REVIEW: NOYK Presents the Tortured Poets Series at Jive Hive Live
6/9 @ Jive Hive Live, Albany
Photos by Debi Gustafson
“Tucked away on private property in a renovated carriage house, the Jive Hive is accessible only to those who’ve been made aware of its presence. It serves as a sort of magical portal to a realm of pure creative community. It made a perfect scene for an event like the Tortured Poets Series from No One You Know Presents.”
During one of the brief intermissions in Monday night’s Tortured Poets Series installment, Jive Hive Live purveyor Tom O’Connor leaned over and said, “It’s like industry night in here, with all the people from the music scene.” But then again, we agreed, every night at the Jive Hive tends to feel that way. Tucked away on private property in a renovated carriage house turned performance space and live streaming/recording studio, the Jive Hive is accessible only to those who’ve been made aware of its presence. It serves as a sort of magical portal to a realm of pure creative community. It made a perfect scene for an event like the Tortured Poets Series from No One You Know Presents, which kicked off last year raising money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and recently earned recognition from the Eddies Awards.
Justin Charles kicked the night off, introducing his best friend Chris to accompany him on acoustic guitar for his opening set as he launched into a stripped down cover of “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus that got things started on a nostalgic note. A standalone vocalist feels like a rare thing to see in an acoustic performance, and Charles’ voice possesses a pure, clean power that stands out in the stripped down setting and would have him right at home on any radio station putting music on the airwaves. He went on to further demonstrate his alt-pop chops on his original song “Angel,” a lyric of which was also emblazoned on his t-shirt. The song features a hypnotic yet driving guitar lick that compliments the vocals tremendously, and the chorus is imbued with a catchiness that will have you moving, grooving, and humming along.
Next up was Sabrina Trueheart, sporting a nifty instrument known as an omnichord which I’d never seen used in person before. I’ve seen Sabrina a handful of times before, performing mostly with acoustic guitar. If you’re in the same boat, I just have to tell you to go and watch this performance on YouTube right now (did I mention many of the Jive Hive’s shows are available for live stream and playback?!)—it’s got an entirely new energy, with the omnichord adding a dreamy, synth-pop feel to her heartfelt songwriting and her dreamy and comforting, yet firm and powerful vocals. Sabrina never seems satisfied with giving the standard performance each time she takes the stage; she’s full of surprises, always looking to bring the audience a novel experience as evidenced by her choice of instrumentation for this set.
After Sabrina came Caity Gallagher, another terrific local singer-songwriter fresh off of some wins at the 2025 Eddies, who I’ve had the pleasure of not only watching, but sharing a stage with before. Caity is a pro’s pro; she’s comfortable on stage and has an easygoing yet commanding presence while performing. That presence is only enhanced by a matching vocal performance, which features lyrics relating the thoughts that cross your mind while driving home late at night, ill-fated romances that were still worth the memories. Hearing her sing feels like hanging out with a friend, swapping stories. Caity gave a signature singer-songwriter performance here, with crowd banter that had everyone feeling right at home with her.
Rounding out the night with the evening’s only full-band performance were Shannon Tehya & The Troupe. I had long been impressed with them from a distance, but my first time seeing them in-person in April, I was enthralled with their stage presentation. A sort of cross between modern power pop, 90s/2000s alternative rock, and classic theatrical show music, Tehya & The Troupe are incredibly seasoned performers prepared to put on an entertaining show every time they get on stage. Shannon is a gifted frontwoman, interacting with the crowd and dancing around the stage with whimsical ease as her talented band displays each instrument with surgical precision. It’s the type of performance that’s contagious; it gets inside you and you can’t do anything but start moving with the music. If you get the opportunity to check them out, take it and make sure you’ve got your dancing clothes ready.
All in all, it was a typical tremendous experience at the Jive Hive, only enhanced by the community that’s come to gather around No One You Know Presents over the last year. If you had seen or heard of the Tortured Poets Series and were considering checking it out, this is a fantastic place to jump in. Which, by the way, you totally can! To catch the playback of this show (and catch all future live streams from the Jive Hive, duh!) you can find it and subscribe to their YouTube channel!
The playback of this show can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/live/n3wGwj-Wvss?si=va_PxOZd3-YQIUg0
