The Village of Menands, just north of the City of Albany, has announced the schedule for the 2021 Concerts in the Park. Performances are held in Ganser-Smith Memorial Park, just off Broadway.
The Village of Menands was incorporated in August 1924 and takes its name from Louis Menand, a prominent 19th century horticulturist who was born in France in 1807 and immigrated to America in 1837. In 1842 Menand and his wife Adelaide Jackson settled in what is now the Village that bears his name. Menand established one of the finest horticultural and garden establishments in the area, and as the “Albany Northern” railroad was built, a large railroad station was built and the stop was simply called “Menand’s” and the area soon associated itself with the name.
Ganser-Smith Park plays host to a series of picnics and musical events throughout the summer. Located on Menand Road near the Village center, the 3-acre park is the epicenter of nearly all village-sponsored events. The park amenities include a large open pavilion and BBQ, a children’s playground, baseball field, basketball and volleyball courts as well as horseshoe pits. There are over two dozen picnic tables spread throughout the park. Village youth programs are run at this location from late June through August. Restrooms with handicap access and parking are present on site. Pavilion reservations may be made at the Village office for Village residents.
The live music offerings are held weekly on Tuesday nights from 6pm-8:30pm at Ganser-Smith Memorial Park. Bring a chair, your family and get food and beverages sold by the Menands Fire Co.
2021 Menands Concerts in the Park lineup
July 6 – New York Players July 13 – Oldies Show July 20 – Hotshot Hillbilly’s July 27 – Mike Ruddy August 3 – Luster Kings August 10 – The All Paul Show
For more information visit the Menands Village website.
Upstate NY-based indie rocker Frank Palangi is here to show that rock and roll never dies. Palangi released his newest song “Fire Of Love” on June 25, the first track shared by Frank ahead of his upcoming EP due out this fall.
The track lives up to its flaming title, bringing heavy electric guitar with lively metal and grunge influences. Palangi explained that “Fire Of Love” explores how love is the driving force that fixes our mistakes, sets us free and, of course, brings us all together.
Creating a hard rock love song complete with strong guitar flares, Palangi argues, adds a “bring it on baby” attitude and swagger to all of these emotions. Palangi’s gravelly, gritty and vibrato vocals also add an edge to his music, appealing to a wide scope of rock fans.
Palangi began pursuing music at the young age of 13, teaching himself guitar, bass, drums and recording techniques. He aimed to blend different genre styles, specifically citing the influence of ’80s and ’90s rock as well as post grunge and heavy metal.
I was a shy kid with health issues growing up so no sports, so I turned to creative outlets. Learning from those decades, I wasn’t going for the typical drinking, smashing hotel rooms as the rocker lifestyle is known for. It could be more about the music, the positive elements, that so many people get drawn into and yes, that rock n roll rebel yell to stand up for yourself.
Frank Palangi
Palangi most recently shared the music video for his song “Bring On The Fear” back in January, which addressed the turmoil and need for togetherness during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Fire Of Love” brings a new mood for the summer and is currently available to stream.
The City of Albany has announced that their original plans for the filming of Virtual Alive at Five performances in front of limited audiences have been amended. With New York State essentially reopened following the fulfillment of Governor Cuomo’s vaccination goal, all of the remaining Alive at Five tapings will now be fully open to the public at Jennings Landing, at full capacity.
Design by Anderw Sober
Alive at Five will be held on the Albany Riverfront at Jennings Landing. The concert series is presented by many sponsors, including Key Bank, “a strong supporter of both the City of Albany and the greater Capital Region.” Tapings will run from 5-8PM on the dates listed on the poster above.
Marco Benevento performs at Alive at Five, August 1, 2019
Albany is dedicating Alive at Five to the front line workers in the Capital Region who experienced the stress and hardships of managing the COVID-19 pandemic firsthand. The city hopes to celebrate and honor these workers through this exciting shared experience of live music and art.
All of us at the Albany Parking Authority are excited to hear about the return of the Alive at Five concert series to Albany’s Jennings Landing. The energy and vibrance [that] events like Alive at Five bring to our city cannot be understated. We are looking forward to being part of and supporting the return of even more events in the near future.
Matt Peter, Executive Director of the Albany Parking Authority
Jennings Landing, photo from Albany.org
Alive at Five is still seeking vendors for the tapings. Those interested can contact vendor@albanyny.gov. Recorded performances will air the following Thursdays on YouTube and Facebook.
The City of Albany has also partnered with local bars and restaurants for a program called Restart Albany. This will take place starting on July 8th and will allow music fans to watch the performance from the previous week and catch some live music at participating venues.
Parking for Jennings Landing is available at Riverfront Parking Garage. For more information visit ParkAlbany.com
Schedule:
June 30th -Reggae Night (Airs July 8th) The Meditations and Mixed Roots
July 7th – WEQX Night (Airs July 15th) Soule Monde and Victory Soul Orchestra
July 14th – Folk/Pop Night (Airs July 22nd) Amy Helm and The Sea The Sea
July 21st – Funk Night (Airs July 29th) Yam Yam and Hartley’s Encore
July 28th- Classic Rock Night Warrant and Joe Mansman and The Midnight Revival Band (Warrant Performance will not be aired virtually. Joe Mansman only will air on August 5th)
Motörhead are one of the great metal bands of legend, with a long history of playing multiple gigs throughout the State dating back to their first US tour in 1981: New York City, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo – these cities saw numerous Motörhead gigs in the years the band toured America. Not Albany.
Oddly, this 2000 gig at Northern Lights remains the only headline show Motörhead ever played in the Albany/Saratoga area, EVER, in 40 years of being a band, almost 35 years of touring America. I don’t count Poughkeepsie in that – 1.5 hours south of Albany, a much smaller city, yet they first played there in 1981 on the ‘Ace of Spades’ tour opening for Ozzy, played again in ’83 headlining with Robbo, and played The Chance and Mid-Hudson Civic Center many, many times since.
Lemmy and the boys played lots of times, in little, backwater Poughkeepsie, but they’ve hardly ever played in the much bigger Albany area (the only other times were opening for Ozzy at SPAC in ’92 – Mikkey Dee’s first-ever gig with Motörhead – and more recently at Glens Falls with Megadeth and SPAC with Slayer, both in 2012). Albany was rarely blessed with Motörhead. You almost always had to road-trip.
Anyway, this was a cool bill. Speedealer opened (original name: REO Speedealer, until the classic rock band threatened suit), a band I’ve seen a few times, with Fu Manchu and (several times) The Supersuckers. Good band, noisy and punky, and they were good this night.
The Supersuckers, one of my favorite bands, played next. At the time they were pushing the fantastic ‘Evil Powers of Rock’n’Roll’ album, one of their best. I’d discovered them around the time of their ‘Sacrilicious’ album, but this was the first time (of many) I’d seen them. This was still the ‘classic’ Eddie/Rontrose/Thunder/Dancing Eagle lineup, and they crushed. Played like 15 songs in 40 minutes, one after the other, short, fast, no-nonsense real punk-metal-rock with a few funny stage raps from Eddie.
I don’t know why more metal fans don’t worship this band. It was a well-balanced set, mixing new ‘Evil Powers’ songs (the set-opening title track, “Santa Rita High”, “I Want the Drugs”, “Gone Gamblin”), with some older blazers (“Beat to Shit”, “Doublewide”, “She’s My Bitch”, “Creepy Jackalope Eye”, “Mudhead”), a few covers (WILLIE NELSON’s “Bloody Mary Morning” and “Whiskey River”, and a tease of THIN LIZZY’s “Cowboy Song”) before the concluding Satanic headbanging glory of “Born with a Tail”. Fantastic band, killer opening set.
Nashville Pussy followed. Liked the ‘Double Live Gonzo’-inspired name, fun album titles like ‘Let Them Eat Pussy’ and their fuck-off attitude, but the music never caught me. So, never really a fan of this band, don’t dig the vocals, but I remember they did play AC/DC’s “Kicked In The Teeth”, which is a great cover choice, and everyone who was there remembers clearly inebriated bassist Corey Parks’ boobs repeatedly falling out of her tank top. Other than that: eh.
Motörhead of course then went on and conquered all. My recall is that the place was not anywhere near empty, but not packed to the rafters either. Maybe this is why Motörhead never play headline gigs here.
This was the ‘We Are Motörhead’ tour, a great album. The title track is one of my favorite Motörhead songs and a great opening number. In 2000 they were still playing a fair amount of ‘newer’ (i.e. post-1990) Motörhead songs, whereas by the end in 2015 they’d gone to the majority of the set being Fast Eddie-era stuff, which of course is some of the most classic metal ever, but leaves aside some great stuff. The cool ‘deep album’ track for the show was “Dead Men Tell No Tales”, but they played many post-Eddie songs (a roaring “I’m So Bad (Baby I Don’t Care)”, “Over Your Shoulder”, “Civil War”, “Born to Raise Hell”, “Stay Out of Jail”, “Sacrifice”, “Going to Brazil”), plus a slew of neck-snapping expected classics: “Bomber” and “No Class” early on, “Dead Men” and an all-conquering “Orgasmatron” mid-set, and the face-removing “Iron Fist” and “Killed by Death” to conclude the regular set, with “Ace of Spades” and “Overkill”, as always the usual encore songs. It was LOUD. Lemmy presided over all like the undisputed king of volume and unassailable cool he was. He is missed. All hail the late, great Lem, and the almighty Motörhead.
Setlists
Supersuckers – Evil Powers of Rock’n’Roll, Santa Rita High, Luck, Beat To Shit, I Want The Drugs, Doublewide, Creepy Jackalope Eye, Mudhead, Gone Gamblin’, She’s My Bitch, How To Maximize Your Kill Count, Bloody Mary Morning, Whiskey River, Born With a Tail
Nashville Pussy: Struttin’ Cock, Piece of Ass, Wrong Side of a Gun, 5 Minutes to Live, High as Hell, Shoot First and Run Like Hell, She’s Got the Drugs, Go to Hell, Kicked in the Teeth, I’m the Man, Go Motherfucker Go
Motörhead: We Are Motörhead, Bomber, No Class, I’m So Bad (Baby I Don’t Care), Over Your Shoulder, Civil War, Metropolis, God Save The Queen, Born To Raise Hell, Stay Out Of Jail, Dead Men Tells No Tales, Sacrifice/Drum Solo, Orgasmatron, Going To Brazil, Iron Fist, Killed By Death, Ace of Spades, Overkill
Historic Lark Hall venue in Albany has big things coming.
Lark Hall owners Jennifer and Justin Miller have just announced a new management services agreement with Building Blocks Management, LLC, owned by Albany natives Danny and Stephen Taylor.
Owners Jennifer and Justin Miller
The Taylor brothers have strong experience in music venue operations. Danny currently serves as General Manager at the Palace Theatre in Albany, while Stephen is General Manager at Hi-Line Merchandising, based in Shoemakersville, PA.
The Taylors are eager to collaborate with the Millers in ramping up Lark Hall’s operations, seeing as COVID-19 restrictions are now lifted in New York State. These steps will include bolstering front of house operations, hiring new staff and security personnel and improving room management and bar operations.
This management partnership is exciting news for Albany-area music lovers as Lark Hall hopes to book even bigger talent and, of course, ensure that fans have an enjoyable and memorable live music experience.
The Millers with Danny and Stephen Taylor
We are excited to announce this partnership with Building Blocks Management, which will allow us to quickly achieve our mission to host and manage top level artists and events at Lark Hall and deliver a unique fan and guest experience like no other in the region. Danny and Stephen have quietly become two of the most talented and respected leaders in the venue and live music event management industry – both locally and across the country.
From the day we met, we knew the Taylor brothers were a perfect fit for our management and planning needs and they instantly recognized our goals and the potential for Lark Hall to be a premier venue not only for Albany, but the entire Capital District and beyond. We welcome them to the Lark Hall family and look forward to exciting times ahead.
Jennifer and Justin Miller
In addition to this big news, Lark Hall will also be hosting a job fair for prospective employees. Those interested in working with the Lark Hall team can attend the fair on July 17 from 10AM-2PM in the main event space at 351 Hudson Avenue in Albany (corner of Lark Street and Hudson Avenue).
NYS Music profiled Lark Hall back in March, outlining over 100 years of history. The venue has “a long history of being operated and owned by women” and has held suffrage conventions, wartime aid operations, school dances, fitness events and so much more.
A post-pandemic Lark Hall is sure to bring great entertainment and promising new ventures. You can keep up with Lark Hall and explore upcoming events including job fair details on their website.
Danger Ken! released their 10 track debut album, Up is Down, on May 7th. Aside from a few guest appearances on certain tracks, drums, keys, guitar, bass and vocals are a product of the album’s creator. A multi-talented instrumentalist and composer local to New York, it appears Dan Gerken’s musical alias, a play on his own name, is just as clever and catchy as his new music.
The opening song, Lagoon (Intro), creates an air of mystery as we unravel what’s to come. Free of lyrics, the song invites the listener to relish in the evolving peaceful synthesizers in the background. By contrast, the intro is followed by Jubilate which pushes back our preconceived notions about the album as a whole. Expanding instrumentation, Jubilate, accompanied by guest Andrew Chamberlaine (Mister F,Timbre Coup) brings a punchy retro-sounding electric guitar and pumping drums to get you moving.
Once lyrics emerge in the third track of the album, Astral Traveler, accompanied by guest instrumentalist Dave Berger (Groovestick), its evident no track is alike on this album that keeps you on your toes, switching from tracelike to groovy all in a matter of seconds. Through the diverse discography, there are staples to the album the listener can count on: catchy electric guitar lines, experimental ethereal synthesizer backgrounds, and unique layered vocals.
The psychedelic cover embodies the range of emotions the lister is drawn to feel while listening to this ever-changing musical soundscape. My ears were constantly attuned to the minute changes in instrumentation. While seemingly minimalistic standing on their own, individual loops placed over top one another allowed for a repetitive yet diverse music range across songs.
My personal favorite track, Time to Go, had notes parallel to 80s synthesizer and electric guitar parts with contrasting rock-like vocals bringing a 90s element. The cross-generational track’s beautiful smooth evolution of instrumentation, experimenting with both tempo and timbre, was both catchy and peaceful. The perfect song for a cross-country solo road trip or backyard concert, I was completely entranced, particularly by the thread of electric guitar that wove in and out of the piece.
A self proclaimed “byproduct of being home a lot the last year and having the studio here for the first time in my life,” Gerken’s vocals are passionate and personal, inviting experimental rock into an intimate atmosphere. I highly recommend giving it a listen, and feel confident in saying between the diverse genre shifts within the album, there is bound to be a favorite for everyone.
Streaming on Bandcamp and Spotify, the album is just waiting to be checked out!
Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music fromHasty Page 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.
Hasty Page
On Friday June 18, Queensbury trio Hasty Page released their new single, “The Wire.” Unlike the HAIM song of the same name about poor communication, lead singer and drummer Josh Morris goes above and beyond to prove his devotion in a relationship: “Tiptoe on the wire, burning with desire.”
With Anthony Kiedis-like vocals and some seriously groovy guitar and bass, “The Wire” is a clear callback to 90s alt rock. Hasty Page is rounded out by guitarist Zane Agnew and bassist James Paolano. “The Wire” is the first of five songs planned for Hasty Page’s upcoming EP.
When you search the words “Senior Living,” the very last thing you’d expect is a bunch of 20-somethings moshing in a damp basement. New Yorkers Zac Geddies, Gino Lopez and Brendan Snell intend to change that. The Albany-native band has announced that their debut LP album, Anniversaries, will be available starting June 25.
Formed in 2016, Senior Living was a passion project for Zackery Geddies (guitar/vocals) and Jeremy “Gino” Lopez (drums). Geddies and Lopez began booking local tours during semester breaks from college, making a name for themselves across the Northeast DIY music circuit. Brendan Snell (bassist) is a recent addition to the band and assisted on recording Anniversaries.
Senior Living’s music is best served cranked up loud, with a side of even louder. They have been described as a band that weaves together genres from ethereal shoegaze to punk with a tinge of modern dream-pop. The band’s chemistry, stage antics, and not to mention the blasting Roland Jazz Chorus amp, is guaranteed to fill the room with an immense pool of sound. They have a budding reputation as Albany’s loudest band, so be sure to bring earplugs!
Anniversaries album cover
Anniversaries, the bands debut full-length, tells the story of Geddies’s upbringing and how he experienced maneuvering through childhood with anxiety. The album explores the manic side of depression, the crippling feelings of stress, self-loathing, experiences in interracial relationships, and growing up a person of color in America.
It’s kind of a challenge to pinpoint exactly what led me down a path to music. I’d like to say that the music I’ve made is just my own attempt at coping with my mental health and the societal issues that affect me and the ones I love. Whatever it was that led me to the point where I want to pursue music, I’m glad I’ve found it, and I won’t be ready to give it up anytime soon.
Zac Geddies, founding member and guitarist
Geddies’s raw vocals tackles the serious themes with pure emotion. Two of the tracks are only about a minute long, just enough time for a short poetry excerpt. The LP has an eerie closer with back to back songs “Sourir” and “Everybody Dreams About Dying,” adding an element of the feelings of depression. Except, at the very end, Senior Living picks it back up with a guitar riff – a cliffhanger.
It seems Anniversaries is meant to be listened to in order, showing the progressions of emotion from elation, to self-doubt, to sadness, and back again.
Senior Living previously released “Dominick,” track seven on Anniversaries, as a demo on Bandcamp in March 2020. All proceeds from the single were donated to United Way COVID-19 relief and Meals on Wheels. As a teaser for the album drop, the band shared opening track “Carousel” with an accompanying video on June 21.
According to the band, all nine tracks were recorded in one day at a secret studio location in Oneonta. Each single is unique and can’t be contained under one genre, some songs are hardcore rebellion garage rock while others have a grungy get-in-your-feels type vibe. Though the tracklist is diverse, the album meshes really well.
Prior to Anniversaries, the band has dropped two short albums, two songs on The Paintbox Lace and three on 35mm.
The experience of writing and recording a whole album with close friends and collaborators in the studio led to a concentrated and compact album, and that chemistry can be felt throughout the tracklisting.
Alternative/indie rock super trio, Hasty Page, will release their latest single “The Wire” on Friday, June 25. The song is the Hasty Page’s first single of 2021 and fans’ first glimpse into the band’s upcoming EP. With a fresh song to fuel the summer, the trio continues to add to their arsenal of punchy, creative, and inspirational music releases.
Formed in 2015 in Glens Falls, NY, Hasty Page has previously released one EP and two albums. Alt alternative/indie rock trip has built up a solid standing among popular groups with similar genres. They have opened for bands such as Smash Mouth, Colony House, Moriah Formica, and Madison Vandenburg. Hasty Page’s audience is no small feat as well, performing shows for upwards of 40,000 people at Schenectady Summer night, 20,000 at the Albany Tulip Festival, and 10,000 at the Times Union Center.
The boys of Hasty Page – Josh Morris, Zane Agnew, and James Paolano –spent the past year recording the five tracks for their upcoming EP. The EP was recorded at Left Hand Studios in upstate New York, produced by Hasty Page themselves, and finally mixed and mastered by Scoops Dardaris (Prince Daddy, The Clay People, Girl Blue). Notably, Hasty Page has not only spent the past year recording new music, but they have also recently signed a sync licensing deal with Spirit Production Music.
“The Wire” is a fan favorite and highly anticipated, while the rest of the EP are new songs written over the past few years. The song’s instrumental track seamlessly fuses gritty yet clean guitar tracks and melodies, polished by bright, eclectic riffs and modulation. The vocals are warm yet powerful, espousing heartfelt momentum in a lyrical journey on the verge of bursting with pure emotion. Hasty Page has delivered a song to remember.
The music video for “The Wire” will drops one week after the single’s release on June 25, followed by the release of the full EP late summer of 2021. Until then, stream some of Hasty Page‘s earlier album releases on Spotify, YouTube, and below.
Jocelyn & Chris return to touring along with a new single, Sugar and Spice, their first release since the world health crisis took hold last year. This is a taste of their forthcoming eighth studio album.
Siblings Jocelyn & Chris, who balanced their careers while finishing their degrees at Harvard University, first formed their band in middle school. Along the way the duo, originally from Upstate NY, have released eight albums and collaborated with some of alt-rock’s biggest names, including Cory Wong (Vulfpeck), G. Love, Byron Isaacs (Lumineers), and Gov’t Mule’s Danny Louis.
Eight albums and continual touring has earned Jocelyn & Chris three consecutive commercial radio singles in the Billboard AAA Top 40 and two #1 records on the Relix Jambands Top 30 Album Chart. Their 2019 album The Fun in the Fight landed them their national TV debut with The TODAY Show. This past May the siblings won three major awards at the second annual Eddies Music Awards, those being Album of the Year, Video of the Year and Solo / Duo Artist of the Year.
To celebrate “Sugar and Spice,” Jocelyn & Chris have teamed up with a couple of great product partners for a series of exciting collaborations, including a Sugar and Spice Rock and Roll BBQ Sauce collaboration with Coal Creek Smokehouse in Rocky Top, TN. The limited-run sauce will be available through the smokehouse website and at their restaurants.
A family of avid homebrewers, Jocelyn & Chris have also teamed up with boutique craft brewery Peacemaker Brewing in Canandaigua, NY, to brew Sugar and Spice Passion Fruit Milkshake IPA. This IPA is available at Peacemaker Brewing’s flagship location, Wegmans Supermarkets, and select Jocelyn & Chris performances this summer and fall.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
June 18 – Sugar & Spice Release Party (virtual)
June 21 – Playlist Live: FATHERS (virtual)
June 24 – Peacemaker Brewing: Couch Concert – Canandaigua, NY
June 28 – Playlist Live: LETTERS (virtual)
July 9 – The Bend – West Best, WI
July 10 – Barnato! – Omaha, NE
July 12 – City Winery – Chicago, IL
July 13 – Couch Concert On Location at The Bur Oak – Madison, WI
July 14 – Marshfield Insurance’s 4th Annual Fore Roger Fundraiser – Marshfield, WI
July 15 – Levitt at the Falls – Sioux Falls, SD
July 16 – Fridays on the Plaza – Cheyenne, WY
July 17 – Big Stars Bright Lights Concert Series – Park City, UT
July 18 – Concerts on the Commons – Teton Village, WY
July 21 – Marathon Center for the Performing Arts – Findlay, OH
July 22 – Rumba Cafe – Columbus, OH
July 23 – The Auricle – Canton, OH
July 24 – Purple Fiddle – Thomas, WV
July 25 – The Crafthouse Stage & Grill – Pittsburgh, PA
July 29 – Grain’s Rocking the Docks Series – Lewes, DE
Aug. 7 – Caroga Lake Music Festival – Caroga Lake, NY
Aug. 12 – Musikfest – Bethlehem, PA
Aug. 28 – Live Under the Arch – Portsmouth, NH
Sept. 3 – Rams Head on Stage – Annapolis, MD
Sept. 26 – Maine Craft Distilling Sunday Concert Series – Portland, ME
