Tupper Lake Hosts Free Music on Monday and Wednesday Nights This Summer

This summer, Tupper Lake, located a few miles west of Lake Placid, announces the return of its Summer Sunset Stage Concert Series, featuring two free concert events on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Tupper Lake makes up the Tri-Lakes region along with nearby Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, located in Franklin County. The village was the top lumber producer in New York State, first settled during the town’s lumber production period in 1844.

Since 1976, Tupper Lake has been celebrating the artists and artisans that make up the small community. Before Tupper Arts, there was the Tupper Lake arts council, then named Tupper Lake Presents. It was re-established as a community entity in 2018 when Tupper Arts Vice President Louise McNally helped plan the re-launch. Tupper Arts have grown and set up a year-round programming tradition involving the community, providing easy access to the arts.

This summer, Tupper Lake brings back the weekly live music events to the Tupper Lake Sunset Stage on Mill Street in Flanders Park, starting around 7 p.m. and ending by 8:45.

Tupper Lake Monday Summer Sunset Series Lineup

July 4- Michael Shofi, Brock Gonyea, and Folkfaces

Kicking off the series is Michael Shofi, a 25-year-old singer-songwriter living in Astoria, Queens, specializing in nature-based indie, folk music. Since he was a child, he spent the summers in Tupper Lake and is so glad to be sharing his music with the community. Brock Gonyea is a singer and songwriter from Tupper Lake with a classic country sound. Finally, Folkfaces is a New York state-based roots music quartet that plays a mix of original and traditional music, driven by songwriter and frontman, Tyler Westcott (Vocals, Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica, Kazoo) who founded the band in 2011. The lineup changes from time to time, currently including multi-instrumentalist and fiddler Brendan Gosson, upright bass player, Patrick Jackson, and percussionist Dan Schwach on drumkit and washboard. 

Hours: Michael Shofi 3 p.m. – 4:15 p.m., Brock Gonyea 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., and Folkfaces 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

July 10- The Big Takeover

The Big Takeover is a seven-piece New York band, fronted by the charismatic Jamaican-born singer and songwriter Nee Nee Rushie. They play original music that is rooted in the genres and rhythms of Jamaican pop: reggae, rocksteady, and ska while bringing in the spirit of Motown.

July 17- The Altered Tones

The Altered Tones is a four-piece band out of Long Lake consisting of guitar, bass, and drums playing a mix of acoustic and electric covers of classic alternative and rock songs.

July 24- Night School

Night School is a five-piece dance-rock band from Tupper Lake, performing some of the most popular dance hits from the past few decades and today, from The Beatles to Talking Heads, or from Rick James to The B-52’s.

July 31- Shakespeare in the Park: The Tempest

The Tempest is an abridged version of the Shakespeare classic by director Karen Lordi-Kirkham. This tale, one of Shakespeare’s most popular, involves magic, a deserted island, betrayal, comedy, and love. Performances run from July 28-Aug. 2 at various venues in the state. For more information, visit here.

Aug. 7- Annie & The Hedonists

Annie & The Hedonists interprets the songs of the great female blues artists of the 20s, 30s, and 40s, including Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Rosetta Tharpe, Ella Fitzgerald, and others while incorporating other styles like bluesy country, roots Americana, and western swing. The band is Annie Rosen on lead vocals, Jonny Rosen on guitar and vocals, Peter Davis on clarinet, tenor guitar, piano, and vocals, Don Young on bass and vocals, and Jerry Marotta on percussion/drums.

Aug. 14- An Evening with The Silks

The Silks are a true grit rock and roll band out of Providence, Rhode Island, winning two consecutive Boston Music Awards for “Blues Artist of the Year” in 2016 and 2017. The group is made up of frontman Tyler-James Kelly, Uncle Sam Jodrey on drums, Jonas Parmelee on bass, and Johnny Trama on rhythm and lead guitar.

Aug. 22- The Bob Stump Band

The Bob Stump Band highlights blues and Appalachian folk music, moving on to cover popular bluegrass, country, jazz standards, and rock music. The band features Bob Stump on guitar and vocals, Doug Moody on fiddle, Tom White on banjo, fiddle, and mandolin, and Roy Coates on the big bass.

Tupper Lake Wednesday Summer Sunset Series Lineup

July 12- New Horizons Swing Band

The New Horizons Swing Band is a part of New Horizons Bands of Northern New York, initiated by Roy Ernst, a professor at the Eastman School of Music. New Horizons was designed for seniors who wanted to learn an instrument or those who needed to restart their instrument, now an international organization. The Swing Band is made up of community members, many retired from a variety of backgrounds and careers.

July 19- Moment’s Notice

Moment’s Notice is a local, four-piece band with veteran musicians Karen Baker on keys, Mike Joyce on electric guitar/vocals, Dan Spada on electric bass/vocals, and Sadie Spada on lead vocals/percussion. They cover a wide range of genres including jazz, Latin, blues, rock, and country.

July 26- Rose & The Bros

Rose & The Bros is a group based out of Ithaca that specializes in Cajun and Zydeco music from South West Louisiana, including sweet vocal harmonies and a few crooning country classics in the mix. It started as a collective dream between Rosie Newton, internationally touring fiddle player and singer and banjo player Richie Stearns, eventually bringing in guitarist Paul Martin. The band is now complete with their rhythm section featuring Angelo Peters (leader of Big Mean Sound Machine), Greg Evans, and Sally Freund.

Aug. 2- The Midnight Stargazers

The Midnight Stargazers Cosmic Country Band is an entertaining four-piece acoustic band from Bloomingdale, NY. They play their own blend of original songs as well as many familiar classic country, country rock, and country folk tunes.

Aug. 9- Junction Jam

Junction Jam is a rock band quartet that plays music from the 60s through the 90s and will have you up dancing and singing while traveling back in time.

Aug. 16- Organ Fairchild

Organ Fairchild was created in 2020 by Jam scene mainstays Joe Bellanti, Corey Kertzie, and Dave Ruch. The trio met in 1983 as members of the Buffalo, NY, Grateful Dead cover band Wild Knights, and wrote their first original music together in 2020. They have individually played with Bob Weir, Rob Wasserman, Robbie Krieger (The Doors), Nels Cline, Tony Rice, moe., and more, and now create juicy jams and groovy tunes together.

Aug. 23- Larry Ham Quartet

Pianist, composer, and arranger Larry Ham is a veteran New York sideman, performing, touring, and recording with many great jazz artists. David Dupont of Cadence Jazz Magazine wrote, “He glides over the keys with each note articulated cleanly…his playing is masterful.”

For more information about Tupper Lakes’ Summer Sunset Stage Concert Series, happening Mondays and Wednesdays all summer long, visit here.

Comments are closed.