Steve Daub with Rory Block

Story and interview by Wanda Callagy

Steve Daub has been busy in the last few weeks.

Not only did he enjoy some time in New Orleans, he had a birthday and was honored to be a judge at the recent Downtown Albany Business Improvement District’s recent Downtown Albany Blues Music Competition to help determine which bands would perform at the Local Blues Night of this summer’s upcoming Alive at Five concert series. (The winners – Blues Sanctuary and the Tom Healey Band – are slated to perform at Albany’s Riverfront Park at 5pm on Thursday, July 25).

Daub has been an influence in the area for several years, volunteering his Monday nights to promote local musicians on his “Stormy Monday Blues” program heard from 8-10pm on Mondays on college radio station WRPI (91.5 FM) out of Troy. The musicians he has hosted on his program stretch from regional and local artists to visitors to the Albany area, such as Peter Tork and Rory Block.

The radio show has been running for over 10 years now, and Daub says that he got into it quite by accident. A boss’ girlfriend suggested he get involved, simply a music lover. The position grew from being a co-host to running the show weekly with the assistance of audio engineer students who set up and operate the sound system for live performances on the show. With the summer ahead, the students will be gone until the fall, but Daub has plenty of vinyl to play, and though most of the music he plays is focused on the blues, other favorites or new bands are also often presented.

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