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Articles by Katie Cusack
Troy Dance Factory’s Full Out Fest takes its place as a summer event staple
It’s always exciting to see a locally organized event make a strong return. It’s entirely more satisfying to see something like Troy Dance Factory’s Full Out Fest take its place as a summer event staple. The August 14th, sold-out, outdoor festival at Troy’s Riverfront Park showcasing the dancers of TDF brought in hundreds of community members and fans who were excited to relive the energy of last year—or, for the newbies, hop on a chance to experience the dense hotspot of art and community.
Marty Wendell Plans To Celebrate The Release Of 'Risky Business' Album October 9th in Cambridge, NY
Marty Wendell Plans To Celebrate The Release Of ‘Risky Business’ Album October 9th in Cambridge, NY Photo: J. Ellers Capital Region singer/songwriter Marty Wendell is having an album release party at Argyle Brewing in the Depot in Cambridge, NY on October 9th. Risky Business was produced in Nashville, TN by Chris Scruggs and features several of Wendells’ friends.
Slidin’ Dirty to celebrate seven years with live Music, local brews on the Streets of Troy
The restaurant will celebrate seven years with live bands, local beers and painting on the street. TROY — Local restaurant and popular food truck Slidin’ Dirty will take over their downtown Troy First Street once again with their annual block party. The free, all-ages event will take place Friday, Sept. 24, 5-9 p.m., featuring one of the best food trucks of the Capital Region, local beers from Rare Form Brewing, live painting and prints from Troy Art Group and an intoxicatingly fun lineup of bands.
Midweek slump slammers: Roundup #4
This round, the category is women with deep, expansive vocals and instrumental talent. Maybe it’s the two-week stretch of humid thunderstorms we’re undergoing here in upstate NY. It makes me want to listen to music that cuts through that thickening fog or, conversely, builds a hazy world of its own. If you have a song that has settled with you in a way you’d like to share, let me know at katie@mirth-films.com or via Instagram @kkates_mariee and I’ll add ‘em on each week.
VIDEO: Freedom Stratton Performs "Everyday" at the Alive at 5 Concert Series
VIDEO: Freedom Stratton Performs “Everyday” at the Alive at 5 Concert Series Rising Hip-Hop artist Freedom Stratton performed a set of music at Lincoln Park in Albany, NY as part of the 2021 Virtual Alive at 5 Concert Series. Prior to his performance Stratton alongside Brian Chiappinelli performed an intimate version of his original song “Everyday” while on the CDTA bus. Watch the music video below: Like this: Like Loading... alive at 5cdtafeaturedfreedom strattonhip hopVideo
New Coalition of Festivals Aims to Build Stronger Music Festival Industry Standards
New Coalition of Festivals Aims to Build Stronger Music Festival Industry Standards A group of live music industry leaders have banded together to form the Coalition of Festivals. Their mission? Build a more equitable, diverse and sustainable industry standard for the music festival industry.
Albany DJ sustained a community through the pandemic, one R&B party at a time
Each Wednesday evening since the spring of 2020, Albany DJ TGIF has been in high demand. Eager for connection in the pandemic, fans have faithfully congregated for his midweek R&B sets, called Wine Down Wednesday, either virtually for months or in person recently, to take advantage of much-needed socialization in a socially distant time.
Upstate Mixtape Vol. 1, by Upstate Mixtape
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Local curators & visual artists on navigating the arts market
Art: Cara Hanley Ah, the arts. Sometimes they feel untouchable. Stark white walls in a gallery where—as so many sitcoms depicting our brave character on a date with an unattainable intellectual being fed art history facts through an earpiece have taught us—you have to have something profound to say in order to be involved. Hello! This is The Collaborative here to say please throw that stereotype in the trash. This region is full of artists.
Arabesque at The Clark: exploring the harmonious artform
Above: Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954), Pianist and Checker Players, 1924. Oil on canvas, 29 × 36 3/8 in. National Gallery of Art, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.25 Swirling symmetrical patterns. Intricate geometric design.
Jayana LaFountaine uses photography to show true strength is in being vulnerable
Editor’s note: Katie Cusack has assisted LaFountaine in the design and layout of “Book of Jayana.” Jayana LaFountaine knows strong women. She’s been documenting their stories since she started taking photos as a teenager.
Half Waif calls on Troy artists for new video "Ordinary Talk"
Photos: Kiki Vassilakis Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter/producer Nandi Rose Plunkett a.k.a. Half Waif dropped a new music video today, Jan. 28, “Ordinary Talk,” featuring a cast of Troy musicians, artists, filmmakers and photographers. The video release came with the announcement of her forthcoming record The Caretaker. The album will be released March 27 via ANTI Records, her first release since 2018’s Lavender.
What happened to Toni Morrison's first play?
Above: “Dreaming Emmett” premiere at The Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany. Photo: Joseph Schuyler On Jan. 5, 1986, the future Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison premiered her first play at Albany’s Capital Repertory Company’s Market Theatre. “Dreaming Emmett,” based on the brutal 1955 murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black boy, by a group of white men. But after its first run, the play was never produced again.
Musicians and venue owners: ‘We’ve gotta show up for each other’
Photo: Kiki Vassilakis At the end of each local music survey, musicians had the opportunity to share the greatest challenges they face in their career as well as what they would like to communicate to the business end of the music community. Nearly half the surveyed artists offered anecdotes, descriptions and suggestions on how to develop a scene that helps keep both its artists and venues sustainable and thriving.
Making art and managing mental health
Art: Cara Hanley There is a running trope that for an artist to be truly great, for their work to be profound (to be considered an artist, even) they must be inherently “tortured” and “starving.” That mentality is incredibly dangerous for those who feel the need to create. It casts darkness over their work and sense of identity, as if the only way they can create is if they are at their worst.
Gift Guide: Katie Cusack
Supporting the local arts community can be tough during the holiday season, but it’s also the best time to do so. While it’s easier to grab a book or some gear or jewelry for a reduced price on Amazon, dropped to your front door within days, the magic is lost. This area is full of shops with unique and handmade treasures. There also are hundreds of artists operating independently–sharing their work on social media or craft sites like Etsy.
Collar City Crimes and Creepy Compositions tell the macabre history of Troy through song
On Nov. 10, Troy’s ghastly early history will be told through a series of original murder ballads written by 10 Troy musicians who have been inspired by disasters, murders, tragedies, crimes and other dark spots of the city’s past.
UAlbany professors share intimate stories from the lives of security professionals
What is it like not being able to tell your family what you do at work? How do you maintain relationships while being on call at all hours, abandoning birthday parties, anniversaries, births, deaths at a moment’s notice? How do you raise children while doing things you wouldn’t dream of telling them about?
Raw Honesty: Creating from a scary place
Photo: Kiki Vassilakis I’m asking myself, and you, “How I do even start to write this?” I’m texting a friend about my multimedia (dance, live music and cinema) show “Dark Blue Sea,” and wishing I knew how to write about the process of producing it. I feel like I owe that to you: a column that focuses on meaty logistics more than it does the internal intangibles of what dance can be when set to raw truth. The truth is, I don’t know how or what to say about it.
Blood Blood Blood's serial killer synth punk
Photo: Sarah Darby Shane Michael Sanchez has always wanted to “push it.” Whether that be wearing a Wu-Tang Clan shirt in his fifth-grade yearbook photo, tricking his mom into letting him rent violent horror movies at a young age, or forming a hip-hop-influenced synth-punk band called Ghoul Poon in his early 20’s. The 32-year-old Troy resident and Saratoga Springs native has always been attracted to over-the-top displays of unrestricted artistic expression.
Caffeine + Cannabinoids: How a Hoosick Falls start-up is destigmatizing cannabis
Photos provided by Caffeine + Cannabinoids team With a population of less than 3,400 people and the effects of a 2016 water contamination scandal still fresh on people’s minds, it might seem unlikely that a village on the outskirts of Rensselaer County is evolving into a hub for upstate New York’s burgeoning cannabis industry. But Hoosick Falls is quickly brewing up a new concept of craft goods in the Capital Region. That’s where Caffeine + Cannabinoids comes in.
'Whitewashed: the racism project'
Photos by Richard Lovrich “OPLAKA GALLERY THEATRE PERFORMANCE – Creative Action Unlimited presents “Whitewashed”an original documentary theater performance, based on Black history, current events, and the personal experiences of the cast. Directed by Michael Kennedy, the cast includes Shirey Archie, Royal Brown, Danielle Colin, Diaka Kaba Hill, Aaron Moore, Tim Martin, and Sakea Martin.” To learn more about the play watch the latest episode of The Collabcast with cast members D.
With new leadership, Albany Wine & Dine for the Arts dishes up more art - The Collaborative
Image provided by Albany Wine & Dine for the Arts Yono Purnomo and Marcus Pryor exchange knowing smiles in the back room of Yono’s at 25 Chapel Street in Albany as they reminisce about the early days of Albany’s Food & Wine for the Arts an event approaching its 11th year that Purnomo helped found and for which Pryor is now the executive director. “I helped him inject a little color into his wardrobe,” says Pryor, former board chair of theRep theater in Albany.
Patrick Harris on local arts
Patrick Harris’ reputation for kindness and generosity precedes him. As a major part of a local brain trust that supports and cultivates local creatives Harris has helped creatives of color open doors that used to be closed to them in this region. As president of Collectiveffort Harris leads a marketing firm and digital production house that amplifies local voices and works with major national brands. To hear more about how he made his way in the region check out the latest episode of Collabcast.
Cohoes designer Vaceia Payne's Afrocentric fashion collection
Photos: Kiki Vassilakis Fashion designer Vaceia Payne can’t recall the exact point she realized she was going to live engulfed in the arts. Over the years she drew, painted and played viola—aspiring to be an art teacher one day and an interior designer the next. In her Atlanta high school, plagued by a school uniform, she discovered fashion. Payne designed her first dress, a ’20s-inspired flapper ensemble, for her senior project and was hooked.
Gallery: Lark Fest 2019
Kiki Vassilakis photographed this year’s Lark Fest, taking place on Lark Street in Albany Sept. 21. In true form for one of the last days of summer, the street festival went down in a toasty 80-plus degree heat and was packed with attendees and vendors.
LarkFest headliners Prince Daddy & The Hyena take off
Earlier this year, the Albany punk quartet Prince Daddy & The Hyena began using the rocket ship emoji to promote their sophomore album Cosmic Thrill Seekers—a three-act concept record about space, the Wizard of Oz and depression—on their social media accounts. At first, members of the band and their team (their PR person, their label, the album’s guest musicians, etc.) used the emoji.
Local, independent Shade Mountain Press shares work by marginalized women
Shade Mountain Press is a one woman show. Colonie-based publisher Rosalie Morales Kearns is an author and career copy editor who, since 2014, has committed the rare moments of her free time to operating the feminist micro-press that publishes one book per year by women across the country—particularly marginalized women of color, disabled women, women from low-income or working-class backgrounds and LGBTQ women.
Albany's LarkFest lineup announced
Photo: Joey Tobin Boston indie-rock band Vundabar and Albany punk heroes Prince Daddy & The Hyena (above) will be headlining this year’s 39th annual LarkFest in the Capital City, Sept. 21, as announced by Lark BID. They’ll be joined by other major local acts such as hip hop sensation Johnny 2 Phones, the sultry, indie rock band of music veterans Bear Grass, frequent basement gig players TOP nachos of New Paltz and the illustrious alt-metal crew of the ’90s, The Clay People.
Noelle Gentile’s ‘Isla & Lulu’ book explores medical fragility and family bonds
Above: Back cover illustration of “Isla & Lulu” depicting Isla (far left) and her family. Art: Maria G. Gama Albany-based theater teacher, director, filmmaker, and now author, Noelle Gentile knows how to process emotions and experiences through art.
Skidmore professor uses virtual reality for new kind of documentary
Skidmore professor Aaron Pedinotti wants to take readers deep inside the first Gothic novel and to do that he’s planning to travel to England to take over an 18th-century villa. The Strawberry Hill House, built by author Horace Walpole, is known to have served as the inspiration for his novel “The Castle of Otranto,” which is regarded as the first Gothic horror novel.
Life as collage: Inside the mind of Michael Oatman
In the foreground of a bucolic landscape perches a bird captured with “nothing to see here” picture-book nonchalance. It requires a well-deserved double-take to reveal the rifle tucked under a wing. The scene features additional armed and blasé birds, undeniably the precisely crafted work of artist Michael Oatman. So skillfully crafted in fact, that, at first glance, they avoid being interpreted as a collage at all.
Candy Ambulance: managing trauma and taking up space in "Traumantic"
“I think I take up so much space sometimes,” Caitlin Barker of Candy Ambulance told me one bright, February afternoon in Hudson. Candy Ambulance, the wiry rock trio comprised of Barker, Jesse Bolduc and Jon Cantiello, were recording their first full-length album Traumantic with Tommy Stinson (The Replacements, Guns ‘N’ Roses). Their latest work has collectively become their proudest, not only because they feel they’re at their tightest musically, but because it taps into their emotions.
Inside local arts with Chad Rabinovitz - The Collaborative
Chad Rabinovitz producing artistic director of Adirondack Theatre Festival and Adirondack Film Festival Welcome the inaugural edition of Inside Local Arts a series where we will chat with folks who have a unique perspective on our area’s vibrant arts scene. Chad Rabinotwitz has become synonymous with the vibrant growth of downtown Glens Falls thanks to his work with the Adirondack Theatre Festival and the Adirondack Film Festival.
New exhibit: ‘ACE: art on sports, promise and selfhood’
Above: Artist Baseera Khan and her piece “BRAIDRAGE.” (2017-19) Photos courtesy of University Art Museum. Opened in late June, a new sports-focused exhibition at University Art Museum of the University at Albany, SUNY seems to have arrived at the perfect time. The undefeated World Cup win by the US women’s national soccer team in July sparked attention to the gender wage gap and what that means about our larger society as a whole. What do we value? What kind of structures are instilled in us?
'Basquiat X Warhol' exhibit is must-see
I’d driven by at least twice without even noticing it–an imposing 1929 federal-revival former elementary school draped with two immense banners featuring the faces of Jean-Michel Basquiat on one side and Andy Warhol on the other. The School-Jack Shainman Gallery has been in Kinderhook for 5 years and the “Basquiat X Warhol” exhibit has been running since June. I nearly missed it. This is fair warning that there are only three days left for you to get to see this work.
Kristin Hayter of Lingua Ignota on becoming divine vengeance - The Collaborative
Armed with righteous anger, a devastating voice, classical musical training, a BFA in literature from Brown University and an eerie aptitude for relating the human experience, Kirsten Hayter has become retribution personified through her compositions as Lingua Ignota. The depth and complexity of her three musical works Let The Evil of His Own Lips Cover Him, All Bitches Die and the recently-released Caligula defy easy summation, or even lengthy review.
Comfy’s latest explores moving on without leaving the past behind
If you attended DIY shows in upstate New York during 2014-2016, or were paying attention to the output of the now-inactive Miscreant Records—which had a hand in introducing artists such as Adult Mom, Vagabon, T-Rextasy and PWR BTTM to the world—then you probably knew Comfy.
Emerging Choreographers Project provides space for fresh, local dance
The Emerging Choreographers Project was started by local dancer and choreographer Anna Pillot in 2017 to highlight up-and-coming choreographers in the Capital Region. It first debuted in Albany Center Gallery, showcasing pieces by six choreographers who engaged in post-performance audience talkbacks. The first and second iterations of the project drew hundreds of curious dance enthusiasts.
Real-life horror fuels Mark Whelan of Fuming Mouth
Mark Whelan was attracted to heavy music because of its honesty, and that’s the approach he brings to his death metal-infused hardcore band Fuming Mouth. The 29-year-old wrote the entirety (guitars, bass, drums, lyrics) of the group’s long-awaited debut full-length, The Grand Descent, which dropped via hardcore households Triple B Records earlier this summer. A cursory reading of his lyrics may register as standard-fare death metal brutality.
Chatham-based street artist Scout is fueled by the political - The Collaborative
Featured image: “The Children’s Teeth Are Set on Edge,” 2019, 36″ X 48,” mixed media on canvasby Scout Pines Scout (AKA Scout Pines) is set to challenge what it means to be a “patriotic” American in “A More Perfect Union,” an exhibit opening in his hometown of Chatham at the Thompson Giroux Gallery on Saturday. His distinctive portraits of marginalized individuals are fixtures across the Capital Region and Columbia County.
Plein Air Festival kicks off in Glens Falls
Don’t be surprised if you see artists working outdoors today around Glens Falls. Instead of being surprised snap a picture and share it with the hashtags #hydepleinair and #communityday. In fact, you are encouraged to ask questions of the artists and hang out as their work unfolds.
The Clark and Jacob's Pillow team up to present Martha Graham Dance Co.
The Clark Art Institute will collaborate with fellow Berkshires arts institution Jacob’s Pillow, hosting a free pop-up performance by the Martha Graham Dance Company on its Williamstown campus on Aug.18 from 1–3 PM. Visitors are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating. In the event of inclement weather, the performance will move indoors.
Three steps to fire up your filmmaking idea
Filmmakers sometimes make you feel like making a movie is like searching for the Holy Grail. Only the worthy need apply. I have been involved in filmmaking for over a decade, with hundreds of projects, and the question I hear the most is, “How do I get started?” You have inspiration, or an idea, or maybe just passion, but where do you go from there? There is an article that I have seen pop up periodically on my Facebook feed.
Cage The Elephant's Brad Shultz on prioritizing mental health
Photo: Neil Krug Since the success of their first hit “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked,” Kentucky’s alt rock band Cage The Elephant has been on a fairly steady trajectory. They’ve been a constant radio presence on alternative and mainstream stations, with seven of their tracks living at the number one spot on the Billboard chart and 11 more landing on it’s Top 10. Their fifth album Social Cues dropped in April, a follow up to their Grammy award-winning Tell Me I’m Pretty.
Arts events of the day: Aug. 5
Above: photo by James Rodewald of Nature’s Sake Photography, featured in LARAC’s “Pigments” exhibit. ‘Pigments’ exhibit It’s the last week to check out the “Pigments” exhibit at LARAC, featuring mixed media works by regional artists Leah McCloskey, James Rodewald, Jacquiline Touba and Alex Waters. @ Lapham Gallery at LARAC, Glens Falls | through Aug.
Capital Walls is transforming Albany while empowering artists
Photos of Arzu Fallahi by Richard Lovrich. Photos of the work in progress by Tony Iadicicco. Mural map by Cara Hanley. It appears as a shot of coruscating colors, geometric shapes and smooth patterns, Arzu Fallahi’s mural “Journey” on the concrete bridge support under 787 in the Albany Pump Station Parking lot is like an oasis in a desert, a flowering vine climbing up the side of a dead tree.
Premiere: Candy Ambulance's "Traumantic" music video and upcoming album
The Collaborative presents “Traumantic,” the newest music video from Troy grunge band Candy Ambulance ahead of their upcoming album of the same name. Filmed by Troy’s Chromoscope Pictures (who are responsible for a few of the band’s previous video releases and no stranger to their more daring creative ideas), the dizzying 4-minute piece captures the band and their friends in a characteristically raucous card game.
Opalka Gallery looks to foster community with art and beer
If there’s a better combination than art and craft beer we just don’t know what it is. Opalka Gallery apparently feels the same way as they’ve just announced a pop-up beer garden series that brings together local brewers, artists and musicians. But that isn’t the only connection the gallery is hoping to make with the series. They aim to bring together surronding Albany neighborhoods to bridge gaps and foster community.
Arts Events of the Day: July 31
Wednesday, July 31 Rockin On the River: Pedrito Martinez Dance yourself clean on the river tonight with this Grammy-nominated group. Martinez’s abilities as a hand percussion is world-renowned so we have a feeling his rythms will move you. @ Riverfront Park, Troy | 5 PM | Free Creative Economy Mixer: PS21 Explore this Columbia County outdoor performance space and network with local creatives. Drinks provided by Hudson-Chatham Winery and Chatham Brewing.
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