Chris McFarland
NAME: Chris McFarland
INSTRUMENT: Guitar / Vocals
1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … Van Halen’s “1984″
Posts Tagged ‘Pauly’s Hotel’
Five Firsts: Chris McFarland
Monday, September 24th, 2012Advertisement
LIVE: Candye Kane @ Pauly’s Hotel, 8/18/12
Monday, August 27th, 2012
Review and photographs by Fred Rudofsky
The toughest girl alive, indeed…
Exuding power, resilience, courage, optimism and a pure joy in living, Candye Kane’s voice rang through the length and width of Pauly’s Hotel in Albany. It was a Saturday night of blues music to spend with the self-described “toughest girl alive,” two sets that no one who attended will ever forget.
With more than 10 albums to her credit, Kane has a deep repetoire. On this particular night, in songs and stories, she often drew upon her experiences growing up in southern California – and especially the recent crisis she has faced – in candid, life-affirming ways.
LIVE: Scotty Mac & the Rockin’ Bonnevilles @ Pauly’s Hotel, 5/11/12
Thursday, June 7th, 2012
Review by Fred Rudofsky
Photographs by Eric Gleason
Just like the NFL is better when the Oakland Raiders are resurgent, Albany is a better place when Pauly’s Hotel is hosting live music. Few bands can take over a crowd better than Scotty Mac & the Rockin’ Bonnevilles showed last month at this legendary venue, where the easy parking, array of frosty brews and fine food were added bonuses.
The quartet, in the midst of a reunion this spring, played blues and roots rock with wit and verve, in two sets that had the place buzzing.
Five Firsts: Buck Malen of the Staynz
Thursday, June 7th, 2012
Buck Malen (center) and The Staynz
NAME: Buck Malen
BAND AFFILIATION: So many bands! Currently the Staynz
INSTRUMENT: bass, guitar, vocals
1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … The Beach Boys’ “Live in Concert”
LIVE: Joe Louis Walker @ Pauly’s Hotel, 4/13/12
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
Review by Fred Rudofsky
Photographs by Eric Gleason
Had it really been 17 years? Not only were die-hard blues fans wondering that, but even Joe Louis Walker, the headliner himself exclaimed that extraordinary fact incredulously during the second song of the night at Pauly’s Hotel, a rollicking take on “Let’s Have a Natural Ball.”
Walker had been close all those years, with occasional shows in Saratoga Springs (like last May at the Parting Glass) and a surprise appearance last year at The Egg with Buddy Guy. The last time he had played Pauly’s, Walker invited Scotty Mac, a talented local blues player up to the stage for a full-throttle take on Albert Collins’ instrumental “Don’t Lose Your Cool.”
Scotty Mac was not in attendance last Friday night, no doubt preparing for his long-awaited reunion gig with the Rockin’ Bonnevilles (Friday, May 11 at Pauly’s), but a strong contingent of patrons saw two extraordinary sets by Walker and his talented band.
Five Firsts: Dona Frank of the Spurs, USA
Thursday, February 16th, 2012
NAME: DONA FRANK
BAND AFFILIATION: THE SPURS, USA
INSTRUMENT: VOCALS, GUITAR, TAMBOURINE
1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … “Highway 61 Revisited,” Bob Dylan. It was a toss-up between this and the Beatles’ “Rubber Soul,” but I was not able to convince my parents to give me the money to buy both. I wasn’t much of a “chore” person, but I remember working in the neighbor’s yard to earn the money to eventually buy “Highway 61.” This came to be one of the most important records of my life and led me on a path of poetry, music and literature. There is a very impactful phrase in one of the cuts, “Like A Rolling Stone,” that I repeated then and still do today… “When you ain’t got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose. You’re invisible now, you’ve got no secrets to conceal”. It still says it all.
LIVE: Rocky Velvet @ Pauly’s Hotel, 12/2/11
Tuesday, December 6th, 2011It’s always a moment to rejoice when twenty-something hipsters in Albany wean themselves away from the virtual world of a cell phone and jump out onto a dance floor to enjoy a real rock and roll band.
Thank God for Rocky Velvet, who reunited on Friday for a night of mayhem at the refurbished, very cool-looking Pauly’s Hotel in Albany.
LIVE: Open Jazz Jam @ Pauly’s Hotel, 11/6/11
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
Lou Smaldone and Fred Young
Popping into Pauly’s Hotel last Sunday night, I was stunned at the world-class level of jazz flowing off the stage.
In fact, when the collective geared up and launched into Miles Davis’ classic nugget, “So What,” under the leadership of Alex Torres’ long-time trumpeter Fred Young, I was floored by his original trumpet sound. He wasn’t tying to be Miles; he was interpreting the tune without music stands filled with piles of notes; it was all created from memory.
Entries (RSS)