FREE: Upbeat on the Roof Concert Series Announces 2018 Bands

With temperatures slated to top the 80-degree mark later this week, it seems as though the seemingly endless winter is finally coming to an end. And there’s no better sure sign of the upcoming summer season than the announcement of the first of so many free outdoor concert series all around Greater Nippertown.

First out of the box this year is the Upbeat on the Roof concert series that takes place literally on the rooftop deck of the Tang Museum at Saratoga Springs’ Skidmore College at 7pm on every Thursday throughout July and August.

Here’s the concert schedule for 2018’s Upbeat on the Roof series:

July 5: Girl Blue
Singer-songwriter Girl Blue, aka Arielle O’Keefe, has already gained a great deal of attention on the strength of her 2016 EP I Am Not A Star and the single “Fire Under Water,” which garnered more than a million plays on Spotify in a month. Accolades have followed from the Huffington Post, Vents Magazine and The Alt. Known for her storytelling, soft vocals and modern production, the Albany resident plans to release a full-length album later this year.

July 12: Decoda Chamber Music Ensemble
The New York City-based affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall returns to the Tang for an engaging evening of classical music. The ensemble’s performance at the Tang occurs during its annual, two-week intensive classes for advanced students of string, woodwind, brass and piano at Skidmore College. Decoda’s performances over the last few years have become audience favorites, as the ensemble are not only virtuoso musicians but also passionate advocates of the arts. NOTE: This concert will be held indoors in the Tang Museum’s Payne Room.

July 19: Wurliday
Fronted by a pair of powerful vocalists — Ilana Morris and Tyrone Hartzog — the band brings an exciting blend of soul and funk to its Upbeat debut. Led by founder and guitarist Justin Henricks, the seven-piece, Albany-based band packs a lot of energy in its live performances.

July 26: Golfstrom
Featuring Jonathan Greene (clarinet), Sergei Nirenburg (accordion), Bobby Kendall (bass) and Brian Melick (percussion), the band plays what it describes as “vintage old-world music” – popular music of the 1930s-’60s from regions in Europe and America.

August 2: Taina Asili
The Albany-based Puerto-Rican musician/activist uses her music to discuss important issues of her past and present. Her powerful vocals combine with an energetic fusion of Afro-Latin, reggae and rock that motivates people to dance as well as create social change. As a solo artist and with her eight-piece band, Asili has toured North America and Europe, and performed at the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, D.C. She and her band will be making their Upbeat debut.

August 9: William Hale
Led by vocalist-guitarist Lucas William Hale VanScoy, the Glens Falls-based, epic, psych-folk band also features Jared Phelps (electric guitar), Stephen Phelps (electric guitar/keyboard), Alicia Macier (violin), Jared Mac Duff (bass), Maxim VanScoy (drums/percussion) and Timothy Oakley (drums/percussion). The band will be making their Upbeat debut.

August 16: Fenimore Blues
The Saratoga Springs-based band makes their Upbeat debut with an eclectic mix of blues, R&B and rock. The powerful vocals of Mary Beth Arcidiacono are backed by two guitarists and fellow musicians on keyboards, saxophone, bass and drums.

August 23: Bear Grass
Singer-songwriter Katie Hammond began Bear Grass in 2012 as a solo project, creating quirky songs with lyrics drawing from her childhood memories. Over the next two years she was joined by Ian White, August Sagehorn and Tommy Krebs, who provide a blend of folk, rock and trip-hop to compliment her warm yet sorrowful vocals.

August 30: Arthur Brooks Ensemble V
Led by musician-composer-trumpeter-flugelhornist Arthur Brooks, the improvisational jazz group was founded at Bennington College in 1973, and the current members combine improvisation with composition to craft unique and exciting pieces that keep audiences guessing.