THE BIG TAKEOVER CD RELEASE PARTY
September 5. Praise Jah for a new band on the upstate reggae scene! The Big Takeover, another New Paltz hit machine (and one sharing bandmates and vibes with blues power trio the Paint Cans and funksters Grooveyard), has been wowing frenetic, dancing crowds from Kingston, New York, to Kingston, Jamaica. Now fans will have something to take home, namely the band’s new CD, Following Too Close (Takeover Productions), a “hot-peppa” mix of roots-ska originals featuring Jamaican singer Nee Nee and a skin-tight five-piece band. Wind up at Bacchus tonight, grab a Red Stripe, and let’s all get down to the I-rie sound of DJ Goodwill selecting when the band cools off. 21+ please. 11pm. Call for cover info. New Paltz. (845) 255-8636. www.myspace.com/bigtakeover.
JUDITH TULLOCH BAND
September 7. Talk to singer-guitarist-songwriter-music teacher Tulloch and you can still hear a little New York roots in her dialect (the charming chanteuse was born in Manhattan and raised in Brooklyn). But when she straps on the guitar and sings, she can be anywhere she wants, from the Caribbean to Nasvhille. Her songs are upbeat and lovingly skip from style to style, without irony or camp. She and her accomplished band—Stephen Franchino on flute and woodwinds, Tom Quaglieri on keyboards, Keith Meyer on bass, and Rich Sarles on drums—head to the Towne Crier in support of Tulloch’s tasty 2007 CD, Read Your Mind (Cammy Poeme Music). 7pm. $20, $15. Pawling. (845) 855-1300. www.judithtulloch.com.
HUDSON RIVER ARTS FESTIVAL
September 20. First, a round of applause to everyone at the Bardavon and UPAC (present and past) for making a commitment to our river cities, we appreciate you. This year’s HRAF in Waryas Park kicks off with crafts, food, and two musical stages with 20 performers during the day. The co-headliners take the main stage after 5pm, and first up is Ollabelle, an international folk quintet that includes Woodstock’s Amy Helm. American treasure Odetta, 75, is an inspiration to generations of musicians, and just released a new album, Gonna Let It Shine (MC Records). The soul shines next on Ivan Neville (he of the Big Easy royal family) and his rollicking Dumpstaphunk band. Fireworks follow the last note. 2pm. $3 donation requested. Poughkeepsie. (845) 473-5288. www.bardavon.org.
JOHN COLTRANE BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE
September 23. Saxophonist/flautist Rob Scheps, who divides his time between Portland, Oregon, and New York, finds a hip spot upriver to launch his birthday party for Coltrane, who would have turned 82 today. The Terrace Lounge on Liberty Street (across from the Washington’s Headquarters house) plays host to the award-winning Scheps (four Down Beat awards and counting) and his local crew, which includes cool Lew Scott on bass and the unsinkable Marvin “Bugalu” Smith pounding the barrels. Expect spot-on renditions of Coltrane standards like “Giant Steps” and “Love Supreme,” plus some surprise moments with weighty musical cargo like this. 21+. 7:30pm. Free. Newburgh. (845) 561-9770. www.robscheps.8m.net.
BLACK MESA TRUST BENEFIT WITH MEDESKI, MARTIN & WOOD
September 28. When keyboardist John Medeski of jazz-funk trio Medeski, Martin & Wood attended a showing of PAATUWAQATSI H2Opi Run to Mexico, he learned about the Black Mesa Trust, which continues to address issues of land and water from the Hopi perspective after shutting down a 35-year pumping operation by a slurry coal-mining company. This huge story involves the bargain-basement purchase of sacred Hopi water to be used in the mining process by a poorly regulated company and the trust’s ongoing attempt to prevent an appeal of the pumping ban. Moved by their story, MMW will make it rain for the organization in this benefit at the Bearsville Theater. All proceeds go directly to Black Mesa Trust. A half-hour meet-and-greet with the band begins at 6:30pm, with tickets only available from the Soaring Eagle in Woodstock and Burt’s Electronics in Kingston. $58, $50 meet-and-greet; $38 general admission. 7pm. Bearsville. (845) 679-4406. www.bearsvilletheater.com.
