Annie & the Hedonists “Bring It On Home” with Album Release Party at Caffe Lena May 31
SARATOGA SPRINGS – A rollicking piano, nicely harnessed by a sturdy rhythm section, channels alongside the vocal sass of Annie Rosen and launches into Tommy Johnson’s 1928 “Big Road Blues,” introducing the sixth album by Capital/Saratoga region favorites Annie and the Hedonists.
Produced by Grammy award winner, Joel Moss and recorded at the legendary Dreamland Studio in Woodstock, the new album - “Bring it On Home” – features 12 vintage blues and jazz tracks from the 1920s through the 1950s, as well as a trio of original contemporary blues songs.
On Friday May 31, the band will stage a record release party at Caffe Lena.
The Hedonists - comprised of core members Annie and Jonny Rosen, Donald Young and Peter Davis - are accompanied by drummer Jerry Marotta, who spent two decades Jerry dividing his time between recording and touring with Peter Gabriel, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Tears for Fears, Joan Armatrading, Paul McCartney, and countless others. With “Bring it On Home,” the band is amiably assisted by guest musicians John Sebastian (yes, that one), Dave Davies (no, not that one), and Randy Reinhart.
“This record differs from the other five,” says guitarist Jonny Rosen, “in that we decided to focus on two related genres of music, as opposed to our previous albums which were an eclectic mix of folk, country, bluegrass, blues and jazz.”
The 12-song release features tasty renditions of a mid-20th century Parisian waltz (“Under Paris Skies”), a cornet and trombone mating that weaves through the sultry 1924 tune “Prescription for the Blues,” and a musical re-make of the Depression-Era protest song “The Panic Is Own,” whose updated lyrics include themes of the plight of the immigrant, the (lack of) gun control, rising oceans, Russian hackings and the ever-widening gap of economic inequality in a new world.
“Bring it On Home” also features a smattering of original tunes – from the Davis and Moss co-penned 12-bar blues femme homage “Bring It On Home To Mama,” to the love lost sorrow-cholic “Long Distance Call,” and “Who’d be knocking (Knocking on my door/ so late at night)” penned by Davies about one particularly strange pre-dawn awakening when the songwriter was startled from his slumber to find a stranger standing over his bed.
Annie & the Hedonists album release concert will stake place 8 p.m. Friday May 31 at Caffé Lena, 47 Phila St. Special guests: Randy Reinhart and Dave Davies. For reservations or more information, call 518-583-0022 or visit Caffe Lena. org.
City Adopts Resolution in Support of Paris Climate Agreement
SARATOGA SPRINGS – In a unanimous 5-0 vote, the City Council on May 21 adopted a resolution in support of the Paris Climate Agreement.
“This resolution represents the city’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, in which nation’s around the world recognize the threat of global warming and are committed to take action,“ said Finance Commissioner Michele Madigan, who introduced the resolution during the City Council’s meeting Tuesday night.
“From the Spa Solar Park to the in-process plans to ensure city buildings are more energy efficient, the City Council has already taken a variety of proactive steps that recognize and address our concerns about climate change,” said Madigan, adding the future-looking statement that with the city’s 2020 budget, she intends to increase the city’s financial commitment to sustainability - specifically referencing a desire to increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations on city-owned property as well as modernizing the city’s fleet of vehicles.
The Spa Solar Park - a 7,992 panel, 2.5-megawatt solar array built on the city's former Weibel Avenue landfill – was energized in August 2017. As of February 2019, 3.82 million kilowatt hours were generated providing more than $66,000 of budgetary savings for the city.
The resolution, Madigan said, commits the city to continue its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. “The resolution references the creation of a Climate Action Plan and we are currently having internal discussions on how best to proceed,” she said.
The council subsequently unanimously also approved a Local Law to establish a sustainable energy loan program in the city, as well as authorizing the mayor to sign a municipal agreement with the energy improvement corporation ("Energize NY Open C-PACE Financing Program").
The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015, according to the United Nations Treaty Collection. In June 2017, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate accord - the procedures of which may begin in November 2019. Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation aimed at preventing Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord.
New York has mandated a statewide reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by the year 2050.
Local Idol Needs Your Vote
“Oh my goodness. thank you thank you THANK YOU. top 3. holy moly guacamole. I hope to make you proud next week. Thank you for believing in me. thank you for seeing something in me that I didn’t see myself.”
– Instagram post from Madison VanDenburg, after learning she is
one of three finalists on ABC’s “American Idol.”
ALBANY – Her greatest passion is singing.
Seventeen-year-old singer/songwriter Madison VanDenburg has played the piano and guitar most of her life. The classically trained 11th-grade student at Shaker High School first realized the promise of her talents performing karaoke as a 10-year-old alongside the sounds of Celine Dion – whom she calls one of her biggest musical inspirations.
VanDenburg recently released her debut single, is currently writing new songs for her first EP and performs live across the Capital Region. Sunday May 19 may prove to the biggest moment, if not the most memorable of the young singer’s career when she performs as a finalist on ABC’s “American Idol.” And like fellow “American Idol” contestants Laine Hardy – of Livingston, Louisiana, and Alejandro Aranda - of Pomona, California, returned to her native roots this week.
Her homecoming tour kicked off with a Pep Rally at Shaker High School and continued with a parade and performance at The Crossings of Colonie, where she and played guitar in front of a supportive Capital Region crowd who chanted her name. The Capital District Transportation Authority also got involved by providing transportation shuttle service to concert goers, and Stewart’s Shops introduced a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream flavor in her name.
“As a singer, your instrument is yourself. More important than being on ‘Idol,’ is being a whole, authentic person,” says Clifton Park’s Modern Day Music vocal coach Lesley O’Donnell, who has taught VanDenburg and Moriah Formica - who appeared in 2017 on NBC’s “The Voice.”
“Both have been like the little sisters I never had,” says O’Donnell, whose interview appears in the Home & Garden edition of Simply Saratoga magazine, a Saratoga TODAY publication that is available May 16. “Keeping the whole self - healthy and grounded - is first and foremost.”
The national singing competition show “American idol” first broadcast in 2002. Some of the show’s previous winners have gone on to extensive show biz careers - Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, among them. Adam Lambert was a runner-up during the eighth season of American Idol in 2009.
The season finale airs 8 p.m. Sunday. A nationwide vote will be held during the live finale simulcast to determine who will be crowned the next American Idol. Weezer, Carrie Underwood, Kool + The Gang and all three Idol judges - Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, are expected to perform during the season finale, according to Billboard Magazine. Dan + Shay are slated to perform “All to Myself” and “Speechless” with VanDenburg.
On Sunday: A Remembrance and Celebration of the Life of Greg Haymes
ALBANY – Greg Haymes flipped through the memories in his brain of the earliest days of the band Blotto. Their recording of the tongue-in-cheek song "I Wanna Be A Lifeguard" had been picked up by legendary DJ Vin Scelsa of WNEW-FM, was played on the Dr. Demento Show, and the song’s accompanying video was shown by MTV on its first day of broadcast in 1981.
“The Blotto concept was always about the party,” he remembered in the days preceding the band’s return to Saratoga Springs in 2015 for a New Year’s Eve gig at the City Center.
“Back in our heyday we would have beach parties, pajama parties, and those Halloween parties which were called Blottoween.” He had performed onstage as everything from Dracula to Alfred E. Newman and a rhinestone-studded Elvis, to donning a blue dress with white polka dots and a blonde wig and taking the stage at a roller rink that would later become JB Scott’s Theater.
“That year we went dressed as the Go-Go’s and I went as Belinda Carlisle,” he said. “If you’re not enjoying yourself on stage, how can you expect anyone in the audience to have fun?”
Haymes will be remembered by some in the MTV video logs as Sarge Blotto – the stage name the adopted with the band Blotto in the 1980s, and recalled by many others - particularly those in this region’s music community - as Greg Haymes: writer, poet, musician, artist.
His bands included Blotto, the Star Spangled Washboard Band, Ramblin’ Jug Stompers, and others; His artwork was displayed across the Capital Region - Firlefanz Gallery, Albany Center Gallery and Spectrum 8 Theatres, among them, and for several decades his words graced the printed pages and websites of the Albany Times Union, the Daily Gazette, Metroland, and most recently Nippertown.com.
Born in Buffalo in 1951, Haymes died April 10 from complications of metastatic lung cancer. He was 68.
A remembrance and celebration of his life will be held 4-6 p.m. Sunday, May 19 at The Egg, at Empire State Plaza. Those wishing to attend are requested to RSVP with name and the number of people attending at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Doris Day: Renowned Actress and Singer was a Dancer at First
Doris Day and Gene Nelson in the 1951 film “Lullaby of Broadway.” Day, a 1940s singer-turned-actress enjoyed a 20-year career in films, from the 1940s til the ‘60s, and starred in the TV sitcom, The Doris Day Show, from 1968 to 1973. Born Doris Mary Ann Von Kappelhoff in April 1922, she died May 13 at the age of 97.
The poster of the film, which is from Denmark, is one of more than 100 different posters from the Mike Kaplan collection on display at The National Museum of Dance in the new exhibit “Art of the Dance: Posters from Hollywood’s Golden Age from The Mike Kaplan Collection.”
“You know, it’s not as well known that Doris Day wanted to be a dancer at first, but she got into a car accident (in 1937) going to Hollywood to dance. She injured her leg, recuperated for a year, and at that time began singing,” Kaplan said, following the news of Day’s passing.
Kaplan, who attended the opening of the exhibition in Saratoga Springs on May 10, estimates he has 3,000 to 4,000 posters in his collection. The National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame is located at 99 So. Broadway.
Under Review: This Week’s Developments – City Hall, Affordable Housing Complex, Parking Garage
SARATOGA SPRINGS - The city’s Design Review Commission is this week considering a historic review of renovations to City Hall.
The structure, which opened in 1871, was struck by lightning in August 2018, resulting in extensive fire and water related damage to the structure. The majority of city business has since been temporarily relocated to the Vanderbilt Avenue recreation facility.
Improvements are being made to the infrastructure of the building – from electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning, to communication, security systems and offices. A state mandated expansion, or additionalal court room, is also in the works.
The restoration and renovation work extends across all the building’s floors, including the upper-level Saratoga Music Hall. This week, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation released a statement to say it does not support the proposed change to the vestibule that alters the entry into the interior of City Hall and does not find the proposed treatment of the Music Hall appropriate.
Department of Public Works Commissioner Anthony “Skip” Scirocco is expected to provide an update of the City Hall renovation project at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Last November, city officials reported that the cost to reconstruct and restore City Hall is anticipated to carry an approximate $11.2 million price tag, with insurance proceeds expected to cover roughly half of the total project cost.
Intrada
The city’s Planning Board, meanwhile, is considering a site plan modification to an approved multi-family residential project at 247 Washington St.
Named “Intrada,” the multi-unit affordable housing facility will be comprised of four buildings and more than 150 residential units. It will be located on Washington Street by the Saratoga Springs train station. The 19-acre property was purchased for $3.7 Million by the Vecino Group from Saratoga Route 29 Plaza Ltd.
Newly proposed modifications presented to the Planning Board include: screened fencing to provide privacy for patios, the addition of an egress door on the east side of building 1 on Washington St., a reduction in the number of parking lot poles – from 21 poles to 16 poles, bollard lights – from 31 poles to 11 poles, and decorative street lights – from 17 to 16. The landscaping plan was also reduced from the planting of 98 trees to 75 trees, and shrubs – from 198 to 159.
Flat Rock Centre Parking Structure
Hundreds of pages of prepared documents pertaining to the City Center parking garage project have been submitted to both the Planning Board and the DRC. Both Land Use Boards are staging an advisory discussion on the proposed parking structure.
Included among the documents is a letter submitted by assistant building inspector and zoning officer Patrick Cogan stating that while he recommends the city seek an advisory opinion from the DRC, such review would be non-binding, and that the proposed action is exempt from the provisions of the city’s Zoning ordinance and that it “may proceed without requirements for approvals from the city’s Land Use Boards.”
A second letter, submitted by Sustainable Saratoga, expresses concerns regarding the current design. Specifically, the organization cites that the structure would abut the Maple Avenue property line for over 200 feet and not be set back 50 feet from the property line of adjacent streets as recommended in the Zoning ordinance, potentially creating a “dead and unproductive street life.” Additional concerns include: that the first floor of the parking garage should include commercial and civic spaces, and that the pedestrian bridge designed to cross over Maple Avenue is both, undesirable and unnecessary.
David Cassidy Celebration 2019 to Be Staged May 19-20
Last year, several dozen David Cassidy fans – some of whom embarked on their journey from a few thousand miles away – descended on the Spa City last year to celebrate the life of David Cassidy. The popular singer died in November 2017 at the age of 67.
The inaugural event, billed as “A Celebration of David Cassidy’s Life,” was initiated by Cassidy fan Samantha Cox, from her home in Indiana. “I chose Saratoga because he was into horse racing and he mentioned it as his favorite place in the world,”said Cox, adding that she took on as her New Year’s Resolution a mission to do something to honor Cassidy’s life.
Cassidy appeared on The Partridge Family TV series, which aired on ABC from 1970 to 1974, and subsequently launched a solo music career. He charted more than one dozen Top 100 hits in the early 1970s, both as a solo artist and in his role as a member of the Partridge Family. Cassidy’s passion for equines frequently brought him to Saratoga, where he bought his first yearling and where in 2001 he purchased a home.
This year, a gathering to honor Cassidy will be held May 19-20.
Sunday May 19
10 a.m. - Re-dedication of the David Cassidy Benches at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Union Avenue, Saratoga Springs.
6 p.m. to midnight - Author Johnny Ray Miller will sign copies of his book “When We're Singin',” and will be joined by Michael V. Pomarico – the multi-daytime Emmy Award winner who for over 27 years directed the soap opera “All My Children.” Live music will be performed by 45rpm and the event will include a silent auction. Up for auction: a boat once owned by David Cassidy, donated by his friends Dr. Jerry Bilinski and his wife, Darlene. Horse trainer Gary Contessa is also scheduled to perform on stage for a couple of numbers. Location: King Neptune's Pub, 1 Kurosaka Lane, Lake George. Tickets: $35.
Monday May 20
Noon to 4 p.m. at King Neptune's Pub - Johnny Ray Miller and Michael V. Pomarico will return for a brunch catered by King Neptune's Pub. The celebration of David Cassidy's life will take place with people giving testimonials of how much David meant to them, live and on video. The silent auctions will also continue. Tickets: $50. Proceeds will go to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Columbia Greene Humane Society, Adirondack Save A Stray.
For more information on all events and to purchase tickets, go to: www.kingneptunespub.com.
150 Years of Service: Volunteer Firefighters To Be Honored Saturday
GREENFIELD – They’re always on call, never get paid, and immediately respond to crisis in the community.
Gordon McGrath, Robert Roxbury, and Jackie Atwell have each served as volunteer firefighters for more than a half-century. On Saturday, May 11, alongside young firefighters Jerrid Marshall, and Matthew Petkus, the three men will be recognized by the town of Greenfield for voluntarily serving their community for 50 years.
Gordon "Mickey" McGrath joined the Middle Grove Fire Company when he was 18, following in the footsteps of his grandfather – an original member of the company. To date, McGrath estimates he has answered more than 4,000 calls.
Robert “Bob” Roxbury this year celebrates 51 years as an active firefighter, the past 20 in the role of fire police, where he currently serves as District Captain. Aligned with the Porter Corners Fire Co., Roxbury joined the company as his wife was in the Auxiliary and because, he says: "it's important to support your community.”
Jackie Atwell joined the Greenfield Fire Co., at the age of 21. Atwell’s father was his biggest influence in becoming a firefighter, letting Jackie – since the age of 8- hang out with him at the firehouse. This year he marks his 51st year with the company.
The town of Greenfield is located approximately five miles north of Saratoga Springs and has a population of approximately 7,400 residents. Geographically, it is the largest town in Saratoga County, covering more than 41,000 acres.
It was a fire in 1946 which proved as main catalyst for the establishment of the Greenfield Fire District. When a blaze destroyed a home on Maple Avenue - just outside the Saratoga Springs Fire Department district – it was left unattended because the city’s department was prohibited from responding to the fire due to insurance reasons. The towns of Greenfield and Wilton were at the time dependent on “bucket brigades” to battle fires. The Greenfield Fire District was subsequentially formed in 1947 and counts four fire companies: Greenfield Center, Porter Corners, Middle Grove, and Maple Avenue.
All three men continue to be active in the department, answering the emergency calls for fires, car accidents, medical events and search and rescue missions on both water and land.
A community recognition dinner honoring Atwell, McGrath and Roxbury, as well as volunteer firefighters Jerrid Marshall (7 years of service) and Matthew Petkus (6 years of service) will take place Saturday, May 11 at Brookhaven Golf Course, 333 Alpine Meadows Road, in Porter Corners. Appetizers at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and recognition at 8. Tickets are $30 adults, $18 children 5 to 11 years of age; under 5 are free. For more information, contact Diane Czechowicz at 518 587-2410. The event being staged in memory of local man Don Young.
Broadway Build Up
SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new five-story building targeting a prominent Broadway location signifies the most current new mixed-use development anticipated to be built in the city. The .73-acre site on the west side of Broadway is bordered by The Stadium Café to the north and Druthers to the south.
The multi-story building at 385 Broadway will feature approximately 10,000 square feet of retail/commercial space on the first floor, and 69 multi-family residential units on the upper levels. The proposed project moved through the city’s Land Use Boards in late 2018.
Demolition of the existing 22,000-square-foot building is expected to begin in the next few weeks, with construction slated to begin as soon as demolition is completed, according to the Albany Business Review. The project is being developed under the name Broadway 385 LLC, a partnership that includes Tom Newkirk, owner of Saratoga National Golf Club, and Peter Rosecrans Jr. of Burns Management. Rosecrans did not return a phone message seeking comment for this article.
An earlier proposal presented to the city in July 2018 called for 72 apartments - 27 of which were designated as “micro apartments. Revised plans depict an overall decrease of the number of residential units to 69 - with micro-units measuring 500 to 650 square feet. The proposal also notes the providing of 49 parking spaces.
Two of the building’s current tenants – National, and Frivolous are expected to take up residence on the ground floor of the new building, which will have the potential to add a third tenant.
The building at 385 Broadway was sold at a bank foreclosure auction to Newkirk for $2 million, according to a Daily Gazette article in December 2011.
Rescued Fisherman Returns to Farmers’ Market
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Richard Lofstad figures this summer will mark his 10th year, give or take, as a vendor of seafood at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, which celebrates its official season opening on Saturday at High Rock Park.
Lofstad, who grew up in a Hampton Bays, Long Island commercial fishing family, makes frequent trips between Long Island and Saratoga Springs – the latter being home to his two youngest children – 6-year-old daughter Joy and 4-year-old son Stian – and his Moby Rick's Seafood establishment on Lake Avenue.
“My main source of income is catching fish,” explains Lofstad, whose family produced about 6-1/2 million pounds per year of seafood during the 1980s and ‘90s. In March, he narrowly avoided physical tragedy, but sustained a blow to his business when the veteran captain saw his 55-foot boat seriously damaged during a storm off the coast of Montauk.
“I got the boat almost three years ago when I was up in the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia. I bought it from the owner and put in all-new everything: new engine, new generator, electronics, hydraulics,” he says. At the suggestion of his then 3-year-old daughter, Lofstad painted the boat pink and purple and named her All For Joy. Overall, he figures he spent about $350,000 getting the vessel up to speed. Annual insurance on the boat would have set him back another $18,000 annually. Given the amount of funds dedicated to making the boat operational, the insurance would have to wait.
Two months ago, he was navigating All For Joy through a storm off the coast of Long Island. “It was the first Sunday of March. The boat was floating for 2-1/2 hours and we were steaming at five miles an hour, keeping up. One compartment was flooded, but the rest was fine,” he recalls.
“The boat was just so heavy and low because of the water and the fish holds that I couldn’t get away from the waves that were piling on deck. The winds got stronger and stronger. They started blowing about 35. The waves were like 10 feet sticking up and just pouring on deck,” Lofstad says. “She just couldn’t right herself. I got off and then – boom – she rolled, literally flipped over, 10 seconds after I got off it.”
The U.S. Coast Guard command center issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched a Coast Guard Station Montauk and Station New London rescue boat crew following a radio call from the vessel. Lofstad was picked up by the rescue crew.
The boat was well-built, he explains, flipped over, but never sank. She drifted 20 miles to the west on the incoming waves and then drifted back east and ran aground, upside down, at Fishers Island on the eastern end of Long Island Sound.
“(The Coast Guard) flipped it over, resurrected it and handed it back to me and now the boat’s in Greenpoint, NY,” Loftsad says. The cost for repair is prohibitive. “It’ll cost like $200,000 and I don’t know if it’s worth it to fix it. I don’t have the money and the problem is nobody’s lending money for a fishing boat, so, I’ll have to figure something out.”
This year’s weekly Saturday market will feature over 65 vendors selling fresh produce, flowers, prepared foods, and more. At Wednesday’s market, weekly from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., nearly 30 vendors will be providing the same range of items. Beginning in 1978 with a handful of vendors in a parking lot, the market has grown to be one of the largest in the area. For more information, go to: www.saratogafarmersmarket.org.
