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Best arts
From newcomers to perennial favorites, those on the stage command our
appreciation
Published 12:05 am, Thursday, June 16, 2016
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(From Left to Right) Kevin Barcomb, Chris Beak, and the Refrigerator's band leader Dave Cerrone
perform their cover of Nelly's "Hot in Herre" on Friday night, Feb. 26, 2016, at Trick Shot Pub in Clifton
Park, ... more
BEST CONCERT IN THE PAST YEAR March, 2015 to April 2016
1. Bruce Springsteen, February 8th 2016, TU Center
2. Dave Matthews Band, July 3rd and 4th, 2015 at SPAC
3. Zac Brown Band, September 6th 2015 at SPAC
Perennial favorites Dave Matthews and Zac Brown Band have their army of fans
and their command of the lawn at SPAC. But when it comes to ruling the region, the
Boss remains the Boss.
BEST LOCAL SINGER-SONGWRITER
1. Sawyer Fredericks
2. Erin Harkes
3. Sean Rowe
4. Kevin McKrell
5. Cris Dukes
Last year, singer-songwriter Harkes topped the ballot, with challenger Sawyer
Fredericks coming up second. But then the boy in the bowler won "The Voice" —
and now, as the ultimate, indisputable proof of his musical ascendancy, he's won
Best Of.
BEST LOCAL BAND (pop, rock, country)
1. Skeeter Creek Band
2. The Refrigerators
3. Sirsy
4. The Audiostars
5. Hair of the Dog
6. Cryin' Out Loud
Country rockers Skeeter Creek, last year's runner up, rise to first in a field that runs
the musical gamut from indie to Celtic to party staples.
BEST SMALL LIVE MUSIC VENUE
1. Upstate Concert Hall, Clifton Park
2. The Hollow, Albany
3. The Egg, Albany
4. The Low Beat, Albany
5. Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs
For this category, we round up all the usual suspects, from the snug Low Beat to
the larger, state-owned, ovoid Egg. Once again Clifton Park's Upstate Concert Hall
snags No. 1.
BEST LOCAL MUSICAL OR PLAY
1. "Singin' in the Rain," Park Playhouse
2. "Band Geeks," Young Actors Guild of the Capital Region
3. "Hair," Schenectady Light Opera
4. "Spamalot," Schenectady Light Opera
5. "Rocky Horror Picture Show," The Kids of Albany
What a glorious feeling: The stage version of the 1952 Gene Kelly classic splashed
its way into the hearts of readers, beating out band geeks, singing hippies, Monty
Python mischief and cross-dressing musical horror.
BEST TOURING PLAY OR MUSICAL 1. "Disney's The Lion King," Proctors
2. "The Book of Mormon," Proctors
3. "Kinky Boots," Proctors
4. "Motown the Musical," Proctors
5. "Cinderella," Proctors
The plays are different, but the place is the same: The storied Schenectady venue
and former Vaudeville theater hosted the Top 5 touring theatrical works, just like
last year. The all-powerful "Lion King" reigns.
BEST THEATER COMPANY
1. Capital Repertory Theatre
2. Schenectady Light Opera
3. Park Playhouse
4. Curtain Call
Albany's 35-year-old Equity shop commands the scene from its digs under a Pearl
Street parking garage, with 90-year-old SLOC coming in second. Park Playhouse's
summer offerings from Albany and Curtain Call's year-round slate from Latham
round out the list.
BEST LOCAL COMEDIAN OR COMEDY TROUPE
1. The Mop & Bucket Co.
2. Erin Harkes
3. Jaye McBride
4. Sorry Not Sorry
5. Greg Aidala
Compared to last year's, this year's crop of finalists boasts a few new acts: Sorry
Not Sorry, Erin Harkes, Jaye McBride. But perennial funny people Mop & Bucket
once again get the last laugh.
BEST ART GALLERY
1. Albany Institute of History and Art
2. Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Mass.
3. Albany Center Gallery
4. Upstate Artists Guild, Albany
The top two slots are filled with esteemed and storied institutions, both of them
notable for the age and expanse of their collections. The younger Albany Center
Gallery and the upstart Upstate bring up the rear.
BEST MOVIE THEATER
1. Spectrum 8 Theatres, Albany
2. Regal Cinemas Colonie Center, Colonie
3. Regal Cinemas Crossgates 18, Guilderland
4. Scotia Cinema, Scotia
Sold to the Landmark theatre chain last fall, the Spectrum is no longer
independent — but it still screens independent films. And it still beat out last year's
winner, Colonie Center. Honorable mention: Bow Tie Cinemas came in third, but
neither the Saratoga and/or Schenectady locations were specified.
BEST DRIVE-IN THEATER
1. Malta Drive-In Theatre, Malta
2. Jericho Drive-In, Glenmont
3. Hollywood Drive-In Theatre, Averill Park
4. Hathaway's Drive-In Theatre, North Hoosick
Repeat winner Malta prevails in a field that reminds us, again, why we're all so lucky
to summer up here: We can watch movies from the hoods of our cars, smacking
mosquitoes on our thighs.
BEST KID-FRIENDLY MUSEUM
1. New York State Museum, Albany
2. Museum of Innovation and Science, Schenectady
3. Children's Museum of Saratoga
4. Children's Museum of Science and Technology, Troy
Is it the carousel? Discovery Place? The Iroquois longhouse? Or is it the big,
sprawling spaces for little legs to ramble? Whatever it is, the state museum rules as
a kids' zone.
BEST PLACE FOR TRIVIA
1. Junior's, Albany
2. Recovery Room
3. Bomber's
4. The Ruck, Troy
5. O'Toole's, Colonie
Don't let them catch you cheating, because the top spot for trivia is also the
toughest: Junior's will call you out. The bar and grill on Madison Avenue is also
known for its moonshine wings.
BEST OPEN MIC
1. Lark Tavern, Albany
2. McGeary's, Albany
3. Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs
4. Emack & Bolio's, Albany
5. Hudson River Coffee House, Albany
For daring live performers around the region — and their faithful audiences — the
supreme place for mic-wielding remains the Lark Tavern. Second, third and fourth
are still McGeary's, Lena and Emack. Newcomer Hudson River Coffee House
cracks the list at fifth.
— Amy Biancolli
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