Comin’ Soon: New Concert Announcements

When the marvelous Celtic/Americana singer Maura O’Connell rolled into The Egg on St. Patrick’s Day earlier this year, she announced that it was part of her “farewell” tour. But apparently, that tour is still ongoing because O’Connell is slated for a return to Nippertown for an intimate show at the Parting Glass in Saratoga Springs at 6pm on Sunday, November 3. Better snag your tickets quick. This might really be your last chance…

SOLD OUT OR NOT SOLD OUT?: We warned you… The Upstate Concert Hall’s second Stigmata and Section 8 show on Friday, January 17 is now sold out, in addition to their Saturday, January 18 show. BUT WAIT, apparently the folks at UCH have knocked down another wall or built a balcony or something. They’ve just announced that 100 additional tickets will be sold for both shows beginning at 10am on Friday, available only at Ticketmaster. Tickets are $20.

In what may be some of the last shows at the Albany venue on New Scotland Avenue, Valentine’s Music Hall will be hosting the annual holiday homecoming show by the Figgs on Friday, December 20 and a reunion of the fab ska-rockers Can’t Say on Friday, December 27. NOTE: In case you hadn’t heard, Valentine’s owner Howe Glassman will be re-opening soon at the former Cagney’s on Albany’s Central Avenue.

Vapor Nightclub in Saratoga Springs will host a free concert by the NYC-based alt-pop duo MS MR on Monday, December 2, sponsored by WEQX-FM. The duo of Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow head into Vapor in support of their recently released debut album Secondhand Rapture. Local 518 faves Titanics open the show at 7:30pm.

She earned five Grammy Awards during her tenure as a member of Asleep at the Wheel. She’s also been a member of Ryan Adams’ band the Cardinals, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women and Geoff Muldaur & the Texas Sheiks. And she’s recorded with Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. Cindy Cashdollar is winner Queen of the dobro and steel guitar, and she’s teaming up with her brother, drummer Russ Cashdollar, to lead the Cashdollar Kidz into Daisy Baker’s in Troy at 8pm on Wednesday, October 16. The band will also feature guitarist Mark Gamsjager and bassist Pete Toigo, as well as special guests Chris “Sugarballs” Sprague and Kevin Maul. Admission to the steel guitar extravaganza and swing dance is $10 at the door.

Although there’s been no official announcement from the Palace Theatre yet, their new season brochure lists a pair of new shows for their upcoming calendar – country comedian Rodney Carrington on Thursday, February 20 and the return of the all-female Irish music group Celtic Woman on Tuesday, May 27. Stay tuned for details…

Tony Lucca – who took third place on NBC-TV’s “The Voice” last year – made his Nippertown debut last month at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, opening for Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson. Now Lucca is headed back to town for a show at a considerably more intimate venue – the Van Dyck in Schenectady, where he’ll take the stage at 8pm on Thursday, October 31. Tickets are $20.

Matisyahu – who hit the stage at the Upstate Concert Hall just last month – is slated to return to Nippertown with his annual acoustic Festival of Lights tour, performing Hanukkah-themed songs as well as material spanning his entire career at Club Helsinki in Hudson at 8pm on Wednesday, December 11. Tickets will go on sale on Friday (October 11). Also new on Helsinki’s slate is a cabaret performance by Jim Wann at 7pm on Sunday, October 27. The composer of the Tony nominated “Pump Boys and Dinettes”) will serve up “Mostly Mercer,” a musical tribute to four-time Oscar winner Johnny Mercer.

In support of their latest album Onyx, Leigh Kakaty leads Pop Evil into the Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park on Friday, November 22. Support acts for the show, which starts at 7:30pm, will be the Letter Black, Eve to Adam and Black Oxygen. The first 103 tickets sold will be priced at $1.03. After that, it’s $10.35 in advance; $12 at the door. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday (October 11).

The BSP Lounge in Kingston is on quite a roll with recent sold-out shows by Sean Lennon, Man Man and Weerd Science. And the rest of their fall calendar looks mighty strong, too, including “Upstate Merkin” (an evening of music and comedy hosted by Bobby Tisdale with musical guests Eleanor Friedberger and Josh Ritter) at 9pm on Saturday, October 19 ($12 in advance; $15 at the door); Kurt Vile & the Violators with VBA at 9pm on Thursday, October 24 ($20 in advance; $25 at the door); Baltimore synth-popsters Future Islands with Air Waves at 9pm on Tuesday, November 5 ($10 in advance; $12 at the door); and the fabulous Felice Brothers at 9pm on Friday, November 29 ($25 in advance; on sale at 10am on Friday).

UPDATE: As we announced last month, Happy Traum & Friends will be presenting their annual winter solstice benefit concert for the Woodstock Guild at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on Friday, December 13. Now Traum has announced that some of his friends for the show will include John Sebastian, Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, Amy Helm and Byron Isaacs. Stay tuned for further updates as they develop…

Multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan leads his Celtic-American band Solas into the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown for a special holiday concert at 8pm on Friday, December 6. Tickets are $35.