The Guide

Watch Out for Falling Pianos

THE HUDSON EYE FESTIVAL August 28-September 7 Thehudsoneye.com

Some things things you should know about Bibbe Hansen: The daughter of Fluxus artist Al Hansen and poet and dancer Audrey Ostlin Hansen, grew up in the bohemian New York City scene of the late 1950s and early `60s. When Hansen was not performing in her father’s avant-garde theater pieces, she was a mostly feral youth, skipping school and shoplifting. After landing herself in several institutions for child criminals, Hansen got out and met Andy Warhol, who cast her, at age 13, in his film Prison (1965), based on her experiences. Hansen went on to make three more films with Warhol and danced briefly with the Velvet Underground. As a teenager, she recorded a pop record with Jack Kerouac’s daughter Janet for their short-lived band the Whippets. The rock musician Beck is her son. And Hansen, who lives in Hudson, will be performing at the second annual Hudson Eye festival this month.

On August 29 at 7:30pm at the Second Ward Foundation, Hansen will present “An Evening of Al Hansen Performance,” a collection of her father’s Fluxus works. (Al Hansen’s best-known piece is Yoko Ono Piano Drop, in which the artist pushed a piano off a rooftop.) Following the performance, Hansen will give a talk about her outsized life titled “Growing Up Fluxus.” An exhibition of Fluxus ephemera from the Al Hansen Archive, “Outside the Lines: Al Hansen & Friends,” will be on display all month at Second Ward Foundation.

The famously reclusive African-American artist David Hammons will also be participating in Hudson Eye. Hammons centers his work in the black urban experience, and tends to use sarcasm to confront cultural stereotypes and racial issues. Outside of Promenade Hill Park, David Hammons’ Untitled (African American Flag) (1990), will be displayed flying atop the flagpole at the highest point in town throughout the festival, beginning at 2pm on August 28 with the kickoff of the 10-day event. Hammons reconfigures the American flag, replacing the red, white, and blue with the black, red, and green of Marcus Garvey’s pan-African flag first adopted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League in 1920. Originally intended to represent purity, valor, and justice, the reconfigured pan-African flag colors hold additional meaning, representing the blood, skin tone, and the richness of African land. Hammond’s looped video, Phat Free (1995/99), will also be streaming at Hudson Hall during the run of the program. At once jarring and poetic, the video conveys the harsh reality of life on the streets and the contemporary Black urban experience.

Famous for his elusive street inventions, Hammons said in an interview with Brown University: “I do my street art mainly to keep rooted in that ‘who I am.’ Because the only thing that’s really going on is in the street; that’s where something is really happening. It isn’t happening in these galleries. Doing things in the street is more powerful than art I think. I don’t know what the fuck art is about now. Like Malcolm X said, it’s like Novocain. It used to wake you up but now it puts you to sleep. I think art now is putting people to sleep.”

In addition to the performances and exhibitions that will take place across the city, Hudson Eye has created

Calliope Venus...Lick Me Momma, Al Hansen, Hershey wrappers and sliver paint on plywood,1968

an interactive “treasure hunt” format that attracted a grant from Hudson’s Tourism Board: a self-guided tour of public art on the streets of Hudson.

“Our desire is to have people in Hudson make their way throughout their day, but happen upon sculptures and performances, and really understand that beyond just going to a museum, beyond just going to an art gallery, that there are instances, in everyday life where art happens, where art is installed, so we are really asking visitors, viewers, and community members to just take a minute and look around and understand that the hustle and grind of everyday doesn’t have to keep you from understanding and witnessing your surroundings,” says Aaron Levi Garvey, curator of Hudson Eye.

In a delightfully subversive callback to an earlier era of cable-access TV, Hudson Eye will be streaming artist films through Mid-Hudson Cable for select hours of the day via a link that will be provided to the public.

According to Garvey, the atmosphere of the event has been carefully curated to foster a safe and equitable space, working to ensure that all voices are being represented in a variety of art forms, highlighting the work of big names like Hammons and Hansen, but also artists who are not typically represented in the mainstream. Hudson Eye features nightly performances, exhibitions, and Hot Topics panel discussions from August 28 to September 7. Participating artists include VitaDuo, Shanekia McIntosh, William Stone, Filiz Soyak, Shikeith, Hala Shah, Tschabalala Self, and many more. —Cerissa DiValentino

Inside the tiny back room, the stage is set so low that the people packed right up front might just topple over onto it. They’re bouncing off each other like errant molecules, doing their best to match the energy of the music. On the bandstand, the gangly lead guitarist is squeezing out squeals from his Stratocaster while the rhythm section, two swirling masses of dirty blonde locks, bashes out the frenetic sonic foundation. The androgynous vocalist/rhythm guitarist, a jittery jumble of nerves with downcast eyes, is pulled along by the performance, emitting lyrics that are half-shrieked and half-grunted. It’s a nervous breakdown set to song—and fun as hell. The band is the Bobby Lees, and the scene described took place at Tubby’s in Kingston early this year, in the pre-pandemic times. Unfortunately, it looks like it could be a while before it happens locally again.

“We were supposed to play South by Southwest in March and start a longer tour in May—and then everything got cancelled [because of the virus],” says singer Sam Quartin, whose Woodstock-based group, at the time of this writing, was about to test the waters with dates at recently reopened Buffalo, Indianapolis, and Columbus, Ohio, venues. “We debated doing shows again this early, but we talked to the club owners and they say things are going well so far. They’re being very strict—only allowing 25-percent capacity and people have to wear masks. It’s kind of an experiment. If it feels weird, we won’t do [the upcoming tour]. It’s mainly about promoting the new record.”

That record, the band’s second album, is the visceral Skin Suit, which was produced at Woodstock’s Dreamland Studio by blues punk legend (and recent Hudson Valley transplant) Jon Spencer. “They are so young and yet they rock so hard,” raves Spencer. “Sam’s stories are gripping—this is heavy writing coming from a very private place. They came to the session extremely well prepared and worked like hell, always up for any suggestion or challenge.”

Quartin, an actor whose CV includes indie films like 2016’s Let Me Make You a Martyr, 2019’s By the Rivers of Babylon and Run with the Hunted, and the forthcoming Body Brokers, began the group in 2016, which also includes former Rock Academy students Nick Casa (lead guitar), Kendall Wind (bass), and Macky Bowman (drums). The quartet debuted with 2018’s Beauty Pageant, a collection of songs Quartin had written prior to their formation; since then, the Bobby Lees have hardened into a proper unit via touring and opening slots for Black Lips, Boss Hog, the Chats, and Murphy’s Law. Quartin maintains that the creation of their raw, bluesy garage rock has become more communal.

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the Stooges’ landmark sophomore album Fun House, and it’s been nearly 45 years since the Ramones and Patti Smith launched their debuts. Taking stock of that history, what’s it feel like for Quartin and her cohorts to be keeping the punk form alive in 2020? “It’s incredible to be part of this amazing counterculture,” says the singer, whose musical flame was sparked by a film her dad showed her of punk forefather Little Richard. “When it all goes right, you’re able to connect with the audience and make the homogenized world go away. Right now, it feels powerful enough if you just can get someone to stop looking at their phone for a while.”—Peter Aaron

Wild Youth

THE BOBBY LEES

The Bobby Lees will perform a live-stream record release concert from the Bearsville Theater on August 7 at 9pm. $5 virtual tickets avaialble at Bearsvilletheater.com.

The Hudson Valley has entered Phase 4 of New York State’s reopening plan, and live music is returning to some regional venues—albeit with the still very necessary COVID-compliant guidelines. Please check the websites below for the updated status of each event, as well as health protocols.

Yasser Tejeda and Palotré

August 22. With its large exterior courtyard areas, Mass MoCA lends itself well to safely spaced events, allowing the renowned contemporary art center to present live performances while Massachusetts is (at the time of this writing) in Phase 3 of its reopenings. Based in New York, singer and guitarist Yasser Tejeda and his band Palotré fuse traditional Dominican folk music with funk, R&B, rock, and jazz to make a happy, spicy, highly danceable stew. All staff will be wearing masks; all audience members must wear a mask (except while eating or drinking; food and drink service will be available) and should bring their own chairs. Socially distanced viewing spaces (four people per space) will be blocked out. Tickets must be purchased online. (Drag artist Migguel Anggelo appears August 8; Car Seat Headrest drives by September 4.) 8:30pm. $25, $35. North Adams, Massachusetts. Massmoca.org

Alarm Will Sound

August 6 and 7. The 20-piece, Rochester-born chamber orchestra Alarm Will Sound has worked with some of the leading names in contemporary classical music, premiering pieces by, among others, Steve Reich, David Lang, and John Luther Adams. For PS21’s summer season, the ensemble will perform the latter, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer’s new “Ten Thousand Birds” on August 7 at 4pm and 7pm at the facility’s open-air Pavilion Theater. On August 6 at 11am and 6pm, Alarm Will Sound musicians will lead visitors in “Follow Me into the Field,” a socially distanced walking tour of PS21’s Crelin Park that intermingles music with nature sounds. (The Modern Music Festival features Connor Hannick on August 12, Timo Andres and Rzewski on August 21, and Miranda Cuxson Davidovsky on August 28.) See website for ticket prices. Chatham. Ps21chatham.org

Andy Stack

August 7. Americana artist Andy Stack worked as a sideman for several years in New York before heading north to our neck of the woods and notching out a niche with his group Buffalo Stack. His richly rooted original music draws on Delta and Chicago blues, New Orleans jazz, Irish traditional styles, and other folk forms; the list of musicians he’s collaborated with includes Suzanne Vega, Duncan Sheik, Amy Helm, Lucius, Teddy Thompson, the Mammals, the New York Ska Jazz Ensemble, Jonah Smith, Les Nubians, and many others. Here, Stack makes an evening-long solo appearance for diners at Grand Cru Beer and Cheese Market’s outdoor beer garden. (The Joe T. Mondello Band returns August 8; the Downbeats Duo jam Jerry Garcia August 9.) 6pm. Free with meal. Rhinebeck. Grandcrurhinebeck.com

Marshall Crenshaw & the Bottle Rockets

August 27. A consummate pop rock singer-songwriter (and regional resident), Marshall Crenshaw follows up his August 7 live-stream solo concert at Daryl’s House with this general-admission show at the venue. For the latter date, he’ll be accompanied by Missouri roots rockers the Bottle Rockets, an outfit led by Brian Henneman, a sometime collaborator of Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar. Crenshaw, the maker of 1980s hits “Someday, Someway,” “Cynical Girl,” and “Whenever You’re on My Mind,” has recently kept busy by performing as a guest vocalist with the Smithereens following the death of that band’s singer, Pat DiNizio. (Quinn Sullivan gets bluesy August 14; Atlantic Starr’s Porter Carroll, Jr. shines September 4.) 8pm. $30. Pawling. Darylshouseclub.com

Kenny Werner Trio

August 2. Jazz pianist and educator Kenny Werner recorded with Charles Mingus before touring with Archie Shepp and manning the ivories for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. A longtime sideman of Toots Thielemans and Joe Lovano, Werner has also been awarded two National Endowment for the Arts grants and a Guggenheim Fellowship and authored the influential music education book Effortless Mastery. On the Falcon’s new outdoor stage, he’ll be joined by bassist Robert Kopec and drummer Peter O’Brien. As per current state protocol regulations for small venues, audience members must order a meal while seated at the site’s socially distanced tables. (Hollis Brown holds forth August 1; Jane Lee Hooker howls August 22.) Donation requested. Marlboro. Liveatthefalcon.com

Martin Sexton

August 29. Here, City Winery Hudson Valley’s Concerts in the Vineyard series stars soulful singer-songwriter Martin Sexton, the recipient of the National Academy of Songwriters Artist of the Year Award in 1994. Born in Syracuse, Sexton moved in 1988 to Boston, where he honed his craft by busking and playing open-mics. After a few years with major indie Koch Records and a pair of albums on Atlantic, the singer started up his own Kitchen Table imprint. His most recent offering is 2015’s Mixtape of the Open Road, which he describes thusly: “The concept of this record is that it’s a mixtape, just like when your friends knew you were taking that California trip and wanted to inspire you along the way.” (Chris Thile comes by August 15; Amy Helm sings September 5.) 2pm. $152 for middle lawn pod (space for up to four). Montgomery. Citywinery.com/hudsonvalley Audrey Saint-Gil will be conducting Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice’s “Tosca."

Arias al Fresco

PHOENICIA INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE VOICE August 29 Phoeniciavoicefest.org

The adage goes that necessity is the mother of invention. And now, by dint of the pandemic, the Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice—which normally produces a multi-day festival with dozens of performances and workshops each summer— has indeed invented something new: the world’s first drive-in opera. (Great minds think alike: the English National Opera has announced that drivein performances of “La Bohème” will be staged at London’s Alexandra Palace in September.)

The innovative event, devised by the organizers as a way of maintaining the popular festival’s presence during the coronavirus closures, is an outdoor, autos-only production of Puccini’s immortal “Tosca” that will be presented at industrial park Tech City in Kingston on August 29 with admission beginning at 6pm. To enhance the experience, the festival’s producers have brought in four massive jumbotron screens and a custom-engineered sound system (simultaneously broadcasting on FM radio).

Premiered in 1900 and based on Victorien Sardou’s play “La Tosca,” the melodramatic, threeact opera is set in Rome during Napoleon’s invasion of Italy 100 years earlier and follows diva Floria Tosca; her lover, the painter and republican Mario Cavaradossi; and the corrupt police chief Baron Scarpia.

The performance promises a cast of world-class vocal soloists and a full orchestra (the latter in a socially distant, specially constructed orchestra pit behind the stage). Limited to guests in 600 cars, the site’s parking plan is designed for safety (cars will be staggered four feet apart; all attendees must wear masks when not in their cars; hand-sanitizing stations will be located around the venue; all staff members have been tested and will wear masks; all on-site restrooms will be cleaned using special COVID-19 sterilization supplies).

Tickets (per car) are $50, $150, and $350. Online ticket purchases are strongly recommended. Phoeniciavoicefest.org. —Peter Aaron

Howardena Pindell, stills from Free, White and 21

HOWARDENA PINDELL AT ART OMI

While the grounds of Art Omi were one of the few cultural resources to never close during the pandemic, this exhibition by mixed media artist Howardena Pindell marks the reopening of the indoor Newmark Gallery. The show features works of photo collage and video art that take up timely themes of politics, racism, physical trauma, memory, and the human experience. Through November 1. Artomi.org Ashley Garrett, A Day for Fred

ASHLEY GARRETT AT SEPTEMBER GALLERY

Ranging from postcard size to over seven feet, the works in “Aegis” are a study of depth and dimensionality, done in Garrett’s characteristic painterly style. The range of scale requires both proximity and distance, mimicking the continual adjustments of perception we undergo when immersed in nature. Through August 16. Septembergallery.com Cary Okoro, Disturbing II

“PAINT: MEDIUM AS POWER IN A TIME OF CRISIS” AT BARRETT ART CENTER

Inspired by the pandemic, “Paint” brings together the work of 43 artists from across the country in a juried exhibition that takes the catharsis of creation as its central theme. Curator Juana Williams of the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts chose works that represent a spectrum of lived experience, artistic process, and coping mechanisms for crisis. Through August 15. Barrettartcenter.org Carlo D'Anselmi, Feeding the Fish

CARLO D’ANSELMI AT PAMELA SALISBURY

Queens-based painter Carlo D’Anselmi usually creates large, predominantly monochromatic oil works on linen. His figures—rarely alone—sit, lie, swim, search, and drown in water, whose transparency offers a glimpse into the fragility of human relationships. “Alone Together” features works created in lockdown using humbler materials like colored pencil and ballpoint pen. And though the watery milieu is the same, the figures here are alone. August 1-30. Pamelasalisburygallery.com Jenny Morse, Employee of the Month

“NOW, MORE THAN EVER: 2020 SUMMER EXHIBITION” AT WASSAIC PROJECT/ONLINE

The Wassaic Project’s annual summer exhibition goes online this year, showcasing 161 works by 67 artists in a virtual layout that mimics the seven floors of the historic mill building and grounds. The art ranges from life-sized freestanding wood cutouts to trapunto quilted pillows. The show is also documented in a limited edition hardcover coffee table book. Some of our favorites: You with Matches, Me with the Kindling, by Melissa Murray; Will the Sun Shine Over Me, by Bony Ramirez; and Employee of the Month, by Jenny Morse.

Wassaicproject.org Jan Harrison, The Flood

JAN HARRISON AT 11 JANE STREET

Since the ’80s, Harrison has used animals in her art as a foil to explore both the wild and tame sides of the human psyche. Whether sculpture or painting, her work is steeped in an idiosyncratic mythology that views animals as our teachers and guides back to the natural world. “Animula: Big Little Soul” at 11 Jane Street brings together paintings, performance, and a sculptural installation. August 29-October 4. Opening reception: August 29, 5-8pm. 11janestreet.com