Across New York State, 13 venues will play host to Jam for Tots shows, bringing music venues and patrons together in an effort to support those most in need across the Empire State during the 2021 Holiday Season.
Patrons are encouraged to see live music at any of the shows below, and bring with them a new, unwrapped toy for a child. Each venue will have a box for toys to be dropped off in, All toys will be donated to local charities to each venue, keeping the community effort benefitting those in the immediate area.
Thursday 12/2 – The Deadbeats, Nanola, Malta Thursday 12/2 – Open Mic hosted by Jon Pinder, Stewart House, Athens Thursday 12/9- Tato and Friends, Funk n Waffles, Syracuse Saturday 12/11 – Mihali, Bearsville Theater, Woodstock Saturday 12/11 – Mikaela Davis with Girl Blue, The Hollow, Albany Friday 12/17 – The Samples with Rich Ortiz, Putnam Place, Saratoga Springs Saturday 12/18 – Hollis Brown, The Falcon, Marlboro Saturday 12/18 – Sydney Worthley, El Modernist and Josh Morris, Lark Hall, Albany Saturday 12/18 – El Nac: A Christmas Special, The Waterhole, Saranac Lake Sunday 12/19 – The Nutcracker, The State Theatre, Ithaca Sunday 12/19 – 11th Anniversary Party, The Strand Theater, Hudson Falls Saturday 12/25 – Televisionaries & Awful Kanawful, The Bug Jar, Rochester Friday 12/31 – Pasadena w/Joint Operation, Buffalo Iron Works, Buffalo
We thank the venues, artists and fans who support Jam for Tots each year, and make the holidays a little brighter for those most in need.
Albany’s Times Union Center will be renamed MVP Arena after Albany County Legislature approved the name change on November 23, 2021.
Photo of Times Union Center by Zach Culver
The Albany County Legislature approved the change of Albany’s Times Union Center to MVP Arena unanimously. The name change comes as part of the five year deal with MVP Healthcare which was approved by the Public Works Committee. MVP Healthcare will be paying $2 million a year for the naming rights of the entertainment venue.
The majority of the money will be going to an innovation fund which works to support community projects within Albany. The other $600,000 is a cash payment just for the arena naming rights. This new name won’t happen right away with the new deal not being set to begin on January 1, 2022.
MVP Healthcare logo
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy spoke on the decision to choose MVP Healthcare and the name the arena saying, “When we announced the arena naming rights RFP, I said I wanted more than just a company’s name and logo on our facility. I wanted a partner that was committed to the success of the arena and the surrounding community. I’m thrilled to say that we have found that partner in MVP, which has a long history of successful collaborations of this kind.”
Photo of Times Union Center by Zach Culver
MVP will be pushing some initiatives forward with the venue. Some of the proposed initiatives include a neighborhood farmer’s market in the atrium of the new MVP Arena, MVP Arena shuttle for seniors, individuals with disabilities and others attending games and events, and a year-round youth sports and coaching clinics. These initiatives will highlight MVP Arena as being a destination to visit in Albany and surrounding regions.
The arena originally opened back in 1990, It is owned by Albany County and managed by ASM Global. The facility has hosted a variety of events, including concerts, family shows and sporting events and averages around 145 events each year including concerts and sports events according to this WTEN news article.
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists, be sure to tune into WEQX this Sunday night to hear new music from Tori, ShortWave RadioBand and many more!
WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.
Tori
Albany singer-songwriter Tori has released her debut album, Half Asleep. It more than lives up to its name, offering chill indie pop perfect for nighttime. Album opener “I Don’t Wanna Talk” functions as the project’s lead single, with a catchy acoustic guitar loop designed for replay value. Another noteworthy track is “Say Hi,” one of Half Asleep’s more energetic moments.
ShortWave RadioBand
Schuylerville trio ShortWave RadioBand have unveiled “Don’t Care,” their debut single. With its proclamation of apathy, it arrives just in time for 2021’s pop-punk revival. While there’s nothing officially announced, the band has plans to follow the song up with an EP.
Fresh off the heels of another legendary Halloween performance in Vegas and two iconic shows in Hampton, Phish rolled into Albany for the second to last stop on their legendary Fall 1998 tour. It sees the band at the height of its powers, mixing in new, fresh material to go alongside a bevvy of cover songs that have been unearthed this year. With a rare one-night only appearance in Albany, Phish lets it all hang out in a show that often gets overlooked, but certainly shouldn’t be.
Tonight’s festivities begin with the signature guitar intro to “Punch You In The Eye,” which receives a giant roar of approval from the Pepsi Center. Page McConnell shines early with some stellar runs on both the electric keys and grand piano as the Gamehendge-adjacent number revs up an already rabid arena even further. At its conclusion, another familiar guitar riff emerges. This time it’s the bluesy intro to “My Soul,” a cover song Phish first started injecting into their live shows the year before. McConnell again dazzles with a ferocious piano solo before handing off to Trey Anastasio who returns the favor in kind and then some on guitar. Phish then eases off the gas pedal a bit with another new number, “Roggae,” one of the tracks from The Story Of The Ghost which was released just last month.
The musical setting then shifts back to Gamehendge with “AC/DC Bag.” Anastasio again takes the reigns on a patiently developing jam that gets plenty of noticeable assistance from Mike Gordon on bass and drives the crowd into a certified frenzy by the end. McConnell has a little fun on piano as well, stretching out the ending until Phish changes lanes once more and jumps into the increasingly rare “Lifeboy.”
Afterwards, Jon Fishman’s familiar hi-hat drumming signals the introduction to “David Bowie,” which is stretched out and teased beautifully before being cleared for launch. Phish then absolutely obliterates the song’s composed section, playing at a near manic pace, before embarking on a jam that serves as one of the show’s true highlights. It’s patiently crafted, with Anastasio and McConnell parrying back and forth early and often. As the jam continues to build in intensity, Phish does the same with the ending, stretching it out for all its worth to complete a 19-minute journey that blows the roof off the Albany arena.
Few would complain if the first set ended right there, but instead the band throws out one more change of pace pairing. Trey jumps on acoustic guitar for only the sixth ever “Sleep,” a song first debuted earlier this tour, and “Driver,” both songs that would be included on the band’s forthcoming 2000 release Farmhouse. To cap things off, Phish throws in a cover of Led Zepelin’s “Good Times, Bad Times,” with another incendiary guitar solo from Anastasio escorting the Albany faithful to set break.
After a little spacey ambiance, another familiar Fishman drum beat starts up set two. This time it’s “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” aka the theme to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Again, Phish takes their time in slowly building up the song’s introduction, going well past five minutes before the first signature guitar lick rings out. The jam that ensues is flavored by some tremendous Mike Gordon bass play before coming to a rousing finish. “Golgi Apparatus” serves as another throwback song to the days of yore and goes off without a hitch before they get into another jam vehicle, this time a cover of The Who’s “Drowned.”
As another whirlwind musical excursion slowly comes to an end, Anastasio quietly starts the beginning of “Prince Caspian” and the rest of the band quickly follows along. After another stout feedback-heavy guitar solo, the music comes to a crawl and then “Piper” emerges, with it’s now “classic” slow build which fits in perfectly with the show tonight. The slow build yields another manic jam, with McConnell furiously pounding away on the baby grand piano. With the Albany crowd once again supercharged, Phish then drops a “You Enjoy Myself” on them in what’s already a full second set of music.
The closing sequence for this show is straight out of 1998 and not one to be duplicated anytime soon. As “YEM” and its customarily eerie vocal jam concludes, instead of taking a bow, Phish bursts into “Been Caught Stealing,” the Jane’s Addiction song that made its debut earlier in year during the “Summer of Covers.” Until a certified bust out at Walnut Creek in 2011, this was the last one played. A rip roaring “Llama” then closes out the second set in fine fashion. For the encore, Phish breaks out yet another cover selection, this time its The Beatles’ “Something,” penned by George Harrison and covered by Phish only on this Fall 1998 tour. To date, it’s the last time it’s ever been performed. “Guyute,” another pick from the recently released Ghost, follows this before an a capella “Free Bird,” as only Phish can do, closes out yet another sterling Albany gig.
Listen to show at PhishTracks or see complete audio recording below.
Phish Pepsi Center – Albany, NY 11/25/98
Set 1: Punch You In The Eye > My Soul, Roggae, AC/DC Bag > Lifeboy, David Bowie, Sleep, Driver, Good Times Bad Times
Set 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra > Golgi Apparatus, Drowned->Prince Caspian > Piper, You Enjoy Myself, Been Caught Stealing > Llama
Tech N9ne brought his Strange New World Tour to Empire Live in Albany, NY on Wednesday, November 11. Opening the show were rappers Jhery Robinson, King ISO and Rittz.
After King Iso seemlingly died on stage from rapping too hard, Tech N9ne took the stage to a roaring crowd. Donning a crown or clown mask, he mixed old with new, finally ending the night with a heavy slew of classics. He spoke afterwards of recently turning 50 and gave a surprisingly elliquent speech about just being yourself and always moving forward.
TechN9ne takes this tour south before heading out midwest to end in Kansas City, MO at the beginning of December.
Empire Live has become quite the up and coming venue in 2021 and what better place to host an up and coming band in Ripe, with The Heavy Hours and Max Muscato opening the show on Friday, November 12th.
The Boston based Ripe rolled through Albany in the midst of a long tour taking them through a lot of the Northeast, into Canada, and finishing out the year with two shows for New Years Eve at Irving Plaza on December 30th and 31st. After taking off the month of January their winter tour kicks off in Knoxville and runs through the deep south before heading out to the Midwest.
Set List: Flipside, Downward > Stanky, Escape, Beta Male, Queen of the City, Pretty Dirty > Passerby, Noise in the Forest > First Time Feeling, Bennie and the Jets, 5am, Talk to the Moon > Follow Through > Little Lighter
The Allman Betts Band has announced their ‘Trippin’ into Spring 2022′ tour dates. The run will begin on March 1 in Milwaukee, WI, and will make stops across the country and Hawaii.
Ahead of the Spring tour, the Allman Betts Band will be on the road as part of The Allman Family Revival tour – a 19 date, star-studded celebration of the life, spirit, and music of Gregg Allman.
When The Allman Betts Band released Down to the River in June of 2019, the debut album represented not only the first time the group had recorded together, but, in fact, the first time the seven-piece ensemble had ever played together. If Down to the River was the sound of the band’s combustible sparks igniting, then Bless Your Heart is their bonfire, built for the summer of 2020 and beyond; a double-album follow-up fueled by road-forged camaraderie and telepathic musical intensity, vibrantly reflecting the individual and collective experiences of these seven, all drawing inspiration from the band’s symbolic hometown- a place Devon Allman calls “the United States of Americana.”
All up to date news and tour information can be found at allmanbettsband.com.
The Allman Betts Band ‘Trippin’ Into Spring’ 2022 Tour Dates
3/1 @ Turner Hall Ballroom | Milwaukee, WI 3/2 @ Kalamazoo State Theatre | Kalamazoo, MI 3/3 @ Kent State University | Kent, OH 3/4 @ Riverfront Live | Cincinnati, OH 3/5 @ Robins Theatre | Warren, OH 3/6 @ EXPRESS LIVE! | Columbus, OH 3/9 @ Town Ballroom | Buffalo, NY 3/10 @ The Stanley Theatre | Utica, NY 3/12 @ Garde Arts Center | New London, CT 3/16 @ Lebanon Opera House | Lebanon, NH 3/18 @ Loos Center for the Arts | Woodstock, CT 3/24 @ Hart Theatre at The Egg | Albany, NY 3/27 @ Whitaker Center | Harrisburg, PA 4/1 @ Hawaii Theatre | Honolulu, HI 4/2 @ Maui Arts & Cultural Center | Kahului, HI
The Jauntee have announced a Fall Tour that brings the Colorado band back to the East Coast for the first time since 2019. They’ll make a stop in Albany on Thursday, November 18 and close the tour out in Buffalo on Sunday, November 21.
The band was poised to take the live scene by storm in 2020, with numerous support runs at some of the country’s most renowned venues along with a number of summer festival appearances. Then, complications arose from the virus which led the band to hunker down and provide their fans with a long series of full set live-streams with zero repeats they coined at “JaunTV.” Picking up where they left off, this tour will likely see many new fans introduced to the magic of their new-age improvisation.
This summer, the band was able to venture to Texas and the Midwest for appearances around Summer Camp Music Festival. This Fall tour will find The Jauntee heading back to the Southeast with shows at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta and Charleston Pour House. They’ll venture into the DC and New Jersey region before heading up to their home turf in the Northeast, playing Albany, Boston, Burlington and Buffalo. The band heads back to Colorado where they will play the anniversary party for Beyond The Mountain Brewing in Boulder in December.
The Jauntee was recently added to the Nugs.net catalog, featuring 1000s of live performance recordings from dozens of bands. All shows from this Fall Tour will be posted on Nugs shortly after each show here.
11/5 – Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta, GA 11/6 – Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC 11/10 – Pearl Street Warehouse – Washington, DC 11/11 – Elevation 27 – Virginia Beach, VA 11/12 – The Saint – Asbury Park, NJ 11/13 – Reading Distilling Guild – Reading, PA 11/18 – Parish Public House – Albany, NY 11/19 – Orlando’s – Burlington, VT 11/20 – Soundcheck Studios – Boston, MA 11/21 – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo, NY 12/11 – Beyond The Mountain Brewing – Boulder, CO
Greensky Bluegrass continues their rigorous touring schedule this November on the West Coast, and have their sights set on the East Coast in January – they’ll make their way to the Northeast with The Infamous Stringdusters in January.
The Colorado group has just released their newest song, “Grow Together,” written by Paul Hoffman upon the arrival of his daughter. “I wrote this with my 5-week-old daughter at my feet. She laid there and listened, so content. I hoped this was the first of many experiences like this for her and I,” Hoffman told The Boot. “I reflected on the amazing gift her mother had given me and ‘Grow Together’ just fell out of my heart,” Hoffman continues. “It’s a testament to a new chapter in my life and a love song for the woman who made me a father.”
Accompanying the song is a documentary-style music video that offers intimate and behind the scenes content. A perfect visual companion for such a powerful song.
For the past century, bluegrass music has traditionally relayed real tales of American life, struggle, tragedy, and triumph. It gives a voice to the quiet, yet colorful stories woven into the fabric of the country itself. Greensky Bluegrass live these stories through their records and performances.
When touring ceased in 2020 in the face of the global pandemic, the band hunkered down and compiled demos individually at first, sharing emails and voice notes. In July 2020, they got together for the first time in four months, dedicating rehearsals to the development of the new material. Once circumstances safely permitted, they recorded what would become Stress Dreams during a session in Guilford, VT and two sessions in Asheville, NC with frequent collaborator “and old friend” Dominic John Davis as producer and “wizard engineer” Glenn Brown mixing. They preserved the hallmarks of their sound while widening its expanse.
“Greensky is and always has been very unique in our world,” says Paul Hoffman. “We put our love, energy, and focus into what we appreciate about our music. We come together as a band in a way that’s organic. We take a lot of pride in how we grow and challenge each other too. We’re maturing together. I think we get more Greensky all of the time.”
Nov 11 @ The Observatory | San Diego, CA Nov 12 @ The Fonda | Los Angeles, CA Nov 13 @ The Fox | Oakland, CA Nov 14 @ Crystal Bay | Stateline, NV Nov 17 @ Midtown Ballroom | Bend, OR Nov 18 @ Crystal Ballroom | Portland, OR Nov 19-20 @ The Showbox | Seattle, WA Nov 26-27 @ Kalamazoo State Theatre Dec 9 – 13 @ Strings & Sol | Puerto Morelos, Mexico Dec 30-31 @ The Factor | St. Louis, MO Jan 7-8 @ The Mission Ballroom | Denver, CO
Greensky Bluegrass featuring very Special Guests The Infamous Stringdusters
Jan 20 @ The Palace Theatre | Albany, NY Jan 21 @ The Met Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA Jan 22 @ The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY Jan 26 @ Flynn Theatre | Burlington, VT Jan 27 @ The State Theatre | Portland, ME Jan 28-29 @ House of Blues | Boston, MA Feb 2 @ Stage AE | Pittsburgh, PA Feb 3 @ Agora Theatre & Ballroom | Cleveland, OH Feb 4-5 @ The Anthem | Washington, DC Feb 17 @ The Pavilion at Pan AM | Indianapolis, IN Feb 18 @ Fillmore Detroit | Detroit, MI Feb 19 @ Riverside Theatre | Milwaukee, WI Feb 20 @ The Palace | St. Paul, MN Feb 23 @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall | Louisville, KY Feb 24 @ Iron City | Birmingham, AL Feb 25-26 @ The Tabernacle | Atlanta, GA
Hot on the heels of the new record announcement (Toward the Fray releasing Feb. 18) made last month by Grammy and IBMA award-winners The Infamous Stringdusters, Infamous Stringdusters have announced a January through April tour of the same name. Truly coast to coast, the band will kick off on Jan. 20 in Albany, NY with good friends Greensky Bluegrass, touring through most of the east coast and into parts of the midwest and southeast.
Dustbowl Revival will hop on towards the end of March to make several stops in California, wrapping the 4 month tour in Seattle, Washington on April 9th. Pre-sales are, as of today, on-sale for headlining dates. General on-sale starts Thursday, Nov. 4 at 10 am PT. Please visit thestringdusters.com/tour for more information and to purchase tickets.
Toward the Fray, the band’s first release of original music since 2019’s Rise Sun, will be released on February 18th, 2022 on Americana Vibes via Regime Music Group. Fans can now listen to the first single, “Toward The Fray” below.
Bard College alumnus Chevy Chase will appear at a series of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation screenings in Utica, Albany and Binghamton in December. The events will include Chevy Chase performing live on stage plus an audience Q&A following the screenings.
Chevy Chase is an original member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live and over the years became a household name for his blockbuster movies like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Caddyshack, Fletch, Three Amigos, and many more.
The screenings are taking place in different cities across the United States with three stops in New York currently. More screenings in New York could be announced in time though. The tour announces dates as they go, being precautious of COVID-19 spikes across the country.
The three stops in New York start in Utica on December 13, 2021 at the Stanley Performing Arts Center at 7:30PM. The second stop in New York will be on December 15, 2021 at the Palace Theatre in Albany at 7:30PM. And the last stop in New York currently will be on December 19, 2021 at the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton at 7:30PM.
Tickets to all three Chevy Chase National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation screenings in New York and to the other stops on the tour can be purchased here.
For more information on Chevy Chase and his upcoming tour visit his website.
