Who Is Playing Alive at Five 2022?

I don’t know about you but I’m at the point where I’m looking for any reason to get out of my house. Add the words “Free” and “Live music” and it’s already on my calendar. Albany just announced the 2022 line-up for Alive at Five.

For those unfamiliar, Alive at Five is a long-running concert series here in Albany. It’s free, it’s fun, and they usually tend to bring out a bunch of solid acts from all over the music spectrum.

Starting off, June 9 is Pride Night featuring State Champs with Young Culture. State Champs is a local band, directly from Albany, who have been doing big things in the music world since 2010. They have released three EPs and four full-length albums and consider themselves pop-punk. They take influence from Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, New Found Glory, and more. Their most recent album, Kings of the New Age, just came out on May 13. Joining them is Young Culture, who is also from Albany, is “reminiscent of the pop-punk greats of the early-to-mid 2000s such as New Found Glory and Sum 41 (Billboard).”

Next, on June 16, is Jam Night featuring Spafford with Annie in the Water. Spafford, originally from Arizona, is an American jam band that blends multiple genres of music including rock, funk, jazz, reggae, ska, and electro-pop. They’ve played all over the country and have released numerous albums since they began in 2009. Joining them is Annie in the Water who is from Saratoga Springs. Their music is “music is a groovy combination of Reggae, Funk, Rock, Blues and Jamstyle written with a conscious dose of positive vibes, unique melodies and intelligent lyrics (ADK Independence Music Festival).”

The third concert in this series is Classic Rock Night featuring Lita Ford with Candy Ambulance on June 23. Lita Ford is originally from London but has been in the U.S. since second grade. The 1989 single “Close My Eyes Forever”, a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, remains Ford’s most successful song, reaching No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100. She was also the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, before embarking on a successful glam metal solo career. Joining her is Candy Ambulance from Troy, NY who describes themselves as grungy-rock.

To round out the halfway point in the series, July 7 is Hip-Hop night featuring Talib Kweli with DJ TGIF, DJ SIROC and JB!! aka. Dirty Moses. Talib Kweli, is a very successful rapper from New York City. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. He has also collaborated with Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Pharrell Williams. Joining him are DJs TGIF, DJ SIROC, and JB!! aka. Dirty Moses.

Starting the second half of Alive at Five is Country Night with Cassadee Pope with Sydney Worthley. Cassadee Pope is a GRAMMY-nominated artist first known as the singer of the rock band Hey Monday as well as winning the third season of The Voice. Joining her is Sydney Worthley from Albany who has more recently described her music as alt-pop.

Next, on July 21, is Ska/Reggae Night featuring Ballyhoo! with Souly Had & the E Block. Ballyhoo! is a reggae-rock and punk band from Maryland. The band has opened up for bands 311, Dirty Heads, Tribal Seeds, and Slightly Stoopid on previous tours. Souly Had & E-Block recently played the virtual Tulip Fest concert in Albany in 2021.

On July 28, we’ll be focusing on Folk/Rock with Donavon Frankenreiter with Sean Rowe. Donavon Frankenreiter is known for his surf rock style. His first solo album came out in 2004 and he’s been doing a great job balancing his music with his surfing. Frankenreiter is even a playable character in the video game Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer. Joining him is Sean Rowe from Troy. Without the ability to play live music due to the pandemic, he created a weekly series called the “Quarantine House Concerts” in order to continue playing live music for his fans online. His most recent album was released in October 2021.

The last concert in the series for the season is August 4 with another Hip-Hop Night featuring Doug E. Fresh with Ohxhe & DJ TGIF and DJ Hollyw8d. Doug E. Fresh is the pioneer of 20th-century American beatboxing with a career lasting decades. In the early 1980s he formed the Get Fresh Crew with DJs Chill Will and Barry B and later added rapper Slick Rick. Two of their songs “The Show” and “La Di Da Di” are considered early hip hop classics. “La Di Da Di”, in particular, is one of the most sampled songs in music history. Joining him are Ohxhe & DJ TGIF as well as DJ Hollyw8d.

Parking: $5 flat fee and handicap parking is available at the Riverfront Garage at Broadway and Columbia Street. For more information on parking options, visit www.parkalbany.com.

Special ground rules in effect: No alcoholic beverages, coolers, backpacks, bags, containers, packages, thermoses, cups, bottles, cans, flasks, glass containers of any kind, recording of  performances, animals or pets (excluding ADA-defined service animals). All City of Albany parks are now tobacco-free. Security personnel reserve the right to inspect any bag, container or package and confiscate any prohibited or illegal items. Any type of recording of the performance or presentation is prohibited without prior written consent. All attendees should be prepared to present age identification at any time if they intend to consume alcohol. Ground rules are subject to change without notice; exceptions made for medical or child care reasons may be addressed individually.