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Posts Tagged ‘Revolution Hall’

Au Revoir, Rev Hall…

Friday, June 11th, 2010

(photo by Andrzej Pilarczyk)

Yeah, for weeks now, we’ve been telling you that Revolution Hall in Troy is shuttering its doors and packing it in.

There’s only one show left on the club’s calendar, and it’s tonight. Local faves Sirsy are celebrating their signing to Funzalo Records. Brittany Robichaud and Suite 24 open the show at 8pm.

Yes, Rev Hall has been in trouble before – just a couple of months ago, in fact – but this time they really mean it. The sound system is already up for sale on Craigslist.

So we thought we’d take a moment and get all nostalgic, remembering some of the great shows that we caught over the years at Rev Hall:

Nancy Sinatra (with a crackerjack band that included Blondie’s Clem Burke and Guns N’ Roses’ Gilby Clarke)
Alejandro Escovedo
The James Hunter Band/Scrapomatic
Kings of Leon
The Avett Brothers
Tony Clifton & the Katrina-Kiss-My-Ass Orchestra

Those are just a few of our faves right off the tops of our heads. What were your favorite Revolution Hall shows?

Tags: Andrzej Pilarczyk, Revolution Hall, Troy
Posted in Music | 6 Comments »

LIVE: 7 Walkers @ Revolution Hall, 5/27/10

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

7 Walkers (left) and The McLovins

“My name is Greg Bell, and I’ve been booking shows here for seven years,” announced the head of Guthrie Bell Productions on Thursday night from the stage of Revolution Hall.

“Of all of the places that I’ve booked shows, this is my favorite,” he added. “Sadly, this is the last real show here at Revolution Hall. But there’s no way that I’d rather go out than with … 7 Walkers.”

And so it was a bittersweet night in Troy. Some great music, to be sure, but also a sad farewell to what was once Nippertown’s finest live music club venue.

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Tags: 7 Walkers, Andrzej Pilarczyk, Revolution Hall, The McLovins, Troy
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Last Call at Rev Hall?

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Revolution Hall Sign
We’ve got no idea what Revolution Hall is planning to do, but it looks pretty obvious that a big season of shows is one thing that won’t be on tap there this summer.

The “calendar of events” on Rev Hall’s website has shrunk to just about nothing:

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Tags: Revolution Hall, Troy
Posted in Be Here Now, Music | 7 Comments »

LIVE: Cowboy Junkies @ Revolution Hall, 5/7/10

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Here’s something that you certainly don’t see very often – someone sitting demurely cross-legged on a stool, sipping tea as she sings a Rolling Stones cover.

And that’s precisely what makes Cowboy Junkies such a compelling band. The unexpected twist.

Truth of the matter is, Margo Timmins delivered one of her best vocal performances of the night on “Moonlight Mile.”

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Tags: Cowboy Junkies, Great Barrington, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Revolution Hall, Troy
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Rev Hall: Movies or Music?

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Revolution Hall Sign The folks at Revolution Hall have announced that they’ll be screening movies for the first few Thursdays in May. They’re calling it the Mid-Brow Film Festival, and they’ll be showing movies that walk the line between cult status and popular film – movies like the Cohen Brothers’ “The Big Lebowski” (May 6), Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” (May 13) and Tony Scott’s “True Romance” (May 20).

Not big box office blockbusters, but hardly rare or obscure stuff. Rev Hall describes them as “several of the finest oddball films in recent years.” The press release goes on to explain, “The selected works were chosen for their quirky entertainment value, as well as their compatibility with drinking great beer and throwing peanut shells on the floor.” OK, at least they’re honest in their criteria.

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Tags: Andrzej Pilarczyk, Revolution Hall, Troy
Posted in Film/TV/DVD, Music | 3 Comments »

Be Here Now: The Easy Star All-Stars @ Revolution Hall, 4/25/10

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

“Dub Side of the Moon.”
“Radiodread.”
“Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band.”

Those are the titles of albums by the Easy Star All-Stars, the reggae-ska-dub band that’s headed into Revolution Hall in Troy on Sunday evening.

And, yes, as you’ve already likely guessed, those albums pay tribute to the music of Pink Floyd, Radiohead and the Beatles, respectively, all imbued with a distinctive and delightful reggae spin.

The band was formed more than a dozen years ago by Easy Star co-founders Michael Goldwasser, Eric Smith and Lem Oppenheimer. They’re still at the helm, but over the years, the band has developed into a sprawling collective, featuring some of the finest reggae musicians around.

On Sunday at Rev Hall, the doors will open at 7pm, and Nippertown’s own veteran reggae torchbearers Dr. Jah and the Love Prophets will open the show.

Tickets are $17 in advance; $20 at the door.

Tags: Easy Star All-Stars, Revolution Hall, Troy
Posted in Be Here Now, Music | Comments Off

CD: Danny Barnes’ “Pizza Box”

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

(ATO Records, 2010):

Full disclosure: I first fell in love with Danny Barnes‘ music years ago at the long-defunct Pauly’s Hotel when he was tearing up Metallica covers on clawhammer banjo.

That was back when he was leading his neo-old-timey band the Bad Livers (still one of the all-time great band names).

With his brand new album, Barnes is still rooted in the Americana trenches, but he fearlessly mashes up his roots sound with, well, whaddaya got?

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Tags: Danny Barnes, Pizza Box, Revolution Hall, Troy
Posted in CD Reviews, Music | 1 Comment »

Be Here Now: Mardi Gras Party @ Revolution Hall, 2/20/10

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Today is Mardi Gras, and officially it ends at midnight tonight.

But, of course, most people just don’t seem to quite understand that. So typically, Mardi Gras celebrations around Nippertown tend to occur after Mardi Gras is already over.

Like the Fat Saturday Carnivale for the Arts, sponsored by the Arts Center of the Capital Region. The third annual celebration takes place from 6:30pm til 12midnight on Saturday at Revolution Hall in Troy.

Comic Erick James will emcee the event. There’s music from Captain Squeeze and the Zydeco Moshers. There’s dancing by Habiba’s Belly Dance Divas. And there’s juggling by the stilt-walking Sean Fagan.

There’s also a silent auction of artwork by local artists and donations from local businesses, a Cajun buffet, face-painting, a fortune teller and lots of all-around merriment.

Tickets are $15 in advance; $20 at the door; $10 for students. All proceeds will benefit the Arts Center of the Capital Region.

Tags: Mardi Gras, Revolution Hall, Troy
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LIVE: Cracker @ Revolution Hall, 1/12/10

Friday, January 15th, 2010

David Lowery of Camper Van Beethoven (left) and David Lowery of Cracker (right)

Singer-guitarist-bandleader David Lowery almost did the impossible on Tuesday night at Revolution Hall in Troy. He nearly upstaged himself.

That is to say, in front of a jam-packed and very enthusiastic crowd, opening act Camper Van Beethoven nearly stole the show from headliners Cracker. Almost, but not quite.

Lowery, you see, heads up both bands. And he did a yeoman’s job pulling double duty, as did drummer Frank Funaro.

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Tags: Andrzej Pilarczyk, Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker, Revolution Hall, Troy
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LIVE: Project/Object @ Revolution Hall, 1/9/10

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Frank Zappa died in 1993. But not his music.

An off-shoot of a Zappa birthday celebration in the New Jersey basement of guitarist Andre Cholmondeley, Project/Object has carried on Zappa’s musical legacy. Not only was Project/Object among the very first Zappa tribute bands, but, as Cholmondeley pointed out at Revolution Hall in Troy on Saturday night, they’re the only tribute band “with actual ingredients.”

“Accept no substitutes,” chimed in vocalist-guitarist Ike Willis, himself a decade-long veteran of Zappa’s bands.

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Tags: Andrzej Pilarczyk, Frank Zappa, Project Object, Revolution Hall, Troy
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