Quality events for this weekend

Friday July 21

TGIF Yoga at Heartspace: Community class, In both Albany and Troy.

Body Shine Vol. 15 at Fuze Box: Non stop dance music. House/disco/dance.

Garage Bands at Albany Public Library: Bands in a literal garage. Featuring Front Buisness and Rob Boss.

Movies Under the Stars at St. Rose: Free movies. Showing. Moana.

I Feel Okay, Fussy, Maxray Savage, Apostrophe S at HRCH: Featuring great locals and Fussy from Philly.

Queenston Homo Disco: Summer Butter at BSP: “The Queer Club Experience in the Catskills and Hudson Valley”.

Saturday July 22

Summer UnderCover Show at The Low Beat: Locals covering whatever the hell they want. Always a blast.

Brunette x SMCo Coffee Bar Pop-Up at Brunette: Troy takeover. Serving coffee and breakfast.

Filmed By Bike at the Madison Theater: “World’s Best Bike Movies”.

Young Culture & Above It All at Fuze Box: Pop/rock/punk.

Conor Oberst at Upstate Concert Hall: Bright Eyes frontman.

Sunday July 23

READ & FEED Festival of Literature & Food at Basilica Hudson: Food and books festival.

The Hempsteadys, Girth Control, Mike Moak at Pauly’s:

All weekend

Art Omi: The sculpture fields are awesome.

Day trip to MASS MoCA: Pretty drive and a great museum.

Olana State Historic Site in Hudson: Rotating weekly programs and a landscape to get lost in.

The NYS Museum: Bunch of great exhibits and it’s right in your backyard.

Second-run movies at the Madison Theater: Only five bucks!

Movies at The Spectrum: First run, independent movies at a small centrally located theater.

Farmer’s Markets: Troy, Delmar, and Saratoga on Saturday, and Schenectady and Saratoga on Sunday.

Quality events for this weekend

Friday June 30

Troy Night Out: Arts, music, food, drinks and more around Troy.

Troy Night Out at The Arts Center: With Fence Salon and Albany Improv.

TGIF Yoga at Heartspace: Community class, In both Albany and Troy.

Patio Preview Party at Albany Distilling: Breaking in the new digs.

Red, White & Brew Festival at Proctors: Holiday weekend party.

In The Kitchen, The Freejays at BSP: Folk/bluegrass.

Wurliday EP Release Party with Rechorduroys and Olivia Quillio: Soul/funk/psych/rock.

What Cheer? Brigade! at BSP: Big band.

Saturday July 01

Botanica Summer Record Fair at The Half Moon: Buy/sell/trade, drink/eat/dance.

Incontinence at Trick Shots: With Dehumanized, Sentient Horror, Tyranize, and Sworn to Vengeance.

Third Eye Blind, Silversun Pickups at SPAC: Still goin’.

Lucy Jam at One Caroline: Hip-hop and R&B night.

Zigtegbra, Druggy Flesh, Bare Mattress, Holey Hell, QF at The Low Beat: Pop/indie/electro/dark wave/etc.

Sunday July 02

Free Outdoor Yoga at Troy Riverfront Park: Start your Sunday off right.

Free Admission Day at Albany Institute: Free day.

Sunday Cinema in Washington Park: Screening National Treasure.

Mistresses & Palberta at The Half Moon: Pop/indie/rock/etc.

All weekend

Art Omi: The sculpture fields are awesome.

Day trip to MASS MoCA: Pretty drive and a great museum.

The NYS Museum: Bunch of great exhibits and it’s right in your backyard.

Second-run movies at the Madison Theater: Only five bucks!

Movies at The Spectrum: First run, independent movies at a small centrally located theater.

Farmer’s Markets: Troy, Delmar, and Saratoga on Saturday, and Schenectady and Saratoga on Sunday.

Quality events for this weekend

Friday June 09

TGIF Yoga at Heartspace: Community class, In both Albany and Troy.

Moon Worship, Hill Haints, Sun Natives at The Low Beat: Moon Worship’s record release show.

Circa Waves at The Hollow: Indie.

Endless Boogie, Brian Dewan at The Half Moon: Stomer/psych/blues rock.

Albany Got Soul at Fuze: Soul/funk dance party.

Juelz Santana at BSP: Seriously.

Saturday June 10

Art on Lark 2017: Celebrating the arts. Music/food/artisans/makers/etc.

Renaissance Festival at Indian Ladder: Oh hell yeah.

Freak Flag Day at Basilica Hudson: Fireworks, art, and a goth rave.

Comedy Show at Terra: Comedy in an Italian restaurant.

Palmslap, Escaper, Jelly Ellington at BSP: Funk/soul/fusion.

Kimock at Club Helsinki: American rock guitarist.

Sunday June 11

Capital Pride in Washington Park: Celebrating diversity with music, a parade, and more. 🏳️‍🌈

Troy Flea at Riverfront Park: Vintage, handmade, antiques and more.

Barrows, Yoma, Grimer at Pauly’s: Instrumental/heavy/rock/metal.

Vanna, Lions Lions, Ghost Key, Actor Observer, Unwill at Fuze: Post-hardcore.

All weekend

Art Omi: The sculpture fields are awesome.

Day trip to MASS MoCA: Pretty drive and a great museum.

The NYS Museum: Bunch of great exhibits and it’s right in your backyard.

Second-run movies at the Madison Theater: Only five bucks!

Movies at The Spectrum: First run, independent movies at a small centrally located theater.

Farmer’s Markets: Troy, Delmar, and Saratoga on Saturday, and Schenectady and Saratoga on Sunday.

Quality events for this weekend

Friday May 26

Body Shine Vol. 13 at Fuze: House, disco, dance. A proper dance party.

Troy Night Out: Arts, music, food, drinks and more around Troy.

TGIF Yoga at Heartspace: Community class, In both Albany and Troy.

Troy Night Out with Graft Cider at SMCo.: Cider and tacos.

Mase, 112, Carl Thomas, Total, Black Rob at The Palace: Hip-hop reunion show.

Swarming Branch, Neighborhood of Make Believe, Full Body, Kvlt Ddy, Maud the Pyschic at River St Pub: Folk/rock/glam/prog/etc.

Maybird, Sun Parade, Cannon the Brave at The Hollow: Indie/pop/alt/psych.

Morgan O’Kane, Vic Thrill at The Half Moon: Alternative/punk/Americana.

Pop Culture Provocateurs Burlesque Revue at Fuze: Sampling of all the area’s burlesque talent.

Elysia Crampton and Russell E.L. Butler at EMPAC: Boundary pushing electronic music.

The Figgs at The Low Beat: Preparing for a tour in Japan.

Cretin Hop Saratoga Vol. 1 at Putnam Den: Rock and roll dance party.

Saturday May 27

Noah Kalina Photography Exhibit Opening Reception in Livingston Manor: Opening for “The Fog”.

The Figgs at The Low Beat: Preparing for a tour in Japan.

Collard City Growers Annual Plant Sale at The Sanctuary for Independent Media: Barters welcome.

Sunday May 28

MASS MoCA Building 6 Grand Opening: Expanding an already huge and great building.

All weekend

Art Omi: The sculpture fields are awesome.

Day trip to MASS MoCA: Pretty drive and a great museum.

The NYS Museum: Bunch of great exhibits and it’s right in your backyard.

Second-run movies at the Madison Theater: Only five bucks!

Movies at The Spectrum: First run, independent movies at a small centrally located theater.

Farmer’s Markets: Troy, Delmar, and Saratoga on Saturday, and Schenectady and Saratoga on Sunday.

Sylvan Esso at Jupiter Hall: Photos and Recap

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On Wednesday night, EQX put on the first big show that’s crossed my radar at Crossgates’ new venue, Jupiter Hall. Inside of Lucky Strike Social, which has a “gastro kitchen” restaurant, arcade, bowling alley, rec room featuring games like ping pong, corn hole, and pool, as well as a brand new 650 person music venue, Sylvan Esso and Lucy Dacus played to an enthusiastic, sold out crowd. With malls all over the country feeling the squeeze from online retailers, they’re scrambling to put music, carnivals, and more experience based offerings in these malls to bring in younger crowds, and to ultimately stay afloat.

Lucy Dacus opened the show, starting at exactly 8pm. As an opener for Sylvan Esso, Lucy Dacus was a great choice, as the full band delivered slow-burning indie rock songs with an admirable casualness. The crowd universally enjoyed Lucy’s big voice, and becuase of the slower cadence of Lucy’s music, those in attendance were sufficiently ready to jump around for the headliners. Sylvan Esso took the stage with force, playing a few loud, dancy songs to get the crowds blood pumping, and to set the tone for the rest of their set. They went through their catalog, performing songs new and old with more indie and minimal sensibilities alongside the big crowd pleasers.

Once the show came to a close, I had forgotten I’d been in the mall for a few hours. As weird as it felt to head into the mall at 8pm on a weeknight for a show, the venue itself it felt familiar. I’ve got a hunch it will become much less weird to head to Crossgates for a show if talent like this keep coming to town.