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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Best Museum The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute 225 South St., Williamstown, Mass. Situated on 140 acres of sprawling Berkshire countryside, the internationally renowned Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute is just about as good as it gets. The constantly growing collection includes a truly impressive selection of 19th-century American and European masterpieces: Homer, Sargent, Inness, Cassat, Degas, Remington, Renoir, Monet, Gauguin, the list goes on. Comprehensive and engaging programmingparticularly their top-notch lecture seriesenrich the museum experience, and frequent traveling exhibitions keep things fresh for the frequent visitor. A major center for arts scholarship, the Clark boasts one of the largest art libraries in the country. Both the library and the new state-of-the-art Stone Hill Center designed by architect Tado Ando, which serves as an intimate gallery space and headquarters for the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, are open for public exploration. As always, we count ourselves lucky to have the Clark right in our own backyard.
Best Gallery Albany International Airport Gallery Albany International Airport For 10 years, the Albany International Airport Gallery has been committed to showcasing the artistic and cultural resources of the Capital Region. The exhibitions are consistently good and expertly installed. Not only is there a designated gallery space for changing exhibitions that can be accessed without having to pass through security, there also are continuously changing displays and site-specific installations throughout the building. There is so much to look at that you might not even mind that your flight is delayed.
Best College Museum Hessel Museum of Art and CCS Galleries Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson While there are other great college museums in the area, the Hessel Museum and CCS Galleries aim to encourage and explore experimental approaches to the presentation of contemporary visual arts. With the addition two years ago of the 17,000-square-foot building dedicated to the 1,700 works in the Marieluise Hessel collection, there is that much more cutting-edge contemporary art on display in the region. And that is a good thing.
Best Contemporary Museum MASS MoCA 87 Marshall St., North Adams, Mass. In terms of scale and scope, theres nothing else like it. The vast exhibition spaces make it possible for world-renowned avant-garde artists to create cutting-edge works. Hows that for an old industrial town like North Adams?
Best Museum (Mansion) The Hyde Collection 161 Warren St., Glens Falls The Hyde is a classy museum and gallery with a world-class permanent collection, fascinating history, and also some jazzy current exhibits. And the terrific De Blasiis chamber-music series calls the Hyde home.
Best Museum (Manor House) Olana 5720 Route 9G, Hudson Every resident of the Capital Region should tour the home of Hudson River School painter Frederic Church. Looming high on a hill over the Hudson, Olana and its Middle Eastern-style architecture on one hand seem out of place in Upstate New York, but on another are perfect for whisking any visitor away to another era and a different state of mind.
Best Museum (Eclectic) New York State Museum Empire State Plaza, Albany Start at the top, with the 4th floor atrium gallery: There is collection of fascinating artifacts, architecture and ephemera from all over New York state; there is a temporary exhibit of spectacular, large-scale modern art in honor of Gov. Nelson Rockefeller; and theres a merry-go-round for the kids. You can then extrapolate this out to the entire New York State Museum, which is an eclectic, rewarding mix of art, history, education and fun.
Best Museum Expansion (East) Berkshire Museum 39 South St., Pittsfield, Mass. One of our regions best small museums just got better with an extensive renovation and the addition of the 3,000-square-foot Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation, which educates visitors on Berkshire Countys rich history of innovation in science, technology, business, politics, culture, and the arts, and invites them to explore the process of turning ideas into progress. Add that to the museums already fine exhibits ranging from natural history to American art to the aquarium in the basement, and the excellent programming of traveling exhibits, and you have what is easily one of the best family-oriented museums in the region.
Best Museum Expansion (West) Arkell Museum Canajoharie The small canal town of Canajoharie might not be the most obvious home for a significant collection of great American paintings, but Beech-Nut founder Bartlett Arkell compiled just such a collection (including works by Homer, Wyeth, Sargent, Remington, OKeeffe, Hopper, and others) for public display in his hometown. After a $10 million expansion, smartly executed by Boston-based designLAB architects, the impressive collection has a deserving home. And the new space allows for expanded programming, including workshops, lecture and film series, and community events.
Best Museum Save (So Far) The Mount 2 Plunkett St., Lenox, Mass. Despite all the controversy surrounding the Edith Wharton Estate and Gardens, its still a National Historic Landmark that shouldnt be missed. Anyone who has read Wharton can appreciate her desire to reside in the Berkshires and to design her own home. Its open through October, but it still faces threat of foreclosure: So go before its too late.
Best Artist Mark Greenwold
To quote Roberta Smith, his small-scale painterliness . . . keeps
Mr. Greenwolds art fresh, as does his sharpening of the tensions
always at large in figurative painting. Could we really argue with
that?
Best Emerging Artist Michael Millspaugh Over the past year Millspaugh has been showing all over the place. Not only has he had one-night shows in vacant spaces, but hes shown at Kismet, Albany Center Galleries, and at the Saratoga County Arts Center. His work is whimsical, personal, satirical, and timely. And best of all, its still affordable.
Best New-Media Artist Fernando Orellana New-media art is a growing trend in contemporary art. In 2005, Orellana joined the faculty of Union College, where he is developing a cross-disciplinary digital arts program between visual arts and computer science. Over the past few years we have been able to see his work locally at the Mandeville Gallery, at St. Anthonys Church, at the Tang Teaching Museum, and in Hudson. The work is both funny and sobering, and its encouraging to see that this area continues to support experimental artists (despite the odd controversy).
Best Movie Theater Spectrum 8 Theatres 290 Delaware Ave., Albany You know whats funny? No one has ever even tried to imitate what they do at the Spectrum 8 Theatres. Balancing mainstream hits with independent filmsand offering the best snack bar in townhas made the Spectrum the cinematic king.
Best Multiplex Bowtie Cinemas Movieland State Street , Schenectady A key part of the new downtown arts scene, Schenectadys Bowtie Cinemas Movieland is a terrific multiplex. And you can have a beer, too.
Best Film Series Palace Theatre 19 Clinton Ave., Albany The programming at the Palace has been fantastic, as theyve been booking films that were made to be seen on a giant screen. In fact, 2001: A Space Odyssey at the Palace was the cinematic event of the year. (Right, Dave?)
Best Theater (Transformers) GE Theatre @ Proctors 432 State St., Schenectady Its the Eighth Step Coffeehouse. Its an iwerks 70mm-format film theater. Its a comedy club. Its a high-definition video theater for independent cinema and opera from La Scala. Its a venue for small theatrical productions. As the sun never set on the British Empire, the lights are (almost) always on at the GE Theatre @ Proctors.
Best Theater (Petite) Spa Little Theater Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs This delightful venue is home to the Lake George Opera, Home Made Theater, the Saratoga Chamber Music Festival and many worthwhile performances.
Best Classical Venue Ozawa Hall Tanglewood, Lenox, Mass. Everyone talks about the Shed, but its the acoustically (and architecturally) wonderful Ozawa Hall thats the real jewel of Tanglewood.
Best Orchestra Albany Symphony Orchestra David Alan Miller, Director Theyre not only the best local orchestra, theyre the best-programmed orchestra: Balancing the modern with the traditional, the Albany Symphony has something for everyone.
Best Chamber Ensemble Musicians of Maalwyck This elastic collection of superb musicians is equally at home with Purcell and Schoenberg. And thats something.
Best Dance Venue Jacobs Pillow 358 George Carter Road, Becket, Mass. With multiple performance stages in a setting of almost ridiculous beauty, Jacobs Pillow is arguably the most attractive of any regional summer performance venue.
Best Dance Festival Dance Flurry Saratoga Springs Flurry? Its more like a tsunami when the Dance Flurry comes to Saratoga Springs every year. Live music and a dizzying array of dance styles and genres make this an event thats nationally renowned.
Best Theater Company Berkshire Theatre Festival Main Street, Stockbridge, Mass. Summer theater is in full swing and the Berkshire Theatre Festival is shining particularly brightly among theaters regional gems. Helmed by artistic director and CEO Kate Maguire, BTF has amassed a remarkably talented crew of actors and technicians. And to celebrate their 80th anniversary, this year theyve scheduled one of the most challenging, engaging, balanced and important seasons of theatre weve seen in years. Next up on their two stages: A Man for All Seasons and Waiting for Godot.
Best Theater Company Artistic Director Julianne Boyd Barrington Stage, Pittsfield, Mass. Julianne Boyd wears two hats in the regional theater communitywere talking those bright, big- brimmed Saratoga numbersand she balances them with talent and grace. As the artistic director of Barrington Stage, Boyd continues to assemble exceptional talent, producing top-notch theater season-round. And as a gifted director in her own right, in January, Boyds interpretation of West Side Story was unanimously dubbed the best play of the year by Metroland critics (who arent unanimous about much). Keep an eye out for her upcoming production of Private Lives.
Best Actor Vince Gatton Mustering the energy, charisma and psychological complexity to perform a one-man show is a true theatrical challenge. But tackling two one-man shows in a single season, creating two wildly diverse characters with honesty, and force? That is a spectacular feat. Kudos to Gatton for taking on the challenge, and further kudos still for doing so masterfully. His solo performances in Barrington Stages I Am My Own Wife and Fully Committed blew us away. He is a talent to be reckoned with. Expect to see him back soon.
Best New Venue to See a New Show Stage II Theatre at Barrington Stage Company 36 Linden St., Pittsfield, Mass. Utilizing the most unexpected of buildings, a VFW (the vets still meet in the basement), Julie Boyd has made Linden Street (of all places!) Pittsfields own off-Broadway in the Berkshires. Intimate stadium seating and a highly efficient stage make it a pleasure to visit. Part of the time it presents new cutting-edge plays like I Am My Own Wife. The rest of the time it is home to BSCs Musical Theatre Lab, where new shows are seriously being workshopped, developed into full productions, and sent on their way to places like that other off-Broadway and Broadway (hint: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee).
Best Underutilized Space Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre, The Egg Empire State Plaza, Albany Its not that we dont appreciate the programming that goes on at the Egg. They offer a quality array of music, dance and family events. But with virtually endless fly space, on-site scene and costume shops, a sprawling backstage area, 400-unit lighting plot, superb sightlines, one of the best sound systems in the country, and even an elaborate trapdoor system, the Eggs 982-seat Hart Theatre is, unequivocally, the most technically comprehensive theater facility in the area. While regional theater companies struggle to find suitable venues, the Eggs full potential remains untapped.
Best Historic Replica Half Moon Looking at the Half Moon, a full-scale replica of the Dutch ship on which Henry Hudson sailed across the Atlantic and up the Hudson, you cant help but wonder how the tiny ship and its crew made it so far. Stepping aboard, visitors accurately see the navigational tools, sleeping quarters, and colorful flags of the 1609 expedition. Today the ship sails mostly from New York City to Albany, teaching kids about ecology, and re-enactors how to properly sail without modern day technology.
Best Literary Series New York State Writers Institute University at Albany, Skidmore College Year after yearand, more importantly, all year roundthe New York State Writers Institute attracts the among best authors of fiction, nonfiction and poetry in the world.
Best Local Author Russell Banks Even for Russell Banks, this has been a great year. His Adirondack novel The Reserve earned widespread acclaim, and his new collection of essays on America has entered the national conversation.
Best poet Naton Leslie Professor of writing and literature at Siena College and prize-winning author Naton Leslie has penned, to date, six volumes of poetry, a book of narrative nonfiction and a collection of short fiction. His latest book of poetry, Emma Saves Her Life, offers a tender, nostalgic, honest, plucky, personal and insightful window into the unchanging truths of human nature within a rapidly transforming worldall woven together by the letters, scrapbooks and mementos his grandmother left behind.
Best Magician Jeffrey Jene As local festivalgoers can attest, magician Jeffrey Jene is on a par with the biggest names in the magic biz, and hes a Houdini Award winner for both close-up magic and stage magic. His repertoire ranges from mesmerizing sleight-of-hand with coins, cards and ropes to stage extravaganzas featuring large-scale illusions. His superlative cups-and-balls routine is a major draw at Larkfest and Troys River Street festival, among other street festivals, and his spellbinding dove and fire tricks have entertained audiences on theater stages and company parties around the region.
Best Arts Night Troy Night Out We love 1st Friday in Albany. We love Art Night in Schenectady. We love all the arts nights, in Ballston Spa and Pittsfield, Mass., and Saratoga Springs. (Well have to check out that one in Glens Falls, too.) But Troy Night Out, partially thanks to the geography of Troy, is the best.
Best Venue (Microscopic) Club Helsinki 284 Main St., Great Barrington, Mass. This tiny (capacity: 85), ultra-funky club in the middle of Great Barrington constantly brings in acts that play venues 10 times larger in other place, like Albany. Nellie McKay, Greg Brown, Colin Hay, Omar Sosa, Rhett Millerall just in the last year. Throw in great food and people-watching (hello there, young shiny Berkshirites and touristas!), the short drive over the border can be a great adventure.
Best Venue (Backroom) The Ale House 680 River St., Troy The Ale House adheres to a rugged set of principles. First, dont expect the tables to be moved, so squeeze in where you can (against a window, in the doorway to the barroom). Second, sup some of the myriad brands of beers and finest pub grub this side of the Hudson River. Third, expect to have your world rocked or honky-tonked by some of the finest, most critically acclaimed rock & roll and Americana out there. Wayne the Train Hancock? Check. Rosie Flores? Check. Eddie Angel? Check. Bill Kirchen? Yeah, we got your Bill Kirchen. Now, go squeeze into the other room and try to find a sightline around the center beam.
Best Venue (Big Room) The LindaWAMCs Performing Arts Studio 339 Central Ave., Albany Despite being re-branded with a most unwieldy moniker, the Linda has continued to impress from the inside out, with ever-improving sound, and some wholly unexpected, and entirely welcome, talent-booking. Robyn Hitchcock, Nick Lowe, Graham Parker, Jimmy Webb this place has got the legendary pop songwriters on lockdown.
Best Venue (Showroom) Colonial Theatre 111 South St., Pittsfield, Mass. Just walking in to this impeccably restored and gilded-up-the-wazoo little theater is an event in itself. In a region blessed with a bunch of nicely restored theaters, nothing else really comes close to the Colonial in terms of a visceral jolt. Now if they could only hip up the bookings . . .
Best Venue (Whole Lotta Room) Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs Theyre about to give the place a big, modern makeover, so who knows whats gonna happen next season. All we know is, right now, SPAC is as good as its ever beenthe old shed still looks and sounds great, and this summers special-events schedule is one of the best theyve put together in years. Brava!
Best Venue (Coulda Been A Contender) Jack Rabbit Slims Closed The former Noche nightspot seemed to have everything going for it when its doors opened early this year. The sound system was great; the stage was high and wide; the booking was a smart mix of old and new; and the long Noche bar stayed put, meaning you could order a drink from practically anywhere in the place. Not six months later, the place was kaput. What happened?
Best Free Music Series Monday Nights in the Park Washington Park, Albany This longstanding area tradition returned last year after a half-decade hiatus. This year, the organizers exceeded all expectations by nabbing legendary indie-folk-pop chanteuse Aimee Mann for one of the Lakehouse showsthe only free show on Manns entire tour. Dear Albany: Send a thank-you note to the BID for this one.
Best Band The Red Lions Eric Margans songs and aesthetic are from another time: His musical influences seem drawn entirely from before he was born. Which isnt hard; the kids, well, a kid. But his jazz-leaning, ornate, orchestral pop is unlike anything thats come out of the Capital Region in as long as we can remember, and the bands busy gig schedule has amassed them a devoted, even defensive, fan base. Trust us: This band will be going places.
Best New Band Charlie Everywhere Balancing the synthesized textures of hip-hop and house music with distinctly human elements (soft, co-ed harmonies; electric guitars), this Saratoga duo dont just make excellent electronic musictheir music is just plain excellent. Think Portishead, but less gloomy. (By a lot.) Watch for their debut disc later this year.
Best Rock Band 28N Employing electronics in a whole different wayto fill in for the lack of a full-time bassistNate Stengrevics and Lowell Stringer sound like twice the band they actually are. Judging by the radio-friendly alt-rock sound of their latest CD, Where Tenses Meet, 28N are about one crossover hit away from the Top 40.
Best Metal Band Empire State Troopers They put out a kick-ass release this year, Upstate Again, a too-short album produced by Jason Loewenstein that leaps out of the speakers with a pounding rhythm and reckless abandon. Lovers of the Empire State and all its natural resources, and inspired by 70s hard rock and obscure British metal, EST are the best stoner-metal-punk-rock-underground band from here to Ballston Lake and back again.
Best Punk Band Suzy Wong and the Honkeys Mohawked punks might not call them punk, but I would, quoth a local fan. Wherever their music falls in the old-school-versus-new-school punk rock rating game, we like it. Its snarling and saucy, with tons of energy and scream-o female vocals in the vein of Poly Styrene from X-Ray Spex.
Best Non-Goth Goth Band Severe Severe With a sound based in dark atmosphericshigh-register bass-guitar strumming, delay-laden electric-guitar melodies, brash synthesizers, and tom-heavy drum patternsit would be easy to lump Severe Severe in with the clove-cigarette-smoking, fishnet-glove-wearing crowd. But last years pick for Best Transplanted Band sound like nothing from the last 20 years on their new disc, Beyond the Pink; indeed they show shades of the Cure and Joy Division (by their own confession), but theirs is music for dancing, not brooding. Severe Severes songs would fit right in at the Fuze Boxs 80s night, and if you know us, you know we consider that to be a very good thing.
Best . . . well, what-would-you-call-it music? Sara Ayers For more than 20 years, Castletons Ayers has quietly been producing a steady stream of brilliant electronic and vocal music, and has steadily built an international following of fans and collaborators. Shes just released an album collaboration with Japanese ambient artist Ryuta.K; her stuff is showing up in movies; people are remixing her tracks and grabbing samples left and right; and shes been giging around town with psychedelic experimentalists Axe Iron Suns.
Best Songwriter (Female) Katie Haverly Its been a few years since weve heard from Katie Haverly, but shes back in a big way with her recent album Around the Bend. Haverly has always been a singer in the purest sense, with sparkling, clear tones, and limber and rangy dynamics. But in the intervening years her songcraft has deepened beyond mere folkiness. Fire in the Kitchen is a brooding emotional maelstrom with a touch of psychedelia, while Real Good is a spare emotional exploration at the other end of the spectrum. She is our songwriter of the year because of her keen poetical sensibilities, deft musical touch, and convincing emotional delivery. Hers is a mature brand of alt-folk, in the best sense of that word.
Best Songwriter (Male) Aaron Smith Chief cartographer for hometown heroes the Scientific Maps, Smith packs volumes into his three- to four-minute garage-pop gemsmidnight cemetery raids, love requited and otherwise, and a touch of the mysterious behind the mundane. His bittersweet, sometimes inscrutable lyrics are underscored by arcing trumpets, buzzing guitar solos, and a rare gift for the devastating chord change. Smiths tweaking of conventions belies a near mastery of the formmeaning total galactic domination by Smith and the Maps is at this point inevitable. Just remember who told you so when it finally happens.
Best Secret Weapon Frank Moscowitz Because he engineers excellent recordings by a wide variety of bands. Because, when he does it, hes one of the better front-of-house guys youll find in the area. Because hes part of the engagingly off-kilter folk-rock act Princess Mabel. And because hes a top-notch instrumentalist. Moscowitz makes any band he works or sits-in with (on guitar, keyboard, what have you) that much better.
Best Psychedelic Jam Collective Burnt Hills One band can take up a whole basement. One song can fill an entire album. One noise can shift the cosmos. Best improvisational, freaked-out, primordial noise collective around, hands down.
Best Electro Pop Ben Karis-Nix Back when Karis-Nixs band the Orange ruled the local club and concert scene, they were known to pack quite the heavy rock wallop behind their fun-loving songs about amphibians. Hence the pleasant surprise of Bens current venture (with wife Olivia at his side) as a sort of electronic music maven. Of course, the pop savant hasnt gone all Moby on us, but live and on his newest CD We Are Giants Now, Karis-Nix fortifies his celebrations of life, love and the natural world with subtle synth patches and sampled beats that coexist with his acoustic guitar and pliant, sometimes plaintive vocals. His skilled mix of the organic and the digital makes his underlying respect the Earth aesthetic all the more convincing, as well as musically gratifying.
Best Pop Electro Snakes Say Hisss Who knows how long theyll be around here, but this pair of Skidmore students have made an impression during their time in Saratoga Springs, packing their college gigs with loads of youngsters grooving to their clever and snarky electro-glam pop. Were sure theyve got places to go in the future, and well keep an eye out for where that takes em (MTV, the cover of Spin, jail?).
Best National Treasure Super 400 We always get the feeling that Super 400 are on the verge of being a 10-year overnight success, and that seems more likely than ever nowthe power trio are touring more than ever before, with word of mouth (on the Internet, natch) reaching a fever pitch this year. Word has it they just signed to a big management deal, in addition to partnering with a bunch of promotions companies, so if this doesnt end up being their year, watch out in 2009!
Best Country-Rock Band Grainbelt Did you know they were No. 5 in sales on the roots-rock music site Miles of Music back in December? Of course you didnt, because the most rocking country band around these parts just doesnt get enough love. Their last release, Trouble Coming Down, was filled with a host of great tunes, but this is a band you really ought to catch live for the full effect: Check them out the next time they rock the house at the Garden Grill.
Best Americana Band Two Gun Man Two Gun Man from Hudson, a four-piece with members who relocated here from the Pacific Northwest, play the sort of melodic, heartfelt twang you get a hankering for when tears are falling in your beer, and the beer comes in a metallic-tasting can. As American as Schaefer.
Best Old-Time String Band The Stillhouse Rounders As a young man, Nassau native Mark Schimdt journeyed to rural North Carolina to study traditional Appalachian fiddling with the legendary Tommy Jarrell. Thats about like getting blues guitar lessons from Robert Johnson. Today, his outfit the Stillhouse Rounders keep alive the roughhewn, exuberant sound first recorded in the 1920s by groups like Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers and Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers. In these parts, nobody does it better.
Best Acoustic Band Annie and the Hedonists Whats your pleasure, folkie? Country blues? Bluegrass ? Celtic music? Current singer-songwriters? With Annie Rosens world-class vocals topping off layers of fine instrumental work, this local quartet offer one-stop listening in more tasty genres than you can shake a pick at. Thats why they take the acoustic cake.
Best High-School Band (Head of the Class) Number One Dad Number One Dad beat out a full slate of high school bands at a Colonie battle of the bands contest judged by three Metroland music writers last month. When a bunch of music critics judge a battle-of-the-bands contest, chances are the band geeks will get the glory while the popular-kid cover-band go home empty-handed. Number One Dad are filled with the wise-ass, talented kids who hang out in the band room every day after school, and their music is clever as a result. Music critics love that.
Best High-School Band (Advanced Placement) Venomentality Venomentalitys 15-year-old singer-songwriter Valerie Webb is on the fast track to making a career out of music before her senior year. The band released their debut CD, Heart and Dagger, last fall; theyre currently shopping demos in search of a label contract. And wise-beyond-her-years Webb recently scored a publishing deal with New York-based company Mamapublooza. Kids these days . . .
Best Band Who Never Play Out Brent Gorton and the Tender Breasts A few years ago, Gorton began performing with a backing band that started out as a subtle accent to his smartly quirky indie-pop tunes. Somewhere along the way, the act developed into something altogether different; as the trio experimented with new sounds, and grew into a foursome, their sound became more strident, reminding us of the Velvet Underground and the Stooges. And then, they just kinda stopped. Word has it theres a new record on the way. We say, hurry up!
Best Record label Collar City Records This isnt an award we usually present, but the Collar City gang have gone above and in 2008they released no less than four records in the month of June, at least as many as most local indies released all of last year. But its not the quantity, its the quality: Look through this years list and youll see more than one act who have released product via the Troy-based label. Keep up the good, hard work, boys.
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