All Over Albany

The week ahead

Here are a few things to keep in mind, look forward to, or keep busy with this week, from the weather (so July), to stories, to ballet, to writers, to drama, to the county fair, to The Track, to so much music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Sunny and 87.

Tuesday: Sunny, maybe a thunderstorm and rain. Mid 80s.

Wednesday: Sunny and 80.

Thursday: Sunny and 78.

Friday: Sunny and 79.

Weekend: And so on.

So July.

Front Parlor

The Front Parlor storytelling series has two nights lined up this week:
+ Monday at the Olde English in Albany -- the theme is "Crisis Situation." Monday 7:30 pm
+ Tuesday at the Ale House in Troy -- the theme is "Identity/ies." Tuesday 7:30 pm

Writers

Monday-Friday: It's the last week of the New York State Summer Writers Institute at Skidmore. This week's schedule includes readings by Cristina Garcia, Wayne Koestenbaum, Russell Banks, Chase Twichell, Laura Kipnis, Jim Miller, Jamaica Kincaid, Henri Cole, Paul Harding, and Binnie Kirshenbaum. Monday-Friday 8 pm, Palamountain Hall - free

National Ballet of China

Tuesday-Wednesday: The National Ballet of China will be at SPAC for a few performances. The company will be performing The Peony Pavilion, an "internationally-acclaimed adaptation of a classic Chinese romantic tale." Tuesday 8 pm / Wednesday 2 pm and 8 pm - $45 and up

Stage

Murder for Two
Capital Rep continues its production of Murder for Two. Blurbage:

Everyone is a suspect in MURDER FOR TWO, a hilarious musical murder mystery with a twist: one actor investigates the crime, the other plays all of the suspects and they both play the piano! A zany blend of classic musical comedy and madcap mystery, this 90-minute whodunit is a highly theatrical duet loaded with killer laughs.

It runs through August 9.

Tuesday-Sunday various times - $20 and up

WTF
The Williamstown Theatre Festival continues its production of Kinship (starring Cynthia Nixon, Penny Fuller, and Chris Lowell) this week. And Paradise Blue (starring Blair Underwood, De'Adre Aziza, and Andre Holland) starts this week -- it's the play's world premiere.

Park Playhouse
This is the last week for Park Playhouse's production of Singin' in the Rain.

The Audience
Monday: The Spectrum has added another screening of the stage drama The Audience, starring Helen Mirren. Monday 7 pm - $15

Saratoga County Fair

Tuesday: County fair season starts with the opening of the Saratoga County Fair in Ballston Spa. It runs through Sunday. Tuesday-Sunday 9 am-midnight (amusements open later in the day) - $10 admission / unlimited rides $20

The Track

Friday: The Saratoga Race Course opens for its 147th season. The Track will have horse racing every day through Labor Day (except Tuesdays, of course). Among the highlights of opening weekend: The annual hat contest is Sunday. Here's info about admission and hours.

Music

Monday: Wolf Eyes at The Low Beat
Noise. With: Private Parts, Century Plants. 6 pm

Monday: Riff Raff at Upstate Concert Hall
Rapper, early Vine star. With: Boy Genius, AMJ. 7 pm - $25

Wednesday: The Rustic Overtones at Rockin' on the River
With: MIRK. 5 pm - free

Wednesday: Jim Kweskin Jug Band Reunion at The Egg
"[T]he original 'Americana' band." 7:30 pm - $34

Thursday: The Edgar Winter Band at Alive at Five
Rock. With: Charmboy. 5 pm - free

Thursday: The Chris Smither show at Caffe Lena is sold out.

Friday: Cold War Kids at Upstate Concert Hall
Indie rock. With: In the Valley Below, Civil Twilight. 8 pm - $20 ahead / $22 day of

Friday: Old Crow Medicine Show at Brewery Ommegang
Outside at the brewery. With: Sturgill Simpson. 5 pm - $40

Friday: Bettye LaVette
Soul queen. 9 pm - $37

Friday: Def Leppard at SPAC
With: Styx, Tesla. 7 pm - $25 and up

Friday: Seth Glier at Caffe Lena
Folk pop. With: Gracie and Rachel. 8 pm - $18

Saturday: Bahamas at The Linda
A guy, not the islands. With: The Sea The Sea. 8 pm - $15

Saturday: Sheppard at The Hollow
Australian electro-pop. 8 pm - $16.55

Saturday: Bang on a Can All-Stars at MASS MoCA
"he electric Bang on a Can All-Stars team up with brilliant theater director David Herskovits for Michael Gordon's oratorio, exploring the life and restless soul of Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh." 8 pm - $24 / $15 students

Sunday: The Decemberists at Brewery Ommegang
Outside at the brewery. With: Lucius. 5 pm - $35

Sunday: Brad Paisley at SPAC
With: Justin Moore, Mickey Guyton. A GE Kids in Free show. 8 pm - $30 and up

Sunday: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba at Music Haven
"[A] true master of the ngoni, an ancient West African lute." With: Baye Kouyate and les Tougarakes. 7 pm - free

Sunday: Shuggie Otis at The Egg
Blues/R&B. 7:30 pm - $29.50

Sunday: We Are Harlot at the Hollow
Hard rock. 7 pm - $15.50
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These are a just a few things for this week, not a comprehensive list. Know of something people should be looking forward to this week? Please share!

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photo: Autumn de Wilde