Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase
Bearsville Theater (October 12-15)
A much-awaited summit, the annual Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase brings together the community of acoustic stringed-instrument makers, musicians, and collectors to see, play, and purchase fine handmade acoustic guitars and more. Live music by Sean McGowan, Tony McManus, Adam Miller, Peter Janson, and Preston Reed (October 12), Happy Traum (October 13), Peter Einhorn (October 13), Jay Ungar, Molly Mason, and Mike and Ruthy (October 15), and others. Bearsville.
Gregory Alan Isakov/Milk Carton Kids
Ulster Performing Arts Center (October 18)
South African-born singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov has built a fervent following through steady touring and the eight albums of quiet, heartfelt modern folk that he’s released to date; 2018’s Evening Machines earned him a Grammy nomination, while his latest, Appaloosa Bones, is a collection of sparse songs inspired by the American Southwest. No strangers to Grammy nominations themselves, indie folk duo the Milk Carton Kids (pictured above) open. Kingston.
Larry Chernicoff
Park Theater (October 21)
Award-winning Hudson Valley composer, vibraphonist/multi-instrumentalist, and record producer Larry Chernicoff, whose work combines jazz, classical sensibilities, and pure improvisation, is the recipient of a National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Fellowship. His 2004 album, October, was named Best Surround Sound CD of the Year by the Surround Music Awards. This rare live concert has him leading a seven-piece band of top regional players. Hudson.
Ace Frehley
Paramount Hudson Valley Theater (October 27)
Worth a deuce! The founding Kiss guitarist and Frehley’s Comet leader comes back to the area for a night of big hits by both of those bands and solo classics. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member played in Kiss from the group’s 1973 inception through 1982 and returned for a highly successful 1996 tour. His latest album is 2020’s Origins Vol. 2. 7pm. Peeksill.
Rodelinda
Hudson Hall (October 20-29)
Following his successful 2017 production of Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein’s “The Mother of Us All” at the venue, globally acclaimed director R. B. Schlather returns to historic Hudson Hall with this staging of Handel’s 1725 opera “Rodelinda.” “Handel is my favorite composer to direct,” says Schlather, citing the work as “an example of Handel’s genius for beautiful music, character, drama, suspense, and resolution.” See website for schedule. Hudson.
Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro: “Och & Oy! A Considered Cabaret”
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center (October 27)
“We’re both storytellers who try to help audiences better understand themselves and the world around them,” says entertainer Ari Shapiro (NPR’s “All Things Considered”) about “Och & Oy! A Considered Cabaret,” his new show with internationally renowned actor Alan Cumming. The evening of songs and stories is directed by Henry Koperski. 8pm. Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Cowboy Junkies
City Winery Hudson Valley (November 7)
Playing an understated but powerful blend of alternative roots rock, Toronto’s Cowboys Junkies broke through with the 1988 album The Trinity Sessions and its breathy cover of Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane” (the Velvet Underground leader called it his favorite version of the song). The band, which still contains all its original members, just released a new album, Such Ferocious Beauty. 8pm. Montgomery.
Spiritualized
Basilica Hudson (November 8)
Headed by Jason Pierce AKA J Spaceman, the English cult psychedelic band Spiritualized was founded in 1990 when Pierce left Spacemen 3 and hit the stratosphere with 1997’s Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. Here, the group lands in our realm to celebrate the recent reissuing of their first four albums and the release of 2021’s mind-expanding opus Everything Was Beautiful. 7pm. Hudson.
Patti Smith
The Bardavon (November 11)
After an incredible 2021 show at sister venue UPAC, poet and pioneering punk priestess Patti Smith pays a visit to the Bardavon for another night of “Words & Music.” A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer as well, Smith was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine and won a 2010 National Book Award for her memoir Just Kids. 8pm. Poughkeepsie.
Allison Russell
Caramoor Center for Music and Arts (December 2)
Montreal singer-songwriter and activist Allison Russell is known for her membership in the folk-Americana bands Our Native Daughters, Po’ Girl, and Birds of Chicago. Outside Child, her 2021 solo debut and home to the hit single “Nightflyer,” was nominated for three Grammy Awards. The followup, The Returner, is out this month. This concert is a benefit to support Caramoor. 8pm. Katonah.
This article appears in October 2023.
