Items tagged with 'Hudson'
Basilica Soundscape 2017
The Basilica Soundscape festival returns September 15-17 at Basilica Hudson. And the initial lineup is out -- it's below.
Event blurbage:
Basilica SoundScape, a carefully curated weekend that's been called "the antiÂfestival" by various publications for offering of a thoughtful mix of music, visual art, and literature, is co-curated by Brandon Stosuy (The Creative Independent), Basilica Co-Founder and Director Melissa Auf der Maur and Basilica Co-Founder Tony Stone. This year they welcome back previous BSS Creative Director Michael Renaud to handle all aspects of visual design for the event and have added the talents of a special guest curator, Jenn Pelly, editor at Pitchfork, and author of a forthcoming book on the Raincoats.
Early bird tickets are currently $60 for a weekend pass -- $110 with camping. There will be single-day tickets later this summer.
On with the initial lineup...
Basilica Hudson 2016 season
The schedule is out for the new season at Basilica Hudson. The converted factory space near the train station in Hudson is again hosting a wide range of events: performances, talks, screenings, markets. And the popular Basilica Soundscape festival returns in September.
A compressed version of the schedule is after the jump.
Albany, Troy, and Hudson in high contrast
Check out this beautiful old atlas of New York State, originally published in 1838. It was the creation of the cartographer David H. Burr. And it's available online thanks to the digital collection of the New York Public Library.
There's something about the high-contrast black-and-white color scheme and the way various features -- like the Hudson River -- are rendered that we really like.
The atlas includes maps for counties around the states. But the parts that were most interesting to us were the old city maps. We pulled a few -- for Albany, Troy, and Hudson -- and there are after the jump in large format, along with a few quick notes.
Photos from Rail, River, Hudson 2015
A whole nine days ago (there was a summer break in there), this year's AOA Rail, River, Hudson trip made its way to Hudson. And, like last year, it was a lot fun!
The sold-out trip took more than a hundred people from downtown Albany to Hudson and back via bus, train, and boat.
Here are a bunch of photos from the day...
To Athens by ferry
Ahead of the Rail, River, Hudson II tour this coming weekend, we have a series of posts focusing on the Hudson River this week.
Last summer, in anticipation of AOA's Rail, River Hudson trip, I made the case that "How you get there matters, because getting there is half the fun." This time around, I'll add that getting there by boat will make any location feel more exotic.
Here in the Capital Region we have a few cruise boats that offer roundtrip sightseeing and/or party cruises (like the Dutch Apple II in Albany, The Captain JP II in Troy and the The Caldwell Belle in Schuylerville). These are all great ways for the public to experience our rivers by boat. But except for special events, these local cruisers are rarely used for commuting between destinations. And while there's been a lot of talk over the years of bringing water taxis to Albany, we're still waiting to see that happen.
You don't have to go too far downriver, though, to find public water transit. For the past three years, the Hudson-Athens Ferry has been carrying people between that city and village, across the Hudson River.
Two weeks ago, I finally made it onboard with a fellow traveler from Troy. Here are a few notes from our adventure...
River Week is sponsored by: Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Downtown Albany BID, Dutch Apple Cruises, Harmony Mills, Hudson River Greenway, Nine Pin Cider, Sweet Sue's, and Downtown Troy BID.
Basilica Soundscape 2015 music lineup
This year's Basilica Soundscape festival at Basilica Hudson is September 11-13. And the initial music lineup for this is now out:
Haxan Cloak
Wolf Eyes
Health
Actress
Jenny Hval
Viet Cong
Weyes Blood
Circuit Des Yeux
Perfume Genius
Blanck Mass
Gourisankar & Indrijat Banajeer
There's more yet to be announced. Past festivals have included visual arts, performance art, readings, and food. Blurbage:
This site-specific, weekend-long experimental music and art event draws unconventional connections, parallels and collaborations between a diverse array of artists, presented by Basilica Hudson's Founders and Creative Directors Melissa Auf der Maur and Tony Stone in collaboration with Pitchfork Managing Editor Brandon Stosuy and Brian DeRan of Leg Up Management.
Basilica Hudson is a converted factory space near the train station in Hudson.
Early bird weekend passes are currently $60, and available online. Last year's festival sold out, so it's probably a good idea to get tickets sooner rather than later if you'd like to go.
photo via Matador Records
Rail, River, Hudson II
Last summer's Rail, River, Hudson trip was such a good time, we thought we'd try it again. And we'd love for you to come along.
What is Rail, River Hudson?
On Saturday, July 11 AOA will lead a group of people to Hudson via Amtrak and back home on a sunset cruise on the Dutch Apple. In between there will be plenty of time to explore this fun and historic city, plus tastings and dinner.
Tickets are on sale now. (Last year's trip sold out.)
There are more details after the jump, but these photos from last year's trip will give you a good sense of what to expect.
Photos from Rail, River, Hudson
This year's AOA summer tour -- Rail, River, Hudson -- was this past Saturday. And we had a lot fun!
More than a hundred people met up in downtown Albany before catching buses to the train station where we hopped a train for Hudson. After spending the afternoon there, we boarded the Dutch Apple for a sunset return cruise up the Hudson River.
Here's a big photo recap of the day...
Growing from Hudson: Modern Farmer
With the fertile soil of the river banks and glacial till, the Hudson Valley has long been regarded as a prime location for farming. And now it's proving a productive place for a different take on agriculture.
Based out of a second-floor office on Warren Street in Hudson, Modern Farmer has become a global media brand. The magazine is, in its own words, "for window-herb growers, career farmers, people who have chickens, people who want to have chickens and anyone who wants to know more about how food reaches their plate." In just its first year of publishing, Modern Farmer has already won a National Magazine Award, and it's attracted attention online via features such as Goat Week (complete with a goat cam).
So why set up in Hudson? I asked Ann Marie Gardner, CEO/editor-in-chief of Modern Farmer, to find out.
Architecture gawking in Hudson
AOA's summer tour is headed to Hudson this weekend, so we thought it'd be fun to have Hudson Week on AOA. Each day we'll be featuring posts about things to do, see, and sample in this city on the river.
One of the interesting things about Hudson is the architecture. It's filled with fascinating old spaces in a wide variety of architectural styles.
After the jump, a few interesting Hudson buildings that have found new lives...
A perspective on Hudson's renaissance
AOA's summer tour is headed to Hudson this weekend, so we thought it'd be fun to have Hudson Week on AOA. Each day we'll be featuring posts about things to do, see, and sample in this city on the river.
Carole Osterink has her eyes on Hudson. The creator of The Gossips of Rivertown -- a blog of news and commentary about the city of Hudson -- has been writing about the city for more than four years, and has observed its evolution over two decades, including some time on the Hudson City Council.
There's been a great deal of change over those 20 years, and while Hudson has only recently made it onto the radar of many people outside the city, she says the "overnight success" has actually bee a long time in the making.
Osterink took some time out this week to answer a few questions and share some of her observations about Hudson's renaissance.
Eating in Hudson: 5-10-15-20
AOA's summer tour is headed to Hudson this weekend, so we thought it'd be fun to have Hudson Week on AOA. Each day we'll be featuring posts about things to do, see, and sample in this city on the river.
For being only a thirty minute drive from Albany, Hudson feels like another world, especially in the gastronomical sense. A distinctive West Village vibe permeates the eateries and food shops that dot either side of Warren Street, to the point that even the staff seems as though they probably arrived at work from a two bedroom overpriced apartment that seven unrelated people live in.
Thankfully, the prices in the Hudson dining scene haven't yet reached skyscraper heights. On a recent trip I challenged myself to eat on a $5-$10-$15-$20 budget for the day. I would find a meal at each price point.
The criteria were that the food had to be 1) delicious and 2) an adequate serving for the price. With joints like Fish and Game and Crimson Sparrow - both run by top NYC chefs who moved up the Hudson - I was worried I wouldn't be able to find anything beyond quick grab-and-go options (a tasting menu at Fish and Game is $75. Add wine pairings and it's another $75).
I couldn't have been more wrong.
Shopping Hudson with Jess and Kaitlin
AOA's summer tour is headed to Hudson this weekend, so we thought it'd be fun to have Hudson Week on AOA. Each day we'll be featuring posts about things to do, see, and sample in this city on the river. Today, fashionistas and vintage aficionadas Kaitlin Resler and Jessica Bellflower take us shopping on Warren Street.
Kaitlin:
For me the draw of Hudson is the variety of vintage shops dotted around the area. Being able to hop around to several places full of treasures is a real treat (most of the time a given area has one, maybe two spots of this kind)! There is, though, a real variety of the shopping in Hudson, and that's part of what I really enjoy about it. There are a few spots that are must-go places for me on each visit, but I still find some new little shop tucked away!
And there are some neat specialty stores like a little hat shop -- the kinds of specialty shops you don't see much of in this area -- that take fashion to a different level.
Jess:
I always regarded Hudson as total eye-candy, but completely unattainable (for us). But then I re-explored Hudson with Kaitlin. Since she grew up in this area, she knew where we could shop that wouldn't break the bank. We did stand outside the windows of some of the high-end antique shops on Warren St and drool... but it was refreshing to find a few shops that could fit most budgets! Here's a heads up -- Hudson shopping has some tricky hours (lots of weekday closures or handwritten signs on the front doors that simply say "be back soon" or "reopening in July") and it has some seriously valuable antiques, but don't be intimidated: there's something for everyone there and you'll gather inspiration from all those swanky window displays!
Here are a few Hudson finds from our most recent shopping adventure...
Basilica Soundscape 2014
The Basilica Hudson is bringing back the two-day music and art festival Basilica Soundscape on September 12 and 13. Tickets are on sale now -- they're $35 per day / $60 for both days.
The blurbage calls the fest "a carefully curated two-day program ... featuring a wide range of music, visual art, and literature that aims for specific connections and overlaps instead of 'festival'-style overload. ... The weekend will also include visual arts, performance art, readings, farm to table food and more."
The lineup, so far, includes: Swans, Tim Hecker, Julia Holter, Richard Reed Parry (from Arcade Fire), White Lung, Meredith Graves (from Perfect Pussy), Guardian Alien, Greg Fox, and Emily Reo.
Visual artist Sterling Ruby will be creating works for the fest, and once again there will be food from Alimentary Kitchen.
Basilica Soudscape is a collaboration between Basilica creative directors Melissa Auf Der Maur and Tony Stone, Pitchfork senior editor/director of events Brandon Stosuy, and Brian De Ran of music management company Leg Up. Over at Pitchfork there are pics from last year's event. And Sasha Frere-Jones wrote about it for The New Yorker.
The Basilica itself is a former 19th century factory in Hudson located near the train station there. It's a cool space.
photo courtesy of Tim Hecker
Rail, River, Hudson tickets now on sale!
Update: Tickets are now sold out!!!
____
Tickets for this year's AOA summer tour -- Rail, River, Hudson -- are on sale now!
Many details are after the jump (with updates from the original announcement), but the super short summary for the July 12 tour: We've organized a day trip to Hudson -- riding down on Amtrak, an afternoon in Hudson that includes an event at Etsy's building there, and then a sunset cruise on the Hudson River back to Albany on the Dutch Apple.
Rail, River, Hudson with AOA
Back in the day you could day trip to the edges of what we now call the Capital Region and never use a car. You could hop a trolley or a train, or take a boat along the Hudson. That sort of trip sounds fun to us -- and it inspired this year's AOA summer tour.
This July we've lined up an AOA day trip to Hudson -- a train ride down, a sunset cruise on the Dutch Apple for the return -- with a lot of fun and surprises along the way. We'd love for you to come along.
Because these tours have been so popular in the past, we're giving you the early heads up now so that you'll be ready when tickets go sale on later this week.
Here are the details...
Curating and curing in Hudson
The ongoing transformation of Hudson continues to draw media attention. And two articles this week -- one in NYT, the other in Esquire GQ -- had us wondering if there's a bit of a Hudson bubble.
From "Cultivating Hudson: Enter the Tastemakers" by Penelope Green in NYT, about the influx of people from cities such as New York and San Francisco and their desire to "curate"... everything:
Whether or not the Marina [Abramović] effect is real, Ms. Duffy [a real estate broker] averred that the "market here is gangbusters. We've never had buildings on Warren Street for over a million before. Two years ago, they were maybe $400,000. Ten years ago, you couldn't give them away." As for the Warren Street rents, she added, last year's average was about $1,600 a month; now they are close to twice that, at about $2,800. Mr. Coleman is paying $2,300, a deal in New York City, but a jaw-dropper for the area.
The article touches some of the complicated facets of the upswing, including questions about gentrification and how the prosperity on Warren Street can be extended.
A big part of the current Hudson scene is its restaurants, and the one getting the most attention right now is Zach Pelaccio's Fish & Game. From a two-visit review by Alan Richman titled "Is Hudson New York's Next Great Dining Destination?" (a question the review doesn't answer):
The first was bread, more formally a "bread bowl." It held a couple Parker House rolls, a few slices of sourdough, and a schmear of the house spread, made with butter, yogurt, and ash, one of those slick concoctions that doesn't taste as good as plain butter but guarantee an elevated price. In this case, the bread bowl was $8, quite a climb from what bread in fancy places used to cost, which was nothing. The slightly grainy schmear wasn't nearly enough, so we asked for extra, and that was another $2, please. Our bread had climbed into double figures.
$10 bread? The bread bowl was the beginning of a string of items Richman found to be "random" and of "little coherence" and to include "considerable curing." He concludes: "Fish & Game isn't close to being the great restaurant it seems to think it is." (The restaurant got a much better review from the TU last fall.)
By the way: If you're interested in Hudson, Sam Pratt's blog is worth keeping up on. Example of a recent item: A "venerable" old bar was reportedly sold to "a hedge fund manager and his spouse, said to have managed nightspots in Manhattan's Meatpacking district."
Marina Abramović Institute, kickstarted
The Marina Abramović Institute in Hudson reached its Kickstarter goal today -- $600,000 raised for the "long-duration performance art" facility. The Kickstarter campaign runs until Sunday afternoon.
The money raised is going toward phase one of the project. MAI says Abramović has put up $1.5 million to this point. So the Kickstarter money will push the total over $2 million. The whole project is projected to cost $20 million.
Looking through the various funding levels, the distribution caught our eye. As you might expect, there were more than 1,000 funders at the $1 level (reward: a hug from Abramović). But there were also 21 people who pledged $10,000 or more.
Abramović is probably the most famous performance artist in the world, thanks in large part to her MoMA exhibit The Artist Is Present. So that fame, plus the out-there ambition of the institute, definitely helped the fundraising campaign. And a naked Lady Gaga probably didn't hurt, either.
Grazin'
On first glance Grazin' in Hudson doesn't stand out much. The diner's metal and neon front is tucked in along the streetscape toward one end of Warren Street. Inside there are vinyl-lined booths and a jukebox. The menu? Burgers and a few other things. If anything, Grazin' just seems kind of retro.
But look closer and you'll notice what makes Grazin' stand out. That focused menu is truly farm to table -- as in, Grazin' gets its beef from its own farm. And Grazin's attention to how it sources its animal products has earned it the distinction of being the first Animal Welfare Approved restaurant in the country.
Hey, that's Marina Abramović and Lady Gaga and... that's... yep...
The Kickstarter campaign for the proposed Marina Abramović Institute in Hudson got a burst of attention Thursday after it posted a clip of Lady Gaga practicing the "Abramović Method" -- "a series of exercises designed to heighten participants' awareness of their physical and mental experience in the present moment" -- at a "three-day retreat in upstate New York."
Oh, and Lady Gaga appears naked in the video. (It's probably NSFW -- because of the nakedness -- but it's pretty tame.)
Gaga and Abramović makes sense -- Lady Gaga is probably a performance artist more than anything else.
As of this morning, The MAI Kickstarter had raised a little more than $260k of its $600k goal with 16 days to go. The campaign recently added a new benefit for backers at $1 level: a hug from Abramović herself:
At this event, called THE EMBRACE, Marina will thank everyone who has joined her to create Marina Abramovic Institute with a personal hug.
THE EMBRACE will be held in two undisclosed locations, one in New York City and one in Europe, with exact dates and times to be announced. Founders who are unable to attend will be offered a special reward in lieu of a hug from Marina, to be revealed shortly.
The plan for MAI is to provide a space for "long-duration performance art" at a building in Hudson. A bunch of details about plans for MAI were posted online this past spring -- they're ambitious (the building design includes contributions from Rem Koolhaas) and, depending on your point of view, kind of bonkers (sleeping cocoons and a blood bank).
Picasso Baby: Inspired by Abramović's "The Artist is Present," Jay Z recently performed one of his songs for six straight hours at an art gallery in New York City. It was condensed to a video of about 10 minutes. [NYT] [Vulture]
Earlier on AOA:
+ Marina Abramović Institute Kickstarter
+ A peek at plans for the Marina Abramović Institute
(Thanks, colleen)
screengrab: Marina Abramović Institute Vimeo
Marina Abramović Institute Kickstarter
The Marina Abramović Institute in Hudson -- a facility for "long-duration performance art" created by the famous performance artist -- has a Kickstarter running for the project. And it's a big goal: $600,000, by August 25.
The institute is said to be a $20 million project. So why turn to Kickstarter for some of that? From the project page:
An institute for the benefit of all is best funded not only by a few large donations but also by smaller contributions from the people it hopes to serve. By inviting the broader public to contribute to our early development, Kickstarter helps to affirm and build the engaged community necessary for sustaining MAI into the future. We have designed rewards that encourage backers to engage with time-based and immaterial works. With your contribution, you become a founder of the institute not only financially, but also conceptually, by partaking in the very experiences we hope to create.
It goes on to say that Abramović has already put up $1.5 million toward the project.
Funder awards range from a download of an 8-bit "Digital MAI" game ($5), to a personal session with Abramović via webcam to learn the "Abramovic Method" eye gazing exercise ($1000), to the $10,000 level ("Marina will do nothing. You will do nothing. You will not be publicly acknowledged").
A bunch of details about plans for MAI were posted online this past spring -- they're ambitious (contributions from Rem Koolhaas) and depending on your point of view, kind of bonkers (sleeping cocoons and a blood bank). But the really new and different stuff usually does.
image: MAI / Pippin Barr
A peek at plans for the Marina Abramović Institute
There's now a better look at the planned Marina Abramović Institute in Hudson -- a facility for "long-duration performance art" -- thanks to a new website for the project. The eponymous artist is well-known for this sort of this work, most famously for The Artist is Present at MoMA. And the Hudson facility -- which is being designed by an architectural team that includes Rem Koolhaas -- looks ambitious. In a video posted today, Abramović says she hopes it might "change the consciousness of our society today."
The website includes a bunch of renderings and information about the mission of the institute and other long-duration work. But the part that will probably bake your noodle is the presentation on the various aspects of the experience the institute intends to create. Among the parts:
+ A "contract" in which people pledge to spend at least six hours at the institute.
+ Visitors will be asked to leave behind watches, telephones, computers, and cameras -- they'll then be outfitted with lab coats and noise canceling headphones.
+ There will be various chambers: for drinking water, eye gazing, and so on.
+ A "blood bank" aiming to collect "250 drops of blood from the most influential scientists, artists, spiritual leaders, writers, philosophers, and musicians and to preserve a bank of these drops inside MAI."
+ Sleeping cocoons for people fall asleep during performances.
It all has the feeling of something from science fiction.
MAI is a $15 million project, according to its website. It's aiming to open in 2014.
[via @HudsonMusicFest]
image: OMA
Modern Farmer
Three things about this:
1) There's a publication called Modern Farmer starting -- and it's based in Hudson (on Warren Street, it appears).
2) From its Tumblr:
There has been a movement afoot in recent years to make connections between what we eat, how we live and, frankly, how we can avoid trashing the planet. Food and farming buzzwords -- food security, localism, urban farming, for instance -- have entered the mainstream. People want to know where their food comes from and how they can grow it themselves. Modern Farmer recognizes the escalating importance, even urgency, of global agriculture issues. We want to raise awareness through excellent, independent journalism. (And the occasional animal picture.) We'll provide tools and information for people who want to be more self-reliant, and celebrate those who are leading the way.
Modern Farmer is for window-herb growers, career farmers, people who have chickens, people who want to have chickens and anyone who wants to learn more about the new food culture. We'll be posting behind-the-scenes images from our offices and previews of the kind of content you can expect from Modern Farmer.
3) And they're hiring. (Yes, an actual full-time journalism job.)
[via @JustKristi]
Helsinki Hudson
The owners of Helsinki Hudson have a goal: to bring the community of Hudson together through food and music. And after only two and a half years, they say they're pretty happy with their progress.
The club moved to Hudson about two years ago after 15 years in Great Barrington. Owners Deborah McDowell and Marc Schafler say they wanted a bigger space that they could own themselves, and a spot closer to Shafler's home in Columbia County.
"But we also really wanted to be an integral part of the change in Hudson and help in their renewal," says McDowell.
"Let me tell you something," Schafler, "Hudson is happening."
Apology from Bacon Fest organizers
The organizers of the first Bacon Fest NY in Hudson this past weekend have posted a statement about problems at the event -- mainly, that samples ran out too quickly. Here's a clip:
Our initial estimate on attendance, ranged between 500 - 1,000 people. It was our intention to give the best day possible - for everyone - and as the bacon ran out, and the food lines stacked up, we did the only thing we could and opened the gates for free. In actuality, about 3,000 people attended Bacon Fest NY 2012; only 2,000 of which paid admission.
We apologize if we inadvertently left people feeling disappointed. That sucks and we are sorry. It was never our intention to shortchange anyone on food or fun. Where we exceeded in motivation, enthusiasm and dedication, we fell short on experience. We know better now, and from these mistakes we will build a better executed festival for next year.
Here are a few recaps of what happened from Daniel B. and Steve Barnes -- both were judges at the event.
Yep, AOA was a media sponsor.
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?