The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College has announced a public series of talks, screenings, performances, and more this fall. The series is in collaboration with the new exhibition “Forms of Awakening: Selections from the Jack Shear Collection of Himalayan Art.”
“Forms of Awakening” displays traditional Tibetan objects from the Jack Shear Collection alongside work from contemporary Tibetan artists. Together, the works reveal how such objects change our perspectives and bring light to aspects of reality unnoticed in daily life.
“Forms of Awakening” is open from August 19 through December 10. The exhibition is organized by Benjamin Bogin, Associate Professor of Asian Studies, Skidmore College; Rachel Seligman, Malloy Curator, Tang Teaching Museum; and Ariana Maki, Associate Director of the Tibet Center and Bhutan Initiative at the University of Virginia.
The Museum and Art Gallery’s new series includes a two-day symposium, with a focus on contemporary poetry and translation, featuring visiting poets and scholars. Featured guests include Sonam Tsomo Chashutsang, Lekey Leidecker, Tsering Wangmo Dhompa, and Dominique Townsend on Sept. 22–23; concerts by musician and activist Tenzin Choegyal on Oct. 13 and singer-songwriter Techung and singer-artist YESH on Dec. 2; a screening of four films by exhibiting artist Tenzin Phuntsog on Oct. 16; a dialogue between Phuntsog and Mary Kate Donovan, Skidmore College Associate Professor of Spanish and Director of Media and Film Studies, on October 19; and a tour with the exhibition curators and artist Palden Weinreb on Oct. 21.
All events are free and open to the public. For the latest information, visit tang.skidmore.edu.
The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) announced civic alliances in advance of opening later this month, as part of its mission to enrich the lives of New Yorkers through the arts. Executive Director Khady Kamara and Artistic Director Bill Rauch made the announcement as the group prepares to open the performing arts center at the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan.
Perelman Performing Arts Center designed by REX. Image Iwan Baan
PAC NYC is partnering with a number of organizations to further their commitment to collaborating and building alliances with the community. They have established anchor alliances with the Borough of Manhattan Community College, Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York, Interfaith Center of New York City, and The New York Immigration Coalition. In addition, PAC NYC has formed a foundational alliance with the Lenape Center.
The anchor alliances are relationships across multiple years with organizations that share a commitment to involving constituents in both PAC NYC and the allied group’s programs. Project-based alliances will spark dialogue and create programming around specific PAC NYC events, performances, and productions, and will allow both groups to reach new communities. Through these alliances, PAC NYC will collaborate closely with organizations with deep experience serving the city of New York across a variety of areas.
Building a performing arts center in this location was a promise to all of New York City. From the day we began working on the artistic programming, we also began developing relationships and creating dialogue around our events and performances. These partnerships will invite and include our neighbors from all five boroughs, connect people across differences, and help us discover how art can continue to inspire and heal.
Bill Rauch, PAC NYC Artistic Director
In addition, PAC NYC has announced a new exhibit in collaboration with new foundational alliance partner The Lenape Center. The exhibit is titled “Kishux,” and features a curated presentation of 12 large format photographs by Devin Pickering.
Perelman Performing Arts Center designed by REX. Image Iwan Baan.
“Kishux” shows photographs from over a period of five months, from all times of day, telling the story of the ancestral seeds return home to Lenapehoking, the Lenape name for their homeland. The Lenape people have historically inhabited a region across the eastern US, spanning much of what is now known as New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, New York’s Hudson Valley and the NYC metropolitan area. The exhibit at PAC NYC will run from September 23 through October 9, and is free for all.
PAC NYC tickets and memberships are available now at PACNYC.org or by phone at 212.266.3000. Tickets begin at $39 and memberships start at $10. For more information or to learn how to support PAC NYC, visit PACNYC.org.
Legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has announced that he and His Band will be making a pair of appearances in New York State this fall, with a show in Rochester on October 24 at Auditorium Theatre, and at historic Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady on October 30. The dates are part of the musicians’ “Rough and Rowdy Ways” tour.
Dylan has added more dates in November to his tour calendar, with shows on November 7-8 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, and November 14-15 at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn.
Dylan has been an iconic figure in American music for well over five decades. Born and raised in Minnesota, it was in Greenwich Village where the artists’ career started to blossom. Boasting an unparalleled writing style, Dylan rose to prominence for his ability to blend elements of folk and rock. Within just a three year span Dylan released the ever-influential albums Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde.
Widely recognized for crafting some of the most poignant and significant protest songs, Dylan is known for his social and political beliefs. The singers’ tracks became a symbolic part of the 1960s, touching on issues like segregation, authority, and societal norms. In 2016 Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his contributions to American poetry and music. Dylan has sold over 100 million records, won 10 Grammy Awards, and has been inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Proctor’s Theatre was built in 1926 and hosts Broadway shows, cutting-edge film festivals, and music performances. The Arts Center & Theatre of Schenectady (ACT) stepped in to revitalize the theatre when the building faced destruction in the 70s. Since then, Proctor’s has become an integral part of the Capital Region’s arts scene. Past performers include Mariah Carey, Brittany Spears, Duke Ellington, and even comedian George Burns.
Here for tickets and more information about the Rough and Rowdy Ways” tour.
Announced Tour Dates
1 OCT- Kansas City, MO The Midland Theatre
2 OCT- Kansas City, MO The Midland Theatre
4 OCT- St. Louis, MO Stifel Theatre
6 OCT- Chicago, IL Cadillac Palace Theatre
7 OCT- Chicago, IL Cadillac Palace Theatre
8 OCT- Chicago, IL Cadillac Palace Theatre
11 OCT- Milwaukee, WI The Riverside Theater
12 OCT- Milwaukee, WI The Riverside Theater
14 OCT- Grand Rapids, MI DeVos Performance Hall
16 OCT- Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre
20 OCT- Cincinnati, OH The Andrew J. Brady Music Center
21 OCT- Akron, OH Akron Civic Theatre
23 OCT- Erie, PA Warner Theatre
24 OCT- Rochester, NY Auditorium Theatre
26 OCT- Toronto, ON Massey Hall
27 OCT- Toronto, ON Massey Hall
29 OCT – Montreal, QB Place des Arts – Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
30 OCT- Schenectady, NY Proctors Theatre
Nov. 1, 2023 — Symphony Hall — Springfield, MA
Nov. 3, 2023 — Orpheum Theatre — Boston, MA
Nov. 4, 2023 — Orpheum Theatre — Boston, MA
Nov. 5, 2023 — Orpheum Theatre — Boston, MA
Nov. 7, 2023 — The Capitol Theatre — Port Chester, NY
Nov. 8, 2023 — The Capitol Theatre — Port Chester, NY
Nov. 10, 2023 — Providence Performing Arts Center — Providence, RI
Nov. 11, 2023 — Palace Theater — Waterbury, CT
Nov. 14, 2023 — Kings Theatre — Brooklyn, NY
Nov. 15, 2023 — Kings Theatre — Brooklyn, NY
Nov. 19, 2023 — The Fillmore — Philadelphia, PA
Nov. 20, 2023 — New Jersey Performing Arts Center – Prudential Hall, Newark, NJ
Nov. 21, 2023 — New Jersey Performing Arts Center – Prudential Hall — Newark, NJ
The 14th annual Montclair Jazz Festival, produced by the acclaimed Jazz House Kids, has announced the lineup for this year’s Downtown Jamboree, held on September 9th. This year, headliners include Regina Carter, Antibalas, Steve Turre, Melanie Charles, Person to Person with Eric Person and Houston Person, Christian McBride, the festival’s music director and curator, as well as many others.
The Montclair Jazz Festival is one of the most popular jazz events in the greater NYC area that is free to the public. In addition, it is one of the largest jazz festivals in the country. With music directed and curated by Grammy-winner Christian McBride, it comes on the heels of McBride’s famed Newport Jazz Festival, where he serves as artistic director.
What is so unique about the Montclair Jazz Fesival’s downtown takeover is that it represents the coming together of Jazz House Kids’ full mission to provide access, learning, career development and community building through the American artform of jazz. Its treasured practitioners provide inspired mentorship for our emerging talent throughout the year and will create a joyous afternoon with incredible performances for thousands of fans.
Melissa Walker, founder & president of Jazz House
This year’s Montclair Jazz Festival returned to downtown Montclair, NJ this summer with two Soundcheck Series concerts and jam sessions, community events, and two marquee Saturdays with live music on multiple stages. One of the hallmarks of the festival will be the Jazz House alumni and peer performance on the Jazz Cruise Alumni Stage @ Midtown. The performance will feature some of the nation’s top talent who trained at the Jazz House, the country’s foremost jazz education organization.
It’s going to be yet another fabulous year at the Montclair Jazz Festival with such great artists, both up and coming and legendary, joining us. Regina Carter, Antibalas, Steve Turre, Endea Owens, our Jazz House Collective and so many more, promise to make this year another hit.
Christian McBride, director and curator
The Montclair Jazz Festival is free to the public. More information can be found at montclairjazzfestival.org or on the official Montclair Jazz Festival app, available on the Google or Apple App Store.
A new recording of Cyndi Lauper’s “Come On Home” was released on September 1, with proceeds benefitting the Sound Mind Network, a non-profit organization helping those battling mental health issues and drug addiction. The recording features Billboard-charting artist Danni Baylor, with vocals by Cyndi Lauper.
Written by Lauper in collaboration with Jerome Baylor, “Come On Home” was produced by Sound Mind Network founder Joe Nicolo. Lauper originally released the song on her 1994 greatest hits album Twelve Deadly Cyns… And Then Some.
Proceeds from the song’s release will benefit Sound Mind Network’s Foundation and mission to break the stigma surrounding addiction, while helping those in need fulfill their potential.
“Come On Home” will feature alongside 10 other tracks on a compilation album for the Sound Mind Network. It will include artists such as The Bacon Brothers, Joan Osborne, Kathy Sledge, Taj Mahal and others.
The more we learn about mental health, the better we are as a society. This is an issue we have swept under the rug forever. My hope is that ‘Come On Home’ can raise money to eliminate the shame around mental health that has caused a lot of people to needlessly suffer.
Cyndi Lauper
Recorded at Joe’s Garage in Audubon, NJ, the song features Andy Meyer on drums, Jerome Baylor and Mitch Beer on bass, Glenn Hale on keyboard, Brian Fitzy and Bo Rains on guitar, Jay Davidson on horns, and Ryan “Gooch” Nelson on percussion.
I’ve been fortunate to spend an entire career witnessing the power of music and personal creativity. I am excited and honored to help empower the recovery community through Sound Mind Records. What Cyndi and Danni have done with this beautiful song, and what the other amazing artists are contributing, is truly something special. Their gifts of music are going to help so many others overcome their demons.
Joe Nicolo
The Sound Mind Network is dedicated to changing the way the world looks at drug addiction and mental health through music and the arts, according to Nicolo. The organization funds partner programs that empower those struggling to overcome their personal challenges and lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
“Come On Home” is available on all digital formats and for digital download as part of Sound Mind Network’s Healing Through the Arts program.
Stewart’s Shops and the Dake Family Foundation have announced a $25,000 contribution to the Palace Theatre’s Community Engagement Initiative. The Initiative is a widespread effort to expand the Palace Theatre’s accessibility to the nearby community.
The grant will focus on widening the Palace’s presence as a resource for communities around the Capital Region, subsidizing expenses associated with using the space, helping groups to participate in various arts programs to use the Threatre for practice and rehearsal.
Stewart’s Shops is committed to giving back to all our shops’ communities. We are proud to support the Palace Performing Arts Center’s Community Engagement Initiative. Together, we can create a stronger, more inclusive Albany, harnessing the transformative power of the arts to uplift lives and inspire positive change.
Susan Dake, President of Stewart’s Shops & Dake Family Foundation
The Dake Family Foundation’s gift will also support the Initiative’s workforce development training, which assists individuals with becoming trained NYS certified security guards. In addition, it also offers paid internship opportunities to expose candidates to the arts and entertainment business industries. It also allows for collaboration with other community organizations that serve youth and families throughout the summer, providing safe spaces to enjoy family-friendly programming.
Live entertainment is the cornerstone of what we do at the Palace, but collaboration and community engagement are also pillars of our success. When an organization has great partners like Stewart’s Shops and the Dake Family, we are able to provide access to the Palace Theatre and present it as not just a place for great entertainment, but also a community resource to the Capital Region.
Kevin Johnson, Executive Director of the Palace Theatre
The theatre has many summer offerings including a Summer in the City Movie Series, an Annual Block Party, a Safe Trick or Treat even, and other community-centered programs throughout the season.
Rock outfit Dogstar have announced that they will be stopping in Brooklyn as part of the tour for their upcoming album Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees, the group’s first project in over 20 years. Dogstar is made up of Bret Domrose (guitar/vocals), Robert Mailhouse (drums), and notably, Keanu Reeves (bass). The band is set to perform at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on December 11.
Founded in Los Angeles during the 90s, the group started to formulate their alt-rock sound with garage jam sessions. In 1994 Dogstar would depart on an extensive tour and a year later the collective opened for David Bowie. The band released just two albums together, Our Little Visionary in 1996 and Happy Ending in 2000. Due to the members’ other professional and artistic commitments, the group grew apart, last performing in 2002. However, Dogstar returned this year with the single “Everything Turns Around” off their upcoming album.
We are so excited to re-introduce Dogstar with our new single ‘Everything Turns Around.’ It feels like a fun summer song to us.
In addition to “Everything Turns Around” the group recently released “Breach” off of Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees. Made for the summer, both of the albums’ singles channel the Southern California energy that the band has become synonymous with. Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees is slated to drop on October 6.
Dogstar’s upcoming tour includes over 25 dates and stretches from each coast of the United States. The tour started on August 10 and runs until December 21. In addition to their American performances, the group also has three shows scheduled in Japan. Click here for tickets and more information.
Dogstar Tour Dates
8-22 Napa, CA – Uptown Theatre
8-23 Menlo Park, CA – The Guild Theatre
8-24 San Luis Obispo, CA – Fremont Theater
8-26 Ventura, CA – Ventura Music Hall
8-27 Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up
8-28 Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory
9-05 Osaka, Japan – Zepp Namba
9-06 Yokohama, Japan – KT Zepp
9-07 Yokohama, Japan – KT Zepp
11-30 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
12-03 San Francisco, CA – The Great American Music Hall
Residents of Binghamton’s West Side neighborhood are mowing their lawns and moistening their reeds in anticipation of Binghamton Porchfest 2023, back for an eighth year next Sunday, August 27, from noon to 7 p.m.
Porchfest invites thousands of community members each summer for a free afternoon of live music performed from the residential porches, stoops, and yards of the Abel Bennett Historic Tract. The 2023 festival features 162 local and regional bands performing at 63 host locations, showcasing folk music alongside hip-hop, worship music next door to heavy metal, high schoolers covering Lou Reed, retirees singing Beyonce, classical, jazz, opera, country, and punk.
Food vendors and restroom locations dot the neighborhood and a free shuttle traverses the perimeter of the roughly quarter square mile festival footprint, defined by the rough borders of Riverside Drive, Chestnut Street, Recreation Park, and Beethoven Street. Most roads will be closed to traffic, with free golf cart shuttles offering rides where traffic is prohibited. Lourdes Hospital is offering free parking in their back lot at the end of Lourdes Road. Cans collected during the festival will benefit fundraising efforts for the Danielle House.
Like the many other Porchfests operating independently throughout the country, Binghamton Porchfest is modeled after a DIY community festival hosted by the residents of Ithaca since 2007.
Binghamton Porchfest 2023 comes to life with the support of the City of Binghamton and Mayor Jared Kraham, Cavanaugh’s Grocery, Visions FederalCredit Union, and the generosity of many community sponsors and donors. This event is made possible with public funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by The Earlville Opera House. Additional support for the Broome SCR Program graciously provided by the Stewart W. and Willma C. Hoyt Foundation, Inc.
Utica artist Nick Vanderwood dropped his latest single “Shimmy” accompanied by a music video on August 19. “Shimmy” ushers in the next phase of Vanderwood’s artistic journey, as the track signals the incoming release of his September EP Reload. The music video premiere and subsequent live performance headlined the opening ceremonies for the first annual Dreamland Theatre Music and Arts Festival.
The release of “Shimmy” marks the second audio-visual collaboration between Nick and Utica-born filmmaker, Lukas Sunderlin. The two friends joined forces years ago for Nick’s project “Little Vacation.” Since then, the duo have moved to Los Angeles and have been consolidating their creative visions under their new media production label known as “Monomaniac.”
Reload has been in the works for many years, as Vanderwood has struggled with a chronic neck injury that has hindered his performance behind a microphone. “Shimmy” started as a product of Vanderwood’s efforts at putting together a debut album. Recorded at the artists’ home in New York Mills, the track escalated from a brief demo to a full seven-minute cinematic short film.
The project not only attests to the creativity of Sunderlin but also the strength of “Shimmy” as a song. Funky, syrupy, and full of attitude, the track is a masterful blend of guitar and bass. The song perfectly fits the mysterious sci-fi world that comes alive in the video. Directed by Sunderlin with cinematography from Scott Sweitzer, the short film is fun and genuine. The duo cultivates an intriguing and imaginative visual experience that helps to showcase Vanderwood’s unique artistic vision.
We didn’t want to just throw something together and do something cute. The new work Nick is creating has an amazing amount of energy behind it, so we wanted to make this a truly cinematic experience that could represent it appropriately.
Lukas Sunderlin
Click here for more on Nick Vanderwood, and visit here to listen to “Shimmy.”
The Soul Rebels are set to perform for four nights at the Blue Note Jazz Club from Sept. 21 through Sept. 24. The group will also be accompanied by a slew of special guests including Rakim & Big Daddy Kane. Comedian Tony Woods, New York icon Ja Rule, and rapper G-Eazy are all scheduled to host a different night.
A product of New Orleans’ rich musical history, The Soul Rebels is an eight-piece brass ensemble. The band has long been admired for its ability to fuse together elements of jazz, soul, hip-hop, pop, and rock. An artistic Swiss Army knife, The Soul Rebels have performed with the likes of Nas, Rakim, Katy Perry, Portugal. The Man, and even Metallica.
The eight-member collective has appeared on multiple major releases including G-Eazy’s “When You’re Gone” ft. Lil Wayne and Dave East and Nas’ “Godfather 4.” The ensemble’s 2019 album Poetry in Motion impressed listeners and spawned appearances on The Late Show and NPR’s Tiny Desk.
Performing a Blue Note Jazz Club residency is the holy grail of artistic experiences for our band. This opportunity brings together our favorite artists including our long-time friends and collaborators Rakim and G-Eazy and marks our debut performances with Big Daddy Kane and Ja Rule. This Blue Note engagement is truly monumental within our career and in culture. We are going big this year for the 50th anniversary of hip hop.
Drummer and co-founder, Lumar Leblanc.
The Blue Note Jazz Club continues to attract artists from a multitude of musical backgrounds. A Manhattan staple, the institution has been up and running since 1981. The Soul Rebels will be joined onstage by an all-star cast of jazz musicians. Louis Cato, Ray Angry, Elena Pinderhughes, and James Carter are all scheduled to be part of the band’s four-night run of performances.
Blue Note owns and operates New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club, Sony Hall, and Arthur’s Tavern; D.C.’s The Howard Theatre; and Blue Note Jazz Clubs Worldwide, which includes venues in Milan, Italy; Honolulu, HI; Beijing and Shanghai, China; Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan; Napa, CA; and Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil.
Here for tickets and more information about the performances.
