Photo: Richard Lovrich

Hudson-based musician, artist and organizer Sarah Van Buren (Basilica Hudson’s 24-Hour Drone, O+ Festival) shares the area events in music, performance art, community building, literature and dance that have peaked her interest this month:

Kulton The Maker
Hudson-based rising star Kulton The Maker will be performing selections from his released LP, A Beautiful Something. His sound — part R+B, part hip-hop — is full of infectious melodies and beats that you can’t help bobbing your head to.
@ HiLo Catskill | May 2, 8:30 PM | Free

8th Annual Riverkeeper Sweep: Kingston Rondout Creek
Join Clean Creek, A Day Away Kayak Rentals L.L.C, Turn Up The Beet, and Riverkeeper for a cleanup in Kingston for a day of service for the Hudson River and its tributaries. Register as a volunteer HERE.
@ A Day Away Kayak Rentals, Kingston | May 4, 9 AM | Free

Balkan Night with Sarma Brass Band and Max’s New Hat
Sarma Brass Band is a 10-piece Balkan Brass Band that evokes the energetic grooves and soaring melodies of the Balkan Roma. Max’s New Hat is an electro-Balkan outfit that plays the dance party and wedding music of Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria.
@ Colony Woodstock | May 9, 8 PM | $10 Advance, $12 day of show

BikeFest 9
Please join Troy Bike Rescue for their annual fundraiser and celebration of bikes and the many important things they serve and represent: youth empowerment, health and wellness, recycling, transportation independence, and alternatives to wasteful and exploitative models of business.
@ Sanctuary for Independent Media, Troy | May 11, 2:30 PM

Volume Reading Series
Featuring readings by Jo Ann Beard, T. Kira Madden and Donika Kelly with DJ Melissa Febos.
@ Spotty Dog Books & Ale, Hudson | May 11, 7 PM |  

O+ Festival North Adams
All-access wristbands are on sale now for the inaugural O+ North Adams festival of art, music and wellness. French-Cameroonian duo Les Nubians will headline — among nearly 20 musical acts and nine visual artists (mural, installation and performance) confirmed to participate in the festival’s unique exchange of the “art of medicine for the medicine of art.” The O+ North Adams festival volunteers who donate their time and talent to the weekend receive free health and wellness care in an Artists’ Clinic staffed by local providers across disciplines.
@ North Adams, Mass. |  May 11, 10 AM | $50-$100

Pyramid Power Presents: POWER DANCE #11
Last chance to dance trance till it’s cold again… SVB’s monthly at Half Moon takes a break after this one, so we’ll blow it out. Featuring Dustbunny (wirl b2b celestine) from Philly, a newly formed HUDSON DJ COLLECTIVE that doesn’t have a name yet, and Kinderhook’s Nosh Food Truck serving Korean beef tacos from 8-11 PM. (Full disclosure, I am SVB and this is my event.  Come have a dance with us!)
@ The Half Moon, Hudson | May 10, 8 PM | $5

Spring Fling Swing Dance at the Armory
The City of Hudson Senior Center and Hudson Area Library present a dance night at the Armory with a dance lesson and live music dance party open to the public with the Fabulous Versatones. To register or for more information please visit the main desk at the library, call 518.828.1792 x101, or email programs@hudsonarealibrary.org.
@ Hudson Area Library | May 18, 7 PM | Free

Picnic Day in the Hudson City Cemetery
Revive a tradition of picnics in a rural cemetery! Bring a lunch and blanket and enjoy! Friends of the Hudson City Cemetery, part of the Hudson Park Conservancy, has just received its 501c3 status.
@ Hudson City Cemetery | May 19, 12 PM | Free

Bells Atlas, Jules Olson, Emily Ritz
Bells Atlas is a psychedelic R&B band from Oakland, California. Their thoughtful, textured sound has consistently answered the call for something new and refreshing. ​
@ BSP Kingston | May 23 , 8 PM | $10 adv / $12 door / 18+

Baba Yaga Group Show at Grand Buffet
Memorial day weekend. Visit the link above for more information.
@ Former Chinese Grant Buffet building, 90 Green Street, Hudson | May 25

Free Range
Featuring Abdu Ali, Fulathela, Shanny and Tschabalala. Free Range is a performance night dedicated to black artists from a spectrum of lived experiences. Free Range is committed to limitless expression of Black thought and creativity. This event was created to hold space for Black and POC individuals in Hudson and the surrounding areas. Hudson has grown tremendously in recent years. We hope Free Range, and events like it, will allow more diverse voices to be part of this community’s future. Best dressed wins $50.
@ The Half Moon, Hudson | May 25, 8 PM | $10

Spring 2019 Musclepalooza
A muscle car show and drag racing event!
@ Lebanon Valley Speedway, New Lebanon | May 26, 7:30 AM (rain date May 27) | $10 adult, $2 12 years and under

Shana Falana, The Abyssmals, Machine Revival
Super Dark Collective Presents: Super Dark Thursday featuring Shana Falana (shoegaze-pop from Kingston), The Abyssmals (garage-pop psychedelia from Albany) and Machine Revival (indie-pop from Troy).
@ Desperate Annie’s, Saratoga Springs | May 30, 9 PM | Free

Third Annual Ramadan Fast-A-Thon
Hudson Muslim Youth and Post Modern Ritual Exchange invites you to stand with your fellow Muslim friends, neighbors, and community members in solidarity during their Third Annual Ramadan Fast-A-Thon. Join them for an evening filled with food, love and diversity ahead of fast time. Everyone is encouraged to bring a small vegetarian dish to share with others.
@ Hudson Lodge | May 31, 6:30 PM | Free

Movies on Bannerman Island: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
This event includes a cruise to and from the Island departing from Beacon, New York, a mini-tour of the Island when you arrive, entry to the Bannerman family residence and the film screening. Candy, popcorn and refreshments will be available for purchase. This will sell out, so please be sure to reserve your tickets ahead of time.
@ Bannerman Island, Fishkill | May 31, 7 PM | $40