Posts Tagged ‘Saratoga Springs’

Be Here Now: A Benefit for Roy “Poncho” Hurd @ Caffe Lena, 9/3/10

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Roy Hurd

Roy Hurd

On the night of Wednesday, July 21, the home of Adirondack singer-songwriter Roy Hurd burned to the ground. (More info.) He and his wife Amy lost everything in it – including musical instruments, recordings, artwork and his newly completed recording studio.

On Friday evening at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, friends, fans and fellow musicians will join together to raise money to help them through this troubled time.

Donating their time and talents to this benefit concert are Christopher Shaw, the Stony Creek Band, Kay Olan and Joe & Jesse Bruchac. Joe Bruchac will also serve as the emcee for the evening’s presentation.

The performance begins at 8pm on Friday. Suggested donation is $20, and all proceeds will go directly to Roy and Amy.

If you can’t make it to the show but would like to make a 100% tax-deductible donation, please make your check out to Southern Adirondack Musician’s Fund, and write “Roy Hurd” on the memo line.

Checks can be sent to:
Southern Adirondack Musician’s Fund
240 Parker Road
Corinth, NY 12822

Five Firsts: Jeanne O’Connor of the New Standard

Friday, August 27th, 2010

Jeanne O'ConnorNAME: Jeanne O’Connor
BAND AFFILIATION: Jeanne O’Connor and the New Standard; String of Pearls jazz vocal trio; Jeanne O’Connor jazz groups
INSTRUMENT: Voice

1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … I think it was Joni Mitchell’s “Ladies of the Canyon,” which came out in 1970. So many gals who liked to sing back then wanted to BE Joni, myself included! After a musical life mostly devoted to jazz, I’m returning to the great songs and songwriters of my youth with my New Standard group. We’re re-interpreting Joni, Carole King, Burt Bacharach and others, and it’s such a blast.

2. THE FIRST CONCERT THAT I EVER SAW WAS … I believe it was John Sebastian at C.W. Post College on Long Island. I adored him. So cool that he’s still playing.

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Live: The Philadelphia Orchestra’s “Wicked Divas” @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center, 8/19/10

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Erin Mackey, Julia Murney conductor Steven Reineke and the Philadelphia Orchestra

Erin Mackey, Julia Murney conductor Steven Reineke and the Philadelphia Orchestra


“Diva” is a word I’d personally like to eradicate from the lexicon. It’s often a dig wrapped in a compliment – a slap at a talented woman by implying that she’s difficult by default.

But it’s also a term commonly used to describe a leading female opera singer, or – in a campier sense – marquee-topping women in popular music.

For “Wicked Divas” night at SPAC last Thursday, two nights before the Philadelphia Orchestra ended its summer Saratoga run, the word “diva” was used broadly to tie together the most disparate of music – from the Broadway musicals of “Gypsy,” “Chicago,” “Ragtime” and, of course, “Wicked,” to the disco dance-floor hits of Diana Ross, Gloria Esteban and Donna Summer.

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Live: Sarah Chang & the Philadelphia Orchestra @ SPAC, 8/18/10

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Sarah Chang

Sarah Chang


When Sarah Chang’s bow hit her violin strings on Shostakovich’s “Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op.77” even the crickets at SPAC stopped chirping.

Under the baton of maestro Peter Oundjian, last Wednesday evening’s Philadelphia Orchestra concert reached epic proportions – especially with soloist Chang in the spotlight for one serene piece.

The program opened with Mozart’s “Overture to ‘The Magic Flute,’ K.620,” which led magnificently into the Shostakovich piece. However, it was Chang who held the audience spellbound.

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Live: The Blue Olives @ Upbeat On the Roof at the Tang Museum, 8/20/10

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

The Blue Olives

When blues-funk-classic rock band the Blue Olives, rolled into the Tang’s parking lot on the Skidmore College campus on Friday night, the audience was already waiting for them on the roof of the museum.

The slightly embarrassed group members, their equipment and a few last-minute stragglers rode up together to the third floor to quickly set up in the unique open-air performance space.

Within minutes the band members were behind their mics and ready to perform. It may have seemed a bit unprofessional of them to be late, but as lead guitarist Dave Turner explained to the audience, they had just driven 18 hours straight from Wisconsin to make the gig.

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Live: Kiss @ SPAC, 8/17/10

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Gene Simmons is a marketing genius,” marveled a fan entering the SPAC grounds to see Kiss’ “Hottest Show on Earth” tour last week. He was staring at a sign offering audio recordings of the evening’s performance. Not quite a genius concept – bands have been selling live CDs of their concerts for a while now.

But entering SPAC near the Hall of Springs meant walking past the Kiss bassist’s tour bus, parked where fans could gawk at the flaming-guitar-emblazoned bus that also advertised A&E’s “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” reality TV show. Sitting inside the amphitheater for the show meant staring at another strategically placed bus that featured members of Kiss shilling for Dr. Pepper.

And just traipsing across the lawn meant encountering fans of all ages wearing every kind of Kiss merchandise imaginable, from t-shirts to kids’ costumes. So yes, Gene Simmons and his band mates have marketing savvy, you could say.

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Interview: Holly & Evan @ Caffe Lena, 8/25/10

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Holly And Evan

Niskayuna singer-songwriter Holly Taormina and Amsterdam singer-songwriter-bassist Evan Conway – known simply as Holly & Evan – have been presenting their mix of traditional and original blues-based acoustic songs and paying their dues at whatever open-mic they can get to, set up and perform at.

“We’ve played all around the area at places like TJ’s Flightline Pub, the Daily Grind, the Judge’s Inn, the Moon and River Cafe, the Bread and Jam Café and at Caffé Lena’s open mics,” explains Holly. “These venues have all been incredibly receptive to us, and we’ve managed to book shows at all of them based on the quality our performances at their open mics.

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Live: Cirque de la Symphonie & the Philadelphia Orchestra @ SPAC, 8/13/10

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Cirque de la Symphonie @ SPAC

What do you get when you combine one of the best classical music orchestras around with the Cirque de la Symphonie performing overhead?

Magic!

We’re talking high-wire stuff with no safety net in sight. One wrong move, and a Stradivarius or two might end up in the garbage heap.

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Real Good for Free: “The Artist Colony” @ Saratoga Arts Center, 8/21/10

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Young Jean Lee (photo by Blaine Davis)

Young Jean Lee (photo by Blaine Davis)

Art imitates life. Artists imitate artists.

At 8pm on Saturday, the Dee Sarno Theater at the Saratoga Arts Center will host a staged reading of Brooklyn-based playwright Young Jean Lee’s new screenplay, “The Artist Colony,” featuring a cast made up of artists in residence at Saratoga’s own renowned artist colony Yaddo.

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Live: Lyle Divinsky @ the Tang Museum, 8/13/10

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Lyle Davinsky
Singer-songwriter (and recent Skidmore College graduate) Lyle Divinsky made quite a splash on the local music scene while he was here just a few years back playing at Saratoga Springs clubs and coffeehouses to capacity crowds.

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Mary Fahl at Caffe Lena, 9/19/10
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