The second annual Rail Rider Jamboree is coming to Ellicottville on March 18, 2023, at Holiday Valley Resort, with a stellar lineup comprised of new and old faces.
The Rail Rider Jamboree is a weekend filled with music, skiing, snowboarding competitions, brews and so much more. The promoters of Borderland Music + Arts Festival teamed up with the Holiday Valley Resort to bring this weekend to fans. The Jamboree is outdoors with music starting around 1 p.m. on March 18, with doors opening at 12 p.m. at the resort in the field on Rt. 219 across from the SnowPine chair.
The Jamboree will kick off on March 17 with rail jam contests and live music, slopeside at the base of the mountain at the Rail Park, with some free music by a funk improv band from Buffalo, at the Holiday Valley Cabana Bar from 8 p.m.-10 p.m. The next day will bring some exciting music to the resort, like headliners Dark Star Orchestra. They have performed for over 25 years and at some 3,100 shows, performing a show based on a set list from the Grateful Dead’s 30 years of extensive touring.
Also headlining the Rail Rider Jamboree is Eggy, improv rockers comprised of guitarist and vocalist Jake Brownstein, keyboardist Dani Battat, bassist Michael Goodman and drummer Alex Bailey. Another headliner includes Mike Gantzer, guitarist of groove rock band Aqueous, who is assembling a band just for Rail Rider. Also performing will be local bands Grub from Buffalo and the New Orleans style marching band Brass Machine.
Lodging with options to add on lift tickets and other resort activities are available to book with the resort today, with package Jamboree tickets to be announced. The event is for all ages, and tickets are on sale now.
The performing arts centers at the University of Albany and The Egg present ODC/Dance in the 2023 Dance in Albany series. Having recently celebrated its 50-year anniversary, this San Francisco-based ensemble is scheduled to perform on Friday, January 27th at 7:30pm at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center.
ODC/Dance was one of the first American companies to incorporate a post-modern sensibility into a virtuosic contemporary dance technique. Since founded in 1971 by Artistic Director Brenda Way, the company has performed for more than a million people in 32 states and 11 countries.
According to Dance Magazine, “…the major reason to celebrate ODC is its artistic achievements… Over the years, this body of work has become formally more sophisticated without losing its humanistic principals and questioning spirit…”
Savion Glover will perform April 22, 2023, at The Egg in Albany as part of the seventh Dance in Albany season, co-presented by The Egg and the University at Albany Performing Arts Center.
The company will perform three different works on the program. The first being Two if by Sea which is choregraphed by Associate Choreographer Kimi Okada. This dance set explores a couple’s secret language and signals which become increasingly imperative and urgent as their world changes. The dance is accompanied by music from Ijo Ito and Steve Riech.
The next show performed is called Unintended Consequences (A Meditation) and is choreography by Artistic Director Brenda Way. This dance originally premiered in 2008 and is set to music by renowned performance artist and musician Laurie Anderson. Commissioned by the Equal Justice Society, this work in particular “offers a cutting critique of human relationships, and of how easily we become isolated,” stated by The New York Times.
Originally created for Robert Moses’ Kin in 2014, the last show preformed in called Impulse. This show celebrates “individuality, physicality and ferocity of movement.” The piece was nominated for an Izzie award for outstanding choreography, along with featuring music by Someone Else & Miskate. Izzies are bestowed from the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards program which celebrates the unique richness, diversity, and excellence of Bay Area dance.
“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to collaborate with the UAlbany Performing Arts Center and ODC/Dance,” says Dance Department Chair Sarah DiPasquale. “To be a part of the creation of a new work with two prolific American choreographers as an undergraduate student is a once in a lifetime experience — And culminating in a public performance with a professional dance company is icing on the cake! We are so appreciative for the robust learning opportunities that this collaboration has produced for the Skidmore dancers.”
Remaining performances in the Dance in Albany series include:
New York Theatre Ballet with Bridgman|Packer Dance (February 17)
Paul Taylor Dance Company (March 4)
Dublin Irish Dance (March 18)
Savion Glover (April 22)
Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company (May 13).
Advance tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for students, seniors, and UAlbany faculty-staff. Tickets purchased on the day of the show are $20 for the general public and $15 for students, seniors, and UAlbany faculty-staff. Individual tickets can be purchased on the UAlbany Performing Arts Center’s by clicking the link here.
Syracuse natives Sophistafunk have announced a show at the Stanley Theatre on Feb. 18, 2023, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Sophistafunk is comprised of Adam Gold (keyboardist), Jack Brown (frontman), Tommy Weeks (saxophonist), and Emmanuel Washington (drummer and vocalist). After nearly ten years on the road, the group continues to connect with many audiences, from jazz fans to reggae. Their live shows are packed with passion with cutting-edge lyrics and heavy beats.
Recently, they became the house band for the new game show hosted by Guy Fieri, Guy’s Ultimate Game Night, which will air on the Food Network on the Discovery+ streaming platform. They met Fieri in 2013 while performing on his show Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives at the restaurant/music venue Funk ‘n Waffles, which Gold owns.
Sophistafunk will be bringing their high energy to the stage at the Stanley Theatre, an almost 3,000-capacity venue designed by famous architect Thomas Lamb in 1928. It remains one of the three Lamb theatres still in operation, including the Proctors Theatre and The Landmark Theatre. The show is on Feb. 18 and tickets are $30.50 in advance or $40.50 the day of the show. For more information about the band and to purchase tickets, go here.
Since 2015, Larry Luttinger has been curating Jazz On Tap, a weekly jazz club, offering some of the best jazz from across Central New York to the town of Skaneateles, just outside of Syracuse. This longest-running weekly jazz offering of CNY Jazz was to be discontinued by Thanksgiving, but will now extend into March 23, 2023, with a sling of new and returning musicians from the area now slated to perform in the spring.
The “jazz club” is hosted in a historic 1880 building, which houses the 60-tap restaurant Finger Lakes on Tap. It’s a cozy, two-story venue with balcony seating available as well, which overlooks the stage. Though they sold the restaurant, which implied the closing of the Jazz Club series as well, the music, as always, prevailed, and will continue concerts in Skaneateles until the property’s lease expires in April.
On New Years’ the lakeside venue will throw down with Angelo Candela and his group, in what has become a traditional celebration of the New Year. Slated for performances in the spring are Stringdom, Mike Houston & Sam Wynn, Julie Howard, Jimmy Johns Trio, Carol Bryant Quartet, Dan Pugh Trio, Little Jazz Trio, Bob Piorun Quartet, Edgar Pagan’s GPL, Julie Falatico & Rick Montalbano, Steve Brown Duo, and Alex Becerra & Friends, and many more.
Larry Lutinger said the concerts, which are every Sunday from 2-5 p.m. are an essential cultural offering to the region.
“The various club series that we present around the area are important introductions to America’s music for many uninitiated music lovers, and folks who still don’t know all that CNY Jazz does. These afternoon sessions are easy listening, engaging, exciting, and eye opening for many new to the genre,” Luttinger said.
These sessions are free, but early arrival is recommended if you want a comfy seat. See the complete schedule of shows here.
The Notorious B.I.G.’s larger than life aura is being commemorated with an alluring statue of the hip hop legend. A nine-foot tall interactive build of the fabled rapper aptly tittled, “Sky’s the Limit in the County of Kings,” has been erected in Clumber Corner Park in DUMBO. The statue features Biggie in his trademark Coogi sweater and crown as he gazes down at the city.
Notorious B.I.G.’s presence lives on through this new interactive sculpture
The rock hall of fame inductee was born in BedStuy and is synonymous with the borough of Brooklyn. In turn, some of his lyrics have since taken life on their own and now serve as the borough’s mantra. The bronze, stainless steel sculpture includes speakers that play some of The Notorious B.I.G’s greatest hits.
The Notorious B.I.G. Sculpture up Close
The sustainable and interactive statue is carefully curated with Bronze, Resin, Stainless Steel, Winterstone, and Wood with a a built in audio system powered by a solar energy. statue plays music on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Funded by the Downtown Brooklyn and DUMBO Public Art Fund, the statue was designed by NYC artist Sherwin Banfield — who cites Biggie as one of his early inspirations — for hip hop’s 50th anniversary in 2023. Henceforth, the statue will remain in place until October of 2023.
One of his most famous positive lyrics is ‘Stay far from timid, only make moves when your heart’s in it, and live the phrase ‘the sky’s the limit’… he’s offering you his microphone, which is his throne, which is what helped him become the king of New York.I wanted to show that yes, you can be tough, but you can also show love, or spread love as he would say.
– Designer, Sherwin Banfield
NYC based artist, Sherwin Banfield, stands next to his 9-foot incarnation of the Notorious B.I.G.
Moreover, a celebration of the Notorious B.I.G. life in the form of “Sky’s the Limit in the County of Kings” is a fitting way to commemorate one of hip hop’s greatest stars. A diverse individual, the sculpture challenges the traditions of western public sculptures. The larger than life figure represents Biggie’s African American artistry, lineage, and evolution as the “King of New York.” The crowned bust is traditionally sculpted, sitting atop an angular steel frame and supported by panels that highlight Wallace’s achievements. This reflective sculpture invites the viewer to experience the larger-than-life artistry of B.I.G.’s contributions to Brooklyn and Hip-Hop culture.
On Wednsday, December 28, and for the first time since 2019, Phish took the stage at Madison Square Garden for their annual New Year’s Run.
Performing their 69th ever show at Madison Square Garden, Phish opened the night with a high-energy “Buried Alive” followed by a funk-filled “Wolfman’s Brother.” Set 1 was highlighted by a 14-minute “Stash” that was followed by a 13-minute “Split Open and Melt” to close the set.
Set 2 started off strong with “Free” which gave way to a nearly 20-minute “A Wave of Hope” that segued smoothly into “It’s Ice.” “Leaves” came out swinging after that, with “Simple,” “Plasma,” “Twist” and “Harry Hood” rounding out the set.
For the encore, a surprise “Esther” was performed in the curtain call slot for the first time in its history, with “46 Days” following up to round out the show.
Phish return for Night two tonight. Tune in at Livephish.com to join Couch Tour.
Set 1: Buried Alive, Wolfman’s Brother, Maze, Sigma Oasis > NICU, Steam, Tela, Stash, Split Open and Melt Set 2: Free > A Wave of Hope -> It’s Ice > Leaves > Simple -> Plasma -> Twist* > Harry Hood Encore: Esther > 46 Days *Trey teased A Wave of Hope in Twist
Gov’t Mule announced that the group will postpone their Black ‘n’ Blue New Year’s Eve run of shows due to a medical emergency. The show was set to hit Philadelphia and New York City.
Gov’t Mule was supposed to stop at The Met in Philly on Dec. 29, with two stops then at The Beacon Theatre on Dec. 30-31. Warren Haynes, a former member of The Allman Brothers Band, leads the band and in a statement said “After waiting for so long, we were excited to be together and finally make these shows happen, the last thing we expected was to have to postpone again. Please hold on to those tix.”
This isn’t the first time the jam band has had to postpone shows due to medical injuries (though in this case, the medical emergency hasn’t been released). At the beginning of the year, they announced their spring tour was postponed due to an injury Haynes sustained while in Costa Rica.
In 2021, Gov’t Mule released their record Heavy Load Blues, which is nominated for a Grammy in the Best Traditional Blues Album category this year. The group is made up of Haynes, as well as New York native Danny Louis, a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, and keyboard, and does backing vocals for the group. Matt Abts is the drummer, drumming with the soul of jam-rock legends that came before him. Finally, Jorgen Carlsson’s bass guitar matches beautifully with the rest of the group.
For more information about the postponement, and to check when new dates are announced, go here.
There are only three members of Fenway Park’s Fenway Music Hall of Fame: Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, and now, Zac Brown Band. That’s because they hold the record for most consecutive sold out shows at the huge stadium in Boston. Luckily, the country rock band is coming to four amphitheaters in New York this summer, playing five shows, and tickets are still on sale for all.
In 2022, Zac Brown Band released their album The Comeback, which featured re-recorded tracks with some of their most acclaimed peers including James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett and Blake Shelton. Their 2023 tour, the “From the Fire Tour,” marks the band’s tenth North American tour.
The 2023 tour will take Zac Brown Band through over 30 shows across the country, as an ode to fans and to those who worked to pull the country back onto its feet from the crises of the past couple years, the band said.
Zac Brown Band at Bethel Woods – photo by Mickey Deneher
Performing with the band on tour are multiple renowned acts, such as Marcus King, Tennille Townes and King Calaway. Zac Brown Band will be coming to Syracuse, Bethel, Saratoga Springs and Wantagh. Tickets are available here, see the full tour schedule below.
2023 TOUR TOUR DATES:
June 30, 2023 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena+
July 1, 2023 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium+
July 14, 2023 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
August 5, 2023 – Canton, OH – Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
August 6, 2023 – Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center+
August 11, 2023 – Syracuse, NY – St Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview^+
August 12, 2023 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts^+
August 13, 2023 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center^+
August 19, 2023 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park+
September 2, 2023 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion+
September 3, 2023 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion+
September 16, 2023 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater+
September 17, 2023 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater+
October 5, 2023 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek~+
October 6, 2023 – Baltimore, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion~+
October 7, 2023 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center~+
October 12, 2023 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre+
October 13, 2023 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre+
October 14, 2023 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre+
October 20, 2023 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre+
October 21, 2023 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre+
November 2, 2023 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre+
November 3, 2023 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre+
November 4, 2023 – Tampa, FL– MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre+
ADDITIONAL 2023 PERFORMANCE DATES:
March 10, 2023 – Glasgow, UK – C2C: Country to Country*
March 11, 2023 – Dublin, IE – C2C: Country to Country*
March 12, 2023 – London, UK – C2C: Country to Country*
March 17 – Tuesday, March 19, 2023 – Willowbank, Australia – CMC Rocks 2023*
Ani Difranco, a legend in the indie music scene since the early 90s, hails from Buffalo and got her start playing Beatles covers at local bars, as well as busking alongside guitar teacher Michael Meldrum. A graduate of the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts High School, Difranco began attending classes at Buffalo State College at age 16 and founded Righteous Babe Records, in 1989 at age 19.
DiFranco’s Babeville is a multi-use facility devoted to the arts built inside a 19th century Gothic Revival-style church that was rescued from the wrecking ball to become a home for home for the arts in downtown Buffalo.
According to the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, DiFranco manufactures all her albums in Buffalo, uses the services of Western New York companies for all her products and employs a staff at her downtown Buffalo offices, thus making both an artistic and economic contribution to her hometown of Buffalo.
Rob Smittix of The Xperience Monthly spoke to DiFranco recently, discussing her then-upcoming show at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, songwriters, up-and-coming musicians, as well as Buffalo and her current home of New Orleans.
AD: Hey is this Rob?
RRX: It is.
AD: It’s Ani calling.
RRX: I recognize your voice, how are you?
AD: I’m good.
RRX: I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. I’m excited about talking to you.
AD: Aw shucks. You’re in Troy?
RRX: Currently, I’m across the river but you’re coming to Troy November 11th to The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. It’s a beautiful theatre, have you played there before?
AD: Oh wow, I don’t think so. Although my life is a bit of a blur.
RRX: Well speaking of your life being a blur… you may or may not remember this but my boss here, Art Fredette and his best friend Jim Barrett used to own a record store called Positively 3rd Street in Troy. He said years ago before you really made a name for yourself, you actually came into the store dropped off cassettes and I imagine you had an acoustic with you because they say that you played a few songs.
AD: I mean, I believe it.
(Both Laugh)
AD: I believe that happened. Who’s to say what memory is ? Feels like a memory, yeah.
RRX: I’ve hear that story a few times and it really made an impression on them.
AD: I mean those were the days. I would literally bring in my cassettes to indie stores in the region and that’s how it all started. Supportive local people who are like okay local chick, what do you got? You know?
RRX: But you were really out there hustling for yourself.
AD: Just trying to make a living without a whole lot of backup.
RRX: That’s great. What I’m saying, is that you really started out DIY before DIY became the big movement that it’s become today. Being independent, having your own record label and doing it on your own way before it became the trend, is really cool. Every album you’ve put out was on your label (Righteous Babe Records), if I’m not mistaken.
AD: In one sense it’s always been there, you know? Where’s the line between? There’s local musicians in every community playing around and getting local audiences. Maybe they’re making a recording and selling them at their gigs. It seems kind of silly. I know that I’m kind of indie-girl USA and often touted for propelling the music industry into it’s new future but in another sense it’s very simple; don’t stop, keep rolling with that and f**k all of the assumptions about where you go from there.
RRX: I respect that! Well that’s cool. I’ve been in a band for years but as we know, only a handful of people actually make it in the business. That’s a dream come true for so many of us. So for people that have made it and that are recognized… that leads me to the question, what are your dreams now? What do you aspire for now?
AD: As you were asking your question I felt the urge to pushback about… even just what making it means. Along the theme of what we are talking about, you’re a musician, I’m a musician. I think anybody that makes a place for music in their life and can carve out that place somehow and make music in a way that sets them free. If it puts them in touch with their body, themselves and their community, people they play music with or for, maybe it’s a solitary thing but if it helps you process your life and be a healthy, happy person… that’s success!
RRX: Sure.
AD: So to finish answering your question, I think holding onto that. That’s all I want. I mean there’s nothing like a pandemic to to refresh my capacity to appreciate my job. After all of these decades it’s still a job. I think if there’s anything I want to do moving forward it’s to stay in touch with my joy of playing music and my purpose of it. Even though it is a f**king job, for me.
RRX: Right, right, but it’s a job that you enjoy and you do have some control over which is really cool as well. That at least I can relate to. I work in radio and for this magazine that we’ve got going on and that’s a dream come true for me. Now do you keep a dream journal?
AD: Um.. no, I barely keep a waking journal. Who has time?
RRX: I kept a dream journal for a really short period of time but then I realized that you can’t always control your dreams and I don’t want anybody reading this stuff.
AD: Oh, yeah there’s that. I somehow let my journal leak into the wider world, I don’t know if I’d recommend it.
RRX: Wow, yeah that could certainly backfire. So because I just like to chat and not really do your standard interview, I just wanted to ask what’s been going on in your life? What’s been on your mind? That sort of thing?
AD: Getting back to touring a lot, which is still just a little bit unhinged. The pandemic changed everything for everybody. Many people that I’ve been working with just splintered in different directions, starting over and the chaos of the touring industry. The whole ride-along of trying to deal with Covid protocols. You feel a little like you’re on the Muppet Show where people are just exploding around you. And the buses… I don’t know if you realize that there were no bus drivers because they all had to go and do something else.
RRX: Wow, no I didn’t even think of that.
AD: There were no buses, we were thrown into vans. It’s just been chaotic but really the divides of the shows an audiences are so high. I’ve been really looking towards the elections and trying to get people registered “A” and “B” excited about f**king changing this sh*t! There are a lot of exiting, young, diverse candidates out there, people stepping up to the plate and running for office. I just feel very strongly about supporting this movement to reclaim democracy and diversify government. I’m really excited about organizations like Run For Something. It’s crowd sourced funding of all of these different progressive candidates, in a lot of different areas. You may not have somebody specifically in your neck of the woods that you are super-jazzed about voting for but a victory somewhere is a victory everywhere. Then there’s Emily’s List, which I’ve been involved with for years, that supports pro-choice female and non-binary candidates. All of these organizations that you can contribute to and help people get their foot in the door and help politics be less controlled by the rich.
RRX: Yeah, I’m really tired of it coming down to the lesser of the two evils.
AD: Right.
RRX: I was just thinking, really… why do we always put up with these choices? There’s how many? 330,000,000 people or something like that in America, so I think we can do better.
AD: It seems like it’s cracking open. It’s changing and all we have to do is throw our weight behind this change and we can make it happen.
RRX: I’ve got to say and I am generalizing, there certainly are exceptions but I’ve got three kids and I’ve listened to them and I’m not knocking the newer generations but it seems as though many of their priorities and values are compromised. A generation that never knew the world without the internet. Kids that are more concerned about TikTok and social media than anything else. Even video games have some responsibility for the way the minds of our youth have developed. I mean there are 7 year olds who have gotten their hands on Grand Theft Auto. It desensitizes them. But the youth are the future and we need to focus on them.
AD: For sure but all of this new technology is completely unregulated, it blindsided even our ability. They want to convince you that government is bad and regulation is bad but of course that’s from the perspective of the overlords. They don’t have to be regulated they have the ability to maximize their profits, no matter what. Government is supposed to protect the little guy. Is business protecting us from itself? Or is it government? Which do you think is going to work better? It’s difficult but I believe in order to get this technology under control so that it can do more good than harm to our young people and our future. As a society we have to get the right regulations in place to counteract the insidious negative effect of the invisible algorithm and the downside of connectivity.
RRX: Also with the youth today, I’ve got to say the music is not helping. The messages that a lot of this music is pushing… and I know we grew up with records that our parents wanted to destroy but it just seems that it’s gotten way worse. Especially the image that woman are portraying in the Hip Hop scene. It’s not what I would want my daughter listening to but kind of hard to ignore it because that’s what they’re putting out now and that’s what is selling.
AD: There’s a big world out there and it’s all in the palm of their hand.
RRX: At least there are artists like yourself that do exist and do have good messages to spread. You’ve got something to say, unfortunately a lot of artists are just trying to capitalize on what will sell regardless.
AD: I feel really strongly about trying to adopt a stance of revolutionary love which hopefully I can employ into everything that I do.
RRX: It’s a double-sided coin as well because I’m not about art censorship, so even though I don’t like the messages that they’re putting out, it’s freedom of speech, they should be able to do it. I guess the problem is that the quote unquote “industry” wants to get this filth into kid’s ears. On another note, I was hanging out with my keyboardist last night he reminded me about Babeville. I’ve never been but I’ve really got to get up there.
AD: It was a huge undertaking that’s for sure and it’s a beautiful venue. It’s several venues really and an art gallery, it’s a little scene in this old cathedral. There’s a cool club down in the basement. That building was slated for demolition like so many buildings in Buffalo. Beautiful architectural treasures that because of poverty…
RRX: Urban blight.
AD: Like so many cities in The Rust Belt. But it was going to be torn down. We started action to to save the building then our karma was wrapped up in it. I remember the summer that basically two dudes spent hand digging out the basement.
RRX: Oh my God!
AD: We couldn’t get a backhoe in there and literally the basement had to be dug from 5 feet headroom to whatever it is. Two dudes! Everything of Righteous Babe went into it but actually in more recent years, I personally have moved on. My partner in Righteous Babe continues on with that venue and I’m down in New Orleans with the record company.
RRX: I was gonna ask if you were still down in New Orleans.
AD: Yup.
RRX: I’ve just seen pictures of Babeville online, so I had to bring it up. It’s really cool that you brought it back to life. I imagine the place is probably haunted. So I don’t want to take up any more of your time. Was there anything else that you wanted to say?
AD: Well for the show itself, I’m going t be playing with Todd Sickafoose on bass and keys. I’ve been playing with him for about 25 years now, my left hand man. We’re also going to be playing with a completely new drummer Jharis Yokley, so that’s radical and exciting.
RRX: Definitely.
AD: The openers are the The Righteous Babes Revue, which is a super group of Righteous Babe artists that are coming together to do these shows and play each other’s songs. It’s really so many awesome and talented babes that are currently on the label that will be opening the show and sitting in with us. This should be a really fun tour
RRX: Well I really appreciate your time. It’s really been a pleasure and I hope you enjoyed yourself as well.
Cohoes Music Hall will soon receive a major upgrade, thanks to funding awards recently received from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation.
As reported by WAMC, the city of Cohoes received the funding for an upgrade to Cohoes Music Hall and visitors center. A total of $1.88 million in funding through grants will help to restore and preserve the historic hall, the fourth oldest in the state still in use, having opened in 1874. The building will be transformed into one that is energy efficient, as well as carbon neutral, just in time for the sesquicentennial of the venue.
The money is part of the Restore Historic Cohoes Initiative that began three years ago under Democratic Mayor Bill Keeler. The initiative is centered around the preservation and restoration of City Hall, the Public Library and Cohoes Music Hall.
And about the same time, we began discussing what we dubbed our cleaner, greener Cohoes initiative, which described our efforts to use 21st century technology to create energy efficiencies and reduce carbon emissions. So we are very excited to learn to Cohoes will receive about 1.9 million in New York state grants to use towards the restoration of our musical building.
The state funding will help us honor and preserve the architecture the beautiful 19th century Cohoes Music Hall building that was left was by our forebears while at the same time allow us to transform into an energy efficient, carbon neutral building that will be powered by European floating solar project and enjoyed by future generations for centuries to come.
Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler
The grants and work on historic Cohoes are occuring in conjunction with the Albany County city’s Municipal Floating Solar installation on its water reservoir, as noted by City Director of Operations Theresa Bourgeois.
The Cohoes Music Hall was first opened in 1874, and then in 1906, it was closed again for a long time, but it reopened 100 years later in 1974, after the community came together to restore it. So 2024 marked the 150th anniversary of its initial opening and 50th anniversary of its rebirth. So we have been focused on bringing it back to life again, when it’s an active theater, but it needs a lot of work.
We call it a gem in need of a polish. So now with these two amazing grants, the NYSERDA grant and the Parks Preservation grant, we’re on track to ensure that it continues as a vital community and regional gathering space, another 50, 100, maybe 150 more years, which is very, very exciting. And it’s not just restoring its historic features, but it’s doing it in a way that makes it more energy efficient and clean energy. So it’s contributing not only to the past but to its future.
City Director of Operations Theresa Bourgeois.
State Assemblymember John McDonald, a Democrat from the 108th district and former Cohoes mayor, shared his excitement about the upcoming upgrade to Cohoes Music Hall.
As a former mayor I know the building very well, And actually is really not only in the best interest of historic preservation, in the best interest of continuing to allow music quality to be a very strong contributor to the arts here in the Capital Region, but also saves the taxpayers on the city of halls, significant funding, so a true win win win. We thank the governor and the team at NYSERDA for their support. And I can’t wait for the improvements to come to bear.
State Assemblymember John McDonald
The grants were awarded to Cohoes as part of the 2022 Regional Economic Development Council Annual Consolidated Funding Application Process. Stay tuned for more info on the upgrades coming to Cohoes Music Hall.
