Newburgh Illuminated in Newburgh, NY, has announced its 8 annual festival happening on June 4. Named Hudson Valley Magazine’s “Best of Hudson Valley,” the festival has grown from a few thousand to over 40,000 proud Newburghers and delighted visitors.
The Newburgh Illuminated Festival is a free event from Noon-10 P.M. that celebrates the best of Music, Art, Fashion, Drama, and Dance in the Hudson Valley. This year the festival will feature five stages with over 30 street performers, more than 40 bands, 50 dance troupes, and 175 vendors.
Notably, singer-songwriter Rachael Sage will be performing at the festival. She is a 6-time Independent Music Awards winner who has released over a dozen albums over her career. Her latest album Character charted high on the Billboard charts. At the festival, she will also be celebrating the release of her new Revelation Ground maxi-single and video.
Newburgh is a town with less than 30,000 people, and has a very bad economy, with the median household income estimated to be less than $40,000. However, the festival has boosted the economy and has allowed five new restaurants, four new clothing boutiques, a bicycle museum, a French bakery, a new hair salon, and more to all be open.
The Newburgh Illuminated Festival will be happening on June 4 on Liberty Street in Newburgh, NY, and there will be a lot of free different activities, food, and live music to enjoy.
The AdHoc-curated Emerging Music Festival will return for the first time since 2019 from June 24-25 as part of Bryant Park’s Picnic Performances, a series of concerts running all summer long.
Both nights of the festival will feature three different acts. The 24th will open up with Benét, a singer-songwriter from Richmond, VA, followed by Brooklyn-based indie-country artist Dougie Poole, with the night being closed by fellow Brooklyn musician Anna Beckerman, better known by her performing alias of Danashevskaya.
Having released two full-length albums to this point, Dougie Poole has uniquely defined himself, melding country songwriting with bedroom pop textures. (photo from Bandcamp)
The following evening will be opened by NYC five-piece rock band 95 Bulls, followed by Talia Goddess, a multi-hyphenate musician and entrepreneur from Brooklyn, with the night being closed out by Reyna Tropical, a duo composed of Mexican-born artists Fabiola Reyna and Sumohair.
With their group tagline being “Queer Love & Afro-Mexico,” Reyna Tropical dedicates their music to raising awareness of social justice causes. (photo found on their website)
Returning for the fifth time since its beginning in 2016, The Emerging Music Festival is the Bryant Park Picnic Performances’ final event of June, with Bryant Park running performances until September 17.
Both nights of performances will also feature a rotating line-up of NYC food and beverage vendors curated by the local Hester Street Fair.
Complete Bryant Park Picnic Performances
May/June June 10: Contemporary Dance: EMERGE125 and Ayodele Casel June 11: Contemporary Dance: Ballet Hispánico’s Social Latin Dance Class and Dance Heginbotham June 17: New York City Opera: Pride in the Park June 18: Contemporary Dance: Juneteenth Celebration with Josh Johnson, Music From The Sole, Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, and More June 24: Emerging Music Festival Curated by AdHoc: Benét, Dougie Poole, and Daneshevskaya June 25: Emerging Music Festival Curated by AdHoc: 95 Bulls, Talia Goddess, and Reyna Tropical
July July 1: Carnegie Hall Citywide: Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble July 8: Carnegie Hall Citywide: The Baylor Project July 15: Carnegie Hall Citywide: Squirrel Nut Zippers July 22: Carnegie Hall Citywide: The Broadway Sinfonietta July 23: Jazzmobile: Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band July 28: Performers TBA July 29: Carnegie Hall Citywide: The Hot Sardines Featuring Nellie McKay
August August 5: Performers TBA August 12: New York City Opera: La traviata August 19: Asian American Arts Alliance: Rafiq Bhatia and Ian Chang August 26: Habibi Festival: Esraa Warda & The Châab Lab, Firas Zreik, Yacine Boularès, and AJOYO August 29: The Town Hall: Eighth Blackbird Celebrates John Cage
September September 2: New York City Opera: Lucia di Lammermoor September 8: Steinway Artists Aaron Diehl and Orrin Evans September 9: Classical Theatre of Harlem September 16: Accordion Festival: Heart of Afghanistan and More September 17: American Symphony Orchestra
The daily lineup for the 10th anniversary Peach Music Fest has been released, with a lineup that makes this installment head and shoulders above past years.
The four-day live music and camping experience returns to Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA, from Thursday, June 30 through Sunday, July 3.
The Peach Music Festival began in 2012 as the first-ever Allman Brothers Band-inspired festival in the Northeast and quickly evolved into one of the most highly-anticipated summer musical events loved by music enthusiasts from across the nation.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Peach Music Festival, Trey Anastasio Band and The Black Crowes will headline The Festival, and be joined by Billy Strings, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Goose, the Revivalists, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and the reunion of The Word.
Additionally, Trouble No More, featuring Brandon “Taz” Niederaurer (Guitar, Vocals), Daniel Donato (Guitar, Vocals), Dylan Niederaurer (Bass Guitar), Jack Ryan (Drums), Lamar Williams Jr. (Vocals), Nikki Glaspie (Drums), Peter Levin (Keys) and Roosevelt Collier (Pedal Steel Guitar), will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Festival’s founders, the Allman Brothers Band’s seminal “Eat A Peach” album.
The Peach Music Festival, which was inspired by the legendary music of the Allman Brothers Band, will feature founding member Jaimoe with Jaimoe and Friends, as well as Friends of the Brothers, and Brother & Sister (featuring Butch’s kids, Melody and Vaylor).
Thursday, June 30
Billy Strings, Trouble No More: Performing Eat A Peach, Keller Williams, Samantha Fish, Midnight North, Yam Yam, Consider the Source, JD Simo, Miss Mojo, Carly Moffett, and Tand Band.
Friday, July 1
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening, Steel Pulse, Andy Frasco & the U.N., Eric Krasno & the Assembly, the Motet, Marco Benevento, the Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo, Lacuna featuring Tom Hamilton & Holly Bowling, Doom Flamingo, Kitchen Dwellers, The Nth Power featuring Jennfier Hartswick, Funk You, Eggy, Little Stranger, Brother & Sister, Snacktime, Wax Owls, Gabriel Kelly, Evanoff, and the Jauntee.
Saturday, July 2
Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, the Revivalists, Ripe, Rayland Baxter, Celisse, Karina Rykman, Jaimoe and Friends, Brandon “Taz” Niederauer and Friends, the Shady Recruits, Neighbor, Melt, Cordovas, Friends of the Brothers, Cycles, One Time Weekend, Pixie & the Partygrass Boys, Chalk Dinosaur, Dry Reef, JB Strauss, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, and Muskrat Lightning.
Sunday, July 3
The Black Crowes, the Word featuring Robert Randolph, John Medeski, Luther Dickinson, Cody Dickinson, and Ray Ray Holloman, G. Love & the Juice, the Wailers, Duane Betts, Star Kitchen, Spaga, Tauk, Dogs In A Pile, Maggie Rose, Daniel Donato &. Friends, Hannah Wicklund, the Wild Feathers, Bobby Lee Rodgers, Sicard Hollow, GA-20, and Great Time.
The VIP sets, performed exclusively to VIP ticket holders in the “Midland” above the water park with firepits, a bar, and concession stands, will feature Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast with special guests, Brandon “Taz” Niederauer with Kanika, the Cordovas performing an acoustic set, Daniel Donato, Dogs In A Pile, Duane Betts, Karina Rykman performing a DJ set, Kitchen Dwellers, and Maggie Rose.
In addition to the four days of live music with over 50 artists, this one-of-a-kind experience features food and craft vendors on the grounds and access to the scenic Montage Mountain Ski Resort’s large water park, zip line and ski lift rides.
The 10th-anniversary celebration of The Peach Music Festival will conclude with a spectacular Independence Day Weekend fireworks display on Sunday, July 3.
To purchase VIP tickets, ticket packages, reserve travel packages, camping, glamping tent, RV passes, and individual tickets, or for the most up-to-date information on the Peach Music Festival, including additional artist announcements, visit ThePeachMusicFestival.com.
Remember Jones has released a new single, “love will return” featuring The Horn Section.
The newest track promoting his new album HAHA BITCH! slated for July 8 release, features co-writing from Levy Okun and production from AGM3, a duo composed of Andrew Greacen and Max McKee.
Remember Jones and his band performing.
A simple dance pop song, “love will return” focuses on moving past personal hardship in aim of finding success and joy in the future with light, spacy verses contrasting loud, funky hooks. “Living in a bubble, it all seems like trouble, you just gotta think free,” Jones sings during the first pre-chorus.
Remember Jones’ vocal talents are on display with this track, flashing hints of Michael Jackson along the way.
The track’s premier source of flare comes from the aptly named Horn Section on well, horns. Their presence on the final two choruses amplifies the already funky song, only building its optimistic energy until reaching a conclusion.
“love will return” precedes a busy upcoming summer for Remember Jones. The release of HAHA BITCH! will also be supported by his first ever Summer Slay! Festival at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ on July 9. Also serving as a birthday celebration for Jones, a New Jersey native, it is one of many nationwide stops for his ongoing won’t you be my hater? TOUR.
Other acts of the festival include Quincy Mumford’s Lifted Laboratory, a long time collaborator with Jones, as well as Tor Miller, Zoe Sparks, and Levy Okun.
The event will be hosted by drag queens Jolina Jasmine, Miss Paradise of 2016 & 2021, as well as Tastie and Morrigan von Haunt, hosts of drag nights at Georgie’s Bar in Asbury Park. The three will also have performances of their own during the festival.
The event will include giveaways and audience-involved drag makeovers, and local restaurants Larry Cadillac & Mutiny BBQ will promote the festival with special menu items at their locations.
The New York Guitar Festival is back with in-person performances after two years of being streamed online. The shows will be held in The Greene Space, WNYC’s multimedia performance venue in Soho from June 14 to 17. Featured performers include Bill Frisell, Vernon Reid, and more.
The festival was founded in 1999 by David Spelman, the Artistic Director of the festival, and WNYC’s John Schaefer, host of the “New Sounds” radio series. The main focus of the festival is the use of the guitar, and how it is in many different genres of music.
Glenn Jones has a background in rock and experimental music but is best known for keeping the flame of “American Primitive” music alive, which is a folk-based style. Jones’s music is full of unexpected textures through his uses of capos, half-capos, and a variety of tunings. Vieux Farka Toure is known as “the Hendrix of the Sahara,” with roots in playing West African music. He has released five solo albums rooted in the sounds and rhythms of West African blues.
Gyan Riley started his career playing with his father’s band Terry Riley and The All-Stars. Now, he works with Grammy-award-winning artists and plays different genres, from classical to spacey electric guitar excursions. Bill Frisell is regarded as one of the best guitarists of our time, and he is the subject of a new biography called Bill Frisell: Beautiful Dreamer. Luke Bergman is part of Bill Frisell’s Harmony Quartet and is a bassist, guitarist, and pedal steel player.
Badi Assad is a guitarist, singer, and percussionist who also uses the guitar as a percussion instrument. She was the co-curator of the 2014 edition of the New York Guitar Festival. Badi is also the younger sister of the great Brazilian guitar duo of Sergio & Odair Assad. Vernon Reid is one of Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He gained fame as the main songwriter for the rock band Living Colour, and as a founder of the Black Rock Coalition. Laraaji has recently performed as a duo with Vernon Reid and is an ambient zither player,
June 17 at 7:30 P.M.- Marta Pereira da Costa and William Tyler
Marta Pereira da Costa plays Portuguese fado music and writes her own music and collaborates with other musicians. She is among the few women playing this type of music, as it is mostly dominated by men. William Tyler is a folk, indie, country, and electronic music artist. His work offers a gothic, often celestial take on American roots music.
Opera Saratoga announced Thursday their updated casting, and ticket information for their 2022 Summer Festival.
The festival, which runs from May 26 to July 10, will host eight shows at venues spanning from Albany up to Lake George Village.
The Barber of Seville will be performed on Proctors MainStage in Schenectady on July 8 & 10.
Guest performers include artists Carolee Carmello, Craig Colclough, Siphokazi Molten, Daniel Mobbs, Phyllis Pancella, Sidney Outlaw, and Marietta Simpson.
The festival will open up with Stars of Tomorrow, an annual concert at The Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls.
Headline performances of the festival include two Gioachino Rossini works, The Barber of Seville on Proctors MainStage in Schenectady and Petite Messe Solennelle at The Round Lake Auditorium on July 10. The Barber of Seville is the final scheduled concert of the festival.
Also featured will be Sky on Swings by Lembit Beecher and Hannah Moscovitch at The Egg in Albany, and a performance of Stephen Sondheim’s famed Sweeney Todd on the Amphitheater Stage of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Other events include A Broadway Cabaret at The Mansion of Saratoga in Rock City Falls, A Juneteenth Celebration at Proctors’ GE Theater in Schenectady, and the 2020 Opera Gala: Opera Under the Stars at The Barn at French Mountain in Lake George Village.
Opera Saratoga has been offering tickets for individual performances for the summer festival since March 21, and is also providing broader access through two different event passes.
The “All Access Pass” offers 20% savings off tickets to Sweeney Todd, Sky on Swings, A Broadway Cabaret, and both Rossini operas, along with granting free tickets A Juneteenth Celebration and Stars of Tomorrow. The pass also provides holders a 20% discount off any additional tickets purchased.
The “Festival Highlights Pass” gives priority seating and 20% off tickets to Sweeney Todd, Sky on Swings, and The Barber of Seville. Holders can also customize their pass by including additional tickets to concerts of choice from the Opera Saratoga 2022 Festival with a 10% discount for each purchased.
Tickets for individual performances have been available online or by phone through the offices of SPAC (Sweeney Todd, Stars of Tomorrow, A Broadway Cabaret, Petite Messe Solennelle), Proctors (The Barber of Seville, A Juneteenth Celebration) and Egg Box (Sky on Swings). Other details can be found on Opera Saratoga’s website.
The Brewster Summer Music Series in Brewster, NY has announced its lineup for the first annual festival, happening every Saturday night this summer from June 11-July 23.
The venue, photo by Jacque Roche.
Brewster is a town in southeast Putnam County incorporated in 1894. It gets its name from Walter Brewster, who invited the New York and Harlem Railroad to build a depot on his property.
Famous singer Laura Ann Branigan was born in Brewster. Her platinum-certified 1982 single “Gloria,” stayed on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks. It also peaked at number 2, a record for a female artist, and number one in Australia and Canada.
The free outdoor concert series will feature a lot of different acts. Fundraising to begin the festival started in 2021, and different community businesses helped with it. Those attending are told to bring lawn chairs, blankets, picnic dinners, cold beverages, etc. It will take place at the gazebo at the corner of Railroad and Morningthorpe Avenues in Brewster.
An annual Hudson Valley tradition, the Beacon Sloop Club’s legendary Strawberry Festival will take place on Sunday, June 12th at Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park in Beacon. The all ages event, held rain or shine, lasts from 12-5pm and is found on the Riverside of the Metro North Beacon Station.
At the BSC Strawberry Festival, you’ll find the best shortcake you have ever imagined, made with local strawberries and homemade biscuits topped with real whipped cream, all while surrounded by the glorious Hudson River. There are more treats available, including strawberry smoothies, freshly made chocolate covered strawberries and other great foods to enjoy. Local vendors will also be on hand selling food and crafts.
There will also be free sailing on the Sloop Woody Guthrie. Located right in Beacon Harbor, attendees can sign up at the Beacon Sloop Club booth for a free afternoon sail as you experience the beauty, power and grandeur of the Hudson River.
Two solar powered music stages are featured during the BSC Strawberry Festival, with a main stage and one dedicated for young folks and children to enjoy. There are also many other free activities great for children, as well as displays of local Hudson River history and the environment for all to enjoy.
As hosts of Strawberry Festival, The Beacon Sloop Club is an all-volunteer non-profit organization. The BSC Strawberry Festival raises money for the public sailing program on the Woody Guthrie and other environmental education programs. As such, there is never a charge for sailing aboard “The Woody.” The BSC meets the first Friday of each month at the clubhouse in Beacon, right on the river near the Metro-North train station, for a potluck dinner, business meeting and music. Everyone is always welcome.
Musicians performing throughout the Strawberry Festival include Arm of The Sea Theater, Judith Tulloch Band, Lost Ryders of the Waywayanda, Beacon Songsmiths, Eric Person, Lydia Adams Davis, Roger The Jester, Spook Handy, Jonathan Kruk, Bindlestick Bill and The Last Minute Soulmates.
Admission to the Strawberry Festival is free. For more information, visit beaconsloopclub.org
See below for pictures from past BSC Strawberry Festivals below, courtesy of Beacon Sloop Club.
The Jersey City Jazz Festival has returned for its ninth annual celebration on the weekend of June 4th and 5th in the Powerhouse Arts District.
Just across the Hudson River, the free-to-the-public event will include performances from fourteen bands on two stages, food trucks, a full bar, and a VIP experience at the parking lot on 107 Morgan Street. The festival will also coincide with Bike JC’s annual Ward Tour on the 5th, with there also being an “after-party jam session” at Moore’s Place.
Jazz group Nation Beat will lead off the festival with their performance at noon on the 4th. (photo by Carolina Mama)
Brazilian-inspired group Nation Beat will lead off performances at noon on the 4th, followed by singer & WBGO radio host Lezlie Harrison at 1, pianist David Kikoski at 2, Winand Harper and his band the Jeli Posse at 3, flamenco guitarist Andreas Arnold at 4, Afro-Cuban jazz group Santi De Brian’s Arkestra Bembe at 5, and acclaimed vocalist Svetlana at 6.
The next day, award-winning duo Sounds of A&R will lead off at noon, followed by guitar-driven ensemble Walter Parks and the Unlawful Assembly at 1, modern gypsy jazz artist Gonzalo Bergara at 2, New Orleans-based trad group Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses at 3, and guitarist Julian Lage at 4.
Both days will close out with dancing to salsa performances by percussionists Little Johnny Rivero on the 4th at 7, and Johnny Rodriguez and the Dream Team the following day at 5. Shows will alternate on an hourly basis between the Bank of America and Exchange Place stages.
Little Johnny Rivero’s career watermarks include the eighteen albums he recorded with the La Senora Ponceña Band and having performed with names in Latin Music such as nine-time Grammy Award winner Eddie Palmieri.
The festival, which was first held in 2013, is produced by Jersey City-based non-profit Riverside Jazz, and is presented by Exchange Place Alliance. “We have some of the best players in the world here – and it’s not just one style of music or jazz, it’s everything!” says Riverview Jazz director Brian Beninghove. “Not everyone has access to great music and art, but we do here – and we want to celebrate it with a big, free party for the people.”
Information on purchasing VIP tickets, directions, parking, volunteering, and links to the artists can be found on Riverview Jazz’s website.
Albany Symphony has announced their 2022 American Music Festival: TrailBlaze NY, a “celebration of New York State’s glorious new Empire State Trail.” The festival will feature various events from the beginning of June to the first week of July running from Kingston all the way up to Saratoga County.
“We wanted to amplify the amazing story of the incredible 750-mile walking and cycling rail trail that now connects all residents of New York State to one another,” said David Alan Miller, Music Director of Albany Symphony and Grammy-winning conductor.
David Alan Miller, Music Director of Albany Symphony and Grammy-winning conductor.
The Empire State Trail, completed in 2020, is composed of the Hudson Valley Greenway Trail which connects New York City to Albany, the Erie Canalway Trail which connects Albany to Buffalo, and the Champlain Valley Trail which connects Albany to the Canadian border.
TrailBlaze NY isn’t the first Albany Symphony production of its kind; during 2017’s Water Music NY, the Symphony travelled along the Erie Canal, performing free concerts at seven different canal communities along the way. During 2019’s Sing Out! New York, they performed free outdoor concerts at several different locations from Columbia to Saratoga County.
The festival will open with a “Troy & Cohoes New Music Week” from June 2 to June 5. One feature event of the four-day span includes a performance from the company’s new-art chamber orchestra, Dogs of Desire on the 3rd at the Cohoes Music Hall. The show will feature world premiers by Natalie Draper, Jack Frerer, Bobby Ge, Loren Loiacono, and Andre Myers.
There is also Albany Symphony’s keynote performance of “Trailblaze!” at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on the 4th. During the concert, the Symphony will play John Williams’ “Prelude and Scherzo (American Premiere)” featuring pianist Gloria Cheng, John Corigliano’s “Triathalon for Saxophone and Orchestra” featuring saxophonist Timothy McAllister, and Steven Stuckey’s “Radical Light.”
Other events include a piano recital from Gloria Chang at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on the 2nd, a “Late Night Lounge experience” with Jordan Taylor Hill at Table 41 Brewing Co. in Cohoes on the 3rd, a chamber performance titled “Endangered” at St. Paul’s in Troy on the 4th, and “Inuksuit,” a group percussion performance at Troy Riverfront Park on the 5th, among others. Admission costs for the week’s events range anywhere from free to $62, with tickets available for purchase on Albany Symphony’s website.
As for the other part of TrailBlaze NY, “Albany Symphony On The Trail!” will feature musical and trail-related event programs at Hudson Crossing Park in Schuylerville on the 11th, Hutton Brickyards in Kingston on the 19th, Basilica Hudson in Hudson on the 24th and around the city on the 25th, as well as Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady on July 1st, Jennings Landing in Albany on the 2nd, and Riverlink Park in Amsterdam on the 3rd.
TrailBlaze NY is a unique opportunity for people from all over the Northeastern US and Canada to discover some of the most extraordinary towns in New York State and the glorious nature that surrounds them. I hope all our friends and supporters will also join us to celebrate New York State in all its wonder and natural beauty, as well as our resilient communities and the things that connect us and bring us together, all the trails we explore, real and imagined.
David Alan Miller
The program involves free Albany Symphony concerts at each stop, featuring music from Natalie Draper, Aaron Copland, Viet Cuong, John Williams, and John Philip Sousa. Additionally, every day of the program will feature activities such as bike rides and hikes on local trails, refreshment from local vendors, and historical & museum tours among many others. Full information about “Albany Symphony On The Trail!” can also be found on their website.
