Events

1UpState GAME EXPO IS BACK FOR YEAR 2 with Expanded Programming and Participation

October 9, 2024 By Corey Aldrich

Super excited to be helping to get the word out on this exciting and growing video gaming conference. Expo Founder Anthony Rossi reached out to ACE! and Discover Albany when 1UpState was just a long shot idea about a year in advance of the 2023 inaugural event. His passion was contagious and he was building excitement in small to mid-sized regional studios and regional educational institutions for his idea. Last year was a great success and the vibe was on point. This year is building on that progress with great vendors, presenters and a headline sponsorship from Warner Bros. Games. I spoke with Anthony and this years keynote speaker Jason Dela Rocca to get a better idea of what we can expect and how our region can better position itself in the gaming industry.

Jason Dela Rocca : *Investor, Game Funding Advisor and Ecosystem Strategist* / *Event Keynote*
Anthony Rossi : *Co-Producer and Organizer at 1UpState* | Photo(s): Provided

Can you both share / sketch out a bit about your background and how you came to be involved in the gaming industry?

ANTHONY: My current favorite joke is that “I have been playing Final Fantasy since before it had a number in the title!” So really, I grew up with gaming as a hobby and just simply never gave it up. After I graduated college, I started to dip into what would be known now as being a “Content Creator“, with my most endeavor being a podcaster under the title, “Videogame Crosstalk” where I would interview people who work in the tech or science industry or involved in the gaming community. As for the gaming industry in my current capacity, it really started when I posed the question to the community of the Tech Valley Game Space as to whether or not people would want to put together a larger local showcase event. Turns out one had been started, but never gained enough traction to be brought into being. They graciously invited me into the group to try to revive it, off we went! I currently work in Project Management as my day job, so for the entire process of organizing 1UpState my role is purely to be the organizer. This is what allowed me to view the endeavor as a whole, break down the aspects into manageable parts, and direct those who do have a deeper understanding in game development to guide decisions to better serve our audience.

JASON: I’ve been in the game industry for nearly 30 years! In the mid-90s there were no game schools or degrees, barely a book or two on making games, and the Internet barely existed. It always seemed like games were made by robots in Tokyo.

My education is a mix of business and tech, but I never really had the pure game making skills to actually make games. So, I have mostly worked in a supporting role, helping build community and support structures that enable game developers to succeed. I was the Executive Director of the IGDA (International Game Developers Association) for 9 years. I co-founded the first venture-backed game incubator in the world, called Execution Labs. We invested in 25 indie game studios and nurtured them to make awesome games. I also do a bunch of advisory/consulting work with governments around the world on how best to invest, grow and support their local game ecosystem.

All that said, I do have a few credits to my name. One of my first credits was a “Special Thanks” in the original Baldur’s Gate back in 1998!

Anthony, you have a pretty demanding day job, what made you decide to invest the time and effort to create 1UpState? I know it’s pretty time-consuming planning an event of this scale!

ANTHONY: I wanted it to be done RIGHT. When you go to enough of them, you begin to see the commonalities of their setup and design, and what does or does not work. As gaming has become more popular, I noticed organizers were still treated gaming as an activity for children while completely ignoring the fact that people are holding on to gaming as their personal downtime hobby later in life, and that games have matured into a full art form of their own.

As for the time aspect, the main thing to understand is that I am not organizing this by myself. I am working with a full team to help organize all of this! Internally, I have been working with Jamey Stevenson, Chris Spahn, and Lilly McAvoy. Additionally, I am working with Richard Lin of Agora Media, Dane Jennings for sponsorship solicitation, Andrew Bugenis for videography, and of course the amazing staff of the Albany Capital Center to manage all the other many, MANY details! And of course, the many volunteers to help work the event itself to make sure the exhibitors have what they need and that everything runs smoothly.

What would you say are some of the challenges to creating critical mass in a region that is trying to build a sustainable gaming economy?

JASON: One of the big challenges is properly supporting/nurturing entrepreneurship. Many regions are full of talented and passionate game makers, but they often remain on the sidelines, tinkering away as hobbyists or weekend warriors. That’s wonderful and great to see. But, how do you enable those folks (at least the ones that want to) make the leap to becoming professional game makers and earning a living?

This is compounded by the fact that most schools teaching games do not offer any business/marketing related courses, and generally try to funnel graduates to entry level jobs at big studios…. often out of state. So, when a region doesn’t have a large employer base, the schools are reinforcing brain drain rather than enabling entrepreneurship and pushing graduates to create new studios… effectively making their own jobs!

Last year seemed pretty successful for a 1st year initiative. I found the programming to be diverse and inclusive. How is this year shaping up? What can folks expect experientially if they attend the conference?

ANTHONY: 1UpState is a “bridge” between the consumer focused convention style event, such as the various Comic-Cons or Geek Fests, and the professional Conferences. This will be the key point to keep in mind as you plan your attendance to the event. After you pass by the registration tables, the main hall will be several rows of exhibitors. These exhibitors will be mainly small, local game developers, whether they are showcasing the game that they have built by themselves, with a small team, or they may be a student team from a local university. There will also be other supporting organizations that helped bring 1UpState into its current state, such as Tech Valley Game Space, Empire State Development, Retro Game Con, and others. And finally, since everyone enjoys them, there will be a few crafters putting up their gaming centric wares for sale.

As for panel discussions, there will be a variety of topics covered, and they will mostly be 30min micro-talks. Topics covered will be more developmental focused, intended for those between the beginner/student to intermediate level game developer. This way the topics are accessible to those who are interested in game development while still being interesting enough for those who have some experience on their resume. We also pay special attention to diversity and representation when accepting panel and speaker applications. We want to be sure that our selection of speakers and topics matches the representation of the gaming community, even if it means declining some pretty great sounding applications.

At the current time, we plan to have about 38 exhibitor tables and 9 panel sessions, including a Keynote speaker. There will also be concessions during the duration of the event and a “Quiet Room” where attendees can take a break from the lights and noises without having to leave the venue.

Anything you particularly excited about this year?

ANTHONY: Absolutely! Aside from some of the amazing speakers, we are also adding two very special items to the program! First, we will be having a small business workshop conducted by Destiny Watkins from the Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region. The workshop will focus on understanding business finances and setting yourself up as a business entity. This will help those who are interested in starting their own game development studio or company to set themselves up for success from the beginning. The other item we have will be a separate play-testing area for board game developers. In the back of Meeting Room 2C, there will be a set of tables set up and managed by a local board gaming group, Spielbany. Here, attendees will be able to play board games that are currently being created and provide feedback to the designers themselves, in real time, as they play!

Jason, what recommendations would you make to folks like Anthony and the 1UpState team who are trying to build that synergy?

JASON: Keep pushing! Consistency is critical. Look for opportunities to always mix in business/marketing in the content. Game makers love to talk about their craft — and that’s important — but we need chances to feed them their business broccoli as well 😉 Further, case studies are always inspiring. Bringing in folks that have made that leap, to share their stories, to advise and inspire others. It becomes more relatable than just a grizzled veteran like me sharing wisdom.

Ultimately, it requires the 1UpState team to think deeply about what the local community needs to succeed, and then try to fill those gaps as much as possible.

Is there still time for folks to get involved? What is the best way for individuals to find out more about the schedule and programming?

ANTHONY: At this point, we are simply finalizing the last remaining bits and pieces of the event and sending info out to have our program designed and printed. All information is being added to our main webpage, 1upstate.com, which also includes links to all of our socials. We’ll be making announcements as things get finalized, so be on the lookout for those and more!

Write This Way : A Conversation w/ SONG CITY’s Scott Womer

April 2, 2024 By Corey Aldrich

About two years ago, I started seeing and hearing about something called Song City. The branding was tight, it felt like something important was happening. Eventually, I realized that it was in fact a local phenom. These shows, upstairs at the RUCK have a very organic feel. Played in a round, musicians all interacting with and feeding off one another – the vibe is very intimate. I caught up with Scott Womer to find out more about the overall program mission and direction and to get a peek under the covers to see what makes this series tick.

Song City *Founder and Director*, Scott Wormer | Image: Kiki Vassilakis (*with edits*)

Please state your name, what you do and any relevant background info.

My name is Scott Womer, Songwriter and the Founder / Director of Song City in Troy New York. During the day, I work as a Litho Technician at Global Foundries in Malta. On the education front, I hold a BA from Gordon College.

Song City w/ Caitlin Barker at the RUCK in Troy, New York 01.10.23 | Image: Kiki Vassilakis

I know you’re a musician yourself. What motivated you to put together the SONG CITY series. What is your mission and goals for the program?

In 1995, I moved from Albany to Nashville, in hopes of getting more music opportunities. It’s a humbling experience to move from a small music scene to one of the premier music cities of the world, where there are thousands of people doing what you do, and doing it much better. Having seen that happen multiple times, I decided to alter my goals. Over the next 5 years, I had tremendous experiences working at a record label, doing session work, learning to write, forming a band, and recording an EP.

The greatest thing I learned in Nashville was the power of a song. Beyond techniques, abilities, and trends, the song is what changes lives. Much of this lesson happened at a venue called The Bluebird Cafe. A staple in Nashville, the Bluebird featured weekly showcases, featuring 4 local songwriters, mostly known for their writing of songs by all our favorite country stars. This is also the venue where artists such as Taylor Swift and Keith Urban were discovered. The weakness of the Bluebird at that point in their history, was that they were a single-genre showcase. Not only does that lack in variety, more importantly, it conditions the audience to think that this is the only style of songwriting. At the time, I had no idea how that observation would affect my future.

Song City w/ Amani O at the RUCK in Troy, New York 6-13-23 | Image: Kiki Vassilakis

Years later, when I moved back to Troy NY, and was so energized by the talent and variety of the local music scene, I felt compelled to do whatever I could to help it grow. After writing and recording a project under the name Fenton Hardy during Covid, I realized how important it is to be part of an artistic city. Community is at the heart of every effective movement. So, I took what I had experienced at the Bluebird, and expanded it to include all genres. Some of our greatest writers are hip hop artists, jazz artists, alternative and avant-garde artists, and they deserve a place at the table. This not only creates respect for all styles of songwriting, but expands the audience’s experience and musical taste.

Song City at the Ruck in Troy, New York | Image: Kiki Vissilakis

Our home at The Ruck is integral to the success of Song City. One day, Dave Gardell, owner of my neighborhood bar, The Ruck, contacted me about bringing music back to their venue. They were interested in concerts and an open mic, and asked me to run those events. What I didn’t know was that there is a second and third floor to the Ruck that was beautiful and fairly unused. I instantly realized this was the room I was looking for.

Beyond the Song City showcase, we also host a monthly songwriting community called The Open Floor which began simply as a monthly open mic. We have a “Song Challenge” at each month’s Open Floor that has become the major draw for each of these evenings. On the first day of each month, I post a phrase. The writers then have the rest of the month to write a song using that phrase, and perform it at The Open Floor, on the fourth Tuesday of each month. It is in no way a competition for us. It’s purely a motivational tool to keep us consistently writing. The second half of each Open Floor is a time for everyone that wrote for the challenge to play their song for each other. It’s amazing to see how many ways a phrase can be used. I often write a song myself for the challenge, and it’s significantly improved my songwriting.

Song City at the RUCK in Troy, New York | Image: Kiki Vassilakis

As a producer, I can attest to the challenge of producing music shows where folks get paid and there’s a little change left at the end of the night. How have you structured the business side to pull all that off?

Most local artists can not afford management. And because of this, they deal with being double-booked, underpaid, cancelled last minute, and under-publicized. They deserve to be taken care of. Because of this, going into Season 2, I raised the ticket price by 50%, so that I could raise their pay by the same percentage. Additionally, We also where able to help support the program via grant funding we secured through The Arts Center of the Capital Region. The events are highly publicized, given a generous bar tab, a comp ticket, and one of the nicest green rooms in the 518. We also hire the best music photographer in the capital district, Kiki Vassilakis, to shoot each showcase, of which the artists are given all of these photos to use for their own use. As much as I would love to make my living serving the local music community, we currently are at a place where we can pay all involved, artists, audio engineer, and photographer.

Song City at the RUCK in Troy, New York 09.12.23 | Image: Kiki Vassilakis

I believe you were the recipient of the NYSCA Re-grant program through the Arts Center of the Capital Region. Can you share a little but about why you feel like programs such as this are important to the sustainability of our creative community?

The days of musicians making money through their recorded music are over. As much as music streaming has increased the general public’s ability to have access to more music than anytime in history, it has also stripped away the musicians’ ability to make a living off their recorded music. Spotify currently pays artists approximately $0.003 per stream on average. That means for every 1000 plays on Spotify, an artist will make approximately $4.00. And from 2024 onwards, artists will also need to hit a minimum number of listeners to make their track eligible for royalty payments. Therefore, if artists are truly going to make money through their art, they need to be performing shows often and being paid well. They also need to be selling merch and physical copies of their music. So there is a greater need than ever for the public to support the local artists, beyond streaming their music.

Song City’s Ink Retreat 2023 at YMCA’s Silver Bay | Image: Kiki Vassilakis

The final piece of the current Song City universe is a yearly songwriting retreat called Ink. Last year, we were honored to be awarded a $5000 Community Arts Grant through the NYSCA and The Art Center of the Capital Region which helped fund the program. Many songwriters applied and 10 were chosen, to spend 3 nights at a lodge on Lake George, part of the YMCA Silver Bay property. Like Song City, we encouraged writers of all genres to apply, R & B, indie-pop, alt-rock, folk, hip hop etc. The days were a combination of individual writing, collaborations, daily walks, amazing food, and nightly gatherings around the fireplace sharing our songs. We read and discussed Rick Rubin’s brilliant book “The Creative Act” and used some of his techniques to change how we normally write. We also had a small demo studio and engineer in-house to capture the new songs. And ultimately concluded with a showcase here in Troy, featuring the songs written on the retreat, as well as a live recording and film of that show.

Anything you have coming up you would like to share with our audience to keep them in the loop? Long term plans etc?

The next few months are busy at Song City. We have 3 showcases left in Season 2, with the next one happening on Tuesday, April 9, at 7:30pm, hosted by The Ruck in Troy. This month we are featuring jazz saxophonist Awan Rashad, TJ Foster, frontman for the local rock band E.R.I.E., alt-pop artist, John Glenn from LiketheAstronaut, and contemporary folk songwriter Kate McDonnell. The Open Floor songwriting community continues to meet every 4th Tuesday. We are beginning to plan 2024’s Ink Retreat, and we are getting ready to release a special recording of the showcase we did this last year, featuring live performances of the artists and songs written on 2023’s retreat!

Watch for all of this on songcitytroy.com and Instagram at @songcitytroy. If you would like more information, would like to be involved, or would be interested in supporting Song City, you can reach me directly at songcitytroy (@) gmail.com.

Albany’s Newest Secret Sauce : Diane Eber on ‘Hatching the EGG’

January 31, 2024 By Corey Aldrich

I first met Peter Lesser (Previous Executive Director of the EGG) many years ago through an introduction from Ellen Sinopoli. I was on the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company board of directors at the time and had stopped by Ellen’s office in The EGG. I was really blown away by the architecture and the excellent programming that Peter was bringing there…to the tune of over 200 events and upwards of 70K attendees per year! After 22 years, the time came and Peter moved on to spend more time with his family on the West Coast. Since then, after an exhaustive search, a new Executive Director has joined on to take up the mantle. Diane Eber is fun, energized, no nonsense and ready to honor that legacy while moving it forward for a new paradigm, in a new time. I caught up briefly with her to get a sense of who she is and what that will look like.

Diane Eber, Executive Director at The EGG in Albany, New York | Image: Provided

Please tell us your current title and what that entails on a daily basis. Also, a brief synopsis of your previous career experience and education.

My name is Diane Eber and I am Executive Director of The Egg in Albany, New York. My day is usually spent in LOTS of meetings with various partners / staff members / artists / agents / OGS / funders. Then if I have time I try and squeeze in some emailing and dreaming of future programming. I try to always prioritize creative time and make sure I spend at least SOME of my day thinking about ART which is why I do this work.

I am a music nerd at heart – raised by 2 musicians, I was on the path of being a classical clarinetist and then found my true passion was in the magic of bringing together an artist and an audience. I discovered my love for this path booking shows at Vassar College and then went on to work at a booking agency and followed by Warner Music Group, a major record label. I eventually landed at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn. In college I was a Psychology Major but spent most of my days learning the ins and outs of the music business and booking as many shows as I could pull together.

Courtney Barnett at Solid Sound Festival 2019 | Image: WFUV Public Radio

The EGG is an important institution on so many levels for Albany with some pretty established shoes to fill following up Peter’s (Peter Lesser) legacy. Can you share a bit about how you plan to continue that track record of stability while building a new institutional direction that addresses current needs and changes in the industry and attendee preferences?

Yes – Peter built SUCH an amazing legacy and what an incredible history of artists who have graced these 2 stages. I am humbled to try to fill his foot steps. It will be a gradual path to breathe new life into The Egg and I will be making small incremental changes as I go.

Right now I am mostly listening and learning about the community and the history and starting to have big dreams about how we can ‘Hatch The Egg.’ I have already brought in a marketing person who is amazing and it’s the first time The Egg has had a marketing person since the ’90s! I also made the bold (somewhat controversial) move to allow beverages into both theatres. I believe strongly that art is for everyone and that the experience of going to the theatre should not feel elitist. Part of making the experience comfortable is having a drink in your hand. I hope to attract new audiences and create buzz and excitement about this incredible space.

Sarah Jarosz Plays The EGG | Image: Claude Sawyer

Steve Lukather Shreds – TOTO at The EGG 2023 | Image: Claude Sawyer

In our recent conversation, you discussed finding new ways to incorporate a creative community ecosystem into the space and programming. Can you share a bit about that?

Creativity is at the core of everything I do and is so important to cultivate and help grow. I would love for The Egg to really be defined by it’s ‘ellipsoidal structure‘ (literally that is what the Enabling Legislation document calls the building – ‘ellipsoidal structure’ – I LOVE that!). At the core of The Egg we are a space with no straight lines where art and creativity can thrive and push artistic boundaries. I took this job because I love the idea of building a curatorial identity for The Egg where the building itself is the primary creative grounding.

The EGG in Albany, New York | Image: John Bellm

Interior Shot of The EGG in Albany, New York | Image: Provided

For programmatic initiatives: the big vision is to lean into the building – tell the story of its history and invite audience to engage with not just what is happening onstage but with the building itself – outside and in. Think of The Egg as a blank canvas for art. We are currently developing a couple of approaches on that front. ‘The Egg Incubates‘ – where we will incubate and support new work and premiere it on our stages and, ‘Expansion‘ – a series where we invite audience and artists to expand their minds and curate a series that goes beyond our current state of being.

2023 Steve Hackett at the EGG | Image: Timothy H. Raab

Part of breathing new life into The Egg is the branding and visual identity. You will see a shift in our graphic presence as well as the development of an authentic, individualized voice on social media. The Egg will be a place for engagement not just show announcements. This is all still a work in process as we develop these ideas more concretely for the next season. Consider this an ACE! insider sneak peak!

To follow along, check us out on social media and specifically, watch these 2 hash tags: #hatchtheegg #spottheegg

The Egg is such a striking part of the Albany skyline, history and ecosystem…it’s amazing where you can #spottheegg!

2023 Upcoming Shows at The EGG | Image: Provided

What’s the best way for folks to explore collaboration opportunities with The EGG?

Reach out to me via email! Diane (@) theegg.org

Always happy to connect – but just be patient if I don’t respond right away – my inbox is CRAZY 😉

Caffé Lena’s Sarah Craig Activates the Power of Music to Heal Community…Literally

November 2, 2023 By Corey Aldrich

I have been a big fan of Sarah Craig for a long time. Several years ago, I was producing an annual music series in Saratoga for Universal Preservation Hall. The second year in, I reached out to Sarah to co-create the 2015 season. The idea was to have a feel good moment with some inter-institutional collaboration – a cross pollination of audience. Working with her and the Caffe Lena team up close and personal helped hone my idea of what true mission orientation is. It’s in their DNA.

Being a big fan of what the O+ Festival in Kingston is doing for creatives and healthcare, I was super excited to see a similar program being promoted last month (October) at Caffe Lena. I just had to hear more about it and get a general update on the good things we see coming out of Saratoga that have Sarah’s fingerprints all over them.

Sarah Craig, Executive Director at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs NY | Image Provided

Please state your name and role in the organization. How long have you been in this role? Can you share a little about your background?

I’m Sarah Craig, the Executive Director of Caffe Lena. I’ve held that title for 28 years, but the designation today bears little resemblance to the job I was first hired for. When I came on board in 1995, I had four years of experience fundraising for a nonprofit disarmament organization in Boston. I had also put in some years as an activist on LGBT and women’s issues and the war in Central America. Though I loved music, and in fact was totally immersed in the folk music of the late ’50s/60s Folk Revival at the time I applied to Lena’s, I wasn’t seeing the job as an extension of my peace work. I just felt like it was a nice way to make a living for a while. But over the years, my understanding of the role of arts in creating a healthy world has evolved. I’ve come to believe that, actually, the arts are our best hope for hanging onto our humanity in a world that increasingly commodifies and separates us.

Historic Image of an Audience at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY | Photo: Provided

Historic Image of Performers Warming up at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY | Image: Provided

When I first arrived, Caffe Lena was still finding its way as a nonprofit following the unexpected death of its owner, Lena Spencer, about five years earlier. We did an open mic and three shows a week. That was the entire output. The board hired me as the organization’s first Executive Director in an effort to move the Caffe toward more community service, develop a larger membership base, and find new ways to fund programming. We were on a slow, steady growth curve for about 20 years, but since the renovation and expansion of our venue in 2017, we’ve seen rapid growth. Pre-renovation, I had become an expert at keeping things going in a climate of extreme scarcity. Post-renovation, I struggled to manage our growing resources–both funds and staff. But I love to learn, and I’m doing a pretty good job now. I don’t have a direct role in managing shows anymore (I really miss it!) but having this fabulous staff has created very exciting opportunities to explore the potential of the organization to make a difference beyond putting on shows.

New Exterior of Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs NY | Image: Provided

Can you tell us more about what the overall goals are at Caffe Lena what types of programming you are running there? How long has it been in existence?

The venue opened in 1960 at the peak of the Folk Revival, when folk was all the rage and there were hundreds and hundreds of folk clubs across the country. Most of that scene started fading in the late ’60s, and it was largely a memory by the ’80s. But Lena hung on in Saratoga, and when she died her friends decided to keep the place going as a nonprofit. Before she died, it achieved the distinction of being the longest running folk music venue in the country. Caffe Lena is a link to a hugely influential era in American music, and now it’s a fabulous venue full of new music, and it’s reimagining the role of a small music venue in creating healthy communities.

Caffé Lena Promotional Flyers | Image: Provided

The list of programs we run is too long to print here, but it all boils down to music, connection, and learning. Here’s a typical week: four+ concerts by nationally touring headliners, a very popular alcohol-free open mic, a daytime jam circle for seniors, after-school group lessons for kids, and ‘Caffe Lena On the Road,’ which is a program that sends national acts to play for free at shelters, our local soup kitchen, nursing homes and schools.

My daily reminder-to-self goes like this: embrace music as an antidote to division and a path to health, as an alternative to the embattled society. I know it sounds pie-in-the-sky, but it’s honestly the lens through which I see this work. So, to answer your question about our overall goal: heal division and create health by bringing diverse people together to experience something emotional, thought-provoking and genuine.

Live Performance at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY | Image: PPP

Over the last few years, your programming has expanded into new areas that support a larger and more diverse communities. Can you share a bit about this evolution? I am especially excited about some of the collaborative connections you are making with other regional institutions like SPAC.

As far as collaboration among Saratoga arts organizations, I credit SPAC CEO Elizabeth Sobol with opening that door. Not too many people in her position would see a small organization like Caffe Lena as a valuable ally. But she does, and it’s mutual, and that has created wonderful cooperation between our organizations. We do an annual festival together, and we’re doing some off-season shows together in Spa Little Theater. And we get together and talk about stuff because we’re very much on the same page regarding the healing potential of the arts.

What’s a little more unexpected is our work with nonprofits outside the arts sector. We launched the aforementioned Caffe Lena ‘On the Road in 2018.‘ Our collaboration with social service organizations led me to realize that our community is packed with organizations that are trying to make the world healthier by treating addiction, supporting prisoners, housing people, building nature trails, preserving historic architecture, etc. I realized that we all have the same underlying motivation. And I also realized that the people these organizations are serving are like the characters our artists are singing about on our stage every night. Like folk ballads in the real world. So, that led me to launch an annual event called ‘TrueSongs,’ happening this year on November 11, as well as a ‘Community Classroom‘ series and a monthly nonprofit meet-up called ‘Serving Saratoga : Conversations with Community Leaders.’ This is how we’re drawing on our folk roots and reinventing how a small music venue can make an impact in its community.

Youth Programming at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY | Image: Provided

The Grace Kelly Band Live at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY | Image: Provided

Recently I was super excited to see you offer a health screening for creatives clinic for regional artists and musicians. Can you share a bit about this program specifically and how it came to be? How did you get the interest of your project partners lined up to make this a reality? Do you feel it was a success?

I go to music conferences where MusiCares, a project of the Grammy Foundation, funds dental clinics. Pretty much no working musicians have dental insurance, so the queue is out the door! After a show at Lena’s one night, Jill Burnham, who is a Saratoga blues singer and a nurse, approached me with the idea of doing something to address the health needs of uninsured musicians, and based on my conference experience, I knew what that could look like. The clinic we just held was the second annual. It got off the ground because Jill got Saratoga Hospital involved, and Saratoga Hospital got their Saratoga Community Health Center (free clinic) and Hudson Headwaters on board. And then the Caffe’s Operations Director, Mateo Vosganian, Drummer for Wild Adriatic, worked out a plan for holding the clinic in our performance space and he got all of his uninsured musician friends to show up and get checked out. In year one, the medical staff found some serious issues that needed attention, and they hooked those people up with meds and insurance. Amazing! After year one, Mateo and Jill realized there was no reason to limit the clinic to musicians. So this year, they put it out to all creatives, and attendance doubled. People are so terrified of finding out they have some medical condition that will require treatment that they avoid doctors. Well, this clinic is free, it’s in a familiar setting, the follow-up care is free, you can get free eyeglasses, you can get free custom ear protection that normally costs $200+. Again, I say amazing!

Caffé Lena Health Clinic for Creatives | Image: Provided

Is this a program that you are looking to continue? If so, how can other relevant organizations get on board to participate? Thinking specifically of sponsors and care providers…

MusiCares and BroadwayCares and O+ Festival in the Hudson Valley are organizations dedicated to this kind of service. Locally, Southern Adirondack Musicians Fund* (SAM Fund) has been helping out musicians with cash to address medical emergencies for years. We will keep our annual clinic going, and we would more than welcome medical and insurance providers to connect their services with our artist community through this event. Having a multi-year sponsor to underwrite the costs would be a dream come true. Just reach out to Mateo (mateo@caffelena.org) with ideas or offers or questions.

Any programming or events you have coming up that you are especially excited about and would like to share?

Check out ‘TrueSongs‘ on November 11. It pairs songwriters with local people who have been helped through some big life challenge by a local nonprofit. The person tells their story on stage, and the songwriter performs an original song that gets to the emotional heart of that person’s journey. So, we’ve got a night coming where Sean Rowe, Holly McGarry of Honeysuckle, and other amazing songwriters are working with a person who lost their sight, an autistic child whose life was transformed by working with horses, a person who nearly lost her family farm, and more. You’ll see the true story of our world, and it won’t bum you out. And if you want just a normal, fabulous night of music, the list of options is endless. Roots, Jazz, Global, acoustic music of every kind. Exquisite sound–really the best anywhere. A seat no more than 30′ from the stage. Caffe Lena is a wonderful place to see a show!

Live Performance at Caffé Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY | Image: Provided

EDITORS NOTE: *The Southern Adirondack Musicians (SAM) Fund is a not for profit (501 C 3) corporation dedicated to providing emergency financial assistance to musicians and their families who are facing serious, catastrophic health issues, injuries and death. A volunteer and locally oriented charity (serving Saratoga, Washington and Warren Counties), the S.A.M Fund’s mission is to keep the “wolf from the door” for those in need.

Video Game Composer Tommy Talarico Joins Forces with the ASO for VIDEO GAMES LIVE!

September 28, 2023 By Corey Aldrich

I played a lot of video games in high school. The arcade at lunch (Gauntlet and Galaga were my favorites) followed by the couch at my best friend Dustin’s house after school (Laser Gates on the Atari). My how things have progressed. This issue we catch up with a gentleman who has been helping that progression on the music front. Our interview with Tommy Talarico is in preparation to hear what that sounds like live and in person when he joins the Albany Symphony Orchestra for the internationally acclaimed Video Games LIVE performance in early October 2023.

Tommy Talarico Plays Video Games Live | Photo: Provided

Please state your name, where you are from and profession / title.

Tommy Tallarico – Born and raised in Springfield, MA but have been living in Southern California for over 3 decades. Have been a video game composer and sound designer for over 33 years. I started Video Games Live over 20 years ago (2002) and have performed over 525 shows in 42 countries around the world.

Video game music is kind of specialized, how did you get into this profession, what was the path for you?

My two greatest loves growing up were video games and music. But I never thought I could ever put the two together because there was no such thing as a video game composer in the 70’s! When I was 21 I got in my car and drove to California. I was homeless, didn’t have any friends out there, no job, etc. The day I got there I picked up a newspaper and got a job at Guitar Center selling keyboards. The first customer who walked in the following day was a producer who worked for Richard Branson who was starting a Virgin video game company. I was wearing a video game t-shirt so we struck up a conversation and he gave me a job as a video game tester. I was in California about 3 days and was already in the video game industry. I would beg and bug the Vice-President of the company to let me do music when needed. They gave me a shot to translate, compose and do sound design for the Gameboy version of Prince of Persia, which was a huge game at the time. I won a bunch of awards while at Virgin so they made me the full time audio person. In 1994 I left Virgin after 4 years and started my own company so I could do contracts for all the different game companies.

Can you give us some highlights, interesting projects and games you have worked on. Any favorites?

There was a big game in the early to mid 90’s called Earthworm Jim that myself and 8 friends created and worked on together. We were the same group of guys who had done the award winning Cool Spot and Disney’s Aladdin video games for the Sega Genesis. Creating something on our own, with good friends and something for which we owned a part of and became hugely successful, was definitely a highlight. Doing the audio design for Tony Hawk’s Pro-Skater was also a great experience as none of us working on the project at the time had any idea on how successful it was going to be.

Working with Stan Lee on Spider-Man, working with the original Sonic team on a Sonic game and helping the original Guitar Hero team get tracks from the music industry were also big highlights. Two of the biggest highlights though were working with my two biggest childhood heroes. I worked with Muhammad Ali over a 6 month period in 1992 for the Muhammad Ali boxing game on the Sega Genesis and then a year later in 1993 I worked with Slyvestor Stallone for a week on the Demolition Man video game. They were both a dream come true and I have so many incredible stories about both.

What inspired you to move from the console to the real world symphonic environment? Any special moments to share in this area?

I always wanted to use REAL instruments for video game music. In fact, one of the first times a real guitar was used in a video game was for The Terminator game on the Sega-CD. The technology made this possible because instead of having to store everything into a small game cartridge, you could now just record real music and real instruments and have it play off of a CD! I remember some of the producers from the game feeling a little shocked that the rock music we were doing was “real” and that it didn’t match the 16-bit graphics of the game. They felt at the time that it sounded out of place. Only because they had never really heard real music with a video game before. Luckily, the soundtrack to The Terminator ended up winning multiple BEST MUSIC Awards throughout the industry. Once the CD technology arrived, it ended up becoming the norm moving forward.

A lot of you people into music fantasize about having their work in a video game. Any suggestions on how to break into that arena?

Yes! For sure! Join the Game Audio Network Guild or G.A.N.G. as it is commonly referred to. It is a non-profit organization I founded over 20 years ago. So much great information and networking one could do by joining.

You’ll also want to attend the Game Sound Conference which happens once a year in Los Angeles and the Game Developers Conference which happens once a year in San Francisco.

Like most careers, networking is a HUGE part in getting your foot in the door and becoming successful.

Anything on the radar that you would like to share with us? It can be more than one thing!

I would encourage people to please check out our six Video Games Live albums. I think that most people who aren’t familiar with video game music will get a huge surprise as to the quality. That is why Video Games Live has become so popular and successful over two decades. The music and the experience is really for everyone, not just hardcore gamers. The storylines, visuals, characters and of course the MUSIC is really exemplary in every sense of the word. Some of the greatest letters and e-mails we’ll get after a performance are from the non-gamers in the audience saying… “I never knew!“

You can also catch me in Albany on Sunday, October 8 playing with the Albany Symphony Orchestra…see you there!

EDITORS NOTE: Click on the image below for tickets. Use code : ACE20 for a 20% discount!