History of the Albany, New York Music Scene

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U.S. Regional and Local Music Scenes
Local Albany, NY Music Scene

The Albany market includes Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs and had a metro population over 850,000 in the 2010 Census. A quarter of Albany's work force does government-related work. Campuses include State University of New York, Empire State College, College of Saint Rose and Excelsior College. The local scene is covered by The Times-Union, The Daily Gazette and Metroland. The history of the Albany music scene has revolved around venues that include The Palace Theater and The Egg.

The Velmas have won local music polls in Metroland and have opened for several national acts including Soul Asylum, Collective Soul, Everclear, Vertical Horizon, Styx, Night Ranger and Damn Yankees. Their song "Clue" from their fist album Another Day At School appeared in the video game NLL Lacrosse in the Spring of 2010.

Albany Music Acts

Ten Year Vamp * Scott Hires * Tyler Star * The Velmas * Alta Mira * Bernie * Chelsea Cavanaugh * HuDost * Engloria * MIRK *

Albany Local Music Scene History

During the 2020 pandemic, the College of Saint Rose began a weekly streaming show called Saint Rose Rocks to offer music after all campus shows and events were cancelled. The show is hosted by Music Industry Major and Director of Social Activities Conor Walsh. Meanwhile, many Albany musicians have raised money through live streaming charity shows.

The 518 Songfest on April 1, 2017 at The Egg featured over 500 songwriters. They told stories about their songs then performed them. The show included appearances from Sawyer Fredericks, The Sea The Sea, Girl Blue and Sandy McKnight. Proceeds from the event went toward WEXT and Columbia Arts Team. TV star John Davidson was the special guest.

A blues music venue in Albany at the North Pearl Street Building, oepned It had been the site of sports bar/arcade called Jillian's from 1999 to 2012. The building is being purchased by Chris Pratt and Alessio Depoli, who already own four bars and restaurants in Albany. Their announcement of their intentions was published in the Times Union on September 2, 2015. The 34,000 square foot building at 59 North Pearl Street was sold by Albany-based New York Business Development Corp. for $855,000. Pratt said he expected to spend about $100,000 to $150,000 on renovation.

The Albany Town Hall Music Revival was put together to help raise funds for restoring the venue. The August 18, 2013 show, headlined by Brad Hooper, was planned as a family event featuring Trailer Trash, The Milltown Road Show and Bunch of Old Hippies. The hall was built in the 18th century. It's located near Route 5 in Albany at the intersection of Vernon Street and Hunts Corner Road. This music festival was written about in an article 8/8/2013 in the Bethel Citizen.

The 3rd Annual Hudson Music Festival was held from August 9-11, 2013, featuring over 350 musical performers, including local talent. The free festival took place on Warren Street at 25 venues that included the Hudson Opera House, night clubs and galleries. Some of the regional acts included Nightmares For A Week, Todd Nelson's TN3 and Oobleck. The event was written about in this Caroline Budinich article 8/8/2013 in Chronogram.

Valentine's Music Hall in Albany announced in July 2013 that it would close due to a Park South redevelopment plan led by Albany Medical Center. One of the small club's unique features was that it could house upstairs and downstairs band at the same time. It was the launching ground for artists such as Mike Watt and The Meat Puppets. The venue was written about in this Sara Foss article 8/5/2013 in the Daily Gazette.