SARATOGA SPRINGS ­­— An afternoon of conversation and fun centered around the painting of Fred Tusubira is slated to take place 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11 at Saratoga Arts Center on Broadway. 

Tusubira – or Tsubi, as he is known to his Giving Circle family – grew up in a broken home with a violent and abusive father. Without adequate food, he was always hungry. When his mother was unable to care for him any longer, Tsubi and a younger sister were abandoned before they reached school-age. 

Tsubi and his sister were embraced by The Giving Circle – a Saratoga-based charity – which provided housing and meals at its orphanage in Jinja. The organization also linked him with a sponsor family from Saratoga Springs, which offered support while he attended The Giving Circle’s Busoga School, setting the foundation for his academic and artistic journey.

With support from The Giving Circle, Tsubi enrolled in the Michelangelo College of Creative Arts, where he honed his talent. Through his painting and drawing, Tusbi, now 24, aspires to create more opportunities for himself and his little sister and dreams of making a positive impact in the lives of others, especially those in need, by using his artistic abilities to communicate powerful messages of hope, love and resilience.

Saturday’s exhibition at Saratoga Arts will also include 16 photos by Giving Circle leader Carl Korn. Admission is free, and light snacks will be served.

For more information about the organization and the art show, go to: www.thegivingcircle.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — New Orleans’ two-time Grammy Award nominees Tank and the Bangas bring their eclectic mix of spoken word, R&B, soul, hip-hop, and jazz to Zankel on Friday, Nov. 10. 

Frontwoman Tarriona “Tank” Ball came up in the strong local slam poetry scene before meeting her bandmates at a NOLA open mic night in 2011. The group went on to win NPR’s 2017 Tiny Desk Concert by unanimous acclaim, standing out among 6,000 entrants. 

Their latest album, “Red Balloon,” is heralded as a celebration of Black life and a reckoning with America’s ills.

This Nov. 10 concert at Zankel Music Center, located on the Skidmore college campus, is the venue’s first in a new series called “Mosaic,” curating events and related networking opportunities that cater to the unique perspectives and needs of Black artists, musicians, and creators. 

One day prior to the band’s appearance on the performance stage, the Tang Museum hosts frontwoman Tarriona “Tank” Ball in a free event at 6 p.m. on Nov. 9, when Ball will read from her debut book of poetry, and be in discussion with Njeri Jennings, Tisch Educator at the Tang. For more information about the reading and the Tang Museum, go to: tang.skidmore.edu. 

For more information and tickets about Tank and the Bangas at the Zankel Music Center, go to: https://www.skidmore.edu/zankel/index.php. With a special reading by frontwoman and poet Tarriona “Tank” Ball at the Tang Teaching Museum on Thursday, November 9.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Kanatsiohareke celebrates its 30th anniversary at the Zankel Music Center on the campus of Skidmore College Saturday, Nov. 4. 

A variety of performances will commence on the Zankel stage starting around 5:30/6 p.m., performers include: storytelling by Kay “Ionataiewas” Olan, music by Daygot Leeyos Edwards, Eric Marczek (flute), Jimmy Wolf Band, and a performance from the Haudenosaunee Dancers with Sherri Hopper. This event is organized by the Indigenization and Decolonization Collaborative. 

The anniversary marks three decades since the founding of its sustainable culture in Fonda, N.Y. The community, founded in 1993, was the first return of the Rotinonhsionni people to the Mohawk Valley, their original homeland, and has since become a gathering place for the community to reground itself in its culture, teachings, and language. 

Programming is part of the John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative (MDOCS) at Skidmore College. 

Events will kick off at 2 p.m. with the Opening Address delivered by Mohawk elder Tom “Sakokwenionkwas” Porter, founder of Kanatsiohareke, followed by a work-in-progress screening of Kanatsiohareke’s film project with media-maker Raienkonnis Edwards (funded by MDOCS Co-Creation Initiative and Creatives Rebuild NY) and film shorts by Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore of The Aunties Dandelion.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Creed have announced the dates of their Summer 2024 – titled “Summer of ‘99 Tour” will include a stop in Saratoga Springs at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Aug. 24. 

Produced by Live Nation, the 40-city tour kicks off on July 17 in Wisconsin.  Special guests 3 Doors Down and Finger Eleven will open at the Saratoga date. A limited number of lawn seats at select venues will be available for $19.99 to commemorate the Summer Of ’99 Tour. Go to: www.livenation.com.  

SARATOGA SPRINGS —New Kids on the Block have announced The Magic Summer 2024 Tour will reimagine the smash 1990 tour of the same name. The tour, produced by Live Nation, will kick off on June 14 and hit over 40 cities including a date at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Aug. 11.  

“Feeling all the nostalgic feels of the original Magic Summer, with the bond that we’ve shared throughout the years, will make for a most magical time indeed” said New Kids’ Donnie Wahlberg, in a statement. 

Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff will also appear on the tour. Go to: www.livenation.com. 

HUDSON FALLS — The Strand Theatre will present the world premiere of The Geritonics’ new musical revue at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5.

The Geritonics, a vocal group that specializes in mostly original comical songs, will present their show titled:  “Empty Nest/Full Bladder.”

Comprised of Catherine Reid, Laura Roth and Camille West-Wodicka, individually they have been entertaining audiences for years, and have now joined forces to write their take on the experience of getting older. 

$20 general admission. Tickets available at the Strand Box Office, cash or check only. The Strand Theatre is located at 210 Main St., Hudson Falls. Box Office 518-832-3484. www.mystrandtheatre.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Local author Patricia Nugent will present excerpts from her memoir, “They Live On: Saying Goodbye to Mom and Dad,” paired with original music by Michael Jerling at Caffe Lena at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12.

The collaboration between two local artists employing two different forms of creative expression has resulted in a tribute to life, loss, and love, and features Nugent’s prose coupled with nine original songs by singer/songwriter Jerling. 

A CD of the readings and music will also be launched at that event. 

Tickets for the 90-minute debut performance and CD launch are available at www.caffelena.org/live-events/.  For more information, email journalartspress@gmail.com. 

The great Smokey Greene was one of my favorite country/bluegrass artists. I would always catch his band at the last “Music in the Park” concert date up in Stony Creek in August. It always seemed right to catch Smokey in that small Adirondack hamlet. And ya know what? This year I missed his closing show for that venue, which I now deeply regret. I guess I thought he would live on forever, and I would catch up with him next summer.  

He seemed unstoppable, traveling the Eastern Seaboard to major bluegrass/country music venues, big and small, even performing on a Royal Caribbean Cruise.

Smokey looked great and photographed well. How could he not? Big, tall, handsome, dressed to kill, and always sporting a big hat. Smokey made us laugh, made us proud of our country, and then made us part of his family after seeing one of his shows. 

You could walk right up to Smokey and start up a conversation. In front of you would be the great Smokey and his pipe, that beloved old patch jacket he wore, and his million-miles guitar case. Look at his guitar case! Those stickers all over it are a source of entertainment in and of themselves, and if you look closely, you’ll understand the miles Smokey had put in to entertain us all.  That man traveled, and recorded, and performed, and sold CDs, and started bluegrass festivals, and performed with the biggest bluegrass performers in the country.  And that patch jacket he always wore? A homemade gift and pure Americana. That needs to be put in a museum. 

We received the public announcement in 2023 through Proctors Collaborative, that 93-year-old Smokey would be inducted into The Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame, The Eddies honors local individuals who have made outstanding contributions to, or significant impact on the evolution, development, and perpetuation of the music industry. And boy did he! A well-deserved honor for a man who entertained us for over eight decades. His acceptance speech at the Universal Preservation Hall was less than 30 seconds, which for a man of many songs, speaks to one of his most unique traits… Smokey was down to earth. 

I know Smokey’s family, friends, fans; Hank Soto, Kevin McKrell, and the Bluegrass / Country Nation were very proud that special night last winter of the man who has always proven that being true to one’s art was the way to go.   

And let us not forget the fact that Smokey was a proud veteran during the Korean War, serving with the US Airforce. He always remembered those that served, those that served and did not come home, and those that are currently serving. He sang for veterans because he personally knew who they were, what they were going through. He always brought us back to what really mattered.   

So, if you think you have plenty of time to do – whatever – think again. 

Passing up seeing Smokey one last time was a hard lesson to learn.