Danielle Gaudin

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND Millions of people watched Jay-Z perform his latest hit at the World Series, but Joshua “Mirk” Mirsky of Albany band Mirk and the New Familiars might have been watching it with a slightly different point of view. Mirk, it turns out, co- produced a track called “Crispy Benjamins,” which was recently acquired by Jay-Z for his new album, The Blueprint 3. While the song didn’t make the standard commercial release, it is expected to appear on a re-release—likely a special edition—in the future. This is, of course, tremendous news for Mirk, whose New Familiars released their debut album, Love, last spring. Send him your congratulations at newfamiliar music.com.

THE WHOLE TRUTH In its three-year history, Albany label The Rev Records has released a handful of albums by local singer-songwriters. Nothing changes for their third birthday: Murder Ballads and Lies, the second studio album from Laura Boggs, is released today (Thursday), three years to the day since her Whiskey & Springtime CD launched the label. The release and birthday will be celebrated this Saturday at Bread and Jam Cafe in Cohoes; opening will be fellow The Rev artist Tom McWatters, whose excellent song “27 Times Around the Sun” is covered by Boggs on her new album. For info on the label and the concert, visit therevrecs.com.

WE’RE A WINNER The Capital Region’s Got Talent competition at Revolution Hall concluded on Oct. 16, with Danielle Gaudin named the winner. As part of the big prize, Gaudin will headline a show at the same venue on Dec. 12; the show also will feature performances by the contest’s other five finalists. But check out the fortuitous timing—Gaudin’s debut CD, You Started It, will be released this weekend; and a second, limited-edition CD, Songbird, is being prepped for release at the Dec. 12 show. Catch up with Gaudin at the CD-release party for You Started It this Saturday at TJ’S Flightline Pub in Scotia, and visit daniellemariegaudin.com for more on the singer.

PETE HAYES TIME Another local label and act celebrating a new release this week are Peterwalkee Records and Saratoga Springs natives the Figgs. On Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26), Peterwalkee will drop “Casino Hayes,” a new 7-inch single from the long- running rock trio. The record, their first 7-inch in more than a decade, comes on colored vinyl with a digital-download card enclosed, so you don’t have to take the turntable out of hock to hear the tunes. The band will be in town to celebrate the release as part of their annual holiday show at Valentine’s on Dec. 11. Visit peter walkee.com or thefiggs.com for more.

SOUL TRANE If you’re up early enough, you still have time to get to Williamstown, Mass. this (Thursday) morning. Why would you want to do that? Because Dr. David Demsey, a renowned saxophonist and John Coltrane scholar, so to speak, will discuss Coltrane’s music at Williams College’s Bernhard Music Center at 11:20 AM today. Demsey has authored two deeply analytical books on Coltrane, John Coltrane Plays Giant Steps and Chromatic Third Relationships in the Music of John Coltrane. So the lecture, while not for everyone, should be informative and enlightening.

—John Brodeur

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