The Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival will return for its 20th annual celebration on Saturday, September 10 at Jennings Landing. First run in 2002, the free-to-the-public event starts at noon and closes at 8pm, with the five-act day being wrapped up by a fireworks display.
Albany Riverfront Jazz Promotional Poster.
Opening up the day’s music will be the Teresa Broadwell Quintet from 12:30pm to 1:30. Led by fiddler Teresa Broadwell, the Albany swing and jazz collective also includes saxophonist Leon Russo, guitarist Mike Novakowski, bassist Peter Toigo, and drummer Cliff Brucker.
Following is Charged Particles, performing from 2 to 3. The Latin-jazz oriented group is comprised of keyboardist Murray Low, bassist Aaron Germain, and drummer Jon Krosnick.
Next on the schedule is Black Tie Brass from 3:30 to 4:30, a NYC-based horn driven jazz/funk group. Founded in 2013, the band draws on genres such as pop, R&B, hip-hop, and more in guiding their sound.
Act number four is Samara Joy, a 22-year-old singer from the Bronx on stage from 5 to 6. A Verve Records artist, her young career has already been impressively marked by multiple appearances on the TODAY show and a TikTok page with over 100 thousand followers.
To close out the night will be the headlining Soul Rebels, performing from 6:30 until the festival’s end. Big name collaborations of theirs include Katy Perry, Nas, Metallica, Big Freedia, G-Eazy, and the Wu-Tang Clan.
Food and beverage vendors will be available on site, and more information can be found on albanyevents.org
American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, Chris Stapleton entertained some 20,000 fans at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on Friday, August 26. Supporting tour acts included Morgan Wade and Elle King.
Setlist: Nobody to Blame, Parachute, Second One to Know, Starting Over, Millionaire (Kevin Welch cover), Hard Livin’, Worry B Gone (Guy Clarke cover), What Are You Listening To?, Traveller, Whiskey and You, Arkansas, You Should Probably Leave, Midnight Train to Memphis (The Steel Drivers cover), Might as Well Get Stoned, Cold, Free Bird/The Devil Named Music, I Was Wrong, Joy of My Life, Fire Away, Broken Halos, Tennessee Whiskey (David Allan Coe cover).
The GottaGetGon Folk Music Festival is set to return to Saratoga Springs for the first time since 2019 this weekend from Friday, September 2 to Sunday, September 4.
GottaGetGon festival poster.
The festival, which since 1970 has been run as a public function of the Pickin’ & Singin’ Gatherin’, an Albany folk music club, is promoting the weekend as their 50th anniversary celebration, with the festival being put on ice during 2020 & 2021. It will feature concerts and a number of other festivities each day at the Saratoga County Fairgrounds in Ballston Spa.
Performers of the weekend include Saro Lynch-Thomason, a ballad singer, folklorist, illustrator, author and social activist from Asheville, NC, Alex Cumming, an English singer, accordionist, pianist and dance caller based in Vermont, Coracree, a folk four-piece that mixes various European and American styles, and the Piedmont Blūz, a husband-wife acoustic duo that specializes in country blues.
Other GottaGetGon festival events include a potluck dinner on Friday evening, a Saturday night family dance, musical workshops on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and an open mic event on Sunday.
Food will be provided at the festival, and information regarding tickets, camping and more can be found on the Pickin’ & Singin’ Gatherin’ website.
Taking place at the Charles R. Wood Festival Commons in Lake George, the event is headlined by moe., a Buffalo jam rock band whose 30+ year career includes spots opening for The Allman Brothers and The Who, as well as Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, a Maryland funk group. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will close out Friday night with a two set performance and moe. will close out Saturday and Sunday night with a pair of two set performances of their own.
Other noteworthy performers at ADK Independence Music Festival include the Ryan Montbleau Band, Austin rock group White Denim, and Boston jam band Dopapod. Singer-songwriter Hayley Jane will perform as an “artist at large,” appearing on stage with a number of different bands throughout the weekend.
Performance schedule for the Adirondack Independence Music Festival.
Gates at the Festival Commons will open at noon on Friday with music beginning at 1 p.m., while gates open at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday with music beginning at noon.
Along with music, the event will feature a variety of food and craft vendors for those attending. Information regarding tickets and more can be found on the Adirondack Independence Music Festival website.
Michael Eck will celebrate his 40th Anniversary in live music with a special performance his “spiritual home” Caffe Lena, on Sunday, September 25th.
It was on Friday, October 1, 1982, that Michael Eck made his live musical debut, playing electric guitar with the hardcore punk band Deaf Zone in a Battle of the Bands at Bethlehem Central High School. The first they played was The Clash hit “Should I Stay or Should I Go.”
For four decades since, Eck, a self-described “Roots scholar and multi-instrumentalist,” has played in every band you never heard of in Albany and some you actually may have, like The Plague, Chefs of the Future, Stomplistics, Ramblin Jug Stompers, Lost Radio Rounders and Good Things. Additionally, as a singer/songwriter, player and producer, Eck has appeared on dozens of albums.
At his anniversary show on September 25, the veteran of “maximum solo acoustic gigs” in New York, New Orleans and Austin will offer self-written selections from across his career, including tunes culled from four albums (a number of which have been covered by regional artists) as well as a brace of new material (much of it never heard by a live audience), written “during the pandemic and following a stroke.”
Eck will be joined, on a select number of show-closing songs by his adult children, Lakota Ruby-Eck (guitar) and Lillierose Ruby-Eck (violin).
Importantly, the show will also be a release party for Eck’s fifth solo album, “Your Turn to Shine—New Songs, Live at WEXT.” Physical copies will be available at the event, with digital distribution to follow. The title bears witness to the fact that most of the dozen selections were played live for the first time, in any context, at public radio station WEXT.
Sci-fi Middle Eastern fusion prog rockers Consider the Source announced their fall “Maxx Power Tour” and released a cover video of Opeth’s “Death Whispered a Lullaby”.
Maxx Power Tour
Consider the Source is a Sci-fi fusion trio blends progressive rock and improvisatory jazz, soaked in Indian and Middle Eastern styles. Their latest electric album, You Are Literally a Metaphor, reaches a peak of their fifteen-year musical journey. It includes he same fury and dazzling virtuosity of their previous work, Metaphor is also a portrait of three musicians reaching new levels of maturity.
Consider the Source
The “Maxx Power Tour” will be their return to a fully electric performance since they performed a hybrid acoustic electric tour with their “Hybrid Vol. 1: Such As A Mule”. From the bluesy swing of “When You’ve Loved and Lost Like Frankie Has” to the ethereal electro-synths of “Sketches From a Blind Man”, they continue to infuse minimalist pop, progressive metal, and freewheeling improvisation in their omnivorous musicality.
Three of Metaphor’s nine songs are Eastern European traditionals. Bassist John Ferrara’s new Taurus bass pedals and guitarist Gabriel Marin’s new custom Vigier double-neck guitar add new dimensions to the band’s already diverse sound.
As for their new cover music video, Opeth is one of the few bands who influenced the three of Consider the Source individually during our adolescent years and later collectively as a group.
They write extended compositions that are emotionally dark and brilliantly tie together sections of extreme heaviness with mellow acoustic passages. Their top-notch production, tight rhythms and catchy melodies have become something we strive for in our own original music. We’ve wanted to cover one of their songs for a long time but couldn’t pick just one favorite. We hope you enjoy our interpretation of “Death Whispered A Lullaby” with a couple of our favorite riffs added in at the end from “Closure” and “Deliverance”.
Consider the Source
FULL SCHEDULE:
09.02 Millersville, PA – Phantom Power * 09.03 Stuart, VA – Front Porch Fest 10.13 Baltimore, MD – The 8×10 ** 10.14 Abingdon, VA – Between the Vines 10.15 Pamplin, VA – Fly High CROPtober Fest 11.04 Portland, ME – Bayside Bowl 11.05 Hartford, CT – Arch Street Tavern *** 11.10 Saratoga Springs, NY – Putnam Place 11.11 Burlington, VT – Nectar’s 11.12 Asbury Park, NJ – Wonder Bar **** 11.17 Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater * 11.18 Pembroke, MA – Soundcheck Studios ***** 11.19 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Made **** 12.01 Charlottesville, VA – The Southern 12.02 Asheville, NC – Asheville Music Hall 12.03 Charlotte, NC – Heist Brewery and Barrel Arts 12.08 Atlanta, GA – Smith’s Olde Bar 12.09 Raleigh, NC – The Pour House Music Hall * w/ Chestnut Grove ** w/ Seven Teller *** w/ The Mushroom Cloud **** w/ Baked Shrimp ***** w/ Bella’s Bartok
Thursday, August 25 marked the debut performance of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), a remarkable step for the all-star Grateful Dead tribute act featuring drummer Joe Russo, guitarists Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton, keyboardist Marco Benevento and bassist Dave Dreiwitz.
photo by Zak Radick
An enthusiastic Saratoga Springs crowd – one that has seen JRAD perform from Brooklyn Bowl to The Palace Theatre and stops across the country – was treated to a fitting opener of George Jones’ “The Race Is On,” followed by an extensive “Shakedown Street” that followed. After “Row Jimmy” (which had a “They Love Each Other” tease at the start), the band shifted into “Dancing In The Street” and then seamlessly into “The Music Never Stopped,” which featured teases of “Dancing” and “Shakedown Street” intertwined throughout, then provided a sharp return to the end before closing the set with “Touch of Grey.”
photo by Zak Radick
After a setbreak full of Tom Petty songs, Russo, wearing a Late Night with Seth Meyers shirt, led the band through a rousing jam that worked its way into “Playing in the Band.” Hinted at by pre-show MoTown songs (and The Chordettes “Lollipop” post show music), JRAD then debuted Smokey Robinson’s “Second That Emotion” after the 20 minute “Playing.” The highlight of the night would arise in “Brown Eyed Women” that found Hamilton, Metzger and Benevento alternating in taking the lead in the jam, each of them finding higher peaks to reach with each passing of the baton. “Let It Grow” and Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” followed the scorching “BEW,” and the set was brought to a close with an upbeat “Franklin’s Tower.”
During the encore of “I Know You Rider,” Hamilton found every peak to take the envigorating jam up another step, as JRAD gave the SPAC crowd an uplifting number on which to end their historic night.
Set 1: The Race Is On, Shakedown Street > Row Jimmy > Dancing In The Street > The Music Never Stopped > Touch Of Grey
Set 2: Playing In The Band, Second That Emotion > Brown-Eyed Women > Let It Grow > Masterpiece > Franklin’s Tower
Nostalgia, Hawaiian shirts, good vibrations and the sounds of Motown were abound in Saratoga Springs on Thursday August 18th, as legendary summer surf rock pioneers The Beach Boys and iconic Motor City hitmakers The Temptations belted out classic after classic at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). Celebrating Sixty Years of The Sounds of Summer, the evening played out like a trip down memory lane, taking the mostly older audience back to a time when, on the surface, things just seemed simpler. Like a snapshot through American history, fans welcomed the chance to hear the songs that provided the soundtrack to so much of their lives.
The Beach Boys took fans at SPAC on a Surfin’ Safari on 8/18/22
From Hitsville USA to the Spa City, the evening kicked off with the Motown soul of The Temptations. Dressed in matching green suites, the dapper looking group was led by original member Otis Williams along with Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, Tony Grant and Jawan M. Jackson and also included a full orchestra as part of the backing band. With vocals ringing true and like a well-oiled machine, the tightly choregraphed set included fan favorites “Get Ready,” “I’ll be in Trouble, “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me), “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” With the crowd fully engaged and singing along to almost every song, not only were fans having a good time, but it seemed like the members of The Temptations were too, exchanging smiles and high five handshakes that felt genuine and unchoreographed. After a medley of songs paying homage to other Motown greats of the era, The Temptations closed their set with a song everybody knows, their signature hit “My Girl.”
Otis Williams and The Temptations performing at SPAC 8/18/22 – Photo by Zak Radick
After a brief break to clear the stage, the fun-filled evening continued with an elaborate pre-produced video introduction that flashed images and soundbites of The Beach Boys storied career. With the group’s 60th anniversary of their first album, Surfin’ Safari, approaching in October – their impact on American culture through the decades cannot be overstated. Watching the montage of popular television shows and movies the band has been featured in – from Good Morning Vietnam, Cocktail, Look Who’s Talking, and the closing credits of Boogie Nights, to shows like Full House and Friends and their complicated association with the Fab Four, it’s clear not only does this band continue to have a wide-ranging generational appeal, but that their songs have indeed stood the test time.
Have Mercy: A career spanning video montage of The Beach Boys plays moments before showtime on 8/18/22
With a minimal stage setup that simply included some artificial palm trees and a jumbotron LED screen, original Beach Boy Mike Love and longtime member Bruce Johnston walked to the front of the stage and showed their love for the Saratoga crowd by blowing them kisses before launching into the first of many surf rock medleys, kicking the party off with a “Do It Again”>”Surfin’ Safari”>”Catch a Wave” trifecta. Bolstering their iconic sound with help from talented supporting musicians Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill, Brian “Ike” Eichenberger, Christian Love, Randy Leago, Keith Hubacher and Scott Totten, this incarnation of The Beach Boys both looked and sounded great.
Working their way through all the fan favorites – the surfing songs like “Rockaway Beach,” “Surfin’ USA,” and ” Surfer Girl,” to the cruising anthems like “Little Deuce Coup,””409” and “Little Honda” it was clear The Beach Boys not only welcomed the nostalgia, but thrived in it. With their signature sun-drenched vocal harmonies for days, hearing songs like “Don’t Worry Baby,” “I Get Around, “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” and “Sloop John B” felt truly special and provided some of the biggest ovations of the evening, but perhaps the loudest came on the heels of an emotional rendition of “God Only Knows,” a song many consider to be one of the greatest ever written.
After telling a short story about the time he ran into The Beatles in India, Mike Love would sing an original song called “Pisces Brothers”, before the band would string together another series of love songs (“Darlin,” Then I Kissed Her,” Help Me Rhonda”) that saw some of the elderly couples embrace in sentimental overload. Picking the tempo back up, possibly out of fear of being too mushy, “Dance, Dance Dance, ”Do You Wanna Dance?” and a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Rock and Roll Music” came next, followed by everyone’s favorite a luau anthem ”Kokomo,” which had everyone on the SPAC lawn singing and smiling, making the final song of the set, “Good Vibrations,” very fitting. The Beach Boys would return to the stage for a two song encore, “Barbara Ann” and “Fun, Fun,Fun,” sending the audience home satisfied and happy.
After more then six decades of performing, both The Beach Boys and The Temptations have proven they still have what it takes to entertain at a high level and that there is still an audience hungry to see them. With an astounding catalog of songs that have become engrained in American culture and themes that remain universal – teenage love and angst, rebelling against authority, driving fast and having fun in the sun, hearing them played live can feel almost surreal at times. It didn’t seem to matter the original members of each group were few and few between, it was all about being there in the moment, singing the songs you grew up on, and rediscovering a piece of your own youth. A great night of ‘Greatest Hits,” have mercy on me for saying it, but even Jess and the Rippers would have found this show satisfying.
If you missed the stop in Saratoga Springs, don’t worry baby, New Yorkers still have a few more chances to catch the Sixty Years of The Sounds of Summer Tour. The Beach Boys and The Temptations play Bethel Woods on August 25th, the Chautauqua Amphitheater on August 26th, and swing by Wildwood, NJ on August 27th.
The Beach Boys | August 18, 2022 | Saratoga Springs, NY | SPAC
Setlist: Do It Again, Surfin’ Safari, Catch a Wave, Hawaii, Little Honda, Rockaway Beach, Surfin’ USA, Surfer Girl, Don’t Worry Baby, Little Deuce Coupe, 409, Shut Down, I Get Around, Be True to Your School, Getcha Back, You’re So Good to Me, Darlin’, God Only Knows, Pisces Brothers, California Girls, Sloop John B, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Then I Kissed Here, Help Me, Rhonda, Do You Wanna Dance, Kokomo, Good Vibrations
Encore: Barbara Ann, Fun, Fun, Fun
The Temptations | August 18, 2022 | Saratoga Springs, NY | SPAC
Setlist: Get Ready, Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue), The Girl’s Alright With Me, Beauty is Only Skin Deep, I’ll Be In Trouble, The Way You Do The Things You Do, Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today), I Wish It Would Rain, Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me), Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone, I Can’t Get Next to You, Is It Gonna Be Yes or No, Get Up (I Feel like Being a Sex Machine / I Want to Take You Higher / Let’s Get It On, Treat Her Like a Lady / Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now, My Girl
Each Sunday evening from 7-9 P.M. you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up-and-coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Lucas Garrett, Architrave, and Scothcka.
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 and showcases new music on EQXposure. 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.
Lucas Garrett – “Together”
Lucas Garrett is a musician from Upstate New York, who has played professionally for over nine years. He has a unique style that blends progressive rock, folk, new wave, and indie, which audiences enjoy. His newest single “Together” is out now.
Architrave – “Lorem Ipsom”
Architrave is a synth-pop duo from Ballston Spa, made up of Jennifer Maher Coleman and Paul Coleman. Their unique blend of synth and alternative sounds makes listeners really enjoy them, and their new single as well as an accompanying video is out now.
Scotchka – “Painted World”
Scotchka is a rock band from Albany that blends emo, pop punk, and alternative influences for an energetic, introspective style. Formed in 2016 under a different name, the band released their first EP, Locket, as Scotchka in 2018. Their song “Painted World” off of their new album Corinthians will be played on EQXposure.
Fans of classical music and the Chamber Music Society will now get the chance to hear them in Saratoga throughout the entire year instead of just the customary summer performances. Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) has announced a new year-round residency for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center that is slated to begin later this year. 2023 marks the 10 year anniversary for this yearly residency, which is now extended throughout the entire year, affirming SPAC’s commitment to providing programming outside of the traditional summer season.
Performances from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will return to the Spa Little Theatre for the first time since 2019. The next scheduled dates are on October 15, March 18 and May 13 with the summer performances to be announced at a later date. All scheduled musicians and accompanying selections can be found below.
While CMS may have just taken their final bow for the summer, we can’t think of a better way to celebrate the residency’s upcoming SPAC 10th anniversary in 2023 than by extending the scope of what they do in Saratoga.
~ Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Subscriptions to all three programs will be available to purchase at spac.org beginning August 26 at 10 a.m. for SPAC members. Member presales are tiered by level, and members will receive their presale start time via email. Subscriptions will be available to the general public beginning August 31 at 10 a.m. Single tickets will be available to purchase on September 8 at 10 a.m.
Monday, October 15, 2022
MICHAEL STEPHEN BROWN, Piano
KRISTIN LEE, Violin
RICHARD LIN, Violin
JAMES THOMPSON, Violin
MATTHEW LIPMAN, Viola
MIHAI MARICA, Cello
JOSEPH CONYERS, Double Bass
Bach Concerto in D minor for Keyboard, Strings, and Continuo, BWV 1052 (1734)
Schubert Rondo in A major for Violin and String Quartet, D. 438 (1816)
Handel/Halvorsen Passacaglia in G minor for Violin and Viola (1894)
Mendelssohn Double Concerto in D minor for Violin, Piano, and Strings (1823)
Saturday, March 18, 2023
JESSICA RIVERA, Soprano
MICHAEL STEPHEN BROWN, Piano
GILLES VONSATTEL, Piano
NICHOLAS CANELLAKIS, Cello
IAN DAVID ROSENBAUM, Percussion
CoplandEl Salón México for Piano and Percussion (arr. Bernstein) (1932-36, arr. 1941)
BernsteinThree Meditations from Mass for Cello, Piano, and Percussion (1971, arr. 1977)
Ginastera “Chacarera” from Cinco canciones populares argentinas for Voice and Piano, Op. 10 (1943)
Chávez “North Carolina Blues” for Voice and Piano (1942)
Ginastera “Gato” from Cinco canciones populares argentinas for Voice and Piano, Op. 10 (1943)
Ponce “Estrellita” for Voice and Piano (1912)
Bernstein “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story for Voice and Piano (1957)
Bernstein “Somewhere” from West Side Story for Voice and Piano (1957)
Golijov Mariel for Cello and Marimba (1999)
Villa-Lobos“A maré encheu” from Guia prático for Piano (1932)
Villa-Lobos “O polichinelo” from Prole do bebê for Piano (1918)
Ginastera Pampeana No. 2, Rhapsody for Cello and Piano, Op. 21 (1950)
León “Oh Yemanja” from Scourge of Hyacinths for Soprano, Cello, and Piano (1994)
Gershwin Cuban Overture for Piano, Four Hands, and Percussion (1932)
Saturday, May 13, 2023
WU HAN, Piano
ARNAUD SUSSMANN, Violin
DAVID FINCKEL, Cello
Beethoven Sonata in F major for Violin and Piano, Op. 24, “Spring” (1800-01)
Beethoven Trio in G major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 1, No. 2 (1791-93, rev. 1794)
Dvořák Trio in E minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 90, “Dumky” (1890-91)
