A&E
Clinton holds annual Art & Music Festival
By Max Newman ’16
September 3, 2015
On Saturday, August 29, Clinton held its tenth annual Art & Music Festival. The daylong festival attracted thousands of visitors from across upstate New York to celebrate the end of summer.
The festival highlighted food, art and music. Local art vendors filled the village green with their tents, displaying paintings, wool socks, handcrafted tableware and, of course, Clinton Pottery, just to name a few. A jeweler even had a live demonstration of the glassblowing process.
Food trucks and tents could be found on the north side of the green. Popular options among the kids included fresh squeezed lemonade and cotton candy. Others waited anxiously in the long line for lamb gyros and hot dogs at the one-man-show food truck.
The local Clinton businesses and community centers made the festival even more special. By opening their doors as live music sites, the festival was able to host nine live music sites where 20 concerts were held throughout the day. Festivalgoers could be seen wandering in and out of venues as they explored different musical genres.
Albany-based modern rock band Sirsy was the highlight of the music scene. The duo, comprised of vocalist/drummer Melanie Krahmer and guitarist Rich Libutti, have been making music since 2000. Playing songs from their recent 2014 release, they received everyone’s attention during their rock anthem “Soul Sucker.” In rhythm with the song, Krahmer had audience members press their index fingers and thumbs together as to crush the soul suckers of the world. Needless to say, Sirsy dominated the stage.
At Across The Row Bistro, one found a much different show. Singer/songwriter Ryan Quinn took audience members through the decades as he covered monumental rock and pop songs. Highlights from his set included, “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder and “Drive” by Incubus. Quinn’s coffeehouse spin on these songs won over the audience members, who could frequently be seen dancing on the restaurant porch.
Two doors down at The Kirkland Art Center, Utica-based The Blarney Rebel Band gave an interesting Irish folk performance. At NBT Bank, Hamilton’s very own Professor Monk Rowe performed with vocalist Ann Carey. On the grass outside the Alexander Hamilton Institute, the Adanfo African Drum Ensemble intertwined drumming, dancing and some magic.
Other venues included the Stone Presbyterian Church, The Village Tavern, Tom’s Natural Foods and 8 Fresh. The unique mix of venues contributed to the festival’s success.
If you weren’t able to attend, there is always next year.