Singer-songwriter Mihali has announced the dates for his annual Mihalidaze tour spanning nine venues across the Northeast, including three nights around New York State.
Photo by Dave DeCrescente
Reggae artist Mihali Savoulidis has spent the past few years spreading his good vibes through sound and live performance. Formerly the frontman and founding member of rock band Twiddle, Mihali began his solo career formally in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, bringing in fans new and old with a series of singles and albums following in the following months and years.
Most recently, Mihali has been on a collaboration streak, making tunes with the likes of Andy Frasco, Coyote Island, and Collie Buddz, in addition to touring the country as a solo headliner and supporting musical acts G. Love & Special Sauce and The Movement on their recent tours.
Wrapping his incredibly successful year in an exciting bow, Mihali has announced the 2024 dates of his annual ‘Mihalidaze’ holiday themed tour, returning to some of his favorite venues including a few in Syracuse, Saratoga, and Woodstock with both his live band and his solo looping act.
Composed of Scott Hannay on keys, Adrian Tramontano on drums, Zdenek Gubb on bass, and Mihali himself on guitar and vocals, the band will kick off the tour in Massachusetts and make their way through the Northeast- including stops at the Westcott Theater on December 11, Putnam Place on December 12, and Bearsville Theater on December 14. A celebration of family, friends, and the holiday season, this tradition is not one to be missed.
“Every year, I get super excited to announce my Mihalidaze celebrations. The holidays are so important for friends and family to come together and celebrate life, and I can’t think of a better way to do that than with live music!”
– Mihali Savoulidis
Tickets to Mihali’s Mihalidaze tour are available now- for more information on how to attend, ticket purchasing, and Mihali’s other adventures, visit his website here.
The GE Theatre presented by the Eighth Step will host one of folk legend Tom Paxton’s final shows in his farewell tour in Schenectady on Saturday, Oct. 19.
The Eighth Step has hosted Paxton about every two years since the mid-1980s. First, on Willett Street in Albany, then at the Cohoes Music Hall, and since 2007, at the GE Theater in Schenectady. On Oct. 19, they will once again present Grammy-winning folk legend Tom Paxton in concert with the Don Juans live at 7:30 pm. Paxton has toured and written with the DonJuans [Grammy winners Don Henry & Jon Vezner] for the past several years and as of next Spring, he will retire from touring.
Since the beginning of Tom Paxton’s career, he has delivered clever political commentary, and poignant love songs. His story began in 1960s Greenwich Village, playing in now-legendary coffee houses like The Gaslight and befriending other folk legends like Dave Van Ronk, Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Eric Anderson. Since then, has gone on to perform thousands of concerts, in places across the world like Hong Kong, Denmark, Tokyo, Oslo, and New Zealand. He has also toured England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland over 50 times and has recorded over 50 albums of his own songs.
Recordings of Paxton songs by other artists number in the hundreds and include artists such as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Judy Collins, John Denver, Joan Baez and Peter Paul & Mary.
In 2009, Tom Paxton was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy during the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. In addition, he has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from ASCAP, and the BBC.
Tickets are $32.50 Advance, $37.50 day of show, and $55 Gold Circle including front center section seats and admission to the 6:30 pm Artist Reception onstage with Tom, Don and Jon. Learn more and purchase tickets here.
Cohoes Music Hall announced that on October 27 the venue will host a grand Cast Party to raise funds for the inaugural Capital Region Festival of Theatre. The party is presented by Playhouse Stage Company.
The party will be the biggest gathering of Capital Region theater fans ever in the interest of building a Festival to promote their interests. There will be a substantial sampling of the area’s entertainment, light fare provided by Cohoes’ finest restaurants, a cash bar, over $13,000 in Raffle prizes, wine pull and a generous wine sampling.
Entertainment at the Cast Party will back up CRFT’s motto that “The Capital Region is a GREAT place to love theatre your whole life long.” Performers will come from the youth company, The Cue Theater, which serves students as young as 5 years old, to stand-up comedian and actor Judi Clements who takes her act to senior centers.
Performer Claire Flynn
There will be someone new to discover for even the most dedicated theatre fan in the wildly eclectic line-up curated by PSC Artistic Director Owen Smith who is also deservedly showing off a number from his company’s smash hit production from earlier this year, “Spring Awakening.”
The lineup of performers so far includes Kelly Blitz, Shayne Cameris, Judi Clements, Ellen Cribbs, The Cue Theatre, Keith Dubois, Suzie Dunn, Claire Flynn, Jake Goodman, Steve Grogan, Taylor Hoffman, Jon Maltz, Maria Mucaria, Jeff Stubits, Luca Verner & Will Kempe’s Players.
CRFT will have many donation opportunities from a huge raffle that over 30 theatre companies have donated tickets, t-shirts commemorating the event and buttons thanking every dollar offered. Cast Party begins on October 27 from 6:00PM to 9:30PM.
Keith DuBois in “Spirit Awakening”
To purchase tickets online and for more information on Cohoes Music Hall’s Cast Party on October 27, click here.
Caffe Lena has announced the return of blues-roots fan-favorite Professor Louie & The Crowmatix on October 26.
Professor Louie & The Crowmatix from Woodstock have been consistently returning to Caffe Lena. They have been expanding the borders of the Americana, Roots & Blues genres since the early 2000’s with Professor Louie’s stories, keyboard playing, singing and accordion. Their repertoire continually expands with Crowmatix songs from their 17 albums of originals, blues and Americana music.
Their connection with audiences at shows helps create a family rapport. Prof. Louie (keyboards vocals-accordion) is joined onstage by band mates Miss Marie (vocals, percussion and piano) Frank Campbell (bass, vocals) guitar-slinging skills of Todd Mihan and drummer Dan Hickey. Professor Louie & The Crowmatix create a show that is constantly evolving with songs consisting of elements of Rock n Roll, Blues, Folk & Gospel Music with a dose of Jam framed in solid songwriting.
Professor Louie is known for his production work with the famous rock group The Band. His performance style and songwriting has been known to captivate audiences in both The Crowmatix and his solo work. Caffe Lena is proud to host the multi-talented group yet again this October 26 from 8:00PM to 10:00PM.
Tickets to see the group play at Caffe Lena start at $15 and can be purchased online here. To learn more about the Crowmatix, click here.
Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs has announced the return of their free annual pop-up health and wellness clinic on October 20.
Medical professionals from Saratoga Hospital and community organizations will provide testing, evaluation, health & wellness education, as well as assistance obtaining access to ongoing care during a one-day pop-up health clinic. These services are available free of charge to anyone in the creative community, including artists, musicians, designers, photographers, filmmakers, writers, and all others who work in a creative capacity and live in the Saratoga region.
The clinic was brought to life three years ago through the vision of Saratoga Hospital Community Health Center nurse and musician Jill Burnham RN, BCEN of “Mark and Jill Sing the Blues”. This year’s event is made possible by the generous support of the Rotary Club of Saratoga, with additional support from Caffè Lena, Sight and Sound Vision Care for the Music Industry, and Saratoga Hospital.
Available services will include:
Vision Screenings and Free Eyewear/Sight and Sound Vision Care
Insurance Navigation Services
Connection to Primary Care Services/Saratoga Hospital Community Health Center
Narcan Training & Distribution
Blood Pressure Screenings
Nutrition Services
Cancer Screening Program
Hearing Screenings
To learn more about Caffe Lena’s pop-up health and wellness clinic on October 20 visit their website by clicking here.
Adirondack Theatre Festival (ATF) and Proctors Collaborative have entered into a three-year agreement to expand shared services and explore how the two will partner more significantly over the long term.
Proctors Collaborative has provided the Adirondack Theatre Festival with set construction and marketing services on a fee basis for the past three seasons and cross-marketed for over five years. These efforts have led to conversations about the production of theatre in the Capital Region, the state of locally produced professional theaters around the country and the opportunities for ATF, the Collaborative and its affiliate Capital Repertory Theatre to work together. The goal is to imagine and deliver ever-better professional theater with ever-more stable means and methods for the larger community.
Glens Falls-based ATF has operated a summer season for three decades under an agreement with the Actors’ Equity Association, casting actors, designers and directors who have worked regularly on and off-Broadway, on television and in movies. Under the leadership of Producing Artist Director Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill, Albany’s Capital Repertory Theatre has a longer but similar history. Since its founding in 1976, it has produced over 300 shows across 6,000 performances, including 46 world premieres and is the Capital Region’s only League of Resident Theatres member.
The merging of these two entities has potential to create a collaborative project that may change the state of theater in upstate NY and throughout the nation. Since the Covid pandemic, the theater industry has been struggling to get back to the glory of its past. With this new collaborative adventure afoot, the capital region may see an explosion of creativity, success, and artisanship.
“Our donor community and funding communities and the cultural industry in general are focusing more and more on collaborations and efficiencies. Proctors Collaborative was born of that sensibility; the opportunity to connect and work with the region’s other significant professional theater company just makes sense at this point.”
Philip Morris, CEO of Proctors Collaborative
For more information on the Adirondack Theatre Festival and their upcoming collaborations click here. To learn more about Proctors Collaborative and their upcoming events, click here.
Upstate New York natives Annie in the Water have announced their next studio album Things to Do which will be released on October 25 to go along with two shows in NY in support of the album.
As a follow up to their 2022 album Sun at Dawn, Annie in the Water’s fourth studio album was written and recorded from 2022 to 2024 at Bijou Artist Space in Malta, NY. Things to Do represents a step forward for the band towards a new sound inspired by their surroundings Upstate. Things to Do is a love letter to the region they call home.
Musically, the album is a culmination of two years of hard work with the goal of creating a polished sound that transverses multiple genres. The songs are a reminder to honor one another, to dance while living life with intention, integrity, loyalty, and patience. Each person involved in this project left a tangible impact, creating a truly collaborative album.
Annie in the Water is an alternative rock band from Upstate New York. Since their first album in 2011, Destination, the band’s feel good sound found its roots in acoustic guitars without limits. Their songwriting, led by guitars and synthesizers over a ground-shaking rhythm section, gives the listener the ability to traverse multiple genres.
Annie in the Water will be playing three shows in support of their new album which are listed below. They will also have new album related merchandise and vinyl pre-sales available at upcoming shows.
Annie in the Water Tour Dates:
Saturday, Oct. 26th – Ophelia’s – Albany, NY (Phish at MVP Arena pre and after parties) Friday, Nov. 15th – Cooperstown Concert Series – Cooperstown, NY Saturday, Nov. 30th – Wonder Bar – Asbury Park, NJ (Supporting Fungkshui)
A group of the finest young professional classical musicians based out of Carnegie Hall, Ensemble Connect, have announced their return to Skidmore College for their 18th year.
The Ensemble Connect performance takes place in Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall, Arthur Zankel Music Center, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25. This event is free and open to the public; no tickets are required. Their Oct. 25 performance at Skidmore occurs at the end of the five-day residency and spotlights the music of South Africa. The performance includes a South African Kwela celebration in collaboration with Skidmore students.
The concert will be bookended by a pair of stunning piano quintets: Bongani Ndodana-Breen’s Safika: Three Tales on African Migration and Dvořák’s Piano Quintet No. 2, and will also feature Andile Khumalo’s Cry Out, a notable work for viola, oboe, marimba, and piano. Together, these pieces suggest echoes of lives, songs, dances, and connections to a land that endure despite the forces of time and change.
Arthur Zankel Music Center at Skidmore College
The fall residency will take place Oct. 22-26 at Skidmore College. While in residence, the fellows of Ensemble Connect engage with Skidmore College students and the broader Saratoga Springs community offering master classes, lessons, class demonstrations, and interactive performances.
Ensemble Connect is a two-year fellowship program that prepares extraordinary young professional classical musicians for careers that combine musical excellence with teaching, community engagement, advocacy, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
The fellowship includes a series of concerts where the musicians explore classical music in all its iterations, performing the timeless alongside new works. Since 2007, these concerts have included Skidmore College, where Ensemble Connect participates in residencies each year in October and February, allowing many members of the Skidmore and surrounding communities to experience the unique artform that is classical music.
Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect in 2023
For more information on the upcoming Ensemble Connect performances at Skidmore College, click here.
Union College and The Egg have announced details for the four-day residency by Eisenhower Dance Detroit from October 15-18.
The residency includes community outreach, a professional experience for local dancers and a public performance at The Egg.
A mini-residency in mid-September included an audition for local college dancers and a rigorous weekend rehearsal process for those selected. Jolita Brettler, Melanie De La Cruz, Ava DuBoff, Hailey Dunn, Livi Gwinnett, Grace Newcombe, Emily Tobar and Abby Wilder, all Union College dancers, will perform “State of Mind” by Eisenhower Dance Detroit (EDD) Executive Director Stephanie Pizzo alongside members of EDD at The Egg on Friday, October 18.
About working with the Union students, EDD dancer Lillie Hamilton said, “We admired their eagerness, dedication, maturity and focus.” About the experience of learning and rehearsing the work in a brief period of time, De La Cruz claimed, “Honestly, I feel stronger, both physically and mentally.” Dunn added that the intensity of the process was “challenging emotionally, physically and socially but I feel as though I have grown both as a dancer and as a human being.”
The residency is made possible by the partnership of the venue and college as well as a major gift from Gus (Union class of ’59) and Sue Davis (Sage class of ’60) in memory of their daughter Stephanie.
The residency culminates at The Egg on Friday, October 18. From 7:15pm to 7:45pm, Laurie Zabele Cawley, Interim Dance Director at Union College, will partake in a pre-show talk with EDD’s Pizzo conversing about the company and the evening’s program. The 8pm performance will feature “Legacy Island” by Filipino Norbert De La Cruz III; “En-code” by Australian, disabled choreographer Marc Brew; “Hyper” by hip-hop ballerina Micaela Taylor and “See Me” by the athletic Christian Denice. The aforementioned “State of Mind” will close out the evening.
Returning to the Capital Region in mid-October, the company will conduct three lecture/demonstrations, three movement workshops and eleven master classes at Union College and seven other locations in the local area. The activities will reach participants from elementary age to senior citizens.
The schedule of activities is found below. Activities with an asterisk are free and open to the public
Tuesday, October 15
Two movement workshops at Mont Pleasant Middle School from 1:09pm to 2:42pm
Two dance technique classes at Schenectady High School from 1:08pm to 2:41pm
An advanced modern dance class at Skidmore College from 3:40pm to 5:30pm
An intermediate ballet class in Union’s Henle Dance Studio from 5pm to 6:30pm
Wednesday, October 16
An intermediate modern dance class at Skidmore College from 10:10am to 12pm
An intermediate ballet class at Emma Willard School from 3:45pm to 5:15pm
A movement workshop for Proctors’ Acting Academy from 4:15pm to 5:15pm
An intermediate modern class in Union’s Henle Dance Studio from 5pm to 6:30pm
Thursday, October 17
An introductory modern class at UAlbany from 10:30am to 11:50am
An adult/senior class in Union’s Henle Dance Studio from 11:15am to 12:30pm
Two lec/dems at the Albany Academies between 11:30am and 12:30pm
A mixed genre exploratory class for adults & seniors at SPAC’s School of the Arts from 12:45pm to 2pm*
An open master class in Union’s Henle Dance Studio from 6pm to 7:15pm*
A lec/dem in Union’s Henle Dance Studio from 7:30pm to 8:30pm*
Tickets for the Eisenhower Dance Detroit performance are $35 and $45 and may be purchased in person at The Egg box office at the Empire State Plaza, by calling 518-473-1845 or online.
Albany buzzed with excitement from beyond the solar system as Big Something and Consider the Source brought their signature high-octane and other-worldly grooves to Albany on a brisk Wednesday night, October 2, as part of the Headspace 2024 Tour.
Lark Hall, recently revitalized by the set designers of HBO’s The Gilded Age, provided an intimate yet stunning backdrop for the night of sonic exploration and some seriously heady jams.
Ready for Blast-Off: Big Something and Consider the Source bought the Headspace tour to Lark Hall on 10/2/24.
NYC’s Consider the Source kicked off the evening, captivating the audience with their intricate fusion of sci-fi inspired progressive rock, jazz, and world music. The dynamic power trio, comprised of virtuoso guitarist Gabriel Marin, bassist John Ferrara, and drummer Jeff Mann, delivered an exhilarating performance that showcased both their next-level musicianship as well as their entire new album, The Stare, which was released in mid-September. The band had previous played Lark in April of 2022 as part of their intimate acoustic hybrid run, but on this night, it was straight balls-to-the-wall electric.
Bassist John Ferrara, and drummer Jeff Mann performing with Consider the Source in Albany on 10/2/24.
Continuing to push the boundaries of instrumental music with complex time signatures and intricate melodies, songs like “Trial By Stone” and “Mouthbreather” shook the venue to its core with their heaviness, while simultaneously creating a sonic tapestry that was both captivating and challenging to the listener.
From Marin’s expressive and distinctive double-neck guitar playing, to Ferrara’s melodic and thunderous finger-tapping bass solos, to Mann’s exceptionally creative drum fills, Consider the Source was firing on all cylinders at Lark Hall and it showed.
Treating the audience to spellbinding renditions of “Preemptive Vengeance” and “Unfulfilled and Alienated,” the intricate interplay between each member created a cosmic journey that resonated with both the soul and the mind. If you haven’t seen this band play before, you really need to. Helping the audience slip into the perfect headspace for what was still to come, Consider the Source was an excellent choice to kick the party off proper.
Watch fan shot footage of Consider the Source perfomring “Unfulfilled and Alienated” at Lark Hall on 10/2/24.
Transitioning to Big Something’s headlining set with a glorious circus-like introduction by crew member William, the colorful Burlington, North Carolina six-piece band delivered a masterclass in genre-blending with their unique brand of space-infused funk rock. Supporting the release of their ambitious new album, Headspace, the band is currently riding a wave of creativity and evolution.
Consisting of founding members Nick MacDaniels (guitar, vocals) and Jesse Hensley (guitar, vocals), the mesmerizing multi-instrumentalist Casey Cranford on saxophone and electric wind instrument (EWI), alongside the dynamic rhythm section of Ben Vinograd (drums), Matt Laird (bass), and Josh Kagel on keys and trumpet, Big Something have firmly established themselves as tried and true veterans of the jam band scene and a popular staple at music festivals around the country, including their own, The Big What, hosted annually in Mebane, NC.
Big Something made their Lark Hall debut on Wednesday, 10/2/24.
Back in the Capital Region for the first time since playing the Putnum Place in May of 2019, the band wasted no time reminding us they still can throw down with the best of them. Showcasing layers of sonic intricacy, catchy hooks and danceable grooves on the opening combo of “Algorithm” and “Love Generator” form 2014’s Truth Serum, Big Something then surprised everyone by slipping into a cover of “Blast Off” by another fan-favorite funk band, Lettuce.
Nick MacDaniels performing with Big Something at Lark Hall on 10/2/24.
Taking a moment to introduce the band and thank everyone for coming out on a Wednesday, the left-handed MacDaniels, who could be the long-lost brother of actor Michael Cera, hyped up the latest Big Something album, Headspace, before going into its opening track.
Until this point in the show, lead guitarist Jesse Hensley had been relatively reserved, but as “The Mountain” climbed to its peak, so did Jesse, uncorking an absolutely monstrous solo as the band reached its first true stretch of sustained improvisation.
The Curse of Julia Brown: Gabriel Marin of Consider the Source sat in with Big Something on 10/2/24.
Name dropping longtime friends and tour buddies Andy Frasco and The U.N. prior to “Clouds,” a song the two bands collaborated on, Big Something would get some more help from their friends in Consider the Source, inviting out guitarist Gabriel Marin to sit in on 2013’s “The Curse of Julia Brown.” resulting in one of most unique and memorable highlights of the show.
With the buzz in the hall now reaching a fever pitch, Big Something took the vibe even higher, reaching into their back catalog and pulling out their biggest hit to date next, “A Song For Us,” which all but blew the roof off the place. You can watch fan shot footage of that in the clip below.
Watch Big Something perform “A Song For Us” live at Lark Hall on 10/2/24.
Big Something’s performance was a celebration of their growth, with tracks from Headspace seamlessly woven into the fabric of their established hits with songs like “Megalodon” blending beautifully into their cover of David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream.” With the always smiling MacDaniels’ charismatic stage presence igniting the crowd, the synergy between the band members was palpable, as they effortlessly navigated through their setlist, blending styles from jam rock to funk and even hints of reggae and electronic influences.
Big Something’s Casey Cranford plays the EWI 4000 at Lark Hall on 10/2/24.
Stealing the show all night long though was multi-instrumentalist Casey Cranford on saxophone and the electric wind instrument. Running his EWI 4000 through an array of effects pedals, Cranford effortlessly created sounds and textures straight from another dimension.
That should come as no surprise, as the band has long had a fascination with all things extraterrestrial. From their alien-spired logo, to samples referencing U.F.O.’s and crash landings to the stuffed little green man sitting on top of the amps throughout the show, Big Something has crafted a stellar, interstellar sound fit for the future and a galaxy far, far away.
Big Something made their Lark Hall debut on Wednesday, 10/2/24.
Adding depth to the evening was the poignant backdrop of recent flooding in North Carolina, which has forever changed the landscape of the bands home turf and brought an air of solidarity among the musicians and fans. Seemingly using the music as a means to escape, the band never directly referenced Hurricane Helene, but noticeably shied away from playing water-based favorites like “The Undertow,” “Waves,” “Starts to Rain,” and “The Flood.” Instead Big Something would close out the main portion of their set with a big version of the infectious hand-clapper, “Timebomb.”
After a bit of deliberation backstage, the band would return for a final curtain call encore of “Tumbleweed,” the title track from their 2017 album of the same name. Afterwards, the band made sure to let everyone in Albany know how appreciative they are for the support and could be seen hanging out late into the night taking selfies and signing limited edition posters and tour merch.
As the night drew to a close, the concert proved to be more than just a display of talent, but a celebration of the power of music to unite and uplift. Both Big Something and Consider the Source left the stage with the audience buzzing, showcasing that in a world often overshadowed by challenges, the joy of live music continues to shine brightly.
The Headspace Tour continues on through October, and fans in Albany can only hope for a swift return of both bands, where their cosmic sounds will continue to resonate long after the lights go down.
Big Something | October 2, 2024 | Lark Hall | Albany, NY
Setlist: Intro by William, Algorithm, Love Generator>Blast Off [1] , The Mountain, Clouds, The Curse of Julia Brown [2] , Song For Us, Megalodon>Moonage Daydream [3] , Timebomb.
Encore: Tumbleweed
Notes:
[1] Lettuce
[2] w/ Gabriel Marin (Consider The Source) on guitar
[3] David Bowie
Consider the Source | October 2, 2024 | Lark Hall | Albany, NY
Setlist: Trial By Stone, I Can See My Eyes, Mouthbreather, New World Čoček, Preemptive Vengeance. Unfulfilled and Alienated.
