Park News Article
Ten Must-See Live Shows Coming to Albany in February
February 1, 2025
Welcome to February! The weather may be cold here in Albany, but the live music scene remains scorching hot this month! From renowned jam bands and unique hip-hop to lauded solo acts and blistering metal, there’s a show catering to every taste this February! Whether you’re headed uptown or downtown for your live music adventures this month, ParkAlbany’s garages and lots are always found a quick walk away from all the fun. And if you’re looking to keep the fun going, be sure to browse our extensive events calendar to start planning your next outing in New York’s Capital City!
2/7: Atmosphere at Empire Live
Recommended Parking Location: Quackenbush Garage & Riverfront Garage
Kick off your month with hip-hop duo Atmosphere at Empire Live! Comprised of rapper “Slug” (Sean Daley) and DJ/Producer “Ant” (Anthony Davis), Atmosphere has been a fixture of the Minneapolis hip-hop scene for nearly 30 years! Formed in 1996, Slug and then-member D-Spawn came together with producer Ant during their time at Washburn High School and workshopped several different names for their group, such as “Mental Subjects”, “A Rhythmic Culture”, and “Urban Atmosphere” before eventually dropping “Urban” and just being known as Atmosphere. Their debut record Overcast! was released in 1997, which was the only Atmosphere release featuring D-Spawn and Slug trading vocal duties rather than just Slug on vocals. Their song, “Scapegoat”, received widespread airplay on college radio stations, which exposed them to a much wider audience beyond the Twin Cities hip-hop scene. By 2000, D-Spawn had left Atmosphere and Slug became the sole vocalist for the group, and the rest is history! Since then, Atmosphere has released 12 studio albums, 10 EPs, and they’ve even been honored with a star outside iconic Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue, which is regarded as “the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis”! From collaborations with massive hip-hop acts to their songs appearing in the legendary Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 video game, Atmosphere is a must-see act for hip-hop fans this February!
2/8: Ominous Seapods at Lark Hall
Recommended Parking Location: On-Street
From Americana and rock to country and blues, the Ominous Seapods are an iconic Upstate New York act coming to Lark Hall this month! Formed in the late 1980s in Plattsburgh, this dynamic neo-jam band has been extensively touring and delivering their dance-worthy, groove-heavy sound to adoring fans for over 30 years! The quartet (Max Verna, Tom Pirozzi, Brian Mangini and Ted Marotta) was an integral part of the 90s jam band scene, having played alongside bands like The Disco Biscuits and moe. Ominous Seapods eventually moved to Albany to help foster their growth within the local jam scene and thanks to their near-constant live performances and the release of a live album Econobrain, they reached new heights. In 1995 after several articles in Spin, the New York Times, and the Village Voice, praised them and their unique sound along with their role in the new Capital Region jam movement. Thanks to their offbeat humor, tight grooves, and dazzling jams, the ever-evolving Ominous Seapods have remained a staple of the greater Capital Region’s music scene and continue to pack shows to this day! Their special Lark Hall show this month is set to feature mandolin/guitar virtuoso Josh Himmelsbach mixing in with their trademark psychedelic bluegrass sound, and you won’t want to miss it! Be sure to park early and explore the amazing sights and shops of Center Square before enjoying a night at Lark Hall!
2/8: Hippo Campus at Empire Live
Recommended Parking Location: Quackenbush Garage & Riverfront Garage
Named one of NPR’s favorite new artists, Hippo Campus is bringing their lauded indie rock to Empire Live this February! Drawing inspiration from notable UK artists King Krule and Little Comets, this Minnesota quintet has been on the scene since 2013. Featuring members trained in opera and jazz, the members of Hippo Campus met at the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists and came together from other local indie bands for a new rock/pop project. Their first EP Tarzan Rejects was released in 2013 and their follow-up release Bashful Creatures came out in 2014. Produced by Alan Sparhawk of the band Low, Hippo Campus later signed with Grand Jury Records and re-released Bashful Creatures on their new label to widespread acclaim. The popularity of the EP gained them spots on Conan, SXSW, and CBS This Morning! 2017 saw the release of their first full-length album Landmark, which charted on US Top Alternative/Rock Charts and featured a unique blend of rock/dance rock/post-punk revival. Since then, Hippo Campus has remained on the rise and has become a mainstay in the indie rock community, and their latest release Flood is also the name of their can’t-miss headlining tour! Whether you’re looking to rock out or simply enjoy a rising act in-person, Downtown Albany is the place to be on February 8th! Park early and grab a bite to eat from one of the many incredible nearby eateries around Empire Live beforehand!
2/14: Gratefully Yours at Lark Hall
Recommended Parking Location: On-Street
Deadheads are in for a treat this month when Gratefully Yours brings their acclaimed act to Lark Hall! Based out of New Paltz, this iconic group was formed in 2012 by keyboardist Alex Mazur, who’s also the founder of The Deadbeats, a legendary Grateful Dead tribute act. With a fierce dedication to preserving the sound and legacy of the Grateful Dead, this quintet channels the essence of the Dead with their mesmerizing improvisational skills and loyal following. Reminiscent of the original band, the band also ensures that no two setlists are the same, and they even take fan requests to perfectly curate their setlists! Fans of jam bands, the Grateful Dead, and beyond have praised Gratefully Yours for their attention to detail and open-ended, participatory shows that have made for unforgettable outings for over 12 years! Thanks to their openness, spontaneity, and musical chops, Gratefully Yours have placed themselves in a special role in both the tribute band scene and the jam band scene. Join them for a special Valentine’s Day-themed show and start your weekend with a bang this February in New York’s Capital City!
2/14: Lauren Mayberry at Empire Live
Recommended Parking Location: Quackenbush Garage & Riverfront Garage
Scottish synthpop superstar Lauren Mayberry is bringing her acclaimed solo act to Empire Live this February, and you won’t want to miss any of the action! Best known as the vocalist and percussionist of Chvrches, Mayberry has been a pop music icon since 2003! Mayberry begun her music career fronting the bands Boyfriend/Girlfriend and Blue Sky Archives, through which she was part of 5 EPs between 2007-2011. In 2011, producer/keyboardist Iain Cook produced Blue Sky Collective’s EP Plural and asked Mayberry if she’d be interested in singing backup vocals for an electronic project he and Martin Doherty were working on. The three instantly clicked, and Mayberry wrote lyrics and hooks while Doherty provided melodies and Cook produced the songs. The three settled with having Lauren as frontwoman, naming themselves Chvrches, and the rest is history! Incorporating indie pop with synthpop, electronic rock, and electropop behind Mayberry’s distinctive soprano vocals, this eclectic group has been one of the biggest names in music over the last decade! Mayberry herself has collaborated with artists Marshmello, Death Cab For Cutie, and Robert Smith, and 2023 saw the debut of her solo career with her breakout single “Are You Awake?”. This single, along with four others, were included on her debut solo album Vicious Creature, which came out last December! Featuring a variety of influences and approaches to her trademark sound, her eponymous tour is bringing this dazzling music to Downtown Albany to celebrate her new album during a highly anticipated Valentine’s Day show featuring special guest Cult Of Venus!
2/15: Weird Phishes at Lark Hall
Recommended Parking Location: On-Street
Providing an unlikely fusion of Radiohead and Phish, Massachusetts’ Weird Phishes is a truly unique act coming to the intimate quarters of Lark Hall this February! Imagine the melancholic rock of Radiohead with a mesmerizing danceable jam reminiscent of Phish; and you have Weird Phishes! A staple of the New England jam band community, this dynamic quintet rose to prominence by playing back-to-back afterparties following Phish’s performances at Fenway Park in Boston. Both Phish fans and Radiohead fans have been enchanted by this band and their live performances, and the band has earned themselves a loyal following in the Northeast jam band community thanks to their atypical fusion and lauded musical chops. Featuring guitarist/vocalist Alex Glover, violinist/vocalist Josh Knowles, bassist Pat Pingeton, drummer PJ Holaday and keyboardist/vocalist Derek Dupuis, Weird Phishes brings the unexpected to each show. Will you get full album performances or sporadic song mashups? You’ll have to experience them live to know for sure! With a distinct take on gloomy rock with funk-driven jams, Weird Phishes is a must-see act for a night of dancing, renowned musicianship, and expecting the unexpected this month in Albany!
2/16: Bilmuri at Empire Live
Recommended Parking Location: Quackenbush Garage & Riverfront Garage
The brainchild of Johnny Franck, Bimuri, is a can’t-miss show, set to bring explosive energy to Empire Live this month! Hailing from Ohio, Bilmuri is the solo project of the former clean vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Attack Attack!, an infamous electronicore band which spawned the iconic “crabcore” meme of the late 2000s from the music video for “Stick Stickly”! By 2010, Franck departed the band and formed another group named The March Ahead before forming Bilmuri in 2016. Playing on the name of actor Bill Murray, Franck released their debut album Jaguar Shark in January 2016. Still incorporating the heavier elements from Attack Attack!’s music like post-hardcore/metal, Bilmuri ventures into emo/lo-fi/indie pop all while maintaining the tongue-in-cheek humor of Attack Attack!. Today, Franck describes his solo act as “dethcore/ambient/post-jazz” and has extensively released music through his solo moniker. Since the inception of Bilmuri in 2016, there have been 14 albums, the latest of which is titled American Motor Sports and serves as the basis for the “American Motor Tour” which is completely sold out! From his online and on-stage antics to his extensive eclectic discography, Bilmuri is sure to make for an unforgettable outing this month in Downtown Albany! Start your outing early by parking at the Quackenbush or Riverfront Garages and grabbing a drink from a nearby downtown bar/restaurant before the show kicks off!
2/18: The Get Up Kids at Empire Live
Recommended Parking Location: Quackenbush Garage & Riverfront Garage
Catch The Get Up Kids, regarded as the forefathers of Midwest emo, this February at Empire Live! Formed in Kansas City in 1995, The Get Up Kids were at the forefront of the second wave of emo music and their legacy still carries on today! Initially called the “Suburban Get Up Kids”, the band dropped “suburban” due to the idea that too many bands began with the letter “S” and fewer with the letter “G”. They played their first show on the same night as their high school prom and saved up enough money to self-release Shorty/The Breathing Method, their first 7-inch, which attracted the attention of Doghouse Records, who signed the band in 1996. The band then toured relentlessly, and their debut record Four Minute Mile sold over 40,000 records in two years, which was a major milestone for a small record. Since Doghouse couldn’t keep up with their rising fame, The Get Up Kids signed with Vagrant Records and quickly followed it up with their now-iconic record 1999 Something to Write Home About! This record is lauded for helping shape the emo genre and is credited as jumpstarting Vagrant Records, who later signed iconic acts like Alkaline Trio and Dashboard Confessional. Pop-punk/emo musicians all over the world have cited The Get Up Kids as one of their main influences, and many state that there wouldn’t be a second wave of emo music without this album. 26 years later, and The Get Up Kids are touring to celebrate this monumental release and play it in its entirety right here in Albany! Between this and 5 other studio albums, The Get Up Kids have influenced a generation’s worth of music, and you won’t want to miss them as they play with support from special guest The Anniversary!
2/25: John Pizzarelli at The Egg Performing Arts Center
Recommended Parking Location: On-Street
Head to The Egg Performing Arts Center for an evening with John Pizzarelli! Appearing on over 40 albums from artists like Paul McCartney and James Taylor, Pizzarelli has been a jazz guitar fixture since 1980! As the son of swing guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, John was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey and started playing guitar when he was just six years old. He later attended the University of Tampa and William Paterson University and established himself as a prominent jazz guitarist and vocalist. By 1983, he released his debut album I’m Hip (Please Don’t Tell My Father) and began churning out his trademark jazz/swing music as bandleader through 30 additional albums! John was part of 12 releases with his father, and 5 albums with his wife Jessica Molaskey on vocals. With over 40 years of jazz under his belt, collaborations with the Boston and Cincinatti Pops Orchestras, and producing Grammy-winning albums, John currently splits his time between performing live and hosting a syndicated jazz radio show with his wife called Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli. Whether you’re a fan of jazz, swing dancing, or enjoying an iconic musician in a unique venue, this can’t-miss show with John Pizzarelli is a great way to enjoy a live show this month in the heart of Albany, New York!
2/27: Aborted at Empire Underground
Recommended Parking Location: Quackenbush Garage & Riverfront Garage
Metalheads are in for a blistering show this February with Aborted within the walls of Empire Underground! This Belgian quartet is lauded for their frenetic, unrelenting grindcore and meticulous death metal technicality. Formed in 1995 in Waregem, Belgium by Sven de Caluwé, the band settled on the name in hopes that their albums would be found amongst the first CDs in the “A” section of record stores. Fusing the typical downtuned guitars and guttural vocals of death metal with the fast-paced, high BPM traits of grindcore, Aborted was a key contributor to the “death-grind” genre. With Sven remaining the sole member since their formation, Aborted has released 12 studio albums, 6 EPs, and 1 live DVD all featuring their trademark crushing, headbang-worthy sound. They’ve remained a staple of the European death metal scene and have toured extensively throughout their last 30 years as a band. This year, they’re bringing along Ingested, PeelingFlesh, and Extermination Dismemberment during their “Terrifying North America Tour” for a truly stacked show of legendary and up-and-coming metal acts that are sure to melt the faces of Downtown Albany metalheads! Start the fun early by parking at the Quackenbush Garage and taking a detour through adjacent Quackenbush Square for some delicious food, drinks, and amazing art before your quick walk over to Empire Underground!
It’s another great month to escape the cold and warm up with an energetic live show in Albany! No matter where your concert travels take you in Albany, NY this month, our conveniently located parking garages and lots are always close by! And if you can’t get enough live music this month, check out our events calendar to check out even more amazing upcoming shows happening throughout the city!
