I have lived in Upstate New York for the past ten years, and I have always been impressed by the countryside, the wildlife, the people, and the music. I have frequented many types of venues in the region, from pubs in the thick of the Adirondack Park to large music festivals in the suburbs of Albany. This area has character and so does the music. Many of the performers have settled here knowing that the industry nucleus is 400 km south. As a consequence, these performers contrive new and innovative ways to bring the industry to this much ignored area. The result is excellent original music.
The focus of this site also includes recognised performers who recognise the deserving audience in this region. The Indigo Girls made an appearance free of charge at the Empire State Plaza in 2000. Bob Mould of punk band Husker Du and pop band Sugar made a solo appearance in 1996 at an odd venue called Saratoga Winners. (This was an odd place for Mould because heavy metal is usually the style of choice for that club.) Tom Prasada Rao has made two appearances in the past two years, and in addition to achieving great success as a solo singer/songwriter, he also has a song recorded by country music favourite Randy Travis. Any recognised and relatively successful musician who includes the Upstate region on the tour will always receive a receptive and appreciative audience.
This region has always reminded me of the Outback. There are vast empty spaces, but the pockets of populations are always interesting, and almost always more interesting than the established art and music centres of Sydney, Melbourne, and even New York City.
To be more concise, the main purpose of this site is to list and review any deserving performer who is based in Upstate New York region or who is passing through. |
