Category: News Desk

  • Jazz at Chandlerville Summer Series Offers Free Music Every Thursday

    The Jazz at Chandlerville Series will return to Chandler Street every Thursday this summer from 6 pm to 8:30 pm. The series is hosted by JazzBuffalo and produced by Tappo Events.

    Jazz at Chandlerville
    Jazz at Chandlerville

    JazzBuffalo is the Greater Buffalo Jazz Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to building jazz awareness and jazz appreciation in the WNY area. Founded in 2011, the purpose of JazzBuffalo and the Greater Buffalo Jazz Society is to enhance the recognized value of arts to the individual and society, to use music and events to bring people together and to help build a stronger, more vibrant community.

    Based on the success of last year, the JazzBuffalo scheduled diverse music, a variety of performers, something new each week, and showcasing some of the best talents in WNY who incorporate jazz into their performances for the fourth season.

    Jazz at Chandlerville

    Performers this year included Maria Sebastian, Alex McArthur Quintet, Original River Dogs, My Cousin Toné, Mary Ramsey and Friends, Hanna PK, Trigger & the Serman, GirlCrush+, Tim Clarke Soul-tet, Elliot Scozzaro Quintet, Kevin Hall Quartet, and the Banjo Juice Jazz Band.

    All performances will be supported by an upgraded stage and full sound production by Tappo Event to maintain the JazzBuffalo quality. The lineup is listed as followed.

    Jazz at Chandlerville Lineup

    7/7 – My Cousin Toné
    7/14 – Maria Sebastian American Songbook
    7/21 – Trigger & The Sermon
    7/28 – GirlCrush+
    8/4 – Mary Ramsey and Friends
    8/11 – Elliot Scozzaro
    8/18 – Dave Hill Group
    8/25 – Banjo Juice Band
    9/1 – Hanna PK
    9/8 – Kevin Hall Quartet

  • Palace Theatre Announces Free Summer Movie Series

    The Palace Theatre in Albany has announced its Summer in the City Movie Series which will begin on July 12. Over the course of the summer, the theatre will host eight free, family-friendly movies for the community to enjoy.

    The Palace Theatre began the series in 2015 as a way to give children the opportunity to experience the excitement of the theatre, and fun and safe ways to participate in the arts. Since 2016, the SEFCU has been a proud sponsor of the event. Each show will begin at 1 pm, with educational activities one hour before showtime. 

    Since the series began in 2015, over 35,000 people have enjoyed a movie at the Palace Theatre thanks to the Summer in the City Movie Series. This year’s lineup features popular movies with something for everyone to enjoy.

    From Sing 2, Raya the Last Dragon, Luca, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and more, the movie offerings are packed with entertainment for all ages. The Palace Theatre is also offering free popcorn for children under 12 for the full movie experience.

    On August 30, after the showing of the popular Disney musical Encanto, audiences can enjoy the finale of the series with a special ice cream social – a great way to beat the summer heat. There will be giveaways, activities, and free ice cream courtesy of Stewart’s Shops.

    Free tickets are available in advance at the Palace Theatre Box Office or can be reserved . For the full series schedule, see below.

    2022 Summer in the City Schedule

    For all events, doors open at noon for activities; movies begin at 1:00 p.m.

    July 12     Raya and the Last Dragon

    July 19     Sing 2

    July 26     Ron’s Gone Wrong

    Aug. 2      Clifford The Big Red Dog

    Aug. 9      Trolls World Tour

    Aug. 16    Space Jam: A New Legacy

    Aug. 23    Luca

    Aug. 30    Encanto

  • Dead and Company Cancels SPAC show

    Tonight’s Dead and Company show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center has been cancelled. Reportedly, guitarist John Mayer’s father suffered a medical emergency that resulted in him being rushed to a New York City hospital. Mayer is tending to his father there after the cancellation of tonight’s show at SPAC.

    “He is now fairly stable and will continue to undergo some procedures, but as you can understand, I have to stay in (New York City) and can’t play tonight’s show in Saratoga Springs,” 

    John Mayer on Instagram
    dead and company cancels
    Dead and Company at Hershey Stadium, August 28, 2021 – photo by Filip Zalewski

    The band had previously posted a message to social media noting “due to unforeseen circumstances, tonight’s Dead & Company concert at Saratoga Performing Arts Center is canceled.”

    Fans can be refunded from the point of purchase. No word was given on why the band was forced to cancel less than 4 hours before showtime. Other shows this tour will not be affected.

  • Great South Bay Music Festival Returns for 14th Year

    After nearly a two-year hiatus, the Great South Bay Music Festival returns this year to Shorefront Park from July 7 through July 10 with over 60 performers across three stages.

    The four-day music and arts festival was previously postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic and is excited to return for its 14th anniversary. Known as Long Island’s largest and longest-running festival, GSB has entertained audiences and families for years.

    Acts span multiple genres including classic and contemporary rock, blues, indie, jam, pop, Americana, country, reggae, and funk. Alongside multiple drinks and wine tents, craft markets, and food courts, the festival returns back and is bigger than ever.

    On Thursday, July 7, indie-rockers Grouplove and Manchester Orchestra will co-headline on the festival’s main stage. On Friday, July 8, reggae band Rebelution will take the stage to headline with Steel Pulse supporting. 

    Typically, the third day of the festival is known as “Jam Day,” but 2022 brings something new.  Headlining the main stage will be Joe Russo’s Almost Dead – one of the Grateful Dead’s most popular tributes. Returning to the festival includes moe., Galactic, and guitarist Brandon “Taz” Niederauer as well as the Weight Band and Aqueous.

    On Sunday, July 10, the closing acts for the highly-anticipated festival include The Tedeschi Trucks Band and the “Wheels of Soul Tour” which features a two-hour set and the festival is their only metro NY summer appearance. Los Lobos, and Gabe Dixon and his Band will also grace the main stage for the last day of the festival.

    Part of the Great South Bay Music Festival’s goal is to feature up-and-coming artists across multiple genres. This year, the festival will present over 30 talented, original artists for their audiences to enjoy. New artists for this year include Quarter House, Oogee Wawa, Samsara, and Whatever We Are.

    Ticket prices can be purchased here and children 10 and under are free. GSB will continue to donate $1 from every ticket sold to the GSB-Stony Brook Cancer Center Fund with over a quarter of a million dollars raised to date. 

    Festival Times:

    Thursday, July 7: Doors at 3:00 pm, music until 10pm

    Friday, July 8: Doors at 3:00PM, music until 11pm

    Saturday July 9: Doors at 1:00pm, music until 11pm 

    Sunday July 10: Doors at 2:00pm, music until 10pm

  • Hudson Valley Live To Serve Up World-Class World Music at Colony Woodstock and White Feather Farm

    Two veteran Hudson Valley-based music promoters have teamed up to create Hudson Valley Live, a venture designed to bring critically-acclaimed world music, edgy jazz, experimental sounds and much more to the region beginning with seven events this summer at Colony Woodstock and White Feather Farm.

    Hudson Valley Live is the brainchild of Danny Melnick and Isabel Soffer.  The Saugerties-based Melnick has produced hundreds of festivals, tours, concerts and special events in more than 30 countries since 1989, efforts accelerated with the 2007 formation of his company, Absolutely Live Entertainment (ALE). A sample of these currently include: The Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival; tours by the all-star ensemble Artemis and The Joyce and George T. Wein Shape of Jazz Series at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. Danny also is curating concerts for a criminal justice fundraising organization called JusticeAid and will produce the “Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour” in 2023, among many other projects. 

    A Brooklyn native who has lived and worked in Malden for five years, Isabel Soffer has been at the forefront of globally-centric cultural programming for nearly three decades.  She was instrumental in the development of the American global music and dance scene as Director of the World Music Institute in the ’80s. But Isabel may be better known as Co-founder and Director of the globalFEST, a non-profit that produces this much-anticipated and acclaimed annual music festival and conference in New York City now marking its 20th year. Soffer is also the founder of Live Sounds, a company that curates and produces multi-genre initiatives that connect artists with cultural opportunities.  Live Sounds has been responsible for producing scores of historic concerts and tours by the likes of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and The Masked Dancers of Kerela, as well as the founding of The New York Flamenco Festival, The New York Fado Festival, a Sufi poetry fest and much more.  All totaled, she has orchestrated well over 1,500 concerts, with artists from more than 100 countries.

    “Our goal is to produce an eclectic music series for curious and serious music listeners, with the kind of global sounds that have not been readily available in the region,” says Soffer. “While the Hudson Valley has a wonderfully rich and lively music scene, the greatest and latest in global music has been kind of hard to come by.”

    “This series at the Colony and White Feather Far will fill that gap,” adds Melnick.  “We’re bringing our decades of experience and contacts with world music’s best to bring more of the best to the Hudson Valley.  We’re delighted to partner with these two forward-thinking venues to do events will be truly unique and ear-opening for the Hudson Valley’s discerning music-lovers.”

    The artists featured at the seven forthcoming events span from cutting edge jazz to Afropop, Gypsy, Flamenco and Brazil, Latinx sounds plus regional American traditions. Following are the events scheduled at Saugerties’ White Feather Farm, curated in partnership with Barbes, and The Colony in Woodstock.  More info can be found at http://hudsonvalleylive.co/:    

    Friday, July 15 – Fela Kuti Tribute with Nikhil P. Yerawadekar Living Language 

    White Feather Farm

    Tickets https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-fela-kuti-tribute-from-nikhil-p-yerawaders-living-language-tickets-369006467277

    Friday, July 22 – Persian Classical Music with Kayhan Kalhor 

    White Feather Farm

    Tickets https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kayhan-kalhor-tickets-369027660667

    Friday, July 29 – Talking Drums meet Afrobeat

    Mamadou’s Fantastic Band featuring members of Afro Beat band Kaleta & Super Yamba Band

    White Feather Farm

    Tickets https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mamadous-fantastic-band-featuring-members-of-super-yamba-tickets-369047409737

    Friday July 29 – Ukraine’s Soulful and Subversive Folk Arts Heroes with DakhaBrakha

    The Colony Woodstock

    Tickets  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dakhabrakha-tickets-338959034597

    August 12 – World Premiere: From Jazz to the American Songbook 

    Bria Skonberg and Elizabeth Goodfellow 

    White Feather Farm

    Tickets https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bria-skonberg-and-elizabeth-goodfellow-tickets-369097790427

    Thursday, August 18 – Colombia’s Meridian Brothers

    The Colony Woodstock

    Tickets https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meridian-brothers-tickets-335739575107

    Friday, August 19 – Cumbia, surf and the B52’s with La Banda Chuska

    White Feather Farm

    Ticketshttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/la-banda-chuska-tickets-369108863547

  • Fox Fest 2022 Will Kick Off August 6th

    Fox Fest has announced its 2022 lineup which will kick off August 6th. Fox Fest is a great opportunity to enjoy the summer by relaxing, listening to great music, eating great food, and socializing.

    A non-profit outdoor music event located at the home of George and Dodi Ryan, in Syracuse, Fox Fest will host music performed by 8-10 local bands, an attractive venue and food sold by Limp Lizard and the Spud Shack.

    Fox Fest

    Supporting different charities for 14 years, Fox Fest is benefiting the KEYS program this year. The KEYS Program a nonprofit organization that has been delivering smiles since 1993 by providing award-winning music therapy outreach, family respite days and sibling support programs to kids battling cancer and those in need of healing.

    Fox Fest is funded by the generous donations of local sponsors and attendees. A $30 donation upon entry is the cost for the day, and patrons can donate prior to July 10th and receive a free shirt. Pre-sale forms are located at Tanner Valley Golf Course, Limp Lizard in Western Lights and Franks Moondance.

    Along with the music event, there is also free camping on site. Sites are first come, first serve. There is plenty of room for everyone to RV, Pop-Up, tent, or pass out under the stars.

    Pets are not allowed for both the safety of crowds and pets. No alcohol is provided but patrons are allowed to bring their own beverage. More information could be found at foxfestsyracuse.com

    Fox Fest Lineup

    12-1pm Steve Cali Band
    1:15-2pm The Shylocks
    2:15-3:15pm Chirs Taylor Band
    3:30-4:30pm F5
    4:45-5:45pm Jon Rogalia & The Swamp Boys
    6-6:45pm Dirt Road Ruckus
    7-7:45pm Molly D’agostino
    8-9:30pm Under the Paige
    10-11:30pm Tantric

    https://youtu.be/CZdb9OgUFA4
  • Opera Saratoga Presents Sky on Swings

    On July 7 at 7:30 pm, Opera Saratoga will present a Sky on Swings at The Egg in Albany with a second performance on Saturday, July 9, at 2:00 pm.

    Sky on Swings, directed by Artistic and General Director of Opera Saratoga Lawrence Edelson and conducted by Emily Senturia, is an opera about the different stages and challenges of Alzheimer’s Disease. Meredith Arwady and Phyllis Pancella play Martha and Danny, who are two women with the disease and develop a bond over their experiences.

    Opera Saratoga, formerly Lake George Opera, opened with its first production in 1962. The opera renewed its commitment to the community by offering productions that engage critical issues to promote meaningful connection and dialogue among audiences. Sky on Swings is one such production that aims to encourage understanding and empathy.

    Helena Colindres, Meredith Arwady, and Phyllis Pancella during Sky on Swings. Photo credit: Gary David Gold

    Sky on Swings’ world premiere occurred in Philadelphia, where Opera Saratoga’s Lawrence Edelson was in attendance. As someone whose family was personally touched by Alzheimer’s, the artistic director at first was hesitant to see the show before experiencing the opera in its entirety.

    I’ll admit that I attended SKY ON SWINGS with some reluctance, in part because I knew the story would likely impact me, but also because I wasn’t sure how the journey of someone with Alzheimer’s could be portrayed in opera without making it feel artificial or sensationalized. But experiencing the opera was cathartic and deeply moving. The score is remarkable in how it both creates the sound of memory and also portrays the experience of two women and their children living through different stages of the disease.

    -Lawrence Edelson, Opera Saratoga Artistic & General Director

    Following the performances on July 7 and July 9, Opera Saratoga will hold a discussion including Elizabeth Smith-Boivin, Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York; composer Lembit Beecher; members of the cast and creative team. 

    Photo Credit: Gary David Gold

    After almost a two-year delay due to the pandemic, the opera will also be launching a full-time therapeutic music program for those in the region living with the disease. As Edelson’s last production as director, Sky on Swings and the music program are both particularly touching: “this, for me, is what an opera company should be all about. We entertain. We enrich. We educate. And we enhance the lives of those who need us, and whom we have the ability to help in a deeply meaningful way.”

    Tickets to the shows range from $50-$125 and more information can be found here. The show is an important one for so many and is a must-see.

  • Disco Biscuits Announce Pair of September Shows at Saranac Brewery

    The Disco Biscuits will make a few stops in the Northeast this September, including a pair of shows at Saranac Brewery in Utica. The shows will now take place a week later than originally planned, on Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1. The shows mark the Disco Biscuits first ever time performing in the Empire State’s ‘Sin City.’

    disco biscuits utica

    Additional shows earlier that month include a show at Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE on September 8, and two shows at South Side Stage at XL Live in Harrisburg, PA on September 9 and 10.

    A fanclub presale for these shows is now open through Wednesday, July 6 at 5pm ET, with all September shows on sale Friday, July 8 at 10am ET. Disco Biscuits social media included a note to fans, “Plenty more tDB to come this fall! “

  • Union Pool Damaged, 14 Injured in Williamsburg Fire

    Beloved bar Union Pool in Williamsburg is closed temporarily due to a fire that injured 14 people and left seven hospitalized.

    A photo of internal damage to Union Pool
    Union Pool damage.

    According to fire department officials, a total of 14 people, including as many as 11 firefighters, required medical treatment at the scene near the corner of Meeker and Union avenues. The fire was underway before 6 A.M. and raged until close to 8 A.M.

    Williamsburg is a neighborhood in Brooklyn that draws in young people with its chic boutiques, trendy cafes and buzzy restaurants. The waterfront has a great view of Manhattan, and seasonal venues provide live entertainment and great food.

    The Union has a little bit of everything, great live entertainment, food, and bar spaces. As the area has grown, the bar has grown with it. From being a little neighborhood bar, the Union Pool is now something locals and beyond can enjoy.

    Due to the fire, the bar posted on its Instagram “we will be closed for the next few days as we assess the damage.” The fire also engulfed a neighboring bodega and Peruvian restaurant.

    The cause of the fire is still being investigated. Latin soul icon Joe Bataan was supposed to perform a free set there at July 3, and Reverend Vince Anderson and his Love Choir were to have played at the venue on the 4th.

  • The Battery Announces River And Blues Lineup

    The Battery in New York City announced its lineup for the River and Blues series on Thursdays in July at Wagner Park. Located at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, this event is set to featurre fabulous singers including Nicole Atkins, Eljuri, Cha Wa, Lady Wary, Cedric Burnside, and Maggie Rose to enjoy the summer sunsets.

    River & Blues at The Battery

    The Battery, formerly known as Battery Park, is a 25-acre (10 ha) public park bounded by Battery Place on the north, State Street on the east, New York Harbor to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. The park contains attractions such as an early 19th century fort named Castle Clinton; multiple monuments; and the SeaGlass Carousel.

    Nicole Atkins – July 7th at 6PM

    Nicole Atkins

    Born in New Jersey, Nicole Atkins started playing piano at nine years old and taught herself to play guitar at 13. Now as a soul singer and songwriter, Nicole Atkins blends disco, folk, and country rock on her latest release, Memphis Ice.

    Eljuri & Cha Wa – July 14th at 6PM

    Elguri

    Touted as one of the top Latina guitar players in the world, Eljuri is a genre-fusing artist that blends the sounds and rhythms of her life experiences into her song-writing and guitar playing.

    Cha Wa

    The New Orleans based Mardi Gras Indian funk band Cha Wa had an infectious music and stage show when they were nominated by Grammy. The name Cha Wa is a slang phrase used by Mardi Gras Indian tribes, meaning “we’re comin’ for ya” or “here we come.” Cha Wa has been described as “funk with feathers” – a sound rooted in traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian music mixed with funk and soul, a non-stop groove machine.

    Lady Wary – July 21st at 6PM

    Lady Wray

    Virginia-born artist Nicole Wray shows off her dexterous range of singing and songwriting, infusing hints of soul, R&B, and hip-hop into head-nodding, funky stories with the power to heal.

    Cedric Burnside & Maggie Rose – July 28th at 6PM

    Maggie Rose

    Cooperated with multiple bands, Maggie Rose has learned great experience in music. She also recorded two songs that were featured in episodes of the Disney Channel’s Shake It Up and Good Luck Charlie television series. After years of honing her chops and making her name as a force-of nature vocalist, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter Maggie Rose has dreamed up her own unbridled collision of rock-and-roll, soul, folk, funk, and R&B.

    Cedric Burnside

    Cedric Burnside, an American electric blues guitarist, drummer, singer and songwriter born into a prominent family of North Mississippi Hill Country legends. These sensibilities are reflected across his work and impeccably showcased on his 2022 GRAMMY™- winning release, I Be Trying. Burnside’s vocals, recorded in Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios in Memphis, focus on romantic reverses and tenacious love with complete understanding.