SARATOGA SPRINGS — Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs hosted the seventh class of inductees into the Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame on Monday, March 24.
The Class of 2025 inductees include Charlene Shortsleeve – nightlife curator of Albany’s 288 Lark, and founder of the legendary downtown Albany QE2 Club; percussionist Brian Melick; folk artist Dan Berggren, SIRSY duo Melanie Krahmer and Rich Libutti; and the groups Emerald City, Stony Creek Band, The Clay People, and The Sharks.
“I just want to thank all the bands, poets, actors, the drag queens and vampires and all the sordid people,” Charlene Shortsleeve said from the stage during her acceptance speech.
The Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame honors local individuals who have made outstanding contributions to, or significant impact on the evolution, development, and perpetuation of the music industry. UPH in Saratoga Springs is the permanent location of the Hall of Fame.
Exclusive Interview: Osborne Talks Dylan, Dala Lama, The Who and ‘God’ Song
Joan Osborne sings Bob Dylan at Universal Preservation Hall on April 10.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Joan Osborne’s performing life in Saratoga Springs dates back more than 30 years and includes onstage appearances at everywhere from The Metro to Caffe Lena, and SPAC to the Saratoga Springs City Center.
On April 10, Osborne will kick-off her new U.S. tour at Universal Preservation Hall, performing the songs of Bob Dylan with her three-piece band.
“I’ve been to Saratoga a number of times,” Osborne said, during a telephone interview in advance of the start of her tour. “It’s an interesting place because you have the seasonal character – people coming up for the races, to visit the springs – but there’s also this old upstate New York character as well – the beautiful architecture. It’s always an interesting place to go.”
The songs to be performed at UPH likely will include reimagined works honoring one of America’s greatest musical poets issued in Osborne’s 2017 collection “Songs of Bob Dylan,” some newly reinterpreted tunes slated to drop in late April titled “Dylanology Live,” and potentially some original surprises as well.
With Dylan’s songs specifically, Osborne says, there is a lot of thought that goes into her reimagination of the works. “When I cover someone else’s song, I never try to repeat what they did because A – it’s impossible, and B – it’s a waste of time,” she says. “What I’m always looking for is trying to find the place where that song and my voice can come together in a way that some aspect of the song can be new, refreshed, where this song can live through me in a way that’s unique.”
During her career, Osborne served as co-headliner for the Lilith Fair tour, performed for The Dalai Lama at his monastery in India, played in support of The Who during a multi-night run at Madison Square Garden, and appeared before a massive crowd of 100,000 at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. She has been a featured partner in duets with the likes of many – Luciano Pavarotti, Patti Smith, and Bob Dylan himself, among them.
Her launch into the mainstream began 30 years ago, nearly to the day, with the release of her major label debut album ‘Relish,’ and more specifically with a song written by Eric Bazilian of the Hooters which gained Osborne worldwide attention.
The song begins opens an a cappella fragment descending from 1930s Appalachia, followed by seven sultry guitar notes kept time-steady by the tapping of a closed high-hat. The full band then breaks in, celebrating the eruption of a new dawn, followed by Osborne’s haunting voice:
“If God had a name/ What would it be and/ Would you call it to His face/ If you were faced with Him in/ All His glory/ What would you ask if you had: Just. One Question…”
The song (What If God Was) “One of Us” fueled the popularity of her debut album ‘Relish’ and secured a multitude of Grammy Award nominations in record, album, vocal and new artist bests. The song asks: What would you do if you came face-to-face with a God living in your everyday? It remains a well-known entity, 30 years later.
“I feel that if it’s one thing that I’ve got to be known for in the larger world, the song ‘One Of Us’ is a pretty good thing. It’s a pop song, but it’s also talking about matters of faith, so it’s a little bit of a Trojan Horse – you have this pop song with deeper messages in it,” Osborne says. “I’ve felt really good singing it over the years, and that people connect with it. I have gotten letters and emails from church people who talked about using that song to engage the youth in their congregation and to open up discussions. So, I feel it’s been a real blessing to me – if that’s the right word.”
Some more of our discussion with Joan Osborne, presented in Q&A Format:
Can you talk about performing a special concert in India for The Dalai Lama?
“Dharmasala. That was a pretty crazy episode, and I was incredibly honored to be asked. I traveled to India where we flew on this tiny little plane. Then we were driven way, way up in the mountains, and got out of this rickety bus, stepped into the street and… it was like another world. Everywhere you looked were monks and nuns, burgundy robes and identical shaved heads. It was like stepping into an alternate universe. The show we did was in the monastery that the Dalai Lama had in Dharamsala, the mass majority of people at the concert being the monks and nuns who were in the monastery. The Dalai Lama himself sat cross-legged on this little dais. He’s got this very genial sort of happy demeanor. He sat, just smiling and rocking his body back-and-forth, enjoying the show. Yeah, there was definitely a moment where I was: Is this really happening? It was so out-of-the-realm of what I expected. I got to meet with him the next day and had a very brief audience with him. It was wonderful, to just sit in his presence and talk with him a little bit.”
You also opened for The Who at Madison Square Garden?
“That was pretty awesome, too. They were doing a multi-night stand there, and we did two or three nights. Pete Townshend was a fan of the ‘Relish’ album and came backstage and knocked on the dressing room door. I remember having a conversation with him where we were talking about mechanical noise and how you can sometimes hear music within that mechanical noise. I was talking about a refrigerator I had in my apartment, how the hum of the refrigerator would come on in certain moments and how I would intuit these musical patterns within that. And he was like: ‘Oh yes, that happened to me when I was very young. I was on a boat with my parents and the boat had a motor. I was lying down in the boat looking up at the sky and I could hear all these melodies, this music in the sound of the motor. When we got to the point where we were going, my parents turned the motor off. I jumped up and said: No! Turn it back on! Turn it back on!’
This was the conversation I was having with Pete Townshend. Hearing music in the white noise of these mechanical noises.”
You attended NYU Film School for a while – did seeing things from a visual pe4rspective in that way help you as a songwriter – do the arts all come together for you in that way?
“I do think that influenced me a lot. The notion of telling a story visually. Especially learning about film editing and the order in which things happen really dictates a lot of the meaning. I think I took a perspective in that for writing lyrics and presenting visual images and taking care in the order in which I presented them as lyrics.”
How has the landscape changed for the touring Artist since the 1990’s?
“The landscape of how people listen to music is very, very different since when I started out. My major label record ‘Relish’ came out 30 years ago. Most artists are in the position of having to tour to make a living, and I’m certainly one of those people, but I’m very fortunate, I really enjoy touring and that was my first love – performing live. I started out singing in small clubs in New York City on the Lower East Side and in The Village, so that was my first love, and I still really enjoy it. I feel fortunate and grateful for the audience I have and for the career that I’ve had and that this is how I’m able to make a living, but it’s definitely not a secure position.”
You meet many different people with many different points of view during your travels across the globe. What is your sense about the state of the country in 2025?
“I don’t have some overarching philosophy. I can only see it through the lens of my work and my life. I do think that music has an important position, an important job to do in the world right now. The most dangerous thing about that’s happening in our country is the way that we have lost sight of each other as fellow citizens. The way we have demonized each other and been separated and divided into Us vs. Them. I think one of the things that allows us to lay that aside and come together in a physical space within our communities is live music. Everybody’s there just for the enjoyment of this basic human need: hearing the music. I’m not saying that it’s going to change the world, but I do think it’s valuable for us to step out of this Us vs. Them mentality, embrace these moments as a community, and to try and maintain those connections if we can because there are so many trying to destroy them.”
Joan Osborne: The Music of Bob Dylan will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 10 at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs. For tickets and more information, go to: atuph.org.
Attendees at the Empty Chair Town Hall for Constituents of New York’s 21st Congressional District on March 23, 2025. Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.
GLENS FALLS — More than 150 people filled all available seats, and dozens more stood against the walls inside the Crandall Public Library March 23 during an event billed as the Empty Chair Town Hall for Constituents of New York’s 21st Congressional District.
The “empty chair” atop the stage was occupied by a photograph of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who currently represents the 21st Congressional District which includes multiple Saratoga County towns – Corinth, Greenfield, Moreau, Northumberland, Saratoga, and portions of Wilton among them.
Attendees of the event were chosen to speak via a lottery system. They shared concerns in response to the current administration’s plans threatening multiple federal jobs and agencies, and potential cuts specifically in the Medicaid healthcare program and in Social Security benefits.
“The cascade will be monumental,” one woman said. “A waterfall effect of people who will not be able to pay their bills.”
“Why do you and other members of Congress stand by and do nothing and allow Elon Musk to do what he is doing?” asked another.
The event showcased a cross-section of area residents that included military veterans and families of current military members to artists, parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. The gathering was organized by Indivisible ADK/Saratoga. Organizers said Stefanik was invited to attend the event.
A media statement provided by Stefanik’s team did not address the constituent concerns, and instead read, in part: “Congresswoman Stefanik has hosted thousands of events since she was first elected which is why she was consistently overwhelmingly re-elected for six terms earning the highest number of votes in the North Country in history for a Congressional candidate. This is the same failed playbook radical Leftist Democrats have used every cycle.”
Stefanik was first elected to the office in 2014. On Nov. 11, 2024, six days after Stefanik was elected to her sixth term to represent New York’s 21st District, President-elect Donald Trump picked the town of Saratoga resident to serve as his ambassador to the United Nations. A confirmation vote to serve as ambassador to the UN is anticipated to take place in the coming days, and a special election – expected to take place during this summer – will be held to fill the seat.
BALLSTON SPA — During its monthly meeting, held March 18 at the county complex in Ballston Spa, the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors approved executing an agreement with the Saratoga County Foundation Inc. for $50,000 in support of 2025 Belmont on Broadway Festival activities.
The funds are targeted for economic development and tourism promotions within the county.
The six-day “Belmont on Broadway” celebration is currently being organized to coincide with the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in Saratoga Springs in June.
The Saratoga County Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization managed by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
In Other County News
* A board resolution was approved 16-0 urging the New York State Legislature and Gov. Hochul take legislative action to restrict the sale of kratom across the state.
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a psychoactive substance derived from the leaves of a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, which has been marketed and sold as an herbal supplement with claims of pain relief, mood enhancement, and opioid withdrawal treatment, according to the resolution.
In February, Ballston Spa resident Cari Scribner addressed the Board of Supervisors during the monthly meeting’s Public Input segment and spoke about her son, Nicholas, who died last November at the age of 27.
“Nick had a very common affliction: insomnia. Since he was a child, he could not sleep,” Scribner told the Board. “A friend told him about an herbal, all-natural energy enhancer to overcome fatigue with no side effects. This substance was kratom.”
When Nick was 17, a doctor prescribed medicine to help with insomnia. “In an effort to take something from nature rather than from a pharmaceutical company, my son chose this all-natural substance,” Scribner said. “And that choice ended his life.”
The United States Food and Drug Administration has not approved kratom for medical use and has warned of its potential health risks, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration has identified Kratom as a substance of concern due to its opioid-like properties and potential for misuse, according to the county resolution.
Multiple states and local governments across the country have taken steps to regulate or ban the sale of kratom due to growing concerns over public health and safety. In New York State, the sale of kratom is unrestricted.
The Board of Supervisors measure requests that legislative action be taken “whether through regulation, age restrictions, or an outright ban,” to restrict the sale across the state.
*The Board approved a resolution proclaiming April 2025 “Donate Life Month” In Saratoga County. The measure encourages county employees to wear blue and green on April 11 to raise awareness of the need for organ and tissue donations.
Statistically, one person is added to the organ transplant waiting list every eight minutes in the U.S. More than 100,000 men, women and children are currently awaiting organ transplants. More than 6,000 people nationally and 400 people in New York State die annually because the organ they need is not donated in time, according to the resolution.
Donate Life New York State, a non-profit comprised of organ and tissue recovery organizations, health professionals, and individuals affected by donation, encourage employees of participating agencies and local governments to wear their official colors on “Blue and Green Day,” held on April 11. Anyone 16 years of age or older can register with the New York State Donate Life Registry.
*A resolution was approved to execute an agreement with Amazing Grace Transportation, LLC, of Schenectady, for the transportation of senior citizens in the towns of Charlton, Edinburg, Galway, Providence, and Saratoga. The term of the agreement is from April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026, at a daily rate of $450, with the total expended not to exceed $90,450 for the twelve-month term.
Robert Snyder visits the region March 28-29 to speak about his new book When the City Stopped: Stories from New York’s Essential Workers.
ALBANY — The Great White Way earned its nickname generations ago and became known the world over for its illumination of lively activity down the backbone of the world’s greatest city. Five years ago nearly to the day, everything came to an ominous halt.
“On March 20, with Broadway closed, schools closed, and refrigerator trucks set up outside hospitals to handle an anticipated overflow of dead bodies, the governor announced his New York on Pause Plan,” recounts Manhattan Borough Historian Robert W. Snyder. “New York was now a city under lockdown at the epicenter of a global pandemic.” The chilling retelling introduces his new book: When the City Stopped: Stories from New York’s Essential Workers.
Snyder visits the Capital Region next week, when he will share the stories of COVID-19 in the words of ordinary New Yorkers. A talk takes place at 2 p.m. Friday, March 28 at the University at Albany, and at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at the New York State Museum’s Huxley Theater. Both events are free to attend.
Snyder, who was appointed Manhattan Borough Historian in 2019, revisits the spring of 2020 when across the city’s largely vacant streets direct human connection carried the threat of mortal danger. The book highlights the fear and uncertainty of life in the early weeks and months of the pandemic, as well as the solidarity that sustained the city.
The stories in the book are based on oral histories and first-person narratives. These are the words of bus drivers and restaurant workers, schoolteachers and paramedics, cab drivers, sales clerks, members of law enforcement, and supermarket cashiers.
Nurse Patricia Tiu tells the story of a female patient who spent a week in the hospital to have surgery performed. While in the hospital, the patient tested positive for COVID-19. “She asked the nurse if the nurse could stand where she could see her until she falls asleep from the sedation because she doesn’t want to die alone. That was the last thing she said.”
The stories portray 43 different New Yorkers who worked on the frontlines, struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic and faced the uncertainties of the virus head-on.
“Years after having to worry about infections because of damage my lungs had suffered on 9/11 – I would once again have fear that I could die of a virus by going to work,” says 60-year-old fire department battalion chief Simon Ressner. “My nose starts itching. DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE!!”
Snyder says he wrote the book in memory of all who were lost, and in honor of the frontline workers faced danger so that others may live. “As Manhattan Borough Historian, I wanted to produce a book that would ensure that the experiences of New Yorkers during the pandemic were not forgotten.”
It is very much a survivor’s story as well as a reminder of the suddenness and unpredictability that life may present at any given time; an emotional collection to carry forward for everyone alive today.
To fail to learn from the tragedies of the pandemic would be a tragedy twice over, writes Snyder. “If we are to learn anything… the best place to begin is with the words of the people who drove the ambulances, cared for patients, punched cash registers, drove buses, ran trains, and faced death daily so that others may live. Remembering their stories and sacrifices is the best way to prepare for a better future.”
When the City Stopped: Stories from New York’s Essential Workers, was published March 15, 2025 by Three Hills Books, an imprint of Cornell University Press. Author and historian Robert Snyder will speak at the University at Albany, 2 pm to 3:30 pm Friday, March 28- Humanities HU 354, 1400 Washington Ave, Albany, and 2 – 3 p.m. Saturday, March 29, Huxley Theater, New York State Museum, 222 Madison Ave., Albany.
ALLSTON SPA — The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors set a Public Hearing to take place at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9 regarding a proposed resolution to modify Last Call hours across Saratoga County. The hearing will be staged in the Meeting Room of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors at 40 McMaster St., Ballston Spa.
The measure, which was officially approved by the Board during its monthly meeting on March 19, requests the NY State Liquor Authority amend the hours that alcoholic beverages for on-premise consumption may be sold in Saratoga County beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
Under current New York State Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption is prohibited in Saratoga County between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sundays, and between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. on all other days.
The proposed resolution requests the New York State Liquor Authority implement the following changes, effective January 1, 2026:
Nov. 1 – April 30: Last call at 2 a.m.
May 1 – Oct. 31: Last call at 3 a.m.
A Special Exception is in place on New Year’s Eve, when Last Call is extended to 4 a.m.
The full Board of Supervisors could potentially vote to approve the resolution at its subsequent monthly meeting on April 15.
If approved, the measure will be forwarded to the SLA, which holds the final authority to enact the proposed changes affecting serving times throughout Saratoga County.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Attorney Sarah Burger officially launched her candidacy last week to become the third candidate in the two-seat race for city supervisor at the county level.
The event was held at Saratoga Casino Hotel March 12, and Burger, a Democrat, was introduced by former Saratoga Springs Mayor Joanne Yepsen. A number of current and former city officials were also in attendance – Dillon Moran, Hank Kuczynski, and Bill McTygue, among them.
Burger introduced herself as an experienced litigator and negotiator who has successfully resolved countless disputes on behalf of working people for unpaid wages, discrimination, harassment and retaliation. She also previously served as chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee.
Current Supervisor Michele Madigan (D) previously announced her candidacy for Saratoga Springs city mayor. Current and longtime Supervisor Matt Veitch (R) – who also currently serves as vice-chairperson of the Board of Supervisors – was endorsed by the Republican Party for re-election as supervisor. In addition to Burger, the Democratic Party has endorsed current city Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi for supervisor.
Elections will be held in November for the two supervisor positions as well as for all five Saratoga Springs City Council seats.
54 Church St. project north elevation concept. The sketch is presented by the applicant as being “very conceptual in nature” and intended to provide a general overview.
SARATOGA SPRINGS – A new project seeks to develop a four-story mixed-use building near the intersection of Church and Clinton streets where a gas station and small convenience store currently stand.
The proposal calls for a civic space/sculpture fountain on the Church Street/Clinton Street corner with new trees and concrete curbing, and the construction of the four-story structure – measuring approximately 50 feet by 80 feet – located at the south of the existing property.
Currently, a gas pump island with four pump stations stand beneath a red canopy on a concrete pad at the location. That would be modified to feature four fuel pumps and a new canopy. The brick/block structure housing the existing convenience store would be demolished with an expanded market to be constructed in its place. The expanded market and fuel station would continue to operate under the current owner’s use. A second tenant would be added, preferred to be a coffee and beverage franchise, according to the proposal.
The project location at 54 Church St. sits just west of Broadway, between the AMC Saratoga Springs cinema on Church Street and the Blackmer Building on Clinton Street.
The 15-page application for a Site Plan review was submitted to the city by Grewal Properties, Inc.
The proposal depicts commercial use space on the first floor – including an expanded market and fuel station for use by the current owner, with floors 2,3 and 4 each housing four apartments. A penthouse apartment with outdoor patio space would be located on the roof. The plan also calls for 13 on-site shared parking spaces.
The application has not yet made its way onto the Land Use Board calendar as a meeting agenda item, but the Planning Board was specifically cited as the preferred board to conduct the Sketch Plan Review as variances related to the proposed project will likely be required.
SARATOGA COUNTY – Elections will be held in some villages in Saratoga County on Tuesday, March 18. They include:
Village of Schuylerville
When: noon – 9 p.m. Where: Village of Schuylerville municipal building in the firehouse, 35 Spring St. Positions up for vote: Mayor 4-year term; Two Trustees 4-year terms. Candidates: Mayor – Vision for the Village: Dan Carpenter, unopposed. Trustees – Vision for the Village: Whitney Colvin, Michelle Campbell, unopposed.
Village of South Glens Falls
When: noon – 9 p.m. Where: Village Hall, 46 Saratoga Ave., South Glens Falls. Positions up for vote: Mayor 4-year term; Two Trustees 4-year terms.
Village of Victory
When: noon – 9 p.m. Where: Village of Victory Community Center, 23 Pine St., Victory Mills. Positions up for vote: Mayor 4-year term; 1 Trustee 4-year term. Candidates: Mayor – Republican: Corey Helwig vs. Democrat, Next Victory: Wayne White. Trustee – Republican: Tammy Lyn Mitchell vs. Democrat, Next Victory: Ray J. Kemmerling. Residents of other villages in Saratoga County should contact their respective village office.
Serial Killer Support Group, the debut novel by Saratoga Schaefer, published March 18. (photo: Penguin Random House).
SARATOGA SPRINGS — “Yes, that’s my real name,” says first-time author Saratoga Schaefer, with a laugh. “It was less awkward when I would come and visit for the summer, but now that I live up here I have to explain it to everyone.”
The debut novel by Saratoga Schaefer will publish March 18 and the very next day will be celebrated with an in-person book launch in Saratoga Springs at Northshire Bookstore.
Titled “Serial Killer Support Group,” protagonist Cyra Griffin, who lives in a less-than-stellar studio in Jamaica, Queens, swallows the rage from the hand she’s been dealt following the murder of her younger sister by a serial killer: “She wanted to snap, but she had to choose her battles.”
With the police investigation into the murder leading nowhere, Cyra follows the blood trail and finds her own way forward, infiltrating a support group for serial killers. The group has strict rules that come with a stern warning: Those who break any of the rules… will be killed.
Where did the idea of a support group for serial killers come to Schaefer from?
“I had read something once – and it was some throw-away line – that there was no such thing as a support group for murderers and that just locked in my head,” says Schaefer. “I started to think: OK, but what if there was? And what if specifically, there was one for serial killers? So, it was born from that. I found the concept intriguing. It was something I wanted to explore.”
In the novel meanwhile, Cyra familiarizes herself with the serial killer mindset. She watches and studies, envisioning what it would be like. “She imagines staking his place out and, learning his habits, his comings and goings, figuring out his apartment number and memorizing the door code. When she was ready and knew they wouldn’t be disturbed, she would slip inside and knock on his door.”
The book’s characters carry distinctive names – Sand Fly and Mistletoe, Whipworm, Pea Crab and Python. “Sometimes my characters name themselves,” Schaefer says. “If something leaps out and seems to fit the character, then pretty much that decision is made for me.”
The book’s publisher, Crooked Lane – distributed by Penguin Random House, bills the novel as a biting queer feminist debut thriller.
Schaefer identifies as they. Cyra, the book’s protagonist, is told from the point-of-view of she. “I’m very interested in the female perspective, and I made a conscious decision to make Cyra queer – so that was the part of me that was in there a little bit,” Schaefer says. “I feel it’s no different than a female author writing from a male perspective or vice-versa, so I didn’t find it a very hard perspective (to write). It was more about the character than anything else.”
Schaefer, who grew up in Brooklyn, relocated about two years ago to the Saratoga area where she teaches yoga, hikes mountains and lives with an anxious dog and a possessive cat. So just how did the birth-name Saratoga come about?
“When my mom was younger, her family had a house up here,” says Schaefer. “She spent her summers coming up and when she met my dad, she brought him up here. They both fell in love with the town and the track and then when they had their first-born child, they were like: well, let’s name them Saratoga.”
Saratoga Schaefer will be at Northshire Bookstore at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 19. The event will include a talk about the debut novel “Serial Killer Support Group” with local writer Jennifer Dugan, a Q&A and a book-signing. Later in the week, Schaefer will be part of a flash tattoo event celebrating the publication of the book at Shark Tooth Tattoo, located at 72 Henry St., from 9 am – 1 pm on Saturday, March 22.
For more information about the in-person author appearance at Northshire Bookstore, go to: northshire.com. For more information about Schaefer, go to: saratogaSchaefer.com.
