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July 15, 2022NipperFest Coming to Music Haven
Nippertown is hosting the area’s first-of-its-kind all-day music festival featuring local musicians from across the Capital Region. Free of charge and family-friendly, NipperFest will rock the stage in Schenectady’s Central Park on Saturday, July 23rd starting at 11 AM and going straight through until 10 PM.
The local online publication, Nippertown.com, is the result of tireless efforts by a cadre of music-loving volunteers whose aim is to promote the local music and arts scene. With its mission to support local music, hosting NipperFest seemed to be a logical project for the award-winning website.
The All-Star line-up for the inaugural NipperFest honors the best of what’s produced here in the Albany, Troy, Saratoga, and Schenectady area. It will feature 15 bands and acoustic artists totaling 11 hours of music from several Thomas Edison Music Award winners and nominees, two Capital Region Music Hall of Fame inductees, the winner of NBC’s The Voice, and some up and comers who are destined to be the next generation of hometown stars.
The festival also will play host to a slew of food trucks, so staying for the entire day is not only possible but likely a treat for your taste buds as well. Schenectady’s Central Park has playgrounds, a free pool (with lifeguards), disc golf, and a lot of space to spread out blankets to enjoy live music with your family, friends, and even your dogs.
The fifteen bands will cover two stages, the Music Haven stage and the Thomas Isabella Pavilion. Nipperfest boasts The Figgs, Sawyer Frederick, Super 400, Sirsy, and Girl Blue, to name a few of the larger acts.
The lineup includes:
The Figgs is a local band who, 35 years after forming in Saratoga Springs, are well loved and followed nationally. Mike Gent (guitar, vocals), Pete Donnelly (bass, vocals), and Pete Hayes (drums, vocals) are still going strong. They’ve served as Graham Parker’s band for multiple tours & records, toured as the backing band for Tommy Stinson (The Replacements), and were inducted into the Capital Region Music Hall of Fame and 2022 saw the release of their 16th LP, Chemical Shake.
Super 400 is comprised of Joe Daley (drums), Kenny Hohman (guitar, vocals), and Lori Friday (bass). The band formed in 1996 in Troy and quickly gained legendary status in the Capital Region. Super 400 has an electric and relentless approach to their live shows, intuitively blending a classic 60s-70s heavy rock vibe with contemporary melodic pop mastery to create something uniquely their own.
Sirsy is an indie pop-rock duo with lots of heart, soul, & sass. Sirsy plays 200+ shows per year all over the US; the married duo, Melanie Krahmer and Rich Libutti, travel across the country playing gigs out of their van. The duet manages to sound like a full band and somehow do it all with big smiles on their faces. Mel’s ability to drum while belting out vocals is a unique experience and is worth the trip to Schenectady alone. Sirsy’s fans have supported them through the pandemic, their 11 records, and Mel’s 2 bouts with cancer. Every show is like a celebration for this couple and their fans.
Sawyer Fredericks, hailing from his family farm in Fultonville, cut his teeth at the age of 13, playing local farmers’ markets, open mics, and iconic venues like Caffe Lena. With his deep, beyond-his-years original lyrics and melodies, Sawyer won over broad audiences with his unique take on classic songs, going on to win season 8 of NBC’s The Voice.
While these headliners will attract the crowds, some of the up-and-coming bands to listen for include Girl Blue, who will be accompanied by a full band Dark Honey. The ensemble’s ability to truly speak in lyrics while making beautiful sounds is remarkable.
Also, a showstopper to watch will be Erin Harke’s Band and its full sound, complete with brass and upbeat vocals. Known for her powerful cover songs, Harkes will highlight her songwriting abilities by performing her original music.
Winners from Nippertown’s annual March Madness contest, Side B, will perform also appear on the main stage, as well as last year’s champions, Glass Pony. Bad Mothers rounds out the main stage celebrating their new album released on Shooter Jenning’s Black Country Rock label.
The acoustic stage is all about the region’s emerging singer-songwriters including Reese Fulmer, Sydney Worthley, Angelina Valente, Josh Casano, Caity Gallagher, and The Tradition.
Schedule of Events
Music Performances
Putnam Place Main Stage
(Music Haven Amphitheatre)
10:55 AM Derek Wolfe (Star-Spangled Banner)
11:00 AM Side B
12:00 PM Glass Pony
1:15 PM Bad Mothers
2:30 PM Erin Harkes Band
3:45 PM Girl Blue
5:00 PM Sirsy
6:30 PM Super 400
8:30 PM The Figgs
Capital Region Living/Saratoga Living Acoustic Stage
(Thomas Isabella Pavilion)
11:30 AM The Tradition
12:45 PM Josh Casano
2:00 PM Angelina Valente
3:15 PM Reese Fulmer
4:30 PM Caity Gallagher
6:00 PM Sydney Worthley
7:30 PM Sawyer Fredericks
NipperFest is sponsored by Frog Alley Brewing, Putnam Place, Capital Region Living, Saratoga Living, Stewart’s Shops, CDPHP, Hudson Valley Community College, Capcom, Market 32, Krista Palumbo with Coldwell Banker, Forte Creative Group, Music Haven, and media sponsors WEXT and WEQX.
For more information about Nippertown and NipperFest, visit nippertown.com.
