SARATOGA SPRINGS — Goldtooth, a versatile band that traverses at least a handful of genres, releases its debut album “Hurt Feelings” on Friday, May 1.

Founding member and bassist/vocalist Jaymes Hendricks (aka Jimmy Hendricks) hails from none other than the Spa City.

“Hurt Feelings,” which Saratoga TODAY spun (or, technically clicked) for an early listen, veers into different directions sonically, allowing for more than a few surprises. The lead track, the cheekily named “Riffer Madness,” is catchy, angsty, and punk-ish. The second tune, “Bringing Her Down,” introduces an alt-country sound (there’s a reference to a pickup truck in the opening seconds). 

“Gold Rush” is pop-punk and “Foolin’ You” takes an unexpectedly bluesy turn before things chill out with the acoustic-driven country ballad “Rodeo.” The album enters pop-country territory with “Emily” (which also sounds a bit reminiscent of the band Staind) before wrapping up with what could be described as a country-emo track, “All I Ever Wanted.”

No one can accuse “Hurt Feelings” of being ordinary (or boring).

Goldtooth, which labels itself as an alt-country/garage rock project, was built around Hendricks and guitarist/vocalist Jon Braught, who described his group’s debut album as “a big rock record with big guitars and singable songs, featuring collaborators from across New York and New England.” The album notes also describe “Hurt Feelings” as “party rock with a hangover of real-life melancholy.”

In addition to Hendricks and Braught, the band includes guitarist/vocalist Paul Martinez and drummer Dave Maclean.

 “For the members of Goldtooth, ‘Hurt Feelings’ is the culmination of 20-plus years spent chasing songs, loading vans, and learning how much life can get in the way of a rock band—and why it is still worth fighting for,” the group said in a press release.

Goldtooth began as a long-distance project between Hendricks and Braught, who met as teenagers playing in New England. Their relationship survived Hendricks’ move to Saratoga Springs. 

“Over three years of file swaps, rehearsals, and carefully planned sessions, eleven songs emerged that sounded like the record they’d always talked about making,” said the band. “Across the track list, you can hear four veterans of countless clubs and DIY rooms finally taking the time to get the songs right, despite careers, kids, and the geographic spread that makes every rehearsal a logistics puzzle.”

To celebrate the release of their debut album, Goldtooth is planning a series of performances across the Northeast. On May 2, they’ll take the stage at Harlow’s Pub in New Hampshire. For additional show announcements, fans can follow the band’s Instagram, @goldtoothstagram.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Perhaps it’s not something to boast of, but the Spa City’s gangster-ridden past connects it to the 1919 World Series “Black Sox” scandal, the creation of Las Vegas, “The Godfather Part II,” and the formation of the Mafia itself.

In two recent lectures—“More Gangsters of Saratoga” by former Police Chief Greg Veitch and “Fixing Things: Arnold Rothstein in Saratoga” by former Daily Gazette reporter Stephen Williams—Saratoga’s supporting role in the story of organized crime was explored. 

Veitch packed the opulent Canfield Casino with spectators while Williams delivered his talk to an attentive crowd at the Greenfield Community Center.

Both lecturers detailed the history of The Brook Club, an illegal gambling den and nightclub opened by Arnold Rothstein in 1919. The Brook was located on Church Street on the west side of Saratoga Springs, near the intersection of Church, Brook Road, and Locust Grove Road.

“Arnold Rothstein was the grandfather of organized crime,” Veitch said. “He taught all the other gangsters how to operate casinos, including Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Dutch Schultz, Joe Adonis, and Frank Costello, who all as young men worked for Rothstein at the Brook resort.” (For those interested in seeing a fictional depiction of this crew, Rothstein, Luciano, and Lansky are prominently featured in the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire.”)

According to Williams, Rothstein began visiting Saratoga during the summer months in the early 1900s, providing financial backing to local casino operators. By 1917, he was interested in opening his own establishment. Not long after, construction of The Brook began. 

“This was a very grand and palatial kind of place, the kind of place where there were no prices on the menu,” Williams said. “[An] ‘if you have to ask, you can’t afford it’ kind of restaurant. They would have very well-known entertainers coming in. The food, by all accounts, was excellent. It was where rich people went and you could flaunt your wealth.”

Rothstein tasked Lansky, then his young protegee, with working at The Brook. Lansky likely spun roulette wheels and operated other table games at the Spa City gambling den. (The Hyman Roth character in ‘The Godfather Part II’ is based on Lansky, and the name Roth was a nod to Rothstein, a detail revealed in one of the film’s deleted scenes.) 

Veitch said he believes that it was Lansky who introduced the idea of a casino-resort to Bugsy Siegel, who then brought the concept to Las Vegas (though, other sources believe that Siegel was more inspired by gambling operations in Galveston, Texas).

“The Las Vegas casino-resort model was born on Church Street in Saratoga Springs,” Veitch said.

The Brook on Church Street also played a role in the infamous 1919 World Series, which was fixed (allegedly) by Rothstein. During the sordid affair, eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of intentionally losing the series in exchange for payments offered by organized crime figures.

Mont (or Monte) Tennes—a gambler from Chicago who operated a sports news wire service—was at the Brook in August of 1919. It’s here that Tennes claimed he started hearing rumors that the upcoming World Series would be fixed.

“[Tennes] says he heard it from Rothstein,” said Williams. “I am skeptical that Rothstein was that careless. But there were other gamblers there who may well have talked to this guy because he was always snooping around for inside information.”

Tennes was among a handful of witnesses targeted for questioning by sportswriter Hugh Fullerton, who helped uncover the Black Sox scandal.

Although Rothstein has long been suspected of orchestrating the fixed World Series, his precise involvement has been difficult to definitively prove.

“He knew something,” Williams said. “At the very least, he knows there’s a fix.”

Rothstein was also accused of manipulating or fixing horse races, including the 1921 Travers Stakes in Saratoga, which was won by Sporting Blood, a horse owned by Rothstein.

Four years later, Rothstein sold The Brook to his associate Nat Evans, who was also allegedly involved in the 1919 World Series fix. In November of 1934, Evans took out an insurance policy on the Brook, Williams said. In December of 1934, the Brook burned down.

Decades later, in 1953, Lansky’s one and only prison stint was at the Saratoga County jail, where he was sentenced to serve three months. According to the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, Lansky’s time in prison “was an anomaly, even beyond the fact it was the only time served during his criminal career. The incarceration, and subsequent release, received little if any publicity, thus leaving that short period behind bars with a dose of mystery. A notation tucked within Lansky’s FBI file states…that during incarceration, in July 1953, ‘he was also treated for a kidney infection in the Saratoga hospital.’”

More Spa City mob stories can be found in Veitch’s books “A Gangster’s Paradise” and “All the Law in the World Won’t Stop Them.” Williams also includes a story involving Lansky in his book “Off the Northway.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Phillip Phillips will headline Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga’s annual Charity Benefit Concert on Aug. 1.

Best known for his five-times platinum hit “Home,” Phillips first captured the nation’s attention as the winner of “American Idol” season 11. Since then, he’s amassed more than 1.5 billion streams and 4.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Phillips has toured with John Mayer, the Goo Goo Dolls, and Gavin DeGraw.

“We are so excited to welcome Phillip Phillips to the farm this year,” said Meg Koloskie, development and communications manager at Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga. “This event has grown into something really special for our community, and bringing an artist like Phillip here feels like such a natural fit. It is going to be an incredible night, and at the end of it all, it supports the horses and the people who need this work the most.”

Opening for Phillips will be local acts The Wallies (featuring Gianna Robustiano) and Caity Gallagher.

The event’s lineup of food and beverage partners includes Franklin Square Market, Neighborhood Kitchen Pizza, Old Tavern Farm Winery & Distillery, and Druthers Brewing Company.

Previous Charity Benefit Concert headliners include the Spin Doctors (2025) and The Bacon Brothers (2024, featuring actor Kevin Bacon).

Tickets for the event go on sale June 1. For more info, visit thsaratoga.org/phillipphillips.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore’s Tang Museum hosted a poetry reading last Sunday that featured thirteen poets responding to artwork included in the exhibition “All These Growing Things.” The timing of the readings could not have been better, coinciding with National Poetry Month.

The event was a wonderful showcase of talents.

Each poet was received with a warm welcome from the audience as they expressed their emotions through their words. Regardless of how each poet interpreted their chosen piece of art, their words conveyed their opinions beautifully, and it was clear how much pride each poet held for their writing. A few specific poets stood out with their word choice and skill interpreting their chosen artwork.

Krista Rivera, an assistant professor of English at SUNY Adirondack, responded to a work by an unrecorded Tibetan artist. Her language was advanced and highly descriptive, eliciting emotions that aligned perfectly with the art.

Another talent was Saratoga’s former poet laureate Joseph Bruchac, who was responding to a tapestry created by Annie Taipanak in the late 1990s. His passion for the history behind the artwork was reflected in the execution of his poem. When giving the context for the tapestry, he said, “What are often seen as primitive images are often very sophisticated. What we think of as people who are without civilization means we are not really civilized ourselves.”

The night was full of creative works being read aloud for the first time. After the event ended, many audience members lingered behind to hold discussions with the poets, bringing the community together through a shared love for writing and art. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga’s Belmont Stakes festivities started early this year with 80-degree weather, a boisterous crowd, and flowing beer taps.

City bigwigs gathered at Druthers Brewing on Broadway last Thursday for the third and final Belmont on Broadway lineup announcement. 

Before unveiling the headliners that will perform at the free concert on June 3, Marisa Flynn of Proctors Collaborative announced that, prior to the music, comedian Chelsea Handler would take the stage at Universal Preservation Hall for a special VIP experience.

Starting at 2 p.m., VIP-ers can enjoy reserved parking, “strut their stuff” on a green carpet (to match Belmont’s distinct color), get their photo taken, receive a keepsake lanyard and commemorative poster, watch the day’s races on TVs inside, and then seat themselves for Handler’s ticketed stand-up show at 4 p.m. The event is timed so that once Handler exits the stage, VIP-ers can saunter over to Broadway for the 7 p.m. concert. Once on Broadway, VIP-ers can access a tent that will be available in Ellsworth Jones Plaza near the stage.

This year’s Belmont on Broadway finale will be headlined by Fitz and the Tantrums, with Vertical Horizon appearing as their opener.

The Tantrums are an indie pop group best known for their hit singles “HandClap” (if you’ve ever attended a baseball game, you’ve probably heard this song), “Out of My League” (which has more than one billion plays on Spotify), and “The Walker.”

Horizon is an alt-rock band that scored a massive hit in 1999 with “Everything You Want.” 

Tickets for the Chelsea Handler performance and VIP experience go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 24 at atuph.org or chelseahandler.com. The Belmont on Broadway concert, per usual, will be free to attend.

New this year on Broadway will be beverage and snack stations from event sponsors Coca-Cola and Market 32. 

The thoroughfare will close at 5 a.m. on the day of the event.

“Saratoga knows how to party,” said Flynn at the Druthers-hosted announcement event. “This is amazing. How iconic that we are in our third and final installment of Belmont on Broadway to kick off the third and final installment of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival this year.”

Previous Belmont on Broadway headliners included Blues Traveler in 2024 and Gin Blossoms in 2025.

The Belmont Stakes will occur at the Saratoga Race Course for the final time on June 6. Starting in 2027, the Triple Crown race will return home to the newly-built Belmont Park on Long Island.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Grammy-winning contemporary Christian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and worship leader Brandon Lake will headline Worship in the Pines, a new one-day music festival coming to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on Sept. 11.

Worship in the Pines will also feature Crowder, Elevation Rhythm, Hulvey, Rend Collective, Lost & Found, and Gabe Von Oven.

Tickets are currently on sale at WorshipThePines.com.