PREVIEW: A Zan Strumfeld Show presents: A Night of The Kinks
03/21 @ Cohoes Music Hall
“I always say it’s a 450-seat intimate listening room. It can fit so many people, but it feels so, so intimate the way that it’s cradled into itself…”
You’ve probably heard the age-old rock ’n’ roll binary: “Beatles or Stones?” As a contrarian teenager, I used to love circumventing this question by declaring a third option… “The Kinks!”
If you’re a fan of British Invasion-era bands, Wes Anderson movie soundtracks, local live music — or any combination of the three — A Night of The Kinks is coming to the Cohoes Music Hall on Saturday, March 21, courtesy of A Zan Strumfeld Show. The event will feature Capital Region musicians including The Abyssmals, Super 400, Raurri Jennings, and Mike O'Donnell & Chris Carey (who you may recognize from last year’s Simon & Garfunkel-themed show), all covering the Kinks’ music across the many different eras of their discography.
A Night of The Kinks follows the sold-out success of A Zan Strumfeld Show’s events at Cohoes Music Hall commemorating Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Simon & Garfunkel, as well as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in recent years.
“Cohoes Music Hall is such a special place in this area,” Strumfeld says. “I used to bartend [there] for fun and I’ve seen a lot of the [larger tribute] shows they’ve put on, and they’re really cool. People go to them all the time, and I was like, ‘Why aren’t we doing this on a local level?’”
The local musicians involved in these shows were chosen by Strumfeld with their unique sound and penchant for showmanship in mind.
“The talent around here is so amazing and there’s so much variety. [I thought] we could do this and it could be a combination of giving the audience what they want, which is hearing their favorite bands from the ’60s, ’70s, whatever… but also to highlight all this amazing, original talent that lives here, too. That’s kind of how this was born.”
Cohoes Music Hall is known for its plays, musical theatre, concert shows, and even rumored to be home to a ghost — the famed vaudeville-era star Eva Tanguay.
“She literally haunts the music hall and you have to pay tribute to her in a little shrine before you perform or she will mess with your performance. That's the kind of energy of this place.”
Setting is key for planning the right fit for any performance. While the music hall is itself historic, the experience will feel fresh to those who have never attended a show there before. In terms of scale, Strumfeld tells me, “I always say it’s a 450-seat intimate listening room. It can fit so many people, but it feels so, so intimate the way that it’s cradled into itself… every time I’ve played there I was like, all I want is for more local acts to be able to feel this feeling.”
Tuck in for a night of vintage sound that’s close to home in a cozy, cherished setting among friends… and strangers. “We are not two, we are one!”
Purchase your tickets at thecohoesmusichall.org. Tickets are $25 - $35. Cohoes Music Hall is located at 58 Remsen Street, Cohoes, NY 12047.
