“20 years of Lucid, I never thought I’d see the day.” Lowell Wurster shared this sentiment alongside an announcement that on Saturday, May 18, Lucid would gather together at the Strand Center in Plattsburgh to celebrate two decades of North Country funk and soul.
Lucid at The Waterhole – October 2023
The Strand Theater itself is celebrating as well, marking 100 years of performances this year, having opened in 1924 as a vaudeville theatre. In recent years, the venue has undergone renovations and upgrades, bringing the Strand into the 21st Century.
Lowell shared his excitement for the anniversary event. “This show is a celebration of a community and love, The North Country is our home and this is where our hearts lie. To be able to celebrate our 20 year anniversary in our hometown means the world to us. Some of us went to the same high school and had the same teachers.”
“The whole community rallied around us years ago when we went on our first East coast tour. There’s always been such an outpouring of support for us and its been quite humbling. We love the North Country,” added Wurster.
Supporting Lucid is Lowell’s father, George, with ‘When Pigs Fly’ – the name derived from his band Blind Pigs from many years back. In the past year, members of Lucid, the Blind Pigs original drummer, Pat Madix, and Mike Dashnaw from The Shameless Strangers were brought together to create When Pigs Fly for this special occasion.
“I honestly think people are pretty excited to watch my dad’s band. After years of watching him sit in with us now folks can watch him front a whole set, that is exciting for me and a lot of other people are pretty stoked.”
Lowell Wurster, on When Pigs Fly
A perfect band to pair up for the evening, Lucid fans have seen George play with the group over the years, making this a family affair in more ways that one. Expect to see Wurster’s sister, Catherine, of DoomF$ck, also sitting in throughout the evening.
“We’re just so excited to share this experience with everyone. This is a celebration of 20 years of building community, this is about love and the family we’ve built with this community,” said Wurster.
The 20 year anniversary celebration for Lucid takes place on Saturday May 18 at the Strand Center for the Arts, with doors at 6pm and the show starting at 7pm. Tickets and more info can be found here or at the Strandcenter.org
Boston Calling Music Festival returns this Memorial Day weekend, May 24-26, 2024, to the Harvard Athletic Complex in Boston, MA.
The long-running and well-known music festival has a stellar line up for 2024 and lists performances by Ed Sheeran, Leon Bridges, Tyler Childers, Trey Anastasio, Megan Thee Stallion, The Revivalists, Renee Rapp, Young the Giant, The Killers, and Hozier along with many other talented artists.
The Boston Calling 2024 website is a great source of information for all things festival related such as where to stay and you can also purchase your tickets from the website. The different ticket options listed are day and weekend pass for General Admission, GA+, VIP, and Platinum.
You will want to review the FAQ section as you plan. There is no on-site parking, and they do a great job in the article telling you how to navigate. Also be sure to check out the other questions so you can be prepared for the festival.
Don’t forget to check out the website listing of the food vendors which is very handy if you have dietary restrictions or like to plan your meals ahead of time, they list online each vendor and their location during the festival.
Meadowlark Festival — the Stone Ridge, NY three-day festival of indie, roots, and countercultural music that benefits farmers in Hudson Valley and nationwide — confirms its lineup for its 2024 fall festival.
Set for September 13-15, the 3-day event will feature performances from indie rock icons Blonde Redhead, NPR Tiny Desk concert alum and Hudson Valley artist Laura Stevenson, NYC garage rockers and Yep Roc artists Daddy Long Legs, Kentucky songwriter Joan Shelley, Boston Music Award-nominated blues guitarist Ryan Lee Crosby, the “sweetly flavored folk-pop” music of Fruit Bats, WXPN-named “Artist to Watch” Slaughter Beach, Dog, Newport Folk Fest favorites Deer Tick, the psychedelic space rock of KidBess & The Magic Ring, along with Honeycrush and Lulu Lewis. Also performing are the “first couple of Americana” Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, and artsy Manhattan garage-rockers Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage, with a special guest set for reveal as the festival draws closer.
Lineup for the 2nd annual Meadowlark Festival revealed
All in all, the 2nd annual Meadowlark Festival continues to garner support for farmers local and nationwide and supports organizations who are aligned with the values of promoting food security and advocacy for local farms. These organizations include Farm Aid, Rondout Valley Growers Association (RVGA), and Hudson Valley Center For Food, Culture & Agriculture. The festival takes place at Stone Ridge Orchard & Farmers Market, a 200-year-old working farm on 115 acres.
Moreover, tickets for Meadowlark Fest 2024 are on sale on the festival website, with prices ranging from an early bird special and day-of pricing. For instance, a 1-Day general admission early bird ticket costs $70, but will be $100 on the day of, with similar rules set for parking passes.
Meadowlark Festival to take place at Stone Ridge Orchard & Farmer’s Market
Additionally, Meadowlark Fest will feature local artisans, food vendors, award-winning artisanal hard apple ciders, and more with more details to come. Less than two hours north of New York City and a twenty-minute car ride from the Kingston Metro North railroad station, Stone Ridge Orchard and Farmers Market in the scenic Roundout Valley sits between the Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskill mountain range in the Hudson Valley region.
Legendary musician Graham Nash will be bringing his “Graham Nash – More Evenings of Songs and Stories” tour to the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stageat the historicCarnegie Hall on Tuesday, October 1. Set for an 8:00 p.m. start time, Nash, a founding member of both The Hollies and Crosby, Stills and Nash, will be performing a body of work spanning over six decades that includes a litany of monumental recordings.
Graham Nash to bring ‘More Evenings of Songs and Stories’ tout to Carnegie Hall
Additionally, the Carnegie Hall audience will be treated to a special guest in Judy Collins, whose own legendary body work spans more than seven decades. In light of his special performance tickets have already gone on sale on the Carnegie Hall official website. Ticket prices range from $69, $89, $99 and $149.
Judy Collins’ legendary career has seen her remain active for over seven decades
Moreover, Nash offered a preview to the midtown-Manhattan venue’s crowd making an unannounced appearance at Crosby, Stills, and Nash tribute concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall on Monday, May 13. Although Nash wasn’t officially on the bill, he came out at the end of the night to perform a moving rendition of “Our House.”
For his part, Nash is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee who has seen rock history unfold at some of its seminal moments. After all the Blackpool-bred musician began making history during the launch of the British Invasion with his work with CSN, while perfecting his craft during the birth of the Laurel Canyon movement a year later. An extraordinary Grammy Award winning renaissance artist – and self-described “simple man” – Nash has contributed a wealth of songs to the soundtrack of our lives. Moreover, the “I Used to Be a King” singer is a two-time inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, for his work with CSN and his work as a solo artist.
Similarly, the eternal Judy Collins has inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism throughout her extensive career. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Five decades later, her luminescent presence continues to shine brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 55-album body of work, and heed inspiration from her spiritual discipline to thrive in the music industry for half a century.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center has announced their seventh annual Adirondack Trust Company Festival of Young Artists. The community festival celebrates over 700 of the Capital Region’s promising young artists, including dancers, musicians, poets, and visual artists. Pop-up performances and art displays will culminate in a large-scale production on the main stage.
Performing organizations include Empire State Youth Orchestra, Saratoga Springs Youth Ballet, Capital District Artis initiative. Additionally, an original musical composition 12th Grader Lucia Vysohlid will be performed by ESYO Symphony Orchestra, Capital District Youth Chorale, and singers from three local high schools.
Festival of Young Artists_2023. June 04, 2023 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, New York, USA
Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is dedicated to providing New Yorkers access to the arts. Through their partnerships with nonprofits and over 120 schools, SPAC provides arts programing and outreach, prioritizing historically marginalized groups.
The festival’s theme is Rhythm, a thread that was woven throughout the 2024 season. SPAC’s annual student gallery features 95 pieces inspired by a passage from Langston Hughes’ “The First Book of Rhythms”.
Performances will be held from 2-5:30 PM on Sunday, June 2. Food-stands and immersive arts activities will be available on the grounds, along with free ice cream provided by Stewart’s Shops. The production on the main stage will begin at 4:45. The event is free to the community, but registration is required for admission. A recap of last year’s Summer SPAC events can be found below.
The Schenectady-Saratoga Symphony Orchestra has announced its 91st Concert Season, consisting of nine concerts. This new concert season will feature a host of shows in both Schenectady and Saratoga Springs.
Since its founding in 1935, the SSSO has prided itself in community involvement. Throughout its history, the SSSO has employed not only professional musicians, but also highlighted local amateur musicians. The orchestra has been a platform for local musicians, dance troupes and school choruses, helping to launch musical careers throughout the Schenectady-Saratoga region. Through its concerts and musical mentoring, the SSSO has become one of the greatest musical assets of the Capital Region.
This concert season will continue the SSSO’s history of involvement by hosting a series of guest musicians and incorporating new visual elements to enhance concerts. Soloists like trumpeter Robert Sullivan, and Lisa Leonard will join the SSSO for orchestral classics and new works. This season will feature a new visual elements and projections to enhance the concert experience. SSSO’s artistic director Glen Cortese says the “Visuals and projections will accompany many of our concerts to add another layer to the audience’s live music experience.” With this new aspect to their live shows, audiences will have their eyes, as well as ears stimulated at this year’s concerts.
SSSO Schedule
Free Pops Concert (not on subscription)
7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 at Music Haven Stage in Schenectady’s Central Park
A tribute to the great composer John Williams.
“Realize”
7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Zankel Music Center
3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20 at the MainStage at Proctors
Featuring soloist Lisa Leonard in Prokofiev’s “Piano Concerto #3,” Adamo’s “Overture to Lysistrata” and Respighi’s “Fontana di Roma” and “Pini di Roma.”
Poinsettia Pops (not on subscription, add-on)
7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Great Hall at UPH
3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8 at the Great Hall at UPH
Featuring guest soloists Jeanine Ouderkirk, Mowgli Giannitti and Elizabeth Sterling.
“Reminisce”
7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025 at the Great Hall at UPH
3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 at the MainStage at Proctors
Featuring Trumpeter Robert Sullivan in Glen Cortese’s “Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (Gabriel’s Signal),” Snider’s “Eye of Mnemosyne” and Mendelssohn’s “Symphony #4.”
“Reach”
3 p.m. Sunday, March 2, 2025 at the Great Hall at UPH
The program features John Musto performing his “Litany” and “Piano Concerto #2,” Debussy’s “Children’s Corner” and guest vocalist Ann Marie Adamick with Mahler’s “Songs of the Wayfarer.”
“Remember”
3 p.m. Sunday, April 13, 2025 at the MainStage at Proctors
The Octavo Singers and surprise special guests join SSSO for Verdi’s great “Requiem.”
Season Tickets are currently on sale for $65. Individual tickets are $17-24, with children under 18 getting free entrance with a ticketed adult. For more ticketing and concert information visit the SSSO website here.
This September, author Daniel Rachel will stop in Manhattan and Saugerties to celebrate the US release of his book Too Much Too Young. Akashic Books will release the British best-seller for American audiences on June 4th.
Too Much Too Young: The 2 Tone Records Story is a definitive history of the British Ska scene of the 1970s and 80s. The book discusses Ska’s Caribbean island origins, and how British Youth conquered the airways with it throughout the 1980s. This 2 Tone scene was a multi-racial movement using ska as a vehicle to fight racism, right wing extremism and other social issues of Thatcher-era England.
Rachel’s book is a modern classic of music history, receiving praise from critics and musicians alike. The book features interviews with members of legendary ska groups, like The Beat, Madness, and The Specials, giving it a very grounded, informative and intimate feeling. Additionally, the book features an introduction by Pauline Black, lead singer of the 2 Tone band The Selecter.
A brilliant book and a fitting account of one of British culture’s most epochal moments.
Nothing is left out of this definitive book.”
– The Wire
Before his writing career, Rachel had a fruitful music career. He began as lead singer of the Birmingham Britpop group Rachels Basement, before launching a successful solo folk-pop career. Since 2013, Rachel has focused on his writings, which have covered topics throughout British music history. Whether they are about Ska, Britpop or David Bowie, his books have garnered much critical praise. Too Much Too Young has been especially successful, being named book of the year by The Sunday Times, Louder Than War and many other publications.
To celebrate the release of his book in the US, Rachel is planning a cross-country book tour. The tour is set to begin on August 23 in Los Angeles, featuring an interview with Specials guitarist Lynval Golding. This book tour includes two New York locations, with stops in Saugerties and Manhattan. On Monday, September 9, the tour will stop at Saugerties’s Orpheum Theatre. On Thursday, September 12, the tour will stop at Rough Trade’s NYC store in Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center.
For more information on the book’s release and tour dates, visit the Akashic Books website here.
The Sub Rosa Sessions Concert Series will return to Syracuse for the first time since 2017. The concert series consists of intimate monthly shows meant to highlight local talent and up-and-coming national acts.
The term Sub Rosa comes from Latin “under the rose” meaning something done secretly. Like the name suggests, Sub Rosa flourishes in the underground, not only highlighting underground artists, but also taking place in a new secret downtown venue.
The first revival show will feature Baltimore-based Americana band June Star, and Central New York singer-songwriter Khalil Jade. Since 1998, June Star have released 16 studio albums helping to spread their unique take on roots music to the masses. Led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Grimm, their unique lyricism and grungy instrumentation give them a sound unlike any other Americana group. The band also features Dave Hadley, whose masterful steel pedal guitar aids in their signature sound.
Khalil Jade is a singer-songwriter and a staple of Central New York’s live scene. Her original pieces blend folk, Americana, and blues to create a unique style of singer-songwriter music. With her acoustic guitar and soft, soulful voice, Jade crafts songs about the joys and struggles of life.
Sub Rosa: Then and Now
Singer-songwriter Amanda Rogers started the Sub Rosa Concert Series in 2014. For four years, the concert series was a staple of Syracuseâs music scene, acting as a platform for local bands and artists. Syracuse’s SubCat Studios originally hosted the concerts at their downtown location. The concerts not only allowed for artists to showcase their works in an intimate setting, but also to have their shows professionally recorded. In addition to live music, the concerts featured meet and greets, refreshments and exclusive performance CDs.
The Sub Rosa Concert Series will return to Syracuse on May 31. The concerts will continue to take place from 6-9 PM on the last Thursday of every month. Starting in May, they will take place in a secret speak-easy like venue in Downtown Syracuse. Attendees will meet at the Tectonic Hand statue in front of Syracuse City Hall at 5:55 PM before being guided to the venue.
Tickets are currently on sale at $30, which includes entrance, refreshments and more. Attendance for the event is capped at 80 people to ensure an intimate concert environment for “the best under the radar music from around the world.”
More information on Sub Rosa and ticketing can be found here.
The Blues Society, directed by Dr. Augusta Palmer, will have a week-long run of screenings at Firehouse Cinema in NYC from Friday, May 24 through Thursday, May 30. Dr. Palmer is attending select screenings to introduce the film and conduct a Q&A session afterward.
This feature-length documentary reevaluates the life of the Memphis Country Blues Festival through the lens of race, the counterculture of the ‘60s, and the genre of Memphis blues. It includes interviews with a diverse cast of festival participants and commentators like Dom Flemons, Zandria Robinson, Jamey Hatley, Jim Dickinson, Sid Selvidge, Nancy Jeffries, and the words of Bob Palmer as voiced by Eric Roberts.
The Memphis Country Blues Festival (1966-1969) all started with a $65 check, a ball of hashish, and a bunch of white bohemians who set out to rediscover forgotten bluesmen of the early 20th century.
“I didn’t want to just make a concert film,” said director Augusta Palmer. “I loved the arc of the story. The initial stake was guitarist Bill Barth’s baseball-size chunk of hash and guitarist Jim Dickinson’s sixty-five-dollar check from a Sun Studios session. It was white and black musicians playing together during the height of the civil rights era. The KKK held a rally in that same public park a few days before. I wanted to understand what this moment meant to the people involved.”
The film follows the festival from its start in 1966 as an impromptu happening, through a period of cross-pollinization with New York’s East Village scene, and up to the 1969 festival, which mushroomed into a three-day event. It garnered substantial print and television coverage, including an appearance on Steve Allen’s national PBS show, Sounds of Summer.
Dr. Augusta Palmer. Photo by Paul Reuter.
The Blues Society tells the story of blues masters like Furry Lewis, Nathan Beauregard, and Rev. Robert Wilkins—who had attained fame in the 1920s and 1930s but lived in obscurity by the 1960s. It’s also the story of a group of white artists from the North and the South who created a celebration of African American music in a highly segregated city.
The film’s genesis began as a family affair for director Dr. Augusta Palmer. She grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, went to Rhodes College in Memphis, and Sarah Lawrence College, before settling in Brooklyn. Her father, Robert Palmer, was a founding organizer and player in the festival, and her mother was also there tearing tickets.
“I officially started working on this film in 2016,” she said, “but you could say I’ve been working on it for all my life. When that woman makes a speech at the end, where she’s saying, ‘Why can’t you just pay for your tickets people?’ to people who snuck in. That’s my mom. She was pregnant with me when she made that speech. So, I kind of went to the 1969 Memphis Country Blues Festival. I didn’t know my dad very well until I was a teenager, but this festival was a big part of his life.”
Robert Palmer later went on to become a music critic for the New York Times and Rolling Stone and authored the seminal blues history book Deep Blues—which in turn inspired the 1991 documentary Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads.
Music executive and Memphis Country Blues Fest organizer Nancy Jeffries was approached by Gene Rosenthal with 16mm footage of Memphis Country Blues Festival that he shot and kept in his basement. Jeffries brought Palmer on board after seeing her feature film The Hand of Fatima. They began developing the film in 2013, but the project stagnated due to rights issues and conflicting ideas on what this film should be. A few years later, Fat Possum Records bought the footage and put together the 2019 concert film Memphis ’69: The 1969 Memphis Country Blues Festival, and were generous enough to offer her access to the footage.
Palmer made it a point to bring in diverse voices to give this film a historical context. Memphis writer and filmmaker Jamie Hatley talked about when she wanted to separate herself from images of poverty in the blues, and that it took her a while to come around to appreciating the genre. Henry Nelson, a black man from West Memphis, Arkansas, hoped he could get a ride to Woodstock, but wound up at the Memphis Country Blues Festival. Don Flemons discussed how the blues lost its appeal for young African Americans as we move into the more radical Black Panther era.
We all love the idea that music conquers all. Everyone can appreciate the blues music in this film, but love for this music didn’t cure white supremacy, and white blues fans were part of a power structure that took advantage of black artists. I love the enthusiasm of that white hippy idealism, but the rules were much more stringent back then. There were segregated bathrooms for employees at the bandshell. Racial inequality has become more and more clear to the nation since the pandemic. We’ve come a long way, but still have a long way to go.
Augusta Palmer
The Blues Society premiered Indie Memphis and won the Audience Award, won best Doc Feature at the Oxford Film Festival, and will have theatrical runs in New York City, Memphis, Columbus, Ohio, and Portland before being released to streaming services this summer.
Tickets for its New York City run are available now.
Union Pool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has announced the artist lineup for its free Summer Thunder concert series. The 2024 lineup offers concert-goers an amazing variety of shows ranging from punk and psychedelic to Latin and underground hip-hop.
The 12th annual Summer Thunder series will begin on June 2nd with a show by Boston indie-rockers Guerilla Toss. For the rest of the summer until August 28, Union Pool will host daytime concerts each Sunday. Concerts take place at Union Pool’s patio, a chic and manicured yet comfortable outdoor space. In addition to music, concert-goers can purchase a host of drinks inside Union Pool, as well as Mexican food from the patio’s El Diablo Taco Truck.
Union pool has been a staple of Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood since it opened in 2000. It started as a quaint corner bar, offering drinks and darts, but quickly grew into one of Brooklyn’s major entertainment hubs. Hidden under the shadow of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the venue offers DJ sets, live shows and a host of other amenities.
2024’s Summer Thunder series offers a wide variety of musical styles, featuring artists from around the country. On top of the aforementioned Guerilla Toss, indie rockers like Rosali, Lifeguard and Mary Timony will perform. On June 9, Chicago’s Bitchin Bajas will craft psychedelic soundscapes with their noisy, Krautrock-influenced sound. For lovers of Latin music, Tucson-based Los Esplifs will perform their signature lo-fi Latin pop. Psychedelic supergroup Winged Wheel will perform, featuring Sonic Youth’s legendary drummer Steve Shelley. Additionally, legendary punk singer-guitarist Kid Congo Powers will grace Union Pool on August 18. His signature style led him to success in The Cramps, The Gun Club and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
The summer series will notably feature both establish and up-and coming New York-based acts. Up-and-coming NYC rap duo Armand Hammer will perform on June 23. The group, consisting of Billy Woods and Elucid, has risen to prominence off the back of their raucous production and deep lyricism. Brooklyn Vegan named their latest album We Buy Diabetic Test Strips as the 2nd best album of 2023.
Joe Bataan, a legendary Latin soul singer from Harlem, will perform on July 7. Garnering hits since the 1960s, Bataan melds Latin Jazz, funk, R&B, and salsa to create his signature sound. In addition to his Latin soul hits, Bataan also helped to spearhead rap, with his song “Rap-O Clap-O” being one of the earliest hip-hop hits.
On August 4, Brooklyn-based singer songwriter, Rahill will play her signature dreamy indie-pop. Originally the founder of Garage Rock band Habibi, Rahill’s solo music has been more pop influenced, reflecting on memories of her family. In 2023, she collaborated with indie legend Beck on her song “Fables.”
All Summer Thunder concerts are free 21+ events. As they are held in an establishment that serves alcohol, physical ID is required for entry. For information on concert RSVPs, visit here. RSVPs are not required, but all concerts will be first come first serve.
