FIRST NIGHT® SARANAC LAKE 2013 PERFORMERS, DECEMBER 31, 2012
Check back November 2013, for our 2014 new line up.
Please Note:
- Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis and all sites will be emptied before the next audience is allowed in.
- As many performances take place in houses of worship, please pay proper respect.
- Food and beverages are not permitted in any sites, except where sold at on-site concessions
ADK Jazz is "the premiere Black Tie" five-piece jazz combo that performs an extensive repertoire and is best known for performing music from the Great American Songbook." Singing lead vocals, Helen Demong lends her lush, smooth vocal quality particularly suited for jazz standards and ballads. Wayne Davison has been playing sax professionally for 28 years, has earned the nickname, 'The Beast on Sax', and is noted for his stand-up comedic humor. Steve Collier is a talented, respected and much sought after classical and jazz pianist with incredible improvisational skills. Brendan Coyle, a 2nd generation professional drummer with incredible chops and versatility playing Standards, Swing, Latin, Big Band, Classic Jazz, & Rock. Jeff Santoro, affectionately known as the great 'Santorini', adds the finishing touch with an exciting Bass line that lays down our great jazz foundation. ADK Jazz has performed at the most elegant venues in the Adirondacks: The Ausable Club, Lake Placid Lodge, Lake Placid Resort, The Maverick Club, The Point, Whiteface Inn, White Pine Camp, Wolf Lake Camp and many private great camps.
Time & Location:7 & 8 pm, Will Rogers, 78 Will Rogers Drive
Tales tall and short. Stories of magic and mayhem, faeries and gentle folk. Some of Amber's best childhood memories are of her Uncle Ray telling stories. Her favorite was Goldilocks and The Three Bears, which he told with great gusto, changing his voice for each of the bears and Goldilocks. It was hilarious when he recited it in Polish; the familiar story with the strange sounding words was a particular delight. Amber first began telling stories to her children at bedtime, starting with the familiar tales that most parents know from childhood. Over the years, she began to color the stories with slightly different words so that the tales began to sparkle. She hopes that her listeners can see the pictures she paints with words.
Time & Location:6 & 7 pm,
Artists Guild,
52 Main St.
Angel Nafis is an Ann Arbor, Michigan, native and Cave Canem Fellow. She is the author of BlackGirl Mansion (RedBeard/New School Poetics 2012. Her work has appeared in FOUND Magazine's Requiem for a Paper Bag, Decibels, The Rattling Wall, Union Station Magazine, GirlSpeak Webzine, The Bear Rivers Writers Review, and MUZZLE Magazine. In 2011 she represented the LouderArts poetry project at both the Women of the World Poetry Slam and the National Poetry Slam. She is an Urban Word NYC Mentor and the founder, curator, and host of the quarterly Greenlight Bookstore Poetry Salon reading series. She lives in Brooklyn. "Angel Nafis' poems swallow blood and witness truth at its deepest roots." Nafis writes, "I count myself among the graced" and you do not doubt the wisdom of her spirit and her craft in BlackGirl Mansion. The poems you will find here climb mountains! They share the glory and pains of survival against and within the narrative of family and womanhood. They fight for the love they are and know. The cadence of her heart is to be celebrated! The poems of Angel Nafis undo gravity with their shine and holler. Listen, for hers is an original and astonishing voice: "I am here now,/speaking and giving/in bursts/of chest, and effort,/and temperature." - Rachel Eliza Griffiths, author of Mule & Pear and Miracle Arythmia.
Time & Location: 8 & 9 pm,
Artists Guild,
52 Main St.
The Clem Hawkins Revival Band, fronted by brother and sister Tom Venne and Julie Venne-Hogan of the bluegrass group Beartracks, performs traditional country music from the 40's through the mid-70's. With Kevin Maul on pedal steel guitar and Bob Newton on drums, the group strives to provide a high-energy show that captures the sound and soul of the great performers of country music's roots.
Time & Location: 7 & 8 pm,
Harrietstown Town Hall,
39 Main St.
Crackin' Foxy is a ukulele-driven ensemble featuring close vocal harmony and tight instrumental arrangements. The Saranac Lake–based sextet is inspired by early 1930s swing but plays with a fresh and joyful energy all its own. Influences include the Boswell Sisters, the Moonlighters, Bessie Smith, Cole Porter and Django Reinhardt as well as Vaudeville and Hawaiian music. Mark Hofschneider founded the band in 2010 after his wife suggested he play less banjo and more ukulele. Hofschneider, bassist Pat McAvoy, guitarist Dan Saulpaugh and clarinetist Zack Jacob arrange hot rhythms against fast swing tempos to highlight the voice harmonies of Shamim Allen and Sarah Curtis. www.facebook.com/pages/Crackin-Foxy
Time & Location: 7 & 8 pm,
Pendragon Theatre,
15 Brandy Brook Ave
Singer/guitarist George Kilby Jr, brings a wealth and variety of music to every stage. A native of Alabama, George has been playing his own brand of roots-based music for over 30 years. Splitting his time between the Catskills and Brooklyn, George is a fixture on the NYC roots music scene as well as a regional touring act; additionally, his band makes yearly trips to play festivals in Europe. A long stint working with (and producing Blues Album of the Year for) the legendary Pinetop Perkins gave George a woodshed schooling in the art of both playing and performing the blues. He is joined by his long-time band The Road Dogs who have accompanied him on many trips to Saranac Lake's own "Waterhole." George's new album, "Six Pack," will be available and on local radio by late December, and features guests and collaborators including members of Railroad Earth, Phil Wiggins (Cephas & Wiggins) and Blues Traveler "extended family member" Jono Manson, further cementing his place among respected present-day roots music performers. www.georgekilbyjr.com
Time & Location: 9 & 10 pm,,
First United Methodist Church,
63 Church St
Formed in 1993 by six talented men from New York and New Jersey, Hair of the Dog is one of America's premier Irish Folk-Rock groups and an international sensation as well. Their combined resume of past musical associations reads like a who's who of music: Jimi Hendrix, The Band, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Donnybrook Fair, The McKrells, Gene Clark (of The Byrds), Sha Na Na and many others. Hair of the Dog's love of Celtic melodies and rhythms has yielded a half dozen critically acclaimed CDs and countless standing room only live appearances for audiences of all ages. www.hair-of-the-dog.com.com
Time & Location: 9 pm, 10 pm, & 11 pm,
Harrietstown Town Hall,
39 Main St.
The Honey Dewdrops are the Virginia-based roots duet of Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish. With a blend of new Americana and traditional folk music, they create inspired songs with a handful of acoustic instruments and transcendent harmonies that are rooted in the experience and lives of people. During the past four years of touring full-time and playing for audiences across America, The Honey Dewdrops' down-to-earth, real-life approach to music has touched audiences broadly and brought them to high profile stages such as A Prairie Home Companion and gained them Folk Radio notoriety with two #1 albums. www.thehoneydewdrops.com
Time & Location: 9 & 10 pm,
BluSeed Studios,
24 Cedar St.
Check out this progressive rock band from Saranac Lake that evolved from the punk rock trio The Infamous. Comprised of local high school students, Hudson Gray, Travis Buck, Cameron Czadzeck, and Peter Curtis, the band developed a unique sound drawing influence from a wide spectrum of artists, including Cynic, Nirvana, Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, Coldplay, Rubble Bucket, Meshuggah, and many others.
Time & Location: 8 pm,
BluSeed Studios,
24 Cedar St.
Johnny is considered one of the premier comedians in the country. He is a regular at New York City's and Los Angeles' best comedy clubs including The Comic Strip, Caroline's on Broadway and The Improv. Johnny has also made numerous television appearances on MTV, A&E's Caroline's Comedy Hour, NBC's Friday Night, HBO Comedy Showcase with Louie Anderson and, most recently, Comedy Central's Premium Blend. Johnny's wildly successful appearances at Montreal's Just for Laughs Festival led to his being named "Best Act" by The Montreal Gazette as well as the signing of a sitcom deal with Walt Disney Television. Johnny was also honored recently with, not one, but two of his routines being chosen for inclusion in the soon to be released book, The Best Comedy Routines, Period (Rugged Land Books, NY). In the casinos, Johnny has appeared at Trump Plaza, Trump Castle, The Sands and The Claridge where he has worked with such stars as Dana Carvey, Michael Bolton, Chicago and Chris Rock. Johnny has also headlined the main room at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun and Atlantic City's Borgata Hotel & Casino. www.johnnylampert.com
Time & Location: 9 & 10 pm,
Petrova School,
141 Petrova Ave.
Larry Montague, also known as Fluent, is an environmentally and socially conscious rapper who just graduated from Paul Smith’s College. He keeps up a steady flow of thoughtful, positive rhymes over jazzy beats.
fluentmusic.bandcamp.com and writecolour.bandcamp.com
Time & Location:8 & 9 p.m.,
Saranac Free Library,
109 Main St
Le Groove is a six-piece band comprised of seasoned local musicians from the Tri-Lakes including Karen Baker, Michael Joyce, David Mishanec, Sandra Mishanec, Dan Spada, and Rich Weber III. LeGroove offers classic jazz, blues and swing sounds, with some Latin undertones as well as "a little French accent." The smooth combination of keyboard, guitar, bass, drums, saxophone and vocals evokes both vintage and modern sounds conducive to dancing and easy listening. www.le-groove.com
Time & Location: 10 & 11 pm,
First Presbyterian Church,
57 Church St.
Originally from Country Tipperary, Michael "Piper" Cooney now lives in Lake Placid. He is internationally renowned for his mastery of the uilleann pipes (small, melodic Irish bagpipes), and he has won several All-Ireland championships with traditional tunes played on pipes and tinwhistle. Local musicians Kary Johnson and Curt Stager back him up on guitar, 4- and 5-string banjos, and mandola. www.michaelpipercooney.com
Time & Location:7 & 8 pm,
First United Methodist Church, 63 Church St
Minor Swing celebrates Gypsy Jazz. Gypsy Jazz has its roots in the swing music of the 1920s and the folk music of the gypsies, but it continues to thrive today with influences that include BeBop and Parisian waltzes. With strong rhythms at its core, the band has combined the old with the new to create its own unique sound. Minor Swing is Christopher Brown on lead guitar, Lorie Gruneisen on violin, David Katz on bass and Victor Caamaño on rhythm guitar and vocals.
Time & Location: 8 & 9 pm,
St. Bernard's Catholic Church,
27 St. Bernard St.
Grounded by the warm groove of brothers Scott and Byron Renderer on drums and bass, singer/songwriter Chris Kowanko fashions a free range of tunage alternating from wry to vivid, gentle to stark, folky to funky. Plying new songs from the forthcoming CD, as well as favorites from their catalogue, the Upper Jay trio from the Recovery Lounge will be joined by guitarist Drew Sprague.
Time & Location: 10 & 11 pm,
Pendragon Theatre,
15 Brandy Brook Ave
Finish 2012 with a healthy dose of good clean fun! Pipsqueak's Party time will entertain us with a crew of zany clowns and wacky puppets. The performance will include comedy magic, hilarious skits and puppets who may remind you of some of your relatives... yikes! Pipsqueak hopes you have a fabutabulous First Night! www.pipsqueakspartytime.com
Time & Location: 6 & 7 pm,
Saranac Free Library,
109 Main St.
The Saranac Lake High School Select Men's and Women's Vocal Ensembles represent the most accomplished singers at the High School. Selected through a rigorous audition process, these students rehearse outside of the normal school day and often serve as the "Choral Ambassadors" in the community, performing at such venues as AMC, the Whiteface Lodge, Petrova Elementary and Middle Schools, BluSeed Studios, and other area locales. The Vocal Ensembles have traveled to Washington, D.C., New York City, and Siena, Italy, collaborating with composer Glenn McClure and commissioning original arrangements through other notable musicians. Typically, the Vocal Ensembles perform music in a variety of genres, from traditional choral repertoire to more popular works.
Time & Location: 6 & 7 pm,
St. Bernard's Catholic Church,
27 St. Bernard St.
Feel the Beat! Find your Rhythm - a New Year community performance for all AGES! Adirondack Wulaba and Somabeats, Drum and Dance tribe based in the West African Traditions, joined forces in 2006 to inspire the Adirondack community with West African rhythms to provide fitness and fun for everyone. They hold a weekly drum and dance class and have performed for arts in education all over the North Country. Both groups are available for workshops, celebrations and rituals for all occasions. www.somabeats.com
Time & Location:7 & 8 pm,
First Presbyterian Church,
57 Church St.
During the cold Maine winter of 2009, jazz-infused harmonies met bluegrass roots in Jo's small kitchen, and formalized two years later as a versatile, groove-driven, Americana duo. Jo rolls her classical cello background into funky bluegrass chops a-la Crooked Still and Ben Sollee, while Sorcha's songwriting and banjo/guitar playing is steeped in jazz, folk and blues, with influences including Nina Simone, Bonnie Raitt and Tom Waits. Together with spot-on vocal harmonies, their fierce independence is both grounding, spontaneous, and toe-tappingly catchy. Always chasing their next musical adventure, Sorcha and Jo are equally at home in clubs, coffeehouses, festivals, and house concerts. And, of course, in Jo's kitchen. www.sorchastudio.com
Time & Location: 9 & 10 pm,
St. Luke's Episcopal Church,
136 Main St.
Sven is a singer, song writer and guitar player. He plays an irreverent sort of introspective-honky-tonk-blues music that lyrically manages to cover concepts from the vaguely interesting to the uniquely ridiculous. Should you be interested in such topics as drinking, futility, lawlessness, or tractors... you're sure to at least find him briefly entertaining! www.svencurth.com
Time & Location:7 & 8 pm,
St. Luke's Episcopal Church,
136 Main St.
"The Beatles of Kids' Music" are what the Zucchini Brothers are often called. "Words of Wisdom Set to Foot-tapping Music" are what the Zucchini Brothers deliver. This band of brothers: Jack on Guitar, Steve on Keyboards, Sam on Drums (each his own character, all of whom sing) offers up a musical stir-fry of styles. You never know just what these three zany guys will do. But one thing's for sure, once you've seen 'em - you won't forget 'em... 100% Healthy...100% Fun!!! Originally from Saratoga Springs, New York, but now living in a clubhouse in ZucchiniLand, the Zucchini Brothers are well-renowned for their concerts in schools, theaters and festivals throughout the country, as well as their internationally syndicated weekly radio show "The Zucchini Brothers, Live! at the Clubhouse." Winners of the NAPPA Gold Award and the Parents' Choice Gold Award, the Zucchini Brothers have received critical acclaim for their albums "In Your Garden," "Live! At The Clubhouse," "Safe & Sound," and their collection of "Music Videos. "In addition to producing their own radio show, the Zucchini Brothers make numerous television appearances, and their cd's are played on radio stations throughout the world. "Zucchini" music bridges the musical gap between kids and adults, appealing to people of all ages. www.zucchinibrothers.com
Time & Location: 6 & 7 pm, Petrova School,
141 Petrova Ave.
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