Lake George Winter’s Dream is putting winter magic and wonders on full display this year, inviting you to experience winter like never before in peaceful Lake George. Winter’s Dream officially opens to the public on Friday, Dec. 8.
Lake George Winter’s Dream is a brand-new immersive and interactive multimedia experience created and produced by the award-winning multidisciplinary studio Moment Factory, which created more than 500 unique projects worldwide. This new attraction will unfold in the courtyard of the Fort William Henry historic fortress. Visitors are invited on an immersive journey, exploring a series of installations along a pathway where lights, sounds, original music, and video content bring winter to life in a new way.
They can participate in the experience through a mix of cutting-edge interactive technology and old-fashioned fun. Inspired by the warmth and shared joys of the winter season, it engages the senses, offering the perfect setting for a unique outing with family and friends. Lake George Winter’s Dream is meant for the entire family, with children and adults equally enjoying the magic of winter. Both events are supported by Warren County Tourism / Lake George Area and the Warren County Coalition.
We are thrilled to bring people together to experience the enchantment and fun of a Lake George winter. The excitement is palpable as ticket sales continue throughout the Northeast and even spanning continents. There was a ticket sale all the way from Africa! We can’t wait for people to experience the magic of winter in a whole new way in Lake George.
Warren County Coalition Chairman Vincent Crocitto II.
Adk-Phoric Festival, a brand new festival coming to Roaring Brook Ranch Resort in Lake George, has announced it will happen on Aug. 17, 2024, going from the early/late afternoon to 11 p.m.
Adk-Phoric Festival: Live & Love Music is an unparalleled event that seamlessly blends live music, DJs, artisanal craftsmanship, and culinary diversity. With an elite lineup of both emerging and established artists across many genres, the festival also features a selection of the finest local DJs to accompany the artists to keep the atmosphere electrifying
It goes beyond musical indulgence, featuring curated selections of food trucks offering an array of gourmet options, alongside a marketplace of bespoke craft vendors showcasing unique, hand-crafted goods. It is a multifaceted celebration of community and culture.
The Roaring Brook Ranch Resort is a picturesque and serene resort located in Lake George. With its sprawling 35-acre estate, including 245 acres of undeveloped land in the majestic Adirondack Mountains, it has a rich legacy of cherished traditions that span generations, dating back to the memories forged in the 1960s. Festivalgoers will enjoy this scenic atmosphere along with the elite sounds of good music.
Tickets for the Adk-Phoric Festival will be available for purchase by November 1.
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.
Jazz enthusiasts near Lake George, NY: mark your calendars for the highly anticipated Jazz at the Lake festival, taking place Friday, September 15 through Sunday, September 17. In its 39th year, curated by Daniel Kelly, Jazz at the Lake continues to be one of the Northeast’s premier jazz festivals.
Jazz at the Lake is an annual celebration of the vibrant and diverse world of jazz music, set against the breathtaking backdrop of Lake George. The festival showcases the talents of exceptional jazz musicians from across the entire country, creating an immersive experience like no other.
Known as one of Jazz’s most promising emerging artists, Endea Owens is a Detroit-raised artist, bassist, and composer. The triple-threat has been mentioned by jazz icons such as Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, and Ron Carter. She has toured and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Jennifer Holliday, Diana Ross, Rhonda Ross, Solange, and Jon Batiste. Since Endea had graduated from The Juliard School in 2018 and joined the Late eShow with Stephen Colbert as a member of the house band, Stay Human, she has won an Emmy, Grammy Award, and a George Foster Peadbody Award.
(7:30PM) Jazz Around Town Immerse yourself in great food, drink and jazz at various venues across town featuring exceptional regional jazz acts that include:
Performing at Gaslight Wood Fired Bistro (91 Canada Street, LG), the Scott Hopkins Jazz Trio features stalwart jazzers: Lou Smaldone on bass and Brian Melick on drums, with Hopkins on electric banjo. Repertoire of the trio includes a combination of standards and contemporary tunes with flares of bluegrass and folk undertones.
Performing at The Barnsider Restaurant (2112 U.S. 9, LG), Heard is a collective of musicians that bring their skills and passion for world music, jazz, and improvising together to create irresistible grooves set in a unique sonic tapestry. Together for 15 years, their electrifying sound incorporates influences from West Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean and beyond.
Performing at The Caldwell Lake George Library (336 Canada St, LG). The Listening Room: The Ria Curley, Chuck Lamb & the Curley Lamb Nu-Soul-Jaz Project group features the dynamic duo of singer/songwriter Ria Curley & pianist/composer Chuck Lamb, joined by an alternating lineup of one or more of their talented musician friends, performing a unique combination of instrumental & vocal, original and standard, Jazz/Fusion and Smooth R&B/Pop/Rock.
Performing at The East Cove Restaurant (3873 NY-9L, LG). Bassist Dylan Perrillo (from Hot Club of Saratoga and the Dylan Perrillo Quartet) will be joined by NYC-based guitarist Brad Brose for a one-of-a-kind jazz experience that will have fans of swing jazz dancing in their seats.
Saturday, September 16: (10AM) Coffee and Jazz
Performing at The Caldwell Lake George Library (336 Canada St. LG). For the jazz early birds: join the new Jazz at the Lake program that combines the melodies of jazz with coffee, all surrounded by fellow jazz enthusiasts. Indulge in a free coffee and enjoy the music of James Rissacher: a jazz musician who has performed in classic music venues throughout the U.S. and Europe for over 20 years, and has recorded with numerous other musicians.
Coffee and Jazz is made possible by a Long Time Fan of Jazz Weekend.
Awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2021 for composition, Voted #1 Rising-Star Guitarist in the 2013 DownBeat Critics Poll and subsequently placed in the top-ten guitarists alongside luminaries Bill Frisell and Pat Metheny, guitarist and composer Rez Abbasi, is one of the most original voices on the current scene. Making New York home for the past 25 years, Abbasi is considered by many to be one of the foremost modern jazz guitar players. He has honed his skills with performances throughout Europe, Canada, the U.S., Mexico and India. He has performed and recorded with many jazz greats, including: Grammy winner Ruth Brown, Peter Erskine, Kenny Werner, Barre Phillips, Gary Thomas, Dave Douglas, John Beasly, Ronu Majumdar, Kadri Gopalnath, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Vijay Iyer, Marilyn Crispell, Greg Osby, Howard Levy, and a host of others. He will be sure to bring his best performance every single time.
Aubrey Johnson is a New York-based vocalist, composer, and educator who specializes in jazz, Brazilian, and creative contemporary music both with lyrical and purely instrumental. She holds a Master of Music degree in jazz performance from the New England Conservatory. As a student, she won two DownBeat Collegiate Student Music Awards for “Best Jazz Vocalist” and “Jazz Vocalist, Outstanding Performance.” She currently teaches at Berklee College of Music in the Voice Department, and in the Jazz Masters Program at Queens College in New York City. She also held faculty positions at the New England Conservatory and Montclair State University.
Grammy-Award winning drummer, composer & bandleader Jared Schonig has toured and/or recorded internationally with Nicholas Payton, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Donny McCaslin, Darcy James Argue & Secret Society, The 8-Bit Big Band, and Ernie Watts among others. A favorite among vocalists, Schonig has toured with Grammy Award-winners Kurt Elling, The New York Voices, Kristen Chenoweth, Cynthia Erivo, Katherine McPhee, Jessica Vosk and singer/songwriter Donna Lewis. He has performed around the world, from sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall, to festivals in Zimbabwe. Schonig co-led The Wee Trio, which released five critically-acclaimed albums over the past 8 years and recently released two solo albums of original music (one quintet and one big band) in the fall of 2021 to critical acclaim. When back home in the big apple, Schonig is a jack-of-all-trades, dipping his toes in both jazz and Broadway. He recently held the drum chair for the critically acclaimed Tony, Grammy, and Emmy-award winning Broadway Revival of The Color Purple, and is currently playing drums and percussion for the esteemed 10-time Tony-winning Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Five-time Juno Award winner, Jane Bunnett has turned her bands and recordings into showcases for the finest musical talent from Canada, the US, and Cuba. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, received The Order of Canada, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and, most recently, The Premier’s Award for Excellence. With Maqueque, Bunnett has created something new and phenomenal in the world of jazz. What started out five years ago as a project to record and mentor young brilliant Cuban female musicians has become one of the top groups on the North American jazz scene. Since 2015, they have played in major jazz festivals like Newport and Monterey, been featured on NPR’s program Jazz Night in America, won a Juno Award for their first album. Both Jane Bunnett and Maqueque were even nominated for a Grammy Award for their second release, Oddara, and were nominated for a Juno Award for their latest release, On Firm Ground/Tierra Firme. Most recently, they were voted as one the top ten jazz groups by the prestigious DownBeat magazine’s critics poll.
The Percussionist; author and producer, born in Rio de Janeiro, Duduka Da Fonseca is a 4-time Grammy® Award Nominee Drummer. He has appeared on over 250 albums alongside American Jazz and Brazilian Jazz icons, including 25 albums as a leader/co-leader, making him one of the most recorded Brazilian drummers in this idiom. In 2002 Duduka’s first solo album, Samba Jazz Fantasia, was the first “Samba Jazz” instrumental album ever to be nominated for the American Grammy® Award. He has recorded and toured with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gerry Mulligan, Astrud Gilberto, Phil Woods, Kenny Barron, Lee Konitz, Eddie Gomez, Herbie Mann, Wynton Marsalis, Nancy Wilson, John Pizzarelli, John Scofield,Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, Oscar Castro Neves, and many others.
“CONNECTED” was formed in 2020. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Richie Goods and Chien Chien decided to do a project that would unify people and invoke imagery of love and peace. As often happens, music was the catalyst that bridged the gap and resulted in a rare collaboration; a partnership that produced “The Path” Sep. 2020, “We Three Kings” Nov. 2020, and “Rain” Dec. 2021. They decided to cement their musical relationship by creating “Connected.” Together, Richie and Chien Chien create an exciting, new, energetic listening experience and attract audiences everywhere. Their new release, “Richie Goods & Chien Chien – Connected” was released January 13, 2023, and has been on the jazz charts for 12 weeks.
Latin Grammy winner and multi-Grammy nominee, Argentine-born and New York-based pianist and composer Emilio Solla’s first band, Apertura, (1983-1989) was praised by Astor Piazzolla as one of the most interesting new sounds in the Buenos Aires scene in 1986. Today, with eleven CDs as bandleader and more than forty as arranger/producer, he is regarded by peers and critics as one of the most outstanding and unique composers in the Tango-Jazz field, a musical language which blends Argentine tango and folk with jazz and other contemporary music styles. He has performed all around Europe, Japan, the US and Latin America. The Tango Jazz Orchestra (TJO) is Emilio’s most ambitious project to date. A full 17-piece jazz orchestra which replaces the guitar by a bandoneon. This large ensemble has allowed Solla to take his blend of tango and Latin American music with jazz to a whole new level. The orchestra recorded and released its first work, “Puertos, Music of International Waters” in 2019. One of Solla’s compositions was nominated that same year for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement (sharing the honor with Vince Mendoza, John Williams and Jacob Collier) and the full album was awarded the 2020 Latin Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album.
For more information on each individual artist, as well as more festival details, visit their website. For updates and festival highlights, be sure to follow their Facebook and Instagram.
This year’s annual end-of-the-summer celebration of music in Lake George at the Adirondack Independence Music Festival saw two evenings with moe. and a one evening with Dark Star Orchestra. The three-day festival held over Labor Day Weekend saw day-long music with bands alternating between two main stages.
photo by Allison Marie
The festival is always a smooth event, and as attendees we get to see the machinations of soundchecks and the work of loading and off-loading a stage, thanks to side-by-side stages. Emcee Jeff Morad from WEQX gave hourly hydration reminders as he thanked each band and announced the next act. The organization has it down, and it’s great to be there catching all the jams.
Photo by Derek Java
Day One saw a mix of regional and national acts. Standouts during the day were the always jammy Dogs in a Pile, a super fun band, and if you haven’t seen them, consider New Years Eve at Putnam Place. Keller Williams was blissful as always, starting his set with a great version of “Breathe.” Throughout a great loop-filled set (he is a master at building songs solo using loops), he dropped covers and originals, and standing out was a fun-filled “Freeker by the Speaker.” You can’t count any of the daytime bands out, though, as all day was filled with fun jams, people dancing, and bubbles floating through the air. Other daytime acts included Hilltop, Sophistafunk, Eggy, Lucid.
Photo by Derek Java
Headliners on Friday were the always incredible Dark Star Orchestra (DSO). Bringing an authentic sound to the date they reinterpreted, DSO channeled the Grateful Dead’s show on April 16, 1978 show from Huntington, WV, with clarity and wisdom. The sound was spot-on and the crowd danced and sang along all evening. We know the term “nostalgia act” gets some negative connotations, but for DSO, that is the mission, who make every show fun for spectators to guess the date of the show, and the more knowledgeable in the crowd can guess the direction the show is taking by the equipment being brought out by the players. Super fun evening with a classic Dead show performed by DSO.
Photo by Derek Java
Saturday of Adirondack Independence Music Festival saw more attendees and a continuation of killer music. Star-on-the-rise Karina Rykman brought the jams throughout her set, working off her new album, Joyride.
For listeners at ADK Fest, the first half of her 60 minute set saw only three songs, as she and her two bandmates, Adam November on guitar and Chris Corsico on Drums, set the festival alight, taking risks and diving deep into the jammy sections of her bass-led compositions.
Photo by Derek Java
Saturday also had a particular reggae vibe to it. Roots of Creation brought their fiery dub-ska, blending a mythos of Bob Marley-esque roots with Grateful Dead covers including “Row Jimmy” and “Fire on the Mountain,” lots of fun for all seeing this band.
Mihali brought his reggae vibe, too, bringing out a new tune or two, with Twiddle fans all smiles singing reggae-tinged Twiddle songs and Mihali’s own songs from his album Effection.
Photo by Derek Java
There was also a “foodie” aspect to the daytime bands on Ssaturday, with a blend of rock and jam by Creamery Station, Baked Shrimp, and stretching the metaphor, Melt. Fans of these bands and new listeners alike had a great day of music. Rounding out the daytime acts were Dumpstaphunk.
photo by Chris De Cotis
moe. has made ADK Fest the spiritual successor to moe.down, with a feel of Labor Day weekends spent in Turin at Snow Ridge Ski Resort throughout the weekend. Opening up with a pair of tunes usually played in reverse – “Okayalright” and “Wormwood” – moe. could have opted for “Not Coming Down” to complete the Wormwood trilogy, but shifted to “Downward Facing Dog” before inviting Ivan Neville from Dumpstaphunk to the stage for “Happy Hour Hero.”
photo by Dave Decrescente
Set 2 saw Mihali come to the stage for an intense and exploratory “Recreational Chemistry” (see video below), and moe. breaking out a set nearly full of old school songs, capped off with a classic “Jazz Wank” > “Buster.” For an encore, the addition of Nate Wilson to the lineup has led to the fresh covers making their appearance in the last two years, this evening including Traffic’s “Light Up or Leave Me Alone.”
Set 1: Okayalright > Wormwood > Downward Facing Dog, Happy Hour Hero^, Yellow Tigers -> Mar-Dema > Brent Black Set 2: Recreational Chemistry* > Sensory Deprivation Bank > Seat Of My Pants > Ups And Downs, Jazz Wank > Buster Encore: Light Up Or Leave Me Alone, Spaz Medicine ^ With Ivan Neville on keys. * With Mihali on guitar.
photo by Chris De Cotis
Sunday saw Jimkata keep the crowd swaying in the sunshine and get pumped up for moe. later that evening. What made Jimkata’s performance even more remarkable was the fact that they had performed in Virginia for a late night show the evening before, making the seemingly impossible journey from Virginia to Adirondack Independence Music Festival for a mid-day performance a testament to their commitment to their fans.
photo by Allison Mariephoto by Allison Marie
Neighbor graced the stage and dropped an instrumental cover of The Beatles/Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from my Friends. Prince Bowie featured Twiddle/Marble Eyes/Breakfast/Kung Fu drummer extraordinaire Adrian Tramontano on drums along with the Cool Cool Cool horns. Luke Bemand from lespecial joined the all star tribute group for Prince’s “Controversy.”
For moe.’s weekend closing sets, they opened up with “Water” as a nod to Lake George, and closed the set with “Meat” featuring Schleigho guitarist Suke Cerulo joining his one-time bandmates. Set two had no let up, opening with a slow burn of “Tubing the River Styx” > “The Pit”, a cover of Allman Brothers Band’s “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” – featuring Neighbor/Pink Talking Fish keyboardist Ricky James – followed by “Silver Sun” and a solid 1-2 punch of “George” and “Lazarus.” An encore of “Gone” and “Plane Crash” capped a fantastic weekend of music in Lake George, an annual affair made for a band like moe. and live music fans from across the Northeast.
photo by Frankie Cavone
Set 1:Water, ATL, Donâtcha Know, In Stride, Skrunk, Meat^ Set 2:Tubing The River Styx > The Pit, In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed2, Silver Sun, George, Lazarus Encore: Gone, Plane Crash ^ With Suke Cerulo on guitar * With Ricky James on keys
Lake George’s annual “Fridays at the Lake” returns in 2023 with music for all ages and tastes, at Shepard Park Amphitheatre. The series starts on July 7 and runs until Sept. 1. The concerts are free to the public, with opening acts taking the stage around 6:00 PM and headliners following up at 7:00 PM.
The concert series helps to deliver entertaining and high-quality performances to the Capital region. Located at the base of the Adirondacks, Lake George is known for its pristine views and historical importance. Originally home to three military forts, the town now draws visitors from all over the Northeast.
Along with Fridays at the Lake, there will also be a special benefit concert series for the charity Kelly’s Angels. The organization looks to help children in the capital region who have lost parents or siblings to cancer. “Summer-Lovin” will occur July 12-15 at Shephard Park in Lake George, featuring food trucks, crafts, and fireworks.
This summer’s final Friday at the Lake at Shepard Park, Canada Street, Lake George hits the stage this Friday, September 1. Ten Most Wanted is a powerhouse band based out of Saratoga that plays all your favorite classic R&B, Funk, Soul and Rock favorites. The heart of the band is a soulful rhythm section complimented by four sizzling horns, all laying the foundation for sensational lead vocalists. Ten Most Wanted’s mission is to provide unrivaled entertainment mixed with top notch arrangements, endless energy and superb musicianship. The series will end on a high note with Ten Most Wanted. They will perform from 7:30-9:30.
The Schmooze open the show, performing from 6:00-7:10. They have been one of the region’s premier party bands for the past 15 years. They will get the party started with their versions of rock pop, dance and country cover tunes that will have the crowd dancing and singing along.
All Fridays at the Lake are free to the public, and food and beverage vendors are on site.
The 2023 Adirondack Independence Music Festival takes place this weekend, September 1-3, returning to the Charles R. Wood Festival Commons in Lake George for three nights over Labor Day weekend.
The 2023 Adirondack Independence Music Festival features a stellar lineup of rock and jam bands, food, and craft vendors, and a great view of the Lake George fireworks on Saturday evening. This year’s festival will feature headliners moe., who will once again be performing four sets over two nights, as well as Dark Star Orchestra performing two sets of Grateful Dead music.
Also performing this year over the three days are Rubblebucket, Keller Williams, Dumpstaphunk, Mihali, Prince/Bowie performing the music of Prince and David Bowie (featuring members of Pink Talking Fish, Twiddle, The Machine and the Cool Cool Cool horn section), Dogs in a Pile, Melt, Neighbor, Eggy, Roots of Creation, Jimkata, Lucid, Karina Rykman, Sophistafunk, former Lettuce/Soulive saxophonist Sam Kininger & The A-Beez, Baked Shrimp, Escaper, Creamery Station, Suke Cerulo Band, and Hilltop.
Music in the Festival Commons will begin at 1 pm on Friday and 12:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, running continuously across two side-by-side stages until 11 pm each night. The event is for all ages, and children 12 and under get in free. For tickets and more information, visit here.
Seize Atlantis, an energetic rock band formed in Glens Falls, released their remaining show dates for their tour, Ruins Rebuilt.
They started as a mere jamming project way back in 2018, with different band members and a different name. But just after a few shows crawled the demanding COVID-19, forcing the band into a 7-month hibernation, where they took this time to rebrand themselves as Seize Atlantis. Since their COVID hiatus, they’ve been on a steady incline of music production.
Seize Atlantis is made up of four music lovers: Mike Dardas (bass and backing vocals), Cody Platt (drums), James Mullen (lead vocals and guitar), and Luc Bourgault (lead guitarist).
With only 10 shows left, you won’t want to miss them. Seize Atlantis will be visiting Glens Falls, Albany, and Lake George.
RUINS REBUILT TOUR DATES
9/2 Glens Falls Charles R Wood Theater
9/9 Glens Falls Mean Max Brew Works
9/16 Albany Fuze Box
9/23 Lake George The Lagoon
10/6 Glens Falls The Grateful Den
10/14 Lake George The Lagoon
10/27 Albany Empire Underground
11/18 Glens Falls Mean Max Brew Works
11/25 Albany Empire Underground
12/31 Glens Falls The Grateful Den
For more information on Seize Atlantis, including announcements, tickets, and upcoming tour dates, be sure to check out their Instagram, FaceBook, and LinkTree.
The Sembrich in Bolton Landing will close its summer festival with a performance by the New York Crimean Tatar Ensemble. The performance will celebrate Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula. New York Crimean Tatar Ensemble will be the only U.S.-based group performing the traditional music of their heritage.
The New York Crimean Tatar Ensemble members serve as ambassadors for their culture. The Crimean Tatar Ensemble members are an Islamic, ethnically Turkic people. They have performed at notorious venues such as Lincoln Center and the United Nations.
Crimean Tatars’ vibrant music and dance traditions share similarities with other cultures around the Black Sea. But, what sets them apart from the others is their unique 7/8 dance rhythms and polymetric songs, with complex athletic dance steps that will liven any venue.
The performance will take place at the Sembrich on Wednesday, August 30 at 2 PM. The Crimean Tatars will be the final performance in the popular World Music Wednesday Series. This series is held every summer as part of the Sembrich’s annual summer festival.
The Sembrich features museum exhibitions and an annual summer festival with world-class musicians, notable musical scholars, a free film series, all surrounded by the breathtaking Lake George. Visitors will also find stories detailing the lives of famous musicians such as Marcella Sembrich in the museum, as well as performance series and numerous nature trails to explore.
While “Trailblazers,” The Sembrich’s 2023 summer festival concludes with the Crimean Tatars’ performance, The Sembrich’s museum and grounds will remain open through mid-October. Guided tours are available for all visitors. Visit TheSembrich.org for more information.
Purchase tickets online at The Sembrich.org/festival or by calling (518) 644-2431.
An unforgettable evening of music, dancing, and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic Stony Creek Band awaits at Lake George’s Shepard Park on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 6:30 PM, presented by The Lake George Arts Project and the Village of Lake George, featuring a special performance by The Switch. The 50th Anniversary Concert is free and will feature the Village’s spectacular fireworks after the show.
For 50 years, The Stony Creek Band has thrilled generations of fans with its high-energy blend of rock, folk, country, and bluegrass; a sound that has consistently defied description but is “a product of the landscape as authentically upstate as any Hudson River School painting or sculpture by David Smith,” and performed in a manner described by one reviewer as “a ferocious ensemble attack; like a runaway train.”
The Stony Creek Band began with the 1973 meeting of John Strong, a folksinger/guitarist from the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, and Hank Soto, a guitarist and songwriter from the Bavarian Alps of Germany. Along with a bass player the Stony Creek Band began life as a folk trio, touring coffee houses in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. After moving to the Adirondack mountain hamlet of Stony Creek, NY the band quickly developed into a seven-piece musical powerhouse featuring drums, a rock guitarist, pedal steel guitar, and banjo that, for a time, was the little town’s largest year-round employer.
In the 1980’s the band evolved into its current five-piece configuration which now includes producer/ singer /songwriter Dave Maswick on bass, blues Hall of Fame member Mike Lomaestro on drums, and noted bluegrass mandolin virtuoso Fred Lantz. Over the years, the Stony Creek Band has made hundreds (if not thousands) of concert appearances including a live performance on international TV for the closing ceremonies of the Goodwill Winter Games, an appearance at a New York State gubernatorial inauguration, a February outdoor appearance at the 25th-anniversary celebration of the “Miracle on Ice” (brrrr) and a live performance on NBC’s TODAY show with Meredith Viera and Ann Curry.
Hank Soto, the co-founder of the Stony Creek Band, says “50 years! Never did I think, where the band was concerned, I’d be referencing time in decades let alone five. In that time, we’ve met so many great folks who have encouraged and supported us. Nothing succeeds without that love and that is the real reason for our longevity. Thinking of all of the venues we’ve played, Shepard Park in Lake George is just a stand-out treasure. We are so grateful to LGAP and the Village of Lake George for their continuous support and the opportunity to celebrate our 50th on that great stage. Another 50 years? If we could only fool the flesh – the spirit is willing.”
This golden anniversary marks a milestone not only for the band but also for the fans who have supported them throughout their incredible journey. “The Stony Creek Band is really looking forward to this gig and looking forward to seeing all of our friends – we even have a few special guests who have played with us over the years. Shepard Park is a very special venue and one of our favorite places to play, you can’t beat the crowd or the backdrop,” says John Strong, co-founder of the Stony Creek Band.
Admission is free, so grab a blanket, some chairs, and your family and friends, and come early to secure your favorite spot. For more information visit here.
