Best Movie Theater
1. Spectrum 8 Theatres
2. Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13 & RPX
With its wide-ranging booking and amenities, the Spectrum is one of the biggest vote-getters in any category. There’s no number three because most of you just wrote “Bowtie.” There are two Bowtie cinemas and their booking is quite different—specify, people.
Best Museum
1. New York State Museum
2. Albany Institute of History & Art
3. MASS MoCA
The NYSM has to reflect the diversity of New York state’s arts, nature, culture and people. And according to you, they do it very well.
Best Art Gallery
1. Albany Center Gallery
2. (tie) Upstate Artists Guild, MASS MoCA
4. The Hyde Collection
Their gallery exhibits strive to showcase regional artists, and their community events bring art to the streets of the Capital Region. We’re guessing that’s why ACG won.
Best Local Performing Arts Organization
1. Saratoga Performing Arts Center
2. Capital Repertory Theatre
3. Proctors
The breadth of SPAC’s programming more that made up for the fact that their season only lasts part of the year. Capital Rep was a strong second-place finisher.
Best Live Theater Venue
1. Proctors
2. Capital Repertory Theatre
3. Palace Theatre
Proctors won this in a landslide. There is no competing with full-on productions of hit Broadway shows.
Best Comedy Club
1. The Comedy Works
2. Brew Ha Ha Comedy Showcase
3.The Van Dyke
The Comedy Works has two clubs, but received more than 10 times the votes. We’ll attribute it to how they alternate big-name bookings with local showcases.
Best Drive-In Movie Theater
1. Malta Drive-In
2. Hollywood Drive-In
3. Jericho Drive-In
It’s awesome that the region has so many vintage drive-ins, and readers agreed with a big voter turnout for this category; however Malta Drive-In was the winner (maybe there was a surge from chip-fab workers).
Best Children’s Arts Program
1. Steamer No. 10 Theatre
2. Arts Center of the Capital Region
3. Theatre Institute at Sage
A hearty salute to our neighbors across Western Avenue: Steamer No. 10 has made theater come alive for generations of kids.
Best Local Arts Hero
1. Tony Iadicicco
2. Ralph Renna
3. Andrew Gregory
Artist, gallerist, and inventive promoter of the arts from the Hudson to the Mohawk, Tony Iadicicco, executive director of Albany Center Gallery, is clearly your hero.
Best Local Visual Artist
1. Michael Oatman
2. Tony Iadicicco
3. (tie) Alex Waters, Robert Guille
Troy-based multi-media artist Michael Oatman can add recognition by local readers to his long list of accolades.
Best Local Filmmaker
1. Mike Feurstein
2. (tie) Jamel Bosley, Brett Parker
4. Bhawin Suchak
Mike Feurstein, auteur of the four-volume How to Unmake a Bully series, received the volume of votes.
Best Local Fiction Writer
1. Jill Starling
2. William Kennedy
3. Dennis Mahoney
Jill Starling’s topical St. Agnes’ Place apparently resonated with readers for an upset win over perennial favorite William Kennedy.
Best Local Non-Fiction Writer
1. Brett Parker
2. Paul Grondahl
3. William Kennedy
Apparently blogger and non-fiction writer have become synonymous because Brett Parker, a movie blogger, wins this category for the second year in a row, squeaking ahead of author Paul Grondahl, whose latest non-fiction book is These Exalted Acres.
Best Local Poet
1. Brian Dorn
2. Mary Panza
3. (tie) Jay Renzi, Elizabeth Gordon
The muses were on the side of Brian Dorn this year.
Best Local Solo Musician
1. Erin Harkes
2. Anthony Fallacaro
3. Frank Palangi
The votes were in long before Harkes graced our cover last week: She’s your favorite singer-songwriter.
Best Live Music Venue
1. Saratoga Performing Arts Center
2. Vapor Nightclub
3. Upstate Concert Hall
With beautiful surroundings and with a schedule that runs from major rock bands to world-class classical, it’s no wonder that SPAC is the favorite venue.
Best Dance/Nightclub
1. Vapor Nightclub
2. The Fuze Box
3. Waterworks Pub
Bigger is better when it comes to dance clubs, as Vapor steamed ahead of the runners-up.
Best Open Mic
1. Trick Shots Billiards
2. The Rustic Barn Pub
3. McGeary’s Pub
This was the closest vote total this year in any category, with only one vote separating first from second and second from third place.
Best Art Event
1. Art on Lark
2. Troy Night Out
3. 1st Friday Albany
The yearly Art on Lark, which focuses primarily on art, is your art fair of choice by a wide margin.
Best Country Band
1. Skeeter Creek
2. Big Sky Country
3. Yankee Holler
When it comes to having a loud and loyal fan base, nobody tops Skeeter Creek. Nobody.
Best Local Blues
1. The Accents
2. Bent Rail
3. Holly & Evan
It’s hard to peg the Accents as a blues band when they cover everyone from Rose Royce to Robin Thicke, but the voters have spoken.
Best Local Jazz Band
1. The Chronicles
2. Dylan Perrillo Orchestra
3. Brian Patneaude Quartet
This is probably the second-closest outcome in any category. And while most of you can’t spell “Perillo” or “Patenaude,” you know what you like.
Best Local Punk Band
1. The Last Conspirators
2. The Erotics
3. Slaughterhouse Chorus
Hard touring old-school punk-rock band the Last Conspirators seriously rocked the vote.
Best Local Hip Hop Artist
1. Sean Reid
2. MIRK
3. Masai ATG
Sean Reid (aka DJTwofifty) just edged out your longtime fave MIRK to win this category.
Best Local Rock Band
1. Wild Adriatic
2. Hard Soul
3. Super 400
We love all of your choices. Well done, voters.
Best Local Indie Rock Band
1. Yankee Holler
2. Where’s Alex
3. Wild Adriatic
Skeeter Creek couldn’t touch Yankee Holler in this category.
Best Local Cover Band
1. Skeeter Creek
2. Yankee Holler
3. Big Sky Country
Skeeter Creek: They’re a little bit country; they’re a little bit rock & roll. Yankee Holler weren’t far behind, though.
Best Local Metal Band
1. Maggot Brain
2. (tie) Let Go Daylight, Wartime Manner
4. Dynamite Pleasure Chair
We’re wondering how many votes Maggot Brain got just for their name.
Best Local Hardcore Band
1. Brick by Brick
2. Wartime Manner
3. Aggressive Response
Troycore forever: more than a slogan as Troy metalcore act Brick by Brick racked up the votes.
Best Local Club DJ
1. Mike Cestaro
2. Kendrick DJ Debonair Ricci
3. DJ Trumastr
Newlyweds gave this category an edge, since DJ Mike Cestaro, who does a lot of weddings, won by a slim margin.
Best Comedian
1. Erin Harkes
2. Greg Aidella
3. Jaye McBride
The old line is that musicians really want to be comedians, and vice versa. Harkes actually manages to succeed at both.
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