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Archive for the ‘Be Here Now: Previews’ Category

Comin’ Soon: New Concert Announcements

Wednesday, June 19th, 2013

The Pine Leaf Boys

One of the very finest Cajun bands to emerge from the Louisiana bayou, the Pine Leaf Boys will be squeezing out sparks when they play a special mid-summer concert at Old Songs in Voorheesville at 8pm on Saturday, July 20. With four Grammy nominations to their credit, the band has brought the sound of Louisiana all around the world from Saudi Arabia, to England to Slovenia. Priced at $20; $5 for ages 5 and under, tickets are slated to go on sale at 4pm today (June 19).

Now that’s what we call a prompt turn-around… Featuring such headliners as Willie Nelson, Trace Adkins and Lady Antebellum, the inaugural three-day Taste of Country Music Festival wrapped up last Saturday (June 15) at Hunter Mountain in Hunter. But before the final day of the fest had wrapped up, organizers had already announced one of the headliners for the fest’s sophomore go-round next summer. Brad Paisley – who played at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center earlier this month – will play the Taste of Country Music Festival, which is scheduled for June 13-15, 2014.

Club Helsinki in Hudson has added a batch of new shows to its concert calendar, including Enter the Haggis at 8pm on Thursday, July 18 ($20 in advance; $22 at the door); Simi Stone at 8pm on Thursday, August 1 ($12); Gangstagrass with Star & Micey at 9pm on Friday, August 16 ($15); Tru Mystic at 9pm on Friday, August 23 ($TBA); the Connor Kennedy Show at 9pm on Saturday, September 28 ($TBA); and Fred Eaglesmith’s Travelling Steam Show at 9pm on Friday, October 19 ($20 in advance; $25 at the door).

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Win FREE Tickets to Assembly of Dust at Putnam Den on Saturday!

Wednesday, June 19th, 2013

Drawing on that influence and countless others, over the past 10 years Assembly of Dust has crafted a unique sound that recalls the vintage sound of the Band, Traffic and Neil Young. But they’ve put their own funky spin on it, earning them comparisons to the next generation of Americana hitmakers.

Led by Reid Genauer, the band is out on the road in support of their new album Sun Shot, released earlier this year. And they’ll be making a tour stop at Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs on Saturday night (June 22).

In addition to Genauer, the band features guitarist Adam Terrell, bassist John Leccesse and more recent recruit keyboardist-violinist Jason Crosby, who has played with everyone from God Street Wine to Robert Randolph to Susan Tedeschi. And as a special bonus this weekend, founding AOD drummer Andy Herrick, whose appearances with the band have been rare in recent years, will return to slip behind the kit once again.

Assembly of Dust blows into Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs on Saturday night (June 22). Progressive funkateers Capital Zen are slated to open the show at 9:30pm. Tickets are $10 in advance; $12 at the door.

BUT WAIT… Have we got a deal for you! We’re giving away a pair of FREE TICKETS to the show to a lucky Nippertown reader! To enter the contest, just post a comment below. Please leave your email address, too. We won’t publish it, but we’ll use it to contact you if you win. The deadline to enter is 12noon on Friday (June 21), and the winner will be selected at random and notified on Friday afternoon. Enter today! And good luck!

Tags: Assembly of Dust, Putnam Den, Saratoga Springs
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Real Good for FREE: Concerts at Windsor Lake

Wednesday, June 19th, 2013

Rebel Alliance

The annual free summertime Concerts at Windsor Lake series is underway at Windsor Lake in North Adams.

All concerts begin at 6:30pm on Wednesdays, including today’s concert by Rebel Alliance. Concerts will be cancelled in the event of rain.

Here’s the line-up of bands for the 2013 season:

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Tags: North Adams, Windsor Lake
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6/19/13: Today’s Tips: Wednesday

Wednesday, June 19th, 2013

FUNDRAISER: “We’re Still Here” @ The Egg, Albany. In recent years, The Egg has had its budget drastically slashed, but Albany’s iconic orb-shaped theater continues to consistently present some of the finest entertainment to be found anywhere in Nippertown. This fundraising benefit event celebrates The Egg’s 35th anniversary. And as the saying goes, “Use it or lose it.” 5:30pm. $35; VIP tickets also available.

MUSIC: Fleetwood Mac @ the Times Union Center, Albany. Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, John McVie & Mick Fleetwood – the big Mac attack is back! 8pm. $37.50, $65, $95 & $125.

MUSIC: Aquanett @ Green Island Bridge Parking Lot, Troy. Tonight’s the launch of the summer-long Rockin’ on the River concert series, kicking off with the return of the ’80s-rock tribute band. 5pm. FREE.

DANCE: Dance Theatre of Harlem @ Jacob’s Pillow, Becket. It’s opening day for another season of Nippertown’s biggest dance festival. 8pm. $39, $59, $69 & $75. Through Sunday, June 23. More info here…

MUSIC: Hair of the Dog @ Freedom Park, Scotia. It’s the kick-off of Freedom Park’s summer-long concert series. 7pm. FREE.

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Festival Fever: Beacon Riverfest @ Beacon’s Riverfront Park, 6/29/13

Tuesday, June 18th, 2013

Matuto (photo by Kirsten Ferguson)

Photograph by Kirsten Ferguson

Local 845 will present its fourth annual Beacon Riverfest outdoor music festival in the city’s Riverfront Park beginning at 12noon on Saturday, June 29. And this year’s theme seems to be more, more, more…

Yes, in fact, this year there are three stages and twice as bands playing at the Beacon Riverfest than played last summer. From the Appalachia-gone-Afro-Brazilian sound of Matuto to the sizzling Latin rhythms-meet-psychedelic surf sounds of Chicha Libre to the Van Halen-goes-hillbilly lampoon of Jack Grace’s Van Hayride, there’s a whole great big mess o’ mashed-up music coming your way.

And best of all, the eight-hour fest is free, although donations at the gate are gratefully accepted.

Here’s the complete schedule for the day:

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Tags: Beacon, Kirsten Ferguson, Riverfront Park
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Dance in the Berkshires: Jacob’s Pillow Opens June 19 with Dance Theatre of Harlem [Berkshire on Stage]

Tuesday, June 18th, 2013

Those dancing feet in Becket come in all shapes and sizes. Photo courtesy of the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), the groundbreaking and newly revitalized classical and contemporary ballet company, will open the 2013 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival season in the Ted Shawn Theatre on June 19-23. Led by founding member and former principal dancer, Artistic Director Virginia Johnson, the company will present a range of classic and new ballet work including George Balanchine’s Agon, The Lark Ascending by Alvin Ailey, and Far But Close by Canadian contemporary choreographer John Alleyne.

The company performs three neo-classical and contemporary ballet works that span multiple eras of American and dance history. George Balanchine’s Agon is a challenging work for 12 dancers, and features an iconic pas de deux originally created in 1957 for DTH founder Arthur Mitchell and ballerina Diana Adams as members of New York City Ballet. Created in in collaboration with composer Igor Stravinsky, Agon is one of Balanchine’s most notable ballets. In an article reflecting on Agon’s 50th anniversary, Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times called the work “astounding, full of shapes, phrases, rhythms, sounds that hadn’t been encountered before, but embodied New York modernism itself.”

Alvin Ailey’s The Lark Ascending (1972) is set to an eponymous score by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams created for violin and orchestra in 1920. While the music is inspired by the English countryside of Vaughan Williams’ youth, Ailey’s choreographic interpretation is a depiction of a young girl’s maturation to young womanhood. As part of the American Masterpieces program of the National Endowment for the Arts, DTH received a grant to help reconstruct The Lark Ascending for inclusion in the repertoire of its revived professional company. One of the most balletic of Ailey’s creations, DTH is the first American company to perform the work sur les pointes.

Click to read the rest at Berkshire on Stage.

Tags: Becket, Berkshire On Stage, Jacob's Pillow, Larry Murray, The Dance Theatre of Harlem
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Real Good for FREE: Freedom Park in Scotia

Tuesday, June 18th, 2013

Saturday, July 6: Alex Torres and his Latin Orchestra

Freedom Park in Scotia is gearing up for yet another summer chock full of music. No, the summer season of free concerts at Freedom Park doesn’t boast the big-name recognition of some of the bands that play, say, Albany’s Alive at Five series. But it certainly does host more free outdoor performances than any other summer concert series in Greater Nippertown – 34 shows in all, stretching out across the summer calendar.

The series kicks off on Wednesday (June 19) with the ever-popular Hair of the Dog. The concerts all take place at 7pm, except for Summer of Doug on Friday, June 28, which starts at 8pm so that it will be dark at the end of the show for a special fireworks display.

Here’s the full schedule of Freedom Park shows for 2013:

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Tags: Freedom Park, Scotia
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Five Firsts: Fred Boak of the Chandler Travis Philharmonic

Tuesday, June 18th, 2013

Fred Boak (photo by Cliff
Spencer)

NAME: Fred Boak
BAND AFFILIATION: Chandler Travis
Philharmonic (and Chandler Travis Three-O)
INSTRUMENT: Voice, Vuvuzela and Valet to Chandler

1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … The Beatles’ Let It Be – pretty sure I got both the 45 and the LP at the same time. I definitely remember being totally entranced by “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)” (the flip of the “Let It Be” 45) and the fact that the single and album versions of “Let it Be” were different – oh, that Leslie guitar solo!

2. THE FIRST CONCERT THAT I EVER SAW WAS … I like to say Frank Zappa (at age 15), though I saw both Woody Herman & His Young Thundering Herd and Maynard Ferguson play shows at the local high school, plus a whole bunch of classical shows, and I think even Nick Seeger at some Boy Scout event before that. But on my own, paying with my own money … Frank. Great lineup, too – Terry Bozzio on drums, Adrian Belew on guitar, Patrick O’Hearn on bass, Tommy Mars & Peter Wolf on keyboards, Ed Mann on percussion – the same lineup as in the “Baby Snakes” movie.

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Tags: Becket, Chatham, Fred Boak, PS 21, Putnam Den, Saratoga Springs, The Chandler Travis Philharmonic, The Dream Away Lodge
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