The newest edition of The Palace Sessions features actor, director and singer Thomas Nicholas, along with his band. The Palace Sessions are a series of performances featuring local NY groups as well as national acts, held at the Palace Theatre in Albany.
The Thomas Nicholas band, borrowing its name from its creator, has spent the last ten years experimenting with music and touring around the world. Over the course of 700 shows, they have impressed audiences with their special blend of pop and rock.
The band has released six albums, and are currently working on their 7th. Outside of those official releases, Nicholas makes new singles every six weeks on Patreon.
The Palace Theatre serves as one of Albany’s most iconic landmarks and during its lifetime has hosted many artists, ranging from Wurliday to The Ill Funk Ensemble. Built in 1931, the theatre was originally used to show vaudeville acts and films. It had a resurgence in 1984 when The Palace Performing Arts Center was created.
This historic location may have decades of history, but its overall mission has never changed. The Palace strives to bring world class entertainment and culture to the Capital Region, while also helping the community.
The session will be live streamed on The Palace Theatre’s youtube channel on 2/1 at 7 PM courtesy of Mirth Films. During the stream, donations can be made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. This organization is dedicated to saving lives and bringing support to those affected by suicide.
The Capital Repertory Theater announces previews for the critically acclaimed show FLYabout the Tuskegee Airmen, the unit of black pilots that was the first of its kind in the US military. Previews for the show will run Jan. 28-Jan. 30.
FLY tells the story of four black pilots serving in the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.
Trey Ellis and Ricardo Kahn wrote the play which tells the story of several black pilots who flew on wartime bombing missions in World War II. The story is told through a mix of classic theater, dance, and spoken word. These spoken word portions of the play are performed by a griot, a traditional West African storyteller.
FLY is directed by Clinton Turner Davis and choreographed by Hope Clark. Davis has directed plays both in the United States and in Taiwan. His experiences includes productions for the Negro Ensemble Company and Theatre Four. He is also the director of the American Young Playwrights Festival.
The view from inside Capital Rep.
Clark was nominated for a Tony Award for her choreography in 1993’s Jelly’s Last Jam. In the past, she has collaborated with renowned director George C. Wolfe.
Opening night of FLY, at the Capital Repertory Theater, is Feb. 1 with shows on Tuesdays-Sundays running until Feb. 20. Tickets can be purchased at the Capital Repertory website or by calling the box office at 518.346.6204.
A new art exhibit opens at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center. Blind Visionariesisa visual and musical installation that combines images from blind photographers and live jazz. The performance will be on Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center.
The photographers are from a New York City based group called the Seeing with Photography Collective. They use a new method of painting referred to as “light painting” which they will perform in a concert with a live jazz band. Their work is being published in the book Shooting Blind by Aperture.
At the event itself a voice narration from the members of the collective guides the participants through the same artistic process. At the same time, their photographs are projected on the walls to create a connection between the visual and musical.
The musical accompaniment is courtesy of Daniel Kelly. The long time composer and performer, who even worked with Lauryn Hill in the past, will be playing with his band the Danny Kelly Trio.
The group also features Adam Coté on bass and Bram Kincheloe on drums. In addition to the Feb. 3 performance Blind Visionaries will host a free show for high school students on Feb 4. Free reservations at the Performing Arts Center website.
Following Umphrey’s McGee’s show at the Palace Theatre on Saturday, January 22, bassist Ryan “Little King” Stasik, World’s Okayest Bass Player, joined with a trio of Buffalonians for a heavy post show at Empire Underground as Death Kings. Aqueous guitarist Uncle Mike “Muerto” Gantzer, former Turkuaz drummer Michelangelo “Ox” Carubba, and guitarist Brett Fernway channeled metal and alternative from the 1990s at their fourth show as a band.
In a venue that Stefon would rave about – “Albany’s hottest coldest place for hardcore fusions jams is Empire Underground. They’ve got everything – an entrance down a parking garage ramp, cement walls, PBR for days, and look in the corner, is that a wook? No, those are Gremlins, and not the Gizmo kind.” Yes, Empire Underground was the place to be post-Umphrey’s McGee.
Opening with Harvey Danger’s 90’s anthem “Flagpole Sitta” gave the audience a taste of what was to come, with deep shredding metal, especially on the original “Suicide Tuesday.” Stasik noted that even though it was their fourth show as a band, it “feels better every time.” Death Kings is the post show of choice if your prog metal needs aren’t met. Ween’s “It’s Gonna Be a Long Night” stood out among an original filled setlist, as the band pushed past 3am and into the cold of Sunday morning.
Setlist: March, 86, Flagpole Sitta, Dead Memories, Cyco, Flom, Welcome 2 Hell, It’s Gonna be a Long Nite, Suicide Tuesday, Easgles, Territorial Pissings, Burn Enemy, Fuck Authority, Bad Mouth, Disembodied Encore: Breed, Blackout, Fight
Buffalo native Willie Nile will be coming to Albany to play at The Linda on February 18 and will be performing his new album The Day The Earth Stood Still.
The Day The Earth Stood Still album cover.
Nile used lockdown as a basis for his album. After seeing the boarded-up streets of Manhattan, he grew inspired. Speaking of the inspiration Nile said this:
I have a storage space near the Holland Tunnel, and normally on a Friday night at rush hour, it can take an hour to move five blocks. But one Friday night last June…I realized that there wasn’t a car in sight, and that I could have laid down in the middle of the street without anyone noticing. The title The Day the Earth Stood Still hit me, and I carried it around in my head for awhile, and eventually it sparked this set of songs.
Nile grew up in Buffalo, and in the early ‘70s, he moved down to NYC, where his music career started to take off. He earned national status with a series of albums, and his independent indie work added to his fame.
Willie Nile, photo by CristinaArrigoni.
Nile has racked up many famous fans, including Bruce Springsteen and Pete Townshend, both of whom he has toured with on different occasions.
After all these years I’m still feeling the passion and the power and the pull of rock ’n’ roll as a way out, as a vehicle that can offer salvation and redemption and joy in this crazy-ass world. Here’s to more music and magic on the road ahead!
Willie Nile
The Day The Earth Stood Still combines all the elements of rock and punk, mixed with the passion of going through a pandemic. Produced by Stewart Lerman, who worked with Elvis Costello and Mumford and Sons, the album is described as “magical.”
Willie Nile and Steve Earle, photo by Cristina Arrigoni.
Willie Nile will be coming to The Linda in Albany on February 18 to play his new album live, as well as other fan favorites with some rarities mixed in. Tickets can be found here.
Willie Nile 2022 Tour Dates
Fri., June 25 STANHOPE, NJ Stanhope House.
Fri., July 2 BOSTON, MA City Winery
Sat., July 10 RED BANK, NJ The Vogel at Count Basie Theater for the Arts. Two shows: 4 & 8 p.m. 4 p.m.—40th Anniversary Show for Willie’s second album, Golden Down, featuring the whole album played top to bottom plus several fan favorites. 8 p.m.—Willie’s eponymous first release played in its entirety (41st Anniversary) followed by different fan favorites.
Sat., July 17 PIERMONT, NY Turning Point (solo; two shows)
Thurs., July 22 RIDGEFIELD, MA (outdoor show)
Sat., July 24 AVIS, PA WQBR Radio gig; outdoor show
Fri., Aug. 13 EGREMONT, MA The Barn. (duo show)
Sat., Aug. 21 TARRYTOWN, NY Tarrytown Theater,
Sun., Aug. 22 NEW YORK, NY City Winery (new album release show)
Sat., Aug. 28 WASHINGTON DC The Hamilton
Wed., Sept. 1 WOODBRIDGE, NJ Woodbridge HS Fields. 1 Samuel Lupo Place. Free show
Having performed in the Capital District 11 times since 2003, Umphrey’s McGee performed their most cohesive show in the region to date, a dialed in performance at the Palace Theatre in Albany on Saturday, January 22 that brought out the heavy hitters, a few bust outs and an audience that was immensely appreciative.
If opening the show with “Cemetery Walk” didn’t set a tone for the evening, the 14+ minute “Booth Love” that followed certainly did. “Make it Right” and the relatively new “Suxity” followed, segueing nicely into a classic version of “The Floor.” From there, the piano stylings of Joel Cummins were front and center for “Salamander Strut,” a tune that has not been played this decade, let alone this century – the last performance coming in 1999, a gap of more than 2400 shows.
And if a 23 year bust-out didn’t get your attention, a rare cover over Ween’s “Even If You Don’t” followed, marking the second time the band has played it, and third overall if you count the Godboner set from Summer Camp 2015. “Anchor Drops” -> “Mulche’s Odyssey” rounded out a cohesive 66 minute set, leaving the audience cheering for more.
And more they would get. Opening up the second set with pure rock anthem “Attachments, with a high energy shredding jam to follow that segued into “Glory.” “The Crooked One” featured a tease of The Police’s “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” transitioning seamlessly into “It Doesn’t Matter,” each song clocking in at over 12 minutes a piece.
“The Silent Type” followed, with a low key tribute to Albany’s roots in “The Fussy Dutchman,” followed by a patiently built “JaJunk” which built into an all time great thumping dance session. For the encore, the companion to the opener, “Cemetery Walk II” featured guitarist Brendan Bayliss joining Cummins on keys, a rare treat that put an exclamation point on the Umphrey’s best show in nearly two decades worth of Capital Region performances.
Thursday, January 20 marked the return of Greensky Bluegrass and The Infamous Stringdusters to the Capital District, with a performance at the Palace Theatre that kept the audience warm and cozy from the frigid temperatures outside.
Greensky Bluegrass returned nearly two years after their last Albany performance, that time at The Egg with Ghost Light, and after a bit of a wait, they were back to kick off their Winter Tour ahead of the release of their new album, Stress Dreams.
photo by Zak Radick
Opening up the show were The Infamous Stringdusters, recently nominated for a Grammy for their Bill Monroe tribute album. They kicked off the show with “Rise Sun” off their 2019 album of the same name, and negotiated a very brief power outage, never missing a beat. The band took a few opportunities to comment on how long it’s been since they’ve seen each other, how good it feels playing live, and how much fun they were having.
Dobro player Andy Hall, a native of Binghamton spoke to Forbes this past week, recalling his view of his hometown:
The Binghamton area is beautiful — rolling hills, forests and lots of medium-size towns. Not a lot is happening there, but there are lots of colleges in the area, it was a great place to grow up and there were awesome down-to-earth people. I used to have a somewhat negative view of my hometown, but I think that just went along with the urge to escape and see the world. I went back recently to receive a distinguished alumni award from my high school and was really impressed with what they have going on with music and theater. It changed my view of my old high school for the better!
Andy Hall
The nearly hour-long set from Stringdusters included covers of the Grateful Dead’s “Touch of Grey” and The Police’s “Walking on the Moon,” as well as “Colorado” and “Sirens,” with the appreciative Albany crowd grooving along. Earlier in the day, the band released “I Didn’t Know” off their upcoming album, The Fray. Listen to the full show below:
Setlist: Rise Sun*. Colorado, Sirens, Touch of Grey^, Fire, Back Home Again, Walking on the Moon%, Vertigo, If You’re Gonna Love Someone, Fork in the Road
* Power outage on stage ^ Grateful Dead cover % The Police cover
Returning to the Palace Theatre stage for the third time, Greensky Bluegrass celebrated the pending release of Stress Dreams, which was released 30 minutes after the band took their final bows. Songs from the album, included the catchy “New and Improved,” “Monument” and “Worry For You,” which had its live debut this evening. Greensky Mandolinist Paul Hoffman noted early in the first set, “We made a plan to play this show a long time ago with the Infamous Stringdusters, and so far the plan is working.”
A rarer tune, “Bont’s Breakdown” was performed for only the fourth time in the last 12 years, with fan favorites “Go it Alone” and “Living Over” closing out the first set with a 1-2 punch.
photo by Zak Culver
A new arrangement of “Old Barns” led to one of the top jams of the night, with the visually explosive light show from Andrew Lincoln offering the perfect dose of psychedelic luminescence to layer over the band. “Take Cover” and “Tarpology” both left plenty of room for improvisation, entrancing the audience as they filled every minute. The show concluded with another Stress Dreams track, “Until I Sing,” with the audience praising the band one last time before heading out into the bitter winter night, a little warmer thanks to The Infamous Stringdusters and Greensky Bluegrass. Stream the show via Archive.org.
Set 1: Jaywalking, New and Improved, Do Harm, Train Junkie, Worry For You*, Bont’s Breakdown, Do It Alone, Living Over Set 2: Monument, Beauty and Pain, Old Barns^, Kerosene+, Take Cover, Against the Days, Tarpology, Windshield Encore: Until I Sing * debut ^ new arrangement + “Let it Grow” (Grateful Dead) tease
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.
North Side Sound
Four-piece Albany band North Side Sound is gearing up to release their EP, Take My Time, on January 28. It’s unclear whether they’ll be on the project, but in 2021 they released singles “Five” and “Dive Deep.” The former centers around an upbeat guitar riff, with hints of reggae not unlike No Doubt. The latter is mellow for most of its runtime, before exploding in its final third.
The Grandstand Jockeys
Hailing from Waterford, the Grandstand Jockeys are preparing for their upcoming album Place, out February 12. “Now You Do,” the first track off their 2021 debut EP WIN, is expected to make the cut. The band has described their sound as a “Tom Petty joining Nirvana and Queens of the Stone Age.”
River Costa
Independent singer-songwriter River Costa has released her EP, Mallely’s Lonely Time on Makeout Point. The first song, “Tumultuous,” is about a relationship she has trouble defining. Even though she’s excited about what the future holds, she also has doubts, fears, and even occasional apathy. Costa has also performed as a backup singer for the band Niksen.
Slipknot, the notorious heavy metal band, will pass through Brooklyn and Albany this May. This information comes amidst the announcement of Knotfest Roadshow 2022. Special guests Cypress Hill and Ho99o9 are expected to join Slipknot amidst the second leg of their tour and will perform in the two New York venues.
Slipknot was first formed in 1995 in Des Moines, Iowa and their 1999 debut self-titled album propelled them to international fame, selling over two million US copies to date. Since then, the band has dominated the heavy metal scene for over twenty years. Their most recent studio album, We Are Not Your Kind, was released in 2019 and debuted at #1 in 12 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Mexico.
The Grammy-award-winning band announces their 2022 tour following the success of Knotfest Roadshow 2021, which sold out amphitheaters across the country. Moreover, Slipknot’s highly anticipated seventh studio album is expected to drop this year, and their 2021 single, “The Chapeltown Rag,” which debuted at Knotfest Los Angeles, has fans craving for more music. Former Knotfest attendees describe the event as an immersive, apocalyptic, and unforgettable experience.
Slipknot
Hip hop groups Cypress Hill and Ho99o9 are also set to follow Slipknot on the second leg of their tour and will be joining the band in Brooklyn and Albany. Cypress Hill initially gained notoriety from 90’s rap songs such as “Insane in the Brain” and “Hits from the Bong.” Since then the group has dabbled in numerous other genres and gained respect from the likes of rock legends Mike Shinoda and Tom Morello. To this day, the group remains a permanent staple of the 90s West Coast hip hop scene. Ho99o9, on the other hand, is a horrorcore rap group, more emblematic of the metal themes that Slipknot portrays. Their music is significantly more uproaring in the way it mirrors and pays respect to heavy metal vocals. The group may not be well known, but they have gained respect between the genres that they envelop, working with the likes of rapper GHOSTEMANE and industrial metal band 3TEETH.
Cypress Hill
Listed below are the tour dates and venues for Knotfest Roadshow 2022. Brooklyn will host the band at Barclays Center on May 20th and Albany will host the band at MVP Arena on May 24th.
Knotfest Roadshow 2022 LEG 1 – Slipknot w/ In This Moment & Jinjer
Wed Mar 16 Fargo, ND FARGODOME Fri Mar 18 Omaha, NE CHI Health Center Sat Mar 19 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena Tue Mar 22 Memphis, TN FedExForum Wed Mar 23 Tulsa, OK BOK Center Fri Mar 25 North Little Rock, AR Simmons Bank Arena Sat Mar 26 Durant, OK Choctaw Grand Theater Tue Mar 29 Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena at the BJCC Wed Mar 30 N. Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum Fri Apr 01 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Complex Sat Apr 02 Reading, PA Santander Arena Mon Apr 04 Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Wed Apr 06 Green Bay, WI Resch Center Thu Apr 07 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center Sat Apr 09 Minneapolis, MN Target Center Mon Apr 11 Winnipeg, MB Canada Life Centre Tue Apr 12 Regina, SK Brandt Centre Thu Apr 14 Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre Fri Apr 15 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place Sun Apr 17 Vancouver, BC Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
Knotfest Roadshow 2022 LEG 2 – Slipknot w/ Cypress Hill and Ho99o9
Wed May 18 University Park, PA Bryce Jordan Center Fri May 20 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center Sat May 21 Providence, RI Dunkin’ Donuts Center Sun May 22 Manchester, NH SNHU Arena Tue May 24 Albany, NY MVP Arena Thu May 26 Montreal, QC Bell Centre Sat May 28 Québec, QC Videotron Centre Sun May 29 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre Mon May 30 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage Wed Jun 01 Cincinnati, OH Heritage Bank Center Thu Jun 02 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena Sat Jun 04 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Theatre Sun Jun 05 Moline, IL TaxSlayer Center Tue Jun 07 Bonner Springs, KS Azura Amphitheater Thu Jun 09 Colorado Springs, CO The Broadmoor World Arena Sat Jun 11 Nampa, ID Ford Idaho Center Mon Jun 13 Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena Tue Jun 14 Ridgefield, WA RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater Fri Jun 17 Las Vegas, NV MGM Garden Arena Sat Jun 18 Chula Vista, CA North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Tickets for all Knotfest Roadshow 2022 dates go on sale at 10 AM local on Friday, January 21st, 2022 from KnotfestRoadshow.com. To stay updated on Knotfest Roadshow 2022, check out the official Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages.
Annie in the Water have announced a slate of winter tour dates, ahead of the release of their forthcoming studio album, Sun at Dawn, set to be released Friday, March 4th.
Artwork by Tony Campono, based on a photograph taken by Matt Richards at dawn on Going To The Sun Road at Glacier National Park.
Recorded directly to tape at Artfarm Recording in the heart of the Hudson Valley and mixed by Corey Hayward, Sun at Dawn represents the band’s time spent independently at home, together in the Adirondacks, and on the road again with their fans.
Our forthcoming album Sun at Dawn represents the paths we took in life as individuals and how it brought us together in the band. The album consists of songs that were written along these separate life experiences and are joined by songs that were written together as a band. The sun at dawn illustrates that this is just the beginning of our adventures musically and as friends.
We have a lot planned for 2022. Beyond releasing our newest album we are lining up bigger tours than we have had in recent years. Not only that, but we have also began writing more new material after the recording process of the upcoming album ended. We are fully prepared to hit the ground running when the music scene begins to boom again and we can’t wait to show everyone everything we have been working on!…
Matt Richards, Annie in the Water keys
Annie in the Water’s sound has a groove filled combo of reggae, funk, rock, blues and jam, written with a conscious dose of positive vibes, unique melodies and intelligent lyrics. The group has the ability to fill an entire night with original music and also render well-known covers in their signature style, giving fans extraordinary experiences to share that can’t be seen anywhere else.
Comprised of members Brad Hester (Lead Vocals/Rhythm), Michael Lashomb (Lead Guitar/Vocals), Ryan Trumbull (Drums/Vocals), Chris Meier (Bass/Vocals), Matt Richards (Keys/Vocals) and Brock Kuca (Percussion/Vocals), each performance is another adventure, both exhilarating and everlasting. The group creates a blend of music and entertainment that is inspired by the audience and the moment; the fan-base grows with every single performance in large part due to the indisputable fact that Annie in the Water will make people dance and feel happier no matter their age.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKxG7B35Btg
Annie in the Water Winter Tour 2022 Dates
1.26 Buffalo Iron Works // Buffalo, NY ^ 1.27 Parish Public House // Albany, NY ^ ! 1.28 Sonia // Cambridge, MA ^ 1.29 Nectar’s // Burlington, VT ^ ! 1.30 Portland House of Music // Portland, ME ^ 2.4 Waterhole // Saranac Lake, NY * ! 2.6 Mercury Lounge // New York, NY ^ 2.10 Funk ‘n Waffles // Syracuse, NY 2.11 Froggy Daze // Kerhonkson, NY
^ w/ Eminence Ensemble ! Annie in the Water Headlining show
