Some of the first alcohol "buzzes" I felt other than a "beer buzz," was from one of Finger Lakes finest, some swill called Wild Irish Rose. As a teen, I would offer a bum a dollar or a swig if they bought me a bottle from the liquor store. As a kid, I really didn't discern one liquor from another, be it wine, brandy, whatever. I had one goal, catch a buzz. But, this stuff, Wild Irish Rose, and it's upstate NY brethren, Mad Dog, (nickname because it said MD 20/20 on the label), became unsavory enough to where I had to specify "anything but Wild Irish Rose, or Mad Dog. They tasted like crap, and never got you drunk enough. It was, and still is, (I guess) the drink of choice for the seasoned homeless wino.
Wild Irish Rose founded in 1954, is a mediocre spirit, not living up to the name once seen in a grander/grandeur light. Just 40 years earlier, the term was coined by a man named Chauncey Olcott. Chauncey Olcott is one of the most famous Irish tenors, though he was not born in Ireland. He was born in Buffalo, NY. Irish had recently immigrated across the pond (Dublin, on Saratoga's West Side, for example) and were looked upon with many prejudices. With his new found routine, Chauncey helped to change the attitude of Irish immigrants and their critics alike. Actress and singer Lillian Russell's renditions helped to make him famous, as depicted in the movie "My Wild Irish Rose," a story about Chauncey, written by his widow after he died. Lillian Russell was known to frequent Saratoga, flaunting her riches with railroad tycoon "Diamond"Jim Brady at her elbow. Turns out, Brady made a fortune off a shady railroad stock deal, during the re-organizing of the Reading Railroad, re-organized by a Frederic Olcott, whose grandaughter Vera Olcott, (Albany family) also got her Broadway start with the help of Lillian Russell. Chauncey became a Broadway star, and wrote many Irish classics, including, possibly one of the most famous one, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling." Chauncey had a St. Bernard named "Prince," that was clad in matching outfits as his owner, and acted on que, in front of a live audience.
from NYS Digital Library
Chauncey Olcott lived in a summer home on Clinton St. across from what now is the Skidmore College soccer field. He named the property "Inniscarra" and it was overflowing with ornate gardens of flowers, as seen in these postcards, which seems they were as common as postcards of the old hotels on Broadway.
When the horses make their end of summer exit, animals of year-round residency cooly mix it up a bit, quelling our equine overload of the senses. Situated south of the Adirondack Mountains, the Iroquois considered Saratoga a fertile hunting ground. Water is in abundance in this area, with 17 springs in a 10 mile radius. Water is the fuel for life, thus, attracting plants and animals to this area, making it a virtual living chef salad for the Iroquois.
Adirondack is what the Iroquois named the natives living in the mountain range, and it means "Bark Eaters." I guess the tribes in the Adirondacks, (one of the oldest mountain regions on the planet) http://www.adirondack-park.net/history/geological.html, dealt with harsh winter months with little food, resorting to eating boiled bark. I also guess that boiling the bark softens it up, making it easier to digest.
Saratoga Springs is currently overrun by two species. Squirrels and rabbits. Rabbits are a newer trend, due to overgrowth of suburbia. Squirrels dominate the scene, and the roadkill is keeping Poe's raven crow's ancestors in business. I found a little ditty about Poe's "Raven" and Saratoga Springs, though I think the boy helping him with "Nevermore" at the trout ponds is a bit fishy. Yaddo used to be the Barhyte's property and they had a tavern that Poe stayed at. Barhytes served a German Mustard that is a family recipe available to this day. http://barhyte.com There are stories of many famous people that stopped in, one popular story though, is "Mrs. Barhyte and the Bear," where she fended off a bear from ransacking the tavern. The Trask's famously owned the land later on, and the Barhytes are actually still there, (so are the Trasks) buried on the grounds.
^from this (with a Dehn's ad for ya!) v
The bronze lions on the steps of City Hall in Saratoga Springs are iconic to Saratoga, more than any statue of a horse could ever be. In 1871, City Hall opened with the lion statues guarding the entrances. In 1936, during renovations of City Hall, the lions were moved, one to the East Side Rec. Park, and one to the West Side Rec. Park respectively.
In 2008, the lions returned, where they remain today.
In Congress Park, at the Canfield Casino Clubhouse, sits 4 dog statues. The building was built in 1870 by an undefeated heavyweight champion bare knuckle boxer turned NY Congressman named John Morrissey. Richard Canfield bought it in 1894, renaming it the Casino, and renovated it to beyond it's lavish production you can visit and view today. There were 4 pewter dogs guarding the entrances, that can be seen in drawings of the building from the late 1800's. Two dogs were stolen, early 1900's and now, concrete reproductions of them rests out front of the club.
I found an old photo of a time when deer were freely roaming the park...
Deer Park Spring on the south end of Congress Park is named after the old lodge.
One unescapable animal in Saratoga Springs are the ducks. The ducks rule Saratoga, whether we like it or not. I remember the State coming down on the City a few years ago over some quackery about moving them. They are a well fed bunch, there are local fowl <-haha! rumors of an old joint Lum's or other chinese joints around town cooking them up, don't know if any were true. Canadian geese migrate to Loughberry Lake every year, and I'm surprised the Congress ducks haven't migrated over there yet.
One last story, where Price Chopper is on Rt. 50, there used to be an ostrich farm, that was a summer branch for a Florida farmer. An ostrich named Oliver W reportedly beat a horse in a dead heat race.
I'm going to see this movie filmed in my hometown of Saratoga Springs, NY tonight, downtown Saratoga! There have been several movies filmed here, I remember seeing Robert Redford going to Sperry's on Caroline St. for lunch during the filming of the Horse Whisperer. Billy Bathgate was filmed here, too. When I was younger, (13) living in Cohoes, NY, I sat in Meryl Streep's folding actress chair under a tree while they filmed Ironweed. I had no idea who she/they were, but I remembered her name and William Kennedy's name. I recall, being the punk kid that I was, my friend and I were really sweating her unguarded box of donuts.
Anyway, none of the films in Saratoga were made by locals (that I knew or know of), Aftermath was made by a former high school classmate of mine Tom Farone, from what I recall, he lived and breathed hip hop, he's the one who got me into EPMD, and was just basically always a cool dude. I think the Farone's have quite a local history, to say the least, I know that since forever, A.J. Farone supplied Molson beer to most of the Eastern US.
Tony Danza and Chris Penn star in the flick, Chris died during the filming, so there was a slight delay. (Seems like it's been ten years) Anthony Micheal Hall is in it too, who, during the time of the filming, I ran into in Saratoga one afternoon, or shall I say, he almost ran me over one afternoon. I was crossing the street, and had a guy in a little 2 door Miata shriner car looking thing, with the topdown, come flying up to me as I'm crossing the crosswalk. I looked down at him with the stink eye, and recognized it was obviously an aged Anthony Michael Hall, and some woman. I still walked on like f*ck you, but, I'll admit, I know every word on the script to Weird Science. (I shoulda got all Chet on him. haha)
Looks like 80's actors in a 90's flick...and I'm game.
I'm not much for movie reviews but, maybe in the comments.....
While Harriet Beecher Stowe was stirring things up with her book "Uncle Tom's Cabin," (released in 1852), her father was building a women's seminary in Saratoga Springs. It seems from the start, (due to conflicting accounts I'll address later) his nephew Luther and a Mr. Emerson Carter, opened and ran it as principals. A decade or so later, Luther Beecher gave up on the school, then, for two years, it was used as Saratoga's first public high school. Then, it was sold to Charles and Harriet Dowd. The Dowd's had owned a women's seminary in Conn. prior to acquiring this spot at the corner of Circular and Spring St., across from Congress Park, in Saratoga Springs. From the Saratogian 1934....
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Charles Dowd sold the school in 1903 to a wealthy coal merchant's daughter, Lucy Skidmore Scribner (funny the student body currently is pushing Skidmore to divest their interest in the coal industry) and later, it became Skidmore College.
Back to Charles Dowd, Charles came up with a remedy for the railway system's time management. Train collisions were weekly events, trains also inherently were never on time, due to a discrepancy of what time it actually was. For instance, railroads had established their own zones. There was Allegheny time (the first), and New York time, which now, the two, are the same time, there was more, such as Chicago time, etc. Charles devised a plan to set up time zones every 15 degrees longitude, each an hour apart, starting with Washington D.C., and essentially got everyone on the same page. Before this, across the globe, time was set to the sun at high noon, acknowledged at the main center of town, and before mechanical watches, people relied on sundials.
(Sundial dedicated to Charles Dowd, behind the Adirondack Trust above) (below, SPAC sundial)
There was a lot of redrafting, proofreading, naysaying, red tape etc. The initial proposal was in 1872, and became used by the railroads and the rest of the US and Canada in 1883. His intention was not for the whole world to follow, but it has since been essentially recognized around the globe.
A 1944 book gifted by his daughter in-law, to Skidmore College, titled Charles Dowd and Standard Time, shows a photo from The Presbyterian Church of Saratoga, of a bronze plaque recognizing one of their own and his historical contribution. Yet the church burned down in 1976 (now the parking lot south of the Algonquin Building), and I wonder if this was salvaged....
Daylight savings was not enacted until 1918, 14 years after Dowd's ironic death. Dowd was killed by a locomotive passing through Saratoga Springs, walking near the intersection of North Broadway and Woodlawn (then Matilda ave.)
Sources have never indicated if the train was on time, a 100 year old joke that stands the test of time<--ha! . Set your clocks ahead, loser! And thank father time, a timeless fellow, that called Saratoga Springs, home.
THE Saratoga band to me has always been the Figgs. Back in the late 80's, they were crankin' out rock and roll in Saratoga, all the way from the high school Teacher's Auditorium to the local bars on Broadway (namely the Bijou). They had a buncha drummers, including Scott Underwood who went on to play in a huge radio hit-making band called Train. Guy Lyons, former band member, has a band called the Blockhouses, and they rock. Figgs used to be called the Sonic Undertones and had a tape demo called Put Me Up, and it rules. I remember when they changed their name, I thought it was a horrible idea, just a few years earlier, when I was living in Cohoes, NY, I remember when local band Cranial Abuse changed their name to Stigmata, and I also then, thought that was a terrible idea. What do I know, really....
Anyway we'll start here, this video is shot in and around early 90's Saratoga Springs, including E. O'Dwyer's, Re-Runs when it was on Caroline St., and the basement shots are of the oldest house in Saratoga Springs, 36 Franklin St! (photo from Google Earth)
So, the Figgs lived and filmed at this house, and then it sorta morphed from the
"Figgs House" to the "Dryer House"
Also filmed at 36 Franklin St., (upstairs this time), here's Dryer's tribute to Desperate Annie's,
the best bar on Caroline St. in Saratoga Springs. Also filmed at this bar was a video by Silver Tongue Devil, fronted by current bartender Izzy, who also had a (believe it or not) Skidmore metal band. They held packed shows where we moshed in Scribner dorm living rooms, jumping off furniture and shit. They were called Izzy and the Vermin, and they existed in the early 90's. I remember a Skidmore college house party on Circular St., where they opened the set with a long ass intro, then pallbearers in cloaks parted the party crowd like the Red Sea, carrying a black wooden coffin, dropped it on the "stage" and out popped Izzy with a mic, he started singing, and we went apeshit. Here's his band Silver Tongue Devil from the 2000 era.
Now, Ross the drummer of Silver Tongue Devil plays in a band currently, called Jesus Christ and the Hallucinogenic All-Stars, here's their latest....
They are the current hot shit as of 2015 for Saratoga Springs rock and roll, and it features the bass player from former hot shit Saratoga band Skeletons in the Piano. Skeletons in the Piano's drummer Eric also rocked a pop punk band called Sugareater, check both these guys out....
Skeletons in the Piano used to be a metal band called Lore, with a few member changes, and they are all still the best of friends. This has been a sort of nucleus for Saratoga Springs rockers of the 2000 era. Eli, of both Lore and Skeletons in the Piano, is the nephew of my vocalist in our now defunct band Buzzard. We put out an album produced by Don Fury, and through the strength of the Silly Pink Bunny skate posse, we were able to play across the US. I've been playing punk/hardcore since I had a band called Filth in '89-92 we played at the high school to Fast Eddies pool hall, (now where the public library is), Jim and Paul managed the joint, all the local bands practiced off the back loading dock, Jim and Paul went on to open up Backstreet Billiards, Izzy owned a piece toward the end, and Paul opened Needlewurks.....
Anyway, here is Buzzard, filmed at our practice spot in a trailer on the Hudson River....
I also played in a band called the Let Downs, we met at Fast Eddie's in the early 90's when our drummer of Filth had left, Paul at fast Eddie's introduced us to Mark, the drummer. Mark and my bass player of Filth went on to play together, then 10 years later, I joined the crazy train that was the Let Downs.
Kasey Dorr of Section 8 used to live with The Let Downs vocalist/bassist Nikki, and her sister Dara (RIP)
These guys Section 8 are truly one of the most legendary bands from upstate NY.
Kasey currently has a band with Skinless bassist Joe, called Gunther Weezul, here's their latest jams...
I seem connected to all these bands one way or another, starting with Section 8, I jammed with Kasey well before Section 8, when we were around 16-17 years old, in a band he was forming/joining called "Catch 22" hahahaha. I bar back at Desperate Annie's on occasion for former Lore guitar player Brandon, along side Izzy the bartender. Not only do I work at Skidmore College, where Bob from Dryer works, we are both half Vietnamese/half American, born just before the fall of Saigon, parents are both from same areas respectively, and we both play punk rock guitar right handed, tho' we are left handed. Bob is a swell dude, and Dryer just got back together, check 'em out. I also work at Skidmore College with Simon Gezus, a local rapper, here is his video filmed in the science lab at Skidmore
Sime did some beats with Josh from Phantogram, and they should do some more, because Sime is a great MC, anyway, here is Phantogram, formally Charlie Everywhere playing at Circus Cafe, now they're headlining Lolapalooza n shit! Get 'em!
I also used to work with Pete Hayes from the Figgs, at a Mexican joint on Broadway called Margarita's that is now the Circus Cafe (that's why they have that frozen margarita machine!). Then I worked on Caroline St. at D'Andrea's pizza, I worked there with my middle school friend Nate, we both played in high school bands, when I was in Filth, we always played with his band Fubar/Phases of the Mind, he went on to replace Doug Beans in Mearth, then, later in the early 2000's, he was in a band called the Empire State Troopers, who were members of a band called Small Axe, who ruled. Here's EST....
D'andrea's Pizza is also where I met Noah, from Skinless. Noah and bass player Adam shared a house with Figgs Drummer Pete. Skinless got pretty huge, I got to roadie for Noah and Skinless on 3 US tours, and it was some of the best times I ever had....here's Skinless, with John from Origin on drums, filmed at the old Saratoga Winners, a staple club in our scene. From the sky, the property Saratoga Winners sits on what looks like a peninsula, due to the snake like Mohawk River. My father told me he got devirginized in that swamp out back. A long standing legacy to us in upstate NY, only to get burned down for what later turned out to be a fraudulent insurance claim.
Skinless made several albums on Relapse Records over the years and have a new album due this year. One of their earlier releases was a local compilation featuring bands End Of Line and Straight Jacket. Here is Straight Jacket playing at Backstreet Billiards, now the Putnam Den. Tiny the vocalist of Straight Jacket, like Kasey of Section 8, spawned several other bands respected in the local Upstate NY metal/hardcore scene.
That's all for now, please comment, in the comment section anything, especially what I missed, thanks!!!
