Celebrate Juneteenth in words, praise, and music at The Falcon in the Hudson Valley. The scenically-located historic venue in Marlboro has planned an evening hosted by and featuring internationally renown gospel singer Bernard Clinton. Also featured on the bill are Newburgh’s Josiah Borden and Albany’s Ryan Graham, with special guests The Fabulous Rainbow Singers.
The evening will also feature Professor Ciesta Little-Quinn of the Department Black Studies at SUNY New Paltz and the Arts Mid-Hudson Folk Arts Program, who has spoken extensively on the history of Gospel Music, its luminaries, and their impact on the Gospel world in the Hudson Valley.
The performances at this free outdoor even start at 7pm on June 19th. However space is limited and guests will need to reserve a table in advance to attend. Seating for dinner begins at 5pm. The Falcon’s menu features items that incorporate foods from local farms that practice sustainable agriculture. To reserve a table at The Falcon for Juneteenth, head to their reservations page. While there is no cover charge for the event, donations are encouraged.
To keep guests and staff safe, precautions are still in place, and will be strictly enforced. Patrons must reserve a table. There is no “standing room.” Social distancing parameters will be enforced. Guests are required to wear masks unless seated at their tables.
The 2021 Caroga Lake Music Festival announces its season schedule. The season will start on July 3, 2021 and will consist of 26 outdoor performances that will wrap up on August 22, 2021.
Sherman’s Concert Caroga Lake Music
The 2021 season will mark the 10th Anniversary of the Caroga Lake Music Festival and the 100th birthday of the former Sherman’s Amusement Park which is located in Caroga Lake where the festivities will be taking place. The Caroga Lake Music Festival is presented by the Caroga Arts Collective and they try to host a diverse mix of musical programming exploring genres of classical, rock, jazz, bluegrass, ragtime, world music and everything in between.
The Barge Shermans Concert Caroga Lake Music
The festival is showcasing acclaimed local talent including Jocelyn and Chris, Girl Blue, Wild Adriatic, and North and South Dakotas, all of which are making their CLMF debuts at Sherman’s. Other highlights include Grammy-award winning bassist Geoff Saunders from Canada Lake (Caroga) and singer-songwriter Bill Ackerbauer from Green Lake (Caroga) with his 8 year old son will also perform at Sherman’s this season.
Kids Concert at Shermans Concert Caroga Lake Music
Caroga Arts is following CDC and New York State guidelines to develop health protocols for artists, patrons, staff and volunteers. Concerts presented by Caroga Arts at Sherman’s will have reduced capacity and seating will be in physically distanced pods of 2, 4, and 6 people, which are assigned upon entry into the park. Concertgoers can reserve tickets, for free and charged seating, for Sherman’s concerts starting on June 17, 2021 here.
Full list of performances bellow:
Sherman’s Centennial Celebrations on Saturdays
Saturday, July 3 – Caroga Arts will kick off the Independence weekend with Red, White, BLUE and BLUEGRASS featuring Capital District’s well-known singer-songwriter Girl Blue and The North & South Dakotas. This event is free but ticket reservations are required.
Saturday, July 31 – Praised by Alison Krauss, bluegrass virtuoso Sierra Hull performs at Caroga Lake Music Festival with saxophonist Eddie Barbash and bassist Geoff Saunders, with the Saunders Family Band opening the night.
Saturday, August 7 – Hailing from Fort Plain, NY, the Blues-rock powerhouse sibling duo Jocelyn and Chris make their Caroga Lake Music Festival debut at Sherman’s.
Saturday, August 14 – Celebrate the Sherman’s Centennial with Ragtime pianist Ethan Uslan, a three-time World Championship winner of the Old-Time Piano Playing Contest, who will take you back a hundred years with popular tunes like Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag”
Saturday, August 21 – Rooted in the rowdy spirit of rock & roll, Wild Adriatic has built an international audience on a combination of groove, grit, and guitar-heavy swagger.
Encore Sessions at Sherman’s
Wednesday, July 28 – Bluegrass supergroup Hawktail consists of Crooked Still’s fiddler Brittany Haas, Punch Brothers’ bassist Paul Kowert, guitarist Jordan Tice, and mandolinist Dominick Leslie.
Wednesday, August 4 – Saxophonist Eddie Barbash, featured jazz musician in Disney’s Oscar-winning Pixar movie “Soul”, is a founding member of John Batiste’s Stay Human and can be heard in The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s theme song.
Wednesday, August 11 – Experience Latin American culture with Tango Rendezvous: Celebrating Astor Piazzolla’s 100th Birthday showcasing Argentinian violinist Alejandro Drago with CLMF Resident Artists.
Wednesday, August 18 – Praised by the Chicago Tribune as "Some of the most luxuriant, sumptuously phrased jazz vocals you could hope to hear classically-trained jazz vocalist Laurin Talese most recently performed with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Center.
Lakeside Classics: CLMF 10th Anniversary Series at Sherman’s
Friday, July 30 – In the first Lakeside Classics program “Roaring Back”, CLMF Resident Artists will perform George Walker’s Lyric for Strings and Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin and Strings with Seattle Symphony violinist Andy Liang – plus an appearance by saxophonist Eddie Barbash.
Friday, August 6 – The “Stars and Strums” program showcases composer Jessie Montgomery’s two works Starburst and Strum, among other works. Jazz pianist David Cook, also known as Taylor Swift’s Music Director, will make an appearance with the Caroga Arts Ensemble.
Friday, August 13 – A brainchild of Artistic Director Kyle Price, the featured piece “Classic Case of Double Trouble” is a composite multi-genre arrangement of famous classical double concertos by Bach, Mozart, and Vivaldi. The program also features guests Glenn Zaleski on piano and his wife Tomoko Omura on violin.
Friday, August 20 – As the program title “Darth Vader meets Debussy” suggests, this concert features a medley of John Williams’ Star Wars and the well-known Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (“Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune”) arranged by CLMF Artist and clarinetist Graeme Steele Johnson, as well as Piazzolla’s Primavera Porteña and more.
World Music on The Barge at Canada Lake
Sunday, August 22 – To conclude the 2021 Season, CLMF presents a new collaboration with world music duo of Indian Tabla and Cello featuring Sandeep Das and Mike Block from the Grammy Award-winning Silk Road Ensemble.
Free Kids Carousel Concerts at Sherman’s followed by Carousel Rides
Saturday, August 7 – Bill and Finnegan Ackerbauer
Friday, August 13 – Cara Samantha from American Idol
CLMF on Tour coming to your Neighborhood
Saturday, July 24 – KASA Quartet at The Glove’s Marquee (Gloversville)
Thursday, July 29 – CLMF at Pine Lake Lodge (Caroga)
Sunday, August 1 – CLMF at Sacandaga Valley Arts Network (Northville, NY)
Thursday, August 5 – CLMF at Johnstown Midsummer Concert Series
Sunday, August 8 – CLMF at Caroga Museum
Tuesday, August 10 – CLMF at Cooperstown Summer Music Festival
Sunday, August 15 – CLMF at Johnson Hall (Johnstown)
Thursday, August 19 – CLMF at Nick Stoner Inn (Caroga)
Saturday, August 21 – CLMF at The Glove’s Marquee (Gloversville)
Trey Anastasio will return to the Beacon Theatre on June 22nd and 23rd for two solo acoustic performances, this time with a full capacity audience. The shows will mark the first time the Beacon has had a crowd since March 2020.
After 8 weeks of Beacon Jams in Fall 2020, which found Anastasio performing with TAB and assorted guests, including the Rescue Squad Strings, he returns this June for two nights solo. All guests over the age of 16 will need to be fully vaccinated for this event and provide proof upon entry.
Tickets for the shows will go on sale Thursday, May 27 at Noon ET, here. Note – there is no pre-sale for these shows.
Update – these shows are now both sold out. James Dolan, Executive Chairman and CEO of MSG Entertainment said the following in a statement:
Trey was the only artist to play live at The Beacon during the pandemic, so we’re honored that he’ll be the first artist back on our stage playing for a packed house. There’s no question people are eager to start gathering to once again experience events they love — and are more than willing to get vaccinated to do so. We’re focused on opening up all our venues to not just usher in the return of live entertainment, but of New York.
James Dolan
For anyone looking to request to purchase a taper ticket for the shows at the Beacon Theatre, please email tapertickets@gmail.com by 9pm ET on Wednesday, May 26th. Access to taper tickets is extremely limited and not guaranteed.
The Beacon Theatre venue vaccination policy and stipulations are as follows:
Guests will need to be fully vaccinated for Two Evenings with Trey Anastasio at the Beacon Theatre, meaning the event must be at least 14 days after your second dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or at least 14 days after your single dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. The only exception is for children under the age of 16, who may provide proof of a negative antigen COVID-19 test, negative PCR COVID-19 test or full vaccination and are accompanied by a vaccinated adult. For more information, please visit beacontheatre.com/faqs.
The Linda: WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio will reopen to live audiences for the first time since the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic with a performance by the Paa Kow Afro-fusion Orchestra on Saturday, June 19 at 8pm.
Ghana born drummer and composer, Paa Kow, blends rhythm and artistry from his home with jazz and African roots creating his own Afro-Fusion sound. Dubbed “Ghana’s most artistic drummer” (Modern Ghana), he plays a custom, hand-carved, traditionally inspired Ghanaian drum set that is the only one of its kind in the world, guaranteeing an extraordinary cultural and musical experience. Paa Kow has toured internationally, sharing stages with both African and American luminaries including Kojo Antwi, Amakye Dede, and Victor Wooten.
Growing up in the small village of Enyan Denkyira near Cape Coast in Ghana, West Africa, Paa Kow is widely recognized as one of the most remarkable drum set players to tour in Africa, Europe, and America. Paa Kow’s deep groove and prodigious talent reveal a unique ability to speak to listeners with his drums, inspiring a profound spiritual conversation and fulfilling his vision to spread the music and culture of his homeland by touring the world with his Afro-fusion Orchestra.
With his albums such as Hand Go Hand Come, Ask, and Cookpot, Paa Kow has spread his creativity and his culture all across the world. His newest album, Nkwa Na Ehia, released in April of this year, heavily features Paa Kow’s native language of Fante. The rhythmic songs will be a great way to celebrate the reopening of The Linda.
A restricted quantity of seats will be available to maintain social distancing guidelines. Fully vaccinated patrons will be allowed to attend maskless and unvaccinated patrons will be encouraged to wear face masks. Seating and common traffic areas will be socially distanced. Additional live concerts and performances at The Linda will be announced in the next few weeks.
Tickets for the Paa Kow Afro-fusion Orchestra are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the show. Advanced tickets are available through The Linda’s website.
For more information and updates regarding The Linda: WAMC’ Performing Arts Studio visit The Linda’s website. To stay updated follow their Facebook and Instagram.
Flushing Town Hall announced their Virtual Jazz Jam for the month of June in celebration of Pride month and the LGBTQ+ community. The celebration will highlight works for LGBTQ composers and performers and will take place on Wednesday, June 9 at 7PM EST.
Flushing Town Hall’s monthly Jazz Jam is supported by the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and has been led since 2016 by Astoria resident Carol Sudhalter. The house band members include illustrious musicians Joe Vincent Tranchina, Scott Neumann, and Eric Lemon. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Jazz Jams have taken place virtually. On the second Wednesday of each month, the Jazz Jams embrace a theme, and this June will be no exception. The Jazz Jams will bring together both novice and professional jazz artists from near and far to celebrate the diversity and breadth of LGBTQ performing artists.
Carol Sudhalter who is Flushing Town Hall’s Jazz Band leader spoke on this upcoming month’s celebration saying, “The LGBTQ communities have had a strong influence in the history of jazz. This month’s Jazz Jam is a moment to celebrate the works of artists and composers who broke barriers in ways big and small, who were leaders in the fight for equality, and who have inspired – and continue to inspire – us to become a more accepting and compassionate global community.”
Musicians interested in participating in the celebration on June 9 should email education@flushingtownhall.org with a suggested three- to four-minute tune they intend to play in line with this month’s theme. The performance can be live or a pre-recorded audio or video (but not a professional, edited recording such as a CD or YouTube video). Musicians who performed in 2020 are now welcome to return. Each month, up to five returning musicians and up to 15 new musicians can participate. Selection is on a first-come, first-served basis.
The LGBTQ+ celebration will be streamed for free on Flushing Town Hall’s Facebook page or Zoom on Wednesday, June 9 at 7PM EST. For more information on Flushing Town Hall and the event visit their website.
A Lovely Time Festival announced their 2021 dates and lineup for the upcoming festivities. The festival will take place on July 9th and 10th and will be hosted in Snow Ridge Ski Resort in Turin, New York.
This will be the third annual rendition of this festival and as always the festival’s mission is focused on creating an accessible and inclusive environment. This environment is meant to cultivate community through an Adirondack adventure filled with music and diverse activities – where any and everyone can have A Lovely Time. The festival first took place back in 2018 and was founded by Nick Feeley, Charlie Giancola, and Drew Shoup.
The festival hosts everything from vendors to live music to a DIY skatepark built in the woods. It also features art, disc golf competitions, workshops and escape rooms. There will be live music across two stages The addition of a mountain bike trail, and finishing construction on a new 18 hole disc golf course (Ridge Runner,) are also being added to the list of available activities. The 18 hole disc golf course is being done in collaboration with Snow Ridge Ski Resort and will be the only one in the Western Adirondack area. Crowd-funding for the course is currently underway for those looking to support its completion. In celebration a disc golf tournament, The Lovely Open, will be held the Saturday morning of the event (registration required).
The line up includes Petite League, Vaporeyes, Buggin Out, Johnny & The Man Kids, Dirk Green, CAKE EATER, Breakfast for Dinner, The Salinas, OTB, Omgimjoe, and Starjuice on the main stage. There will also be artists performing on the Acoustic Lounge Stage. There will be local vendors like Gannon’s Ice Cream, Cup of Rahman, Mangata Candle Co, Flower Skate Shop, Humble Glass, Boho Hobo, Forum Barber Shop and more at the festivities. Some of the workshops include rare tea brewing, yoga, guided meditation, photo composition, mystery rooms, and even ninja training.
At the heart of the festival’s mission is to be accessible and inclusive and that aligns with how the festival structures its ticket pricing. Due to current restrictions on live music events due to COVID-19 , there is a 500 guest limit. The first round of $40 blind-faith tickets have sold out. Without inflating the price and in order to break down barriers to entry, Friday/Saturday two-day tickets start at just $50 for an Early Bird special, prices then incrementally increase by $10 as capacities are reached. Tickets will be $80 at the door. All music, parking, and camping are included in ticket purchase. To open the doors even wider to all those looking to attend, A Lovely Time offers the ability to “Earn Your Ticket” to volunteers helping out during the event and leading up to the festival weekend.
For additional information about A Lovely Time or to purchase a ticket visit their website.
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) have an ambitious summer ahead of them, with weekend runs spread out across the country, including one night at Artpark in Lewiston.
JRAD bassist Dave Dreiwitz will miss three shows this summer, including the Cleveland, Artpark and Boston shows. Replacing Dreiwitz temporarily is Jon Shaw of Portland for, Oregon’s Dirty Revival.
They Grateful Dead tribute/supergrou start their summer with a pair of sold-out three-night runs at Connecticut’s Westville Music Bowl and make a headlining appearance at Peach Festival in July.
As we continue to navigate these uncharted waters, here are all of our dates so far for 2021. Thank you for your patience. Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
Band statement
For tickets and more info visit JoeRussosAlmostDead.com, and for a detailed look at each show’s ticket availability, peruse the graphic below.
Radio City Music Hall announced plans to reopen with 100% capacity for vaccinated audiences, in response to Governor Andrew Cuomo pulling back on COVID-19 restrictions in his announcement on Monday May 17. New York State is now following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance to allow vaccinated New Yorkers to forgo wearing masks in most indoor settings which changes the game for venues across New York State.
Radio City Music Hall originally opened back in December of 1932 and is known for being one of the staple venues in New York City. It’s home of the Rockettes which are a widely known and respected precision dance company. It currently has a capacity of 6,015 people which means it can now hold performances for vaccinated crowds of that caliper.
James Dolan, owner of Radio City Music Hall accompanied Cuomo during the press conference announcing the roll back on mask restrictions and what that could mean for his venue. All sorts of plans for the venue were mentioned including the 20th anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival which will take place on July 19th, the city’s NBA playoffs (being held at Madison Square Garden), and Radio City Music Hall offering 100% capacity future shows only for fully vaccinated audiences. The fully vaccinated 100% capacity shows will start to take place after the Tribeca Film Festival comes to a close.
While unsure how the venue will incorporate checking vaccination statuses of ticket holders for upcoming events but Robert Mujica, senior advisor to Cuomo, has said that people could use their CDC vaccination cards, or the Excelsior Pass in either its app form or a printout from the Excelsior Pass website to prove their vaccination status.
For more information visit Radio City Music Hall’s website.
After a hiatus last year due to the COVID pandemic, The American Music Festival has announced a comeback with four days of events at Albany’s Palace Theatre.
The Albany Symphony Orchestra photo courtesy of Albany Symphony
Presented by the two-time Grammy award-winning Albany Symphony Orchestra and their music director David Alan Miller, the annual festival celebrates cutting-edge composers and musicians. This year, the festival will be held from June 10-13 and consist of a Composer Workshop Masterclass, outdoor neighborhood performances, and family activities.
Other events include a First Draughts reading session, which gives the public a glimpse into the weeklong Composer Workshop, as well as performances from members of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and the orchestra’s own Dogs of Desire.
A recent addition to the events include a collaboration between the Albany Symphony and NYSID (New York State Industries for the Disabled). They will be hosting a panel discussing how disabilities can actually provide more positive abilities than negative. The band Flame, made up of talented musicians with disabilities, will also be performing.
The festival will also feature works from composers Nina Shekhar, Clarice Assad, Molly Joyce, Christopher Theofanidis, Alexis Lamb, Kerwin Young, Bobby Ge, Jack Frerer, Carolyn Yarnell, and Tom Morrison, alongside other musicians. Many of the works will be premiered at the fest.
One of the composers, Nina Shekhar, writes in reaction to how classical music has lacked in responding to current social issues. Her piece, Above the Fray, pokes fun at this phenomenon by distorting Bach’s famous Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1.
“Unlike Western art tradition, which believes that classical music is a one-size-fits-all solution, this piece challenges that and asserts that we each have infinitely unique identities that morph under different circumstances. Art itself is not static, but rather something dynamic that we can allow to breathe, reshape, decompose, and reincarnate into new life forms over time,”
Nina Shekhar, Featured Composer at the American Music Festival
In accordance with New York reopening guidelines, the concerts will have limited in-person attendance for paid subscribers only. Livestream access will be available for free.
Concert livestreams can be accessed on the Albany Symphony Orchestra website. Check out the complete schedule below.
Composers Molly Joyce and Nina Shekar sit down for an honest talk about creativity, resilience, and embracing differences with Maureen O’Brien, President & CEO at New York State Industries for the Disabled (NYSID) and Greg Sorrentino, President & CEO at Center for Disability Services.
Along with their in-person tour dates The Allman Betts Band has announced three virtual shows. NoCap will be hosting the three livestream shows for The Allman Betts Band during the month of June.
The Allman Betts Band’s debut album Down to the River saw them selling out a US tour and topping charts until late July of 2019 when their European leg got cut short after Devon Allman’s hospital stay. After Allman’s healthy return and a run of fall tour dates, he and co-founder, guitarist, and singer Duane Betts, wrote their second album, Bless Your Heart.
Over a week’s time, they recorded 13 songs, at Alabama’s Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, the historic recording facility where they’d cut their debut album with additional tracking in Memphis and St. Louis. Grammy-winning producer Matt Ross-Spang reprised his role helming the recording.
Bassist and singer Berry Duane Oakley’s ABB vocal debut on his original song (“The Doctor’s Daughter”). With guest contributions for Jimmy Hall, Shannon McNally, Art Edmaiston, Susan Marshall, and Reba Russell. Singer-songwriter Stoll Vaughan, who collaborated on five of Down to the River’s nine tracks, advised on the developing material.
Among the setlist for the tour is “Magnolia Road,” “Pale Horse Rider,” “Ashes of My Lovers,” and “Airboats & Cocaine.”
NoCap Allman Betts Band Livestream Shows
Monday, June 14 – From the famous Village Studios in Los Angeles, The Allman Betts Band will play a special seated, intimate acoustic show. Featuring songs from Down to the River, Bless Your Heart and some other gems.
Monday, June 21 – The Allman Betts Band will play their latest album Bless Your Heart in its entirety for the first time ever. Live from the famous Roxy Theatre on The Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California.
Monday, June 28 – By very popular fan demand, The Allman Betts Band for the first time ever, will play an entire set of Allman Brothers Band songs. Live from the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, California.
Allman Betts Band on Tour
May 27 | Florence, SC @ Francis Marion University PAC
