stream. In compliance with social distancing, guidelines seating will be in groups of two to four with no individual tickets being offered at this time.

    https://youtu.be/UCH4LeK8iY4

    When New York hit pause in March Caffe Lena was forced to close its doors to the public. Due to designation as an essential business for live broadcasting use, the seats remained empty but thousands watched via the venue’s Youtube channel, concerts taking place on Lena’s stage.

    “Recognizing that many of our patrons are not in a position to return to public gatherings, we’re becoming a kind of hybrid live-stream and live-audience venue,” explained Craig. “From now on, our headline concerts will be available in real time via Vimeo for a small fee, and our community programs and shows featuring local amateur talent will be streamed on YouTube for free.”

    Tickets and Information about Caffe Lena’s upcoming schedule are available on their website.

    Upcoming Schedule:

    July 14 – Franz Schubert’s Trout Quintet

    July 15 – Bluegrass Night with High Peaks Bluegrass Band

    July 17 & 18 – Aztec Two-Step

    July 19 – Erin Harpe Country Blues Duo

  • Discover Local Music With EQXposure Featured Artists Of The Week

    WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to a ever-expanding listening audience. Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm on 102.7 FM, you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. NYS Music will bring you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.

    Warden & Company – I Know You Know

    Warden & Company is a three piece band from Saratoga made up of Seth Warden, Doug Moody, and Brian Melick. They have been playing together since 2011, having started off as the backing band for local Irish music legend Kevin McKrell. The trio have also performed together as Seth and the Moody Melix, playing children’s songs written by Warden who is also a teacher. Warden & Company showcases the trio’s more ‘adult’ sound.

    Jay Birdface – Grow Again

    Jay was born and raised in Vermont and currently lives in Burlington. He says he’s been a fan of EQX since he was a teenager. “Grow Again” is his latest single, find him on Facebook and listen to more of his songs on Soundcloud.This is his latest.

  • Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival Announce Plans for Virtual Benefit Festival

    Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival announced plans to put on a Virtual Festival. The “Spirit of Grey Fox” will take place on July 16-19. There will be never-seen-before footage of original 2020 artists for the festival. The festival will be a benefit fundraiser for COVID-19 relief for artists.

    Grey Fox virtual

    The festival will include archived performances from past years on top of the performances from the original lineup. Some of the highlighted 2020 lineup includes The Infamous Stringdusters, Jerry Douglas, and Delle Mae. Some of the highlighted archived lineup includes the Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, and Hot Rize.

    The festival will benefit the IBMA Trust Fund COVID-19 Relief Fund to help artists crushed by the pandemic. This Fund is specifically trying to help the bluegrass community. The Board of Trustees set aside up to $150,000 for COVID-19 crisis assistance and has established an account specifically for COVID-19 Relief. Musicians can be awarded up to $500 of relief pay. People will be able to donate by going to IBMA Trust Fund COVID-19 Relief Fund’s website.

    The festival will stream for free on nugs.tv and Grey Fox’s YouTube and Facebook Page. For more information the “Spirit of Grey Fox please visit Grey Fox’s website.

    Check out this stream and more through our series NY Stream and Support, where you’ll discover artists around the Empire State streaming nightly, and ways to support musicians and charitable groups close to home!

  • Capital Repertory Theatre Will Hold Virtual New Play Festival

    Capital Repertory Theatre is making the 9th annual Next Act! New Play Summit produced virtually and available for anyone to view. 

    The new play contest is produced by the Capital Repertory Theatre and features new works written by artists in the Capital Region and around the country. TheREP is the only professional theatre in the Capital Region, and has been creating, “meaningful theatre with an authentic connection to the community” since 1981. The theatre donates more than 83% of their profits back to their local community and tries to ensure that all young people are able to experience live theatre before they graduate high school. 

    TheREP also hosts an annual weekend-long summit to produce new plays. The New Play Summit “seeks to highlight new works that use theatre to address injustices, inequities, and cultural collisions, providing a voice for the unheard and unrepresented.” The Summit has drawn more than 4,000 audience members to date, but will take place online this year due to COVID-19.

    The Summit will be held from July 13-16, and will kick off on July 13 at 7PM with the New Voices: Young Playwright Contest with readings from the winning six short plays written by young people ages 13-18 in the Capital Region. The top plays selected are: An Artist’s Hand (Grace Bombard), Just a Normal Friday (Jeremiah Choudhury), Almost a Fairytale (Megan Dellenbaugh), The Deadly Dinner Party (Clare Reilly & Regan Roberts), Our New Colossus (Maya TerryStein), and A Series of Unfortunate Ideas (Jasmine VanDyke & Jonathan Jordan). The plays include the poetic, the hilarious, the profane, and the poignant. 

    Pictured: AEA Actor, Joshua Redfield and local actress Emily Curro

    On Tuesday, July 14 at 7PM, SLAM!, the winner of the NextGen contest, will be read. NextGen is a collaboration between theREP and SUNY Albany’s Fresh Acts festival, which puts on new plays written by students. SLAM!, a comedy written by junior Billy Feerick, was chosen among the plays written and submitted to UAlbany’s Fresh Acts. The play is about students in a college poetry club vying for the coveted title of “Best Poet.” SLAM! was written entirely in iambic pentameter verse with rhyming and hip hop rhythms. 

    The play chosen to headline this year’s festival is A Distinct Society, written by director and playwright Kareem Fahmy. It was selected from more than 350 across the country and is inspired by the true stories of Iranian families reunited at the Haskell Free Library & Opera House at the border between Quebec and Vermont. Fahmy was raised in Canada by his Egyptian parents, but now lives in NYC.

    The play is directed by theREP’s Megan Sandberg-Zakian, who directed Lobby Hero and The Royale during past seasons. Sandberg-Zakian and Fahmy are the founders of Maia Directors, a group which supports artists from the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia) region. Fahmy is also a founder and chair of the Middle Eastern American Writers Lab at The Lark. The reading of A Distinct Society will be at 7PM on Wednesday, July 15. 

    Photo by Albany Business Review

    The Summit will end on July 16 at 7PM with The First 15: You Be the Judge!, a reading of the first 15 pages of 4 plays submitted to Next Act. After 15 pages, the audience will be asked whether or not they would like to read the rest of the script. The show will be interactive and include a discussion. 

    Although all events will be available for free, theREP is accepting donations to help fund their new work development. The donations will allow theREP to continue to develop scripts and produce world premieres of new works every year. You can donate by going to www.capitalrep.org or by texting NEXTACT to 41444.

    You can watch the performances from July 13-16 on theREP’s Facebook page, the Proctors Collaborative Youtube channel, or the Open Stage Media’s .

  • This Darkness has got to give: Music Venues in July across New York State

    It is now July 2020, the fifth month with minimal, if any, live music performances throughout New York State, let alone the country. Our venues are not yet open, but as the threat of COVID-19 decreases, parts of New York will enter Phase 4 and beyond, with the hope that live music will return, even if gradually.

    While we may be stream weary, the prospect of live music is a motivator for many, and staying safe is the key given that New York and much of the Northeast are faring better than other areas of the country.

    Photo by Buscar Photo

    From viewing these photos taken during mid-late June, we can see the presence of the Black Lives Matter protests that spanned all 50 states. In all corners of New York there were protests, particularly in New York, protests that continue to push for defunding of the NYPD.

    Working with 13 photographers to document more than 60 venues in 20 cities across New York State, NYS Music presents the second edition of our monthly series that looks at the current state of our beloved venues. When the venues reopen, we will share photo documentation recording the changes over time in all corners of the state.

    Immense thanks goes out to all photographers and venues who are taking part in this monthly series. We’ll start this month in the Capital District, with a drone montage from Zach Culver, covering the venues we long to return to, sooner, rather than later.

    Manhattan and Brooklyn – photos by Joseph Buscarello

    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)
    • Photo by: Buscar Photo (www.buscarphoto.com)

    Hudson Valley – photos by Mickey Deneher

    Saranac Lake – photos by Pete Mason

    Long Island – photos by Andrew Camera

    Rochester – photos by Brian Ferguson

    Plattsburgh – photos by Jerry Cadieux

    Manhattan – photos by Jamie Huenefeld

    Utica – photos courtesy of The Stanley Theatre

    Port Chester – photos by Chad Anderson

    Ithaca – photo by Casey Martin

    Lake Placid – photos by Pete Mason

    • Paul White Memorial Band Shell
    • Palace Theatre

    Long Island – photos by Rob Tellerman

    Tarrytown and Peekskill – photos by Steve Malinski

    Buffalo – photos by Zachary Todtenhagen

  • The Linda ‘Opens For Take Out’ Reviving the Capital Region Music Scene

    Albany’s revolutionary The Linda: WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio is once more changing the game. In an announcement today, The Linda has announced the launching of brand new virtual programming being dubbed ‘The Linda: Open for Take-Out Virtual Concert Series.’ Produced in collaboration with Troy’s video production company Chromoscope Pictures, the virtual concerts will take place Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET on The Linda’s Youtube channel and will be ticketed just like their regular shows.

    “We realize that the impacts of COVID-19 have been dire for working musicians and the music industry as a whole. The goal of this series is to restart the local music economy by bringing a wide array of eclectic and diverse, local and regional musicians back to the stage in a safe environment and to provide fans with a professionally produced concert delivered directly to the safety and comfort of their homes”

    First up in the series will be indie band Motorbike from Saratoga Springs on July 13 at 8 p.m. Their debut LP Victory Lap was released January 2019 delivering to fans and heartfelt hooks from the alternative rockers. Scheduled for July 20 is Girl Blue, a indie pop songstress from Long Island whose debut single “Fire Under Water” racked up over 2 million streaming plays. Canadian neosoul artist The Age will round out the initial lineup with a show on July 27.

    Upon purchasing a stream, you will be sent a private YouTube link for each performance. For more information and updates regarding the series visit The Linda’s website or their social media pages.

    Check out this stream and more through our series NY Stream and Support, where you’ll discover artists around the Empire State streaming nightly, and ways to support musicians and charitable groups close to home!