Quality events for this weekend

Friday July 24

Call For Justice & Vigil For Women of Color Lost To State Violence at Dana Park: #SayHerName

Bell’s Roar, Nobody For President, and Opaque Body at Pauly’s: Presented by Albany Frequencies.

Kitty Little, Ferriday, and Walking X-Ray at The Low Beat: Pop/indie/etc.

Rosary Beard at The Tang: Acoustic show, part of the Upbeat on the Roof series.

Palm, JOBS, and Patrick Higgins at The Half Moon: Rock jams.

Cold War Kids at Upstate Concert Hall: With In The Valley Below and Civil Twilight. Sold out.

Rucked Up Comedy Showcase at The Ruck: With MC : Jennifer McMullin, Ryan Chani, Rob Gavin, Carlisle Carey, Lauren Turzak, Colin O’Reilly, and Dwayne Murphy Jr.

Saturday July 25

Broken Field Runner, Royal Psalms, Throat Culture at The Low Beat: BFR’s record release show with great support acts.

Mad Laughs at The Madison: Comedy show featuring Kat Broadus, Jim Felter, Aaron Kaplan, and Angela Cobb.

Sorry Not Sorry at The Madison: Improv show with Samuel J Gorenstein and The Mop & Bucket Co.’s Alf Pacino.

80s Night at Fuze: The ole standby.

Capital Region Brewer’s Fest at Joe Bruno Stadium: Craft beer festival.

Sunday July 26

The Decemberists with Lucius at Ommegang: Big summer show at an awesome brewery.

Guided Hike at Huyck Preserve: Go enjoy summer, with a guide!

All weekend

The Track: It’s open.

Saratoga County Fair: Fried everything.

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 locally owned theater.

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

Quality events for this weekend vol. 54

Friday August 3rd

First Friday Albany: It’s the first Friday of the month, which means First Friday Albany will be in full force. Recommended that you check out the Carried Away Coffins exhibit at the Dead President Lounge with DJ OFI on the decks all night. Also Ed Cowley features work “Then & Now” at the Albany Center Gallery. You can see the full event listing here. It’s also fun to just walk around Lark Street and see what you stumble upon. For a quality after-party, head over to the Fuze Box with DJ Rana Ransom and Brooklyn duo Faith & Mark.

Valentine’s is also double booked with The Slaughterhouse Chorus, Goldtooth, Charmboy and Black Eyed Betty downstairs and Within the Ruins, Adestria and Erra upstairs.

Over at the Upstate Music Hall tonight is Moombah Method featuring Nadastrom (who is an excellent DJ and producer quite influential to the moombahton genre itself) alongside Static Groove and Lazerbass for support.

Saturday August 4th

Pretty sweet to see a ska show come to the area, featuring Hub City Stompers, New Red Scare and Dead Aces at the Fuze Box.

Planet Eater will be playing their last show alongside Finisher and Maggot Brain downstairs at Valentine’s.

Over at Red Square, Sonus Maximus will have their CD release show alongside Reign of Thought.

The UAG will host a show featuring Belltone Suicide, Cruudeuces, Fossils. I’ve never heard of any of these bands so let us know how it goes if you make it out. The UAG has featured bands in the past that have pleasantly surprised me.

Sunday August 5

Open mic at the Lark Tavern hosted by Albany’s own Carl Daniels. Go and participate or go and watch.

Quality events for this weekend vol. 53

Friday July 27th

Troy Night Out: It’s the last Friday of the month, so that can only mean one thing. This month’s includes the previously blogged about WITCH KNOTS release and other events at the Arts Center, Critical Mass bicycle ride around Troy which will feature stops at a few local gardens, a comedy show at Kokopellis, and of course, the after party at Daisy Bakers, featuring McGillicuddy, Properly Chilled and Il.

Fourth Friday and Everything Classic: Trumastr and Nate Da Great will hold down this months party at Quintessence, playing all the tunes everyone knows and loves.

Friday Night Rock Social at Red Square: With The Growing Pains, The City Never Sleeps and Linear North.

Saturday July 28th

Capital Region Craft Brewers Festival: Another awesome event going on in Troy. This time it involves “sampling” beers from tons of craft brewers.

Troy Flea: Party Boat will be performing at this weeks installment of the vintage and craft market in Troy.

Traffic Light 80s Night at Fuze Box: Dj Auryn’s last 80s night with tons of prizes!

Sunday July 29th

Revenge, Doubledealer, Breakaway and Hardluck at Fuze Box: A truckload of heaviness to bring your weekend to a close.

Recommended Day Trip: MASS MoCA

MASS MoCA is a playground. Located just an hour-or-so’s drive away, in North Adams, it makes for an easily justifiable road trip escaping Albany for the day. The drive practically does itself, especially on a nice day, considering the trek to get there brings you through the Berkshires on scenic country back roads.

MASS MoCA is a cultural mecca that upon visiting doesn’t have an overwhelming collection of work on display and you can see it all in one day. Some museums require multiple visits, or sacrificing some exhibits to see others, but MASS MoCA is not one of those places. However, that being said, do not be ill-advised: there is plenty to keep you busy and entertained for hours.


Birds eye of the installation in the biggest room at MASS MoCA

Additionally, some museums have this effect where this “thing” happens where people feel as though it is proper etiquette to hold back, as if saying the “wrong” thing in the same room as other art onlookers is the worst crime imaginable. Museum visits can be totally awkward sometimes and full of uncomfortable silences. MASS MoCA again is not one of those places. I felt comfortable enough to go crazy with iPhone photography and also started a conversation with a stranger about the work that we were both soaking in.

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