SARATOGA SPRINGS— Universal Preservation Hall, located on Washington Street in Saratoga Springs, has announced its fall schedule of performances. 

Kicking off the pre-fall season is Gary Gulman and his “Misfit” comedy tour 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13. Over 25 years in comedy, Gulman has established himself as an eminent performer and peerless writer. Today, he is one of the most popular touring comics, selling out theatres around the country including the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. 

  Chris Janson, a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry and multi-platinum songwriter and artist, will be in the Great Hall 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26. In touch with the lighter side of life with self-penned No. 1s “Fix A Drink,” “Good Vibes” and the four-times Platinum “Buy Me A Boat,” and the CMA Song of the Year nominee and ACM Video of the Year “Drunk Girl.” 

Abigail and Shaun Bengson, beloved songwriters and performers best known for their theatrical masterpiece “Hundred Days” and their viral sensation “The Keep Going Song” (over 4 million streams), bring you The Keep Going Concert. The Bengsons will bring their powerful and soul-stirring concert to Saratoga Springs 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8. 

International multi-platinum-selling acclaimed singer LeAnn Rimes will visit Saratoga Springs 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10. Rimes has sold more than 48 million units globally and won numerous awards. 

Capital Region bluegrass favorites The Gibson Brothers perform their Christmas show 7:30 p.m. and a Taylor Swift Holiday Dance Party” featuring Swiftie-themed mocktails, friendship bracelet-making and selfie stations will take place 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. 

Tickets are available through the Box Office at Proctors in-person, via phone at 518-346-6204 Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. or online by visiting atuph.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Arthur Zankel Music Center at Skidmore College will welcome legendary guitarist Marc Ribot for a live accompaniment to Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 silent film “The Kid” at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. Ribot’s delicate and, at times, haunting solo guitar score contemporizes Chaplin’s work as a relevant story about our era’s economic and social conditions. Ribot will also perform a short solo set before the film. 

Chaplin’s first full-length feature, “The Kid,” remains an expressive masterwork of silent cinema. In it, Chaplin stars as his lovable Tramp character, this time raising an orphan (a remarkable young Jackie Coogan) he has rescued from the streets. 

Ribot’s score was commissioned by the New York Guitar Festival and premiered in 2010 at Merkin Hall. 

Ribot has released over 20 albums under his own name over a 30-year career, exploring everything from the pioneering jazz of Albert Ayler to the Cuban music of Arsenio Rodríguez. Rolling Stone points out that “Guitarist Marc Ribot helped Tom Waits refine a new, weird Americana on 1985’s ‘Rain Dogs,’ and since then, he’s become the go-to guitar guy for all kinds of roots-music adventurers: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Elvis Costello, John Mellencamp.” He has also recorded with Solomon Burke, John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards, Marianne Faithful, Norah Jones, The Black Keys, and many others. Ribot works regularly with Grammy Award-winning producer T Bone Burnett and New York composer John Zorn.

Tickets are available to the general public for $20 and at $5 for the Skidmore College community (students, faculty, staff, and alumni). Purchase online at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/zankel/7074/event/1379633, or call the box office at 518-580-5321 between 1 and 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Singer-songwriter Kate McDonnell and her Right Hand Men (Jimi Woodul, Sam Zucchini, Matt Griffin) perform Friday, Sept. 20 at Caffe Lena. Show time is 8 p.m. 

McDonnell has performed at the Newport Folk Festival and Kennedy Center and  on the Mountain Stage radio program and WXPN’s “World Café.” Her songwriting has been singled out for praise by The Village Voice and the Boston Globe. 

Her new album, “Trapeze,” is McDonnell’s sixth CD, features 14 original songs and is released Sept. 5. Rooted in contemporary American life, she explores topics ranging from hope and life’s purpose surrendering to love and desire in crazy times, to condemning gun violence. 

Her previous album – “Ballad Of A Bad Girl,” was issued in 2021, featured musical luminaries Jerry Marotta and Tony Levin and soared to #5 in the Folk DJ radio charts upon its release. 

For more information, go to: caffelena.org.  

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A good-sized crowd attended this week’s free concert in Congress Park featuring Alex Torres and His Latin Orchestra.   

The free, family-friendly concert series, held at 7 p.m. Tuesdays, continues on Aug. 20 with Garland Nelson and Soul Session, and concludes Aug. 27 with Mostly Modern Festival – an international music festival dedicated to contemporary classical music.

ALBANY — Peter Frampton, who most famously rose to stardom with the release of his live album, “Frampton Comes Alive!” nearly a half-century ago, will be appearing in Albany as part of his Positively Thankful Tour. 

Despite the announcement of his farewell tour over four years ago due to a diagnosis of the degenerative disease inclusion-body myositis, the musician has continued to play venues across the country.

The tour kicks off in South Carolina Sept. 8 and will stage at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan on Sept. 12 and the Palace Theatre in Albany on Sept. 13. 

For more information, tickets, go to: www.palacealbany.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Borrowing a page from the SPAC On Stage script, the Arthur Zankel Music Center on the campus of Skidmore College will host three shows in a new concert series that seats the audience onstage with the artist. 

The intimate three-show series, titled SURROUND, will utilize the setting sun as backdrop and showcase performances at 4 p.m. Sundays.   

The shows feature Brandee Younger w/ Eric Wheeler (Sept. 15), EMEL (Oct. 6), and Tenzin Choegyal (Nov. 3). 

Choegyal’s showcase will mark his first concert in Saratoga Springs since staging a pair of stirring performances at the Tang Museum and at the Zankel Center last October. His newest album, “Whispering Sky,” will be released this week. Look for a review of the release in an upcoming edition of Saratoga TODAY.    

Schedule 

Sunday, Sept. 15: Brandee Younger w/ Eric Wheeler (bass) –– Brandee Younger is revolutionizing harp for the digital era. Over the past 15 years, she has worked relentlessly to stretch boundaries and limitations for harpists.  In 2022, she made history by becoming the first Black woman to be nominated for a Grammy® Award for Best Instrumental Composition. That same year, she was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award and later, the winner of the 2024 NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Jazz Album for her latest album Brand New Life.  

Sunday, Oct. 6: EMEL solo performance –– Tunisian-American, NYC-based art pop musician Emel Mathlouthi, aka EMEL, rose to fame in 2012 with her protest song “Kelmti Horra” (My Word Is Free), earning her the title “the voice of the Arab Spring.” In 2016, she performed Kelmti Horra at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony, marking a climax in her journey with this powerful song. Her latest album, MRA, derives its name from the Arabic word for “woman” and was entirely produced with women artists from around the world, embodying sisterhood and the musical fight against patriarchy in a male-dominated industry.  

Sunday, Nov. 3: Tenzin Choegyal solo performance –– Tibetan artist, composer, and activist Tenzin Choegyal channels the wisdom and traditions of his nomadic ancestors through his extraordinary vocal performances and mastery of the lingbu and dranyen. Forced into exile, he now resides in Australia, where he continues to blend traditional Tibetan music with contemporary influences, maintaining an unbroken lineage while exploring new musical horizons. The music is deeply connected to Tenzin’s nomadic roots and Buddhist practice, offering listeners an immersive experience that transcends geographical boundaries. 

Tickets are limited –– $20 general public; $5 Skidmore community (students, faculty, staff, alumni, and retirees). Buy online at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/zankel/7074 or call the box office at 518-580-8381.

ALBANY — The Palace Performing Arts Center presents the Palace Theatre Community Block Party. Saturday, Aug. 10, from noon to 4 p.m. in the the area around the Palace Theatre.

The event includes live music, family friendly activities, food trucks, vendors, community organizations, and more.
The Block Party will take place rain or shine, and in the case of inclement weather will take place inside of the Palace Theatre.

Live Music by Justin Henricks Funk All-Stars. A Kids Zone with Face Painting, Balloon Twisters, a Bounce House, Games and more. Free Hot Dogs & Hamburgers. This event is free and open to the public. 

HUDSON FALLS — The Strand Theatre will host Marty Wendell’s 60th Anniversary Tour at 7 p.m. Sunday Aug. 18. 

Wendell has made music for over 60 years with records, radio, TV and concert tours. He has recorded at Sun Studio, Memphis, Tennessee, and has shared the stage with numerous legendary artists. 

Wendell’s records cover an eclectic mix of influences from Folk and Country to Roots and Rockabilly.

Special guests: Heather Richards, plus The Bluebillies.

Tickets are $15 general admission and available at the Strand Box Office; cash or check only. For more information, go to www.mystrandtheatre.org. Doors open into the coffee shop, box office and lobby at 5:30pm. The Strand Theatre is located at 210 Main St, Hudson Falls.