New this Year: Art-making Activities for Kids before each show!
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College announces the return of its popular summer concert series Upbeat on the Roof, each Thursday from July 7 through August 18.
This year marks Upbeat’s twenty-first season and it remains a premier summer destination for the best music created by the region’s musicians. Gospel, folk, rock, bluegrass, traditional Cuban music, world music, and jazz are all on tap for summer 2022.
New this year, the Tang offers an art-making station for kids at every concert! Children aged 5-12 are invited to arrive at 5:30 pm to get creative and make art with Tang Education Intern Paul Seggev ’23, the Carole Marchand ’57 Endowed Intern. Each week features a different art-making activity and is free, no registration required.
Performances begin at 6 pm and take place on the lawn outside the Tang. Visitors are invited to bring picnic blankets, camping chairs, and their own food and drink to make it a night. In the case of inclement weather, the art-making activities and concerts will be held inside the museum.
Admission is free and open to the public. For the latest guidelines on visiting and other information, please call the Visitors Services Desk at 518-580-8080 or visit https://tang.skidmore.edu/visit.
This year’s lineup:
July 7: Heavenly Echoes: Founded by the late Deacon James Edmonds out of the Sweet Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Albany, Heavenly Echoes performs in the storied tradition of Southern-style gospel music with spirituals, hymns, traditional contemporary gospel, and originals. Heavenly Echoes last played Upbeat in 2016.
July 14: Carolyn Shapiro (Skidmore College Class of 2015): Shapiro’s sound is rooted in the old songs of Appalachia. Trained in the clawhammer style of banjo, she blends tradition with her own unique sultry flavor to create music that feels both familiar yet entirely new. Her songs are inspired by the world around her with a commanding voice that will stop you in your tracks. Carolyn was the winner of the 2022 Capital Region’s Folk Artist of the Year for the Capital Region Music Awards. She released her debut album Where I’m Supposed To Be in 2021.
July 21: Bruiser and Bicycle: The band is an ever-changing rock outfit from Albany, New York. Led by Nick Whittemore and Keegan Graziane, the group writes melodically rich songs inspired by the surreal and the macabre.
July 28: The Pine Hills Band: Hailing from Albany, New York, Pine Hills Band formed from a meeting of musical neighbors. The band’s eclectic bluegrass sound borrows banjo and mandolin from bluegrass and adds percussion and electric bass to provide an underbelly of rock ’n’ roll. The songs include a range of originals and deep-cut covers perfect for foot tappin’ and singing along.
August 4: Alta Havana: The group was founded in 2018 by Jorge Gomez, music director and founder of multi-Grammy-nominated Cuban band Tiempo Libre, when he moved from Miami Beach to Saratoga Springs. Comprised of musicians Angel Dueno, Miguel Santiago, William A. Rodriguez, and Gomez, Alta Havana creates music based on the roots of traditional Cuban music—such as son, cha-cha-chá, bolero, and rumba, with the goal of bringing the public an authentic Cuban party where they can dance and sing along.
August 11: Heard: The collective of musicians brings their skills and passion for world music, jazz, and improvisation together to create irresistible grooves set in a unique sonic tapestry. Together for a decade, their vibrant sound incorporates influences from West Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean, and beyond. The band last played Upbeat in 2017.
August 18: Henry Raker and the Fungi: Skidmore graduate Henry Raker ’22 leads this jazz-funk trio with Justin Gibble (drums) and Greg Tillman (bass), which creates an eclectic, electric, and eccentric mix of jazz and pop. Raker’s music will sound like nothing else you’ve heard before. Born in Maine, Raker makes music that lives in your brain. He plays the sax, but he’s been known to quack. His trio, the Fungi, are here to bring some nice tunes to your evening.
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