Around Town with Amy Modesti

12/31/2024

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Around Town With Amy Modesti followers!! I hope that you had a great holiday week last week! Enjoy your New Year’s Eve tomorrow and have a Happy New Year!

I’m enjoying my holiday week with family members, friends, and my boyfriend. Last week, I spent some quality time with relatives and a close friend who was in town for the week with her son. I spent Christmas Eve with my boyfriend and his family in Scotia enjoying an evening of dinner, dessert, present unwrapping, movies, and checked out holiday lights in Scotia and Glenville.

Christmas Day, I spent the holiday at home with my parents and pets, and later on, my boyfriend came over for dinner, movies, and additional gift unwrapping.

The day after Christmas, I spent quality time with my friend Amanda. We got manicures and went out to eat for lunch, shopping, and spent quality time with her son and parents for dinner.

The remainder of the weekend, I dog sat a relative’s dog while they were away in PA to visit their other son and his family.

In addition to that, I spent some time making some homemade holiday artwork. A week before Christmas, my dad was able to get my bedroom renovation completed! It has been 13 years since the devastating effects of Hurricane Irene that my room was in disrepair and needed to be remodeled. I’m thankful and blessed that my father was able to renovate my bedroom for me within several months and that I have a place to sleep, rest, have a work space, and have some privacy as well!!

I’m thankful to have spent this holiday week with family, friends and my boyfriend!

I hope that you have a Happy Holidays and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

-Amy (12/30/2024)

11/30/2024

Happy “Black Friday” and Happy Thanksgiving to all of the Around Town With Amy Modesti followers! I hope that everyone had a nice shopping day today and that you had a nice Thanksgiving yesterday.

My parents, boyfriend and I celebrated Thanksgiving at home. I watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving before Brendan came to the house. We ate a homemade meal and holiday desserts, and watched TV shows and movies on TV. We all had a nice relaxing day.

I hope that you have a nice weekend and a nice Holiday Season to come! Thank you!

(📸: Photos taken by Amy L. Modesti on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 28,2024. ©️Amy L. Modesti,2024.)

11/23/2024

https://open.substack.com/pub/aroundtownwithamymodesti/p/a-weekand-year-of-bad-luck?r=2u0jzr&utm_medium=ios

Hello everyone. It’s been a while since I’ve posted on Around Town With Amy Modesti. I have some personal news to share with you.

The past several weeks have not been easy for my parents and I and things were certainly not in our control at best.

On Nov. 1, my Uncle Roger Blanchard (my Mom’s brother) passed away from lung cancer. He was 79 years old. He was a nice, kind man who is missed.

On Nov.10, our home furnance stopped working completely and within the week, had to be replaced. Later on that week on Nov. 15, my oldest cat Smoky, the mother to our cats Peanut and Molly, died from old age. Smoky was an amazing, sweet cat that we were fortunate to have for 12 years and she is missed.

Not all things within November were all bad. My bedroom is being renovated by my Dad, my boyfriend and I celebrated nine official months of dating, and I recently photographed the “Raise The Roof” gala for the Albany County Historical Association in early November.

To read more as to what I’ve been up to this month, please head over to Around Town With Amy Modesti on SubStack to read my new post.
You can also become a free subscriber or a paid subscriber to financially support Around Town With Amy Modesti as well.

Thank you for your understanding and support. I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving and holiday season!

Amy L. Modesti (11/23/2024)

Smoky the Cat Died Nov. 15, plus a broken furnace, an uncle's passing, and five months of being laid off. When will things improve?!

11/11/2024

Congratulations to Around Town With Amy Modesti for being recognized as one of Lucid Street’s top fans on Facebook! 🎉

Around Town with Amy Modesti recently worked alongside the Colonie, N.Y. based band in reporting on their new music single, “Potential Redemption”. The story about the band’s debut single can be read on the Around Town With Amy Modesti SubStack and on the Mirth Films website.

Thank you Lucid Street for collaborating with Around Town With Amy Modesti and thank you for sharing your musical talents with all of us!! Keep on rocking out there friends!!

-Amy (11/10/2024)

11/06/2024

Albany, N.Y. based band, Lucid Street, has released a brand new single. The band recently held a single release party for their song, “Potential Redemption”, at Lost & Found in Albany, N.Y. Saturday, Nov.2. The single was released on that same day nationally. “Potential Redemption” was written by Billy Buono, Mike Ilyadis, and Cait Tizzone. The song was mastered and recorded by Nick Relation Recording. This upcoming Friday night, Lucid Street will perform as part of the “Femininomenon” event opposite Sydney Worthley at Lost & Found. To learn more about Lucid Street and their new single, head to Around Town With Amy Modesti on SubStack NOW. Become a paid subscriber to financially support Around Town With Amy Modesti or even a free subscriber to receive the latest content. Most importantly, follow both Lucid Street & Around Town With Amy Modesti on its socials for the latest news. Thank you. (📸: Photo of Lucid Street by Rich Krissel. Poster provided by Cait Tizzone of Lucid Street.) , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

11/06/2024

https://open.substack.com/pub/aroundtownwithamymodesti/p/potential-redemption-for-lucid-street?r=2u0jzr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Albany, N.Y. based band, Lucid Street, released their first musical, nationally, on November 2. The band recently held a single release party for their new song, "Potential Redemption", at Lost & Found.

The single was written by band members, Cait Tizzone, Billy Buono, and Mike Ilyadis. The band recorded and mastered the song alongside Nick Relation Recording.

Lucid Street will be performing this upcoming Friday, Nov. 8 as part of No One You Know Presents' event, "Femininomenon" at Lark Hall. They will also take part in the Mirth Films' "It's A Gala" event Dec. 14.

To learn more about Lucid Street and their new single, read the story on the Around Town With Amy Modesti SubStack page NOW.

Become a paid subscriber and help support Around Town With Amy Modesti in serving the creative community with the latest news.

Like Around Town With Amy Modesti on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads to keep up with the updates. Thank you.

Story & Photos by Amy L. Modesti

Band debuts new single November 2 and discusses plans for a debut album

10/24/2024

https://mirth-films.com/2024/10/20/wext-radio-releases-quarter-1-quarter-2-and-quarter-3-local-518-music-more-reports/

WEXT Radio personality, Andy Gregory, released the 2024 Local 518 Music & More Quarter 3 report Thursday, October 17. This new report covers the months of July 1 to Sept. 30, 2024.

Andy Gregory has been the radio host of the Local 518 show for a decade. He also recently won the award for DJ of the year in the 2024 Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards (The Eddie’s).

Read more about the quarterly reports and Andy’s career in my story, now posted on Mirth Films.

✏️ Story and photos by Amy L. Modesti.

From his middle and high school days performing in local bands to watching his friends’ bands perform at music clubs, music not only became a passion, but also a career, in the form of a radio DJ and a blog contributor.

10/19/2024

https://open.substack.com/pub/aroundtownwithamymodesti/p/andy-gregory-the-man-behind-the-reports?r=2u0jzr&utm_medium=ios

Meet WEXT Radio personality Andy Gregory.

Gregory is known as the host of the Local 518 Show on WEXT Radio, and this year, he won Radio DJ of the Year in the 2024 Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards (The Eddie’s).

Did you know that Gregory is the one who is responsible for putting together the Local 518 Music & More Reports?!

The 2024 Quarter 3 Local 518 Music & More Report was published Thursday, October 17. The reports covers the time period of July 1 to Sept. 30.

Musicians and artists can NOW view a free PDF of the quarterly report on WEXT Radio’s website: www.wextradio.com .

To learn more about Andy Gregory and the Local 518 Music & More reports, read the post on the Around Town With Amy Modesti SubStack page.

Subscribe directly to Around Town With Amy Modesti on SubStack to receive the latest news! Become a subscriber! Become a pledger! Follow Around Town With Amy Modesti on Threads, Instagram, and Facebook!

(✏️: Story written by Amy L. Modesti. ©️ Amy L. Modesti,2024.)

WEXT Radio DJ releases Quarterly Local 518 Music & More Reports

10/09/2024

Around Town With Amy Modesti celebrated its 1st year anniversary on Facebook early this week!! Thank you for your continuing support and readership. I could never have made it without you. 🙏🤗🎉

If you like Around Town With Amy Modesti and want to follow it even more on its socials, follow Around Town With Amy Modesti on Instagram, Threads, and subscribe to the blog on SubStack!!

Thank you so much!!

-Amy (10/8/2024)

10/09/2024

: Thank you so much to Lucid Street for sharing my photo that I took of the band performing live at Empire Underground in Albany, NY, Friday, June 14,2024. They are a great group of talented, kind people to know personally!!

The band will be performing on Saturday, October 12, at Empire Underground with other local bands, Against The Reign, Blindsided, Anomalous, and Kakos, featuring Nick Stamas, formerly of Frozen Sun. Tickets are $15.

Go and spend your Columbus Day weekend supporting local and live music!!

-Amy

📸: Photo taken by Amy L. Modesti of ALM Fine Art & Photography and Around Town with Amy Modesti . ©️Amy L. Modesti,2024.

10/05/2024

https://open.substack.com/pub/aroundtownwithamymodesti/p/meet-kevin-warren-and-the-bedrock?r=2u0jzr&utm_medium=ios

Happy Saturday!! Do you want to learn about a new Capital Region cover band?! Meet Kevin Warren & The Bedrock Foundation!!

This band has been around since early 2023 and was formed by saxophonist and vocalist, Kevin Warren, whom you might have seen performing at a Family Tree jam on a Monday evening at Putnam Place.

The band performed at the Washington County Fairgrounds this year and will be bringing more fun to Quarters Bar in Saratoga Springs, Friday, October 11.

To learn more about Kevin Warren & The Bedrocl Foundation, read the post on the Around Town With Amy Modesti SubStack page now!!

Thank you again Kevin and Ben Moss for taking the time to chat with me for the story!! Thank you and the band for the opportunity to photograph you all at the fair this year!!

-Amy

Kevin Warren and Ben Moss talk music, with the band to perform at Quarters Bar.

10/03/2024

https://mirth-films.com/2024/10/02/im-sorry-around-town-with-amy-modesti/

Happy October everyone!! Amy here. How has this new month been treating you so far?!

I do want to apologize again for the delay in making the Around Town With Amy Modesti posts and the weekly event updates. Things on my end have been busy for me, and it has also taken some time to return to the writing swing of things.

I am working on some major photo editing for a wedding that I photographed at the start of fall that is taking time to complete. I DO have some writing projects that are in the works so please stay tuned to Around Town With Amy Modesti for updates!!

Thank you again for your patience and understanding. To read more on what's happening on my end, you can head to Mirth Films at your convenience.

Thank you for your time. Have a great evening.

Amy (10/3/2024)

Writer: Amy Modesti To all of my Around Town With Amy Modesti subscribers, Mirth Films

09/28/2024

To the ALM Fine Art & Photography & Around Town With Amy Modesti subscribers and readers, and to both Mirth Films and Unsigned518, I’m sorry for the delay in sharing both the “Around Town” posts and the “Looking for Something Fun to Do?!” weekly posts. Thank you to the clients who’ve checked in with me on the status of their photographs and made sure that I’d everything I need to write the story. Thank you to those who connect with me to help share their story. I do appreciate the support and feedback. This summer and early fall has been busy for me. It has also, at times, left me in a creative writing rut, and I needed the motivation to get back into the swing of things again. This period of time has also led me to beautiful things like spending quality time with close friends, celebrate a dating anniversary, and check out plenty of art and music filled activities. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and for allowing me to process my thoughts and move forward towards better things that are meant to go into place for me in both the present and future. I apologize for the delay. To read more, head to the Around Town With Amy Modesti SubStack page & its socials now. Thank you. -Amy (Photo Credit: Photos taken by Amy L. Modesti, my Dad, and an unknown diner.) , .ndtownwithamymodesti, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

09/28/2024

https://open.substack.com/pub/aroundtownwithamymodesti/p/around-town-with-amy-modesti-im-sorry?r=2u0jzr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

To all of my Around Town With Amy Modesti followers, readers, and subscribers, to my clients, Unsigned518 and Mirth Films readers, I am sorry for my delay in writing my blog posts on both the "Around Town" site and Mirth Films.

I apologize to you for not keeping updated with the weekly "Looking for Something Fun To Do?" event posts and keeping you updated with other exclusive posts.

This summer and early fall has surprisingly been busy for me. It has also taken me some time after being let go from Spotlight Newspapers to gain inspiration and motivation to write again.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you to the clients for checking in on me to see if I got everything that I need for the upcoming stories and also for story ideas. I appreciate your support in helping to tell your story.

Feel free to read the latest update now.

Please subscribe to Around Town With Amy Modesti on SubStack to receive the latest news. You can also check out "Around Town" on Threads, Instagram, Facebook, and Mirth Films. Thank You!

-Amy (9/27/2024)

Why did I take a break from writing, you may ask?

09/10/2024

https://almfineartandphotography.wordpress.com/blog/

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope all is well with you! It has been some time since I’ve made some updates to my official artist website.

For those of you who recently added me as their friend and want to learn more about me and the work that I do, please check out my website and let me know your thoughts!

I made some serious updates to my About “Around Town With Amy Modesti” page, added an event date to my “Upcoming Events” listing, and made some tweaks here and there. If there’s anything that I should add to the site, let me know.

If you’re interested in hiring me for some work, please connect with me for more details! I will be more than happy to work with you and help you reach your creative needs.

Thank you for your time! Go & enjoy this beautiful weather that we’re having today!

-Amy

The Mission Around Town With Amy Modesti is a news media website and blog run by Upstate New York photojournalist, Amy Modesti. Around Town with Amy Modesti is the destination to land and be inform…

08/26/2024

https://open.substack.com/pub/aroundtownwithamymodesti/p/around-town-with-amy-modesti-in-memoriam?r=2u0jzr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

It is with great sadness that Around Town With Amy Modesti reports on the sudden passing of writer, author, and band leader of the Va Va Voodoos, John Brierley.

Brierley died Sunday morning, August 25 from a heart attack. He was a member of several Capital Region bands, including The Lawn Sausages, The Mysterios, Va Va Voodoos, and Blackcat Elliot, and was a contributor for RadioradioX.com Xperience Monthly.

John was kind, smart, and always willing to give a helping hand at any music event. He was also a friend of mine (Amy) and his friendship and his creative contributions will be greatly missed.

Around Town With Amy Modesti extends their hugs, love, positive thoughts and prayers to the entire Brierley family, his band members, Jo and Tony of The Va Va Voodoos, and the rest of his family, friends, and the entire music and writing community.

Thank you John for your friendship and for your musical contributions. May you rest in peace.

-Amy (8/26/2024)

The Va Va Voodoos guitarist and vocalist dies Sunday. Family and friends remember the life of Capital Region musician and writer

08/23/2024

Fair season is well underway and returning for its 205th season is The Great Schaghticoke Fair. The Rensselaer County fair will begin Wednesday, August 28, 10a.m., with $2 Dollar Day. Opening Day will be $2 admission, $2 rides, and $2 food prices. The fair will run through Labor Day, Monday, September 2. This year’s festivities will include the Royal Hanneford Circus, live music from The Ultimates, and making his Schaghticoke debut Saturday, August 31 at the Grand stand stage is nine-time Grammy-nominated artist, Flo Rida !! To learn more about the Schaghticoke Fair, head to Around Town With Amy Modesti on SubStack, Mirth Films, and the Schaghticoke Fair website. Subscribe to “Around Town” to receive the latest news. Thank you. (📸: Photos taken by Amy L. Modesti. Photo of Flo Rida courtesy of The Schaghticoke Fairgrounds.) , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

08/22/2024

https://open.substack.com/pub/aroundtownwithamymodesti/p/the-great-schaghticoke-fair-returns?r=2u0jzr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Attention all fairgoers!! The Great Schaghticoke Fair returns for its 205th season Wednesday, August 28, 10 a.m.!!

Opening day of the fair will be $2 admission, $2 rides, and $2 for food.

The Rensselaer County fair will run through Labor Day, September 2 and with it comes the return of the Royal Hanneford Circus, music from The Ultimates, and coming into town Saturday, August 31 is nine-time Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist, Flo Rida!!

Learn more about the Schaghticoke Fair directly on Around Town With Amy Modesti, via SubStack & on Mirth Films. Thank You!!

Rensselaer County fairgrounds open August 28 with $2 Dollar Day