SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new exhibition by nature photographer and Saratoga Springs resident Louis Valenti, “Saratoga Naturally: Photographic Images of Saratoga’s Most Beautiful Parks & Preserves,” is currently on display at Soave Faire (449 – 451 Broadway) until July 5. The exhibition is open to the public and free of charge, Monday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Saratoga Naturally features photos of Saratoga Spa State Park, Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery, Geyser Creek Trail, Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail, and the Saratoga National Historical Park and Battlefield.
Through the exhibit, Valenti hopes to inspire an appreciation and deeper understanding of the beauty and uniqueness of Saratoga’s parks, trails, preserves, and wildlife.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Agents Mulder and Scully will return to the X-Files Museum in Saratoga Springs on Saturday, when they appear in an outdoor screening of three classic episodes: “Bad Blood,” “Our Town,” and “Darkness Falls.”
The event is the third hosted by the The X-Files Preservation Collection at 4284 Route 50. This year’s edition will also feature a live virtual Q&A with Chris Waddell, who worked on the hit FOX sci-fi/horror series, assisting with props and special effects.
For more information, visit xfilespreservationcollection.com.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College has unveiled the 2025 programming lineups for both the Stewart’s Signature Series and the Upbeat on the Roof concert series.
Stewart’s Signature Series
This summer series, organized yearly by Skidmore College’s Office of Special Programs and made possible by a grant from Stewart’s Shops and the Dake Family, celebrates community through music, readings, and discussion by acclaimed artists and scholars. All events are free, unless otherwise specified.
The series kicks off on Tuesday, June 24, with a reading with PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction winner Garth Greenwell and Binnie Kirshenbaum, whose most recent novel “Counting Backwards” received a glowing New York Times review.
Additional highlights include a concert with jazz supergroup ARTEMIS on July 1. The quintet, which was named jazz group of the year for the second time running in fall 2024 through a Downbeat magazine reader’s poll, will be performing at the College and teaching at the Skidmore Jazz Institute.
The lineup of events hosted on Skidmore’s campus include:
• Tuesday, June 24 (8 p.m.): Fiction reading with Garth Greenwell and Binnie Kirshenbaum at the Davis Auditorium, Palamountain Hall
• Tuesday, July 1 (7:30 p.m.): ARTEMIS at the Arthur Zankel Music Center
• Tuesday, July 8 (7:30 p.m.): Ben Wendel Group at the Arthur Zankel Music Center
• Thursday, July 10 (8 p.m.): Fiction and poetry reading with Francine Prose and Ishion Hutchinson at the Davis Auditorium, Palamountain Hall
• Wednesday, July 16 (8 p.m.): Fiction reading with Jamaica Kincaid and Susan Minot at the Davis Auditorium, Palamountain Hall
Upbeat on the Roof Concert Series
The Upbeat concert series began in summer 2001 on the roof deck of the Tang Museum building. The series became so popular, however, that the concerts came off the roof and onto the lawn, but the Upbeat on the Roof name remains.
Visitors are invited to bring blankets, camping chairs, food, and drinks to picnic on the lawn. Plenty of parking is available in the lot adjacent to the museum. In the case of inclement weather, concerts will be held inside the museum. Admission to the concerts is free. The performances begin on Thursday, July 10, at 6 p.m., and continue each week through August 21.
This year’s lineup includes:
• July 10: Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra — This 12-piece orchestra is known for its original blend of Afro-Caribbean rhythms such as salsa, merengue, cha-cha, bomba, plena, and Latin jazz. The group’s music has been used in numerous commercials, TV shows, and films, including “Ugly Betty,” “Blacklist,” and “Shameless,” among others.
• July 17: Joan Kelsey — Kelsey is a New York City-based artist known for their folksy melodies and rich storytelling. Kelsey’s songs discuss God, loss, failure, friendship, and refracted memories.
• July 24: The Heavenly Echoes Gospel Band — The Band performs in the storied tradition of Southern-style gospel music with spirituals, hymns, traditional contemporary gospel, and originals.
• July 31: The Pine Hills Band — Borrowing mandolin and banjo from bluegrass, and percussion and electric bass from rock ’n’ roll, The Pine Hills Band creates both originals and deep-cut covers.
• August 7: Annie and the Hedonists — Featuring musicians Annie Rosen, Jonny Rosen, Peter Davis, Don Young, and Jerry Marotta, Annie and the Hedonists covers an eclectic mix of blues, jazz, swing, and folk roots Americana. Recent projects include a 2024 cover album in collaboration with Caffè Lena.
• August 14: Girl Blue — Girl Blue, aka Arielle Woodul, is known for her lyrical storytelling, deeply emotional songs, singable hooks, and soft vocals. She has been featured on top Spotify playlists (New Music Friday), and charts (No. 2 on US Viral Charts), and in national commercials.
• August 21: Hot Club of Saratoga — This gypsy swing ensemble specializes in the timeless sounds of Django Reinhardt and the vibrant atmosphere of 1930s Paris.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Universal Preservation Hall recently announced new programming for its 2025-2026 season lineup. Tickets for the shows are currently on sale.
HYPROV (Thursday, Sept. 25) combines hypnosis and improv. The evening begins with Asad Mecci welcoming 20 volunteers on stage to be hypnotized. The most receptive to hypnosis then join Colin Mochrie to improvise the rest of the show, while hypnotized.
The trio of Béla Fleck, harpist Edmar Castañeda, and drummer Antonio Sánchez (Thursday, Oct. 2) features instrumentation that might safely be called uncommon. Unless, of course, you’re already familiar with 19-time Grammy-winner Fleck — a genre-blurring virtuoso.
Josh Blue’s (Saturday, Oct. 4) stand-up routine is in a constant state of evolution, and his off-the-cuff improvisational skills guarantee that no two shows are alike. Next, Blue is bringing the “Freak Accident Tour” to Saratoga Springs.
Pink Martini (Saturday, Oct. 18) is celebrating their 30th Anniversary with a North American tour and the release of new music this summer and fall. Their performances feature a rich variety of musical styles.
Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra (Saturday, Nov. 1) mark 45 years of music-making. Formed in 1980 and led by Bronx-born bassist Alex Torres, this 12-piece ensemble blends Afro-Caribbean styles like Salsa, Merengue, Cha-cha, Bomba, Plena, and Latin Jazz into a high-energy experience.
The Seven Wonders: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac (Friday, Nov. 7) are seven musicians paying homage to the music of Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks. They recreate all the great hits of Fleetwood Mac, including “Dreams,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Rhiannon,” “Edge of Seventeen,” “Landslide,” “Gypsy,” and more.
The Adirondack Trust Company Festival of Young Artists returned for its eighth annual event on Sunday, June 1 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Following the theme Wonder – the festival celebrated the collaborative creativity of more than 700 of the Capital Region’s young dancers, musicians, singers, poets, and visual artists, all in support of SPAC’s mission to provide free and accessible arts programming for local youth. The afternoon included individual pop-up performances and art displays, culminating in a large-scale, coordinated production on SPAC’s stage. As part of the production, an original musical composition by festival student, Siyi Guo (Guilderland HS, Grade 12), premiered on the SPAC stage, performed by the ESYO Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Erica Miller.
Cannon in Saratoga National Historical Park, Saratoga County, Upstate New York, USA. This is the site of the Battles of Saratoga in the American Revolutionary War.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Rick Atkinson discusses his latest book with WAMC/Northeast Public Radio’s Joe Donahue at the Saratoga Springs City Center on May 30. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — About ten miles from the site of the Battles of Saratoga, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson assessed the historic importance of the events, calling them a “manifest catastrophe for the British.”
Atkinson’s discussion of the famed skirmishes jived with what would probably be considered common knowledge among locals: Benjamin Franklin used the victory to entice the French into the war, a critical turning point that ultimately led to American independence. But he also described why the battlefields were a valuable resource for the second installment of his American Revolution trilogy, titled “The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780.”
“If you go to Saratoga, you’ve got some sense of the sacrifice that was made there,” Atkinson told a large audience at the Saratoga Springs City Center last Friday. “You get some feel for it. Even though it’s 250 years ago, there are ghosts there and you can feel them. It’s also important for me as an amateur to see the ground and to understand tactically why they did this and why they did that.
“I spend a lot of time understanding the flora and fauna of places. When I go to Saratoga or Valley Forge or whatever, I’ve got apps that show me what’s growing there, and I use that to be able to bring the reader in touch with the natural world the way that they were then…I think that’s one of my ambitions as a writer, to recreate that.”
Atkinson elaborated on his artistic aspirations as a chronicler of history, saying he hoped to bring long-dead people back to life, make the reader feel like they don’t know what’s going to happen (even when they do), and empower the reader’s imagination by allowing them to hear, smell, and feel historic events as if they were unfolding in the present.
“That is when I think you begin to transform history into art, when the reader’s imagination is playing on the words on the page in a way that they have become engrossed in the story,” Atkinson said.
One perhaps surprising detail Atkinson uncovered in his research was that he found George III to not quite be the “royal brute” described by Thomas Paine, nor the “tyrant” that Thomas Jefferson called him in the Declaration of Independence. Atkinson was granted access to thousands of previously unpublished letters written by George III, which helped him better understand the king’s perspective.
Cover of Atkinson’s “The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780” provided.
“He’s a constitutional monarch,” Atkinson said. “He’s a patriot king. He’s a child of the Enlightenment who’s a great patron of the arts and the sciences. He’s got a lot going for him.”
The scholar’s latest tome covers, among many other things, the Battles of Saratoga and the role of Fort Ticonderoga in the American Revolution. His previous work includes the Liberation Trilogy (“An Army at Dawn,” “The Day of Battle,” and “The Guns at Last Light”), as well as “The British Are Coming,” the first volume of his Revolution Trilogy.
His appearance at the Saratoga Springs City Center was presented by the Northshire Bookstore and the Saratoga 250 Commission, which had “soldiers” in revolutionary garb posted outside the event.
ROUND LAKE — The second annual Improv Spaces Music Fest will take place on Saturday, June 7 from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. at the Round Lake Auditorium at 2 Wesley Ave.
35 artists will be performing at the festival, including the new 13-person Improv Spaces Ensemble, which is comprised of Jess Bowen, violin; Sabrina Trueheart, nylon guitar; Justin Holden, guitar; Alex Chang, electric harp; Jason Handron, string bass; Christian Thomas, bass and synthesizer; Adam Elabd, winds, bass, and vocals; Adam Tinkle, woodwinds/electronics; Cousin Angus, brass, vocals, and electronics; Karen Dazzler, sax; Adam Forman, drums; Nicholas Kopp aka djdrummernk, percussion and electronics; and Matt Weston, percussion.
Co-directors of Improv Spaces, harpist Alex Chang and percussionist Adam Forman, hope to bring a focus on Capital Region performers and to develop the area as a major hub for improvisation and experimental music.
“Looking at the list of performers, it’s great to see folks from different backgrounds—classical, pop, singer songwriter, jazz, free improv, visual art—all coming together to be a part of one event,” Forman said in a statement.
Additional festival performances will include:
the Human Rites Trio with Jason Kao Hwang (composer and violin/viola), Ken Filiano (string bass), and Andrew Drury (drum set);
local bluegrass band Special Creek brought together by bassist Bob Zink with Sam Katz (mandolin), Deena Chappell (multi-instrumentalist), Andy Roth (multi-instrumentalist), Tim Barker (guitarist), and Adam Forman (percussionist);
a screening of a special edit of the film “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” with a live score by a fusion of synthesizers from across the decades with Electronic Cinema (Joe Fee, Ed Fritz, and Mike Sojkowski);
steel drum with Shiloh Wilson and band members including Jake Hart (guitar), Lee Gnau (bass), and Stephen Struss (drums);
pipe organ collaboration with Jonathan Fuller (organ) and Nicholas Kopp aka djdrummernk;
the acoustic and electronic sounds of duo Ethan Cohn (bass) and MAYSUN (percussion);
and native flute with musician and storyteller Joseph Bruchac.
For a complete schedule of events or to purchase tickets, visit improvspaces.org/2025-improv-spaces-music-festival/.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Comedian Erin Harkes will be taping her latest special at the Universal Preservation Hall (UPH) in Saratoga Springs on Wednesday, June 4.
The recording, which will also feature Jen McMullen, will include two hour-long sets (one at 6 p.m., the other at 8 p.m.).
Harkes’ previous comedy special, 2023’s “Uncle Ernie,” has been viewed more than 28,000 times on her YouTube channel. The upcoming taping at UPH will include all-new material and celebrate the second anniversary of Harkes’ “Women Aren’t Funny” comedy series.
Harkes has been performing standup since 2017. Prior to that, she was known primarily as a musician, having opened for acts such as the 10,000 Maniacs and Company of Thieves.
For tickets or more information, visit atuph.org/event/women-arent-funny-two-year-anniversary/.
LaMP performs in front of a packed house at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs on May 8. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — When a band is named LaMP, it’s near impossible to not make an “Anchorman” reference. Thankfully, this trio of jam band veterans is in on the joke (their website is ilikelamp.com).
The curious name is a combination of the first letters of each band member’s surname. Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski are both co-members of Phish frontman Trey Anastasio’s eponymous band, and Scott Metzger also shreds for Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, which is widely regarded as either the best or one of the best Grateful Dead tribute acts.
Rather than repeat the same sounds they create elsewhere, this trio has used LaMP to keep things groovy, jazzy, and instrumental. To these ears, they sounded something akin to Circles Around the Sun meets 70s-era Herbie Hancock. To the ears of their audience at Putnam Place on May 8, the sound inspired a whole lot of dancing.
According to their bio, LaMP played their first gig at a bar in Burlington, Vermont in December 2018 before entering a studio to create their debut EP, released in 2020. Five years later, a follow-up, One of Us, arrived on both vinyl and streaming platforms.
The group is one of those side projects created by talented musicians that flies a tad under the radar, but any fan should want it that way. There was no giant ticket conglomerate shelling expensive seats at LaMP’s recent gig in Saratoga Springs. Virtually anyone could afford the price of admission and find themselves an arm’s length away from the stage. From that vantage point, they could enjoy, in all its loud and live glory, the talents of three master musicians who are on stage simply because they want to be. Lest the joke be made one too many times, let it be said just once more, “I love LaMP.”
Formed in 1991, Halfstep has performed all over the east coast steadily until 2002, recently reforming and performing due to popular demand. This will be the last show that Dave will be appearing in with Half Step after a 30-year run.
8 p.m. — Jenny Owen Youngs @ Caffe Lena
After a decade of co-writing smash singles like Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes” and Pitbull’s “Bad Man,” singer-songwriter Jenny returns to the stage with her first full-length solo album in ten years, Avalanche. Jenny’s writing has spanned genres and media, with her work appearing in Weeds, Fifty Shades Freed, and on the Grammy stage.
8 p.m. — Lucid Street @ The Ice House
Lucid Street recreates the cream of classic rock, playing songs that span multiple genres, including rock, disco, and pop. The band has close to 300 songs in its repertoire, including 10 originals.
9 p.m. — The Wheel: Live Dead & Beyond @ Putnam Place
The Capital Region-based Grateful Dead tribute band returns to Saratoga Springs to provide an “authentic” Dead experience.
9 p.m. — Brian Patneaude Quartet @ 9 Maple Ave
Formed in 2002, the Brian Patneaude Quartet’s music is an organic blend of modern jazz styles, featuring accessible melodies and harmonic textures that appeal to the casual listener and jazz aficionado alike. The group’s close-knit musical relationship and seamless interplay is a result of performances at numerous venues and festivals throughout the Northeast. The quartet has been repeatedly cited as “Best Jazz Group” by the writers and readers of Metroland magazine and has gained increasing attention, both nationally and abroad.
Saturday, May 31
6 p.m. — Grit N Whiskey @ Carson’s Woodside Tavern
Modern country with tight harmonies, searing dual guitars, and high energy.
8 p.m. — Annie & the Hedonists @ Caffe Lena
Annie & the Hedonists return to celebrate the release of their brand new album, Live at Caffè Lena, a collection of blues, vintage jazz, and Americana recorded at Lena’s and produced by Oscar-winning, seven-time Grammy-winning engineer Joel Moss. The Saratoga-based band blends the spirit of swing-era jazz with the storytelling traditions of folk and roots music.
9 p.m. — Jason Emmond Quartet @ 9 Maple Ave
Emmond is an upright and electric bass player and composer residing in upstate New York. After growing up in New Hampshire and obtaining his bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire, Jason made the move to Kansas City to play jazz. Recently, he relocated to Albany, where he is continuing his music career.
Sunday, June 1
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Beekman Street Art Fair
A stacked lineup of free, live music presented by Caffe Lena includes Prakash Slim (at 1 p.m.), the Mostly Modern Ensemble (2 p.m.), Millstone Rounders (3 p.m.), and Reese Fulmer & The Carriage House Band (4 p.m.). The acts will perform under a tent on Beekman Street in Saratoga’s Arts District.
7 p.m. — Vanessa Collier @ Caffe Lena
A twelve-time Blues Music Award nominee and four-time winner — including B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year — Vanessa Collier’s newest album, Do It My Own Way (out September 13), is a deeply personal collection inspired by the golden era of Memphis soul, with modern messages of empowerment and resilience.
Monday, June 2
8 p.m. — Family Tree @ Putnam Place
Family Tree features Steve Candlen, Kenny Hohman, Lori Friday, Chris Carey and Chad Ploss. They will be joined by various guests from the regional music scene.
Wednesday, June 4
7 p.m. — Vampire Weekend @ SPAC
The iconic indie rock band, perhaps best known for their singles “A-Punk” and “Oxford Comma,” brings their newest album, Only God Was Above Us, to the SPAC stage. Vampire Weekend is a critically beloved group that has won two Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album.
Belmont on Broadway, a free concert that celebrates the start of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, will include performances by Gin Blossoms (a popular alternative rock band) and Uprooted on Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs. Broadway will be closed from Van Dam to City Hall most likely all day Wednesday.
Thursday, June 5
7 p.m. — Carolyn Wonderland @ Caffe Lena
Hailed as “The Bluesman” by Aretha Franklin and praised by Bob Dylan for her songwriting, Wonderland is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter who has shared stages with Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Levon Helm, Buddy Guy, and Johnny Winter. She’s been touring for over 25 years across the U.S., Europe, South America, and Japan with a discography that spans raw blues, gospel, country soul, and rebel rock.
7:30 p.m. — Steve Earle @ UPH
Earle’s songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, The Pretenders, and countless others. 1986 saw the release of his record, “Guitar Town,” which shot to number one on the country charts and is now regarded as a classic of the Americana genre. Subsequent releases like “The Revolution Starts…Now” (2004), “Washington Square Serenade” (2007), and “TOWNES” (2009) received consecutive Grammy Awards.
