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 DOWN
HOME AT THE LARKIN: Ed Gorch, of the famed local alt-country
group knotworking, was sitting at the bar at the Larkin one
night and thought to himself, “Gee, I bet it’d be really nice
to have some music down here.” Having played many a gig upstairs
with his band, he realized that he had not yet conquered the
first floor of the old restaurant. So, he decided to take
action, and starting this Tuesday, will begin a series of
solo shows at the Larkin—downstairs. You didn’t think it was
possible, did you? Well, the idea is to create a cozy, intimate
setting in which Gorch can do his croonin’ to the laid-back
Tuesday night bar and restaurant crowd. Gorch says he’ll perform
a bunch of songs from his upcoming solo album (to be released
by the end of February), some obscure covers, and new versions
of old knotworking songs. Each Tuesday night will feature
special guests. Gorch’s solo series will begin this Tuesday
(Jan. 27) at the Larkin (199 Lark St., Albany), and
will continue with performances on Feb. 3 and 10. The solo
sets, which are free of charge, start at 9:30 PM. For more
information, call the Larkin at 463-5225.
FEEL THE BURN: Northern Lights is the new venue for
the popular Club Burn, a rock & roll dance party
featuring the Burners U.K. The band have had Club Burn
now for three years, and it attracts more than 20,000 people
a year. This year Northern Lights is planning some big-time
renovations, complete with expanded restrooms, more parking,
raised ceilings, and a 10,000 square-foot expansion that will
open during Club Burn’s residence at the club. It should prove
to be quite a season for both the club and the band—the Burners
are planning on releasing their brand-new live CD, Burned
Alive, during the first week of Club Burn. If you’re a
really die-hard Club Burn fanatic, you may want to treat yourself
to the Club Burn Gold Pass, a ticket that will get you into
every show for $89. Plus, with a gold card, you get
VIP status, which means—that’s right—no waiting in line. Club
Burn will be happening every Friday and Saturday at Northern
Lights (Route 146, North Country Commons, Clifton Park) beginning
on Friday, Jan. 30, and running through March 27. All shows
are 21-and-older, and admission is $8. For more information,
call the club at 371-0012 or visit www.theburners.com.
AN INVITATION TO BE SHOT WITH an axe: Riffrockers Small
Axe are making their gig next weekend at King’s Tavern
work double-duty for them: They’re going to do a video shoot
and live recording on top of rockin’ out for their live audience.
And an audience they need, too—a live video always looks better
when there’s enough of an audience to fill the frame. Help
them out by showing up at the club! Small Axe will perform
at King’s Tavern (241 Union St., Saratoga Springs) on Saturday,
Jan. 31, and if you’re there, you’ll probably be in the video,
and who knows, it may lead to the big-time acting career you’ve
always dreamed of (Yeah, not really—but don’t pass up a great
chance to see some rock). The show starts at 10 PM. Make sure
to wave your arms wildly to get noticed. It’s so becoming.
For more information, call the club at 584-9643.
FALLEN STARS: We thought Count the Stars were gonna
go all the way to the top! With a contract with Victory Records
and a video on MTV2.com, we were pretty confidant that those
kids were going to help put Albany on the punk-music map.
However, the successful group of four guys who’ve been playing
together for years have since separated. Of course, when any
group breaks up, rumors abound and there’s all sorts of speculation
about who screwed who’s girlfriend and who stole who’s hair
gel. But thank goodness we’re here to set the record straight!
We pulled the band’s explanation off their site, and it goes
something like this: “OK, here’s what you’ve all been waiting
for, the truth. No more rumors. The first thing I’d like to
say is that we have not broke up because of Chris winning
the lottery or Clarke getting married; neither of those things
are true. We also did not get in a big fight. In fact, we’re
all still very close and we all intend to stay in touch with
each other. We’ve simply decided that we’ve been doing this
for a long time and some of us weren’t 100 percent into it
anymore. We want to thank all the fans that have supported
us. We can’t tell you how much it means to us.”
THE SHACK IS BACK: At the end of December, the Music Shack
closed its doors at it’s location of 21 years, 65 Central
Ave. The reasons the owners felt they had to move centered
around issues with parking and crime in the neighborhood [Rockin’
the Suburbs, Dec. 18]. On Jan. 13, they reopened their doors
at their new digs, 1272 Central Ave., Colonie.
—Kathryn
Lurie
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