Thursday, Sept. 28: There’s no overestimating the influence of the Cowboy Junkies on the aesthetics of “low”, leading, decades after they rocked the world with whispers, directly to the phenomenon of dreampop and to the genre that I hereby deem closet folk (think early Iron and Wine).
Monday, Sept. 25: African guitar styles, especially that of the Tuareg, have been an increasing part of the vibrancy and life of the electric guitar internationally, still resonating with freshness and cultural purpose here in the birth- and death-place of the instrument.
Sunday, Sept. 24: Very few bands have ever comfortably supported three songwriters, and even two can be a fractious challenge. Consider, then, the rare case of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young – not only four songwriters in one outfit, but four established ones who had written hits with their previous bands: Buffalo Springfield (Stills and Young), the Byrds (Crosby) and the Hollies (Nash). Imagine the wrestling over vinyl bandwidth.
Sunday, Sept. 24: Flying Machine features substantive contributions from five-time Grammy winner Cindy Cashdollar on steel guitar, paired on a track with drummer and family torchbearer Gabe Butterfield. Avant-garde vocalist, composer and violinist Iva Bittová appears on the same track as the reed player and scholar of animal sounds David Rothenberg and the world-recognized harmonic overtone singer Timothy Hill. Imagine that. No, really.
Saturday, Sept. 23: The Grammy-nominated band will donate all proceeds to support the mission of the Hurley Heritage Society. Professor Louie has recorded and produced music for many artists in LRS Studios in Hurley for more than 30 years. Located on the farm of John and Anna Kaufman, the studio looks out over the fields that inspired the critically acclaimed 2016 album, Music from Hurley Mountain.
Saturday, Sept. 23: The blues vocalist, a three-time Grammy nominee and daughter of legendary blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, is a regular performer at the Falcon at Marlboro. Such is the company that the Falcon keeps, where an endless stream of notables, legends and the next generation pass through the two venues at Tony Falco’s shrine of great music and local beer, seven nights a week.
Sunday, Sept. 24: The Hudson River Skywalk on the Rip Van Winkle Bridge will include “bump-outs”: scenic viewing platforms ten feet deep and 50 feet long. The new pedestrian pathway, slated to be completed this November, will allow visitors to walk over the river from one major cultural landmark in the area to another: a direct connection between the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill and the Olana State Historic Site, just south of Hudson.
Friday, Sept. 22: The High Kings are, in melody, instrumentation and subject matter, maybe not reverent, but certainly compliant traditionalists. But in production values, they cleave to the path of Enya: utterly enhanced space somewhere between Heaven and within. Their wildly successful 2008 eponymous debut sounds like the Clancys singing inside a magic cloud.
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23-24: More than 70 artists are opening their doors to the public for the 2017 edition. New additions this year include the Kingston Pop Museum, Kingston Ceramics Studio, the woodworking studios and Vernacular Designs and Johnny Poux, Bali Steel Pan and an O+ Mural tour.
When it comes to growing a local music scene, a lack of venues and a lack of promotion is the problem, say Saugerties natives Ayla Rector and Ian Flanigan.