Fear of Strangers/The Units Reunion Show Harks Back to the Roots of Albany’s Original Underground Sound

Last hurrah for pioneering band that put Capital Region on national music radar

(From press release)

ALBANY, N.Y.—April 4, 2023—Lark Street. 1978. The Albany music scene is catching fire, with the fresh energy of punk and new wave building on, not just breaking down, the concepts of decades prior. The Units, fusing the sheen of Steely Dan, the thump of Parliament/Funkadelic and the flinty edge of Talking Heads, soon emerges at the head of the pack—opening shows for like-minded pioneers including The Police, Squeeze, XTC, The Specials, B-52’s and R.E.M.

Trading its name for the darker, catchier Fear of Strangers and its setlist of in-the-moment covers for a staggeringly inventive brace of effervescent originals, the group signs with Miles Copeland’s unfortunately named Faulty Products and, virtually overnight, in 1982, puts the Capital Region on national music radar.

Now, the founding quartet—bassist Steve Cohen, vocalist ‘Lonesome’ Val Haynes, drummer Al Kash, guitarist Todd Nelson—returns to the scene of the crime, with a Fear of Strangers/The Units Reunion Show, 8 p.m. Friday, June 2 at Lark Hall.

Upstate New York’s premiere acoustic Americana trio, Lost Radio Rounders, starts the evening.

Cohen, Haynes, Kash and Nelson have all made music in other realms and in other cities, but the legacy of Fear of Strangers remains strong—for the group members themselves as well as for its still ardent audience.

“It feels right, singing these songs today,” says Haynes, that beautiful catch ringing as strong as ever in her distinctive voice.

“We’re finishing a chapter, not closing the book,” adds Nelson, whose quirky stringwork proved the perfect foil, floating over the top of the band’s taut synergy.

Yes, Fear of Strangers/The Units Reunion Show —dedicated to the memory of Lin Brehmer—will shine a bright, beaming light on the halcyon days of Albany’s original music underground, but it will also serve as a powerful reminder of the city’s indomitable spirit, of an inventive fire that is still burning.

Tickets for Fear of Strangers/The Units Reunion Show, 8 p.m. Friday, June 2 (Doors 7 p.m.), $20 advance general admission ($25 day of show)/$30 advance mezzanine ($35 day of show), are available at Lark Hall, 351 Hudson Avenue, Albany NY 12210, 518.599.5804, www.larkhallalbany.com , guthriebellproductions.com or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fear-of-strangersthe-units-reunion-show-wsg-lost-radio-rounders-tickets-602510764917