We spotted the first fearless crocus popping its bright yellow head up through the still-brown lawn on Wednesday. Sadly, we haven’t seen it since…
But there are other signs that spring just might be breaking through before the calendar says it’s official.
Like the grand re-opening of Kurver Kreme, the old stand-by ice cream stand on Central Avenue in Colonie. They’ve been scooping out the good stuff for more than a half-century, and they’re slated to open their windows at 11am today.
Soon we’ll all be complaining that it’s too hot to go outside…
FILM: “Double Indemnity” @ the Palace Theatre, Albany. Got noir? Oh yes, we do. Hey, is that Fred McMurray? Dark and delicious stuff… 7pm. $5; children $3.
MUSIC: Ramblin Jug Stompers @ Tess’ Lark Tavern, Albany. Vintage bluegrass, country blues, ragtime and great gobs of fun from Cousin Clyde, Bowtie, Mister Eck, Wild Bill and an off-the-wall assortment of special guests. 7pm. Free.
MUSIC: “The Box” @ Williams College’s ‘62 Center for Theatre and Dance, Williamstown, Mass. It’s the final concert of the season for The Box, series of concerts by Continuum devoted to living composers. Tonight’s program features the world premiere of “Idolos des Sueño” by Williams faculty member Ileana Perez-Velázquez, as well as works by Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Conlon Nancarrow, Ursula Mamlok, Ana Sokolovic, Roberto Sierra and Benjamin Yusupov. 8pm. Free.
TALK: Manute Bol @ the College of Saint Rose, Albany. UPDATE: Bol’s talk has been cancelled due to illness.
Congratulations to Steven N. who won a pair of tickets to see Sisters in Soul featuring Marcia Ball, Bettye LaVette and Maria Muldaur on Sunday at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.
Be sure to stop back next week for more exciting giveaways!
“Well, my mom really started buying me albums before I really knew to buy albums, so that’s kind of a gray area for me.
I remember that my first albums were classical. But when I was eight or nine years old, I discovered Doug Kershaw and Johnny Cash, and my mom started buying their albums for me.
We both liked those two artists quite a lot.”
Genre-smashing violinist Mark O’Connor teams up with classical guitarist Sharon Isbin in concert at The Egg in Albany at 3pm Sunday.
If you happen to find yourself at home on Sunday, you might want to check out a couple of marvelous music shows that are slated to be broadcast by WMHT-TV:
5pm Sunday: “Independent Lens: Young@Heart”
A delightful 2007 documentary about the Young@Heart Chorus, an inspiring vocal group of Western Massachusetts senior citizens, whose repertoire consists of such songs as James Brown’s “I Feel Good,” the Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” the Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated” and Sonic Youth’s “Schizophrenia.”
9pm Sunday: “Great Performances: Pete Seeger’s 90th Birthday Celebration From Madison Square Garden”
A gala celebration and all-star concert honoring legendary folk singer Pete Seeger on his 90th birthday – May 3, 2009 – featuring Bruce Springsteen, Peggy Seeger, John Mellencamp, Roger McGuinn, Dave Matthews, Taj Mahal, Kris Kristofferson, Ani DiFranco, Emmylou Harris, more. (The broadcast will be co-hosted by Nippertown’s own Michael Eck.)
NOTE: As a public service, we here at Nippertown.com would also like to warn you that in between those two fabulous shows, WMHT-TV will be broadcasting “Michael Bolton at Royal Albert Hall” at 7:30pm, providing you with the perfect opportunity to take some time off for a quiet Sunday dinner.
Hey, look…we’ve got a new format for this category!
New Calls:
Upstate Artists Guild seeks entries for The Yellow Show (Deadline: April 16, 2010)
The Tang is seeking entries for For You, works by artists who have passed away but whose work and memory continue to impact individuals in the greater Capital Region. (Deadline: May 14)
EMPAC is seeking proposals for its 2010-2011 Dance Movies Commission. Selected artists receive awards ranging up to $30,000. The commission has funded thirteen projects in the last four years, including a finger puppet musical, a poetic autobiography shot entirely in Mozambique, a film were three street kids in the streets of Rio seem to juggle air, and a video installation created through 3D laser scanning.
In addition to the funding, artists can also apply to create their works in conjunction with the Artist-in-Residence program at EMPAC. Works commissioned may take advantage of EMPAC’s spaces and technology, using infrastructure such as computer-controlled rigging or large-scale immersive studio environments. (Deadline: April 15, 2010)
Last Friday night one of the area’s premier jazz clubs was converted into a makeshift recording studio – complete with a Grammy-winning sound engineer behind the huge mixing board that straddled at least two tables at Justin’s Savoy Room.
Bandleader David Calarco sat patiently behind the drum kit, holding his sticks and eager to launch into the first number. Recording engineer Malcolm Cecil and the two video camera operators were exchanging last minute words with session-leader Ron Petrides, his electric hollow-body guitar hanging around his neck. The third member of the ensemble John Menegon stood nearby holding his upright acoustic bass and listening intently.
We here at Nippertown.com are very excited about this concert, and we’re giving away a pair of tix for the show. Just go here for details. We’ll be picking a winner later today, so enter now.
And we were going to write this big, long story about what an incredible soul singer Ms. LaVette is. We were going to rave about previous performances of her’s that we’ve seen at the Iron Horse Music Hall and the Freihofer’s Jazz Festival. But then we realized that we didn’t have to. All we really need to do is give you the opportunity to hear her sing. So here you go, Bettye LaVette singing the Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me” at the Kennedy Center Honors:
We’ll see you at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Sunday!
Today marks the beginning of St. Patrick’s Day. (If you still think that St. Patrick’s Day is just a one-day celebration, well, then you probably haven’t lived here in O’Nippertown very long, have you?)
NOTE: Please be careful out there. And, oh yeah, stay away from the green beer and stick with the Guinness, will ya?
So, here’s a little round-up of where to go to hear some great Celtic music between now and Wednesday. If anyone has any other suggestions, please bring ‘em on:
“Well, my mom really started buying me albums before I really knew to buy albums, so that’s kind of a gray area for me.
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