Park News Article
Ten Must-See Live Shows Coming to Albany in January
January 1, 2025
Happy New Year Albany! Get excited to ring in 2025 with some incredible live music throughout the city this January. From celebrated jam bands to award-winning blues and metal acts, there’s a lot to look forward to throughout New York’s Capital City! Whether you’re headed to a show uptown or downtown, ParkAlbany’s garages and lots can always be found a quick walk from your destination. And to stay informed on these and other can’t-miss events in Albany, be sure to explore our events calendar for the latest details and to find the best places to park!
1/11: The Deadbeats at Lark Hall
Kick off your live music adventures this January with a lively show from The Deadbeats at Lark Hall! Known as one of New York State’s premier Grateful Dead tribute acts, The Deadbeats have been steadily touring and performing around the country for over 30 years! This Capital Region-based jam quintet is best known for crafting their setlists around fan requests, and no two shows have ever been the same! Thanks to the massive catalog of the Grateful Dead, plus covers from artists like Phish, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and more, The Deadbeats have amassed a dedicated following of fans and have won several awards, such as the Best Cover Band and Best Tribute Band in the Capital Region. This group has been dazzling loyal fans with their lauded improvisational chops and renowned open-ended, audience participatory shows. Jam band fans won’t want to miss this iconic local groups return to Albany for this special Birthday Bash for Tom Pirozzi, featuring support from Tom’s band Raisinhead and Vinnie Amico of the band moe!
1/14: The Dirty Nil at Empire Underground
Don’t miss Juno Award-winning rock trio The Dirty Nil this month at Empire Underground! Formed in Ontario in 2006, this breakthrough rock group brings a powerful blend of punk and alternative rock to their live shows. Fronted by lead vocalist/guitarist Luke Bentham, he recruited drummer Kyle Fisher and Dave Nardi on bass to round out the lineup while they were in high school. The Dirty Nil released their first single in 2011 and then began touring North America in small clubs and festivals. By 2016, they released their debut full-length album Higher Power to widespread acclaim, and the band continued to tour and perform at larger clubs and festivals. Since 2016, The Dirty Nil has released 3 studio albums, 2 compilation albums, 5 EPs, and 24 singles of their trademark high-octane alternative/punk rock! Their latest record Free Rein to Passions was described as an album that “strikes a balance between joking around and being vulnerable”. Downtown Albany is the place to be for this must-see rock act, and ParkAlbany has the event parking covered at our Quackenbush & Riverfront Garages!
1/16: The Browning at Empire Underground
Who would have thought that metal and EDM would ever mix? If this unique blend sounds intrigues you, then don’t miss The Browning as they wreak havoc within the intimate Empire Underground venue this January! Formed in 2005, The Browning is an “electronicore” band from Kansas City, fusing electronic dance music with metalcore and deathcore. Initially a solo project of frontman Jonny McBee, McBee eventually recruited a drummer, guitarist, and bassist to craft their first album Burn This World. As a result of their unique sound and explosion onto the metal scene, The Browning joined a tour with Fear Factory and Shadows Fall the next year, and their popularity skyrocketed from there! Since then, they’ve released 5 pummeling studio albums of their powerful blend of extreme metal/trance/dubstep/and electronica. This bass-heavy, headbang-worthy act is one of the most unique bands in the metal scene right now, and their January show is part of the “OMNI USA Tour” and a celebration of their newest record, featuring support from Dropout Kings, Filth, The Defect, and Vaexus! Be sure to park early and grab some pre-show dinner and drinks from an amazing area eatery to kick off the fun early in Downtown Albany!
1/17: The Frank White Experience at Lark Hall
Bringing the iconic sound and aura of Notorious B.I.G. to their live performances, The Frank White Experience is an award-winning act that’s carrying on the legacy of the iconic rapper and a show that you won’t want to miss! With extreme attention to detail to Biggie’s flow and lyrical delivery, this group delivers a remarkable hip-hop experience that takes audiences on a nostalgic journey through hip-hop’s golden era of the 1990s. Further setting them apart is their collaboration with rappers such as Lil Kim, Lil Cease, Junior M.A.F.I.A. and even Notorious B.I.G.’s estate themselves! The Frank White Experience has made quite a name for themselves with their celebrated tribute, and hip-hop fans have a lot to look forward to this month at Lark Hall. With a fierce dedication to preserve the life and legacy of one of the East Coast’s most celebrated rap icons, The Frank White Experience is a must-see act this month as they “Hypnotize” fans with support from special guests The E-Block! For those coming from out of town, on-street parking is free after 5:00pm in the area of Lark Hall and all day on weekends! This iconic venue is close to so many amazing bars and restaurants for you to kick off the fun early in Albany’s Center Square neighborhood!
1/18: Shemekia Copeland at The Egg Performing Arts Center
Feeling the blues this New Year? Catch renowned blues vocalist Shemekia Copeland at The Egg Performing Arts Center this January! Since 1996, Copeland has been a fixture of the electric blues scene, releasing 12 albums of her critically acclaimed blend of blues, gospel, and R&B. Born in Harlem, Shemekia is the daughter of Texas blues singer/guitarist Hall of Famer Johnny Copeland, and she began singing at the age of 10. Her first performance was at the Cotton Club in Harlem in 1989, and she joined her father as an opening act in the early 1990s. Graduating from high school in 1997, Shemekia quickly landed a recording contract with Alligator Records, with whom she released her debut album Turn the Heat Up! in 1998. Her following record, Wicked, was released in 2000 and received 3 Blues Music Awards! Copeland has since released 10 more studio albums and won 5 more Blues Music Awards, several Grammy nominations, and has cemented herself as one of America’s premier blues vocalists. With an instantly recognizable and deeply soulful voice, this beloved blues artist is slated to bring her bold sound to The Egg for an unforgettable night of emotional and enthralling music in the heart of Albany!
1/19: Nile at Empire Live
Experience a high-octane evening with death metal titans Nile this month at Empire Live! Since 1993, this South Carolina quintet has been a staple of the metal scene thanks to their mind-bending technical death metal and brutal musicianship! Fronted by Karl Sanders, Nile is known for their dedicated musical and lyrical styles inspired by both Egyptology and the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Nile first rose to fame through their 1997 tour with Morbid Angel and Incantation and honed their sound to give their trademark death metal a “cinematic, symphonic twist”. In 2006, they signed with Nuclear Blast Records and gave fans an opportunity to listen to their new record Ithyphallic early if they could decipher a hieroglyphic message, leaning into their dedication to Egyptian iconography. Featuring lyrics surrounding Egyptian and Mesopotamian culture wrapped into a package of traditional and technical death metal, Nile’s music showcases a blend of technical proficiency and unrelenting brutality that has seldom been replicated. Since their inception over 30 years ago, they’ve released ten studio albums, 3 EPs, 2 compilation albums, and 5 music videos and show no signs of slowing down! Their must-see January show celebrates the release of The Underworld Awaits Us All, and features support from Six Feet Under, Psycroptic, and Embryonic Autopsy!
1/23: Tragedy – Metal Tribute to The Bee Gees and Beyond at Empire Underground
Bridging the unlikely gap between disco and metal, Tragedy is a must-see act for a one-of-a-kind concert experience this month! Taking the music world by storm in the 2010s with their debut record featuring heavy metal renditions of Bee Gees songs, Tragedy embarked on a glitter-fueled world tour soon after! Channeling the sound of Judas Priest, Motley Crüe, and Guns N’ Roses, this six-piece ensemble from New York City has made a name for themselves not only for their tongue-in-cheek performances, but also for their blazing musicianship and soaring vocals! Each member of the band shares fronting vocal duties, switching lead singers between songs and harmonizing with each other in a style reminiscent of The Bee Gees and The Eagles. As the self-appointed “Bee Gees of Hair Metal”, Tragedy’s music is sure to captivate you as they bounce between headbang-worthy metal riffs and dance-worthy disco melodies. They implore their concertgoers to “laugh, cry, dance, mosh, and feel newly connected to the disco-metal that was inside you all along”. Whether you love metal, disco, soft rock or everything in between, this unique tribute is sure to put a smile on your face and get you dancing during their show at Empire Underground this January!
1/24: Yonder Mountain String Band at The Egg Performing Arts Center
Bluegrass lovers are in for a treat when the Yonder Mountain String Band stops by Albany this January! Founded in Colorado in 1998, this quintet has released 11 studio albums and 6 live records of their signature progressive bluegrass/jamgrass sound. Following the passing of Jerry Garcia, who began his career playing bluegrass, the jam band scene exploded in popularity and eventually made its way to bluegrass music, and the Yonder Mountain String Band embraced the fusion of traditional bluegrass with the patented extended play and exploratory improvisation of jam bands to craft their now-famous sound! From 1999-2001, the band was one of the main attractions at Nederland, Colorado’s annual NedFest music festival, and by the early 2000s they began playing larger venues like The Filmore in San Francisco, the Fox Theatre in Boulder, and even the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver! With a fanbase of both bluegrass and jam band fans, Yonder Mountain String Band quickly grew a strong following and maintained a steady touring schedule all the way from the early 2000s to today! Featuring banjoes, guitars, mandolins, fiddles, basses, and shared vocal duties, Yonder Mountain String Band fully embraces their bluegrass roots and offers a unique experience between their masterful chops and creative, extended jams. The Egg is the place to be for a night of dazzling bluegrass jams, and free on-street parking is available in the area after 5:00pm (and all-day on weekends)!
1/25: Sheer Terror at Empire Underground
Who’s up for some East Coast Hardcore this month? If so, Sheer Terror is slated to drop by Empire Underground for a rowdy night of moshing and brutality! Known as one of the first bands to combine elements of heavy metal with hardcore punk, Sheer Terror are often regarded as the pioneers of heavy hardcore, sometimes also referred to as tough guy hardcore. Formed in 1984, the band came to fruition after vocalist Paul Bearer answered an ad in the Village Voice looking for a hardcore punk singer. By 1989, Sheer Terror signed with Blackout Records and recorded their debut record Just Can’t Hate Enough with sound engineer Tommy Victor of Prong and the iconic CBGB Club. This record influenced a wave of hardcore bands across the country, and helped pave the way for a modernized hardcore sound that brings the punishing musical elements of death metal with the lyrical aggression and angst of hardcore punk. The band continued to tour and create their influential music until 1998 when they broke up, due to clashing personalities and creative differences. Following their split, Sheer Terror reunited for 2 one-off sold-out shows at CBGB in 2004, then in 2010 the legendary band reunited permanently and has been in-tact ever since! This month’s show is slated to celebrate 40 Years of Sheer Terror as a band and features stacked lineup of nationally/locally known hardcore bands ready to bring the energy and chaos to Downtown Albany!
1/31: Soccer Mommy at The Egg Performing Arts Center
From emo to indie rock, Soccer Mommy is the dynamic project of Nashville’s Sophia Allison who is coming to The Egg Performing Arts Center this January for an unforgettable night of music in Albany! Known for meshing the angst of grunge with the catchy pop melodies, Soccer Mommy is an indie staple not to be missed! Having played guitar since the age of six, Allison began posting self-made songs to Bandcamp in 2015 prior to her leaving for college at NYU, and she played her first live show soon after at Silent Barn in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Thanks to the acclaim from this show and the online reception from her Bandcamp recordings, Allison quickly landed a record contract with Fat Possum Records and dropped out of NYU in 2017 to pursue a music career back home in Nashville. Soccer Mommy has since released 4 studio albums of her signature “hazy singing” and “tender, confessional songwriting”, with her third album Sometimes, Forever peaking at Number 1 on the Billboard US Heatseekers Chart! Allison has toured with artists like Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers, Wilco, and Frankie Cosmos, and she even played at a Bernie Sanders rally in 2020! Fans of emo and indie rock are sure to love the enchanting music of Soccer Mommy this month, and The Egg is the perfect place to experience her soaring vocals in the corner-less, acoustics-friendly space of this iconic Albany venue!
Beat the winter blues this month with these can’t-miss shows in Albany, New York! Featuring genres from indie and blues to metal and bluegrass, there’s a show for nearly every musical taste this month! No matter where you enjoy live music this month in Albany, ParkAlbany’s garages and lots are always located a quick stroll from all the fun! Want to experience even more live music and fun? Check out our extensive events calendar to learn more about other amazing upcoming events to plan your next outing in New York’s Capital City!
