Elysium Furnace Works is proud to present Chourmo – a trio of leaders consisting of guitarist David Torn, alto saxophonist Tim Berne, and drummer Tom Rainey – at the VBI Theatre of Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center, located at 12 Vassar St. in Poughkeepsie on Friday, May 17.
Elysium Furnace Works is a cooperative project co-led by Mike Faloon and James Keepnews. EFW seeks to present the work of vanguard artists in settings as dedicated and uncompromising as the art itself, focusing primarily on live music performances in and around New York’s vibrant Hudson Valley.
Chourmo will ignite a fire, intricate abstraction, and passionate forward motion at the venue. David Torn (also, aka “splattercell”) is a composer, texturalist, guitarist, and producer of international stature, renowned for his unique musical voice which seems to span and un-define a range of idioms and styles. His characterful and compositionally textural work has had a material impact and influence on both film scoring — through his scores, and his creative contributions to scores by Carter Burwell, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cliff Martinez, Howard Shore, Mark Isham, and others. He has assisted artists like David Bowie, k.d. lang, Tim Berne, John Legend, Madonna, Tori Amos, Bill Bruford, and more.
David Torn.
Tim Berne is an American alto saxophonist and record label owner born in Syracuse. His passion for jazz started when he heard the album Dogon A.D. by Julius Hemphill. In 1974, he went to New York to find Hemphill, who gave him saxophone lessons and advice on how to manage his career. Berne started the record label Empire in 1979.
For Empire, he recorded four albums with avant-garde jazz musicians such as John Carter, Alex Cline, Nels Cline, Olu Dara, Vinny Golia, Paul Motian, and Ed Schuller. His next two albums appeared on Soul Note in the early 1980s. He then got a contract with Columbia and recorded with Robertson, Hank Roberts, Bill Frisell, and others. After two albums with Columbia, he signed with JMT, a label known for avant-garde jazz. Over the years he recorded with many bands including Miniature, Caos Totale, Bloodcount, Paraphrase, Hard Cell, Science Friction, Buffalo Collison, Snakeoil, and more.
The final member of Chourmo is drummer Tom Rainey who has performed and or recorded with numerous artists including Mose Allison, Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, Kris Davis, Ingrid Laubrock, Joe Lovano, and countless others.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $30 at the door — advance tickets are on sale now.
Tim Berne.
Elysium Furnace Works 2024 Concerts
June 22: Jamaaladeen Tacuma / James Brandon Lewis: “On Your Shoulders”, VBI @ CHAC — A historic congregation of the legendary harmolodic bass pioneer from Ornette Coleman’s innovative electric ensemble Prime Time Tacuma with the DownBeat Magazine Rising Star on tenor saxophone. Lewis is a multi-generational celebration honoring past trailblazers and offering, in Mr. Tacuma’s words, “a special thank you to all the mentors and elders in music sharing their knowledge and creativity with the next generation.”
July 19: Matthew Shipp Trio, St. Andrew’s & St. Luke’s Church, Beacon NY — The renowned, era-defining pianist and composer Shipp returns to this sacred space in Beacon, joined by the world-class rhythm section of Michael Bisio on bass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums, as they celebrate their aptly-titled new recording for ESP-Disk’, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz.
September 21: Peter Evans, VBI @ CHAC — The fearsomely gifted trumpeter Evans astonishes audiences with the sheer multiplicity of sounds and textures he can coax from his horn and the staggering inspiration that shapes his fathomless exploration in this rare Hudson Valley solo appearance.
October 19: Yuko Otomo, VBI @ CHAC — In her first solo Hudson Valley appearance, the exceptional poet and writer Otomo brings her revelatory work steeped in humane soul and universal epiphany, accompanied by musicians TBA.
November 16: AM / FM, VBI @ CHAC — This power duo of guitarist Ava Mendoza and violinist Gabby Fluke-Mogul synthesize a heady brew of avant jazz, blues, and noise – radically upending experimental music(s) past, present, and future.
December 7: Harriet Tubman (Ross / Gibbs / Lewis), VBI @ CHAC — Elysium Furnace Works closes out its monumental season with the fiery intensity of the long-running eclectic and electric collective Harriet Tubman, comprising the insanely talented and accomplished trio of guitarist Brandon Ross, bassist Melvin Gibbs and drummer JT Lewis.
The Dropkick Murphys brought their St. Patrick’s Day Tour 2024 to the MJN Convention Center in Poughkeepsie on Monday, March 11. Those looking for a pot of gold got so much more. This was three bands joining together to form a punk shamrock.
The Scratch, from Dublin, opened the show. There was a reason the Dropkick Murphys asked them to join the tour. The Scratch is not a mild-mannered band from the Emerald Isle. From behind his percussion kit, Daniel Lang led the band on what can only be called “The Scratch” sound. Joining Lang on stage were Conor Dockery (guitar, backing vocals), Cathal McKenna (bass/backing vocals), and Jordan O’Leary (guitar, lead vocals) for a non-stop power set.
The Scratch
Pennywise, playing in the middle spot, just let it loose. They played loud and hard. Even cranking up a version of the Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right.” Many Pennywise fans were on hand singing, dancing, even creating a mini mosh pit. Being California-based did not put a damper on the night’s Irish overtones; it stoked them.
Pennywise
If The Scratch filled the tank with gas, and Pennywise started the engine, the Dropkick Murphys put the pedal to the metal. The band exploded onto the stage with a mission in mind. Considered Celtic Punk, or maybe it’s U2 meets Green Day, in either case, it was explosive.
Dropkick Murphys St. Patricks 2024
Front man Ken Casey lit the fuse for the Murphys. He was non-stop, traversing the stage from end to end. Continuously reaching his hand out, encouraging everyone to join along in the revelry.
Being a Monday night did not diminish the energy. Crowd surfing and singing were the norm. Early in the set, a wedding proposal added to this night of Irish joy. Band members moved from guitars to banjos to accordion, tin whistle to bagpipes as the two-hour, 22-song set marched on.
Dropkick Murphys
Proclaiming they are a band for the working-class and not afraid to share their political beliefs, the band performed Woody Guthrie’s “Gotta Get to Peekskill.” “Dirty Old Town” followed, paying tribute to the late Shane MacGowan of the Pogues. The songs allowed the crowd to capture its spiritual breath before kicking the night back into overdrive.
The set featured “The Boys are Back” and “Rose Tattoo,” encoring with “I’m Shipping Up To Boston,” and closing out with “Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced.” Celtic punk has been around for a while. The Dropkick Murphys are making sure it lives on.
In a brief preface to Saturday’s performance at VBI Theatre of Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center in Poughkeepsie, 84-year-old free jazz legend Joe McPhee told the crowd that ‘no plan was the plan’ and that those in attendance would enjoy a performance that had never happened before and would never happen again.
Alternating between saxophone soloist, spoken-word beat poet, and band conductor, McPhee held true to that promise, leading the unconventional 10-piece group in an hour of adventurous free improvisation that drew on chamber music influences and the avant-garde as much as it did on the blues.
A Poughkeepsie native who lectured on jazz at Vassar College in the early 70s, McPhee is the connective tissue to the great saxophone innovators of the past. In his poetry, he namechecked John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Albert Ayler. Before the show, McPhee joked that he always backs out of playing in his hometown, but that show organizer and electric guitarist James Keepnews just kept at him until the gig was scheduled. Kudos to Keepnews for making it happen.
The ensemble featured two basses (Michael Bisio of the Matthew Shipp trio and the masterful Hilliard Greene), cellist Daniel Levin, guitarists Keepnews and Billy Stein, violists Judith Insell and late-addition Fung Chern Hwei, and violinists Rosi Hertlein and Gwen Laster. McPhee noted that he had met some of the musicians that very day and that they’d had only a brief rehearsal. In other words, in this first of the 2024 Elysium Furnace Works concert series, anything could happen.
McPhee is a commanding presence on stage. In his red Puma sneakers, cap, and stylish vest, he looked 20 years younger than his age and he did an excellent job directing the group so that everyone wasn’t stepping all over each other. McPhee’s performance was also a kind of balancing act between recounting poetry, soloing on saxophone, and directing traffic.
The performance kicked of with McPhee’s line of poetry: “The sound begins.” He cued Rosi Hertlein to accompany him and her vocalizations and technique recalled the visionary deep listening stylings of Pauline Oliveros. “The sound surrenders to itself,” recited McPhee, “and becomes the place where the meeting begins.”
As the night progressed, Joe McPhee featured small groups of musicians. Bisio, Levin, and Stein all stood out for their contributions and innovative rhythmic bowing techniques. Then at times, McPhee would call for all of the players to improvise, leading to a beautiful cacophony. Then the sound entered the stratosphere when McPhee played his horn.
McPhee’s great gift is incredibly similar to his idol Ayler: though he can play atonally, sing through the horn, or play piercing overtones, the essence of his playing is rooted in a kind of spiritual blues that is more sensitive and melodic than other percussive players. Perhaps this is why his poem and piece “New Chicago Blues” may have connected best with the audience. At one time each of the ten members of the stage was playing his or her own version of the blues – this was no 12-bar nightclub band, but an expression of deep blues and immediacy that transcended meter and time while still honoring everything a listener knows about the genre. It was powerful, wild, and rare stuff. It appeared the show was being recorded, so hopefully it will be released by McPhee in the future – but knowing his ethos, he’s probably already on to the next thing.
But it takes real talent to look forward while also recognizing your link to the past. In the course of an evening, McPhee namechecked everyone from Duke Ellington to Sun Ra to his recently departed friend Peter Brotzmann who told him in a final email that they were “same age, different color, but brothers in soul. Stay straight, old friend.” It was a humbling realization that most of McPhee’s contemporaries aren’t around anymore, and it was a reminder of what a gift it is to see him in such fine form in 2024.
McPhee originally learned the trumpet in his youth, but it was the music of Albert Ayler that inspired him to pick up the saxophone. On only his second day owning the instrument, McPhee went to a jam session at the National Cafe on Main Street, and was kicked out by all the other musicians. As he forged ahead on the free jazz scene, it took a long time for McPhee to gain acceptance, and he rarely found it in Poughkeepsie where he worked a factory job to help fund trips to Europe. There his free jazz approach was appreciated and he met such luminaries at Cecil Taylor.
Joe McPhee is currently working on a memoir with Hudson Valley author (and Elysium Furnace Works show-promoter) Mike Faloon called Straight Up, Without Wings: The Musical Flight of Joe McPhee which will be published by Corbett vs. Dempsey upon completion. In recent years labels like Corbett vs. Dempsey and Superior Viaduct have been instrumental in releasing McPhee’s new music and reissuing classic releases from the HatHut label.
For those looking to dip their toes into McPhee’s experimental music, there’s no better place to start than 1970’s Nation Time. Originally released by the Poughkeepsie independent label CjR, original copies are extremely rare and collectible in jazz vinyl circles, but reissues have revived interest in the record and are readily available. But, McPhee is hardly about mining the past – he’s always doing something new and expressing his ultimate belief that “music is love and love is music”. At 84, he still has much to say in his poetry and through his horn.
Explore the vibrant musical landscape of the Hudson Valley with an array of venues offering unique music experiences. From dance-filled nights to repurposed factories hosting eclectic performances, each spot contributes to the Hudson Valley region’s diverse music scene.
The Ashokan Center is an independent music & nature nonprofit established in 2008 that is not only education, open to hosting public community events, but also music and dance camps, as well as a Winter and Summer Hoot – short for hootenanny.
Gear up for a night of dancing at Avalon Lounge! Its dynamic lighting and dance club atmosphere set the stage for unforgettable performances by both up-and-coming and beloved Hudson Valley artists.
One of the oldest continuously operating theaters in New York State, and one of the oldest in the country, Bardavon was built in 1869 and served as a community performing arts center until 1923, then as a cinema and home for vaudeville until 1975, before reopening as a general performing arts facility in 1976.
Basilica Hudson, housed in a repurposed factory, stands as a haven for artists. With a blend of industrial and pastoral aesthetics, this venue hosts concerts, art shows, and movie screenings, fostering a unique and environmentally responsible space.
Address: Basilica Hudson, 110 Front St, Hudson, 12534
Originally built by Albert Grossman and opened in 1970, the historic recording studio and destination venue remains a special place where artists can rehearse for tours, record audio and/org video, and perform in an intimate, acoustic setting. The venue has been revitalized in recent years by new owner, Lizzie Vann, who has restored the theater and grounds, making great investments to preserve decades of music history while continuing to keep the tradition alive.
Founded on Yasgur’s Farm, site of the historic 1969 Woodstock music festival, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts opened in 2006 with the New York Philharmonic performing on opening night. An on-site museum, exploring Woodstock and the culture of the 1960s, opened in June 2008.
Photo courtesy of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.
Big Cat (Kingston)
Located on the shores of the Rondout Creek, this DIY space in downtown Kingston is obscure and hosts occasional shows, shared only to the venue’s Instagram.
An iconic rock ‘n’ roll venue, The Capitol Theatre, steeped in history, continues to host spectacular performances. For a more laid-back experience, explore Garcia’s, the venue’s bar location with pre and post shows, as well as stand-alone nights of music as well!
A destination for exceptional music, captivating programs, spectacular gardens and grounds, and wonderful moments with friends and family, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a not-for-profit organization, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Through innovative and diverse musical performances, Caramoor has a mission to mentor young professional musicians and provide educational programs for young children centered around music.
City Winery Hudson Valley offers not only captivating musical acts but also an extensive wine list. Enjoy brunch or evening performances featuring renowned names amidst a winery setting.
Originally a hotel built in the 1920s, The Colony in Woodstock combines vintage charm with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems, providing an unforgettable experience.
Experience the casual, intimate setting of Daryl’s House, known from the series Live From Daryl’s House. Enjoy beers, camaraderie, and live jamming sessions.
Co-led by Mike Faloon and James Keepnews, Elysium Furnace Works is a cooperative project that seeks to present the work of upcoming artists in dedicated art-focused settings. While not exclusive to live music, EFW primarily works through live music venues at 19th century VBI Theatre, part of the Hudson Valley’s Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center.
Bringing Broadway magic to the Hudson Valley, Emelin Theatre hosts stage productions, bands, comedy groups, and dance troupes in a large, versatile venue.
With a breathtaking view of Marlboro Falls, The Falcon offers both incredible scenery and exceptional music. Indulge in dinner and a show in its spacious dining room.
Featuring live music every weekend, Gardiner Brewing Company is farmer-owned and operated, opening its doors in Fall 2018. Founded by the 5th generation of the Wright’s Farm family, the brewery is focused on using the ingredients they grow to make delicious, seasonal beers. The Barn at Gardiner Brewing hosts live music every Saturday night, nearly year-round.
Hudson Hall is located on the site of New York State’s oldest surviving theater. After being abandoned for decades, local citizens came together in 1992 to save the building and establish a cultural center, reopening the first ground floor rooms in 1998, and completed a $9.5 million restoration of its magnificent performance hall in 2017.
For over 80 years and 4 generations, the Longobardo family continues the tradition of old school Italian American cooking in Pearl River, originally having started in the Bronx. Great for those who love live music and delicious food.
Decorated with hanging musical instruments and antiques, Last Chance Tavern is a full service restaurant, antique store, and gourmet shop with delicious cheeses and beers, plus great live music each week.
Known as “the barn,” Levon Helm Studios, designed by the legendary drummer, offers an acoustically perfect venue for near-religious live music experiences.
Opened in 2023, The Local is housed in a former Dutch chapel built in the 1800s, restored as a space for arts, culture, and community. Owners Isabel Soffer and Danny Melnick are also co-founders of Hudson Valley Live and bring more than 30 years to producing festivals, concerts, and curated arts experiences to the venue.
Olive’s isn’t just the longest operating bar in the town of Nyack, but also boasts a great deal of live music throughout the year, with an emphasis on the local indie scene. Described as “trendy, hip, indie, and above all attitude free but well behaved,” Olive’s serves great food from Marianne Olive’s garden, as well as great veggie and vegan options.
Originally a 1500-seat movie palace built by Publix Pictures, a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures, the Peekskill Paramount Theater first opened in June of 1930. Now named Paramount Hudson Valley and is managed by Paramount Hudson Valley Arts, the group has a goal of making this landmark theater a destination for the very best of live music and performing arts.
Located in downtown Beacon, Quinn’s has a wide array of live music performances, including weekly jazz sessions, along with great ramen, sakes, and even greater bar fare at this diamond in the rough venue.
Nestled among the beauty of the Catskill Mountains, Resorts World Catskills offers an unmatched experience in excitement, entertainment, and luxury, bringing tribute acts, DJs and national artists to venues and bars inside.
The Rosendale Theatre is an independently owned venue, and a regional and national gem. of its kind. It is a gem, not only in the region, but nationally and internationally. Originally opened in 1905 as the Rosendale Casino, by the 1930s, a stage was installed for live vaudeville and burlesque acts. Films and live theatre can be found these days in Rosendale.
Silk Factory is located in the heart of historic Newburgh, in a former factory from 1910, where silk thread was once made. Now a music venue, event space, restaurant and much more is found here in Newburgh.
The best dive bar in all of New Paltz, Snug Harbor – A.K.A. Snugs – is open daily from 12pm-4am and features live music from local and touring bands, with shows going late thanks to being on the cusp of the SUNY New Paltz campus.
Originally known as the Lycian Center for the Performing Arts, The Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center is surrounded by eight acres of beautiful mountain and lake views, with a capacity of nearly 700 seats, bringing in summer concert series, international touring acts, educational programs and much more.
Built in 1885 by chocolate magnate William L Wallace, Tarrytown Music Hall opened during Tarrytown’s “Millionaire’s Colony” era when prominent families resided in the town and gathered at the Music Hall for its lavish balls, flower shows and concerts. Tarrytown Music Hall is the oldest theater in Westchester County and one of the finest examples of Queen Anne decorative brickwork in the county.
Founded in 2015 by a local father-daughter team, Tin Barn Brewing has two locations – in the Hudson Valley town of Chester, and the Finger Lakes city of Dundee, near Watkins Glens. A farm brewery specializing in some of the juiciest IPA’s in New England, a “Friday Night Acoustic Series” runs from January to March 2024, featuring some of the area’s finest singers, songwriters & duos, with a new stage and lighting for a more personal feeling.
A mainstay of the Hudson Valley since 1972, this former stagecoach stop in the hamlet of Beekmanville was relocated first to Pawling and is now located in Beacon. The Towne Crier welcomes a great deal of world-class talent, and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022.
A neighborhood bar with food from Junebug’s Good Cookin’, Tubbys has a killer mezcal selection, natural wine, cocktails, rotating drafts, and fresh cans. Live music on occasion with sounds leaning to the left of the center. Expect cumbia, country, disco, and everything in between on the turntable.
Originally the Broadway Theater and Community Theatre, Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC) was build in 1926 and one of only three pre-World War II theaters in the Hudson Valley. Today, UPAC is operated by Bardavon Theatre, with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic calling the exquisite acoustics of the proscenium theater, home.
In eastern Putnam County, you’ll find live music every Wednesday through Sunday at Uncle Cheefs, in a perfectly lit room decorated with love and built to achieve the finest in acoustics. With a multi-cam video system and state of the art in house multi-track recording studio, you’ll love the music live and reliving them later on thanks for Uncle Cheefs.
