A selective, curatorial view of the cultural highlights of the upcoming weekend in the greater Hudson, N.Y., region.

 

 

EVERTON SYLVESTER & SEARCHING for BANJO to BRING SPOKEN-WORD and REGGAE RHYTHMS to HELSINKI HUDSON

(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Jamaican-born dub-poet Everton Sylvester and Searching for Banjo bring their unique blend of spoken word and deep reggae grooves to Club Helsinki Hudson on Sunday, December 3, at 7pm, as part of the monthly Rogovoy Salon music, literary, and art series curated and hosted by cultural journalist Seth Rogovoy.

Sylvester’s song-poems recount acutely observed scenes from the life of an immigrant in New York City. Sometimes political and often humorous, Sylvester brings a sly, deadpan wit to scenarios from the point of view of a son, a father, a teacher, and a would-be U.S. citizen, that alternately surprise, delight, or infuriate. Everton’s band, Searching for Banjo (which does not include banjo), lays down Jamaican-infused accompaniment and reggae beats, providing the perfect context for Sylvester’s cleverly crafted, alertly ironic lyrics.

 

 

‘THE FRIDGE PLAYS’ GET BRIDGE STREET STAGING

(CATSKILL, N.Y.) – Two of “The Fridge Plays” – Daniel Talbott’s “Nick and Zoe,” with Erica Pappas, and Steve McMahon’s “sad indie love song,” with Shawna Wigney, come to Bridge Street Theatre on Fri and Sat, Dec 1-2, 7:30pm. Originally presented on a double-bill as part of Arctic Group’s recent Fridge Fest in Manhattan (which featured ten new plays with nothing in common but a refrigerator), this harrowing, intense, sexy, raw, fierce evening of adults-only theater comes to Catskill with its original cast of brilliant young New York actors intact.

 

 

 

 

 

SARA WATKINS to BRING INDIE-ROOTS to HELSINKI HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Modern bluegrass legend Sara Watkins brings her instrumental virtuosity and songwriting talents to Club Helsinki Hudson on Fri, Dec 1, at 9pm. Best known as the fiddler in the platinum-selling progressive bluegrass group Nickel Creek, as well as for her role with bandmate/brother Sean Watkins in the Watkins Family Hour, Sara Watkins has firmly established herself as a solo singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

 

 

 

 

ADAM WEINERT’S RIP THE NUT HEADLINES WINTER WALK
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Choreographer Adam Weinert’s RIP THE NUT, a raucous, Hudson Valley-inspired mash up of the Rip Van Winkle story and The Nutcracker suite, will be staged at Hudson Hall on Sat, Dec 2, as part of the city’s Winter Walk festivities, which take place from 5 to 8pm. Weinert is joined by dancers Logan Kruger, Brett Perrya, and Emma Sandall, plus a host of community partners organized by Elena Mosley of Operation Unite.

 

 

 

 

 

COMING SOON: PHIL KLINE’s ‘UNSILENT NIGHT’ MOBILE SOUND SCULPTURE RETURNS to HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – ‘Unsilent Night,’ Phil Kline’s mobile sound-sculpture that has become a holiday cult classic, returns to the streets of Hudson on Sat, Dec 23, at 7pm. Led by Kline himself, participants will gather at Hudson’s Public Square at Warren and Seventh Street and march to Hudson’s Promenade for the parade’s culmination. This year’s parade route celebrates Hudson’s lesser traveled alleys and enclaves, winding through corridors and byways that shade the city’s historic streetscape and that will uniquely sculpt the sound of Kline’s composition. This December, Kline’s pioneering work of public sound art – performed by whoever shows up with a boombox or amplified digital music player (such as a smartphone) – takes place in more than 37 cities across the United States and Canada. Streets, parks and sidewalks will come alive with “a shimmering sound-wall of bells and chimes that is dreamlike to wander through in the December nip” (Village Voice).