NYS Music 2023

Category: Capital Region

  • Hearing Aide: Alec Betterley’s LP “River Gone”

    On June 9, Alec Betterley released his new LP River Gone, a piece of ethereal and dreamy music that employs each of its instruments excellently. For the most part, the LP feels like a bedtime story, which is fitting given the opening song “Tell Me a Story.” This standard is mixed up throughout the LP, adding some extra variety.

    Album cover for “River Gone,” with artwork by Gregory Hedderman.

    Based in Upstate NY, Alec Betterley is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music therapist who first got his start with a four track recorder all the way back in middle school. He has gone on to be a founding member of the groups My Friend Other, as well as Toys and Tiny Instruments. The LP was produced in a “30 songs in 30 days” project in May 2022.

    “River Gone” was written and recorded in the very late/extremely early hours before the kids awoke. A record about parenting, anxiety, insomnia, sweet dreams, golden hour light, violence in America, longtime partnerships and all the sparkle and sorrow in between. The li’l stuff.

    Alec Betterley

    River Gone opens with “Tell Me a Story,” which features lyrics from Missy Lees. Her vocals, also included in “In City We Swing” and “River Gone,” help bring the LP into the ethereal, dream realm that it often finds itself in. It sets the standard for the rest of “River Gone” with its tone, and is a fitting opening given the vocalists askes for “a song of all of our days.”

    Around 3:15 in “Tell Me a Story,” there is a music box-like sound that makes it feel as though the song takes place in a child’s bedroom. It is only there for a few seconds, but it is a nice detail.

    The next two songs, “We’ll Never Go To Heaven” and “Anastasia” pick up the pace quite a bit from “Tell Me A Story.” While they do not fit as well as other songs in River Gone, but they are a welcome addition. “Anastasia” in particular is a personal favorite, echoing tunes somewhat similar to Elton John. After the halfway point, the electric guitar (Colin Summers) and the piano do their own version of a call and response, their notes bouncing off of each other and occasionally joining together in a dance-like fashion.

    Following these, the LP returns to its dreamy theme for the most part. The next song of note is “Spectators,” which feels like a very personal song with no other part credited in the piece. Betterley’s warm vocals and the soft tunes of an acoustic guitar dominates the song, though some strings near the end begins to elevate the piece back to that ethereal realm. The guitar closes off the song alone, the very slight creaks of wood at the end adding a special charm.

    “We Talk About Everything” goes back to the quick pace of “We’ll Never Go To Heaven” and “Anastasia,” but this is done in a slow increase throughout the piece. It rises from more mumbled vocals and few instruments to the upbeat and instrument-filled conclusion.

    The titular song, “River Gone” starts with something no other song seems to do, a rise from the last note of the previous song, “Only Me” to the pace and the pitch of “River Gone.” Betterley and Lees perform a beautiful call and response for this song, with Lees’s chorus having nearly every word punctuated by a note from the piano. There’s a notable exception around 2:05 where most of the instruments cut suddenly, letting Lees’s vocals stand out.

    The “River Gone” from Alec Betterley is available on Bandcamp and on Spotify. For more information on the artist, be sure to check out his website.

  • Seize Atlantis Releases Striking New EP “Ruins Rebuilt”

    The close knit alternative rock band from Glens Falls, Seize Atlantis, just released their newest EP on Saturday, June 17th, titled Ruins Rebuilt. These winners of NYS Music’s March Madness earlier this year created their EP to feature a total of five tracks which showcase the band’s growth in production and lyricism since their founding in 2019.

    Seize Atlantis ruins Rebuilt

    Ruins Rebuilt is the band’s second EP with their first having been released during the summer of 2022. Since their first release, Seize Atlantis has been performing and creating music consistently, thrusting their sound into the limelight and solidifying them a loyal fanbase. Three of the five tracks on Ruins Rebuilt are singles that have already been released including “Crawl,” “I Need It,” and “Monster” with two new tracks “Hide” and “Cosmos.” Their latest release, just two weeks before the EP dropped, was an acoustic version of “Hide” which takes on a new life and form in the EP’s production. Together, the tracks give off a message and tone of eeriness, worldly unknowns that lay in the future, and memories and scars of the past that one wishes to be forgotten. This theme takes form in context of individuals’ relationships with each other as well as one’s toxic and increasingly complicated relationship with themselves. Every message is highlighted through the sound of hard rock, powerful vocals, and at times overbearing yet incredible instrumental backing.

    Each song on the EP takes the band and listeners into a striking direction while staying consistent in theme and tone. The beginning moments of “Crawl” work to immediately grasp listeners with an intoxicating beat that builds in each measure as the band adds in one instrument after another. This rise in sound and intensity is similarly followed by James Mullen’s consistent and powerful vocals which go through multiple flips and key changes. The lyrics express an internal battle while simultaneously instilling the idea that personal demons can enter from the outside as well. In this manner, it calls attention to the parasitical characteristics of fraudulent personalities threatening to take over the social public. “Cosmos” is a track that is more laid back and eerie than the previous, yet this is where the lyric talent of the band truly shines. It follows an individual calling out into an endless void asking if they can be heard and receiving no reply. As the song is a solo, the singer is vocally alone, knowing there will be no answer to come, yet recognizes that everyone is similar in this sense taking away the intensity of that feeling. Halfway through the song, however, production takes over as different voices are blending together and fighting against each other, not giving the audience the ability to understand what they are saying – this is where music is used as a guiding light as everyone is able to comprehend the solemn, invigorating, and sometimes hopeful energy of the rest of the band.

    Seize Atlantis has been on a wicked run which has given them various things to celebrate. Not only will the band have new singles to rock out to and share with their fans, but the members are coming off of winning “Favorite Rock/Hard Rock Artist,” and “Favorite Progressive Rock Artist,” at the 2023 ListenUp Awards. To keep the party going, “Ruins Rebuilt” will be debuted on the evening of June 17th at Glens Falls’ Mean Max Brew Works and will also be performed on the road to GEM FEST 2023. You can listen to Ruins Rebuilt and more by Seize Atlantis on any streaming service including Spotify, iTunes, and Apple Music.

  • Troy Music Hall Announces 2023 Summer Square Concert Series Lineup

    The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall has recently announced the anticipated return of their Summer Square Concert Series. The free concerts will be held in the Music Hall courtyard every Saturday evening at 6 p.m. beginning on July 8 and will run all the way through the summer until August 26.

    The Troy Summer Square 2023 lineup presents concert goers with the opportunity to hear all types of genres from Jazz to indie/rock. The concert series’ kick off performance on July 8th will present the unorthodox Dust Bowl Faeries to the Troy community, a circus, post-punk, gypsy and psyche-folk band founded by Ryder Cooley & Hazel, a taxidermy ram who performs with the band as their spirit animal. In addition, The Summer Series will present seven more performers to their outdoor stage.

    The Troy Music Hall is known for bringing forth top talent from around the state to the area as well as highlighting old and new performers from their own community. This summer will be no different as the Music Hall is prepared to take Troy on a most memorable musical journey. For more information, visit here.

    Troy Summer Square 2023 Lineup

    July 8th: DUST BOWL FAERIES:

    A faerie-tale fusion of circus, post-punk, gypsy and psyche-folk music.

    July 15th: BRONTE ROMAN:

    Pop Vocalist performs lush Jazz ballads and delightfully swings to hits from the Great American Songbook. 

    July 22nd: CAROL DAGGS:

    Pianist and vocalist, composer and arranger applying musical Jazz sounds to the auditory apparatus and soul via vocal and instrumental flow. 

    July 29th: JULIA ALSARRAF:

    Singer and multi-instrumentalist whose songwriting ranges from contemporary folk to indie pop/rock. Her music has been described as deep, soulful, and vulnerable.

    August 5th: IDA MAE SPECKER:

    Fiddler, folk singer and songwriter whose music fuses original, contemporary, and traditional material, bringing heartfelt new life and relevance to the chain of American folk music. 

    August 12th: TRISKELE:

    The Capital Region’s premier all female Irish Band! Stunning harmonies that touch your soul. 

    August 19th: AIVA & HAYLEY:

    Singer songwriters from Latham, NY now attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. Performing covers from different genres and original music as well.

    August 26th: JEANNE O’CONNOR QUARTET:

    Jeanne O’Connor is a vocalist who brings her clear, expressive alto voice to pop, Latin music, and R&B.  

  • In Focus: Dan Deacon plays No Fun in Troy

    Dan Deacon brought his colorful glitch pop to No Fun in Troy on Thursday, June 8th. This is his first tour since the pandemic, he had a huge tour planned in support (he was scheduled to play Ithaca) of his studio album from 2020, Mystic Familar, and it was just about to kick off as everything shut down.

    During the downtime, Dan turned his energy towards writing numerous film scores, including the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Ascension”, and the Adam Sandler Netflix film “Hustle.” The Troy show was almost at end of a scattered tour that started in March, and even though he was pulling double duty (there was an early and a late show) the passion of his performance had not faltered or aged from years past, once the music started, he still had the charm of a mad man possessed.

    Joining Dan Deacon on the tour was drummer Jeremy Hyman. Hyman has played for Ponytail, Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks and also toured with Animal Collective when Panda Bear decided to sit out on drums during the Painting With tour. You know that if Panda Bear turned over the drumsticks to Jeremy for a tour, that he is an absolute monster behind the drum kit.

    Starting out the night was Jeremy Hyman with a DJ set of some lovely ambient/house music that was the perfect appetizer for the night. His set entranced the crowd with some tripped out soundscapes, while occasionally locking into a deep house beat that would get the crowd moving. After his set he came back out with Dan to play drums, and since there were two shows and he played both sets, that made for an impressive 4 sets over the course of the night for Jeremy Hyman, a monster indeed.

    Seeing a Dan Deacon show isn’t an average electronic music dance party, it is that, but it’s also an interactive slumber party with some like-minded strangers. It’s like going to a concert and all of a sudden that day in gym class breaks out where you didn’t have to play sports, and you just got to play silly games with a parachute. There is a lot of focus on the crowd and their dancing, which makes everyone feel silly and goofy, which is perfect mood for the kind of insane pitched up, ADHD-riddled, electronic pop music providing the soundtrack to all of this. Dan Deacon has really built up a nice catalogue of tunes to play live, and when you really distill down all of those earcandy electronic pop songs into a single show it’s a very impressive concert, musically, along with everything else going on. With the tour wrapped up and all of those scores under his belt, I think it’s a safe bet that Dan will be returning to the studio at some point in the near future for his next full length album.

    Setlist: Become a Mountain, The Crystal Cat, Change Your Life (You Can Do It), Learning to Relax, Arp I: Wide Eyed, Arp II: Float Away, Arp III: Far From Shore, Arp IV: Any Moment, Wham City, Snookered, Sat By A Tree, Paddling Ghost, When I was Done Dying, Feel the Lightning

  • Rock the Locks Brings Bands and History to Albany, Buffalo, Rochester

    Nine bands will be playing as a part of “Rock the Locks,” a rock and roll showcase with six shows near three Upstate NY cities: Albany, Buffalo, and Rochester. The shows will take place on July 7, July 8, Aug. 4, and Aug. 5.

    Rock the Locks events are being presented by Rockin’ Rochester Productions, Hey Greasy! and Yace Booking. Each of the three cities has three bands playing, and each has two events. The three groups of bands switch between cities for the different dates, excluding the city that they are native to.

    The name is a callback to the Erie Canal, which passes by all three cities. Locks 1 and 2 are near one end in Albany, locks 65 and 66 near Rochester, and locks 67-71 near Buffalo in Lockport. Locks were used to raise and lower boats traveling through the canal, and were a key part of the system’s infrastructure. Mules were often used to pull boats along, with mules and canal boats pictured in the Rock the Locks promotional material.

    Albany

    Taking place across the river in Troy at No Fun, the two concerts here will be on July 8 and Aug. 5, with doors opening at 7:00 p.m.. The first show will feature Thee Isolators, The Evil Things, and The Burkharts, with the second show featuring Aweful Kanawful, Low Spirits, and Jazz Goons.

    The tickets are $10 for advanced payment and $13 at the door. More information can be found on No Fun’s website.

    Buffalo

    At Nietzsche’s in Buffalo, the concerts will be on Friday, July 7 and Saturday, Aug. 5. For the Friday show, doors will open at 9:00 p.m., with the show starting at 10:00 p.m.. Bands on that day will include Aweful Kanawful, Low Spirits, and Jazz Goons. For the Saturday show, doors will open at 8:00 p.m., with the show starting at 9:00 p.m.. Bands on that day will include Flavour, Abysmals, and Safety Meeting.

    For both dates, tickets are $10. More information can be found on Nietzsche’s website.

    Rochester

    The two concerts in Rochester will be held at Lux on July 7 and on Aug. 4, starting at 10:00 p.m.. For the first show, Flavour, Abysmals, and Safety Meeting will be featured. For the second show, Thee Isolators, The Evil Things, and The Burkharts will be featured.

    Tickets are $5 for both dates. More information can be found on Lux’s website.

  • The Park Theater Foundation Presents Additional ‘Third Thursday Jazz’ Prior to Kicking Off 2023 Crandall Park Concert Series

    The Park Theater Foundation has recently wrapped its 2022/23 season and is headed towards a music filled summer with their annual Summer Series Concerts Live at the Crandall Park Bandshell beginning on June 30th. Before the kick off, however, the foundation is adding an extra ‘Third Thursday Jazz’ performance into their schedule on June 15th for the Glens Falls area to enjoy.

    The performance scheduled for the 15th is a special edition of The Park Theater Foundation’s ‘Third Thursday Jazz’ performances that run on the third Thursday of each month. This performance will feature The Matt Niedbalski Trio featuring Rob Lindquist on piano and bassist Jason Emmonds. Throughout the spring, Niedbalski and various other local Jazz musicians performed and taught students from the Glens Falls City School District about the history of jazz music and the importance of sound and lighting technology. Not only will this event present incredible jazz to the community but is free-of-charge to students from the Glens Falls City School District and their families as a part of the foundation’s Music & Technology Program.

    Just two weeks following the final ‘Third Thursday Jazz’ performance of the season, the foundation’s Summer Series Concerts Live at the Crandall Park Bandshell will begin. The third annual series is free and open to the public as it welcomes music lovers from all around to enjoy talent new and old every Friday evening from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM lasting until July 28th. The concerts will feature the harmony power house The Ladles, gypsy swing ensemble Hot Club of Saratoga, the top tier regional musicians of Reese Fulmer & The Carriage House Band, the uniquely blended voice and enthralling vision of The Clements Brothers, and the songwriting powerhouse Girl Blue.

    As The Park Theater Foundation has a knack for packing as much music into their events as possible, the summer series will also have an additional free performance on June 16th. The concert will be held at The Barn at French Mountain of Lake George from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM and will feature Dr. Funke’s 100% Natural Good Time Family Band. This will be a jam-packed musical event featuring members of Chestnut Grove, Let’s Be Leonard and Wild Adriatic, with additional special guests.

    With the countless incredible shows highlighting impressive NY talent, The Park Theater Foundation stays true to their mission of enhancing the accessibility of the arts within the local Glens Falls and Lake George community.

  • Space Carnival Reunites at Lark Hall on July 6

    Oneonta’s Space Carnival will perform their first show in New York State in nearly 5 years, with a special performance on Thursday, July 6 at Lark Hall in Albany.

    space carnival

    Space Carnival grew from the Mohawk Valley, playing music festivals and venues across New York State, before the band agreed to part ways, amicably. You may have even seen Chris Meier playing bass with Annie in the Water.

    Blending high-energy disco funk and progressive rock, Space Carnival features Jeremy Kraus on Guitar, Cameron Fitch on Keys and Vocals, Chris Meier on Bass, with Josh West (Annie in the Water, Lucid) joining on drums.

    Originating in Oneonta in Fall 2013, the group has honed their live sound while accumulating a solid following across the Northeast and as far as Colorado, with crowds drawn by shows full of fresh energy, working through a catalog of confident originals and rotating covers. The four piece returns in 2023, inviting fans to get down to their loose funk and slippery disco vibe.

    space carnival
    Space Carnival

    Opening the night will be Albany native, SM Ink.

    From Jam Band to DJ, Albany native, SM Ink, has continued blazing his trail in the jam scene he has loved so dearly. Furthermore, SM has progressed into a must see artist at clubs and festivals.Taking his love for Bass lines and grooves, SM delivers high energy sets through a wide range of Funky, Minimal, Deep/tech house flavors, which are great for any time, day or night.

    Doors open on July 6 at 7pm for an evening of celebration at Lark Hall in Albany, with SM Ink starting shortly after and Space Carnival at 8pm.. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

  • The Quebe Sisters bring Texas Swing to Caffe Lena on June 22

    The late Col. Bruce Hampton once referred to The Quebe Sisters as “un-bee-leivable” with a Texas swing sound, that he remarked was a bright light in music, where he saw “the music of today as horrifying.” With that simple recommendation in 2016, I discovered the sound of The Quebe Sisters, who will make their Caffe Lena return on June 22 in Saratoga Springs.

    quebe sisters caffe lena

    This trailblazing trio offer a modern day take on country and Western Swing, doing so steadfastly and free of frivolous fanfare. Siblings Grace, Sophia, and Hulda are hardly newcomers, but rather harnass sensibilities coalesced as seasoned performers. The Dallas-based trio have spent the last 17 years merging three-part harmony and triple fiddles to put a youthful, jubilant spin on Bob Wills’ classic genre.

    The sisters’ four studio albums – 2003’s Texas Fiddlers, 2007’s Timeless, 2014’s Every Which-A-Way, and 2019’s The Quebe Sisters – serve as sonic proof that these ladies are fearless interpreters and innovators.
    There’s certainly no boxing the Quebe Sisters. Grace, Sophia, and Hulda Quebe see western swing as an ocean of possibilities.

    Bob Wills was all about experimentation – melding just about every style he heard. He hired the best musicians playing regionally traditional instruments, as well as players interested in experimenting on what were the cutting-edge instruments of the day. This spirit formed what we today call western swing, and it needs to be an ingredient in current iterations of western swing to keep the style fresh and vibrant for the present and future. So, for us it’s authentic to the style to introduce our own originals.

    Grace Quebe

    For these trailblazing women, performing before enthusiastic crowds means the deep, connected roots of country and western swing will be in full display. The Quebe siblings grew up in Texas surrounded by fiddles, bows, microphones, stages, and western swing tunes. Texas is the very reason Grace, Sophia, and Hulda Quebe ended up playing triple fiddle, Grace says. But in true trailblazing fashion, Texas couldn’t contain such immense talent and dedication. The Quebe Sisters took their sound beyond the boundaries of the Lone Star state into North America, Europe, and even Russia.

    I think our central ambition in playing music is to touch people’s hearts and souls—to make them feel beauty, to make them hear colors, to make them forget worries and have fun, to make them think about God. There is no time in history or culture that doesn’t need music in this way!

    Hulda Quebe

    Grace sees nothing odd about their progressive brand of western swing connecting with foreign audiences. “Nostalgia and curiosity play some role,” she says, “but particularly the syncopation and dance elements of the music we love and play make it timeless and universal. Everyone resonates with music that has a good feel. If it uplifts you and makes you want to dance, then we are doing our job right.”

    The trio’s current tour, dubbed “Bye, For Now,” wraps up at the end of 2023. After that? Well, as Sophia says, it is, “much-needed R&R and time off the road. For now, we are taking an undetermined hiatus. This isn’t retirement for us, just a nice break.”

    It is certainly a well-earned respite. The Dallas-based Quebe Sisters have steadfastly, completely free of frivolous fanfare, elevated the country and western swing genres for more than two decades. The Quebe Sisters stretched the boundaries of an old-timey style and made it newly relevant for fans of all generations.

    There is still plenty of time to bask in those Quebe originals onstage. Grace, Sophia, and Hulda have dates in the books through October 2023. More dates will be announced soon. For a detailed list of concert performances, check out their website. Do these ladies wish fans would come out in droves to catch them onstage before they take a little downtime?

    “Yes! We hope our fans will have a chance to come out and see us as we wrap up our touring through the end of 2023.”

    Hulda Quebe

    Modern, creative, and talented women that stretch the boundaries of country and western swing music become beacons. They light the path taking audiences on a trip to the past while keeping them firmly in the present and giving them a glimpse into the future.

    Doors will open at 6:30pm for a 7pm show on Thursday, June 22. Tickets cost $5-$28 for this all ages shows. Tickets can be purchased here.

    The Quebe Sisters “Bye, For Now” Tour

    6/15: Murfreesboro, TN @ Hop Springs
    6/17: Floyd, VA @ Floyd Country Store
    6/20: New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2)
    6/22: Saratoga Springs, NY @ Caffe Lena
    6/23: Portsmouth, NH @ The Music Hall Lounge
    6/24: Brownfield, ME @ Stone Mountain Arts Center
    6/25: Shirley, MA @ Bull Run Restaurant
    7/22: Denton, TX @ Dan’s Silverleaf
    7/23: Dallas, TX @ Cafe Momentum
    7/24: Tomball, TX @ Main Street Crossing
    8/22: Berwyn, IL @ Fitzgerald’s
    8/23: Milwaukee, WI @ The Back Room at Colectivo
    8/24 & 8/25: Minneapolis, MN @ Minnesota State Fair
    8/27: Berthoud, CO @ Newell Farm Concert
    9/9: Decatur, GA @ Eddie’s Attic
    9/10: Bristol, TN @ Bristol Rhythm & Roots
    9/11: Nashville, TN @ City Winery
    9/12: St. Louis, MO @ City Winery
    10/21: Greenville, TN @ Greenville Municipal Auditorium
    10/28: Mountain City, TN @ Heritage Hall Theatre

  • In Focus: Hawthorne Heights Kick off Alive at 5 in Albany

    On Thursday June 8th, Hawthorne Heights started Albany’s Alive at 5 concert Series with tribute to their roots as Emo artists. The show was moved to Albany’s rain location under I-787, but the skies were as clear as could be for the show.

    James Woodruff of Hawthorne Heights – Photo by Jarron Childs

    Alive at 5 is a free summer concert series that the city of Albany has been throwing on annually for over 30 years. The series host artists from from the local area to national scene to bring the capital region some music from their favorite genre. Each week has a different theme; this one being Emo Pride Night.

    The show’s opener was the band Bad Luck from New York City. They had just come off a spring tour to play a 45 min set. Bad Luck set the tone for what was to come for the headliner.

    Hawthorne Heights formed in Dayton, Ohio a little over 20 years ago in 2001. They sent out their first song, “Silver Bullet,” to hundreds of record labels until one stuck with Confined Records. By 2006, they had two gold albums and were opening for Fall Out Boy during their Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour. The first stop on that tour, in fact, was in Albany, at what is now MVP Arena.

    Photo by Jarron Childs

    Hawthorne Heights is currently on a traveling festival around the US called the “Is For Lovers” festival. It has lineups of some of the best emo and pop-punk bands that could have ever been assembled, all in one place.

    Hawthorne Heights played a long 90 minutes set to start Albany’s Alive at 5 for 2023. Lead singer, James Woodruff, said this was the longest set they have ever played. Though he proclaimed early on that they would rock out the whole night, there were a lot of speeches in between songs. Fans grew restless towards the end of the set as it could be felt that he was trying to fill up their time slot. Though the speeches did give their songs more meaning, and young fans got to understand emo better, it could be felt that fans just wanted to rock out the night.

    Photo by Jarron Childs

    Hawthorne Heights did come through with their promise as fans got to mosh to some of their favorite songs. At least two mosh pits that broke out on top of, crowd surfing and the audio engineer jumping into the crowd. The crowd screamed the lyrics to “Niki FM” and helped to close out the show with “Ohio is for lovers.”

    Hawthorne Heights will continue their “Is for Lovers” festival on June 24th in Stateline, NV. There are currently no NY shows scheduled, but hopefully NY fans will get new music from them soon.

    Don’t miss this week’s Alive at 5 with Mihali with special guest Side B opening. NYS Music will be on site so stop down and check out what the NYS Music team has in store!

    Hawthorne Heights Setlist: Pens and Needles, Constant Dread, This is Who We Are, Lucerne Valley, The Transition, Crimson Sand, Saying Sorry, Rescue Me, Spray Paint it Black, Silver Bullet, Hard to Breathe, Blue Burns Orange, Stab Myself, We Are So Last Year, Niki FM, Dandelions, Ohio Is For Lovers

  • Celebrate Father’s Day at Dad Fest 2023 in Albany

    This Father’s Day, the City of Albany and the Air Force Reserve will hold the free annual event Dad Fest in Washington Park. The event features a classic car show and live music from a variety of bands. Festivities begin at 10:00 a.m. and will conclude by 6:00 p.m., allowing for a full day of celebration.

    Dad Fest 2022. Credit: CivMix

    This is the ninth year of the celebration, allowing families to relax and enjoy the early summer in Albany’s Washington Park. The event is open to all, not just Dads, with a bit of fun available for everyone.

    From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. will be the classic car show, which is being presented by Park Albany in partnership with Capital Car Shows & Air Force Reserve. 20% of the $15 registration fee will be going to the Henry Johnson Vet House of Albany. Spectating the event is free. 32 awards are available for those that participate.

    From 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. are the Gentlemen of Soul LSM, a soul, rhythm, and blues tribute band.

    From 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. is the band E.R.I.E., an indie rock quartet. The band was originally dreamt up on a hospital bed, with songwriter T.J. Foster writing and recording Don’t Wanna Live, Don’t Wanna Die as a reflection of his ordeals bringing him to the hospital and his past as a songwriter. Other members of the band include guitarist Matt Delgado, drummer Chad Flewwelling and bassist Levi Jennes.

    From 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mixed Roots, an AfroBeat and reggae band, will play. While they all now consider Albany home, Mixed Roots’ members come from a wide variety of backgrounds. The leader of the band, drummer and vocalist George, grew up in Accra, Ghana. He has shared his vocabulary of AfroBeat and reggae with the rest of the band, which includes: Irishman and bassist Brian; Irishman and guitarist Pete; Dave and Catherine playing trombone; and sax man Scott.

    The final performance from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. is Yesterday – The Beatles Tribute. They are the longest running show at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City, and were recently voted the #1 tribute act in Las Vegas by The Fremont St. Experience.

    For more information, check out the Albany Office of Cultural Affairs website’s page for the event. More information for the car show can be found here. The rain date for Dad Fest is June 25.