Holly Taormina of Holly & Evan
Photographs by Timothy Reidy
WILDWOODStock returned to the Parting Glass in Saratoga Springs on Sunday, April 28. It was the sixth annual fundraising fest – an all-day benefit bash to help raise funds for Wildwood Programs, a non-profit organization in Schenectady that provides comprehensive services for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders, complex learning disabilities and other developmental disabilities.
Strange though it may seem, no one in the California Guitar Trio is actually from California – Bert Lams from Belgium, Hideyo Moriya from Japan and Paul Richards from Utah. But together, their technical fretboard wizardry is breathtaking, as is the wide range of instrumental music the group renders… everything from unique originals to dazzling, cleverly-arranged interpretations of jazz, classical music and, in a nod to their Cali moniker, even some surf-rock.
The line-up of bands for the final round of the SPAC Battle of the Bands has been announced.
The bands will perform at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s Spa Little Theater in Saratoga Springs at 7pm on Friday, May 24. Each band will have 10 minutes to perform. Tix are $20.
This year, two winners will be selected – one by popular vote of fans in attendance, and one by the panel of judges, which includes Richard Pawelczyk of NYC’s Webster Hall, Donna Eichmeyer of Live Nation, New York and yours truly, Greg Haymes of Nippertown.com.
Back in 1986, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers shared the stage with Bob Dylan at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Now it looks like the Petty/Dylan package is headed back to SPAC again this year… but with a different Dylan.
When Petty and his band roll into Saratoga Springs on Sunday, June 23, it’s been announced that Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers will open the show.
Of course, as announced earlier, Bob Dylan will lead the Americanarama Music Festival into SPAC a month later on Sunday, July 21, with Wilco, My Morning Jacket and Ryan Bingham.
Review by Greg Haymes
Video by Brian Mulkerne
They hadn’t played together since the Jimmy Carter administration, but you wouldn’t have known it judging by their first performance in more than 35 years. The original line-up of Silver Chicken, one of the Local 518′s premiere country-rock combos of the mid ’70s, reunited for a string a four shows at the Parting Glass in Saratoga Springs last weekend, and the years just seemed to melt away.
The first of their three shows on Saturday (May 4) – at the ungodly hour (by rock & roll standards, at least) of 3pm – was not only a blast from the past. It was simply a blast.
Acoustic Brotherhood: Garland Nelson and Jay Yager
Spring has officially sprung, which means that it’s time to shake off those hibernation blues, get outdoors and get moving. And if you need some musical encouragement along the way, well, then the fourth annual SPAC Rock & Run at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center sounds like the place to be on Sunday morning, May 19.
In addition to the 5K race (starting at 9:30am) and the 1K kids race (starting at 9am) that have been sponsored in the past, this year SPAC is raising the stakes with the addition of a 10K race (starting at 10:30am). The race routes go through the beautiful Spa State Park, and all along the race course, there will be live music performed by more than 20 of the Local 518′s top bands, from country-rockers the Lazy Suns to sublime singer-songwriter M.R. Poulopoulos to the jug band blues of Ramblin Jug Stompers.
And following the races, SPAC will host a free party with refreshments, children’s activities and live music featuring the sounds of the Acoustic Brotherhood, led by Soul Session’s Garland Nelson and Audiostar front man, Jay Yager.
Tony Watt
NAME: Tony Watt
BAND AFFILIATION: Southeast Expressway
INSTRUMENT: Acoustic Guitar
1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … Doc & Merle Watson’s On Stage and Tony Rice’s Manzanita
The annual Skidmore Summer Jazz Institute will once again be presenting a series of concerts at the Zankel Music Center on the campus of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. And once again, the concert series will feature some world-class musicians.
But there is a change this summer. In the past, the concerts had always been presented free of charge, but this year there will be a nominally admission charge to the four evening concerts. The two matinee performances by the Jazz Institute students will remain admission free.
Here’s the schedule for the 2013 Skidmore Summer Jazz Institute’s concert series:
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