When Bassekou Kouyate asked “Are you happy?” at Universal Preservation Hall Friday, he knew the answer.

Everybody was, both in the audience and onstage. The intricate, uplifting African-bluesy music Malian griot Kouyate made with his quintet amazed and charmed the audience; a mid-winter throng that arrived all bundled-up then listened, attentive but not dancing as in past shows here when Kouyate led bigger bands.

Kouyate launched his seamless 80-minute show himself, silvery staccato notes from his ngoni ringing through the room. This set a meditative mood and announced the show would be centered on the zippy treble fire of his traditional west African instrument, a wood-framed oval skin-covered body, a wooden neck stretching four steel strings. A groove formed behind him, firm, unhurried. Then his singer-wife Amy (Amanita) Sacko took over the tune, the mid-tempo “Le Kanoughnon,” regal in gold-decorated white gown and soaring voice to match. As she swooped and crooned, Kouyate (hereafter just Bassekou), his bass-ngoni playing son Mamadou and percussionist son Moctar leaned left then right in steps together. Mahamadou Tounkara sat to anchor the rhythm with fists and fingers on a calabash, a giant gourd.

“Abe Sumaya” flowed at a similar mellow tempo until its groove erupted in an abrupt bridge then settled into a steady rhythmic bed under Bassekou’s solo. A modernist wah-wah pedal sustained notes, then a rhythmically potent passage built on a single note but shifting beats. Here – in fact, everywhere – Sacko’s voice held its own.

Early on, Mahamadou’s calabash notes hit in time with Mamadou’s sparse bass lines, fists smacking low notes, fingers etching higher pitches. Both loosened up over time, bass lines growing more complex and calabash keeping pace. Alongside Mahamdou, Moctar made percussive scratch sounds, dropping a bead-encased gourd or can then catching it with on-the-beat precision. Strapping a small djembe (adjustable pitch drum) under his arm later in the set, he made melodies by squeezing its sides with his upper arm, hitting with small bent stick and fingers. Bassekou played his ngoni (actually three, in different tunings) with guitar-like finger-picking technique, like Richard Thompson’s. Pinkie anchored to the body below the strings, he strummed down with his thumb and picked upward with ring, insult and pointing fingers, or flailed downward with his nails.

Despite the antique looks of their instruments, the music seemed both deeply rooted and modernist at times. In “Jamako,” everyone cycled a riff into a taut groove like a funk tune. In one of few song intros, Bassekou explained “Ngoni Fola” was a solo devised to please and express himself. He then wove a 17-minute suite that sprang from an uptempo scramble into episodes that generously showcased his band-mates’ skills, like a jazz combo, in one of the show’s instrumental highlights. When Moctar stepped forward for djembe fireworks, he engaged everybody in clap-along support while he crazy-leg danced in place.

Singer Sacko left the stage for “Poye 2” which Bassekou introduced as an African blues. Noting Taj Mahal had played on the recording, he several times jokingly imitated Taj’s distinctive vocal growl. He mainly he played fiery runs, building and releasing tension with repeats and variations, bending notes and whole phrases with a slide and closing with a dramatic one-note solo where rhythm ruled.

Sacko returned thereafter for two medley-like flows, bluesy and built on surging grooves. “Wele Cuba” recalled “Koulibaly” by fellow Malians Amadou et Mariam, but slowed to a mellow flow. In “Miri,” Sacko’s voice seemed to stretch to fill the sky, and she carried the chant of “Nyame” with the same power.

Audience-wise, Friday’s show felt different from his past warmer-weather shows when dance-madness broke out in exuberant throngs rising from their seats to surge, smiling, into any open space. This was a listening crowd, not a dancing one.

At times the songs’ meanings communicated effectively through nuances in singing and playing. Others could have used spoken introductions to supply context; although the same helpful fan who’d translated for Ablaye Cissoko and Cyrille Brotto in their October Proctors Passport GE Theatre show jumped up to help – a sweet, warm moment.

The Songs

• Le Kanougnon
• Abe Sumaya
• Jamako
• Ngoni Foia
• Poye 2
• Kanto Kelena > Wele Cuba
• Miri > Nyame

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BY BARUCH RAINEY
“Number the Stars” — with book, music and lyrics written by Sean Hartley and based on Lois Lowry’s critically acclaimed novel — is the latest production at the Theatre Institute at Sage (TIS). The musical centers on the escape of the Danish Jewish population during World War II.

As the Nazis take control of Denmark, the family of Annemarie Johansen decides to shelter Ellen Rosen, Annemarie’s Jewish best friend. A Nazi officer forces his way into the Johansen apartment, demanding they tell him the whereabouts of the Rosen family. The Johansens convince the officer that Ellen is actually one of their daughters. It is after this that Annemarie realizes that Denmark’s Jewish citizens — including friends and neighbors — are in terrible danger, and that it is the duty of families such as Annemarie’s to help them.

Director Michael Musial fills several offstage roles in the production, including music director and accompanist. Musial’s artistic vision for the production is impressive, as each element of the production — from lights to set to the movement of the actors — meshes well with each of the other elements. This is no doubt also thanks to the talents of others on the production crew.

Jennifer Raineri’s costume design is beautiful and, perhaps even more importantly, historically accurate. Paul Sweet’s scenic design is breathtaking. The pieces of the set work well in depicting a fragmented and uneasy world. The set also works incredibly well with displaying Matthew McElligott’s resplendently designed projections. Jemma Kepner’s lighting and Vinny Pruchnick’s sound design also work well in setting the mood for the entire production.

The cast does a phenomenal job at conveying the fear and desperation that are pervasive throughout the show’s plot. Particularly noteworthy are Kyra Burris (Annemarie) and Danielle Stallone (Ellen Rosen). Burris adeptly portrays the innocence and concern of young Annemarie. Her moving rendition of the show’s titular song exquisitely shows Annemarie wrestling with the existence of God and the state of affairs in the world. She and Stallone do well in communicating the steadfast friendship their characters have, and their last moments onstage together are incredibly moving.

Also of note are performances by Steffanie Mammoser (Mama), Phil Bruns (Papa), Cameron Richardson (Uncle Henrik) and Michael Sinkora (Nazi Soldier). Mammoser’s and Bruns’ portrayal as protective and nurturing parents is touching, and their vulnerability in many of the show’s moments is well done. Richardson beautifully sings “When the Moon is Hidden from the Sea” with a hauntingly rich baritone voice. Sinkora’s Nazi Soldier is terrifying and he does not waver in his heartlessness. Harper Sylvestri (Kirsti), Katrina Beach (Mrs. Rosen), ZacZiperstein (Mr. Rosen), Michael Keck (Peter), John Diaz (Man) and Maddie Gaiser (Woman) also offer laudable performances.

Prior to the performance, TIS offered educational programming for members of a local school’s drama club. Students had the opportunity to learn about historical costuming, projections and scenic design/construction from the professionals who work in those different areas for the production.
The programming was incredibly engaging for the students, with many of them asking in-depth questions about the different areas. Such educational opportunities are offered regularly by TIS and provide wonderful insight for students about many aspects of theatrical production.

Overall, the production was successful in entertaining as well as in teaching through the use of a fictionalized account of a historical event. Moreover, the story provides important lessons that are still relevant in the present: that one should use one’s privilege to help others in need, and that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

“Number the Stars” runs at the Schacht Fine Arts Center Theater at 65 1st St. in Troy through Sunday. For tickets and more information, visit theatre.sage.edu or call 518-244-2248.

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Performing professionally since 1988, the Gibson Brothers — who will play Saturday night for two sold-out shows at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs — have multiple International Bluegrass Music Association Awards and just happen to live in our area: Leigh in Glenville and Eric in Glens Falls.

In 2015, Eric Gibson told me their telepathic connection was downright scary.

“We try to come out firing and look at the crowd and try to judge what they want to hear,” he said. “So, when we decide what we’re gonna play as the crowd is applauding at the end of a song, we just back away, look at each other. One of us will say a song, and we say it at the same time.”

The siblings grew up in rural Ellenburg near the Canadian border, where their father made his living as a farmer. Bluegrass music has been as important to their lives as bailing hay when they were youngsters.

At a Christmas show in 2021 at Proctors in Schenectady, the Gibson Brothers welcomed their fans into their family. Backed by four masters of the strings and a drummer, the two brothers showcased their prowess as one of the top bluegrass acts in the world, and we all got to sit at the head table for Christmas dinner. Herewas a duo that debuted at the Grand Ole Opry in 2003, appeared on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” in 2014 and received honorary doctorates of fine arts from the State University of New York during the spring commencement at SUNY Plattsburgh in 2015.

People often ask why the brothers don’t move to Nashville. Leigh Gibson says the answer is simple.

“I love music, but when you have family it’s not the only part of your life,” he said. “It’s a big part of our life, but it’s only part of your life. And if it’s not going well at the time, then you’re going to think your life isn’t good.”

In concert they are crack professionals who make it all look easy.

“All four Beatles gave our next album a thumbs up,” Leigh said with a wink at the Proctors show in 2021. The set list ranged from originals such as “Dick’s Country Store,” about a real store in the town of Morris in the North Country, to Flatt and Scruggs’s “Footprints on the Ground.”

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BY SHENANDOAH BRIERE
Hundreds of dancers are expected to get their groove on this weekend as the 36th annual Flurry Festival takes over the Saratoga Springs City Center and Hilton Hotel, as well as the Music Hall inside City Hall and The Parting Glass.

The festival, which will run from Friday through Sunday, was founded by Paul Rosenberg. The first event in 1988 was just one day and held in Westmere Elementary School in Guilderland, according to the event’s website. Over the years the event has grown, with roughly 400 performers and 4,500 attendees, according to its website.

“I feel like the proud father — or now grandfather — of this festival and I just love seeing people enjoying themselves, and not just enjoying themselves but ecstatic about what they’re doing at the festival, just this amazing bonding, this amazing community,” Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg retired from organizing the event in 2005 but still dances and performs as a musician during the festival.

The event offers attendees a chance to watch or join in traditional dances and music such as swing, contra, Latin and Appalachian. Rosenberg said he will be a caller for some of the dances.

The festival will feature 221 sessions, including concerts, instrument workshops and storytelling, said Kathleen Crayne, the event’s marketing manager.

Crayne, a swing dancer, has been attending the festival since 2007. She said the swing dancing class is back this year.

“It’s already sold out, which is very exciting,” she said. “The instructors are coming up from New York City and have competed in international competitions, and are very popular in the swing dancing world, so that is something that we are really looking forward to.”

Crayne said her favorite part of the festival is being able to check out other classes, even if it’s not a genre you’ve participated in previously.

“It’s really fascinating, and you can really start to see how the music and the dancing through traditions have some similarities and overlaps,” she said.

Crayne said she’s excited to check out the West African dance session.

“The roots of swing dancing actually come from African dancing,” she said.

“I took a class last year and I got to really experience the similarities, so that’s very cool.”

She’s also eager to check out the belly dancer who joined the festival in 2021 via a virtual event.

Rosenberg said one of his favorite parts of the event is actually the last 15-minute dance, which he gets to call.

“Emotions are so high, people are just at the peak of ecstasy. There’s no feeling like it,” he said. “I remember in earlier flurries, sometimes the music and dancing is just so amazing I would break down and cry.”

Anyone can be part of the festival, according to a news release from the organization.

“It’s a very welcoming environment, “said Jonathan Greene, program curator, in the release. “People are just happy to be here and to share their interests. Different types of participatory dances are done solo, partnered or in community groups, and there’s no need to come with a partner, as switching is common for many styles.”

The festival is also family-friendly, with events for children, and the event is free for those under age 12.

Rosenberg said it’s been great seeing younger people get involved in the event.

However, while the event attracts many people from all over the country and some from around the world, he said he’d like to see more local people participate in the festival.

Tickets for the flurry will be available for purchase at the door throughout the weekend and vary in cost based on age and the day of attendance. More information can be found at www.flurryfestival.org.

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In the 1990s, 100 Acre Wood was a prominent local band that generated lots of college radio play and opened locally for big-name artists including Buffalo Tom, Matthew Sweet, Yo La Tengo and King Missile.

“We were very ambitious in the early days of 100 Acre Wood, and we were lucky enough to have a good relationship with Howard Glassman at [Albany music venue] Bogie’s, and he really gave us some amazing shows there, where we opened for a lot of national acts. It was exciting,” said Clarke Hingeford, who formed 100 Acre Wood with his childhood friend, Kyle Pemrick.

Hingeford and Pemrick both grew up in Johnstown and now reside with their families in Charlton. Their friendship and musical collaboration spans not just decades but rather a lifetime, culminating recently in a new album, “Self Appeal and Mass Fulfillment.” The pair’s current group is the Bitter Stars, a trio with Harrison Depew on drums.

At the time of 100 Acre Wood’s success in the ‘90s, indie rock was taking off and some bands found themselves fielding offers from major labels. At the time, 100 Acre Wood met with Dublin-based Mother Records, a label founded by U2 in 1983.

“They listened to our whole demo and loved it. They were very eager to see us live, but we just couldn’t pull it off,” said Hingeford. The band’s planned tour to Ireland fell through for financial reasons.

100 Acre Wood ended up releasing a debut album, “Binge,” in 1994 on Paint Chip Records, a well-regarded local indie label run by Albany musician and audio engineer Dominick Campana of the band Dirty Face.

“It was cool because [the deal with Paint Chip] was so fair,” Pemrick said. “It was so refreshing to have somebody try to organize everybody under one roof, and do it legitimately and with principle.”

“I think that experience really gave us a lot of confidence that musically we were heading in a really good direction,” Hingeford added. “Kyle and I have been writing together for 30 years. So we know each other’s instincts really well.”

100 Acre Wood eventually ran its course, and in subsequent years Hingeford and Pemrick continued to play together in a succession of bands including Dooojj, Nair, Scrapper and Captain Freedom and the Anarchists.

Hingeford built a recording studio in the backyard of his home in Charlton, where the pair continued to write and record music, swapping off on instruments and taking turns playing guitar, bass, keyboards and more exotic musical implements.

“We have such a similar aesthetic that it just makes perfect sense,” Hingeford said.

But the experiences of their youth playing in the local scene inspired, in a tongue-in-cheek way, the band’s current name, the Bitter Stars.

“At 25 I wanted to be a rock star, playing at Bogie’s and thinking I was going to be somebody and something. And you get a little older and you realize that you’re not. And then we started doing music for fun. After I realized that I didn’t want to be a rock star anymore,” said Hingeford.
“It’s always been about fun first, and exploration,” added Pemrick.

The Bitter Stars’ latest album, “Self Appeal and Mass Fulfillment,” is the band’s third in the past several years, reflecting the trio’s growth over time. The album kicks off with “Fjords,” an anthemic track that recalls the guitar crunch and melodic punch of the ‘90s indie rock days, but then the album gets progressively creative and quirkier on tracks such as the dance-punk “Blip in Your Life,” which recalls the weirder art-rock of artists such as David Bowie and early Peter Gabriel.

In a clever twist of words, the album’s title expresses the urge to put creative freedom over a desire for press or acclaim. “ ’Self Appeal and Mass Fulfillment’ means literally that we’re doing this for ourselves first, and if somebody likes it, great, we’re happy. But that’s not our primary reason for doing it,” said Hingeford.

The new album is available on major streaming sites. Visit thebitterstars.com for more.

Spencer joins forces with members of the Bobby Lees

Almost exactly a year ago at Lark Hall in Albany, a chaotic scene erupted from the stage as former Sonic Youth drummer Bob Bert wailed on his scrapyard drum kit, which included two metal trash cans and a bass drum with a gas tank from an old Chevy perched on top.

Bert was playing an electrifying set with the HITmakers, the blues-punk group backing Jon Spencer, a legend in underground rock for his work with Boss Hog, the Blues Explosion and Pussy Galore.

On Sunday, Spencer returned to the area for a show at No Fun in Troy, but this time his band included drummer Spider Bowman and bassist Kendall Wind, both 22-year-old phenoms who got their start in Woodstock band the Bobby Lees when they were just teenagers.

Combined, the ages of Bowman and Wind don’t add up to Spencer’s, who at 59 still looked extremely energetic and youthful – with a full head of jet-black hair – as he unleashed lots of heavy guitar riffs and dexterous knee bends, cushioned by pads smartly sown into his jeans.

Spencer produced the Bobby Lees’ 2020 album “Skin Suit,” and he was smart to snap up Wind and Bowman after the Bobby Lees went on indefinite hiatus at the end of last year after announcing that the financial difficulties of being a touring band had made it hard for them to continue.

The pairing was a rock ‘n’ roll marriage made in heaven, as the force and precision of Bowman and Wind were the perfect complement to Spencer’s old-school swagger and incendiary energy. The trio ripped through some of Spencer’s newer material – such as the scuzz-funk of “Worm Town” and “Do the Trash Can” – as well as older numbers such as the Blues Explosion’s
“I Wanna Make It All Right” and perennial classic “Bellbottoms.”

The Week Ahead

Local swing clarinetist Jonathan Greene, who performs with the gypsy jazz group Hot Club of Saratoga, celebrates the release of his self-produced debut swing album at Caffe Lena tonight. 7:30 p.m.

Indie-rock vocalist Cat Power, aka Chan Marshall, performs a song-for-song recreation of Bob Dylan’s transformative 1966 “Royal Albert Hall Concert” at Troy Music Hall on Friday. 8 p.m.

A Second Line parade on Lark Street in Albany at 6 p.m. kicks off the Lark Hall performance on Friday by Glen David Andrews Band, led by the New Orleans native and trombonist. Local 10-piece musical collective The NoLaNauts open. 7 p.m.

No Fun’s tribute to former Albany venue Valentine’s continues Friday with the Great 518 Cover Show, wherein local bands perform a cluster of songs by a chosen band. Watch Sun Natives cover Oasis; Pony in the Pancake perform the Beatles; Birthday Dan pay tribute to Queens of the Stone Age; and more. 8 p.m.

Bassekou Kouyate, a master of the ngoni — an ancient traditional lute found throughout West Africa — plays a Passport Series show at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs with his band Ngoni Ba. 7:30 p.m.

Punk and power-pop icon Ted Leo headlines No Fun on Saturday in a solo show as part of the second Valentine’s Music Hall Week at the Troy venue. The Men Who Loved Music, featuring former Valentine’s owner Howard Glassman, open the show. 7 p.m.

Reach Kirsten Ferguson at theupstatebeat@gmail.com.

PHOTO INFO
IMG_8253: The Bitter Stars, consisting of Clarke Hingeford, left, holding studio dog Hector, and Kyle Pemrick, are seen in the band’s Charlton home recording studio. (Photo provided)

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This week, we have another great lineup of literary events in the region. Here’s a quick look at the upcoming book discussions, readings, open mics, and workshops.

Friday, February 9

1:00 PM –Poetry/Storytelling Open Mic @ Saratoga Senior Center

The Saratoga Senior Center presents a poetry and storytelling open mic featuring poet Jay Rogoff.

6:00 PM – Mercedes de Guardiola and Amy Godine – “Vermont for the Vermonters and The Black Woods” @ Northshire Manchester

The two authors will visit our Manchester store to discuss their latest works of social history. Vermont for the Vermonters examines how the state’s eugenics movement led to state-sanctioned programs of institutionalization, sterilization, and family separation aimed at the most vulnerable Vermonters. The Black Woods chronicles the history of Black pioneers in New York’s northern wilderness.

Saturday, February 10

4:00 PM – St. Rocco’s Readings for the Dispossessed with Royer + Tetreault + Voet @ College of Saint Rose

An afternoon of readings to welcome Ric Royer and his “Niagara Falls, NY” book tour to Albany, with Elliot Teteault and Sof Voet.

Sunday, February 11

2:00 PM – 2nd Sunday @ 2 – Poetry + Prose @ Collar City Mushrooms

The 2nd Sunday @ 2 open mic for poetry and prose, hosted by Nancy Klepsch and Dan Wilcox, supports emerging, published and writers in-between.

3:00 PM – Chapbooks: Crafting a Collection

Join Straw Dog Writers Guild with presenter Adrie Rose on Sunday, February 11 via zoom from 3-5pm for this craft workshop. We will come together to work on pulling together poems into a chapbook collection. We’ll talk about what chapbooks are (and are not) and some strategies for arranging the poems in them. Participants are encouraged to bring 8-12 pages of poems. We’ll work in small groups to look at the poems participants brought and create a draft arrangement, then discuss how to send chapbook manuscripts out into the world.

Monday, February 12

6:30 PM – Poetry Circle Open Mic @ Moon & River Cafe

Poetry Circle is an intimate, interactive poetry and spoken-word open mic evening in which participants are invited to reflect on readings.

Tuesday, February 13

2:00 PM – FFAPL Book Talk @ Albany Public Library – Washington Ave. Branch

Thomas J. O’Grady, PhD, MPH, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, U at Albany, SUNY presents Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America by Beth Macy.

6:30 PM – White Hart Speaker Series: Roxana Robinson, “Leaving: A Novel,” in Conversation with Dani Shapiro @ The White Hart Inn

Presented by Oblong Books in partnership with The White Hart Inn & Scoville Memorial Library. “Leaving” charts a passage through loyalty and desire as it builds to a shattering conclusion, in Roxana Robinson’s boldest and most powerful work to date.

7:00 PM – 2nd Tuesday Open Mic

All-genre open mic out of Bennington hosted by Charlie Rossiter.

Wednesday, February 14

12:30 PM – Midday Write Ins @ Mochalisa’s Caffe

Midday Write Ins are a free, shared space to write.

5:45 PM – Writers Group @ Schenectady Public Library – Central Branch

Whether you’ve been doing it forever or just starting out, bring your written words to this volunteer run community group and receive feedback from fellow wordsmiths as time permits.

7:00 PM – Straw Dog Writes Weekly Writers Meet Up

Straw Dog Writers Guild members who would like to spend some time writing together can join a Zoom session. We will spend 15 minutes on introductions, a 45 minute writing session, have a 15 minute discussion, then write for a second 45 minute period of time. Afterwards, the Zoom room will remain open for a half hour for discussion and chat.

7:30 PM – Writers Mic

Writers near and far are welcome to join host Jackie Craven for a lively monthly open mic.

Did we miss anything? Let us know at info@hvwg.org, and be sure to check out https://hvwg.org to find out more about our vibrant literary and arts community.

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George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” was published in January 100 years ago, something the Albany Symphony Orchestra is celebrating with a concert Saturday at Proctors.

What makes featuring this work on the program even more special is that it will be the first time audiences will hear the piece as Gershwin actually wrote it.

“I knew of the heavy editing of Gershwin’s orchestral works, so in 1979 I went to the Library of Congress and had three hours of access to his original manuscript,” said pianist Kevin Cole, who will play the piece on Saturday. “I did notice the piano part had extra measures and wondered why they hadn’t been published. I found out later that after 1924 when the piece was published, editors who were of the old school thought he was repeating what totaled 50 measures when they actually provided bridges into new themes. It affected mostly only the piano part.”

Cole, who has been a Gershwin specialist for decades (Gershwin died in 1937), also learned by the 1990s that others had also discovered these “lost” measures. That led to an initiative supported by the Gershwin estate at the University of Michigan to go through all of Gershwin’s scores to restore them back to the originals.
Meanwhile, Cole contacted ASO music director David Alan Miller roughly 20 years ago, and together they began sleuthing through the original manuscripts.

The result is a Naxos recording made in 2020 with the National Orchestra Institute Philharmonic that includes those restored 50 measures. That’s what concert-goers will hear Saturday.

“They’ll hear harmonies not heard before and a big lushness,” Cole said. “The piece hasn’t changed, only subtly, but the piano and orchestra were not working as George had intended on what we’ve heard all these years. But now it’s the convergence of the stars.”

“We’re thrilled to be able to capture Kevin’s incredible interpretations,” Miller said.

“He has a deep knowledge of the style of the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s. No one plays with such authority. He’ll be lean, brilliant, shining and fresh — a 1920s Broadway approach.”

This will not be the only premiere. Principal trombonist Greg Spiridopoulos will perform Jack Frerer’s “Simon Says.” The onemovement piece, which Spiridopoulous said has “a lot of humor and fits well for the trombone,” has the trombone as a teacher and the orchestra as the students who try to emulate what the “teacher” says but never quite get it right.

While trombonists don’t usually get the solo spotlight — “We sit in the back and you feel anonymous” — Spiridopoulos has become more comfortable out in front of the orchestra.

“I really enjoy it even though audiences are not quite used to seeing a trombonist as the soloist,” he said, laughing.

The piece is also Frerer’s first orchestral work for the ASO, although he has written several for the Dogs of Desire.

“He’s a favorite of mine and he’s incredibly in tune with the American pop style, rock and jazz. He writes very urbane music that ties into the Gershwin tradition,” Miller said.

Also on the program is Carlos Simon’s “AMEN,” which Miller said uses gospel traditions but in a symphonic way, and Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”

Albany Symphony Orchestra
WHEN: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Proctors
HOW MUCH: $20-$68
MORE INFO: 518-694-3300; albanysymphony.com

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Although the members of the NoLaNauts are based here in the Capital Region – including five from Schenectady County – the 10-piece funk band has a second city at heart: New Orleans.

Guitarist and vocalist Tom O’Connor of Albany, a frequent visitor to the Big Easy since the early 1980s, hatched the plan for the high-energy funk band while sitting in the bleachers at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2019 during a set by the Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, a New Orleans supergroup.

O’Connor was at the festival with longtime friend and musician Brian Lawlor, now the NoLaNauts drummer, who resides in Niskayuna but also lives in New Orleans for half the year.

“There were probably 30,000 people in front of us,” O’Connor said. “We were sitting there, and I was looking at the crowd, this massive crowd. And I just saw everybody dancing, from little girls and boys at 8 years old up to grandmothers and great-grandmothers in their 80s. Everybody was dancing even though nobody knew the songs. I looked at Brian and said, ‘I like this music too much. I’m starting a band to play New Orleans music. You want to be in it?’ ”

Lawlor immediately agreed.

“It’s too good a music just to leave it down here,” said Lawlor from his home in New Orleans last weekend, where a Mardi Gras parade was about to pass by.

The NoLaNauts blast the New Orleans vibe back to upstate New York on Friday for a Mardi Gras dance party at Frog Alley Brewing starting at 8:30 p.m. Expect funky horns, swampy keyboards, original tunes such as “Early Warning” and a repertoire of New Orleans classics going back decades. Costumes and beads are encouraged.

“They talk about the great American songbook. Well, there’s the great New Orleans songbook, which has spread into America, because New Orleans is a melting pot of styles,” said O’Connor, who when forming the NoLaNauts put out a call for local musicians interested in playing New Orleans music and received an overwhelming response.

In addition to O’Connor and Lawlor, the current lineup includes Peter Andriakos on percussion; Matt Girtler on bass; David Macejka on percussion; Brian Brancato on trumpet; Bill Ringwood on saxophone; Ben Moss on guitar; Rick Rothermel on keyboards; Joe Sorbero on drums; and Victor Murdoch as “indispensable man about town.”

“We decided we wanted to call [the group] a collective, starting with that shared understanding of the musical heritage of New Orleans, all the way from Bounce music to Dixieland. If you know, you know. Basically, we have a repertoire that pretty much any of these players and a bunch more could pop into a show and play with us the covers that we do,” O’Connor said.

The NoLaNauts also write and record original music, including “Early Warning,” an energetic tune that harkens back to the chaos of Hurricane Katrina; a song called “Neutral Ground” about the historically “neutral” grassy area where people in New Orleans watch parades; and more singles slated for release later this year.

O’Connor is a self-described “recovering Deadhead” who owns Jive Hive Live in Albany, a private space that hosts area bands for professional live recording and video livestream productions. Run out of a carriage house at O’Connor’s residence, Jive Hive Live serves as a hub of sorts for the NoLaNauts.

“I was always into the [Grateful Dead] and a little more of the jammy stuff. I’ve been in country bands. I’ve been in rock bands,” said O’Connor. “But the one thing that I always loved the most was the rhythmic stuff that gets people moving. If I can’t dance while I’m playing or don’t dance when I’m playing, then I’m not playing the right thing.”

With such a large band, the NoLaNauts must choose their gigs wisely, opting to play out of their home base of Jive Hive Live and then occasionally larger shows, such as the Frog Alley party and a Feb. 16 performance at Lark Hall in Albany opening for celebrated New Orleans artist the Glen David Andrews Band. The Lark Hall show will be preceded by a pre-show traditional second line parade along Lark Street.

“We have a massive sound,” said O’Connor. “When you get everybody hitting in harmony, it will melt people’s faces and inhibitions. We’re really excited about playing Frog Alley. They’ve been a major force in the ongoing revitalization of downtown Schenectady, number one. Number two, they’re committed to bringing fun and good times to people from the area. So this is a perfect blast off for us.”

The Week Ahead
New Zealand-born musician Dion Lunadon, previously the bass player in fuzz-rock outfit A Place to Bury Strangers, brings manic energy, an unpredictable stage presence and a new solo album to No Fun in Troy tonight. Inch and Nite Office open. 7 p.m.

What’s next for raconteur, jingle writer and music impresario Ritz Carlton? Apparently it’s a lip-sync contest. Prepare for fun when Ritz Carlton brings his crazy antics and leisure-suit attire to Rare Form Brewing in Troy on Friday at 7 p.m.

Cure the winter blues Saturday at Caffe Lena with Mark & Jill, led by New York Blues Hall of Fame guitarist Mark Tolstrup and sultry singer Jill Burnham, who perform along with the Boston-based Erin Harpe Country Blues Duo. 8 p.m.

Israeli guitarist and composer Yonatan Gat, now based in New York City, has been hailed for melding punk, improvisation, world music and avant-garde. He returns with his band to No Fun on Saturday with opening sets by 100 Psychic Dreams, Ben Caulkins and Apostrophebeats. 7 p.m.

Underground rocker Jon Spencer, who executed sweaty knee bends and monstrous guitar riffs during a performance last winter at Lark Hall, comes to No Fun on Sunday to lure the Super Bowl crowd away from their televisions. Schenectady’s The Abyssmals open. 7 p.m.

Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto, the powerhouse bass and drums of the group King Crimson for a few decades, lead their Stick Men project to The Linda — WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio on Wednesday. Levin plays the Chapman Stick, an instrument with bass and guitar strings from which the band takes its name. 8 p.m.

No Fun kicks off the musical portion of its week-long tribute to beloved former Albany club Valentine’s Music Hall with a show by the long-running local Grateful Dead tribute band the Deadbeats. 7 p.m.
Reach Kirsten Ferguson at theupstatebeat@gmail.com.

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