Author: Saratoga TODAY

NEW YORK – The first time Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith performed their song “Because The Night” was on a frigid New York night in 1977 at CBGB’s 2nd Ave. Theater the night before New Year’s Eve. The evening concluded with the NYFD pulling the plug on the show and a row of police anticipating trouble lining Fourth Street. It was a different time. 

The next time the two perform the song together will be Saturday night on the Great Lawn in Central Park as part of the multi-artist gathering, “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert.”

The concert, which will host up to 60,000 vaccinated attendees, takes place 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 21, and will be broadcast around the world, live on CNN. 

Full Lineup for Central Park Concert: Jon Batiste, Andrea Bocelli, Kane Brown, LL COOL J, Elvis Costello, Lucky Daye, Earth, Wind & Fire, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Cynthia Erivo, Jimmy Fallon, Jennifer Hudson, Wyclef Jean, Journey, The Killers, Gayle King, Don Lemon, Barry Manilow, The New York Philharmonic, Polo G, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Rob Thomas.    

HUDSON FALLS — PAKT performs at The Strand Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 12. Show time is 7 p.m. and tickets are $25. 

PAKT is made up of fretless bass guitar icon Percy Jones, guitarists Alex Skolnick and Tim Motzer, and drummer Kenny Grohowski. Welsh bassist Jones (a New York resident) is known for his tenure in the jazz fusion group Brand X, as well as extensive studio work with Brian Eno, Kate Bush, Suzanne Vega, David Sylvian. Skolnick is best known as the lead guitarist in the thrash metal band Testament; he went on to freelance work, playing jazz with his Alex Skolnick Trio, and experimenting with World Music and Progressive Rock. 

Grohowski is one of the busiest drummers in business, and his recent associations include John Zorn, Brand X, Imperial Triumphant, Kilter, Felix Pastorius & Hipster Assassins, John Medeski, Lonny Plaxico, Tony Levin, Beledo, Markus Reuter, and many others. Motzer has a long background in free improvisation as well, including the bands Bandit65 (with fellow guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel) and Orion Tango, plus many other recorded collaborations for his 1k Recordings label. 

The Strand is located at 210 Main St., Hudson Falls.  For tickets, or more information, call 518-832-3484 or go to www.hudsonrivermusichall.org  

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Doc Severinsen has postponed his two shows at Caffe Lena on Aug. 28-29.  “He’s healthy and well and plans to reschedule as soon as travel is safer. But even though we won’t have Doc, we’ll still be celebrating Travers Weekend in style at Caffe Lena,” the café offers.

Saturday’s performance will be replaced with a special viewing party of Severin’s performance from 2019, streamed free on Caffe Lena’s streaming platforms. Fans are also welcome to to come to Caffe Lena and enjoy the show on the big screen at the venue.

The alternative Sunday show will feature a performance with the Gil Gutierrez Trio. Gutierrez – a guitarist who hails from from Oaxaca, is the music director of Severin’s band, the San Miguel 5. He will be joined by Bob Stern on Violin and David Rodriguez on bass. Tickets area available at www.caffelena.org/live-events. 

Some future shows to keep in mind at Caffe Lena, located on Phila Street: Don Armstrong returns on Sept. 25, Roomful of Blues Oct. 1, Steve Forbert Oct. 14, and November brings Kathy Mattea, and Blues Project to the café.   

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Join Executive Director Samantha Bosshart on Sunday, August 22 at 10:30a.m. for the popular Summer Sunday Stroll “The Good Life: North Broadway.” 

The tour features grand Queen Annes along this famed corridor which were built by Saratoga’s most prominent figures such as Lucy Skidmore Scribner, Fred Cluett, William B. Gage, and Senator Brackett. 

The tour meets at the northwest corner of North Broadway and Van Dam Street. Limited tickets remain – purchase online at www.saratogapreservation.org. 

Sunday morning tours last approximately 90 minutes and require walking and standing on varied terrain. Tours will be limited to thirty and tickets must be purchased in advance.  The cost per tour is $15 for SSPF members and $20 for non-members. 

Next: Sunday, Aug. 29, it’s Women of Greenridge with stroll leader Gloria May. Learn about the prominent and influential women, as well as the ordinary, who are buried in Greenridge Cemetery and whose life stories tell the history of Saratoga Springs. The Foundation will also be offering bike tours of the Saratoga Spa State Park on Sunday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Oct. 9.  Bike tours last approximately three hours and space is limited to 20. For additional information, visit www.saratogapreservation.org, call 518-587-5030, or email Nicole Babie, Membership & Programs Director, at nbabie@saratogapreservation.org. 

Founded in 1977, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the preservation and enhancement of the architectural, cultural, and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs.

ALBANY — The Egg has added a new list of performances to its 2021-22 concert series.

Kaki King – Sept. 18, $29.50. Considered one of the most unique guitarists of our time, Kaki King combines virtuoso technique, insatiable imagination, and boundless humanity as heard on her most recent recording “Modern Yesterdays” where she continues to deconstruct and redefine the boundaries of the guitar through technique, imagination, and boundless humanity.

The Milk Carton Kids – Sept. 24, $36. The Milk Carton Kids – Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan – combine ethereal harmonies and intricate musicianship into a uniquely powerful brand of contemporary songcraft becoming one of the today’s foremost folk duos.

Loudon Wainwright III – Oct. 16, $34. Loudon Wainwright III is by far and away the most candid of singer-songwriters with his confessional, darkly witty and touchingly personal music gracing nearly 20 albums since 1970. Also an actor Loudon has appeared in both feature films and television and on stage in his theatre piece “Surviving Twin,” and has contributed to the soundtracks on a number of these projects. 

The Del McCoury Band with special guests Tony Trischka, Jacob Jolliff & Michael Daves – Nov. 20, $49.50, $39.50, $34.50. The most awarded bluegrass group in history, the Del McCoury Band is a living link to the days when this music was made only in hillbilly honkytonks, county fairs and at the Grand Ole Opry to today where the genre’s popularity is soaring at festivals and concert stages around the world. 

Richard Thompson – Dec. 5, $59.50, $49.50. Iconic British folk rock legend Richard Thompson, one of the world’s most critically acclaimed and prolific songwriters and admired guitarists, performs an intimate solo acoustic concert. 

Bruce Cockburn – Feb. 25, 2022, $49.50, $39.50. Bruce Cockburn ‘s music explores urban, political and social issues in a poetically and rhythmically unique style that has produced classic songs such as “Wonderin’ Where the Lions Are,” “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” and “If I Had A Rocket Launcher.” 

Tickets are currently on sale online at www.theegg.org or by telephone at 518-473-1845, or in person at The Egg Box Office Monday – Friday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

LAKE GEORGE — The Adirondack Independent Music Festival will return to the Charles R. Wood Festival Commons in Lake George for three nights, over Labor Day weekend.  Scheduled for Friday, Sept. 3 – Sunday, Sept. 5, the event will feature several premier touring bands currently on the festival circuit. 

This year’s festival will feature headliners moe., who will be performing 4 sets over 2 nights and Twiddle (2 sets), who has performed at the festival in previous years. There will also be a special tribute to Prince and David Bowie featuring members of Pink Talking Fish, Snarky Puppy, Kung Fu and more.  The 2021 lineup will also include performances by Roots of Creation, Kung Fu, Lucid, Bella’s Bartok, Eggy, Neighbor, Dogs in a Pile, Annie in the Water, Baked Shrimp and Hartley’s Encore.

In addition to live music, the festival will feature a variety of food and craft vendors as well as a great view of the Lake George fireworks on Saturday evening.

Ticket information: $165 General Admission Weekend (3-day) tickets are on sale at www.adkmusicfest.com.  There is also a special VIP option available, which includes admission to all three days of the festival, a meal each night, free snacks, half-priced adult beverages, $2 water / soft drinks, a private viewing area (with private bar) and access to private bathrooms. 

Music in the Festival Commons will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and run until 11 p.m. each night.  The event is open to attendees of all ages and children 12 and under are free. 

For tickets and more information, visit the festival website at www.adkmusicfest.com.

BENNINGTON — Following a nation-wide search, Martin Mahoney, Director of Operations and Collections at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachussetts, has been appointed Bennington Museum’s next Executive Director. He will assume his leadership position in Bennington on Sept. 8, 2021.

Mahoney begins his tenure with Bennington Museum with an impressive and progressive track record of more than 20 years of Museum leadership experience. At the Norman Rockwell Museum, Mahoney was responsible for managing the Museum’s national and international traveling and onsite exhibitions as well as supervising Registration, Collections, Facility Operations, and Security Departments. As a member of the museum executive team, he was deeply involved in fundraising and budgeting on the institutional level, managing multiple departments, overseeing the preservation and operational management of the Museum’s historical buildings, and participating as a key stakeholder in the institutional strategic planning for the expansion of the Museum. 

Additionally, Mahoney has curated numerous exhibitions including Journey: David Macaulay (2019), Perspective and Place: Thomas W. Barrett’s Hudson River Valley (2016), and Mort Kunstler: The Art of Adventure (2014. He graduated from Castleton State University with a BA in history and holds advanced degrees from both the State University of New York at Albany, where he received an MA in Public History and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, where he completed his MBA. Mahoney also participated in the prestigious Getty Leadership Institute (now the Museum Leadership Institute) in 2019. 

A member of the Berkshire Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, Mahoney has served as the chapter vice-chair and chair and has previously sat on the boards of the Williamstown Art Conservation Center as well as the Massachusetts Art Commission at the State House. He is particularly interested in the intersection of history and popular culture, as well as the evolving cross connection of environmental stewardship and community advocacy and how they can be leveraged as economic engines to assist in the revitalization of communities. 

BOLTON LANDING — The Sembrich presents Soprano Alexandra Nowakowski, grand prize winner of the 2018 Marcella Sembrich International Voice Competition, in a rhapsodic lakeside performance at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 21.

The performance titled “Songs to the Moon: Mad Scenes, Love Songs, and Other Lunar Events,” includes the “Silver Aria” from Douglas Moore’s Ballad of Baby Doe, Dvorak’s beloved “Song to the Moon” from Rusalka, Nanetta’s enchanting call to the fairies from Verdi’s Falstaff, and the renowned “Mad Scene” from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. The program also includes the premiere of a new arrangement of “Moonrise,” prepared especially for this performance, based on the heartbreaking final scene from Richard Wargo’s Chekhov-inspired opera, A Visit to the Country.

Tickets are $40 and can be purchased online at TheSembrich.org/tickets or by calling 518-644-2431. This performance will take place on the lakeshore under a performance tent.

The Sembrich is located at 4800 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing. For more information, visit www.TheSembrich.org or call 518- 644-2431 or email: Office@TheSembrich.org. 

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Last year, Capital District raised, Austin-based artist Matt Smith and 6 String Ranch Records announced the release of 8 new albums, as well as 10 digital re-releases of Smith’s catalog recordings. All the albums are available everywhere music is streamed or bought. 

“Being Human” – the flagship release of the new recordings – was four years in-the-making and features songs that reflect issues of the human condition. The songs address broad themes of love, death and spirituality, along with timely issues such as immigration, narcissism and addiction. Smith is supported on the album by an international cast of all-star musicians. 

Segments of the collection is curated from previous albums and include a volume titled “Upstate NY : 1988-1994.” 

Smith’s upcoming gigs: Sept. 8,9 -Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs; Sept. 10 – The Strand Theater, Hudson Falls, and Sept. 11 – Pauly’s Hotel, Albany. 

GLENS FALLS — After an extensive national search, Adirondack Theatre Festival has named Miriam Weisfeld as its fourth producing artistic director. 

Weisfeld most recently served as Director of Artistic Development for the Tony-winning Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. She assumes the position on Sept. 1 and has been in Glens Falls Aug. 1-15 observing production of ATF’s final show of the season, “Traffic and Weather.” 

“Miriam emerged from a great field of candidates partially because of her command of the contemporary issues in American theater around inclusion, audience development and innovation,” said Nancy Fuller, ATF board president, in a statement. “And she also presented the board a clear vision for producing work that is a continuation of ATF’s rich history of entertaining audiences with original stories created and performed by superlative talent.” 

Weisfeld was one of 91 candidates who applied and 44 who were interviewed for the position according to Kate Broderick, an ATF emeritus board member who coordinated the search for the organization. 

There have been only three artistic directors in ATF’s history prior to this appointment: Banta (1995-2007, 2021), Mark Fleischer (2007-2014) and Rabinovitz (2014-2020). 

Weisfeld helped to develop Generation Now, a $1.5 million co-commissioning project for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) playwrights funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, at Children’s Theatre Company, and spearheaded the stage adaptation by Cheryl L. West of “Something Happened in Our Town,” a multigenerational story about racial justice which will be produced in partnership with CBS Twin Cities affiliate WCCO in March 2022. 

The Adirondack Theatre Festival was created in 1993 and presented its first 18-day season of new and contemporary theatre at the French Mountain Playhouse within the Lake George RV Park in 1995. Today ATF is the leading professional theatre in New York’s Capital Region dedicated to emerging artists, new plays, and new musicals. Each summer ATF produces a nine-week season at the Wood Theater in Glens Falls.