PREVIEW: Ooky spooky musical showcase
10/18/2024 at Cohoes Music Hall
“That’s the main goal: ‘look how talented this creative community is.’”
Picture this: within the brick walls of the historic Cohoes Music Hall, you’re settling into your seat after hustling to escape the chill October wind. An incredible night of local music lies ahead: Belle-Skinner, Girl Blue & Jimi W., and Drank The Gold are only a few of the acts awaiting their chance to grace the stage. And yet, a completely different cast also awaits their time in the spotlight: murderers, robbers, poltergeists, and other hauntingly creepy characters. Welcome to the Ooky Spooky Musical Showcase.
One of the event’s organizers and performers, Zan Strumfeld, recently spoke with me about the origins of the event, what to expect this year, and some of the best stories from years’ past. Though the event now obtains the records of spooky and criminal events from the Troy Public Library, where performer and co-organizer Michael Gregg works, the first of these showcases originated at the Albany Public Library. In order to get the city in the Halloween spirit, the library “collected articles of some creepy, weird and terrible things that happened in the area and asked local musicians to write a song [about them],” Zan explains. Not just any song, though: a murder ballad.
We didn’t make up the term murder ballad for our own editing ease, nor did the libraries create it for marketing purposes. The genre actually dates back to the 1700s and spans countries such as Britain, Ireland, Scotland, and Scandinavia, before finally making it to the states. According to Zan, a traditional murder ballad is “going to be a lot of verses; it might not even have a chorus — it’s essentially storytelling.”
That being said, the requirements for the showcase allow musicians the freedom to play beyond those guidelines. “It’s literally do whatever you want. And that’s really terrifying and really special. We’re only asking people who we trust can do it. We went out on a limb [doing away with requirements] last time we did this in 2019 and I walked out of that blown away, absolutely beyond expectations. The songs were incredible and gorgeous and heartbreaking.”
One such story came from Michael, who put his own spin on a gruesome event. Zan recalls the tale and tune, saying, “There was essentially a bear tied up in what was West Troy – now Watervilet – I think underneath a bridge. It wound up mauling two drunk men who walked by, separately, throughout the night. Michael wrote the song from the perspective of the bear, which was amazing. Kind of like ‘I was just minding my own business and then these people…’. It was funny, it was sad and it was dark.”
Humor can be found within even the darkest of times, but Zan and the team understand some of the stories may also handle some delicate matters. They’ve talked at length about how to do this respectfully for the dead, while also doing something artistically cool.
“We want to do this in the most respectful manner,” Zan admits, “fully understanding that some of these are about murder and some of these are about suicide.”
Part of keeping the artists and viewers grounded in the humanity of these stories is a focus on community. While the tales range from disturbing to humorous to downright odd, the through lines between them all are our very own hometowns.
“This area is so rich in history in so many ways,” Zan elaborates. “There’s also been so much change here in the last couple hundred years. It’s cool and important to know what has happened in this area before your time here.”
In addition to the eight local artists penning original songs based on macabre events from the area’s history, the Cohoes Historical Society will be telling spooky tales of the very music hall where the show is taking place. Ghosts and ghouls aside, it all comes down to highlighting the Capital Region in a unique manner.
“I think it’s cool to have a way to showcase your talents in a different way. My ultimate goal is for the audience to walk out thinking about local history and being excited about it, while also feeling like, ‘I really loved that person’s voice! What does their original music sound like? I want to see them live.’ That’s the main goal: ‘look how talented this creative community is.’”
The Ooky Spooky Showcase is happening this Friday, October 18th at Cohoes Music Hall. For tickets, and more details on the event, visit: https://www.thecohoesmusichall.org/events/2024/spooky-showcase