MALTA — The Eddie Fyvie Jiu-Jitsu Academy held its final class on Jan. 3, closing its doors after 13 years in business (Fyvie has joined the Spa City Jiu Jitsu Academy as a full-time teacher). But a new academy is already set to take its place, providing a home for local grapplers.
Kirby Ives is the head instructor of Malta Jiu Jitsu Academy, which is located next door to the old Eddie Fyvie location at 100 Saratoga Village Blvd. Ives is a black belt who trained under Fyvie, and his academy officially opens on Feb. 1 but is already accepting new students. Ives has been active in the local jiu jitsu scene for decades.
“I wanted to be a ninja when I was a little kid,” Ives told Saratoga TODAY. “I saw ‘Enter the Dragon’ when I was four years old and I was like, ‘That’s who I want to be.’”
With visions of Bruce Lee dancing in his head, Ives started wrestling in school and then took up boxing as a teenager before getting into jiu jitsu. One of his early mentors was Saratoga TODAY publisher Chad Beatty.
“Chad brought high-level jiu jitsu to Upstate New York,” Ives said. “After a few months of training in his basement, I was being exposed to unbelievable technique. I was meeting unbelievable guys that fought in Pride and UFC and Pancrase.”
At one point in his life, Ives was forced to navigate a challenging personal situation that left him feeling lost. But rather than turn towards unhealthy ways of dealing with his emotions, he instead found jiu jitsu.
“Jiu jitsu is something that absolutely empowers people and allows for a paradigm shift and gives people a sense of what is possible when you’re firing on all cylinders,” he said. “Your problem-solving skills are better, your sense of confidence is better. You move through space differently, in a physical way. You start to exude a certain vibe that people can recognize.”
For those interested in signing up with the Malta Jiu Jitsu Academy, a founder’s rate discount is available if they join prior to the Feb. 1 official opening.
There are a few ways to get in touch with the new academy: by phone (518-937-4899), email (maltajiujitsu@gmail.com), and Facebook (at the Malta Jiu Jitsu Academy page).
Photo of The Sweet Remains via the band’s website.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Sweet Remains—a folk-pop trio that has amassed more than 65 million streams on Spotify—will play a sold-out show at Caffe Lena on Jan. 22. The last time they played there, on July 11, 2025, they also sold out the famed folk venue. In other words, they’re kind of a big deal.
The group’s history is rich, with each band member having his own compelling origin story. One of those band members, Greg Naughton, spoke with Saratoga TODAY ahead of Sweet Remains’ stop in the Spa City.
Naughton seems to have been surrounded by artists and performers from the moment he entered the world. His father James Naughton starred in the “Planet of the Apes” TV series, won two Tony Awards for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, and played Meryl Streep’s soon-to-be-ex-husband in “The Devil Wears Prada.” Greg’s wife Kelli O’Hara is a Broadway superstar and eight-time Tony Award nominee.
Greg himself has worn many hats, including filmmaker, actor, and musician. But as his directorial debut, “The Independents,” a 2018 film about The Sweet Remains, seems to indicate, music may be his greatest calling.
Saratoga TODAY’s interview with Greg Naughton is presented below in Q&A format, edited for length and clarity.
Saratoga TODAY: I guess now you’re coming up, maybe in the next year or two, on two decades with Sweet Remains. What keeps all of you coming back together? Is there some kind of secret to keeping a group intact this long?
Greg Naughton: The reason I started to write [“The Independents”] is because I was fascinated by this relationship I have with these two guys, which is more like brothers/spouses than other relationships I have with any other men. You have to have all the same things. You got to negotiate. There’s plenty of times, when you spend a lot of time with each other in small spaces and in each other’s creative space, you’re going to have hurt feelings. You’re going to have conflicts… We have a very similar sense of humor. I think that’s the main thing. Anytime things get difficult or uncomfortable for us, we just have a way of breaking through that with humor. It keeps it fun. If it wasn’t fun, we certainly wouldn’t be doing it. There’s enough to getting on the road with a band and trying to get into clubs in the snow and the whatever, and all of the details of that wouldn’t add up unless you were having fun.
ST: When you go into a studio, do you go into it trying to achieve something specific? Are you looking for a certain sound or hoping to accomplish a certain objective? What’s that process like of creating a new studio album?
GN: It has varied, and I think quite often, as with even writing a song, we go in with one objective, and it finds its ways around the preconceptions that we had and becomes something else. Most of the albums didn’t stick to a strong sense of, ‘We’re gonna make this kind of album this time.’ We have a couple of ideas for the future where we might try and stick more strictly to a certain thing. Like, what if we did a rock and roll album? These are pretty folk-rock, more roots, acoustic-oriented [albums]. That’s been our main genre and main output. But what if we did a rock album where it’s really rock and roll, and did it as a collaboration with another group that we like that does that sort of thing? Or, what if we did a kids album? We all have kids. Well, [Brian Chartrand] doesn’t have kids, but we have between us seven kids in the pan at this point. So, those are concepts that, we haven’t quite done them yet, but [they’re] things I would personally be excited to do at some point.
ST: Your upcoming show at Caffe Lena is sold out already. And I see you sold out the last time you performed here in July. What is it about playing these folk houses that kind of jives with your group?
GN: [Caffe Lena] is a special room. That room has defied the march of time… Since the pandemic, for sure, a lot of clubs like that one have not made it through. There’s a lot of reasons why a club like Caffe Lena shouldn’t make it. It’s kind of too small to make good money, I would imagine. But, I find that there’s a real enthusiasm with the audience there for being in that room and being that intimate with the music, which is infectious, I assume, as much for the audience as it is for us. That, and probably somebody who runs and owns the place cares and has managed to keep that alive.
ALSO COMING SOON TO CAFFE LENA:
The Dust Bowl Faeries will return for their second appearance at Caffe Lena on Jan. 25, playing with their new drummer and debuting new songs. Infused with dark humor, theatrical costumes, and mystical lyrics, Dust Bowl Faeries perform songs spun from the very fabric of faerie culture and lore. Hailing from the Hudson Valley, Dust Bowl Faeries present original songs nuanced by tango, flamenco, Klezmer, Balkan, and Romani swing music. Singing saw, accordion, bass, acoustic guitar, and drums combine to create the Dust Bowl Faeries’ unique sound.
The Wolff Sisters—a sibling-fronted Americana outfit from Boston—will perform at Caffe Lena on Feb. 5. Their gig in Saratoga is the first in a string of shows they’re playing around New England this winter. The group recently released their latest single, “Where Am I (To Call My Home)?” on all platforms, and just released a live music video to accompany it.
Two local events this weekend will pay tribute to the music of Bob Weir and the Grateful Dead. At Putnam Place on Jan. 17, the tribute band Bearly Dead will perform. At Yoga Mandali on Jan. 18, a celebration/memorial yoga class will be held in Weir’s memory. Images via Putnam Place and Natalli Amato, respectively.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir faded away on Saturday, though, as any true Deadhead knows, his music will never stop.
Weir launched one of the most beloved bands in American history, one that inspired countless people to pile into vehicles and explore their country, trailing the Grateful Dead on tour. With the group’s improvisation, experimentation, and innovation also came new ways of performing and thinking about music. Their influence on American art and culture is vast and impossible to measure.
One could not truly experience the Dead without hearing them play live, in an environment that, more often than not, inspired warm feelings of community and, at times, even spirituality. The Grateful Dead’s very name seemed to suggest that although life is brief, it’s still an experience to appreciate (“Such a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there,” sang Phil Lesh on “Box of Rain”).
The group made its mark almost everywhere, from its origins in San Francisco to the Giza pyramids in Egypt, the site of two 1978 Dead shows. It’s unsurprising then that the Dead’s influence can still be felt here in Saratoga Springs.
The band holds (and may forever hold) the record for the largest crowd to ever gather at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). In 1985, 40,231 Deadheads convened in the Spa State Park, surpassing the previously held attendance record (also set by the Grateful Dead) of 37,801.
Since then, both SPAC and Saratoga at large have become jam band hotspots. Phish and the Dave Matthews Band have played here dozens of times, stopping by almost every summer. Rising acts such as Goose, Dogs in a Pile, and Eggy have all performed in the Spa City multiple times. Grateful Dead tribute bands play here so frequently that one might think they’ve somehow stumbled into Haight-Ashbury circa 1967.
Weir brought Dead & Company (a successor group to the Grateful Dead that featured John Mayer on lead guitar) to Saratoga for the final time in the summer of 2023. He’d been here many times with several different bands. His sound—which could sometimes be joyful, haunting, tender, and invigorating all at once—seemed to fill the air of the park, swaying the leaves of towering trees and hovering above the ancient mineral springs. For those who enjoy this sound (Jerry Garcia famously compared the Dead to licorice, quipping, “Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice”), witnessing Weir play in a bucolic setting was practically nirvana.
Though few can faithfully replicate Weir’s singular playing style, the songs he wrote and sung will be played long after his departure, which is exactly what he wanted.
On Jan. 17, Bearly Dead will take the stage at Putnam Place for an 8:30 p.m. show. The group describes itself as “not just another Grateful Dead cover band,” but rather, “a cosmic exploration of the Grateful Dead catalog.”
“I truly believe that Bob Weir is the most important rhythm guitar player in rock history,” wrote Bearly Dead guitarist Nick Swift in a social media tribute to Weir. “It’s amazing to me how he kept playing music and touring this long into his life. I keep reading tribute posts from musicians who knew him who cite his ‘need’ to play music – that it wasn’t just something fun to do, that it was something that filled a deep void in his soul and he couldn’t stop. He basically lived his life on stage, but not in some need to be an inauthentic celebrity. He just wanted to make music with people for people. And there’s something very magical about that… I look forward to finally getting to play again this Saturday in Saratoga. I’ll give it all I’ve got. We’ll miss you Bobby. We will do what we can to carry your spirit forward into the future.”
Another local tribute to Weir will come in the form of a special, celebratory memorial yoga class at Yoga Mandali on Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m. The event, organized by yoga teacher and writer Natalli Amato, will send proceeds to the Rex Foundation, which was created by the Grateful Dead in 1983 to provide philanthropic grassroots support.
“I was born in the post-Jerry era,” Amato told Saratoga TODAY. “For me, the person at the spiritual center of the Dead has been Bob Weir. Over the past ten years, Dead and Company gave me some of the best memories and adventures of my adult life. But more important than that, loving this music has brought me into deeper connection with friends, family, and even strangers. Our yoga class Sunday is a place to celebrate that!”
BALLSTON SPA — The former Real McCoy Beer. Co. location in Ballston Spa will soon reopen as a Back Barn Brewing outpost, the company announced last Thursday.
The historic former home of Civil War General Abner Doubleday at 28 Washington Street will once again be the site of a brewery after the business’ six-year partnership with Real McCoy ended on Dec. 29.
“The connection we had when first meeting Mike and Bona Schaffer was immediate and positive with shared values, love for craft beer and history, and community relationships,” said Back Barn Brewing in its announcement. “The decision to bring Back Barn Brewing’s beer to Ballston Spa was an easy one. We are excited and look forward to becoming a part of Ballston Spa’s local community, and hopefully, you are as excited as we are! Stay tuned for opening dates and more.”
Back Barn is a farm brewery based out of a renovated barn in Delanson, a village in Schenectady County about 50 miles southwest of Saratoga.
Photo of Paulina Hoag and Jan Murphy by Super Source Media for Saratoga TODAY.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Founded in 2024, Saratoga Floral Design has recently undergone some significant changes, joining forces with Jan’s Florist and undergoing a five-month-long renovation.
The company officially merged with Jan’s in October of last year, opening a new storefront at 3 Marion Avenue in the Spa City. The transition brought together Jan Murphy’s decades of experience with a new vision for the shop under a new name. Murphy herself remains actively involved in the operation and continues to personally design floral arrangements alongside Saratoga Floral Design’s Paulina Hoag.
Originally from Poland, Hoag has been living in the United States for 17 years, building a life and career. Her design style is influenced by European floral traditions that emphasize natural movement, thoughtful composition, and refined simplicity.
“After years of supporting and managing businesses behind the scenes, I felt inspired to create something of my own—something rooted in creativity, hard work, and community,” Hoag told Saratoga TODAY. “When the opportunity arose to continue a beloved local flower shop, it felt like a meaningful next chapter in my journey.”
In addition to custom floral arrangements, Saratoga Floral Design offers a curated selection of gifts for all occasions, including products from small businesses such as baby gifts, items for dog and cat lovers, and specialty treats. The shop also hosts flower-arranging workshops.
“Above all, our goal is to be more than a flower shop—to be a place where people feel at home and part of the community,” Hoag said.
The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 14 to celebrate the recent opening of KOS Sauna on Saratoga Lake. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Ice-cold waters surrounded the KOS floating sauna on Saratoga Lake, threatening to cool its steamy inner core. But the chilly foes were fought off by KOS’ interior temperatures, which can reach as high as a sizzling 230 degrees.
KOS (pronounced “cozy” without the y) is a Norwegian word defined as a feeling of comfort, warmth, and togetherness. It is an apt description of New York State’s first public floating sauna, which was filled with local politicos and well-wishers on Wednesday afternoon at a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the Finnish-style sauna’s recent opening.
The 15-person sauna is open year-round and offers everything from communal sessions to private rentals to annual memberships to classes and rituals.
A visit includes access to the sauna, roof terrace, and changing rooms, as well as an invigorating plunge into the lake (in winter, this experience may be for only the boldest of Saratogians). Water served at the sauna is sourced straight from the Spa City’s famed mineral springs. Saratoga’s ancient, mineral-rich agua was the primary reason KOS creator/owner Kate Butchart decided to open up shop here, she said at the ribbon cutting.
KOS is located at the marina near Lago by Druthers, at 550 Union Avenue. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday, from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m., with reservation slots available at 90-minute increments.
BALLSTON SPA — All Things Gluten-Free, a Ballston Spa-based bakery, has reached the top 5 of a national “Greatest Baker” competition.
“This journey is a tribute to my late father,” said Shannon Welch, the bakeshop’s owner. “He was my biggest supporter, and I bake every batch in his memory.”
Welch is competing to win $10,000 to build a “backyard bake shed” to expand her business, while also raising money for childhood cancer research.
To learn more or to vote for All Things Gluten-Free in future rounds of the competition, visit https://greatestbaker.org//shannon-welch-ebvo.
“Another Day, Another Diner” host Pat Fleming outside Compadres Diner in Gansevoort. Photo provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — In a world increasingly filled with AI slop, there may be something refreshing about social media content that feels authentic.
Pat Fleming, a self-described “Troy boy” and newly-minted Saratogian, has been to more than 100 diners, filming his experiences at 73 of them.
His lifelong love of a good greasy spoon led to “Another Day, Another Diner,” an ongoing video series that features Fleming stopping by small-town diners to enjoy whatever the establishment recommends, plus his signature “big black coffee.” Sometimes he devours the meal accompanied only by a cameraperson, other times he’ll be joined by mayors, local politicos, or even a UFC fighter. His videos have earned him tens of thousands of followers, and, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of viewers.
“I just loved going to diners, and then one day, I looked around and noticed that almost all the diners I was in were either empty or had an older crowd, and I realized that they were kind of dying out,” Fleming told Saratoga TODAY. “I had this idea to try to attempt to connect the next generation to these family-owned restaurants, these diners, which are unique to American culture.”
Despite having little experience in the content creation world (Fleming said he had only been on social media for a few months before launching his video series), “Another Day, Another Diner” quickly took off. Fleming attributes this to the series’ authenticity.
“It’s nothing fancy, but it’s sure not fake either,” he said. “I’m not going to record the best videos or have the best editing…the food might not always look the best, or whatever it is, but I think that’s what people are drawn to nowadays. It’s getting back to the authentic greasy spoon-style restaurants. I think social media is full of AI and fancy stuff. I just think people want the real thing.”
Part of capturing that authentic experience entails Fleming typically arriving at a diner anonymous and unannounced, although he said that since his video series has become popular, he’s often recognized at Capital Region eateries.
As a connoisseur of local restaurants, Fleming has eaten just about everywhere in the Saratoga area. Compadres Diner is not just an under-the-radar gem, but “one of my favorite diners of all time,” Fleming said. He also named Manory’s and Duncan’s Dairy Bar, both in Troy, as two of his top picks.
With a GOAT diner located near Saratoga, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Fleming now lives in the Spa City. “You have the racetrack, you have awesome food, excellent nightlife culture, the cafe scene is really cool…I mean, Saratoga is awesome,” he said.
But Fleming isn’t limiting himself to just the Saratoga area. He’s been to greasy spoons all over the country, and has trips planned to New York City, Salt Lake City, Tampa, and Vermont, where he’ll likely shoot more videos.
Of course, there is one, sometimes hotly debated issue Fleming must contend with: What exactly is a diner? In a series of man-on-the-street-style interviews filmed in downtown Saratoga during the annual SantaCon event, Fleming quizzed locals on their favorite diners. Many named Compton’s or Triangle, but a few may have stretched the definition of “diner” by naming Sweet Mimi’s, The Merc, and the Charlton Tavern.
“Typically, booths and countertop seating are very big metrics,” Fleming said. “That’s how I try to weigh it out. Does it have a booth or countertop seating, and is it cheap food?”
As his diner-going adventures continue to generate buzz, Fleming’s “Another Day, Another Diner” brand has branched out. On his website, Fleming now sells merch that includes sweatshirts, t-shirts, and his very own ground coffee.
To follow along with Fleming’s diner tour, visit anotherdayanotherdiner.com, or you can find him on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
The Allman Betts Bandheadlined Saratoga’s New Year’s Eve music lineup, taking the main stage at the City Center at 8 p.m. Introducing the group, which includes the sons of three founding members of the Allman Brothers Band, was outgoing Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran. “The Allman Brothers, for me, pierced me like no other band,” Moran said. “I think you’re all sitting here for a reason. I actually was, I would guess, the youngest person that was at the famous 1971 concert up at Skidmore. As a 10-month-old, I was taken to that concert by my dad. Apparently, I was drinking Mateus wine all day and eating cigarette butts. Nothing’s changed since, but it brings me extreme pleasure to introduce the progeny of the band that makes me love music, The Allman Betts Band.” Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
Ally the Piper, a Capital Region native who plays the bagpipes, rose to fame thanks to millions of social media followers. She played in the second-floor room at the City Center around the same time as Allman Betts. Her proud mother was in the audience, issuing the occasional “whoop!” of encouragement. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
Glass Pony, an Albany-based group that bills themselves as a “psychedelic groove circus,” opened for Allman Betts on the main stage. The jam band featured Greg Pittz on lead guitar, who impressed the cheering audience by shredding some solos. Glass Pony’s drummer, Chanda Dewey, states on the group’s website that she “was born in an oyster shell off the coast of New Zealand.” Saratoga TODAY is still working on fact-checking that biographical claim. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
Heard— a world jazz band that incorporates influences from West Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean—played in the City Center’s second-floor room prior to Ally the Piper. The group led audience members in several dance sessions, one of which included a modified “Macarena.” Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Mouzon House—a Victorian-style home that more recently served as a farm-to-table restaurant—has been listed by Julie & Co. Realty for $1.75 million.
A year ago, the restaurant announced that it was entering into a “new chapter,” deciding to no longer have regular restaurant hours but instead focusing on its Supper Club, a reservation-only dining experience available on select dates.
“After many years of pouring our hearts into running this restaurant, we’ve made the decision to shift gears and reimagine how we connect with you, our amazing community,” the restaurant said in a statement released in Jan. 2025. “This hasn’t been an easy decision. The restaurant business is a tough one, and after much thought, we realized it was time for a change—one that allows us to continue sharing our passion for food in a way that feels special and sustainable.”
The Mouzon House property at 1 York Street is 2,968 square feet but can expand to around 4,500 square feet of usable space during warmer months.
“The building offers intimate spaces throughout, from the garden area to private dining rooms,” states the listing. “Fireplaces, murals, and unique design at every turn.”
Originally built in 1883, the Mouzon House was purchased in 1919 by Ardel Mouzon, a Cherokee woman who fought to protect the home from demolition. The property was inherited by Ardel’s daughter Mia Mouzon, who was the first American-born woman of color to graduate from Skidmore College. The building was later purchased and restored by the Pedinotti family.
