FREE: UpBeat On the Roof Concert Series Announced

Photograph by Ed Conway

The free summer concert series at Skidmore College is called UpBeat On the Roof, and it’s not just a name – the bands do actually play on the roof of Skidmore’s Tang Museum in Saratoga Springs.

The folks at the Tang have announced the schedule for the summer’s concert series, and it’s an eclectic mix that ranges from gothic-folk to classical, from Gypsy jazz to country blues. The nine concert series takes place at 7pm on Fridays throughout July and August. In the event of rain, the concerts will be moved indoors to the museum. And, yes, admission is free.

Here the complete schedule of UpBeat On the Roof concerts for 2016:

OLIVIA QUILLIO
July 1
The Troy-based singer-songwriter Olivia Quillio creates songs that feel at once raw and luminous. Taking influence from folk, jazz and soul, Quillio has been praised for her “commendable lyrical guile,” “refreshingly honest” music and passionate live performances.

DUST BOWL FAERIES
July 8
Dust Bowl Faeries are an ethereal electro-acoustic gothic folk ensemble led by artist/musician Ryder Cooley. Accordion, lap steel, saw, ukulele, keys and percussion combine to create their unique, otherworldly sound. Karen Cole, Jen DuBois and JoAnn Stevelos round out the band’s line-up, along with Hazel, a taxidermy sheep who serves as spirit animal go-go dancer.

DECODA: SKIDMORE CHAMBER MUSIC INSTITUTE
July 15
Decoda is a New York City-based chamber ensemble comprised of virtuoso musicians, entrepreneurs and passionate advocates of the arts. The ensemble’s summer intensive at Skidmore College, now in its third year, offers young musicians multiple performance opportunities and occasions for meaningful community engagement.

TERRY GORDON QUINTET
July 22
Terry Gordon Quintet is a Local 518 jazz group creating adventurous original music. Formed in 1992, the group performs regularly in concert settings and jazz clubs throughout the Northeast, has been the recipient of a New York State arts grant for composition, and has released four albums.

SWAMP BABY
July 29
Over the past 10 years, Albany-based psych-folk band Swamp Baby has gained notice both near and far for their particular form of ethereal chamber pop. The four-piece group creates lush, layered sounds and delicately intimate songs.

RED HAIRED STRANGERS
August 5
Founding members Ryan Dunham and John Rice have been playing music together for over 20 years, creating the Red Haired Strangers’ unique sound that pulls from country, blues and bluegrass influences. Beginning as a guitar and harmonica duo, their sound has been enriched with the addition of new musicians on fiddle, drums, bass, dobro and pedal steel guitar.

HOT CLUB OF SARATOGA
August 12
Gypsy jazz ensemble the Hot Club of Saratoga carries on the spirit and style of music created in the 1930s by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. The Hot Club of Saratoga’s full quintet features solo and rhythm guitars, string bass, violin and clarinet/sax. Together the group explores the genre and covers a range of its sounds from sweet, soulful balladry and hard driving swing to fiery, upbeat tempos.

THE HEAVENLY ECHOES
August 19
The Heavenly Echoes are a Southern soul-style gospel group, founded more than 50 years ago by the late Deacon James Edmonds of the Sweet Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Albany. They perform as a nine-member group backed by guitar, bass and drums. They regularly bring their authentic, heartfelt style of gospel music to churches throughout Greater Nippertown, as well as to festivals and cultural events across the state.

RANDOM 33
August 26
Random 33 began in 1998 as a small club band doing covers, instrumental and improvised music. The trio features keyboardist Carl Landa, Skidmore’s Music Director of the Dance Department; NYC-based drummer Scott Morehouse; and tenor saxophonist Sam Morrison, who was a member of Miles Davis’ last band.

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING FREE EVENTS FOR 2016
VARIOUS DATES
SCHENECTADY COUNTY SUMMERNIGHT @ State & Jay streets, Schenectady, Friday, July 15
JAZZ AT THE LAKE @ Shepard Park, Lake George, September 17 & 18
WEDNESDAYS
MADE IN THE SHADE OF THE EGG @ Empire State Plaza, Albany, 12noon Wednesdays from June 1-August 31
ROCKIN’ ON THE RIVER @ Riverfront Park, Troy, 5pm Wednesdays from June 15-August 3
LAKE GEORGE ARTS PROJECT’S WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUMMER CONCERT SERIES @ Shepard Park, Lake George, 7:30pm Wednesdays from July 6-August 31
THURSDAYS
JAZZ ON JAY @ Jay Street, Schenectady, 12noon Thursdays from June 2-September 1
ALIVE AT FIVE @ Tricentennial Park, Albany, 5pm Thursdays from June 9-August 4
FRIDAYS
FRIDAYS AT THE LAKE @ Shepard Park, Lake George, 4pm Fridays from June 24-September 2