On Thursday, July 21, 2022, Albany’s 6th installment of Alive at 5 kicked off with The E-Block and Souly Had, opening up for headliners, Ballyhoo!. Facing an intense heat wave throughout the week in Albany, the show was moved to the Corning Boat Launch to shield guests from the sun.
Souly Had is an r&b and hip hop artist also from the Capital Region. He went from doing covers of Amy Winehouse songs to signing a deal with Island Records in 2019. Souly Had’s single “Crush” did well on streaming platforms and “Maybe Not” took off on Tiktok. Both The E-Block and Souly Had have a collaborative performance at the Lost & Found on July 23rd.
Left: Guitarist Sebastian Right: Bassist Nick Lucera
The pop reggae rock group Ballyhoo! from Aberdeen, MD seemingly brought the heat with them on stage. With their beach-rock style, they made the middle aged crowd feel like they were on the boardwalk. With temperatures in the mid 90s, it was reasonable to see the crowd spaced out and enjoying the vibe. The vocals were not that great for most of the set, so all the audience had to go off of was the beat. Towards the end of their performance, the vibe shifted from chill beach-rock to pop-punk. There was lots of head banging, standing on amps, and hand waving that really brought excitement for the audience. They left pretty abruptly leaving the crowd confused. There were weak screams for an encore coming from the back that Ballyhoo! did answer.
Ballyhoo! is preparing to go on tour with alternative hip-hop artist, Shwayze, starting August 2nd in Indianapolis. Before that show, they are preforming at Reggae Rise Up festival in Maryland on July 31st.
Ballyhoo! Set List: Cerveza, Destroy Me, Girls, MD Summer, Middle Finger, This Chick is Wack, Social Drinker, Cali King, Front Porch, Message, I Don’t Wanna Go, Dark Sunglasses, The Fool, Cali Girl, Burrito, Struggle, Blaze This Weed, Scarlet Blue, Walk Away, Mind Over Matter, Jameson, Mixtape; Encore: Panama
In case you have yet to get your live-music fix this summer, Albany County offers ample opportunities for live music and entertainment for the rest of the summer season.
In addition to the region’s highly anticipated Alive at 5 concert series, and the incredible Empire State Plaza events here is a list of some fantastic talents coming to the area in the upcoming weeks. Highlights include a Motown Tribute from Garland Nelson’s Reflection, Get Up Jack, Doc Benson Band, Berkstar, and many more.
Albany County offers endless opportunities for some summertime entertainment, from local up-and-coming artists to fan-favorite bands and musicians. There is something for everyone this summer in Albany to check out and enjoy. For a full list of concerts in the Albany area, see below.
Making their first visit to Albany since October 2017, Spafford returned to the Capital Region with a vengeance on Thursday, June 16. Headlining week two of Albany’s beloved Alive at 5 concert series, organizers could not have booked a more appropriate act for “Jam Night” than the Arizona improv quartet; a band that’s bolstered their reputation in recent years by occasionally surprising audiences with unannounced single-song shows.
Despite a tornado warning in areas of Western New York, mother nature played nice and so did the band. Indeed the jams at Jennings Landing on this night went long and strong and judging by the look on many of the first timers in the crowd, it was as if the music was hitting them over the head like a sonic sledgehammer, and they loved it.
Opening band and local legends Annie in the Water started the evening as only they know how. The whole band was delighted to be playing for Alive at Five and you could tell from the first note. Although it wasn’t the jam-heavy sets fans may be accustomed to, the Annie boys threw down a well-rounded set that had a large portion of people on their feet. They chose original songs as well as an excellent cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” that have brought their fans to fall in love with the band.
Setlist: Time to Play, In the Sand, Lights up, River, Dreams (Fleetwood Mac), Seeds, Dancing the Night Away
In an age where “jamming” is often viewed as a dirty word, Spafford makes no bones about what type of band they are. Comprised of Brian Moss (guitar/vocals), Jordan Fairless (Bass), Andrew “Red” Johnson on keyboards and Nick Tkachyk on drums, their social media bio simply says “We Jam.” But while the theme for this week was “Jam night,” this was anything but your typical Spafford show. For one thing it was totally free, thus attracting a lot of curious and first-time listeners. Second, due to the 8pm city curfew, there was only time for the band to play one set and no encore. Another key component missing was the bands elaborate light show, which due to the time of day was an impossibility.
Well aware of these limitations, Spafford played it smart and went with an almost “festival-like” setlist. With first time ears upon them, they decided to offer up a collection of some of their more well known and more accessible compositions. Kicking things off with one of the songs that put them on the map, the opening riff of “Electric Taco Stand” made it clear that despite the constraints, these Arizona cats came to Albany to boogie down. After a beautiful and contemplative version of the Andrew “Red” Johnson sung “Slip and Squander,” bassist Jordan Fairless had his chance to shine on what was perhaps the highlight of the night, “Leave the Light On.” Shifting gears from its reggae style structure, this version would drift into a delicate and blissfully sublime space before Jordan would reel it in and lead fans through the call and response portion of the song, so catchy even first timers could be seen mouthing the words in unison.
Worth noting is that the guys appeared to be having an absolute blast on stage. Smiles all around, Jordan in particular seemed more jovial than his usual self, even making all kinds of “bass faces” and playing off Brian’s tasty licks by sticking out his tongue during an absolutely epic version of “Back Door Funk.” Showcasing their versatility and flaunting their ability to blend various genres seamlessly into one, the evening had everything from filthy funk and up-tempo jamtronica, to rump-shaking reggae, introspective instrumentals and all out rock n’ roll shred fests courtesy of Mr. Brian Moss and his custom Thomas Milana guitar: The Raven. In fact, if there was an actual way to keep track of such things, I’d be willing to bet Moss played more notes during this set than any other performer in Alive at 5 history.
After working their way through “Mind’s Unchained,” the show would come to a glorious end by way of the anthemic “Salamander Song” in which the audience was encouraged to “dance the whole way home.” Judging by the look on some of the freshly melted faces of Albany’s first timers, that’s exactly what they may have done. While it may not have been your typical two-set Spafford show, there was still plenty to like about this performance. Savoring every minute of it, Albany fans can only hope it doesn’t take 5 more years for this very talented band to return.
6/16/22 | Alive at Five | Albany, NY
Setlist: Electric Taco Stand, Slip and Squander, Leave the Light On, Backdoor Funk, Mind’s Unchained > Salamander Song
Up next in the Alive at 5 concert series is Classic Rock night with Lita Ford headlining and up-and-coming New York band Candy Ambulance opening things up. The event is scheduled to take place on June, 23 at Jennings Landing on Thursday, June 23, 2022 and as always, is completely free.
On Thursday, June 9th, 2022, Albany’s first Alive at 5 show of the year opened with Alternative/Indie rock band Young Culture and closed out with Pop-punk band State Champs. The show was moved to the rain location at Corning Perserve Boat Launch after rain was in the forecast. The sun was shining bright, however, for a high energy performance with crowd surfers just as high.
Both bands are originally from the Capital Region whose music might bring out feelings that a typical high schooler would have from their crush. Both bands share an alternative rock style that a teenager going through a break up could bop their head to. After many years of success, they decided to come back home to open the Alive at 5 series.
Young Culture started in Albany in 2016, and quickly blew up after the release of their EP “(This is) Heaven.” Young Culture performed at Empire Live back in November of 2021 for Grayscale’s Umbra Tour. Young Culture is gearing up for a summer tour titled, Into the Raging Sea with Broadside. State Champs also performed at Empire Live as the head liners for Frozen Fest. This was the release show for State Champs’ new album, Kings of a New Age.
Alive at 5 could not chose two better bands to open the series. Young Culture’s lead vocalist, Alex Magan connected with the young crowd with “Kinda Over You,” a song he said was about his ex-girlfriend in high school. That song, along with “Laylo,” helped the young crowd to mellow out for a short bit and connect with the band on a more personal level. Both songs where about a love that did not last, a theme that resonated well with the audience.
They left on a high note with “Party Girl” and “Holiday in Vegas.” Alex stood on equipment boxes in the pit to grab the hands of those crowd surfing. There was a long of head banging from other members of the band along with the crowd. They thanked Albany for inviting them back home.
Representatives from In Our Own Voices and the Capital Pride Center came out with Kathy Sheehan, the Mayor of Albany and Sam Mills, Albany’s 2022 Tulip Queen. They all gave a brief speeches about upcoming pride events in the Capital Region.
State Champs brought energy back up when they opened with “Here to Stay.” The band tried to remind everyone that Alive at 5 was supposed to be a family fun event, but then performed “Everybody But You,” one of their hit songs with the F-word emphasized in the chorus. Members of the band stood on the equipment boxes to greet crowd surfers during the set. The crowd surfing was constant by mostly young people. It was evident that the crowd may have been getting tired of the surfing as many surfers were being thrown to the barricade towards the end. The most pit opened twice, first for a circle mosh ad the second time for a traditional mosh.
It was a great performance from State Champs, that lasted over an hour. They answered cheers for an encore with two songs. They have a tour lined up for Sad Summer Fest starting in July. The festival comes to New York on July 22nd at Pier 17.
Young Culture Setlist: Bloodthin, Better Off as Friends, Hum, Godspeed, Kinda Over it, HB16, Fantasy, Laylo, Shiver, 21 Days, Drift, Party Girl, Holiday in Vegas
State Champs Setlist: Here to Stay, Eventually, Frozen, Outta My Head, Hard to Please, Mine is Gold, Act Like That, Simple Existence, Remedy, Easy Enough, Criminal, Just Sound, Losing Myself, Slow Burn, History, Everybody But You, Dead and Gone, Elevated, Secrets
Albany’s Alive at Five Summer Concert Series has announced the 2022 summer lineup, with a wide variety of musicians playing at Jennings Landing.
Alive at Five is Albany’s signature free concert series, with eight weeks showcasing various artists, from big names to up-and-coming acts, and artists from the area. The summer concert series started in 1990 with a performance by legendary folk artist Richie Havens and has since grown into a staple of the Capital Region. The shows will be every Thursday from 4:30-8 P.M.
State Champs is an American Rock band from Albany, New York. Young Culture is also from Albany and is a three-piece alternative rock band. State Champs have been a band since 2010, and have released three EPs and four full-length albums. They have been nominated for many awards at the Alternative Press Music Awards. Young Culture is friends with State Champs and has toured together and worked on music together as well.
Spafford is a four-piece act from Phoenix, Arizona, and their sound can be described as electrofunk therapy, which combines deep sonic exploration and jam-heavy improvisation. Their songs range from 10-30 minutes, taking an interesting view of funk-dance music. Annie in the Water’s music is a groovy combination of Reggae, Funk, Rock, Blues, and Jamstyle. The band is a six-piece and was created out of chance as founding members Michael Lashomb and Bradley Hester met at Hobart College in Geneva in 2007.
Known as heavy metal’s original blonde rocker, Lita Ford is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s and had a successful glam metal solo career in the 80s. Her 1989 single “Close My Eyes Forever” with Ozzy Osbourne is her most successful song, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard 100 charts. Candy Ambulance is an Albany-based grunge-punk trio who are known for its poppy melodies and dynamic vocal changes.
Talib Kweli stands as one of the worldâs most talented and most accomplished hip-hop artists after nearly 20 years of recordings and performances. He has worked with Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and more. He will be joined by DJ TGIF, DJ SIROC, and JB!! aka Dirty Moses.
Cassadee Pope is a Grammy award-nominated pop-punk singer and a country artist, songwriter, & musician. She was the lead singer of the rock band Hey Monday before becoming the winner of the third season of The Voice and the first female winner. Sydney Worthley is an alternative artist from Albany, New York who became an independent artist at 17 and has released a few albums with regular air time on the radio.
Ballyhoo! is an American reggae rock and punk band. The group has sold over 30,000 copies of its five albums and more than 200,000 digital tracks. Souly Had is an artist from Duanesburg, New York, who creates hip-hop and R&B music, with over one million streams on Spotify. The E-Block are an indie band from Albany, New York, named after the street they all grew up on.
Donavon Frankenreiter is a musican and surfer, who for nearly four decades has been traveling the world as a surfer and musican. His sound is a unique blend of laid-back grooves, philosophical lyrics and soulful delivery. Sean Rowe is an alternative folk singer-songwriter and musician. He has a recognizable deep and husky voice that brings the sound of country and Americana together.
Doug E. Fresh is a Barbados-born American rapper, record producer, and beatboxer, also known as the “Human Beat Box”. Fresh is able to accurately imitate drum machines and various special effects and is a pioneer of 20th-century American beatboxing. He will be joined by Ohzhe & DJ TGIF and DJ Hollyw8d.
Doug E. Fresh.
All Alive at Five performances are free and begin at 4:30pm each Thursday this summer, beginning June 9
