The New York Coffee Festival will return for the seventh year in this fall. From October 6th-8th, coffee lovers can experience exceptional coffee, food, cocktails, live music, and art at the Metropolitan Pavilion.
The New York Coffee Festival is New York’s flagship coffee event, celebrating the burgeoning specialty coffee scene. Coffee beginners and aficionados alike can look forward to unlimited tastings and presentations from over 100 of the most exciting and innovative coffee, tea, and chocolate exhibitors.
Attendees will also boost their coffee knowledge in workshops, be a part of interactive demos, and meet the top U.S. artisans and baristas one-to-one.
The three-day festival will also feature The Lab program with an exciting line-up of interactive demonstrations, educational workshops, talks and tastings. The Coffee Music Project features the best acts from NYC and beyond. Additionally, The Coffee Art Project showcases the creativity and talents of emerging and established artists. Also returning this year are Coffee Masters NYC, The Coffee Cocktail Bar, The Sensory Experience, and more.
Attendees can also look forward to several new features this year, including a cocktail masterclass led by industry experts. Other new activities include The Roasters Village, and a Latte Art Tournament.
In addition to offering delicious street food, coffee cocktails, live music and coffee-inspired art, 100% of profits are donated to NYC-based Charity: water partnering with Project Waterfall to deliver life-changing water projects in coffee-growing regions. Since 2011, Project Waterfall has raised over $2 million, bringing clean water to more than 80,000 people across seven countries. Returning is Latte Art Live, an interactive zone dedicated to the skill of latte art, the schedule is below.
Universal Preservation Hall added a number of new acts to their list of performances in the upcoming 2023-2024 season. UPH continues to expand its repertoire with classic tribute artists, comedians, international groups, and the return of a Grammy winner, Chris Botti.
A view of Universal Preservation Hall is seen during the media tour and ribbon cutting of the new concert hall in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (Jenn March, Special to the Times Union)
Comedian, actor, and author Paul Reiser is one of the acts coming up on October 7 at the Hall. Reiser brings his stand-up tour as one of Comedy Central’s “Top 100 Comedians of All Time.” Reiser also stars in a number of popular TV series including “Stranger Things,” “The Kominsky Method,” and “Mad About You.”
Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Chris Botti will return to Universal Preservation Hall on October 8 this fall. As a collaborator with the likes of Sting, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, and Lady Gaga, Botti has topped jazz charts with numerous albums over the years.
Universal Preservation Hall will host a day of Line Dance Lessons, taught by CMA winner Kevin Richards, The Country Kickers, and more popular line dance instructors and choreographers. Join the Country Kickers & Friends “Saratoga Stomp”-Country Line Dance Workshop & Dance Party starting 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12.
On March 8, the Hall will host The Seven Wonders: A Live Tribute to Fleetwood Mac. This group of accomplished musicians bring a blistering and inspiring show, honoring the classic tunes of rock legends Fleetwood Mac.
Tickets are available for the upcoming shows through the Universal Preservation Hall Box Office at Proctors in-person, via phone at (518)-346-6204 Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, or online at universalpreservationhall.org.
Hey Rochester, pat your local venue owners, bookers and promoters on the back, they’re firing on all cylinders this October. The month ahead is one of the most chock-full live music months in recent memory.
Legend of legends Bob Dylan, grunge stalwarts Mudhoney, gypsy jazz wizard Stephane Wrembel for four nights, punk-turned-folky Jonathan Richman are just a few of the talents coming back through town. To make it easier to narrow this list down to just five shows, let’s take a look at some first-timers in Rochester you are not going to want to miss and let’s coax them to come back by giving them some great crowds.
Bitchin Bajas are a synth-heavy instrumental trio out of Chicago that will send your mind afloat into the ether. This will be a unique show the likes of which we don’t always see in these parts. Sweetening the pot, local psych rockers Overhand Sam and Bad Weapon will open up the evening.
An international sensation, Danielle Ponder is unquestionably the queen of Rochester, not remotely new to town so what gives? As must-see as she is she certainly doesn’t belong on this list. Yes but, she’s opening the much-buzzed new venue Essex. Live music fans all over the city are clamoring to get a look inside and enjoy a new spot to catch some great shows. So Essex, new to Rochester, and worthy of a hearty welcome from all of us, come on out! Chi the Realist will open Friday night and Sheneiqua Shine on Saturday.
Folksy blues man Buffalo Nichols has the voice, the licks, the songs and he definitely has the name. Put it all together and you’ve got a young talent that you’re going to want to get on board with ASAP. He’s touring behind his fantastic brand new album, The Fatalist.
Tickets are $15, $20 dos and the show gets started at 730pm.
October 20: Chris Forsyth’s Evolution Band at LUX
Chris Forsyth is a guitar player extraordinaire of the knock your socks off variety. He’s coming with a trio including Ryan Jewell, a superb drummer playing with a number of awesome bands too long to list, currently on tour with Woods. And Douglas McCombs, who is most notably the bassist in post-rock legends Tortoise. Tuck these guys into the wild and intimate LUX late on a Friday night and you’ve cooked yourselves up an ass-kicking time of high-powered psychedelia. Will Veeder and his band will open the show.
Local promoter Honest Folk is back with another great show, in a new-to-them venue at Skylark Lounge. Cat Clyde, a young singer/songwriter from Ontario, Canada, is bringing a full band to present her stellar new release, Down Rounder. She connects the old and new in unique and beautiful ways and this should be a thrilling show.
Show starts at 8p and tickets are $20.
Bonus! And while we’ve got your here, Honest Folk is actually bringing in another hip cat named Kat worth checking out. Two folkin’ cats in one month, is this heaven? Rochester native Kat Wright is whiddling down her usual big soul band to just a trio for a more stripped down sound. Hear them at Good Luck on October 8.
New York-based artist The Bones of J.R. Jones released a new single, “Animals,” the final single from his upcoming album Slow Lightning. The release comes alongside his upcoming tour, featuring a show at NYC’s Mercury Lounge and Woodstock’s Levon Helm Studios.
“Animals” is an upbeat, soulful folk track, supporting the musician’s upcoming record, Slow Lightning, slotted for release on October 13. That day will feature a hometown show at NYC’s Mercury Lounge for a special album release show, followed by a full US and European tour this fall.
The new track follow the release of the musician’s previous single, “The Good Life,” which dropped last month alongside an official music video featuring actress Maggie McDowell. In addition, the first promotional single, “Heaven Help Me,” debuted to great success, and has now garnered over 250,000 streams.
Known off-stage as Jonathan Linaberry, The Bones of J.R. Jones is a one-man band, songwriter, storyteller, and visual artist.
Animals’ is about letting yourself go and giving into another version of yourself. Going out, getting into trouble, letting whatever may happen, happen and finding out you’re happier that way.
Jonathan Linaberry, The Bones of J.R. Jones
Tickets for The Bones of J.R. Jones’ upcoming tour are now on sale. More information and tickets are available here.
Tour Dates:
10/12 – Washington, DC – DC9
10/13 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
10/14 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios
10/16 – Richmond, VA – Camel
10/17 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern Cafe and Music Hall
10/18 – Raleigh, NC – The Pour House Music Hall & Record Shop
The Palace Theatre in Albany has announced their lineup of fall shows, with notable events including the iconic Jerry Seinfeld, and Hasan Minhaj, as well as rock group Kansas and the World Ballet Series’ rendition of Swan Lake this spring. The venue is a historic landmark of downtown Albany, with many original features of the building still on display after multiple renovations.
The Palace Theatre was built in 1931, and opened that year as Albany’s largest movie theatre. It went under major renovations in 1960, and in 1989 was purchased by the City of Albany after briefly shutting its doors. The Palace Theatre was established as a non-profit organization in 1984, and is now part of the Clinton Ave Historic District, as well as the US National Register of Historic Places.
The Theatre retains many of its original features, with a striking art-deco, Austrian baroque style. The main lobby maintains the original brass chandelier, and murals throughout the venue painted by Hungarian artists Andrew Karoly and Louis Szanto.
As the summer programming winds down, the theatre is planning family events and holiday film series for the upcoming seasons.
Summer programs like our Summer in the City Free Movie Series & Community Block Party will be back again next summer and other annual community programs are still coming up, such as our free community Trick-or-Treat event on Halloween and our holiday film series & Family Fun Days. Aside from those, the big concerts, comedians & tours that we are perhaps best known for continue on throughout the year and we are always adding new shows to the calendar.
Sean Allen, Director of Marketing at the Palace Theatre
This fall’s comedy lineup includes a show from the legendary Jerry Seinfeld on October 27, known for co-writing and starring in the hit sitcom Seinfeld. In addition, Hasan Minhaj will perform on October 14. Minhaj, known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show, has multiple successful stand-up specials on Netflix.
Music fans can enjoy The Wood Brothers, a NYC-based roots band, with a performance on October 28. The Palace also will have visits from British rock group Jethro Tull, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and an upcoming show in March from world-renowned vocal group Celtic Woman.
The theatre recently announced a rendition of Swan Lake, presented by the World Ballet Series, to grace the stage this upcoming February. In addition, rock group Kansas will mark their 50th Anniversary Tour at The Palace Theatre in May. Both shows are now on sale at the Palace Theatre Box Office and Palacealbany.org.
A full calendar of events and more information are available here. Tickets are available at The Palace Theatre Box Office and Palacealbany.org.
The Shakti Lounge in Buffalo announces their new live music series lineup for 2023-24, with their first show on October 7th, presented by Lavender Haze Collective.
The first show features Ravi Padmanabha & David Muse on October 7th. The music duo encompasses a new found musical language using crystal bowls, gongs, tabla, hand pan, clarinet and ocean drum to create an ambient meditation that traverses to an ecstatic musical trance.
The Shakti Lounge offers musicians with a space to open their skills and invites a comfortable environment of community to hear innovative music. Shakti creates a salon-like setting offering guests the freedom to recline on the heated floor or take a seat in a chair, welcoming all. Offering a live music experience truly like no other in Buffalo.
The live music series features a diverse group of artists performing all genres including jazz, folk, classical and world music. Musicians are mainly local to Buffalo with the exception singer-songwriter Cammy Enaharo and Seth Faergolzia’s Multibird both from Rochester. The series also includes storyteller Tyler Westcott, string quartet fra/ctured, alto saxophonist Elliot Scozzaro, guitar driven artist Adam Bronstein & ABtrio and drummer John Bacon with his cast for JBQ.
Shakti lounge in Buffalo welcomes people of all ages to come join the forthcoming live music series and experience the duo host monthly concert every Saturday. For more information visit here.
Shakti Lounge 2023-24 Concert Lineup, Presented by Lavender Haze Collective
Bardavon has announced the Catskill Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker, set to perform three shows this December at the Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC) in Kingston. The Nutcracker is a classic two-act ballet by famed Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, written as an adaptation of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s short story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.
The Catskill Ballet Theatre Company is a non-profit organization, operating throughout the Hudson Valley region. The Company has presented The Nutcracker at UPAC annually for over 30 years. The performance is a showcase of young and local talent, where young dancers are given the opportunity to join a professional company for live performances.
In addition, Bardavon announced a performance from A Celtic Christmas by A Taste of Ireland, following their sold out Australian tour in 2021. The show follows a story of two star-crossed lovers, complemented by award-winning Irish musicians and dancers.
Choreographed and produced by National Champion and star of Gaelforce Dance and Rhythms of Ireland Brent Pace, and World Champion Ceili Moore, A Celtic Christmas is a spectacular show not to miss.
Tickets for The Nutcracker and A Celtic Christmas are available now at Bardavon and UPAC box offices, Tuesday-Friday 11am-5pm.
Contact Bardavon at 845-473-5288 and UPAC 845-339-6088, or email at boxoffice@bardavon.org. To purchase tickets online 24 hours a day go to ticketmaster (fees will apply).
There is something about the village of Lake George that has made this Southern Adirondack town a destination for music festivals and concert series from late spring until mid-fall. Memorial Meltdown, Adirondack Independence Music Festival, Lake George Music Festival, nightly music during the week at the Shepard Park Weekly Concerts (including Fridays at the Lake), Rock the Dock, Jazz at the Lake, Adirondack Bluegrass Festival, Lake George DJ Takeover Music Festival, Rock the Lake Music Festival, and the Lake George Jazz Weekend are just some of the events found on the southern end of Lake George. Now add to this incredible roster of summer music festivals and concerts series a new music festival with a Merlin twist, Wild in the Trees.
A skateboard/music festival hybrid, Wild in the Trees is a most unique event, held October 7-8, 2023, on the grounds of the Lake George Skate Plaza, adjacent to Charles R. Wood Park. A full two days of music, skateboarding and various competitions will be on hand, with 50% of net proceeds benefiting the Ronald McDonald House of the Capital Region.
The logo you see above is an homage to skateboard company Spitfire, an evil looking logo worked into the tree, making it wild. The name of the festival derives from the song “Wild in the Streets” by the Circle Jerks, featured in Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland. The first event was held in 2022, and year two looks to be even better with a stellar lineup, highlighted by Mike Gantzer’s Pro Skater, Candy Ambulance, FUNGKSHUI, Victory Soul Orchestra, Hilltop and many more.
But the festival would not be here without the dedication and perseverance of some local skaters more than 15 years ago.
photo by Frank Cavone
Frankie Cavone, promoter of Wild in the Trees and owner of Mirth Films, has been an avid skater his whole life, but the Village of Lake George did not have a skatepark in his formative years. In 2008, Cavone and Doug Quimby, among others, began a campaign to raise money to carve out a skatepark on the grounds of the former Gaslight Village, a small amusement park that was on the site until 1989 and demolished in 2010.
It would take eight years for the dream to become a reality, with the park opening in 2016, with a competition at the grand opening, the first of many such competitions. Shortly after, in 2018, Cavone would begin Mirth Films, a company that creates original video content, winning awards and gaining acclaim and positive reviews across the Capital Region.
Videography and skateboarding are intertwined in Cavone’s life, as his love of skateboarding led to him bringing video camera to film tricks and flips, and would lead to beginning to shoot jam band shows in 2015. Getting his friends involved on the video end would be the formation for Mirth Films, which has grown steadily over the past five years.
With support from local promoter Dave Ehmann – who supported the skate park fundraising efforts as far back as 2010 – inspiration came to Cavone with Ehmann’s ADK Fest being a standard bearer for events in Lake George. This long relationship would spur something the genesis of what would become Wild in the Trees.
Between skateboarding, live music and videography, Cavone would take his knowledge of these, imbued with a deeper curiosity, led to forming a bond with Mayor Bob Blais of Lake George (the longest serving mayor in U.S. history, at 52 years). Cavone wanted to keep holding skating competitions each year, but also wanted to incorporate music into the event, making for a hybrid music festival concept. Utilizing ‘Bed Tax’ money that hotels in the Lake George region pay (funding events from Americade to Oktoberfest) Mayor Blais assisted Cavone in acquiring a grant for the music festival. With approval, Wild in the Trees was christened in October 2022 and returns for its sophomore grind October 7-8.
The lineup for this year’s Wild in the Trees builds on the skateboarding aspect of the festival, bringing in a band that is both familiar and has many familiar names and faces included. Mike Gantzer’s Pro Skater is a project led by Aqueous/Death Kings’ guitarist Gantzer and serves as a tribute to the iconic soundtracks featured throughout the TonyHawk’sProSkater video game collection. Joining Mike are Evan McPhaden (Aqueous) Ryan Nogle (Funktional Flow, Aqueous, Dirty Work Steely Dan tribute) Jonny Evans (rapper) Billy Bratek (Maufrey) and DJ Fiorella.
Ripping through songs that underscored an entire generation’s experience growing up, Mike is a uniquely qualified musician to lead the charge given his longtime passion for skateboarding, his high ranking scores in TonyHawk’sProSkater online, and his metal/rock/punk trio Death Kings.
It’s almost hard for me to overstate my connection to the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games! I was 10 years old when the first one came out and I was already totally obsessed with skateboarding, and the game just solidified what would become a lifelong love of all things skating (and gaming for that matter).
The soundtrack was iconic and was an early introduction to punk, hip hop, ska, and all kinds of really amazing music and culture. Between skate tapes on VHS and the THPS series, I was getting a fast education, and this timeline happened to be when I connected with guitar playing, too. What was beautiful about some of the punk stuff was that it was accessible enough to approach as a beginner, but also represented a lot of frustration I felt with growing up in an unstable and tumultuous home setting that I could get out in a healthy way.
Fast forward twenty years, and music and skateboarding are still two of my biggest passions in life, and I’m grateful everyday for both of them, so you can imagine my joy at getting the chance to do an entire tribute set to the games’ music AT a skate event for Wild In the Trees ’23. Pretty much my ideal situation! I’m also pretty skilled at THPS, and at one point was ranked top 150 in the world on the online leaderboards, I even made a video of one of my runs, because as it is in skating, if you didn’t capture it, did it really even happen?
Mike Gantzer
Cavone adds in the viewpoint of a skater, saying “When people in other countries think of skateboarding, they think Tony Hawk – he got millions of people into skateboarding.” The synonymous nature of Tony Hawk, Skateboarding, Mike Gantzer and the overall music festival mesh together in a ripper of an event.
Cavone first learned of Mike Gantzer’s Pro Skater within the last 12 months, as he was looking to get an artist to headline the festival that would draw in fans of live music and skateboarding, and would be unique to Wild in the Trees specifically. Cavone would end up asking Gantzer about having The Death Kings (a punk/metal trio that pays homage to all things heavy, including Gantzer, Ryan Stasik from Umphrey’s McGee and Michaelangelo Carubba), but the better fit that Gantzer suggested would be his own ‘Pro Skater’ group.
The roots of the skate plaza effort are never lost on Cavone. Filling a community need with his team endeavor is the origin of Wild in the Trees, an event for which the promoter is stoked.
“If it wasn’t for the skaters, we would never have access to do this. If it wasn’t for the stuff that we did when we were kids, we would never have been able to make that bond with the town and the skaters, and seeing people skate the park as we drive by – something we dreamed of when we were younger – is really a blessing.”
Frankie Cavone
With half the profits from ticket sales going to Ronald McDonald House of the Capital Region, a full two days of skateboarding competitions and live music, and an idyllic setting in the Village of Lake George, the team behind the festival is ready for year two of their experimental music festival, one that caters to a broad audience with a rad sesh planned out over the weekend.
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack have announced a five-night residency at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester this December. The group is currently on a fall tour alongside Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival, and made their joint performance debut at Indiana’s Farm Aid festival.
Led by Bobby Weir, the group includes Don Was, Jay Lane, Jeff Chimenti and Barry Sless. The group has released two live albums Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live in Colorado and Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros: Live in Colorado Vol. 2, to critical praise. This tour is not the group’s first residency at The Capitol Theatre, with a four-night run last winter.
Bobby Weir, a founding member of the legendary Grateful Dead, is one of rock music’s most celebrated and distinctive guitarists. The Grateful Dead is still one of the highest grossing performers in the United States, and holds a world record 2,318 total concerts. Bobby Weir has received the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, a Goodwill Ambassadorship for the UN Development Program, as well as many other achievements.
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack will perform at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on December 12, 13, 15, 16, and 17. Artist presale begins Thursday, September 28 at 10AM ET, with local presale beginning the same day at 12PM ET. Register for presale here.
General onsale begins Friday, September 29 at 10AM ET. More information and tickets are available here.
The Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros Enhanced Experience includes early venue entrance and merchandise shopping, access to watch a portion of soundcheck, a complimentary cocktail and exclusive merchandise! Packages from 100X Hospitality will go on sale September 28 at 10AM ET.
TOUR DATES
September 26—Mershon Auditorium—Columbus, OH
September 27—The Met Philadelphia—Philadelphia, PA
September 28—Pier Six Pavilion—Baltimore, MD
October 29—Frost Amphitheatre—Stanford, CA
December 12, 13, 15, 16 + 17—The Capitol Theatre—Port Chester, NY
December 29-31—Broward Center for the Performing Arts—Fort Lauderdale, FL
January 12-15, 2024—Playa Luna Presents Dead Ahead —Riviera Cancun, MX
NYS Music spoke with Broken Social Scene co-founder and frontman Kevin Drew about his new solo record Aging, the band’s upcoming show in New York City, and much more.
Broken Social Scene frontman Kevin Drew playing a show at Webster Hall in New York, 2022. Photography by David Reichmann (@davidpresspass)
In our exclusive interview, Kevin answered some of David’s burning questions, including “How did Broken Social Scene get Tracy Ullman and Meryl Streep on stage to sing “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl” at Webster Hall last year?” Kevin told us he and Tracy dated for a year during the pandemic and maintained a friendship since, adding, “I told Tracy to come out and sing. Her bestie [Meryl Streep] showed up, and she’s a very lovely woman […] and I think she was just having fun!”
Kevin also talked about how he felt seeing Phoebe Bridgers wear a sweatshirt with lyrics from the BSS song, “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl” on Zane Lowe’s podcast. “I thought it was Photoshop!” The sweater instantly went viral, and the band began selling the sweater on their website in response, donating the profits for charity. He went on to talk about the difficulty of being a “middle-class band,” as he called it. “It’s difficult for us, because every dime counts now. It’s not like every dollar. It’s like every dime.”
Then there is Boygenius, the indie supergroup comprised of Julien Baker, Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Drew played with the trio recently in Toronto, saying “They were louder than loud, I think it was the loudest audience I had ever attended. It was insane. […] I’m a big, big fan of Lucy [Dacus]. Lucy was the first one that I heard. And I just immediately thought ‘Who is this?’ So I was happy when I heard that Lucy was an admirer of our band. And then I think that’s probably how we got the gig.”
Kevin spoke about his new solo record, Aging, and what it meant to record a solo project. “The desire to put up a solo record was not high, but it was actually Brendan Canning, you know, my partner in BSS, he said, ‘You gotta put it out man.’” Kevin went on to say, “I didn’t think my mom was going to pass a month before we dropped a song. You know, we arranged everything sort of the 10 months in advance and I had no idea why I was waiting so long and it all kind of lined u. And Brendan just says ‘Look, put it out and just we’ll play.’”
Kevin Drew’s solo record, Aging, will be released digitally November 2nd. You can buy physical copies of the record here, which includes a 75-page book titled, “Towards Everything.”
Broken Social Scene plays Brooklyn Steel this weekend with support from Hannah Georgas, buy your tickets here.
Drew spoke to NYS Music about much more, including all things music, touring, and even haunted hotel rooms. Be sure to check back here next week for our full show review and much more from our interview.
