Category: Genres

  • Seneca Savings January JazzFest Renamed to Winter Jazzfest, Moved to February

    The Seneca Savings January JazzFest has been renamed to the Winter Jazzfest because the event will be moved to February this year to accommodate the longer NFL football schedule.

    Winter JazzFest

    The January JazzFest has been a fixture in the Syracuse area midwinter music scene since 2011, held at Mohegan Manor, Baldwinsville’s multi-story music venue. The event provides a full day of jazz and related musical styles, with fine food and drinks served. The event is also the annual fundraiser for CNY Jazz Central, the region’s primary provider of jazz in public and in schools since 1996.

    The name is now changing to the Winter JazzFest because the event will be held on Feb. 5 from 1-8 p.m. “We’re adjusting to the longer NFL football schedule, plain and simple,” according to Larry Luttinger, CNY Jazz founder and leader. “We’ve always held this event on Pro Bowl Sunday, and when the NFL playoffs expanded last year, we felt the negative effects. So here we are, same great day of music, now in February.”

    This year’s lineup features the nine-piece horn group Brass Inc playing funk, blues, and contemporary hits on the second floor of the venue. Rising star Vanessa Vacanti and the Jazz Mafia will be on the main floor, and Rick Montalbano and Julie Falatico will be in the downstairs bistro. The event always concludes with a celebrity jazz session. A special jazz menu and full drink selection will be available throughout the day.

    Brass Inc.

    Speaking about the lineup, Luttinger says ““We’re going with a more fun dance party vibe this time around. Definitely come ready to party with your best dancing shoes on.” People will be able to pop in and out of the event with their wristbands to catch whoever they want to see that day. Proceeds from the festival will support the scholastic activities of the CNY Jazz “Educational Pipeline” of scholastic programs including the SummerJazz Workshop and CNY Jazz Youth Orchestra.

    Tickets for the annual Winter JazzFest are on sale now for $25, with day of show tickets being $30.

  • Giant Panda and Aqueous Close Out 2022 With Consecutive Nights at Water Street Music Hall

    Two regional powerhouses, Rochester’s Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Buffalo’s Aqueous, descended on Water Street Music Hall, historically the area’s most prominent venue, which has come back in a big way this past year after being absent from the scene for some time. In two nights, Panda on the 30th and Aqueous on the 31st, they helped Water Street and the music fans of the area celebrate 2022 and welcome in 2023. It was the first time Rochester had live music as a New Year’s Eve option in three years. Panda returned to the venue for the umpteenth time, many of those for their year end shows, while Aqueous was there for the first time, and their first time bringing in the new year in Rochester. Though they’ve long found themselves a second home in the Flour City, having played many a special show here, including Halloween and an all-improv set.

    After long stretches of no music at all, and too many continued COVID-19 cancellations to count, stretching to the present day, surprises have grown a bit tired. Surprises have mostly consisted of cancellations, so it is enough joy to just have show without a hitch, period. Each of these shows was billed as an “and Friends” affair. Who would be the friends? The opening acts would leave little guesswork as to who these bands would invite to join them on stage. Most everything proceeded as was expected, but there was nothing lost, maybe even something gained, without that element of surprise in the mix.

    photo by Washington Torin

    On the 30th, GPGDS opened up both sides of the Water Street venue, both the Club and Hall, maxing out it’s potential. The audience could move freely between both, utilizing both bars, and the ample space in the balconies, while two stages left minimal time with no live music to enjoy. The evening got going with party funk outfit The Sideways on the main stage. Hm, wonder if we’ll see that tight three-piece horn section a little later? Immediately following on the Club stage was The Frank White Experience, a full eight-member band paying tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. to incredible effect. There was a hip-hop party going on and the “raparazzi” were in full force capturing it from all angles. Hey, their lead man, Grant, he’s played with Panda before, guessing we’ll see him with them again tonight? Then even after Panda’s main stage set, Roots Collider took over on the Club side to keep the party going into the early hours of the 31st, not letting the joint cool down too much before Aqueous’ New Year’s Eve throwdown.

    giant panda aqueous
    photo by Washington Torin

    On the main stage, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad did not disappoint. The dub was grooving, and the legal weed was permeating the air. The band strung together a set of oldies, newer tunes, and as-yet released ones, with an announcement of a new album coming April 7. The songs flowed together, stitched by pitch-perfect instrumental breaks or blasted into each other with abrupt but chill needle jumps.

    photo by Eli Stein

    As was foretold by the obvious booking and later, staging, those horns from The Sideways did make it back on stage. Horns and reggae are like peanut butter and jelly. A glorious combination, and on this night, for these songs, they hit just right. A “Cool It” > “Stop Fighting” combo with the horns may have been the highlight of the night. A deep bass pocket, punched up organ, swirling echoed effects, those infectious reggae rhythms and then tasty horn blasts cutting through it all. Pretty much perfect, and a perfect vibe to either forget and/or enjoy the year that was quickly coming to a close.

    As the horns departed, the good vibes continued as Grant entered and the band kicked into “Mr. Cop.” He added some quality rapping while throwing joints out into the crowd, as the band sang “We been all day workin’, Just a little herb that we smokin’, They calling up the cops, Cause it smell like ganja.” There was no stopping the party at Water Street on stage or off on this night, nor the next.

    Hours later another friendly party would get started. New day, same place, similar vibe. For their New Year’s Eve show, Aqueous invited local jazz-forward trio The Pickle Mafia to kick off the night. Drummer Marco Cirigliano’s kit remained on stage for The Funky Dawgz set and even after theirs as well. Hm, wonder if he’ll be playing with Aqueous some? The Funky Dawgz, a brass band out of Connecticut, revved up the crowd with their upbeat and familiar set, mixing in Gnarls Barkley and Snoop Dogg in with similarly fun originals. You had to wonder though, think we’ll see some of those horns again?

    giant panda aqueous

    Aqueous themselves were unsurprisingly ready to jump head first into lengthy improvisations. An hour-long first set featured only four songs. Each one built and existed within it’s own universe. “Second Sight” and “Kitty Chaser (Explosions)” built up layer by layer, the musicians patiently developing soundscapes, finally realizing their final destinations which they then explored even further, funky for the former, spacey for the latter. The two saxophones from the Dawgz and Cirigliano came out for the first set closer, a cover of LCD Soundsystem’s “Daft Punk is Playing at My House,” which brought more of the funk, on a tighter scale, that had the floor positively bouncing.

    giant panda aqueous
    photo by Eli Stein

    The slinky funk continued with the start of the second set a few ticks before midnight, the last few minutes of the year. With some heavy “2001” teases, a la Phish via Eumir Deodato via Richard Strauss, the groovy jam wound its way to the traditional “Auld Lang Syne.” With little to no bombast Aqueous did what Aqueous does best, just kept playing. A monster “Don’t Do It” followed, featuring some of guitarist Mike Gantzer’s best playing of the night.

    photo by Curtis Kreutter

    Craig Brodhead served incredibly filling in for David Loss who is on paternity leave. Brodhead sang lead on a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “West LA Fadeaway” that quickly left West LA for aural landscapes as yet undiscovered. Deep into the jam they were joined by a saxophone which re-centered the jam completely. Before long he was stepping off and Cirigliano was back behind the second kit. This double-drummer version of the band was really something, locked in and firing on dual engines. Eventually they found their way back to “West LA Fadeaway” and the dream of a two-drummer Aqueous was over.

    giant panda aqueous
    photo by Curtis Kreutter

    But the dreams of a music-filled 2023 were just getting underway. Dates are already on the books for Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and an album on the way. Road warriors Aqueous are sure to continue their rock and roll journey throughout the year, and Water Street Music Hall’s calendar is filling in nicely.

    Aqueous – Water Street Music Hall 12/31/22

    Set 1: Second Sight, Kitty Chaser > Weight of the Word, Daft Punk is Playing At My House¹²

    Set 2: Also Sprach Zarathustra jam³ > Auld Lang Syne, Don’t Do It, West LA Fadeaway ⁴⁵, Strange Times > Mandela Effect, Everybody Wants To Rule the World⁶

    Encore: One Headlight ⁷

    1 LCD Soundsystem
    2 Rob on vox, Marco Cirigliano on drums, Tommy Weeks and Colin Walters on sax
    3 Countdown
    4 Grateful Dead
    5 Craig on vox
    6 Tears For Fears
    7 The Wallflowers

    Check out more photos of Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad from Water Street Music Hall here and photos of Aqueous here.

  • The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes Announces Performance at Rockwell Museum

    The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes will perform at the Rockwell Museum in Corning for the first time in three years with the 2022-23 Musicians’ Choice Chamber Series on Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

    The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes

    The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes offers a concert season of five full orchestra concerts, including a side-by-side Young People’s Orchestra and professional musician collaboration, the Musicians’ Choice Chamber Music Series, concerts by the Chorus of the Southern Finger Lakes, the youth ensembles, and educational outreach programs. The orchestra is guided by distinguished Music Director and Conductor Toshiyuki Shimada, helping to highlight the musical achievements of the youth in the area.

    The concert at the Rockwell Museum in Corning, the only Smithsonian Affiliate in Upstate New York, will feature principal players Emily Dobmeier (clarinet) and Rosanna Moore (harp) presenting “From a British Point of View.” Both received doctoral degrees from the Eastman School of Music and have been
    playing together for over five years.

    This concert features three works by living and recent British composers. The first piece is the melodic Victorian Kitchen Garden Suite by Paul Reade, which became popular in the 1980s when a BBC show aired by the same name. The second piece on the program is Arcadian Sketches, composed a decade
    later by John Marson. The final piece, Sonata for Clarinet and Harp by Andy Scott, written in 2002, is influenced by Eastern European folk rhythms and jazz harmony.

    Other concerts on the Musicians’ Choice Chamber Series will be held at the Rockwell Museum in Corning on Feb. 3 and at North Presbyterian Church on March 31. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the Jan. 13 show, and tickets are on sale now.

  • Five (plus!) Must-See Shows in Rochester This January

    Happy New Year! Hopefully you are all rested up and ready to kick off January 2023 with a bang Rochester! January brings a big slowdown in touring acts around these parts, and in most parts of the country. But luckily for us, Rochester has a broad and deep pool of fantastic local talent to sate our live music appetites and this January they are coming out in full force to get us out of our warm abodes and out into the bars, clubs, theaters and anywhere else live music can be squeezed into.

    Here are five+ must-see shows happening around town this month, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg, so make sure to get out there and support the local music scene and treat your cabin-fevered brain to some much needed aural relief.

    January 6: Maybird at Bug Jar

    We recently had hoped 2023 would bring a more active year from these psychedelic rock stalwarts, and voila, here we are with a headlining gig on the first Friday of the year. Josh and Adam Netsky, and Overhand Sam’s layers of sound and ethereal grooves is the kick start your year needs. Pluck and Croix will open the show.

    Show starts at 9pm and tickets are $10/$12 dos

    January 6: Herb Smith Freedom Trio at Three Heads Brewing

    We’re recommending two different shows on the same night, but if you play your cards right you could do both. Herb Smith plays trumpet for the Rochester Philharmonic but with the Freedom Trio he expands his sound palette with plenty of effects and literally the freedom to explore the outer boundaries of jazz and beyond. With Peter Chwazik on a massive 9-string bass and Joe Parker flying free on drums, the possibilities are endless and the results are a joy to hear and be a part of.

    Show starts at 8pm and tickets are $10.

    January 19: Mikaela Davis, Dead of Winter Residency at Abilene

    One of Rochester’s many recent breakout bands, Mikaela Davis kicks off a three show residency at our favorite honky tonk, Abilene Bar and Lounge, that will warm January and creep into early February. Each night will feature two sets and as yet unannounced themes. We wouldn’t recommend missing any of these Thursday night throw downs but really, you absolutely have to get yourself to at least one. A favorite of Bob Weir’s and ours alike, this harpist and her band Southern Star are as can’t miss as they come, and Rochester gets three intimate opportunities to groove down with them in a cozy and intimate bar.

    Shows January 19, 26 and February 2 will start at 8pm and tickets are $15/$20 dos.

    January 21: Homegrown X at Lovin’ Cup

    Certainly you can get out to all of these awesome individual local shows, but there won’t be any better option for celebrating the local music scene than the annual (until Covid stopped it for 2 years) Homegrown Festival thrown by Lovin’ Cup. This year’s show will feature performances by Teagan and the Tweeds, A Girl Named Genny, The Mighty High & Dry, The Moho Collective, Friday In America, and The John Payton Project. That’s a full day of some of the best music you’ll here in Rochester, plus there’ll be tons of local food, beers and crafts to enjoy as well.

    Music starts at noon and tickets are $60/$70 dos.

    January 28: Vertices at Flour City Station

    Fresh faced instrumental progressive rock quartet Vertices is putting on a festival of their own at Flour City Station. They’ll play a full set of their heavily improvised high energy jams and are a new band that you’ll want to keep a close eye in 2023. Painted Birds will also perform and everything will be stitched together with DJ sets from DDH PVH. There will be catered food, live painting, and art vendors making this another cant-miss celebration of the local art scene.

    Everything gets going at 8pm and tickets are $10/$15 dos.

  • Phish Celebrate 40 Years with Career-Spanning New Year’s Gag

    With one last night of their first Madison Square Garden run since 2019 remaining, Phish left not a single note on the table as they brought fans on a journey through the gags that have rung in the new year, dating back to 1992.

    Sticking with a recurring theme of time and time manipulation, Phish would make this night among their most memorable at Madison Square Garden, and not only as they enter into their 40th year, but as they tie Sir Elton John for the second most shows ever played at The Garden, with 72. A post-show tribute of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was a fitting nod to The Rocket Man, who performed his last ever show at MSG in February, and his final North American show in November.

    Fans who had already been through three nights of Phish this run, and many having been at the April shows – which were rescheduled from December 2021 – were eager and anticipating something special, given that 2023 will bring in the 40th year of Phish and more celebrations to come. But how would they kick the night off, and more importantly, ring in the new year? Patience is a virtue and those who waited were rewarded, and then some.

    Kicking off the show was a highly-anticipated “Tweezer,” which set the tone for the night as playing their greatest jam vehicle in the opening slot never fails. A shift into “Halley’s Comet” netted a smooth segue into “Set Your Soul Free” which gave way to “Rift,” all energy-filled songs to start the show, following the trend of the past few nights and no let-up from any of the band, or the audience for that matter. “Cavern” gave way to the second “Tweezer” of the night, followed by the ballad “Shade” and a proper “Mike’s Groove” to close.

    Heading into Set 2, the band would begin to hint at a theme they revisit reguarly, time. Each song in the second set would have some nod towards time, even if hidden in the lyrics. The opening “Say It To Me S.A.N.T.OS.” (you will always remember where you are) and never dull second set appearance of “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (aka “2001”) gave fans the start they hoped for, with the “Kill Devil Falls” (who knew a day would turn into a week) following. A throwback to 2018’s New Year’s gag in “Mercury” (your day is longer than your year) would follow, as well as “Light” (memories fall behind; future is less and less there; past vanished in the air), “Waste” (wasting my time with you) and “Drift While You’re Sleeping” (I’ve seen the day go by; one brief moment; the days are few) providing even more direct hints as the set progressed, but mid-set, when you’re tuned into the music, the lyrical connections are up for setbreak discussion. And if a final hint was needed, “Backwards Down The Number Line” gave the clearest indication the band was getting nostalgic, as one does on New Year’s Eve.

    Phish sprinkled some musical bread crumbs during the second intermission that helped shed a little light on the traditional New Year’s Eve gag. Attentive fans picked up on music from Parliament Funkadelic (“Tear the Roof Off the Sucka”) and The Breeders (“Cannonball”) being played lightly on the PA, along with aptly titled songs like “Umbrella” (Rihanna), “Steam” (Peter Gabriel), “Mockingbird” (Carly Simon) and “Send In The Clowns” (Grace Jones). It all hinted at a retrospective look back at the band’s career and that’s exactly how the manic yet celebratory third set played out.

    In true Phish fashion, the final set started out with a barbershop quartet proclaiming that the stroke of midnight would mark the band’s 40th year together. As a birthday “wish” of sorts, Trey makes one for a time machine, so as to do it all again. In response, a cube-like object then descended from the rigging above the stage, showcasing both audio and video from all of the band’s storied New Year’s Eve showsa and gags such as Halloween shows Wingsuit and Sci-Fi Soldiers. Dancers from all different eras then began to emerge, including a Wombat, sadly not costumed by Abe Vigoda this time, who winds up “breaking” the machine and setting off a wave of more ghosts from Phish New Year’s past.

    With the fitting set-opening “Ghost” now in full swing, a full fledged choir emerged from backstage and the band steered into “Bohemian Rhapsody” in a nod to their 12/31/96 show in Boston, MA. The song was also visited by an entire marching band as well as it made its way into “Jungle Boogie,” which had not been played since 12/31/03 in Miami, FL. A “Wilson” castaway merged the 2002 “Tom Hanks” appearance with Trey Anastasio being stuck on a platform in 2019, and was unveiled from atop the stage as the music shifted into the namesake song before a final New Year’s countdown and a confetti-filled “Auld Lang Syne.” The constant set of revolving characters also saw ones like Father Time from 12/31/99, the “Meatstick” dancers from 12/31/10 and the “Petrichor” dancers and umbrellas from 12/31/16 make apperances.

    2023 was greeted by “Carini” and a host of “naked dude” dancers reveling in the new year’s energy, even forming a chorus line during “New York, New York,” before eventually, as expected, shifting back to “Tweezer” one last time. An explosive “Crosseyed and Painless” > “Piper” section may have been the pure musical highlight of the set, before “A Life Beyond The Dream” and the always raucous “First Tube” closed out the final set of the run.

    In their 14th overall New Year’s Eve performance at Madison Square Garden (and 22nd over the last 40 years), Phish celebrated what has made these shows so unique – the music, the antics, the special guests and the unexpected gags that continue to influence and be emulated throughout the jam band world. The only question left from this New Year’s Eve show is, how are they going to top this? We’ll get an answer to that question later this year.

    Phish Madison Square Garden – New York, NY 12/31/22 – setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Tweezer, Halley’s Comet -> Set Your Soul Free > Rift, Cavern > Tweezer > Shade, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove

    Set 2: Say It To Me S.A.N.T.OS. > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Kill Devil Falls, Mercury > Light > Waste, Drift While You’re Sleeping, Backwards Down The Number Line

    Set 3: Ghost > Bohemian Rhapsody > Ghost -> Jungle Boogie > Wilson > Auld Lang Syne > Carini > Theme From New York, New York > Tweezer > Prince Caspian > Crosseyed and Painless > Piper, A Life Beyond The Dream, First Tube

    Encore: Show of Life > Tweezer Reprise

  • Elliott Murphy’s Amazing European Journey Enlightens Us with Prose and Song

    Elliott Murphy is my latest surprise discovery and I am a wealthier man for meeting him and engaging in conversation. His vast career has taken him from Garden City, Long Island to Paris. A Rock-n-Roll, singer/songwriter, poet, performer, author and journalist for Rolling Stone and Spin Magazine, Elliott Murphy has a career worth investigating. I was most fortunate to have him on The Long Island Sound podcast.

    Elliott Murphy

    Looking at the experiences of this past year, I’m amazed at the various brushes with celebrity, while I lurked in the shadow of creative greatness. Unbeknownst to your humble correspondent, I stood briefly in the shadow of Elliott Murphy. Not shy to request interviews for NYS Music, I had yet to appreciate the unbelievable career of the man, who alongside Bruce Springsteen, was once touted as the next Bob Dylan. 

    After a brief “How do you like the Grand Opening?” back and forth, I propositioned Elliot for a full interview on The Long Island Sound podcast, which you can find right here.

    Elliott Murphy was raised in Garden City and after a sojourn through Europe, returned to New York in 1973, and was promptly signed by Polydor Records and produced his acclaimed debut album, Aquashow. Paul Nelson from Rolling Stone acclaimed:

    He’s the Best Dylan since1968

    Paul Nelson (Rolling Stone)

    Discovering Elliott Murphy

    The road to discovery is littered with potholes, twists, turns, gumption and glory. Nevertheless the search for the next great artist or song which we long to cling to and make our own, may very well be around the corner. That’s why we search, because it can appear in the most unlikely places.

    LIMEHOF

    My recent job was to experience the Grand Opening of the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, as luck would have it among the many notable celebrities in the music industry, I came across a humble man, open to my small talk to pass the time with me as the circus of celebrity bandied about.

    Paris My New Home

    Traveling through Europe on a whim and a prayer seemed to be the right of passage for many twenty something’s over the decades. In 1977, Murphy took his guitar, harmonica and talent on a trip to Italy. Elliott put out a hat for tips and sang his heart out on various street corners throughout Europe, and brought home some new honed songs to New York.

    Elliott Murphy performs at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame Grand Opening

    Upon his return to America, he played around Manhattan and scored a record deal with Polydor Records. The birth of his acclaimed album “Aqua Show” took the critics by storm as he was touted as the next Bob Dylan alongside Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, and Louden Wainwright III, but maybe America was just not ready for this soon to be prolific Parisian ex-patriot. You’ll have to tune into The Long Island Sound podcast to get, as I say, “The rest of the story.”

    Prolific Singer/Songwriter & Author

    Elliott Murphy’s musical journey seems to have been born out of a dream. He must be a dreamer having authored several books, and produced over thirty-five albums. In fact if you follow Elliott Murphy on Facebook, you’ll experience his awesome ability to detail dreams from the evenings slumber with the Rock Dream posts.

    My latest project is called Elliot Murphy’s rock dreams. And this is a very bizarre one. I have dreamt about rock stars ever since I can remember. But I never wrote it down. Okay.about a year or so I decided I would start writing down these dreams and putting them up on my Facebook page. And I’m up to number 86 shit.

    Elliott Murphy

    In October 2012, he was the recipient of the Medaille de Vermeil de la Ville De Paris.  On November 4, 2015 he was decorated with the Chevalier Ordre des Ares et des Lettres (Order of Arts & Letters), and in 2018 he was inducted to the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame by Billy Joel. He keeps going strong, touring throughout Europe, appearing at over one hundred events per year. 

    During our interview, I found Elliott to be open, honest and transparent about his career and journey.

    It was my privilege to spend over an hour with him as we conducted a virtual interview between New York and Paris. There is much more to unpack about Murphy’s career, and  I’m hopeful he will grant me additional interviews in the near future. (No pressure, Elliott, just say’n)

    Sometimes we have to appreciate the past, and look at the historical journeys great artists have taken to appreciate their art and their careers.

    The Joel/Springsteen Connection

    Elliot Murphy counts Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen not only as friends and peers, but as collaborators. Here’s an interesting trailer from the documentary “The Second Act of Elliott Murphy” featuring Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.

    Billy Joel MSG
    Billy Joel at MSG

    In fact the list of collaborations is quite long, as he has worked with  Mick Taylor,  Phil Collins, Sonny Landreth, David Johansen, The Violent Femmes, Cindy Bullens and Shawn Colvin.* (Wikipedia reference) In 1995  his “Selling the Gold” a duet on the song “Everything I do- Leads Me Back to You” features Bruce Springsteen.

    Bruce Springsteen

    When talking about “The Boss” Elliott said this:

    I’ve had so many marvelous moments with him (Bruce Springsteen) he invited my son and myself to sing Born to Run with him in a venue called the Stade de Frances. The French stadium, minutes. 80,000 people Oh my god. Wow. Imagine what a thrill that was.

    Elliott Murphy

    The Last of the Rock Stars

    The connections, the collaborations and the journey of Elliott Murphy is quite fantastic. There’s a documentary from 2015 called “The Second Act of Elliott Murphy” which explores his storied career. When Elliott Murphy first went to Europe, so many Rock Stars were passing away, Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Brian Jones. This is what he had to say about his most requested song:

    The last of the rock stars was written on my first trip to Europe. And it is probably the song that I played at literally every concert. I think I’ve done about 2600 concerts in my life and I think I’ve played it literally at every show

    Sometimes one has to explore the road less traveled to discover new music as well as time-tested classics. I believe this new year, will be a year of hope which enriches us with great new music, as the discovery of the wellspring of talent continues. A chance brief encounter, led me to Elliott Murphy, and I am richer for it. I look forward to hearing and reading more from him, as his creative desire remains strong along with his connection to Long Island, NY. I leave you with his beautiful song, “Touch of Kindness“.

    May this New Year help us build the necessary bridges through kindness and cooperation with the gift of music. Peace!

  • The Park Theater Foundation Announces Upcoming Events for January

    The Park Theater in Glens Falls has announced upcoming events for the month of January including comedy, jazz groups, and bands.

    The Park Theater

    The Park Theater was the first movie theater in Glens Falls upon its opening in 1911. In 1937 the theater was converted into a printing plant for the Glens Falls Post, and it was changed back to a performing arts center in 1984. After renovations in 2014, it reopened as a theater in 2018. During the month of January, the Park Theater has a little bit of everything happening.

    On Jan. 14, the theater presents Hiroya Tsukamoto, back by popular demand. He is an award-winning innovative guitarist, composer, and storyteller, who recently won second place in the International Finger Style Guitar Championship. His instrumental abilities are both groundbreaking and breathtaking. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. with music at 8 p.m., and tickets are $15 now, and $20 the day of.

    Experience some of the best jazz music in the Capital Region with “Third Thursday Jazz” featuring The Matt Niedbalski Trio featuring organist, Will Gorman, and guitarist, Eric Zolan on Jan. 19. Tickets are $10 and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.

    The Park Theater Foundation presents ‘Live & Local’ featuring Reese Fulmer & The Carriage House Band on Jan. 26. Dubbed “one of the Capitol Region’s best singer/songwriters” by David Van, Fulmer is an engaging performer, performing his own music. The Carriage House Band returns with a fluid lineup of some of the most versatile musicians in the Capital Region. Early bird tickets are $15, and the day of the show is $20, with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.

    Reese Fulmer & The Carriage House Band

    Lastly, on Jan. 27, The Park Theater Foundation presents ‘Comedy After Dark’ featuring highly-acclaimed NYC-based comedian, Caitlin Cook. She combines witty one-liners and mixes them with musical comedy to create her shows, bringing her to stages like the Comedy Cellar, the Stand, Comedy Works, ACME, and more. Tickets are $22 for the early bird special and $25 the day of the show, starting at 8 p.m.

    For more information about upcoming events and to purchase tickets, go here.

    https://youtu.be/Xi4xxo-lqes