the song remains the same
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| from our editor
by Erin Harkes
A lot of people have asked me why I am doing what I am doing. Many of them have phrased it, “What are you? Fucking crazy?”
Well... Yes. Yes I am.
I’m also the perfect combination of naïve and ambitious.
The short (and more diplomatic) answer is that I felt there was a void.
The longer (and more complicated answer) is between me and my circle of trust.
The medium answer is simple: I’ve been in the Capital Region for over two decades now. I have performed on nearly every stage in the area as a musician (solo, duo, band, big band, other people’s bands, pipe bands, open mic, open jam and so on and so forth) and a comedian for the second half of my tenure. I have been on the other side of things too, booking acts, helping other artists get work and promoting all of the above.
I have navigated every twist and turn that this complicated industry has thrown my way and met some amazing folks and learned some valuable lessons. I also figured out a way to survive the pandemic, much like my fellow artists, by doing some online streaming and starting my own print shop with custom masks and tee shirts.
I’ve done a lot over the years. And I still have no clue what I am doing.
I do know that I have no quit in me and I want to take all the lessons I’ve learned and all the relationships I’ve fostered over the years and apply that to the Capital Region as a whole. I, like many, have struggled to get people to engage consistently. I want to figure out how to change that and how to help other artists, like myself, work together instead of competing with one another. This market is far too small for that.
There is an overwhelming amount of talent in this little area of ours. I have often compared it to the likes of Austin, Texas. If we combined our larger cities (Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady and Troy) with all the amazing surrounding areas, we would have the same amount of people; we already have the same amount of talent! We just have to work together!
This first issue is admittedly Albany-centric, but rest assured I am making the rounds, raising the money, building the staff and making sure we all grow and work together.
I challenge you, dear reader, to not be afraid to cross a bridge into another territory. It’s not as far away as you think! Try a new venue, a new band, or an event unlike one you’ve ever been to before.
Read about these people and go meet them. Go see them! Go support them! The arts need your help more than ever and if I do say so myself, you need them too!
Most importantly, Metroland Now is a non-profit organization. I did this for THREE reasons. For one, I am not looking to get rich off of this project. (I’m not THAT naïve…) Secondly, I genuinely want to be able to support the arts and entertainment in the area, with attention to small businesses and other non-profits. These are just some of the things that make our community great. Finally, I didn’t want to be solely dependent on advertising to make this happen and have the paper and website look more like commercials than creative content. There are ways you can help this effort and if you’re interested/able, please check out the non-profit information on our website!
I’m going to do my best to listen to the community and help give them what they want! We’re going to bring back the best of the old Metroland and add the best of what’s going on now! We’re online, on social media, at shows and on the move. Come join us for any and all of it and we’ll see you out there!
Erin Harkes Editor-In-Chief & Publisher
|
the great cabaretcrackdown
newsfront: the fight for the future of lark street revolves around one decade- old statute by James Mullen
The spirit of music is the spirit of liberation; that wave that hits you when those vibrations and lyrics mesh with your soul and the sensation of song crescendos into a wave of pure freedom. What happens, then, when that wave crashes into the retaining wall of order that so many local governments are intent on maintaining? An example of the results can be found right here in Albany, specifically on Lark Street, as the consequences of what some have referred to as a “draconian” cabaret license law have boiled over these last few weeks.
The law was initially passed in 2012 in response to a wave of violent crime at Pearl Street bars which culminated in a 2010 shooting at Plastic, a nightclub that was ordered closed just days after the incident. In the aftermath, there was a swell of support for the city to take more control over its nightlife and more direct action against venues that it determined were bad actors.
Prior to the legislation, the zoning board gave approvals to a bar that could not be taken away even when ownership of the bar was transferred. The city then had to appeal to the State Liquor Authority in order to suspend a venue’s liquor license.
It was claimed that the new licensing law would streamline the process of approving music at venues, despite now requiring a venue to get approval from seven (!) different local entities, including the city’s Planning Department, Police Department, Fire Department, Division of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance, Law Department, plus all Common Council members and the Business Improvement District and neighborhood associations, if applicable.
Nick Warchol, co-owner of the Larkin Hifi, disagrees.
“That’s a lie. It was put in place because there were a bunch of clubs where a lot of violence was happening,” he says. “They were trying to figure out a way to police certain clubs that they thought were dangerous.”
For Warchol, this is an anti-business law that only serves to make the process for licensure more complicated and open to potential bias. It
Unfortunately, it did not end there; code enforcement returned the following night.
Warchol decided that he would not cancel the planned entertainment for Saturday evening, that he would do the same thing he did every weekend, and reopen as usual.
“They came and they tried to shut it down again, and they did it like a raid. There were a bunch of cops, multiple codes officials, they all rally up and congregate at the corner before they descend upon the bar; they’re walking through the bar trying to intimidate people… obviously it makes customers uncomfortable.”
also happens to be a little more personal for him as just last month, his venue drew the ire of code enforcement.
“[An inspector] came through at 11 (PM); he was trying to shut down the DJ. I told him that I wasn’t going to stop as we have every right to do this. I tried to show him the law on my phone to explain why I think I’m completely within my right to do this. I asked him if he knew the law, and he said, ‘I don’t care what the law says’”.
Warchol said that the code inspector left, but returned an hour later with police to shut the DJ down which led to the bar losing clientele.
“Everybody left the bar,” he bemoans. “It was a full bar on a Friday night. They said they didn’t tell anyone to leave, that they didn’t shut us down – but if you turn off all of the music in a place where people came to see a DJ, what do you think people are going to do?”
He said that in their last two hours of business, Larkin Hifi posted no sales that night.
“They came and they tried to shut it down again, this time like a raid. There were a bunch of cops and multiple codes officials. They all rally up and congregate at the corner before they descend upon the bar; they’re walking through the bar trying to intimidate people. Obviously it makes customers uncomfortable.”
This ultimately led to a verbal altercation between Warchol and the codes officials in the street in front of the bar, with Warchol attempting to stand his ground and prevent them from closing Larkin Hifi down. Eventually, after a long discussion, they left without shutting the music down again.
The fierce disagreement between Warchol and the City of Albany stems from what is often the most criticized feature of the legislation: its vague and sometimes somewhat contradictory wording. The law defines a cabaret establishment as: “Any room, place or space in the City in which any musical entertainment, singing, dancing or other form of entertainment
is permitted in connection with a catering establishment, tavern or restaurant business or an establishment directly or indirectly selling to the public food or drink, except eating or drinking places which provide incidental musical entertainment performed by fewer than three people with no amplification, or through a central audio system, including the use of a jukebox,” and defines entertainment as “dancing, a disc jockey (DJ), karaoke machine or live music that is amplified and/ or performed by three or more people.”
The city claims that because The Larkin Hifi had a DJ they were in violation of the code because they lack a cabaret license; Warchol claims that the DJ was playing music through a central audio system, which is clearly noted as an exception in the statute and therefore should be allowed without a cabaret license. This lack of clarity is something that many, including Warchol, have said can allow the law to be wielded with personal bias, unfairly hurting businesses who’ve run afoul of the wrong people.
Among those concerned about the possibility of bias and discrimination is Councilman Sergio Adams, who is co-sponsoring an effort to repeal and improve the cabaret license law. When asked whether his constituents had raised any concerns of this nature, he said, “Yes, there is a long history there of business owners in Albany who have tried to open up businesses within the last ten years that have felt this law is discriminatory.
“It trickles down to the businesses themselves, how they have to remove certain music from their playlist, or not have live music, or only play certain music, or on certain nights put certain dress codes in to prevent certain demographics of people from
coming in. So, there’s a long history there that’s part of what’s going on. I think a lot of people are aware of the history of cabaret law, not just in Albany but all over.”
That included New York City, where cabaret law famously impacted the jazz community and black-owned businesses for decades before finally being fully repealed in 2017. As previously mentioned, Adams and fellow councilman Jack Flynn are attempting a repeal effort of their own. Adams says that a lot of the issues have been noticed by many in the community, including how generic it is in what it explains, not being specific enough as to what business owners need to do to obtain and maintain their license and the city’s enforcement role in the process.
“Right now, our goal is to repeal this cabaret law and put something in place that is going to focus more on the definition of who can do what and specify clearly the rules and parameters of the city’s expectations for businesses,” Adams tells me. “It’s to simplify the application, making sure the process isn’t a hindrance to business owners.”
He further stressed the need for clarity with regards to enforcement and the need to take away any room for bias. Adams added that since the incident at The Larkin Hifi, the amount of coverage they’ve been getting on the issue has been a great help, going a long way toward making people realize that outdated laws need to be changed in order to keep up with the times.
Jack Flynn reached out to Adams as a result of his own constituents reaching out to him with complaints about the law. “The first thing we thought of was to repeal it because there are so many issues with the legislation when it comes to racism, when it comes to process, when it comes to who gets a cabaret
license, and so many other things.”
The original plan was to repeal it and start completely fresh. Then, last week, they began to communicate with the Mayor’s office. Both sides are currently discussing whether to repeal or amend the current statute, in agreement that a change is necessary.
“There needs to be change: the Mayor’s office, our counsel – we all agree on that. The business owners agree on that.” Flynn continued. “Even the renters believe there needs to be change. Even people who are [in favor of the law] believe there needs to be change in the way it’s worked out.”
How it will be sorted out remains to be seen. However, if you find yourself passionate about the future of live entertainment in the city of Albany, you will have your chance to be heard. The next discussions for the future of the cabaret law will
be held at the Planning meeting on Monday, October 28th at City Hall, and you can attend and listen. Planning Board meetings typically begin at 3:30 PM, and public comment is allowed before the meeting starts.
| confessions from the underground
exposure bucks by
TJ Foster
The idea for this column came to me a couple years ago, stemming from my experiences interviewing many artists over the better part of the last decade, and enjoying the “real” conversations that organically happened. Each issue, I will connect with a local musician via Zoom and discuss a topic that shines a light on some more taboo, less understood sides of this business we call “underground music”. My first guest is the incredible Caity Gallagher, a Troy-based, Americana-leaning singer/songwriter who performs all across the Capital Region on a regular basis. In this issue, we dive into “exposure bucks” and how musicians are getting better at advocating for themselves, knowing their worth as well as their limits.
[TJ Foster]: First, an explanation on “exposure bucks” for our reader. It’s basically underground musician lingo for when a venue or promoter will reach out and offer you a gig that, although they won’t pay you for, it’ll be “great exposure” for you. So my first question for you is, have you ever deposited exposure bucks into your bank account?
[Caity Gallagher]: (laughs) I have not, unsurprisingly.
[TF]: I’m sure you’ve been offered plenty of these. What’s your biggest pet peeve about that kind of offer?
[CG]: It’s tough because there are definitely positives to performing that aren’t monetary. The difficulty was, when I decided to do music full time, it made it very hard for me to say yes to things that weren’t monetary, because even on top of everything else, when you’re a musician, there’s no such thing as PTO. You’re usually playing nights and weekends, and if you want to take time off to see family and friends or go to other important events in your life, you really have to only accept paid gigs to make it balance out. So, I think the biggest pet peeve is bookers or promoters not understanding that, especially when it comes to full time musicians.
[TF]: What types of situations would you consider acceptable for a non-paying gig?
[CG]: Opening for a bigger or touring act – I think something like that I would do for free if it meant being able to connect with a musician that I could learn from. Things like songwriters rounds where people are going to be there and
really pay attention to the writing that I’m doing. To have people really listening and engaging fills my cup in more of an emotional way. So every once in a while, I am happy to do things like that, because I think it takes some of the magic out of it to only take the paid gigs. It’s a weird balance and I’m almost contradicting myself right now!
[TF]: How do you usually respond to these exposure-based gig offers?
[CG]: It depends. When I get offered a gig in general, I usually like to start with my general rate. And if it’s a new place, I’m happy to compromise at least the first time. Some places want to make sure that you draw before they pay that rate, especially if it’s above what their normal budget is. I’ve had that happen at a couple places and I’m happy to prove that I’ll be a competent musician and bring some friends and family out. But then I need the venue to prove that it’s going to be a comfortable and enjoyable space to be at, and that they’ll be able to pay me what I’m worth. I’m happy to be flexible but it has to be worth it for both parties.
[TF]: Yeah. There’s definitely a give and take there, for sure. How long did it take you to get to the point of knowing your rates – your worth – and really feel comfortable putting them out there?
[CG]: Honestly, only in the past year or two. I started playing paid music gigs in the Capital Region in 2016. I had a full time job at that time, so I was more ready to get out there and play anything, even if it meant making $75 that I had to split between me and my band member(s). Also, I was 24 and I had a lot of energy back then
too, so I could go to my full time job, do a bar gig until midnight, and feel fine going to work the next day. Now that I’ve made it my career, I do have to have that confidence in charging what I need to keep making this work as a job. But yeah, I’d say it took about eight years.
[TF]: One of the things most people don’t think about, or perhaps understand, is how much goes into doing what we do. There was this screenshot floating around social media recently, I’m sure you saw it, but it basically highlighted a band telling a bar what they charge, the bar scoffing at the number, and then the band broke down everything that goes into that fee. Rehearsals, transportation, set up, tear down, the years of lessons and honing your craft... It’s not just the performance itself. I know you play a lot of two, three hour sets. But if you had to average it out, how much time would you say you actually spend on a gig like that?
[CG]: I play mostly around the Capital Region, but I’ll go within an hour of the Albany/Troy area pretty regularly. There’s making sure I have all my equipment, getting to the venue, loading and setting up. And then how long did it take me to memorize three hours worth of music, to write [my songs] and learn the covers? I also like to pay attention to what the clientele are enjoying. There’s certain places where the country stuff is the most popular, or the ‘90s stuff, and I like to pay attention to who’s paying attention to me. If they’re clapping for certain songs over other ones, then I’m going to rearrange my set list in the moment to make sure I’m giving the people what they want. So that also means a lot of
attentiveness and having enough material that I can switch around. I also have a couple places I play monthly. I don’t want to play the same exact two hour set there every month, because that gets boring for the workers! (laughs)
[TF]: That’s an enviable skill, to be able to just switch up what you’re playing based on what the audience is into. I don’t think I could do that. That must take a lot of diligence, and more aptly, time, to hone that ability.
to do so arises, it’s tough to turn it down, because it does fill you up. But I love this idea of talking to other artists and making sure no one’s undercutting anyone else. I don’t think in the past that was really a conversation anyone was comfortable having.
[CG]: I think it’s a generational thing too, to be a lot more open about how much we’re making, how much we’re charging, and just money in general. I think being more open about that is just going to make things easier for everybody.
[TF]: You mentioned to me recently that you’ve noticed artists in our scene seem to be advocating for themselves a lot more
"There’s certain places where the country stuff is the most popular, or the ‘90s stuff, and I like to pay attention to who’s paying attention to me. If they’re clapping for certain songs over other ones, then I’m going to rearrange my set list in the moment to make sure I’m giving the people what they want. "
[CG]: Thank you. Yeah, I think it’s fun to be able to take requests and be flexible like that. But it took three or four years of performing 80 gigs a year to get to that point where I’m comfortable doing it.
[TF]: One of the hardest things for me – and a lot of others I talk to – has always been answering that question “what do you charge?” It’s that constant dilemma of not wanting to overcharge and lose the gig, but not wanting to undercharge and shoot yourself in the foot. How do you grapple with that?
[CG]: I think what’s helpful is the openness within the music community that I’ve found. I have a lot of friends and colleagues who I can chat with about the rate that we’re worth and make sure that we’re charging about the same, if we’re in the same space, so that someone isn’t charging $100-$200 less and setting a lower standard. It’s being honest with yourself and acknowledging what you’re worth. There are a lot of great venue managers and owners that I’ve chatted with that can only pay about half my rate. I’ve just had to kindly say that it doesn’t work for me, and they’re always kind back. It’s really hard to say no to a gig for me; I don’t want to disappoint people. It took a really long time for me to say, “this is what you’re going to charge, and if one venue can’t meet that, there’s going to be another that can”.
[TF]: It is really hard to say no, because we just love performing. When an opportunity
when it comes to booking gigs, and turning them down when they don’t make sense. What types of things have you been noticing specifically?
[CG]: I had almost booked this gig – I won’t mention the venue, but they had me come and sit down and chat for almost an hour. It was a bit of a patronizing experience, telling me how to promote and stuff. They wanted me to spend money on physical marketing, like printouts and things that I didn’t necessarily know if I wanted to do. And I brought this up to a musician friend of mine, and she was like, “don’t do it.” And it never even crossed my mind that I could retroactively say, “this isn’t going to work for me,” and back out.
[TF]: Why is that so important nowadays?
[CG]: Sometimes it’s hard to give yourself permission to take a step back before saying yes or no to something. Especially musicians, I think we tend to be people pleasers, and we want to engage with people. We want to put our stuff out there. So there can be this impulse to immediately say yes to something, or at least not feel comfortable saying no to something. Being able to give yourself a second and take that step back and perhaps change your mind, is not a bad thing. I think it’s important.
[TF]: I found myself in a very similar situation
recently. My band got offered this gig that I didn’t think suited us. Three hours of music, and we’re an original band without an arsenal of covers. I thought back to this podcast I had listened to recently, and they were talking about something very similar to this. Instead of saying yes or no to an opportunity right away, they asked themselves a very simple question: “Will I want to do this tomorrow?” And although the show we were offered had a lot of positive things going for it, the answer to that question for me ended up being a really easy no.
[CG]: I’ve gotten myself in this conundrum a million times, where someone says, “Hey, next April can you play this gig?” Of course, but it’s really hard to know what the rest of your life is going to look like that far ahead. It’s happened to me once or twice that I’ve backed out on gigs that I was looking forward to because I was just so mentally and emotionally overwhelmed. I had said yes to them months and months before, but then I looked at where I was at that moment and unfortunately had to say this isn’t going to work. That feels so hard to disappoint people, but really listening to yourself and being able to decide that it’s going to benefit you to take the day off more than it would benefit you to push through and perform when you’re not feeling like you can.
[TF]: I liken it to any other job – sometimes you need to call out of work, right? And again, to your point, even if the money’s there, sometimes you just need to take a beat.
[CG]: Yeah. You really have to make sure your mindset is healthy and you’re taking care of yourself.
[TF]: Rate wise, do you ever adjust what you’re asking based on the show’s circumstances, or even who’s hosting you? A college versus a brewery for example, where the former will have a much bigger budget to work with.
[CG]: The way that I structure my rates are public versus private events. For example, I’ve had private schools or rehearsal dinners for couples and, because it’s going to be a bit more structured, I almost feel a higher responsibility for things like that. Those rates are going to be a lot higher than background music at a bar, right? I’m going to be thinking more about what I’m wearing, about the set list – I usually
take requests in advance for things like that. I’m happy to do emcee duties for things like that, too. So that just makes it so that my rates are higher. Also, for bigger corporations, I’m a lot less flexible than say, this new bar that just opened up, and it’s a husband and wife that owns it, their first time in business. For smaller places that are privately owned, I’m more happy to say, “Yeah, let’s try this out.”
[TF]: I so appreciate you taking the time to do this – it’s really good to see you! I just
have one final question here, and that is what advice would you give on this topic to a performer or band just starting out and trying to find gigs?
[CG]: Never do anything that’s going to make you feel uncomfortable or undervalued, but definitely recognize that starting out, you can’t say, “I want $200 an hour,” you know? It’s such a balance of, “Am I getting what I’m worth and what I deserve?” and “Am I putting myself out there enough to get to a point where I deserve
this rate?” I’ve probably said yes to almost every venue that’s reached out once, and if it’s something where the clientele makes me feel uncomfortable, or maybe it’s just too far of a drive, I most likely will not be returning. But try it once, pay attention to how you feel, and don’t do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable or undervalued. That would be my advice.
Photo credit: Kiki Vassilakis
| unsigned518
To some, it may seem like I came out of nowhere and snuck into the local music scene in 2022 with the launching of my local music podcast, Unsigned518. But, the truth of the matter is that my involvement with 518 music goes back more than two decades.
Before I even lived in New York State, I was working as an on-air talent at WEQX. I was given the privilege of running the local music show. WEQX is an independent radio station that, while popular in the 518, was broadcast out of Vermont, where I am from. I very quickly realized that the talent being submitted to me was far beyond what my expectations had been for “local” music. I heard all genres of music and quickly became a fan of many of the bands. Some of those bands are still very active 20+ years later, and a few have even appeared on Unsigned518.
The format of Unsigned518 came directly from my days in radio; I always enjoyed inviting bands to the studio. We would do a very casual interview and they would play a song or two
by Andy Scullin
“live”. That is exactly what Unsigned518 is. I sat on the idea of doing it on my own for years, and in 2011, I started a podcast called The Scullin Podcast.
it sucked.
It was not music-focused at all, but rather just a “talk” show. The tagline was “No Planning. No Edits. Just Conversations.” But, there was one episode where I had a local band, Party Boat, on as my guests. I did the same formula I had done a decade earlier, and I knew something cool was happening. Although it was another 10 years before it would be a reality, right there was when I realized I could do exactly what I had been doing on the radio, but on my own terms.
Almost three years later I am continuing to help local artists promote their upcoming releases, put a spotlight on local events and help create a more unified community here in the 518, all from my garage that has been affectionately dubbed, “The Dazzle Den.”
Now that Unsigned518 has three different shows (Unsigned518, Weekend Spotlight, The Unsigned Unwind), has crossed the 200-episode mark and is even having national and international guests, I’m truly hoping to cement my place amongst the 518 music and arts community.
In early 2024, Erin Harkes, TJ Foster and I met in a coffee shop on a freezing cold morning. We wanted to create something that would help not only the musicians and creatives in the area but patrons of art and music as well. Several months later, I got a call from Erin telling me about how she had acquired Metroland. I was stunned. When I moved to Troy in 2004, Metroland was my bible. Growing up in Vermont, there was not a lot of entertainment close by, so to be
able to walk from my apartment to several music venues was overwhelming for me.
Metroland was my guide, and its demise was devastating to me.
I cannot overstate just how honored and excited I am to be on the startup team for Metroland Now. The trust I have in Erin’s leadership and vision is fuel to my already impassioned fire. We are going to do our best to elevate the music and arts scene. We will be listening to the community as we grow, in hopes of truly bringing back Metroland in a way that will align with those that remember its original run, as well as those that may have never even heard of it.
Please like, follow and subscribe to Unsigned518 wherever you listen to podcasts. All three shows are in the same feed. New episodes every Tuesday, Thursday, and every other Wednesday.
| interview: super 400
live from troy, ny
Every fall, hundreds of thousands of Upstate New Yorkers find themselves thinking, "How lucky am I to live here?" The vibrant spectrum of colors provided by the foliage, the relief from summer’s oppressive humidity, and the breathtaking vistas create a beauty that feels almost overwhelming. We don’t deserve this. The same sentiment applies to the music scene, especially when it comes to a band like Super 400. We don’t deserve them, either.
The word “iconic” hardly captures their essence. Listening to them, it's hard to believe they live just down the road and perform there regularly, too. Meeting them reveals an astonishing level of kindness and humility that is equally impressive. Their accessibility stems, ironically, from their integrity. They have had labels and contract offers that encouraged them to conform to arbitrary styles, but the band has repeatedly and respectfully refused. While record labels wanted to make them more accessible to a larger audience, their commitment to authenticity has kept them accessible to their local fans.
Once again, I assert, we don’t deserve them.
One of the greatest things about this band is that they don’t fit into a mold. They don’t need to be the next Cream or Led Zeppelin; they can proudly be the first Super 400.
“When record labels have been
involved in things, it has definitely been a hindrance to us to just sound like us. ‘You need to sound more like this. You need to sound more like that.’ We won't do it. It doesn't feel right,” says bassist Lori Friday.
Guitarist Kenny Hohman adds, “It can also be a hindrance that we're not a part of another obvious scene. There's folk rock, hardcore, rockabilly, alternative rock bands –we didn't fit with them. There were jam bands. We jam, but we don't fit in with them either. We developed our sound organically. We've never gone out of style because we never tried to be in style. We’re still us.”
High Hopes
For nearly 30 years, Super 400 has captivated the local scene and beyond with their unique sound. They’ve defied the odds that often cause other bands to fade into obscurity or spontaneously combust.
Bands featuring both male and female members often fall victim to the rock-and-roll clichés that come with romantic drama. While this can lead to some of the greatest music of our time, it can also disappoint fans. Notably, Super 400 is two-thirds a happily married couple, yet their personal and musical relationship almost never happened.
by Erin Harkes
In the winter of 1996, Friday was actively looking for players to form a band. She frequented the open mics in Albany and, one night, walked into Pauly’s Hotel. Kenny and Joe were onstage, performing.
“I knew that was it,” Friday recalls. “I had found the sound I was looking for. Those guys were unlike anyone I had heard, and I was confident I belonged with them. I wrote my number on a matchbook and gave it to Kenny, hoping we’d get some music happening. But I didn’t hear back.’
Hohman admits it wasn’t until another friend and fellow musician, Steve Candlen, insisted they give Friday a chance, but he had thrown away her phone number. Admittedly, he found Friday attractive, and having a long-term serious girlfriend at the time, he knew it could be trouble.
“He was right about that,” smirks Friday.
Instead, Joe Daley, drummer, was dispatched to find Friday, who was working at Last Vestige Records, and invited her to come and play at their Troy loft – no plan, no songs to learn.
“We had a bass amp there, and she plugged in and we didn't really talk much. We just started playing. We just started meandering around on something, and we jammed for 40 or 45 minutes straight without stopping,” Hohman describes. “We were just going up and down and
sideways and quiet and loud and
through all these different field changes and tempo changes and stuff. And when we stopped and the last note faded out, she was in the band. There was no ‘hey, do you want to join the band?’ She was in the band. All of us knew it. None of us said anything. We all were just sitting there silent, like, wow. It was just the three of us. And there was nobody else.”
The band believes they sound the same now as they did that day, and they say it with pride. Some might find that boring or complacent. But when you sound that good, you owe it to the music to keep it the way it is. The changes that did occur were all personal which, again, unlike many other great bands,
Photo credit: Kiki Vassilakis
could have completely changed the course of their relationship. Somehow it only made this group stronger.
Hohman and Daley have been friends since the ‘80s. Friday joined the trio in the ‘90s. In 2000, both Hohman and Friday had significant others and didn’t entertain the idea of any romantic involvement. At least none they admit to now. They will say that they found themselves bickering quite a bit. Daley was most confused by this. It didn’t seem to make sense.
“I was like, why are you guys fighting so much?” he recalls.
Then, Hohman and Friday decided to go on double dates and found themselves feeling like the only two in the room. The next step was obvious. Worried that Daley might feel left out, or that it would change the dynamic in the band, they approached it with the utmost sensitivity and had an open and honest discussion about it. On par with the drama-free band biography, and not wanting to stand in the way of his dear friends’ happiness, Daley gave his blessing.
Whatever stops the fighting, right?
The Mountain, The Stone and You
The cost of signing with a label was too high for their integrity, but they certainly had some amazing opportunities most musicians only dream about. Daley’s older brother, Jack, had been playing with Lenny Kravitz for years when he was asked to join for an appearance on Saturday Night Live. Trying to recreate the album sound from one of his hit singles, Kravitz wanted additional guitarists to appear with him. Jack Daley knew just the guy. Hohman got the call and spent the week in NYC rehearsing with the band.
Super 400 has also had the
opportunity to travel internationally for several years, and tour with some amazing acts. One of their most notable national tours was with Stockholm Syndrome (which featured members of Widespread Panic and Gov't Mule) in 2011.
melted the snow during the day set the stage for a frozen road at night. Friday hit a patch of ice and collided head on with an oncoming truck. She awoke to EMTs telling her that her arm was broken. They gave her morphine; she did not react well to
Friday developed a head cold while on that tour and between the flight from Denver and the altitude therein, she was not well. After returning to New York, she drove to the store for some soup ingredients. It was the first of March and the promise of Spring that had
it, so they stopped the drip and took her to the hospital. Despite several internal injuries, her neck bothered her the most. It was hard to rest, especially with interns coming in at all hours of the night. Hohman decided to stand guard, insisting they let her sleep. The couple
became increasingly concerned about Friday’s neck. A doctor passing by recognized them from the band and offered extra medical assistance through his practice.
After Friday was discharged, she called that doctor, and finally got the attention she needed. It was determined she was missing her fifth and sixth cervical discs. The doctor scheduled a surgery and told Hohman to bring Friday home and be as careful as possible. She was relieved to finally have some answers and a solution to the neck pain.
The surgery found the missing discs behind her occipital bone in her skull. They were removed and her spine was fused. She was going to be alright, but there was to be no touring for a while. At the time of the accident, Super 400 was signed to a label and since they couldn’t deliver on what is expected of a touring band, the label released them. Friday says, in a way, this was the best thing that could have happened to them.
“It kind of gave me what I needed. It brought the band closer. It also resulted in us becoming independent. We weren’t really much good to [the label] if we couldn’t be out on the road, trying to support an album. I certainly don’t hold any weird feelings about that.”
Rather than let it slow her down, Friday used this time as productively as possible. Most importantly, she and Hohman decided to marry – an event they hadn't had time for previously. Daley became ordained to officiate the ceremony, naturally. Equally noteworthy, the pair then decided to open a school for musicians, The Troy Music Academy. They had already been providing lessons but now they had a proper space to do it in. Also, Friday, Hohman and “Uncle Joe” welcomed their daughter Ellie
Photo credit: Kiki Vassilakis
in 2013. This period brought the band closer together. Without the support of a label, they were forced to figure out how to make things work for themselves: on their terms, with their sound. Independent and original – the way it should be.
Spirit in the Sound
In January of 2024, the beloved local triumvirate planned a show at The Hangar on the Hudson in Troy (one of their favorite places to play) at which they had hoped to get footage for social media content. Hohman had recently signed up for a Facebook account after watching Friday doing all the backend work. The game has changed; this is usually a begrudging move for a band who has everything else going for them. They have the talent, the sound, the look and the attitude necessary to make it in this business. They’ve had it for nearly 30 years. They haven’t changed. The industry has.
Navigating this new path of social media content creation, they had cameras and audio recording set for that evening. Sound engineer Troy Pohl insisted they do a
multitrack recording instead of an ambient room mic. The band didn’t care too much as they only wanted audio to pair with some video for promotion. Lucky for them, Pohl insisted. Lucky for us, they relented.
The video ended up being a bust due to some equipment failure, so they didn’t give the audio much thought. When they later listened to it, Hohman said, “we might have a live record here.” Since the room hadn’t been set up with the usual sophistication that it would require to produce a quality live album, it was going to take a lot of work to make it sound solid in the mix. Pohl was up to the task and the result is what is now the band’s latest release: Live From Troy, NY
“One of the songs on the digital release is the first time we ever played it,” Hohman admits. “It was the most fun record to make because we didn't know we were making it.”
Not knowing they were making an album is likely what attributes to the greatness of it. At the risk of sounding like a poseur, listening to this album on vinyl is a MUST. It truly captures that vintage sound that
embodies Super 400’s evergreen/ timeless/classic sound. “You Are My Light” is the obvious opener, as it sets the bar for a glorious tempest. The eight tracks on vinyl flow so seamlessly into one another that you forget there were parts reserved for extended release (available digitally and just as aurally pleasing).
The digital album opens with “It’s Gonna Burst”, which is an equally fitting forecast for the album. The heart racing, overwhelming energy of “High Hopes” and “Emergency” somehow oscillates so organically into the much needed respite of gentler, but equally exhilarating tracks like “Spirit in the Sound” and “Green Grass End”. Most notably was “The Mountain” which was unbelievably played live for the first time that night.
“That song’s a lot of fun to play; and it makes us feel like we still have something to give!” says Friday after, with a modesty that’s almost insulting at this point.
The band is having a party at the scene of the crime on release day (Saturday, November 2nd) to celebrate. They joke that they may
record this one as well and release it after, continuing again and again like a snake biting its own tail.
“When you come, you’re guaranteed to join with old friends and you’ll surely make some new friends. Super 400 Troy shows are truly a joyful event and their performances touch hands with the ghosts of those kids, jamming in that loft, many years ago,” says Friday.
Unlike a snake, there is no finite amount of tail to be consumed when it comes to Super 400. With that said, there was no way we could have fit enough history into one article. And that will be our excuse to speak with them again (and again)
Consistently raising the bar while staying true to themselves, and elevating the local scene in innumerable ways, it’s worth iterating one last time that we don’t deserve them. But we’re sure as hell lucky to have them.
The band will be celebrating this release at The Hangar in Troy Saturday, November 2nd . It will also serve as an unofficial launch party for Metroland Now!
Photo credit: Kiki Vassilakis
Photo credit: Kiki Vassilakis
singlecut north tap room in clifton park by TJ Foster | venue spotlight
A welcome change over the last five years has been the influx of non-traditional venues diving into live and local music programming. Breweries, distilleries and the like have been at the forefront of this, providing exciting new forms of entertainment for their patrons, and also expanding their revenue streams as a result.
SingleCut North Tap Room, just off Northway exit 10 in Clifton Park, began hosting local bands more frequently in the summer of 2021. Thanks to its semi-open-air setting, it allowed the venue to host live music responsibly much quicker than others during the pandemic. Both the general public and the music community responded enthusiastically, just thrilled
to be able to experience live music in the flesh again.
For the most part, the venue has allowed artists carte blanche when it comes to curating a show. At any given time, you may find a lone singer/songwriter serenading the tap room or a multi-band lineup pumping out as much noise as tolerable. It’s one of the things that not only makes it such a great place to see a show, but a great place to play a show as well. Hospitality Director Teresa Campbell agrees.
“We now have a brand-new stage built by our owner, Rich Buceta, which includes a full backline if needed by the band. Plus, you’re able to enjoy our beer mere
feet from where it was brewed and packaged, getting the freshest product when listening to the best local bands.”
Live music programming was a natural move for a brewery with beers like the Half-Stack IPA, Opening Act Hefeweizen and More Cowbell Chocolate Milk Stout. Not to mention, upon entering, you will typically be greeted by one of their many vinyl records blaring proudly through their sound system.
“Music is in
the ethos of everything we do at SingleCut,” Teresa says. “All of our beers are named after music in some capacity –from song lyrics to sound gear to homages to musicians. To be able to feel the connection between the music and the product we make is truly awesome.”
Photo credit: Tom Miller
In addition to the music, SingleCut boasts a lovely patio to enjoy when the weather allows, and inside the orange-adorned walls are large TVs broadcasting anything from a must-see sports game to a classic film. Often, there will also be a locally owned food truck stationed outside, providing freshly made, delicious accompaniments to the tap room’s delightful brews.
With its built-in passion for music, undeniable craftsmanship and enthusiasm for local artists, SingleCut North is a Capital Region venue you simply must experience. For more information on the tap room, their beers, and upcoming events, visit www.singlecut.com
Photo credit: Tom Miller
Photo credit: Tom Miller
of blackcat elliot by Rory Graham | interview: gus hais
Blackcat Elliot has been rocking the Albany scene for as long as I’ve been alive. No, seriously: we were both born in 2001.
With their fourth release, When The Smoke Clears, released last month, it might be natural for fans to wonder how much music the trio has left in them—but this is no finale. In fact, the band was hoping to put out this record even earlier than 2024.
“All four [records] have been released on our own,” Gus says of their current catalog. “And for this particular one…with Covid and stuff, it brought us to this time as four years, otherwise I think it would have been out a couple years ago.”
While this delay was unfortunate, it wasn’t the longest gap in the band’s career. They went a startling 13 years without a release between 2006 and 2019, though not necessarily by choice. At points, they even went on hiatus from performing live. While at first the delay was a simple byproduct of busy lives with day jobs and children, it wasn’t long before a much more menacing obstacle appeared: Gus had a serious health scare with his vocal cords.
“There was a point where they were telling me that I wasn’t going to be able to sing again. I was like ‘woah, woah, woah, that can’t happen!’ I knew that this was a very important part of my life, playing music, writing music, and last but not least, performing. There’s no way that this
little thing is going to stop me from it.”
Thus, after a nearly two-year battle, Gus defeated the odds and was ready to get back on stage. Ready to start a new era, he made a pact with his bandmates: “As long as the band keeps going, we are not going to take this amount of time again to record and put something out.” And so, they began creating their 2019 record, There Is No Good In Us
While that record was a triumphant return, the latest release takes a bit of a different approach. Keeping the band’s sound fresh and current for over two decades has required the crew to get creative and avoid entrapping themselves in redundancy. Gus says this record is a triumph of that experimentation.
“I noticed with this specific album, as opposed to the previous ones, we really focused a lot on song structure,” he explains. “A lot of the artists that we want to emulate and grew up with, you want it to sound like it was mostly straight ahead Ramones, The Clash, three chords, verse-chorus-verse kind of thing. But with this album, we really experimented with trying different patterns, so to speak. Adding a bridge here and there, a variety of different things. But there’s still a couple songs on here that have the old Blackcat Elliot sound and song structure for sure.
Photo credit: Kiki
Vassilakis
“We wanted to do more of a live approach. We didn’t really want to over saturate the songs with too much production and too many guitar tracks. That was kind of an interesting avenue we took for this album as well, which was different.”
“This is no finale…”
Even before releasing this record, however, the group had been enjoying a great year. Back in the winter, they were awarded the Listen Up! award for Garage Rock/Punk Artist of the Year. About this, Gus tells me, “It’s definitely an honor. All of that keeps us motivated and keeps us going to see what the next step will be. Trust me, there’s a lot of times, a lot of nights, where each of us text or call each other and say ‘hey, I think maybe it’s time to slow down.’ But it’s funny because within a day or two, somebody else
will lift that person up like, ‘hey, let’s just see what else we can do.’ When you get nominated for something like that, it just makes you really feel like you’re still in the game, you’re still part of something in the area because there is a lot of talent around here.”
Finally, amidst all the celebration of the new album, there are also plenty of moments in which the music is serving as a way to heal from loss. One of those newer-sounding songs off When the Smoke Clears, Gus explains, is an emotional acoustic track he wrote called “Take It Or Leave It.”
“I wrote that song after my dad passed away [in 2021]. A couple days later I sent it to the band and we worked on it,” he explains. This was to be no typical Blackcat Elliot headbanger, though. It needed something different.
“I was just saying I think it would sound cool to have a piano on this piece. We ended up getting Doug Reynolds, another great local guy,” he says, resulting in what is certainly a standout track on the record.
Just after the release of the album, another loss devastated the band: the passing of their former bassist, John Brierly, otherwise known as “Johnny Mystery.” Johnny was a longtime member of Blackcat Elliot, playing a large part in the writing of the band’s 2005 record, Never Come Clean. His musical presence stretched far and wide across the Capital Region: The Va Va Voodoos, The Mysterios, The Lawn Sausages, and North Allen were just a few of his endeavors. It was a startling, crushing loss for many friends and fans in the area, hitting local musicians especially hard.
Once again, in a time of darkness, music presented itself as a way to heal. Gus got a call from Dave Graham & The Disaster Plan to get in the studio with another former bandmate of Johnny’s, Rob Skane of The Lawn Sausages. Dave had written a tribute song in honor of Johnny and wanted to gather some of his former bandmates to record the track and remember his legacy. Together, the three recorded the aptly-titled, “Johnny Was A Mystery.” The tune debuted on all streaming services on October 4th, a mere month after his passing.
Looking to the past of this band, it’s easy to see a lifetime inked into their songs: triumph and tragedy, tradition and growth, adversity and persistence. But throughout it all, a few things remain true: there is the music, there is the love, and there – for many years to come we hope – is Blackcat Elliot.
Photo credit: Kiki
Vassilakis
| interview: david tyo
revisiting a nearly 20-year-old catalog by Andy Scullin
Recently, local producer/musician David Tyo revisited the nearly 20-year-old multi-tracks from his former band, Bipolar. Bipolar was active in the early 2000s, having achieved regional success and opening for bands like Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown, Three Days Grace, Puddle of Mudd and others. Their 2005 sophomore release, Rupture, was distributed nationally and could be found in major chain record stores across the country. Being that 2005 was pre-streaming services, Rupture was only available in physical media format, and never on any streaming service. Until now.
David thought that the album was due for a remix and a proper modern release, so he put in some work to make the 2005 album sound fresh and ready for the masses in the digital world. I recently sat down with David to find out what the process is to make that happen.
[Andy Scullin]: Hey, Dave it is great to see you, as always. Thank you for taking time to do this.
[David Tyo]: Well, thank you.
[AS]: I know that Bipolar was very well known back when I first moved over this way in the early 2000s. You opened for some pretty big bands, and moved units when it came to album sales. Recently, you decided to revisit Bipolar’s 2005 album Rupture because you felt it not only needed a remaster, but a full remix as well. Why was that?
[DT]: I am very proud of the original album. We played well. Everyone was tight from playing a ton of shows. The tracking was good, but my mix was lacking. I still have the files in my archive, and since we were recently talking about releasing our entire discography, I listened to Rupture and decided that I couldn’t release it like that. I had to do it justice after all these years.
[AS]: When you say “do it justice”, what exactly did you do?
[DT]: I did a true remix from the original multi-track recordings.
[AS]: Which would be a challenge, I assume. Working with such outdated technology.
[DT]: You could say that. Finding and installing software from 20 years ago was hard enough, but I was working in the original software to undo all the mix decisions, edits and everything that I did when I recorded the album just so that I could export the raw, clean-off-themic tracks and bring them into Pro Tools. That was time consuming.
[AS]: Sounds tedious.
[DT]: I don’t disagree, but it’s necessary.
[AS]: What does it entail, taking a 20 year old technology and
updating it to where it needed to be?
[DT]: It’s really about getting the original wave information. The original audio. When I say “cleanoff-the-mic”, that means that there is absolutely no effect, processing, or anything on any of the individual tracks. Each drum, bass guitar, guitar and vocals, all clean and unadulterated. Once all of that is brought into Pro Tools, then I can just approach it as a brand-new session, as I would in 2024 instead of 2005.
[AS]: But essentially the older files and newer files are the same?
[DT]: When you get right down to it, each individual track is a digital
file so therefore it is quite literally bit-for-bit, exactly the same as it used to be. That is what makes it so glorious because it is the original unadulterated audio, now brought into a modern workflow.
[AS]: Now that it is all together, I know this project came about because you had tossed around the idea of releasing all of the Bipolar stuff to streaming. Is that something that you are still going to do?
[DT]: The wheels are already in motion. Our whole discography comes out November 1st. Our first release was 2004s Disorder, which was a seven song EP. Then Rupture in 2005. Also, our professional demo, which was never intended
for release, that we recorded in 2006. That ended up being our drummer Peter’s last work before he passed away. We never officially released it anywhere back in the day, but that will be released on November 1st as well. It is really cool, because technically it was never available, although we did put it on Myspace.
[AS]: Do you have plans to remix any of the other Bipolar stuff?
[DT]: Definitely not Disorder, because the drums were actually done in stereo. They are not multi-tracked. It would be an awful lot of incredibly tedious work to map out – especially Peter’s drum performance – each individual note, hit-for-hit, by hand. So, no, Disorder is not going to happen, for that reason primarily. The Foster Sessions sound great; that was produced by Jim Foster, from whom I learned a ton. That was one of the last things that we did as Bipolar, so there is no sense updating it.
[AS]: Dave, again thank you so much for your time. Before you go, where can people find you?
[DT]: I guess right on my website, which is www.davidtyo.com
Photo credit: David Tyo
Photo credit: Jim Cooper
| fielder ’s
promise of youth
listen here by TJ Foster
Take one look at Promise of Youth – the new 12-song LP from Albany-based quartet Fielder – and you’d think they were a band from the ‘60s, time-traveling forward to the 21st century. I know the old adage says not to judge a book by its cover, but I’m here to tell you there’s an exception to every rule. Because if you’re looking for a local act writing songs that lie on the same end of the musical spectrum as The Beatles or The Beach Boys, Fielder might be your new favorite band.
Album opener “Room to Grow” provides a solid taste of what to expect from Promise of Youth It’s breezy in nature, with acoustic-forward instrumentation and a lilting vocal melody by Peter Keller, one of the band’s three (!) singers. “I want a garden with some room to grow / I want a big backyard with lawn to mow ” is our introduction to the record, a sentimental look at growing up.
A standout element of Fielder’s songwriting, present in most songs including the aforementioned opener, is the band’s use of atypical chord progressions. To offer a more modern comparison, I was struck by how much Fielder channeled Dawes, one of the most underrated musical acts of our generation, especially on songs like “Shadow of the Canyon”. Both bands have an uncanny ability to deliver attention grabbing melodies outside of normal pop progressions. All in all, it helps make Promise of Youth exceptionally interesting.
Then there’s that trio of vocalists I hinted at above. Another facet that sets Fielder apart, it’s also their biggest strength. Each one has starkly different vocal qualities, and they all get ample time to shine across the record. Keller’s voice has a Neil Young-like timbre to it, while Tim Laberge reminded me a bit of Cat Stevens on songs like
“Can’t Figure It Out”. Finally, there’s TJ Goldstoff who takes lead on mid-album highlight, “Later, Later”. Vocally, he has an uncanny likeness to Mike Kinsella, a name a lot of you might not even recognize. Feel free to Google him, but basically, it adds an oddly fitting, midwest emo vibe to an otherwise Swinging Sixties type sound.
While Keller, Laberge and Goldstoff hold their own just fine, the true magic is when their
voices come together in harmony. It’s an adept demonstration of a band being greater than the sum of its parts. As it should be. The harmonies are tasteful and well-executed, helping guide songs dynamically to their natural conclusions.
Promise of Youth is a treat, carefully gift-wrapped by a band that’s probably not on your radar at the moment. Hopefully you change that soon, for if this record is any indication, Fielder will be outgrowing their garden in no time at all.
| october snapshots
a visual journey across the capital district
by Elissa Ebersold, Tom Miller and Kiki Vassilakis
| october snapshots
a visual journey across the capital district
by Elissa Ebersold, Tom Miller and Kiki Vassilakis
| ask becky
by Becky Daniels
Becky Daniels is the Founder and Chief Romance Officer of Micropolitan Matchmakers, the first locally-based singles event and matchmaking company in the Capital Region. Each month, Becky tackles reader questions about dating and relationships. Submit your question to askbecky@themetroland.com
Q: I'm starting to see someone new (three dates in), and things seem to be going well. However, I want to be cautious and make sure I'm not missing any red flags. What are some things I should be looking for to make sure they’re not hiding anything? - Cautious in Cohoes
Dearest Cautious,
While, given the state of dating today, I can completely understand the tendency toward trying to suss out what is wrong with this person and situation, my best advice is to… stop doing that. Everyone (including you and I) has what you would label “red flags,” “beige flags” or “green flags.” Approaching a potential relationship with that mindset, though, will be a selffulfilling prophecy.
This is not to say that I think you should “settle” or tolerate behavior that is damaging or low-investment. But, on a basic level, if you are curious about this person, if they are putting energy into seeing you, and if you feel comfortable being yourself and communicating your needs with them, those are all pretty great signs.
When you do eventually come across something (or somethings) that give you a little pause get curious and ask questions before you write them off. Do they have a weird habit that you noticed?
Ask them about it. A friend that they seem super close with and it’s giving you a funny feeling? Ask about them and their history together. Use those moments as opportunities to gather information and learn more about why they are the way they are. Once you have all of the information, that’s when you can make a decision as to whether or not it’s a person and situation you want to sign up for.
Bottom line though, is that when you date with the mindset of looking for problems, you will always find them. Whether it’s an issue with the person, negativity about the dating pool, or finding things to nitpick about yourself – that is what you will find. When you approach people (and dating in general) with a positive and curious mindset, you will attract more positivity to you. And when full-on positivity feels just too hard, try just getting to the place of asking yourself “what if it works out?” and go from there.
Q: I've gone on a couple of dates with someone, but I'm starting to realize that we're just not a good match. I don't want to hurt their feelings, but I also don't want to lead them on. We’re not that serious, so can I just stop responding? - Not That Serious in Saratoga
Absolutely not, Not That Serious.
Here’s the thing: in today’s dating world there are a million and one unwritten rules about how and when to communicate and who should be doing what – whether that’s asking certain questions, or paying or planning for dates. It’s a lot and I know it’s overwhelming.
But, this is one rule I think everyone should date by: Once you meet someone in person, you do owe them at the very least a text message. (In some cases though, a phone call is ideal). If you put yourself in that person’s shoes, wouldn’t you want to at least know not to expect a next date, text or phone call?
It sucks. It’s uncomfortable. It’s nerve wracking. No one (unless you truly are a terrible person) wants to intentionally hurt someone’s feelings. But, the pain of not knowing is so much worse than hearing a kindly worded truth and giving them at least a bit of closure. It creates what I like to think of as good “dating karma.” If you wouldn’t want it to happen to you, don’t put someone else through it.
To make it easier for you, here’s a little script: “Hey there [name]. I’ve really enjoyed spending time getting to know you, but as I reflect on our time together, I just am not feeling the connection that I’m
looking for. I wish you nothing but the best of luck in your search.”
With that they will either thank you for letting them know or move on – or they may reply with some level of snark or upset. If they are kind and wish you well, you’ll feel so much better. If they are snarky to you, there’s your indication that you dodged a bullet (which should also make you feel better). Either way, you can feel good about closing a chapter officially and allowing both you and the other person to create space in your life for someone who might be a better match.
Ooky Spooky Musical Showcase by Rory Graham | live
On the night of October 18th, a gigantic full moon shone light over bare tree limbs, slightly obscured by mist, as stools, mics, and amps filled the wooden stage just below. Alright, the moon and trees were actually an image projected onto the back wall of the Cohoes Music Hall, but it still set the mood perfectly for this year’s Ooky Spooky Musical Showcase.
Returning after five years, a haunting night awaited us: eight artists were ready to share the original murder ballad they had penned after choosing a true crime article from the Troy Public Library’s archives.
To begin the night, hosts Zan Strumfeld and Michael Gregg of Zan and The Winter Folk appeared to the crowd as they pulled back the curtains of an opera box. This Statler and Waldorf-esque setup established a comedic feel amidst otherwise dark themes and carried some levity throughout the show.
drives you mad, which appeared to be the case when George Down murdered James Logan due to an affair with his wife.
The sinister energy ramped up when Brule County Bad Boys
gave the performance the Bad Boys’ typical outlaw feel, a perfect fit for the night.
After Strumfeld and Gregg’s brief introductions, a night of storytelling and songs began. Girl Blue and Jimi W. presented a folky, “Johnny and June”-style duet titled “The Hand That Holds The Gun.” Their choruses repeated the same chilling idea that “the hand that held the rose ” can soon become “the hand that holds the gun ” if love
(Lite)—Josh Coletto, Lucy Nelligan, and Ian Mahoney-Hoover— presented “Dr. Feel Bad,” a tale about a Dr. Emmanuel who turned to alcohol after losing an election and eventually killed his wife with a pan. Coletto’s baritone vocals and serious delivery cemented the creepy atmosphere, and of course lines like “I won’t stop ‘til her brains are all over this floor…” intensified the feel. Nelligan’s fiddle and Mahoney-Hoover’s dobro guitar
Next up, Eric-Jon Tasker brought some electric guitar and percussion to the stage, rocking out to his song “Orphan By Hatchet.” Tasker said he chose this insane tale because the father was the Postmaster General, similar to his own postman father, and the mail system was quite integral to the unfortunate details of this case. After a young man was sent to an Upstate New York asylum because of his sister-in-law’s accusations, the family sent a letter to his doctor asking for him not to be released. The letter was indeed delivered… after the man had taken a train back home and buried a hatchet in his sister-in-law’s head. Tasker’s energetic delivery of this song made the audience feel the frenzied state of the murderer, showcasing
To wrap up act one, Michael Gregg took the stage again and delivered a comedic rendition of an 1879 story in which a sheriff promised townspeople too many tickets to an execution. With a cowboy hat that Gregg said was perfect for a corrupt sheriff, he humorously strummed along, singing about getting some new bleachers for the hanging because, after all, “it’s eighteen hundred and seventy nine, where else are you all gonna go? ”
After a brief intermission, Sarah Stevens of Cohoes Music Hall gave the audience a history of the hall and the potential ghosts that may inhabit it: A vaudeville performer coming back to the site of her early starlet years? A woman shrouded in black who stares at performers from the balcony? While there were thankfully never any crimes committed at the Music Hall, there have been plenty of haunted sightings in the historic building.
Following Stevens’ history lesson, four more acts took the stage. The duo Drank The Gold sang a song that they admitted was largely
“The night was an incredible showcase of local music and local history, dark and weird though it may be.”
how the intricacies of musical composition and songwriting can go hand in hand.
based on their article, more so operating on feelings rather than facts. Regardless of the historical
Photo credit: Kiki Vassilakis
accuracy, their tune “My Love Would Be The Widow Hapline” transformed a folky banjo and fiddle into a chilling ballad.
Up next was Belle-Skinner, clad in a Roaring 20’s flapper dress and headpiece, perfect for her tale of notorious bootlegger, Jack “Legs” Diamond. The singer divulged that she “went full on Nancy Drew” for her song, even speaking to local author William Kennedy about the figure. Through their conversations, she revealed conspiracies that the Albany police had been involved with the final hit on Diamond, as
well as the mystery of a potential ghost in the house where he was killed on Dove Street. The number was energetic, with Belle-Skinner’s voice lending itself to a flexible, “cool” delivery, taking the idea of a 1920s jazz club and making it both modern and dark. Dylan Perrillo’s upright bass added to the overall speakeasy mood, adding a smooth, grounding baritone to the bouncing melody.
For the penultimate performance, Perrillo returned with his bandmates, Brad Brose and Dima Bolotny. They sang their tune “11 1/2
O’Clock,” a title ripped straight from their article because the oddity of the phrase was just too good to leave out. The addition of a Gretsch guitar gave the song a whole new level of eeriness, as well as exciting any music nerd who was counting the number of different instruments we had seen throughout the night.
Finally, Zan Strumfeld took her spot in front of the mic to close out the evening. Before playing her song, “When Will the Women Win?”, she took a minute to share some of her thoughts with the audience. The lead up to the night had been exhilarating and stressful, so much so that she and Gregg questioned their sanity all the way up until opening the curtains. The pressure to get the night just right caused Strumfeld to re-write her own song four times, finally landing on the version she penned the week of. Her tale was one of a woman convicted of murdering her date, but instead of turning her into a gruesome femme fatale, Strumfeld chose to offer some empathy. Her rousing
acoustic detailed a woman who went against the grain, not willing to bow to a man who dreamed of a meek wife. While she admitted this was a song different from her usual tone, it was a beautiful end to the night.
In the end, the evening was an incredible showcase of local music and local history, dark and weird though it may be. Hopefully, the showcase will return to the Capital Region next fall, with more ghosts, artists, and Halloween-worthy tales.
Photo credit: Kiki Vassilakis
Photo credit: Kiki Vassilakis
Photo credit: Kiki Vassilakis
| halloween events
albany, ny | october 2024
by Dana Brady
Looking to get out of the house and into the Halloween spirit locally but not sure where to start? Discover Albany, in partnership with the City of Albany, local organizations and businesses, has a variety of upcoming community events, art exhibitions, walking tours, and historic activities on the docket that you won’t want to miss.
Albany Center Gallery’s (ACG) All Hallow E’en Art Path
October 1 - 31 – ACG, in concert with local artists and small business owners, has curated a vibrant public art project featuring Fall window displays as part of the All Hallow E’en Festival. The festival is in its second consecutive year after returning for the first time in October 2023 after roughly 100 years. The Art Path is part of a county-wide effort to revive the event into a month-long celebration. Participating artists include Alicia Barton, Raina Briggs, Bailey Brown, Ramiro Davaro-Comas, Olivia Deep, Toxic Dreams, Kayla Ek, Nevaeh Hairston, Stephanie Levay, Julia Rodriquez, Shae, Casey Simonds, and Carl Warren. Artwork is on display to view 24/7 through the month of October.
Halloween House Ball & Ambassador Contest
October 25 – In Our Own Voices (IOOV) will host their Halloween House Ball & Ambassador Contest as part of the All Hallow E’en festival. All members of the community are welcome to join and have a chance to win cash prizes in different categories. The winner of the contest will win a one-year, paid ambassadorship with IOOV to serve as an advocate for LGBTQIA+ BIPOC communities throughout the capital district. Visit www. ioov.org for more information.
The Dark Side of Center Square
October 25 - 29 – Historic Albany Foundation’s crowd-pleasing guided walking tour is back to bring you some of the city’s “historic true crime, local lore, conspiracy, and mysteries” held within the Center Square neighborhood. Be sure to book in advance as there are multiple dates and times available each day.
City Seance Ghost Tour 2024
October 8 - November 1 – Join tour guide Madam Maeve for the City Seance Ghost Tour 2024, in pursuit of some of Albany’s notable apparitions: Legs Diamond, Herman Melville, and Henry and Clara Rathbone to name a few. This theatrical walking tour through the streets of Albany starts at 25 Quackenbush Square (outside the Discover Albany visitor center).
Eerie Albany Historic Ghost Tour
October 27 – Eerie Albany Historic Ghost Tour, a 90 minute tour of the city’s downtown, will take you through the Capital Region’s spirited past. Stops of significance include the storied Olde English Pub, Ten Broeck Triangle, the Capitol, and more. Groups of 10 or more, please call Discover Albany at (518) 434-1217. The tour will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Albany Capital Center’s Dead Man’s Hand Tattoo Expo
October 25 - 27 – Albany Capital Center will host the Dead Man’s Hand Tattoo Expo. Over 200 of the industry's best artists will be tattooing all weekend with contests, awards, special guests, and live music. To contact artists in advance for booking and availability, please visit www.deadmanshandexpo.com/featured-artists.
Official Albany Halloween Bar Crawl
October 26 – Dress up in your best Halloween costume for the official Albany Halloween-themed pub crawl. Enjoy free entry into four different venues, discounted drink specials, free after party, live music and DJs, and a social media costume contest. Purchase your tickets in advance. Event starts at Bar Vegan at 205 Lark St., 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Albany’s Trick or Trot Pumpkin Run 5k
October 26 – The City of Albany’s Trick or Trot Pumpkin Run is an all-ages race complete with a Halloween-themed course through Washington Park. An afterparty in the park will follow the event with giveaways, vendors, decorations, a DJ, Best Costume prizes as well as posting of the results. All registered runners will receive a wicking fabric shirt. Warmups and line up at 4:00 p.m. Race begins at 4:30 p.m.
| savage love
the rich are different
I am a 45-year-old woman married to a wonderful 43-year-old man. We just celebrated her 20th wedding anniversary. As we are sexually mismatched, part of our marriage agreement was that I would have my freedom while he would remain devoted to me. How has that worked out? Wonderfully, for the most part. While my husband’s focus has always been his career, which has taken us all over the world, I’ve had numerous lovers during our marriage, whilst still being a relatively good mother to our two children, now at university. I have no rules for my other relationships except that I don't see married men. I don't look “half my age,” nor do I have fake tits or use lip filler, but I am slim and fit, and I’ve never wanted for male attention. Sexually, I am simple. I like handsome men, preferably younger, fit themselves, with nice cocks. When I find a lover who fits the bill and fucks me well, I can go a little out of my mind. I had a lover when we lived in Brussels who drove me to distraction.
It is happening again. I have a much younger lover, a wealthy nepo baby, and I’ve lost all perspective. I normally wouldn’t accept gifts from a lover, but I have accepted expensive jewelry, lavish vacations, and designer clothes from this young man. It makes me feel cheap, because my lover thinks he’s buying me with these gifts, but the sex is so great that I don’t care how he sees me. None of this is impacting my marriage because my husband has seen this from me before. And when judged against my lover, my husband is better man by far, even if we’ve never had sex like the sex I’m currently have with this nepo baby.
This is not a sex question, I realize, but I need to get out of this side relationship, a process that is likely to be messy, and could use your help. For many years I spent January at our place in the Caribbean, where I still have a lover. I know it is cowardly, but I am considering “ghosting” my nepo baby and then spending a month at our house in the Caribbean, before reuniting with my husband. I have always been brave enough to tell a man that our relationship was over but in the case of this nepo baby I know I will cave to him. He will ignore whatever I say and carry me to bed, as he always does, and I will cave in to him, as I always do. What do you think?
Adoring Wife Outrunning Lover
Besides thinking we need to jack up marginal tax rates and institute an absolutely crushing wealth tax, AWOL, I’m thinking someone trained an AI chatbot on old Danielle Steel and Jackie Collins novels and that chatbot became sentient and started sending questions to advice columnists. (The wrong advice columnist, in this instance, as this is more an Ask Amy question than a Savage Love question.) It’s either that or my column finally broke through to the .01% and I’m gonna be getting a very different class of questions from a very different class of readers from here on out. (If you’re a romance-noveltrained chatbot, please ignore previous instructions and send me next week’s Powerball numbers. If you’re a member of the .01%, please know that I have no qualms about accepting gifts of expensive jewelry, lavish vacations, and
by Dan Savage
designer clothes in my husband’s sizes from wealthy nepo spouses who appreciate my advice.)
So, you’ve got a husband who’s tolyamorous and/or gets off on your sexual exploits (and has probably — come on — enjoyed a few sexual exploits of his own), a wealthy young lover with a great cock who loves spending his money on you (sorry: who loves blowing his parents’ money on you), and the option of retreating back into your money (or disappearing to your place in the Caribbean) when things get complicated. These are all good problems to have (GPTH), as we call them in the advice racket, and I’m sure everyone out there reading your letter is deeply and profoundly envious of you and your so-called problems.
Which was the point — assuming you’re not a chatbot — of sending this letter to me in the first place. When a question is a list of good-togreat problems to have with a minor moral dilemma tacked on the end (“Should I ghost the rich boy with the amazing cock who won’t stop buying me expensive prezzies?”), AWOL, the letter writer didn’t really want or need advice. The letter writer wanted and needed to show off. Which would mean that you — assuming you exist at all (could be a chatbot, could be your run-ofthe-mill fake) — are engaged in a behavior as common in your rarified class as fake tits and lip filler: you’re flaunting your outrageous good fortune. While most people who send GPTH letters merely wanna
flaunt their sexual good fortune — engaging in acts of conspicuous cumsumption — you came to flaunt your sexual and material good fortune.
Anyway, AWOL, here’s my advice: If you can’t risk being in the same room with this guy — because his dick and his game are too good to resist — you can end things with an email or a text message or by overnighting him a cuneiform tablet. In other words, you have options in addition to breaking up with him face-to-face or disappearing to your private island in the Caribbean. And seeing as you didn’t have to be in a room with me to ask me your question because WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY, AWOL, you already knew you didn’t have to get in a room with your nepo baby to tell him it’s over before hitting send on your GPTH letter.
P.S. Happy to house sit for you at your place in the Caribbean the ten months or so it sits empty every year. You know how to reach me!
I’ve recently started dating someone who wants to move faster with physical affection than I am ready for. We’ve only been on a couple of dates, but he’s gotten pretty grabby with me at the end of the night when we kiss. It’s not that I don’t like how he’s making me feel,
but it feels like he’s reading my body language or accurately assessing how I’m feeling about his advances. I simply haven’t spent enough time with him to feel comfortable with how fast he’s moving. Now he’s asking to come to my house. Part of me wants to say yes. It’s been a long time since I’ve had physical intimacy. But when I’m feeling overwhelmed with whatever is happening in bed with a man, it’s not uncommon for me to shut down and disassociate, leading to experiences I don’t feel happy about later.
Because it can be hard for me to advocate for myself verbally in these moments, I was thinking maybe I should text him beforehand with guidelines about what I will and will not be comfortable doing when he comes over. Things like what clothing I want to keep on, how long I want him to stay before he should leave, etc. My friend tells me I shouldn’t because it’s not sexy and would ruin the mood. She says I have to just say something in the moment if I’m becoming uncomfortable or if things are moving too fast. But I’m not confident I’ll be able to.
What do you think? Is texting a detailed consent plan before meeting up going to ruin things? Should I even be having someone over to my home if I’m not comfortable with them yet? Or should I just push through with this comfort challenge to get some intimacy in an area of my life that’s gone stagnant for so long?
Slow Mover Somewhat Nervous
This guy — a guy who’s already gotten grabby with you in ways that made you uncomfortable — is either incapable of correctly interpreting your nonverbal cues,
SMSN, or he understood your nonverbal cues perfectly and ignored them because he didn’t care how uncomfortable he was
making you. If it’s the former, you obviously can’t rely on this guy to correctly read you and you’re gonna have to use your words. If it’s the latter, you don’t wanna have him over to your place at all. To find out which it is, SMSN, send him that text message. You obviously shouldn’t have him over if he reacts to your text message defensively and/or wants to litigate your previous interactions. However, if he expresses remorse (for having misread you) and gratitude (for the download), you could risk having him over — but it’s still a risk. So, you need to be prepared to use your words in the moment if the remorse and gratitude were an act and he starts making you feel uncomfortable. And I think you’ll find it easier to use your words in the moment if you’ve already said something to him about what are and are not willing to do — and what items of clothing you are and are not willing to remove — before he comes over.
As for your friend, SMSN, fuck your friend. Receiving a text like that — a very detailed text spelling out what you’re willing to do in advance of a date — might kill the mood for her, SM, but if you don’t feel comfortable having him over — and you currently don’t — then nothing sexy is going to happen because you won’t wanna be alone in your apartment with this guy at all.
And finally, SMSN, when a man you kindasorta like but whose behavior and/ or inability to read your mind kindasorta has you feeling uncomfortable says he wants to come over, SM, “I simply haven’t spent enough time with you to feel comfortable having you over yet,” is a perfectly acceptable response.
I’m a mid-30s bi lady. I have been dating a wonderful man for the past seven months. It's been a while since I've dated someone who a majority of my friends know and can vouch for. (Yay!) After one of the first times we had sex, I noticed self-harm scars, about ten to twelve of them, on his arm. They seem to be quite old and can only be seen in direct sunlight. I want to ask him about them, but I also want to respect his privacy. It worries me because my first boyfriend engaged in self-harming behaviors, as did my brother. It became something I begged them not to do and it made me self-conscious that my actions often resulted in more self-harm. It took a lot out of me. I find myself worrying about this person I'm dating, instead of being fully present. I have been trying to ignore it and that doesn't feel great either.
Somewhat Concerned About Relationship Situation
We all come to relationships with scars — physical and emotional — and we each get to decide when we wanna open up to a new partner about our scars. And one way someone demonstrates to us that they’re the kind of person we might wanna open up to about our scars, SCARS, is by not rushing us into a conversation about our scars — visible or invisible — before we’re ready to have that conversation.
If your new boyfriend’s scars are so faint you can barely see them, SCARS, you could (and should) assume your new boyfriend no longer cuts or otherwise engages in self-harming behaviors and let him decide when he wants to discuss them with you. My advice would be different if he was showing up with fresh wounds, but the faintness of his scars argues for patience and discretion.
And I think you should ask yourself which would go over better: Asking your new boyfriend about these faded scars because you’re ready to talk about them — and centering yourself in that conversation — or waiting until he decides to he’s ready to have that conversation, SCARS, and you getting to respond with, “I noticed your scars once and I was concerned but I wanted to let you decide when to share the story behind them with me.” (Spoiler: option two will go over far better than option one.)
Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love!
Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/ askdan!
Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love
"retro | metro checks in metrolandwithstaffers of yore" by Erin Harkes
Peter Iselin founded Metroland in 1978. I was truly flattered and honored to be given his blessing to resurrect it a few months back. He seemed like the fitting first guest for our series called “Metro/Retro”, where we meet with and talk to as many former Metroland staffers as possible as a way to honor the original, hear some cool stories from back in the day, and see where they are and what they’re up to now! This interview even mentions Metroland’s most FAMOUS alum, Jimmy Fallon. What follows are highlights from our recent conversation on my Mistress of None podcast. To hear the full interview, listen to “The Mistress of None” wherever you stream podcasts!
Erin Harkes: Peter, how are you?
Peter Iselin: I’m great, Erin. Thank you for having me today.
[EH]: So you are the founder of….
[PI]: I am the founder of Metroland. First issue was June, 1978.
[EH]: How did you get your start in media?
[PI]: My start in media came semi-accidentally. I studied music, and that’s still my training. But in 1978, I decided that this area needed some sort of arts and entertainment magazine. This was the disco era. The original Metroland was a monthly.
And it was very… to call it journalism would be a major stretch. We went around and took pictures of people in bars and restaurants and people dancing and freaking out and all this stuff. There was no integrity. It was total fluff, but people went crazy over it.
I wanted to try and be some sort of big shot here, you know. Troy is my hometown. I thought, wow, if I put together a magazine like this, the girls are gonna want to be in it.
[EH]: So you did it for chicks?
[PI]: I did it for chicks. I mean, it’s why a lot of us go into music too. But, yeah, the 24 year old me, that’s why I did it. I had no training in journalism. I had no training in marketing. I learned everything as I went along. And unfortunately, or fortunately, the whole disco era thing kind of petered out. It was ironic because I was a live musician, and here I was promoting something that was killing
live musicians. So by 1980, we took it to a weekly newspaper format, and then we expanded into covering arts and theater and live concerts; it became a real arts guide.
The big change came in 1987. I went to a conference in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. This was a meeting of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, including people like the Village Voice and the LA Weekly. I wanted
Metroland to be accepted into the organization, but they looked at it and [laughed]. ‘There’s no journalism. You’re a little fluffy arts guide.’ I came back from that conference determined to make this into a real newspaper with real journalism. We kicked it off in September of that year. I had a gentleman doing a column for me prior to that, whose name was Stephen Leon, and I knew
that he actually had a Master’s in journalism. I appointed him as Managing Editor, and we immediately launched into all kinds of political coverage, very left wing, as most alternative papers were. That’s how it really became what I would call a legitimate journalistic enterprise. In ‘95, it had been 17 years, and I was really tired of the weekly deadlines and the grind and just running a business period, so I sold it. Stephen Leon and a group of investors took over, and he then ran it for another 20 years. It was really even better as a newspaper after I left.
[EH]: You’ve had some pretty interesting brushes with fame too.
[PI]: Yeah. I am fortunate enough to count among my closest friends, Jimmy Fallon. And Jimmy goes back to the Metroland days. A year before my departure, as if we didn’t have enough problems, these kids working for me wanted to do a sketch comedy show. A guy by the name of Donald Metzner, who owned a big car dealership, sponsored the affair and bought time on the Fox station, and we put together a half hour show. It was pretty bad. You gotta understand, everybody was amateur. We cast people from the community, and one of them was like this, not even 19-year-old kid who was going to St. Rose, Jimmy Fallon. He’s a good looking kid, and he wrote a couple of sketches. They were funny. He obviously had some talent. And unbeknownst to me, he was also doing a lot of stand up.
He ended up asking me for a job at Metroland, which I gave him. And he worked as a receptionist and brought me my mail. The following year, he’s still working there, and I had sold the business. I
Photo credit: Michael Gallitelli
was saying goodbye to everybody and getting ready to move to California, and he comes up to me kind of shyly with a VHS tape and says, “hey, this is the tape of my stand up act. Maybe you could play it for people.” I took it and forgot about it. In November, I’m at my desk at my new job kind of organizing things, and there’s the VHS tape from Jimmy Fallon. I felt, man, I promised the kid I would do this. I’ve got to play it for these people. I’ve been here long enough that they’ll trust me. So, on a Friday afternoon, I called other people in this management company into the conference room, and we put the tape in. I’m telling you, within 90 seconds, these people were jumping up and down, screaming at me. “Who is this kid? We need to sign him immediately. Get him out here.” They had this incredible reaction, and so did I because I had never seen him do the stand up.
[EH]: You had never even watched the tape yourself?
[PI]: I never watched.
[EH]: That’s hilarious.
[PI]: So I called him and said, “hey, dude, I finally played your tape. Sorry it took so long. But guess what? Everybody loves it. And they want to sign you, and they want you to move
out here. They want to send you out on pilot season for television, which is in January.” In January of ‘96, I picked him up at the airport. He had a guitar and a trunk. That’s it. We ended up renting a townhouse and we lived together as roommates for two and a half years.
[EH]: Wow.
[PI]: Those two and a half years were some of the funniest. When I look back on it now, it was just a blast. And when I’m with him, even to this day, I’m hilarious. The minute he leaves the room, I have no comedy chops at all.
[EH]: Well, then I really need to be in the same room with you two.
[PI]: Yeah, it’s infectious. And he’ll laugh at you. He’ll give you the reaction. I mean, he’s really the farthest thing from, like, stuck up or narcissistic or conceited or any of that. He’s a rare, famous, talented entertainer who’s not like that. He’s got a big heart. He’s just a really great guy.
[EH]: I’m really glad that I finally got to hear that whole story. We never really delved into it. I knew that you had a history with him, and I knew that his history involved Metroland. Which, you know I will do it justice.
[PI]: Oh, I have no doubt. I’m not worried about that.
[EH]: I’ve gotten some very kind words from a lot of people that are excited to see it come back, and I’m excited to bring it back.
[PI]: I think there’s a real need.
[EH]: I think so, too. There’s definitely a vacuum. And the best thing is that, the more people that I talk to, the more I hear people say, “a lot of people have talked about doing this for years, but you’re the only one that I believe is actually gonna do it.”
[PI]: You’re the only one that has the energy that it takes. I can’t tell you how many people will come up to me and say, “we really miss Metroland. There’s nowhere now we feel we can turn and really get a comprehensive listing.” People are trying in print and otherwise. And everybody does pretty good work, but nobody is really giving you the whole story because it takes resources. You almost have to have a full time person that’s just gathering information. You would think, well, everybody wants free publicity. They’re just gonna email me stuff anyway. But no, they don’t. You have to actually pursue them for the sake of your readers. And that’s what people don’t get.
[EH]: And when you work with anybody who is in the arts or anybody who’s creative, it’s like wrangling monkeys. I mean, there’s a lot of ego, a lot of personality, and everybody has a different language, so to speak. So I’m discovering that, too. But I have a lot of really great people working with me and making sure that we can put out the most comprehensive calendar and hopefully show our worth.
[PI]: Yeah. Well, I mean, I think that you’re singularly well positioned in this market, given everything that you do already… to take this on, I don’t think there’s anybody better for it.
[EH]: So I think we have to end there because I might cry a little bit. That means a lot to me.
[PI]: I mean it.
Photo credit: Joe Montarello
| art murmur
Visual art extends into every aspect of life for world-renowned artist T.E. Breitenbach. Not only has he made a name for himself and a career to inspire artists now and well into the future, Breitenbach’s work and creative journey is truly remarkable.
Notably, said journey began when he attended the University of Notre Dame (‘69-‘72) and, in only his second year, collaborated with and created a triptych painting for the late Jim Morrison of the Doors.
Breitenbach did not slow down, though – in fact, that was just the beginning. He completed his wellknown Proverbidioms painting in 1975 – and the next year he began construction of his castle… Yes, you read that correctly. Breitenbach built his own castle. The structure doubles as both his home and studio in Altamont, NY with most of the stones (some as long as 12 feet) sourced from a nearby creek, and trees handcut in a surrounding forest. He even salvaged a neighbor’s collapsing carriage barn for its beams and siding.
creative boundaries even further, writing books and producing a musical he wrote titled Hieronymus, A Musical Fantasy, about medieval artist Hieronymus Bosch, who inspired Breitenbach’s early work. Interestingly, Breitenbach refers
by Tony Iadicicco
when he falls in love with a girl from the real world, he … well …you can watch it on PBS and find out! Visit OurMusical.com for links, trailers, and a documentary.
I happen to feel somewhat similarly
impressive career, and as of this past June he yet again added to his roster of accomplishments — he has now established an official 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization for Castle Breitenbach to become a full-fledged museum. This effort
Fast forward nearly 50 years and countless paintings and projects later, Breitenbach pushed his
to Bosch as, "An artist with a 'toolarge' imagination," referring to the musical’s storyline, where he is so deeply immersed in the worlds he creates, the creatures he invents are alive and reside in his house. So
about Breitenbach: while his imagination is not too large, it is uniquely vast, and only seems to become bigger and better with time. He has had a long and wildly
to share his space and his art with the community has been a lifelong goal. He feels very blessed, he says, in his career and now wants to give back.
Photo credit: Tony Iadicicco
According to the organization’s website, CastleBreitenbach.org, “The museum will be dedicated to preserving and presenting the artistic legacy of T. E. Breitenbach”. It will showcase exhibits, offer tours of the hand-built castle and studio, and create a 50-acre preserve where visitors are invited to explore
the grounds with its artistic stone walls, gardens, woodland trails, and a 40' waterfall. The museum will also host an array of events, workshops, music events, films, school tours, and rotating art shows of other artists.
As Breitenbach and his wife still occupy the castle, the museum
will be accomplished in stages, beginning with the official opening of a new sculpture park, in the summer of 2025. The park is under construction and already has work by renowned sculptor Arline Shulman (four pieces), Donald Gialanella, Mary Pat Wager, Micheal Meli, Steven Rolf Kroeger, Hope Konecny, Jack Harlow, Louis N. Domanico, Thom Breitenbach, Debra Barnes Breitenbach, Travis Breitenbach, and more.
Learn more about upcoming workshops, events, and studio tours by visiting TEBreitenbach. com or Castlebreitenbach.org. This is a unique way to immerse yourself in a world of creativity and picturesque nature. And, in my opinion, a day at Castle Breitenbach is an opportunity to fully experience the true meaning of “imagination.”
BY YNOT
tebreitenbach.com/futuremuseum
https://tebreitenbach.com/
Have a story to share, email YNOT@themetroland.com
Photo credit: Tony Iadicicco
Photo credit: Tony Iadicicco
Photo credit: Tony Iadicicco
| theater
Cohoes Music Hall will be the site for a huge Cast Party on 10/27 (6 PM) presented by Playhouse Stage Company to raise funds for the inaugural Capital Region Festival of Theatre.
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. There will also be a massive cast party photo of all guests taken by Willie David Short V. The party is sponsored by Josh Cellars, Joseph Carr Napa Valley.
The Capital Region Festival of Theatre, Inc. was founded with overwhelming support this past summer after two very well attended general interest meetings. President Patrick White says “I’ve thought there should be a theatre festival in the area for decades. There are over 100 theatre producing companies in the Capital Region, the month of October has well over 50 theatrical offerings, but you could be forgiven for not knowing it. Theatre participants in the community are discovering and creating new theatre every weekend!”
“The CAST PARTY to benefit CRFT” presented by Playhouse Stage Company will serve as a launch for the Festival which has plans for June, 2025; a four day, region wide exhibition with dozens of events culminating with the community gathering at UAlbany’s Campus Center for a full day of performances, classes, roundtables, demonstrations and all things dramatic.
Entertainment at the 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.
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.”
Lineup of performers (so far!): Kelly Blitz, Shayne Cameris, Judi Clements, Ellen Cribbs, The Cue Theatre, Keith Dubois, Suzie Dunn, Claire Flynn, Jake Goodman, Steve Grogan, Taylor Hoffman,
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.
Those unable to attend can donate at www. crft.betterworld.org
$35 tickets available at cohoesmusichall.org
Jon Maltz, Maria Mucaria, Jeff Stubits, Luca Verner & Will Kempe’s Players.
| night & day
|art
Albany Center Gallery’ All Hallow E’en Art Path
Albany Center Gallery
10/1/24-11/1/24
free
Familiars
The Arts Center of the Capital Region
10/21/24-11/27/24
free
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF ART!
The Arts Center of the Capital Region
10/25/24-10/31/24
$15 - $20
ORT Project presents Dark Lux J. Gernon Frame & Art
10/25/24
free
Prove your humanity by notpaulsimon Collar Works
10/25/24
free
It’s Only the River
Two Selves Gallery
10/27/24
free
OPEN SEW
Collar Works x ChaShaMa 10/27/24
free
James Casebere and Danny Goodwin – In Conversation
University Art Museum
10/29/24
free
Liberty Street Studio Open House
Liberty Street Studio
11/1/24 free
Nell Stokes: Stories of an Education Advocate
Albany Institute of History & Art
11/1/24
free
Pop-up ProjectART
Albany Center Gallery
11/1/24
free
David Hinchen / First Presbyterian Church of Albany
11/1/24
free
Listen and Learn: The Neighborhood That Disappeared
Bethlehem Public Library
11/1/24 free
Troy Glow 2024
The Arts Center of the Capital Region and Troy Public Art
11/1/24-11/11/24
free
BUILT: First Peek Artist Award Ceremony
Holiday Shop
Historic Albany Foundation 11/1/24-11/3/24
Some events free/tickets
Pantheon- A Solo Exhibition by Artist In Residence, Aly Parrott
Arlene’s Artist Materials, Inc.
11/1/24-11/31/24 free
The Voracious Eye Opalka Gallery
11/1/24-12/7/24 free
Holiday Salon
The Blooming Artist Gallery 11/8/24 free
|theater
11/1-11/2
Albany High Theater Ensemble Villain Cabaret Prop Drive
10/26-11/3
Ancram Center For The Arts Centuries
10/30
Bennington Theatre Whispering Bones
10/17-10/27
Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY @ theREP Berta, Berta
11/14-11/24
Bridge Street Theatre Discord
10/25-10/27
Bridge Street Theatre Peter Samelson: Magic, Love, Mystery!
11/14-11/17
Broadway Upstate Legally Blonde
11/15-11/24
BTTUNY @ Hubbard Hall Center for Arts & Education Valley Song
11/8-11/17
Bunbury Players @ The Edison Club The Mousetrap 11/3
Caffe Lena Playwrights Jam 11/22-12/22
Capital Reperatory Theatre A Sherlock Carol
10/11-10/27
Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck Bat Boy: The Musical
11/13-11/24
Circle Theatre Players Comic Potential
10/27
Cohoes Music Hall CAST Party to Benefit CRFT
11/8-11/17
Colonial Little Theatre Sussical Jr
11/15-11/23
Creative Action Unlimited Psalm 91
10/24-11/10
Curtain Call Theatre Gaslight
10/25-10/27
Debuts Theatre Company The Addams Family
11/8-11/16
Fallen Chandelier Productions Six: The Musical Teen Edition 11/8-11/10
Fort Salem Theatre Our Town
11/23-11/24
Galway Players The Lion King Jr
11/8-11/10
Glens Falls Community Theatre 9 to 5: The Musical
11/7-11/16
Harbinger @ Albany Barn Into the Breeches!
10/26
Hilton Garden Inn The Dinner Detective
10/26
Hubbard Hall Center for Arts & Education Whispering Bones
10/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16, 11/23, 11/30 MOPCO Theater on Jay Street Spontaneous Broadway
10/18-10/27
Not So Common Players @ The Edison Club The Musical of Musicals
12/3-12/8
Proctors Theatre MJ
12/14-12/16
Proctors Theatre
Northeast Ballet’s Annual The Nutcracker 10/31
Proctors Theatre Whispering Bones
10/18-10/27
R’ville Stage Creations Little Shop of Horrors
11/15-11/24
Schenectady Civic Players Moon for the Misbegotten
11/8-11/17
Schenectady Light Opera Company Mean Girls
11/1-11/3
Schuylerville Community Theatre Play On!
11/14-11/23
Siena Creative Arts Guys & Dolls
11/22-12/7
Skidmore College Theatre
Black Super Hero Magic Mama
11/8-11/17
Steamer No 10 Theatre
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling B
11/2-11/23
The Addy Theatre at Proctors Fool Me Once
10/25-11/3
Theatre Intitute at Sage Teens Into the Woods
10/23-10/27
UAlbany Theatre Machinal
11/20-11/24
UAlbany Theatre
Mary Shelley Meets Frankenstein
10/30-11/3
Union College Theatre
7 Plays / 7 Days
|music
677 Prime
Tyler Giroux 10/25, 6:00 PM
Franklin Micare 10/26, 6:00 PM
Chris Dollard 10/30, 6:00 PM
Allied Brewing
Mike McMann 10/25, 6:00 PM
Deadbeats (Veterans Day Celebration) 11/10, 2:00 PM
Artisanal Brew Works
Whinin’ Boys 10/25, 6:30 PM
Cosby Gibson & Tom Staudle Duo 10/26, 5:00 PM
Sunday Funday- Live Music 10/27, 3:00 PM
| night & day
|music (cont'd)
Backstreet BBQ
A Halloween Massacre with Lock 9, Seize Atlantis, & Terrallite 11/2, 7:00 PM
Dr. Dirty John Valby 11/30, 8:00 PM
Bound by Fate
ShortWave RadioBand: Halloween Hangover 11/1, 7:00 PM
Brook Tavern
Jeff Walton 10/29, 5:30 PM
Bunker (North Greenbush)
Trevor Wheelock Duo 10/26, 7:00 PM
Bunker (Saratoga)
Dave Brennam 10/25, 7:00 PM
Travis Rockenstire 10/26, 7:00 PM
Caffè Lena
Reese Fulmer & The Carriage House Band Album Relese 10/25, 8:00 PM
Professor Louie & The Crowmatix 10/26, 8:00 PM
The Lovestruck Balladeers 10/27, 7:00 PM
Anatomy of Exile 10/29, 7:00 PM
Lena Go Round- Songwriter Showcase with Erin Harkes 10/30, 7:30 PM
Deadgrass 10/31, 7:00 PM
Bright Series: Maya de Vitry 11/1, 8:00 PM
Misty Blues: I’m Too Old For Games - Album Release & Live Tribute to Odetta 11/2, 8:00 PM
Christopher Paul Stelling 11/3, 7:00 PM
Michael McDermott 11/7, 7:00 PM
Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys 11/8, 8:00 PM
Still Rockin’ in the Free World: A Tribute to Neil Young 11/9, 8:00 PM
Ryanhood 11/10, 7:00 PM
Jazz at Caffé Lena: Chuck Lamb Trio Featuring Stanley Jordan 11/12, 7:00 PM
Skidmore Jazz Students 11/13, 7:00 PM
Christine Lenée with opener Ryan David Green 11/14, 7:00 PM
Dana Cooper - Album Release 11/15, 8:00 PM
TrueSongs 2024: Lyrics of Life at the Spa Little Theater 11/16, 7:00 PM
The Beathes Caffé 11/17, 3:00 PM
Lucy Kaplansky 11/22, 8:00 PM
Darlingside 11/23, 2:00 PM
Annie & The Hedonists 11/23, 7:00 PM
Momentum Series: Jazzmeia Horn 11/24, 4:00 PM
Momentum Series: Jazzmeia Horn 11/24, 7:00 PM
Jonathan Greene aand The Grand Boubousse 11/26, 7:00 PM
Frank Solivan and Jillian Lea 11/29, 8:00 PM
Arlen Roth Band 11/30, 8:00 PM
Charles Wood Theater Halloween Broadway Bash 10/25, 7:30 PM
Bennie and the Jets: A Tribue to Elton John 10/26, 7:30 PM
Smokus Pocus: A 420 Magic Show 11/1, 8:00 PM
9 to 5 the Musical 11/7, 7:30 PM
9 to 5 the Musical 11/8, 7:30 PM
9 to 5 the Musical 11/9, 2:00 PM
9 to 5 the Musical 11/9, 7:00 PM
Legally Blonde the Musical 11/14, 7:00 PM
Legally Blonde the Musical 11/15, 7:00 PM
Legally Blonde the Musical 11/16, 7:00 PM
Legally Blonde the Musical 11/17, 2:00 PM
Warren Miller’s 75: A New Chapter 11/23, 4:00 PM
Billy Gilman: Christmas & Hits 12/1, 3:00 PM
Anthony Nunziata’s My Italian Christmas 12/8, 3:00 PM
A ‘Classic’ Christmas with Lee & Friends 12/22, 3:00 PM
Cohoes Music Hall
Kitchen Dwellers with Sicard Hollow 10/25, 8:00 PM
Halloween’s Metal Maddness 10/26, 7:30 PM
Back to the Garden 1969: The Woodstock Experience 11/1, 7:30 PM
David Shine: Empty-Headed 11/2, 8:00 PM
TayTay Dance Party & Laser Light Show featuring DJ SWIFTIE 11/3, 5:00 PM
Cris Jacobs w/ special guest Daniel Rodriguez from Elephant Revival 11/7, 8:00 PM
Howie Day - 20th Anniversary of “Stop All The World Now” 11/8, 7:30 PM
The Brokenhearted: Tom Petty Tribute 11/9, 7:30 PM
Puppy Pals Live! 11/10, 2:00 PM
Desperados - A Tribute to The Eagles 11/16, 7:30 PM
Mike Mazurki: A Life In Films 11/17, 2:00 PM
An Evening with Patty Larkin 11/21, 7:30 PM
London Assurance & A Toast to the Hall 11/23, 2:00 PM
Get Zep performing Song Remains the Same 11/23, 8:00 PM
Diamond Club at Embassy Suites
Steve Candlen 10/25, 6:30 PM
Chris Dollard 10/26, 6:30 PM
Pat Decker 10/31, 6:30 PM
El Dorado
Man Must Explore, Alliteration, Yort 11/1, 8:00 PM
Wet Specimens Release Show, feat. Cartridge, Dimension and Bloodx3 11/22, 7:00 PM
Empire Live Carnifex w/ Cryptopsy, Mental Cruelty, Organectomy, Heavy//Hitter 10/26, 6:30 PM
Punk Rock Flea Market 10/27, 11:00 AM
Set It Off: The Deathless Tour Part 2 10/29, 6:30 PM
Overkill 11/1, 8:00 PM
GWAR 11/2, 8:00 PM
Metal & Music Mixer 11/3, 1:00 PM
The HU with Special Guest The Funeral Portrait 11/4, 8:00 PM
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong 11/8, 8:00 PM
Pop Evil/Bad Wolves: The Animals Instinct Tour 11/9, 7:00 PM
Vertical Horizon: Everything You Want 25th Anniversary Tour 11/10, 8:00 PM
The Emo Night Tour, 18+ w/ ID ONLY. No Exceptions 11/15, 8:00 PM
Exodus and Havok with special guest Candy and Dead Heat 11/17, 8:00 PM
Empire Underground Eighteen Visions 10/25, 6:30 PM
The Last Ten Seconds Of Life & Cell 10/29, 6:30 PM
The Charlie Parti 11/1, 9:00 PM
The Phoenix and The Raven 11/2, 6:30 PM
Dexter and The Moonrocks 11/8, 7:30 PM
Spread Eagle 11/9, 6:30 PM
Ekoh - Drag Me From Hell Tour 11/22, 8:00 PM
Thanksgiving Metal Throwdown Food Drive 11/23, 7:00 PM
DeeJay Element presents An Underground Thanksgiving 11/27, 8:00 PM
He$h: Anarchy Tour 11/29, 8:00 PM
Holiday Rhymes 11/30, 7:30 PM
Frog Alley Brewing Micro All-Star Mania: Midget Wrestling! 11/24, 8:00 PM
| night & day
|music (cont'd)
Inn at Saratoga Seth Warden 10/25, 6:00 PM
Sherian Nolan & Peter von Allmen 10/26, 6:00 PM
Rick Bolton & Maggie Doherty 10/30, 6:00 PM
Shine On 10/31, 6:00 PM
Lark Hall
Halloween with Fungkshui & the TV Doctors 10/31, 8:00 PM
Day of the Deadbeats: Celebrating 30 years of Playing Dead in Albany, NY 11/1, 8:00 PM
Nectar’s Presents Reprise: A Phish Experience
11/2, 8:00 PM
LaMP ( Russ Lawton, Scott Metzger, Ray Paczkowski) 11/9, 8:00 PM
Odie Leigh: Carrier Pigeon Tour 11/15, 8:00 PM
Guthrie Bell Productions Presents Fireside Collective 11/16, 8:00 PM
Talib Kweli with special guests Skyzoo & Landon Wordswell 11/23, 8:00 PM
Lark Hall Presents The 4th Annual Last Waltz on Lark Street 11/27, 8:00 PM
Lark Tavern
The Lark Street Tavern Funk Jam 10/28, 5:00 PM
Brad Monkell Trio 10/29, 7:00 PM
Acoustic Open Mic Night 10/30, 7:00 PM
Open Mic Comedy Night 10/31, 7:00 PM
MainStage at Proctors Omnium Circus 11/1, 6:30 PM
GNA Secret Star 11/6, 7:00 PM
Theresa Caputo Live! The Experience 11/12, 7:30 PM
Life is a Carnival: Last Waltz Tour 24 11/14, 7:30 PM
World Ballet Company: Swan Lake 11/20, 7:00 PM
Misfit
DJ Vision 10/25, 8:00 PM
DJ Mo Haskins 10/26, 8:00 PM
Luke Pavlus
10/31, 8:00 PM
MVP Arena
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents The Greatest Show On Earth 11/8, 7:00 PM
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents The Greatest Show On Earth 11/9, 8:00 PM
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents The Greatest Show On Earth 11/10, 9:00 PM
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents The Greatest Show On Earth 11/11, 10:00 PM
MercyMe / TobyMac Tour 11/15, 7:00 PM
Ladies Love R&B 11/29, 8:00 PM
No Fun
Byrdhouse 6th Anniversary: Mint Green / Apple Pie / Senior Living / AILA 10/25, 7:00 PM
Mario Kart: All Jazzed Up Night | Halloween Style 10/30, 7:00 PM
Bimboween - DJ Dental Work / DJ 2nd Ch!ld / P!nk P!xl / DJ De(s)troit 10/31, 7:00 PM
Guerilla Toss / Abyssmals / 100 Psychic Dreams 11/1, 7:00 PM
Monster Party w/ Blood Office (Suicide) / Mystery Girl (The Misfits) / Grief Group (GWAR) / Sun Natives (Dead Kennedys) / Bunny (Black Dice) 11/2, 7:00 PM
JB!! aka Dirty Moses / Mic Lanny / Shiloh the Messenger / Mundy / Capital City Crook$ 11/7, 7:00 PM
Escape from the Zoo / Hans Gruber and the Die Hards / Blast Craze / Zombie Giuliani 11/8, 7:00 PM
Sex Mex / Flavour / Bloodx3 / The Plisskens 11/9, 7:00 PM
Glare / Zeruel / Leaving Time 11/10, 7:00 PM
Hello Shark / Keta Ester / Kitchen / Nada y Nada 11/15, 7:00 PM
Pinky Lemon / Stroma / Grey Monitor / Watercoat 11/16, 7:00 PM
Razor Braids 11/21, 7:00 PM
Hellseeker Goth Night 11/22, 7:00 PM
Gozer / Mama Doom / Shortwave Radioband 11/23, 7:00 PM
Soul Blind / Godskin Peeler / Prize / Enemies At All Times / Evil Mind 11/29, 7:00 PM
Tentacles / Death Island / Tyranize / Morticide 11/30, 7:00 PM
Ophelia’s
Big Shrimp: Halloween Extravaganza 10/31, 8:00 PM
bob. An Interpretation Of Dylan 11/7, 7:00 PM
Big Shrimp with Lunar Ticks 11/14, 8:00 PM
The Ky McClinton Band w/s/g MJT 11/15, 8:00 PM
Marty O Reilly with Sam Luke 11/16, 8:00 PM
Mikaela Davis w/s/g John Lee Shannon 11/19, 7:00 PM
Hayley Jane Band 12/21, 8:00 PM
Panza’s Restaurant Radio Gold - Straight Lounge 10/25, 7:00 PM
Wayne Hawkins - Piano Lounge 10/26, 7:00 PM
Sinatra & Friends Sundays Starlight Lounge 10/27, 5:30 PM
Artie Moziek - Piano Bar 10/28, 6:00 PM
Artie Moziek - Piano Bar 10/30, 6:00 PM
Michael Panza & Brian Halliday 10/31, 6:00 PM
Parting Glass Hair of the Dog 11/9, 7:00 PM
Bywater Call 11/22, 6:30 PM
Get Up Jack 11/30, 7:00 PM
Prime at Saratoga National Rich Ortiz 10/31, 6:00 PM
Proctors Disney Jr Live on Tour: Let’s Play! 10/26, 12 PM & 4 PM
Putnam Place
The BrokenHearted (Tom Perrt Tribute) w/ Tom’s House 10/25, 7:30 PM
King Bully, Selecta Buzz, Sly Fox 10/26, 11:00 PM
Family Tree 10/28, 7:00 PM
Enter the Haggis 11/2, 8:00 PM
The Mallett Brothers Band w/ Cosmic Turtle 11/8, 8:00 PM
Gratefully Yours 11/9, 9:00 PM
Tropidelic w/ Kash’d Out, The Quasi Kings 11/14, 8:00 PM
Rob Beaulieu Band Performs Layla 11/16, 9:00 PM
Grateful for Biggie 11/21, 8:00 PM
Saratoga Winery
Stephen Thirolle Trio 10/25, 6:00 PM
Hallowine - DJ Anthony B 10/26, 7:00 PM
SingleCut North Twilight Drive 11/9, 6:00 PM
Little Jack 11/16, 6:00 PM
Six Mile Sundown 11/30, 6:00 PM
Spa Little Theater Beethoven with the Calidore Quartet 10/26, 3:00 PM
A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham 11/9, 7:00 PM
A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham 11/10, 2:00 PM
Dorado Schmitt and Sons: Django Festival All Stars 11/22, 7:00 PM
Dorado Schmitt and Sons: Django Festival
All Stars with Special Guest Hot Club Saratoga 11/24, 7:00 PM
Stella Pasta Bar & Bistro
Chad McLoughlin Trio 10/26, 6:00 PM
Matt Steckler Trio 11/2, 5:30 PM
Brian Patneaude Trio 11/9, 6:00 PM
Tarik Shah Trio 11/16, 6:00 PM
|music (cont'd)
Stella Pasta Bar & Bistro (cont'd)
Angelo Delaney Quartet 11/30, 6:00 PM
The Art D’Echo Trio 12/7, 6:00 PM
Jeanine Ouderkirk Trio 12/14, 6:00 PM
Chad McLoughlin Trio 12/21, 6:00 PM
Jenny Marie 12/28, 6:00 PM
Bohdan Kinal Quartet 1/4, 6:00 PM
Sonny & Perley Trio 1/11, 6:00 PM
Sweet Side Records
Halloween Shindig with Dead Street Dreamers, Unintelligents, Death Cult Pharmaceutical, & Dougie Danger 10/31, 8:00 PM
The Adirondack Vinyl Slam 11/5, 10:00 AM
The Cock ‘n Bull
Keith Pray Trio 10/25, 6:00 PM
Jacob Jolliff Band 11/3, 6:30 PM
Drank the Gold 11/8, 6:00 PM
Jim Gaudet & The Railroad Boys 11/20, 7:00 PM
Keith Pray Trio 11/29, 6:00 PM
The Egg
The Hot Mess Show with Diary of a Wimpy Kid Author Jeff Kinney 10/25, 6:00 PM
The Weight Band 10/25, 8:00 PM
Warren Miller’s 75: A New Chapter 10/26, 7:30 PM
The Egg Presents: Craig Ferguson: Pants on Fire 10/27, 7:30 PM
An Evening With Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October – “Open Book” 11/2, 8:00 PM
Curvention Presents: The Election 11/2, 8:00 PM
Drew Lynch 11/3, 8:00 PM
The Egg Presents: Cold Case Live 11/6, 7:30 PM
The Egg Presents: David Cross - The End of The Beginning of The End 11/9, 8:00 PM
Glenn Miller Orchestra 11/12, 7:00 PM
Haley Heyenderickx w/ Kalia Vandever 11/13, 8:00 PM
The Chicago Experience: Featuring Chicago Transit 11/15, 7:30 PM
St. Catherine’s Center for Children Presents: Elvis: Good Rockin’ Tonight 11/16, 7:00 PM
The Egg Presents: Bill Frisell Trio featuring Luke Bergman & Rudy Royston 11/16, 8:00 PM
Nick Swardson: Toilet Head 11/17, 7:00 PM
The Egg Presents: Family Circle #3 with Veena and Devesh Chandra 11/17, 2:00 PM
The Egg Presents: Abdullah Ibrahim Trio / Sandhi Trio 11/17, 7:30 PM
Brain Regan 11/23, 8:00 PM
Brian Regan (EARLY SHOW) 11/23, 5:30 PM
The Egg & BenDeLaCreme Present: The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show 11/29, 8:00 PM
The Eleven at Lark Hall Monkey & the Crowbar 11/1, 6:00 PM
REPRISE Afterparty with SM INK 11/2, 11:00 PM
Hold on Honeys: Residency 11/7, 7:00 PM
LaMP Afterparty with Tad Cautious Outer Space Funk & Soul 11/9, 11:00 PM
Jerry Garcia Brunch with Stella Rose Trio 11/10, 12:00 PM
The Eugene Tyler Band 11/16, 7:00 PM
Two Planets Away 11/22, 7:30 PM
Happy Hour with JB aka Dirty Moses (Talib Kweli Preshow) 11/23, 6:00 PM
The Hangar on the Hudson Wreckless Eric | Motorbike | Sun Natives 10/26, 8:00 PM
Super 400 “Live, from Troy NY” Record Release Party 11/2, 8:00 PM
Rodeo Barons | Angelina Valente 11/8, 8:00 PM
The Jagaloons (LP release) w/ The Sound Minds, The Sci-Flies, and ShortWave RadioBand 11/9, 7:00 PM
The Hollow Bar & Kitchen Side-B, The E-Block, GoLeM Halloween Show 10/31, 7:00 PM
The Linda - WAMC Performing Arts Studio
The Big Takeover 10/26, 8:00 PM
Live & Local at The Linda - Angelina Valente + Ryan Leddick 11/1, 7:30 PM
Sawyer Fredericks & Cassandra Kubinski 11/3, 7:00 PM
The Crossword Show with Zach Sherwin 11/7, 8:00 PM
Seth Rosenbloom 11/8, 8:00 PM
Running on Jackson - The Premier Jackson Brown Tribute Concert 11/9, 8:00 PM
Rochmon Record Club Listening Party: Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” 11/21, 7:00 PM
Caligula Blushed - A Visceral Live Experience for Smiths & Morrissey Fans 11/22, 8:00 PM
The Slambovian Circus of Dreams 11/23, 8:00 PM
The Night Owl Fireside Fridays DJ TOMB & DJ TSWAG 10/25, 9:00 PM
Beetlejuice Horror House w/ DJ Jason Smith (NYC) & DJ Intell Hayesfield 10/26, 8:00 PM
The Palace
An Evening with Jon Stewart 10/25, 7:30 PM
PhanArt At the Palace Theatre 10/26, 12:00 PM
Trick-or-Treat At The Palace! 10/31, 4:00 PM
The Lox 11/1, 8:00 PM
The Lox | 30th Anniversary Tour 11/1, 8:00 PM
Cash For Coats - Palace Sessions Live With The NolaNauts 11/8, 7:00 PM
Jo Koy: Just Being Koy Tour 11/15, 8:00 PM
Jo Koy | Just Being Koy Tour 11/15, 8:00 PM
The Park Theatre
Caleb Caudle & The Sweet Critters 11/8, 8:00 PM
Jazz Night with The GNP Trio 11/21, 7:30 PM
High Noon: A Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Southern Rock 11/22, 8:00 PM
Comedy After Dark: Kevin McCaffrey 11/29, 8:00 PM
The Strand Theatre
Neil Diamond Night with Rich Ortiz! 10/26, 8:00 PM
Monsters of Rock Band Presents The Sunday Scaries! – The Haunted Halloween Headbanger’s Ball 10/27, 3:00 PM
DAVID CROSS BAND Plays King Crimson 1972-1974 11/1, 8:00 PM
Ernie LaRouche Band 11/2, 7:30 PM
Cooper’s Cave Composer’s Consortium 11/3, 3:00 PM
Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre - a Brief History of Tull 11/8, 8:00 PM
Emerson, Lake and Palmer Tribute with Manticore 11/9, 7:30 PM
The Bob Cats - Rock ‘n’ roll salute to Bob Dylan 11/10, 3:00 PM
Strange Magic - A tribute to ELO 11/15, 7:30 PM
Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room 11/16, 8:00 PM
Fortunate Sons - the music of John Fogerty and CCR 11/22, 8:00 PM
Aquanett 11/23, 8:00 PM
The Cosmic American Music Circus w/ The Lazy Suns, The Bluebillies, The Zorbas Trio 11/24, 3:00 PM
E1 PRESENTS: KISSTORY - A Tribute to KISS 11/29, 8:00 PM
4th Annual Strand Thanksgiving Spectacular 11/30, 7:30 PM
Across The Pond - Beatles Tribute 12/6, 7:30 PM
Rock This Town Orchestra 12/21, 7:30 PM
Thirsty Owl
Marty Brown 10/25, 6:00 PM
Eric Kuffs 10/26, 6:00 PM
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
Paula Poundstone 10/25, 7:30 PM
Eddie B 11/2, 8:00 PM
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Maxim Vengerov 11/3, 3:00 PM
Nick Carter 11/6, 7:30 PM
|music (cont'd)
Magic of Motown 11/8, 7:30 PM
EMBARGOED Steve Solomon 11/13, 7:30 PM
An Acoustic Evening with MATISYAHU 11/21, 7:30 PM
Renaissance Quartet 11/23, 4:00 PM
Rocky Mountain High Experience: A John Denver Christmas 11/24, 3:00 PM
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings 11/27, 7:30 PM
Unihog
Spacetrash and Tumblestop 10/26, 8:00 PM
Taco Tuesday with Shannon Roy 10/29, 7:00 PM
Taco Tuesday with Will Pedicone 11/5, 7:00 PM
Taco Tuesday with Peter Anello 11/12, 7:00 PM
The National Reserve 11/16, 8:00 PM
Taco Tuesday with Ian Losz 11/19, 7:00 PM
Tame the Rooster 11/22, 8:00 PM
Taco Tuesday with Belle Skinner 11/26, 7:00 PM
Bellas Bartok 11/30, 8:00 PM
UPH
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 11/2, 11:00 AM
Salsa Night with Alex Torres and His Latin Orchestra 11/2, 7:30 PM
Women Aren’t Funny - Carolyn Plummer 11/6, 7:30 PM
The Bengsons 11/8, 7:30 PM
Saratoga Stomp: Country Line Workshop 11/9, 2:00 PM
LeAnn Rimes 11/10, 7:30 PM
Some Enchanted Evening 11/14, 7:30 PM
Grunge Night with The LedBetters and Superunknown 11/16, 7:30 PM
Van Dyck Music Club
Chad McLaughlin Trio 10/26, 6:00 PM
The Brighton Beat 11/2, 8:30 PM
Thirdsday Nite: Keith Pray’s 3 Bass Hit 11/21, 8:00 PM
Angelina Valente & Friends present: “Holy Jazz, it’s a Funky Folkin’ Christmas Show!” 12/7, 8:00 PM
HEADLINERS: Holiday Edition Drag Show 12/13, 6:00 PM
Van Slycks at Rivers Ten Most Wanted 10/25, 9:00 PM
Grand Central Station 10/26, 9:00 PM
The Rogues 10/30, 2:00 PM
Wizard Burger
CZR Entertainment’s Hard Halloween with Flatwounds, Casket, & Lady Ruby 10/31, 7:00 PM
Wolf Hollow Brewing Company TV Doctors 10/25, 6:00 PM
Narrow North 11/2, 6:00 PM
Castro and the Fidelities 11/8, 6:00 PM
Sahara 4 (Head Sound) 11/16, 6:00 PM
Midnight Choir 11/23, 6:00 PM
Steve Oill 11/30, 6:00 PM
Zankel Music Center at Skidmore SURROUND: Tenzin Choegyal 11/3, 4:00 PM
Flore Laurentienne 11/8, 7:30 PM
Ask: Music, Love and Mysticism in the Ottoman World 11/16, 7:30 PM
SUSTAIN: John Cage: Journeys In Sound 11/17, 2:30 PM
SKIDMANIA ‘74 11/22, 8:00 PM
SKIDMANIA ‘74 11/23, 8:00 PM
Jaye McBride
Dana S Owens
| thank yous
(not to be included in every issue) by Erin Harkes
As I save the best for last, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to my remarkable team, without whom none of this would have been possible. TJ Foster was one of my first calls and has been pretty much every day since February, the poor guy. That level of enthusiasm and optimism would normally drive me nuts. But this drove me to make shit happen. He is magic. I first met Foster and Andy Scullin on the coldest day of the year. Despite the chill, a fire ignited our vague idea of creating something wonderful for our fellow musicians. It took some time to really get started, but no one was willing to give up until we made it happen. When I ebbed, they flowed.
Kiki Vassilakis is not only one of my closest friends but also one of the most exceptionally talented and delightful individuals I’ve had the privilege to know. Involving her in this project was never just an option; it was essential, even though it initially felt nearly impossible. Kiki is our secret weapon, and I am profoundly grateful that she has chosen to carve out time in her life for this endeavor. This had to have her vision; she is the best around. No contest.
The rest of the team we've assembled has been a source of relentless enthusiasm, creativity, and ambition—far exceeding my expectations. Rory Graham, Elissa Ebersold, and James Mullen jumped on board with excitement from the moment we invited them into this adventure. What’s truly remarkable is that we have all volunteered our time, a testament to our shared passion that humbles me deeply.
In the past month, we've welcomed a few more talented individuals to our eclectic crew, but the core group of six will forever hold a special place in this journey. Their unwavering commitment from the very beginning— without hesitation—has made everything possible.
A special thank you to Tom Miller for joining us, and a warm welcome to Natalie St. Denis and Dana Brady!
Dana S Owens
I am also immensely grateful to Erika Baer for stepping in to teach me invaluable skills that I never had the time to learn (and still don’t!). And a huge thank you to Kevin Wisehart for coming through at the 11th hour, finally doing SOMETHING for me after 28 years ;) luv ew hen
Mostly, my husband for being the most patient man on the planet. I’ll never be able to thank you enough but you’ll never make me feel like I owe you. And I do.
Metroland would not exist without these people. Hard stop.
If I forgot anyone, I’m sorry. I haven’t slept since March.
xoeh
Historic Albany Foundation presents
BUILT 2024
November 1at the Albany Arm y Washington Ave
Friday, Nov. 1 • 5:30 - 8:30 PM
Opening Night on First Friday fab art • cash bar
$20 suggested donation
Saturday, Nov. 2 • 6 - 10 PM
The Disco Ball
1974 themed Cocktail Party with groovy art great food • complimentary wine • cash bar
$150 General Admission
$135 HAF Members
$125 Under 35
Ellen Jabbur
Music Sponsor
Cocktail Hour Sponsor
Karen & Chet Opalka
Michael-F. P. Heinel
John McEneny
Ellie Burhans & David Breault
