You want free summertime concerts? You got 'em. As Bobby Dylan once mumbled, "Bring the wife and family ... Bring the whole kids!"
See below for a listing of all the concert series going on in our area, with the exception of the one in Amsterdam. (A grumpy aside: Amsterdam has a great lineup of concerts planned this summer at Riverlink Park, but for some reason the organizers have done a poor job of publicizing them. This is the only concert schedule that hasn't been sent to the paper with a request for publicity. Furthermore, I searched high and low for an official schedule on the Web, but the only place I could find the dates was on radio station WEXT's website. Would it be too much to ask that this information be posted on the city's website or the Waterfront Foundation's?)
Keep in mind that the Gloversville Farmers Market offers free entertainment, usually in the form of live music, every Saturday morning. James Frederick will be the performer this Saturday. My old-time string duo, the Bentwood Rockers, will be there on July 17.
If you're looking for something to do tonight, July 8, you have several choices: Bluegrass/gospel band Durey Creek will play a free concert at the Caroga Chapel at 7 p.m.; Dick Solberg and his band will play in the park in Fort Plain at 7 p.m.; and the Stonewall Girls will sing up a storm at the Edinburg United Methodist Church.
Here's the full lineup:
CANAJOHARIE — The village’s annual summer concert series, Music on Main Street, started in early July and will continue through Aug. 14.
The concerts will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. each Tuesday on the lawn outside NBT bank, at the corner of Mohawk and Church streets. People are invited to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets.
In case of rain, the concerts will take place in the Arkell Hall Auditorium at Canajoharie High School.
The remaining acts scheduled to perform this season are as follows:
• July 13: West O’Clare, aka Pat Kane, an Irish-American folk singer, guitarist and fiddler hailing from New York’s Southern Tier.
• July 20: Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned, an eclectic eight-piece band based in the Capital Region.
• July 27: Frank Vignola, an internationally touring jazz guitar virtuoso.
• Aug. 3: Reggie’s Red Hot Feetwarmers, a regional Dixieland-style jazz group known for “warming up the crowd” at Saratoga Race Course.
• Aug. 10: Railbird, a Saratoga Springs-based indie-folk group fronted by singer-songwriter Sarah Pedinotti.
For more information about the concert series, see www.musiconmainstreet.com.
NORTHVILLE — The Sacandaga Valley Arts Network has announced the schedules for its SVAN Song Sundays concert series and a new concert series in Hope.
The free concerts are made possible by grant funding from the New York State Council on the Arts.
The performers for the Sunday concerts at the Northville waterfront will be as follows:
• July 11 from 3 to 5 p.m. — The Stonewall Girls, vocal trio of Ony Antonucci, Robin Gaiser and Kirianne Reihl.
• July 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. — Kevin Shea, acoustic folk-rock musician.
• July 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. — The Rocky Mountain Choir, the cast of the Colonial Little Theatre production of “Almost Heaven: John Denver’s America.”
• Aug. 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. — The Tequila Mockingbirds, Saratoga-based acoustic guitar duo of George Fletcher and Pete Pashoukos.
≤ Aug. 8, from 5 to 7 p.m. — Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys, Capital Region-based band playing original songs on mandolin, guitar, bass and fiddle.
• Aug. 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. — Annie and the Hedonists, Capital Region-based group playing acoustic folk, blues and jazz.
• Aug. 22 — Family Fun Day at 3 p.m., followed at 5 p.m. by the family-oriented Zucchini Brothers in concert.
The performers at the Hope Pavilion, next to the firehouse on Roue 30, will be as follows:
• This Saturday, from 6 to 8 p.m. — Big Sister, a Saratoga-based group combining members of Big Medicine and the Dwyer Sisters.
• July 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. — The Intermountain Trio, featuring Tim Keegan, Don Golden and Michael McAllister.
• Aug. 6, from 7 to 9 p.m. — Musical comedy production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” presented by a touring theater company.
• Aug. 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. — Jazz Train Music Ensemble, a group of 12 young musicians affiliated with the Johnstown High School music program.
FORT PLAIN — The village has announced the schedule for its summer concert series.
The free concerts are made possible by grant funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, and with the sponsorship of local organizations.
They will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursdays in Haslett Park. The performers are as follows:
• July 8: Dick Solberg, the Sun Mountain Fiddler, sponsored by the Fort Plain Senior Center.
• July 15: Fox Creek Band, sponsored by Friends of Fort Plain.
• July 22: County Line Rebels, sponsored by the Fort Plain Library.
• July 29: Cheyenne, sponsored by Liberty.
• Aug. 5: Spike and the Boys, sponsored by Catholic Daughters.
• Aug. 12: Jan & Jim Contemporary, sponsored by Freysbush Methodist Church.
• Aug. 19: Next Generation, sponsored by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.
EDINBURG — Starting July 8, the Edinburg United Methodist Church will host Thursday Nights Live, its annual summer concert series.
The concerts will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursdays in the pavilion behind the church at the Edinburg Four Corners, 3 North Shore Road.
The performers will be as follows:
• July 8: The Stonewall Girls.
• July 14: Smiles and Songs with Cathy and Stan Zdunek.
• July 22: Frank Manning, keyboardist.
• July 29: Performer to be announced.
• Aug. 5: Ony Antonucci and Friends.
• Aug. 12: Wild Mountain, trio with bluegrass fiddles.
• Aug. 19: Cabin Fever, bluegrass band.
• Aug. 26: Lake Talents, featuring several local performers.
For more information, call 863-2168.
