Show Detective – Weekend Shows – 9/29 – 10/1
Written by Staff on September 28, 2023
Show Detective.
Friday, September 29th
Macy Gray, Troy Music Hall, Troy, 8pm
with Special Guest Buggy Jive!
Forever full of ear-tugging/eye-popping surprises, ever-eclectic singer/songwriter and actress Macy Gray returns in top form with an inspired new 11-song Moonslice Records album – The Reset – and within a fresh new presentation – fronting her own band, The California Jet Club. Produced by Tommy Parker, The Reset reveals 360 degrees of Macy Gray at her lyrically introspective and vocally exuberant best. The songs move from Macy’s signature vulnerable intimacy on the lead single, “Thinking of You,” the epic orchestral ballad “You Got Away” and the festive, sexy circus of “Bottom to the Top” to the resoundingly rebounding singalong uplift of “Every Night” featuring special guest, rapper Maino.
John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band, The Linda, Albany, 8pm-10pm
As the title of his critically acclaimed Atlantic Record CD suggests, Grammy Award and Handy Award Nominee, John Primer is truly “The Real Deal.” At eight years old, John borrowed his first guitar and started to strum. With the sounds of Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, Little Milton, Elmore James, B.B. & Albert King reverberating through his Grandmother Laura Nell’s tube radio, John was instantly hooked. He was fascinated with Blues music and set forth on a life long path of becoming a musical force. Early inspiration came from his family steeped in spiritual, gospel, and church, and went on to play at house parties and fish frys in and around his hometown of Camden, Mississippi.
The Fab Four, The Egg, Albany, 8pm
Terror, Empire Underground, Albany, 6pm
w/s/g AOA, Mourning, Big Boy, Extinguish, Hold My Own, GodSkinPeeler
K-pop Dance Night w/DJ Hope! Fuze Box, Albany, 8pm-2am
Get ready to groove to the hottest K-pop beats all night long with the incredible DJ Hope,
K-pop Dance Night w/DJ Hope!
Come join us for a night of electrifying K-pop dance moves and non-stop grooving with DJ Hope! Get ready to unleash your inner dancer and jam to the hottest K-pop hits all night long. This in-person event will be held at the Fuze Box, the ultimate party destination. Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or just a K-pop enthusiast, this night promises to be an unforgettable experience. So grab your friends, put on your dancing shoes, and get ready to dance the night away at Fuze Box!
Chris Sanders and Jenna Sue, Rustic Barn Pub, Troy, 7pm-10pm
Country Rock Duo from the Capital District
Kendo, Hazeyy, Tremblizzy & Full Spectrum, Putnam Place, 8pm-1am
Come join us this Freaky Friday for an early Halloween Jump Start Party. The evening will feature house, drum n bass and dubstep dj’s Kendo, Hazeyy, Tremblizzy, Full Spectrum and a number of special guests.
Friday Lunchtime Listening Hour, Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, 12pm
July Guest: Jean Holcombe
7-28-23
August Guest: Franklyn Whitney
8-25-23
September Guests:
Stanley McGaughey
9-29-23
October Guest: John Moore
10-27-23
All are welcome to gather at Lena’s from Noon to 1 PM on the last Friday of each month to enjoy musical memories and new discoveries. The playlist is selected by a different community member each month from the Captain Fun Listening Library of vinyl records in Lena’s lobby. Chuck “Rochmon” Vosganian spins the records and gets the conversation flowing. Bring a brown bag lunch. Coffee and tea are provided.
The Captain Fun Listening Library occupying the north wall in the Caffè Lena lobby is comprised of 1,516 vinyl albums and several hundred CDs selected from Al “Captain Fun” McKenney’s expertly curated collection. This treasure trove of folk, blues and jazz was left us in 2015 and we share it through our monthly listening hour, as Al wished. Enjoy the memories these records bring back, and dig deep into American roots music.
Vienna Teng, Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, 8pm-10pm
Part of the Vienna Teng Residency collection
Singer/Songwriter Vienna Teng is a classically trained pianist who composes in a dazzling, cinematic style she likes to call chamber-folk
“I was in a long-distance relationship with music for many years,” jokes songwriter Vienna Teng. “Now we’re finally moving back in together.” Long-distance, perhaps, but long-running. In 2002, Teng released her debut album Waking Hour, landing her on NPR’s Weekend Edition, The Late Show with David Letterman, and the top of Amazon’s music charts. Four more albums followed, most recently Aims in 2013, as well as the music for The Fourth Messenger by playwright Tanya Shaffer. Together with Vienna’s captivating live performances and thoughtful online presence, her work has built a devoted following across generations and continents.
Hand Habits / Allegra Krieger – LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE! No Fun, Troy, 9pm-12am
Hand Habits – https://handhabits.bandcamp.com
Hand Habits is the songwriting outlet of guitarist Meg Duffy. Hand Habits’ debut album, Wildly Idle (Humble Before The Void), released by Woodsist Records in 2017, was entirely self-produced and recorded in Duffy’s home in Los Angeles during spare moments when they weren’t touring as a member of Kevin Morby’s band. Two years later, Hand Habits returned with their sophomore album, placeholder.
In 2021, they released numerous projects, including dirt – EP (Saddle Creek), motherless – (Sub Pop), their third full length album, Fun House (Saddle Creek), and a collaborative instrumental album, yes/and (Driftless) with Joel Ford.
Since then, Duffy has been frequently touring Fun House and playing in Perfume Genius. In fall 2022, they recently released two singles, Greatest Weapon / Under the Water, on Psychic Hotline. We are thrilled to welcome our friend for a Capital Region show!
Tom Evans Blues Band Reunion W/ Special Guest En-I-M, Pauly’s Hotel, Albany, 7:30pm
ONE NIGHT ONLY !!!!!!! THE TOM EVANS BLUES BAND!!
Saturday, September 30th
Ben Folds, Troy Music Hall, Troy, 8pm
with special guest Lindsey Kraft
“More than anything, I wanted to make an album that was generous, that was useful,” says Ben Folds. “I want you to finish this record with something you didn’t have when you started.”
Indeed, Folds’ masterful new collection, What Matters Most, isn’t so much a statement as it is an offering, an open hand reaching out to all those wounded and bewildered by a world that seems to make less and less sense every day. Recorded in East Nashville with co-producer Joe Pisapia, the album marks Folds’ first new studio release in eight years, and it’s a bold, timely, cinematic work, one that examines the tragic and the absurd in equal measure as it reckons with hope and despair, gratitude and loss, identity, and perspective. The songs are bittersweet here, hilarious at times, but often laced with a quiet sense of longing and dread: a text message goes unanswered; an old classmate descends into the dark depths of internet conspiracies; a relationship unravels in the middle of a lake. And yet, taken as a whole, the result is an undeniably joyful record that refuses to succumb to the weight of the world around it, an ecstatic reminder of all the beauty and promise hiding in plain sight for anyone willing (and present enough) to recognize their moments as they arrive.
Witch Perfect, The Egg, Albany, 7pm, 9pm
Part of the Guest Music Presentations Series
The hysterical and award-winning spooktacular, Witch Perfect, is a live-singing, comedy parody based on the cult-classic and audience favorite Disney film, Hocus Pocus.
Witch Perfect features THREE Emmy-winning stars from RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 13’s Tina Burner as Winifred, Scarlet Envy from Season 11 and All-Stars Season 6, as Sara, and Alexis Michelle from Season 9 and Allstars season 8, as Mary. The show features hits from pop icons Madonna, Britney Spears, and Cher, as well as Disney classics Little Mermaid and Lion King, and Broadway standards from Gypsy and Wicked, and more, including the infamous showstopper “I Put a Spell on You.” Music arranged and orchestrated by award-winning composer Blake Allen.
Pinky Patel: New Crown Who Dhis, The Egg, Albany, 7:30pm
Part of the Guest Comedy Presentations Series
Originally from Illinois, Pinky Patel is a PTA mom turned creator, comedian, and personality with a fan base of over 5 million. She is best known for her hilarious commentary and viral videos from her glam cave that have garnered over 89 million likes on TikTok. She has worked with brands such as Clorox, Pfizer, Pure Leaf Tea and many more.
Stand-Up Jesus: Blessed Be the Punchlines, Proctors Theatre, Schenectady, 7:30pm
“Irreverent!” “Sacrilegious!” and “Hysterical!” In Robert Dubac’s hilarious new show, STAND-UP JESUS, our lord and savior returns but this time he’s no carpenter – he’s a stand-up comedian! Join him as he channels what God created on the 8th day. Comedy! Shining the light of truth on false prophets, duplicitous politicians and immoral sheeple; J.C.’s razor sharp satire has been intelligently designed to redeem sinners of all faiths. So let he who is without sin cast the first heckle! His ecclesiastical reviews have been stellar: “Christ, he’s funny! Comedy has risen to a new level!” –Moses “He is more famous than the Beatles!” –Matthew, Mark, Luke and John “I know for a fact he can’t take a joke.” –Judas Come bear witness to a truth that hurts and a truth that’s funny with STAND-UP JESUS. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done; and it will be done with the miracle of divine satire! Who better to battle the hypocrisy of modern day evangelism than STAND-UP JESUS? It’s a Second Coming blessed with punchlines. Heaven help us? Hell, yeah! Robert Dubac (author, actor) belongs to a rare breed of humorists who make comedy smart and tragedy funny. Eschewing drama in the pursuit of humor he deftly combines stand-up with theater, pulling our emotional strings with intelligence and wit. In other words, you get more truth and less dick jokes.
The Eighth Step Presents: Magpie 50th Anniversary Concert, Proctors Theatre, Schenectady, 7:30pm
“The breadth of their musical tastes, the depth of their commitment to humanist ideals, the precision of their chamber-folk arrangements and, above all, the graceful sympathy of their vocal harmonies…refined over the years to an effortless rapport” WASHINGTON POST
“Tumultuous applause and a standing ovation” SPOLETO FESTIVAL
As they mark their 50th anniversary of performing, we celebrate singer-songwriters, multi-instrumentalists, and musical activists Terry Leonino & Greg Artzner [Magpie] for their remarkable musicianship, stunning close harmony on songs both original and borrowed and their activism. Onstage, they touch poignantly on important subjects, then cut loose on classic swing numbers for great fun along the way.
Gabe Mollica’s “Solo: A Show About Friendship” Proctors Theatre, Schenectady, 8pm
Comedian Gabe Mollica will bring his hit Off-Broadway comedy show to the Capital District for the first time! Directed by Greg Walloch (Hasan Minhaj’s Homecoming King), New York comedian Gabe Mollica’s “Solo” explores male friendship in his 30s. Jason Zinoman of the New York Times called the show “very funny, sweet not sappy, intricate Birbiglian storytelling.” The show ran at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it was heralded by The Scotsman as “For the first time I can remember this August, I really did not want the hour to end.”
Old 97’s, Empire Underground, Albany, 8pm
John Hollier
Highwaymen Show: Great American Outlaws Tribute Concert, Cohoes Music Hall, Cohoes, 8pm-10pm
The Highwaymen Show was created by Alabama native, Gray Sartin. Gray started performing at the age of five and made his first appearance on an auto commercial. He started playing guitar at ten and at 19, he won a comedy contest doing an impression of Rodney Dangerfield. He has been professionally performing for 21 years. In 2011, Gray created the Johnny Cash Now tribute show and started performing nationwide. In 2018, Gray created another character by adding a tribute to Waylon Jennings, and that same year he started producing other multi-tribute shows including George Jones, Merle Haggard, Linda Ronstadt, Hank Williams Jr and Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. Eventually, Gray narrowed down his multi-tribute show to The Highwaymen Show.
Soul Provider, Rustic Barn Pub, Troy, 8pm-11pm
Soul Provider has been providing Soul, Rock N’ Roll and R&B for over a decade! One of the top party bands playing venues all over the Capital District.
Cider & Friends, Lark Hall, Albany, 2pm-6pm
Join us on Saturday, September 30th from 2-6pm for Cider & Friends; an afternoon filled with a delicious cider tasting, friends & more.
Cider and Friends was created by two friends, Dariah Duncan (Dee) and Jovan Tucker (Jovie) in April 2023. The idea of this event came about during their journey to become Nine Pin 26ers (click on the link for more information).
Biweekly, Dee and Jovie would travel to Nine Pin Cidery and try new ciders. Not only were they able to try ciders, but it gave them a chance to catch up on each other’s lives and create new memories.
One week, they traveled to Nine Pin to try the 6th cider out of the 26. While tasting it, they decided to rate it from 1 to 5 stars. This would lead to them rating each cider at Nine Pin or any bar they stopped at. The friends would share their reviews on social media and receive great feedback. As the weeks went by, they would constantly be asked “where can I find this cider?”, and “would you recommend this cider?”. The two of them began to brainstorm a way to share this information with people and decided to create an event! This led to the birth of Cider and Friends!
The Warped Tour Band w/ All The Blink Things, Dookie, Putnam Place, Saratoga Springs, 8pm-12:30am
The Warped Tour Band performs all your favorite Emo/pop-punk songs by artists like: Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance, Blink-182, New Found Glory, Green Day, Good Charlotte, Sum 41, Fall Out Boy, Yellow Card, The Used, Brand New and everything in between!
Website: www.facebook.com/TheWarpedTourBand
Vienna Teng, Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, 8pm-10pm
Singer/Songwriter Vienna Teng is a classically trained pianist who composes in a dazzling, cinematic style she likes to call chamber-folk
“I was in a long-distance relationship with music for many years,” jokes songwriter Vienna Teng. “Now we’re finally moving back in together.” Long-distance, perhaps, but long-running. In 2002, Teng released her debut album Waking Hour, landing her on NPR’s Weekend Edition, The Late Show with David Letterman, and the top of Amazon’s music charts. Four more albums followed, most recently Aims in 2013, as well as the music for The Fourth Messenger by playwright Tanya Shaffer. Together with Vienna’s captivating live performances and thoughtful online presence, her work has built a devoted following across generations and continents.
NRBQ, Hangar on the Hudson, Troy, 8pm-11pm
NRBQ is Terry Adams, Scott Ligon, Casey McDonough, and John Perrin. “NRBQ”, which stands for New Rhythm and Blues Quartet, has often been called a national treasure, which may be why the band’s music has attracted legions of devoted fans worldwide, including Jimi Hendrix,Elvis Costello, Penn & Teller, Doc Pomus, R.E.M., SpongeBob SquarePants, Michael J. Pollard,Ian McLagan, Steve Earle, Drew Carey, and Nick Lowe, among many others. NRBQ songs haveinspired cover versions by Bonnie Raitt , Los Lobos, Darlene Love, Dave Edmunds, She & Him, Widespread Panic, Yo La Tengo, and more. The group served as the unofficial “house band” for The Simpsons for Seasons 10-12. They appeared as zombies in George Romero’s movie Day of the Dead. They have appeared at the Berlin Jazz Festival, the Grand Ole Opry, and Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival. In their 50+ year career, NRBQ has released almost as many albums, including a series of critically acclaimedtitles in the past decade, among them Keep This Love Goin’ (2011), Brass Tacks (2014), and the5-disc, 50-year retrospective, High Noon (2016). Of the brand-new studio album Dragnet, released at the end of 2021, Bill Bentley in Americana Highways says, “They play with such startling and powerful simplicity, a style that must be earned and not learned,” while Uncut says, “[it’s] as though the history of 20th-century popular and unpopular music has gone through thorough, playful distillation.
Honey! Collective, No Fun, Troy, 8pm-11pm
Society High, Blase De Bris, Savage Randys, Black Cat Elliot, Pauly’s Hotel, Albany, 8pm
Sunday, October 1st
Seth Parker Woods, Troy Music Hall, 3pm
Troy Chromatics Concert Series
Program:
Rachmaninov: Cello Sonata, Op. 19
Mumford: four dances for Boris (2004)
Khse Buon by Chinary Ung (1980)
George Walker Cello Sonata (1957)
Featuring pianist Andrew Rosenblum
Hailed by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace” who possesses “mature artistry and willingness to go to the brink,” Grammy Award-nominated cellist Seth Parker Woods has established his reputation as a versatile artist and innovator.
This season, Woods premieres a new version of his Difficult Grace at 92NY, UCLA, and Chicago’s Harris Theater; curates and performs a program honoring George Walker at the Phillips Collection; premieres Freida Abtan’s My Heart is a River with the Seattle Symphony; and performs a premiere by Anna Thorvaldsdottir at Carnegie Hall, part of Claire Chase’s Density Series. The Great Northern Festival in Minneapolis presents Woods’ performance installation, Iced Bodies, and he also joins national tours with pianist Andrew Rosenblum and the Chad Lawson Trio. Woods releases a new solo album on Cedille Records and contributed to the soundtrack of the 2022 Ken Burns PBS documentary, The U.S. and the Holocaust. He is nominated for a 2023 Grammy Award with new music ensemble, Wild Up.
RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Palace, Albany, 8pm
Night of the Living Drag
Imagine if you will… You’re traveling through another dimension… Sashay into The Twilight Zone this Halloween with the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race for the 12th Annual Night of the Living Drag Tour! Witness the mysterious fates of Angeria, Denali, Icesis Couture, Jaida Essence Hall, Jorgeous, Plastique, Rosé, Tayce, and your host… Yvie Oddly as the infamous Rod Serling! Presented by Voss Events in collaboration with World of Wonder.
Punk Rock Flea Market, Empire Live, Albany, 11am
Rye Bread Fundraiser, Putnam Place, Saratoga Springs, 2pm-7:30pm
Join us for the Rye Bread Music & Arts Festival fundraiser, featuring performances by The Rye Bread Family Band, Quantum Cosmic, Mushroom Men, Dr. Jah, Sly Fox & The Hustlers, Mike McMann, Kale, TV Doctors, and Bedrock Foundation. The event will also feature a silent auction and raffles.
Schedule:
2:00pm – 3:00pm – Quantum Cosmic
3:10pm – 3:30pm – The Bedrock Foundation
3:40pm – 4:00pm – Dr. Jah
4:10pm – 4:30pm – TV Doctors
4:40pm – 5:30pm – Kale
5:10pm – 5:30pm – Sly Fox & The Hustlers
5:40pm – 6:00pm – Mike McMann
6:10pm – 6:30pm – Mushroom Men
6:40pm – 7:40pm – Rye Bread Family Band
My Son The Doctor / Senior Living / Ladybyrd / Um, Jennifer? No Fun, Troy, 7pm-11pm
My Son The Doctor – https://mysonthedoctor.bandcamp.com
Senior Living – https://seniorliving.bandcamp.com
Ladybyrd – https://ladybyrd.bandcamp.com
Um, Jennifer?
Continue reading
RadioRadioX