Two bands – Karina Rykman and Quiltro – made their debut appearances in the Capital District on Thursday, December 1, performing at Albany’s Lark Hall
Karina Rykman is no stranger to Albany, having played with Marco Benevento numerous times at The Hollow and Cohoes Music Hall. Now touring with her own band, consisting of Adam November (guitar), Chris Corsico (drums), and Rykman on bass, made their first appearance in Albany with a strong crowd welcoming them to town.
Quiltro also had their first performance in Albany, with bassist Mike McKinley returning home for a long overdue hometown show. Quiltro had initially been set to play Albany in May 2020, which was left unannounced as the music industry and world around us shut down for a then indeterminable amount of time. Finally arriving home, the early crowd’s rapt attention to the psychedelic rock put forth by Mark Taylor (guitar), JD Hoffmann (drums) and McKinley.
During their 60 minute first set, Quiltro opened with a spacey jam that worked its way eventually into Hendrix’s “Third Stone From the Sun” amid “Pyxis,” the third track from their self-titled 2020 release. The set drew progressively heavier as the hour wound on, driving home the set with “Knight Riding” and “Field of Cities.” Played an introductory set to the uninitiated crowd, Quiltro warmed up the audience for Rykman, a perfect pairing this evening. McKinley and the crowd thanked all for coming to the show, particular his parents who were seated up front for the show.
Quiltro Setlist: Jam-> Pyxis-> Third Stone From the Sun -> Pyxis, Dark Matter, Apollo -> The Crater, In Reverse, Antilla, Knight Riding, Field of Cities
Rykman arrived to the stage around 930pm, flanked by November to her right and Corsico on her felt. Standing front and center, bass in hand, Rykman lit up the stage, singing “Joyride” to open the show in a soft dream-pop voice.
This power rock trio doubles as a prog rock trio at times, deconstructing songs mid-jam and building them back up again. The far reaching instrumentation of the triumvirate were fully in sync on “Plants,” one of the studio tracks that when heard live helps you fully ‘get’ the band’s sound.
November’s shredding and keys created dissonance while Karina bopped around the stage, establishing her presence as the frontwoman of this unique trio, one that brings more than just jams to the table.
Rykman channeled Tina Weymouth on the Talking Heads adjacent tune “City Kids,” which Mike Gordon would join her for two nights later at Nectar’s in Burlington. With a few shows left this tour, Rykman’s brief Northeast Tour is well worth catching, as she sets her sights on wider touring in 2023.
Karina Setlist: Joyride > All That You Wanted > Plants > Arbitrary > Dirty South, Beacon, City Kids, Fever Dream, Atom Dance, No Occasion > Psycho Killer > The Hardest Button to Button, Elevator
Quiltro and Karina Rykman photos by Zak Radick
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