September Music Highlights

SA 9/15: SUZANNE VEGA/ DAVID BROMBERG AT ThE POUGHKEEPSiE RIVER ARTS FESTivAL— Suzanne Vega has had quite an eclectic career journey. Her 80s phase found her in neo-folk chanteuse mode, garnering a Best Female MTV Award (beating Cher, no less) with her hit “Luka.” Later, an innocent acapella song from one of her albums got the remix treatment, scoring a techno hit with “Tom’s Diner.” Touring (with band) in support of her latest, Beauty and Crime (Blue Note), she joins with Tarrytown’s own David Bromberg, a singer and guitar virtuoso who’s played on over 100 records covering almost every possible style of music. With the backing of the harmonious Angel Band, Brombergshould get a good workout, followed by fireworks by Legion Fireworks. Hudson River Arts Festival, www.bardavon.org, 845.473.5288. Waryans Park, 2 PM - 10 PM.

SA 9/29: “TRIBUTE TO GOSPEL”, with the BLACKWOOD BROThERS, MURALi CORYELL, ThE PAARhAUS BROThERS, AND ThE COURiERS AT UPAC— Fans of white gospel will have much to celebrate with this Kingston show. The Blackwood Brothers of Memphis are one of the most reknowned gospel quartets in history, with over 200 albums, 8 Grammys, and 6 Dove Awards. They’ve backed up Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Tennessee Ernie Ford. Murali Coryell is wellknown to Hudson Valley blues lovers, and will be showing a less secular side of his talent. The Paarhaus Brothers are a local gospel act that has been on 20-year hiatus, while working in other areas of human service and ministry. The Couriers hail from Harrisburg, and have also come out of retirement to earn 3 Dove awards, and have a new release, “One Nation Under God.” A night of uplifting music, and all the proceeds go to provide medical assistance to the people of Malawi (Africa). Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway, www.paarhausbrothers.com, 845.339.6088. 7 PM.

FR-SA 9/14-15: AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FiShER CENTER SERiES AT RiChARD B. FiShER CENTER FOR ThE PERFORMiNG ARTS, BARD COLLEGE— Under the baton of music director Leon Botstein, the American Symphony Orchestra, currently in residence at Bard’s Fisher Center, is taking full advantage of the superb acoustics of the Sosnoff Theater. The three-concert series begins with “Brahms, Saint-Saëns, Ibert, Dvorák,” with Johannes Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80; Camille Saint- Saëns’ Piano Concerto No.5 in F Major, Op. 103 (“Egyptian”), with Shun-Yang Lee, piano; Jacques Ibert’s Quatre Chansons de Don Quichotte, with Yohan Yi, baritone; and Antonin Dvorák’s famous Symphony No.9, Op. 95 (“From the New World”). Annandale-On-Hudson, www.fishercenter.bard.edu, 845.758.7900.

SA 9/29: OLLABELLE AT KLEiNERT/JAMES ART CENTER, WOODSTOCK— Drawing from the fertile springs of country, blues, gospel, and bluegrass music, New York-based Ollabelle creates an organically pleasing sound. Amy Helm, daughter of Levon, has recently relocated back to the Hudson Valley, which may well result in seeing this satisfying ensemble more often. With Helm (vocals, mandola); Byron Isaacs (vocals, bass, dobro); Tony Leone (vocals, drums); Fiona
McBain (vocals, guitars); and Glenn Patscha (vocals, keys, accordion), and their recent release Riverside Battle Songs (produced by Larry Campbell, mixed by T-Bone Burnett), Ollabelle represents some of the best qualities of the past (and future) of American music. 34 Tinker St., www.woodstockguild.org, 845.679.2079. 8 PM.

SA 10/6: PUNK BLUES REVIEW AT SNAPPER MAGEE’S, KINGSTON— A bunch of punk kids playing the blues? What the hell is the world coming to? Its senses, apparently....on their debut release Thieving From the Best, PBR amplifies the slow burn of classic blues into white-hot modern-day angst, with a female vocalist no less. To quote Joe Grimm, “While with the blues one tends to be sad about the misfortunes of life, in particular sex, poverty, and death, within the punk scene one tends to get angry about the exact same ills life seems to send our way, and PBR have latched on to this idea like a pit bull onto a postman.” Curious? Check it out...if Travis is recommending it, it’s worth it. 59 N. Front St., www.myspace.com/snappermagees.