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2007
Year In Pictures
Architecture,
Painting and Film
(clockwise
from top left) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s EMPAC started
the one-year countdown to construction completion; Saratoga-based
painter Iona Park enjoyed her process; buon fresco artist
Cindylee Alexander practiced her ancient art in Troy; and
two of the mad geniuses behind the Edwood FilmFest, (l-r)
Keith Pickard and Peter Barnett, helped bring Hollywood to
Albany.
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| PHOTO:
Leif Zurmuhlen |
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| PHOTO:
Shannon DeCelle |
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| PHOTO:
Alicia Solsman |
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| PHOTO:
Shannon DeCelle |
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Comedy,
Literature and Community
(clockwise
from top left) Greg Aidala’s Brew Ha-Ha comedy nights at Albany’s
Tess’ Lark Tavern thrived and grew; author Edward Schwarzschild
explored his Philly roots from his Albany home; Michael Weidrich
helped steer Albany’s 1st Fridays to success; and the Altamont
Fairgrounds balanced rising costs with the needs of cash-strapped
users.
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| PHOTO:
Alicia Solsman |
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| PHOTO:
Leif Zurmuhlen |
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| PHOTO:
John Whipple |
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| PHOTO:
Alicia Solsman |
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Crusading
for Change
(clockwise
from top left) Rose Mapendo survived the horrors of tribal
warfare in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and shared her
story at a Capital Region event to remember the massacre of
Gatumba; Michael and Lisa Carey, here with their son Joshua,
continued this year to fight for reform in the state’s treatment
of the mentally disabled after the death of their autistic
son, Jonathan; Erin Davies’ car was vandalized by hate speech
and she made sure everyone saw it; and Allison Banks lost
her son to gun violence and spent this year galvanizing efforts
to stop the fighting on Albany’s streets.
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| PHOTO:
Shannon DeCelle |
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| PHOTO:
Shannon DeCelle |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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In
Good Taste
(clockwise
from top left) Avenue A moved out of its digs just off Albany’s
New Scotland Avenue and completed a handsome renovation of
the former Bagel Bite, bringing international food and flair
to Delaware Avenue; Midtown Tap & Tea room filled the
vacancy left by Avenue A, and made tapas a New Scotland neighborhood
staple; the wife-husband team of Maria Gandara and Gregor
Trieste took their home-kitchen business into the national
spotlight when they signed up with Whole Foods to distribute
their Buddhapesto; and the recently remodeled, 60-plus-year-old
Cardona’s Market continued to thrive on Delaware with three
generations of the family working in the store, and founder
Augusto Cardona still making the meatballs.
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| PHOTO:
Shannon DeCelle |
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| PHOTO::
B.A. Nilsson |
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| PHOTO::
Shannon DeCelle |
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| PHOTO::
Shannon DeCelle |
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Political
Heavyweights
(clockwise
from top left) David Soares made himself a name on the national
stage this year by prosecuting pharmacies that illegally sell
steroids, while making his name statewide by making the deal
that took Comptroller Alan Hevesi out of office and looking
into Troopergate; Albany Common Councilman Corey Ellis spent
his time on the streets trying to give kids an alternative
to gangs; the gun-violence task force advocated for years
by Albany Common Councilman Dominick Calsolaro finally became
reality this year; and Sen. Hillary Clinton looked right at
home at the center of New York’s most powerful Democrats,
Sen. Chuck Schumer, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, and Gov.
Eliot Spitzer.
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Martin Benjamin |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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Political
Middleweights
(clockwise
from top left) Democrat Valerie Keehn simultaneously fought
to keep her job as Saratoga Mayor while fighting battles with
longtime Democrat Dept. of Public Works commissioner Thomas
McTygue—she lost her job and so did McTygue; Saratoga DPW
Commissioner McTygue faced the political battle of his life
this year as his uncivil behavior in council meetings was
exposed on YouTube and allegations of an FBI investigation
into him were made public; despite controversies surrounding
a hurried deal to sell City Hall, Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian
sailed into his second term; and another glitch in Albany’s
Democratic machine appeared this year in the form of Albany
Mayor Jerry Jennings’ Democratic city committee, which endorsed
candidates contrary to that of the county committee.
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Joe Putrock |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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Big
Noise
(clockwise
from top left) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band brought
their magic show to downtown Albany in November; Slash and
the rest of Velvet Revolver partied like it’s 1989 in their
August show at SPAC; the Evens rocked the stacks at the Howe
Library in June; at the Times Union Center in September, the
reunited Genesis proved that, while they can’t dance, they
can still play.
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| PHOTO:
Leif Zurmuhlen |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Joe Putrock |
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| PHOTO:
Joe Putrock |
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We Rock
(clockwise
from top left) Guitar virtuoso Steve Vai shredded at the Egg
in early October; the Pussycat Dolls bared their, um, souls
in their April Palace Theatre show; Colin Hay had some stories
to tell at Club Helsinki in May; the Ronnie James Dio version
of Black Sabbath, known as Heaven and Hell, rocked hard at
the Times Union Center in May; the Reverend Al Green closed
this year’s Freihofer’s Jazz Festival at SPAC with
a smile.
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| Photo:
Joe Putrock |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Joe
Putrock |
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| PHOTO:
Martin
Benjamin |
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| PHOTO:
John
Whipple |
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In
Your Backyard
(clockwise
from top left) Country-folk duo Palatypus soothed the souls
of anyone who came across them; the Erotics soldiered on with
a well-received new album and more European touring; soulful
songstress Ashley Pond burst onto the scene with a big voice
and a great debut CD; rapper Rick “Shyste” Allen got serious
about hip-hop.
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| PHOTO:
Leif Zurmuhlen |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Joe Putrock |
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| PHOTO:
Joe Putrock |
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Around
the Bend
(clockwise
from top left) Hard-working jazzer Brian Patneaude celebrated
another year of multitasking; rockabilly vets Rocky Velvet
brought their first decade to a close with the release of
their first CD; beloved Saratoga-based vocalist Sarah Pedinotti
turned heads on a national level with her City Bird
disc; the Ramblin Jug Stompers brought old-school good times
to stages around the region.
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Joe Putrock |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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In
the News
(clockwise
from top left) After the death of local entrepreneur Diva
de Loayza in a bicycling accident, volunteers gathered to
paint bicycle helmets and trade safety tips at an event honoring
her life; advocates gathered outside the federal courthouse
in Albany after the sentencing of Mohammed Hossain and Yassin
Aref; Nadia Conseillant claimed that a confrontation with
a driver from Joe’s Osborne Street Garage ended with her being
dragged across a parking lot; and the College of Nanoscale
Science and Engineering at the University at Albany continued
to grow its world-class facilities and reputation.
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| PHOTO:
Alicia Solsman |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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It’s
an Interesting Life
(clockwise
from top left) Motorcycle designer Will Thibeault worked on
one of his one-of-a-kind bikes; mixed martial arts became
a sports fad this year, and local martial-arts experts like
Carlos Machado (top, with student Michael La Duke) got into
the game; Kathy Stevens, the director and founder of the Catskill
Animal Sanctuary, released her memoir Where the Blind Horse
Sings, detailing her experiences with the sanctuary; and
KingJamell Modest worked with Albany Common Councilman Corey
Ellis in the Save Our Neighborhood program.
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Joe Putrock |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Shannon DeCelle |
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Making
Their Voices Heard
(clockwise
from top left) Religious leaders and activists gathered at
the Pastoral Center of the Roman Diocese of Albany to speak
out against Guantanamo Bay and torture; among the few who
voiced support for Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s plan to broaden the
issuance of drivers’ licenses, immigration activists gathered
in Troy; advocates joined mental-health workers and consumers
to denounce Albany Medical Center’s plan to halve its number
of mental-health beds; advocates for the mentally ill marched
in Albany, calling upon the Legislature to include $100 million
for housing; and Women Against War rented a billboard to spread
their antiwar message.
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| PHOTO:
John Whipple |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Joe Putrock |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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| PHOTO:
Chris Shields |
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