Albany’s Fuze Box has a new owner, with Craig Earle, a local DJ known as DJ TGIF, taking the reigns from owner William “Tragedy” Yager.
Best known as QE2 in the 80s and 90s, then owned by Charlene Shortsleeve, the venue was the home for punk, hardcore, alternative and grunge bands, welcoming rising bands, established artists and those lost from memory.
Yager purchased the venue in 2021, keeping it from falling into the hands of developers who would not maintain the music venue’s history and place in Capital Region lore.
Earle will serve as the fourth owner in the club’s storied history, bringing his experience as a musician, radio DJ (JAMZ 96.3), Program Director for Grand Street Community Radio, and is founder of the Albany Urban Arts Gallery. With this experience, Earle is poised to bring Fuze Box to a wider audience and forge from the bridge that Yager built from the previous owner.
Earle said in a Facebook post, “As of today, I’m officially the OWNER of the Fuze Box! Owning my own nightclub was a dream that I had when I first started DJing, and now 17 years later, it’s here.”
Yager will maintain ownership of the building that houses Fuze Box, and views Earle as having his heart in the right place to run the music venue.
Earle has noted that he plans to create a space for Albany’s Black community, and preserve a host of diverse events, including goth night “Hex”, queer night “Gay Sh*t” and poetry readings, as well as the music that is expected at Fuze Box, while welcoming in new fans to the club.
One series, Resist the Club, will move to Ophelia’s starting in February, bringing a diverse dark dance night on every third Friday of the month, featuring resident and guest DJs as well as live acts.
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