Around Town with Amy Modesti

10/30/2026

Here are some additional photos that were taken during Sharon Watts’ Author Talk and Meet and Greet event held at the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza in Albany, NY, Friday, October 16,2026.

Fun Fact: Sharon also mentioned me (Amy Modesti) in the acknowledgements section of the book, “The Rather Magnificent Bert Sommer: Woodstock’s Lost Treasure”!! I included additional photos of the book and the book pages that my name was mentioned in.

🤳: Selfie of Sharon Watts and Amy Modesti taken by Brendan McLaughlin.
📸: Additional photos taken by Amy L. Modesti using her Apple IPhone 13 Pro, 10/16/2026 and 10/18/2026. ©️ Amy L. Modesti,2026.

10/30/2026

10/25/2026

Sunday, February 24,2019, the Marty Wendell Band & The Bluebillies Celebrated the life and music of Johnny Cash at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. This was the first time that I ever set foot inside the historic venue to attend an event. It was also the first time that I watched the Marty Wendell Band & The Bluebillies perform live. At the time, I previewed their concert for Nippertown, ran and co-managed under the late Greg Haymes. Both acts put on a nice tribute show! Seven years since that concert, I used several of these images to preview Marty’s concert with Laura Leigh for their own Caffe Lena concert for The Journal of Upstate New York!

View more photos from the 2019 concert directly on the Around Town With Amy Modesti page AND in the Early October 2026 edition of The Journal of Upstate New York, out on newsstands!

📸: All photos taken by Amy L. Modesti of Around Town With Amy Modesti/ALM Fine Art & Photography 2/24/2019. Last two images were taken on 10/16/2026

Amy Modesti , Caffè Lena , Mel Guarino , The Bluebillies , Greg Bucking , Rit , , , , ,

10/19/2026

https://aroundtownwithamymodesti.substack.com/p/review-home-made-theater-presents?r=2u0jzr&utm_medium=ios

Home Made Theater (HMT) opened their 2026-2027 theater season with Clue: On Stage at the Saratoga Music Hall in Saratoga Springs, NY.

The play opened Friday, Oct. 9 and ran through Oct. 18 (today). It was directed by Shane Sczepankowski and co-directed by Emily Bryan and Karla Williams Buettner.

The play was the perfect production to enjoy last Friday with my boyfriend. It was funny, entertaining, and had you guessing from your seat who was responsible for the mysterious murder of Mr. Boddy of Boddy Manor.

Read more about Clue:On Stage in my newest Around Town With Amy Modesti post. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber on SubStack to keep updated on the latest posts and support independently owned news sites.

Thank you again to Emily Bryan of Home Made Theater for the invite to check out Clue and for having “Around Town” review it! It was fantastic!!

✒️: Review by Amy Modesti of Around Town With Amy Modesti

Saratoga Springs theater company opened its 2026-2027 season with the 2017 production of Clue: On Stage; production ends Oct. 18.

10/18/2026

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Home Made Theater (HMT) opened its 2026-2027 theater season with the 2017 non-musical stage play adapted by Sandy Rustin, Clue: On Stage, at the Saratoga Music Hall. The play, directed by Shane Sczepabkowski and co-produced by Emily Bryan & Karla Williams Buettner, opened Friday, Oct. 9 and will run through Sunday, Oct. 18. Clue:On Stage is funny, entertaining, and the perfect production to enjoy during the Halloween season! Show goers who attend the Oct. 18 matinee show can take part in a 1pm Pre-Show Mocktail Hour to enjoy some non-alcoholic beverages and food samples. In Clue:OnStage, six guests at Boddy Manor work together to solve who was responsible for the mysterious murder of the manor owner, Mr. Boddy. To learn more about the play and how to get tickets to attend the show, head over to Around Town With Amy Modesti on SubStack to read the review.

Thank you so much to Emily Bryan for having “Around Town” cover the show & also, attend their first ever HMT production!!

🖼️: Promo Posters provided by Emily Bryan of Home Made Theater

📸: Promo Photo by Willie Short Willie David Short V

, , , , , Home Made Theater , Willie David Short V , Amy Modesti (Around Town With Amy Modesti)

10/18/2026

https://aroundtownwithamymodesti.substack.com/p/sinema-lifestyle-and-apparel-llc?r=2u0jzr&utm_medium=ios

Sinema Lifestyle & Apparel LLC and Make Your Mark Tattoo Studio will present the film, The Bottomless, at Empire Underground in Albany, NY Sunday, November 29.

Tickets for the film screening are $5 in advance and $10 in the day of the event. Tickets for the event can be purchased on Empire Live’s website.

The Bottomless, produced by co-founders, Sean Cranston and Lauren Baker, stars Vinnie Velez as John Heston, a pirate who gets shipwrecked on an island after his ship sinks into the ocean seas. He looks for a way to get himself off the island to be home with his loved ones, including his true love, Lola (Lydia Manson).

Read more about the film and how to purchase tickets for the film screening can be found exclusively on Around Town With Amy Modesti via SubStack.

Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to Around Town With Amy Modesti to keep up on news and support locally owned news media.

Thank you so much to Sinema Lifestyle & Apparel LLC for inviting “Around Town” to view the film at SLCA and preview it for your business and upcoming event!

✒️: Preview Written by Amy Modesti for Around Town With Amy Modesti

After having its initial screening at Sand Lake Center for the Arts, the nautical thriller film will have its sophomore viewing at Empire Underground November 29.

10/16/2026

ALBANY, N.Y. - In 2022, Sinema Lifestyle & Apparel LLC co-owners, Sean Cranston and Lauren Baker first set sail on the creation of their new film and nautical thriller, The Bottomless. The co-owners went on vacation to Cape Cod, Massachusetts to reset and re-connect with the ocean seas. Cranston, who used to go to Cape Cod as a child with his family, not only reignited his love of the sea and pirate culture, gained inspiration to originally create a nautical adventure about a pirate who battles a mermaid. However, the story fell apart and Cranston’s life also came apart. It wasn’t until he re-read his copy of Dante’s Inferno that he truly understood what he was meant to do.It took the couple four years to produce The Bottomless. On Sept. 19, the film made its official debut at Sand Lake Center for the Arts (SLCA). Sunday, November 29, Sinema Lifestyle & Apparel LLC and Make Your Mark Tattoo Studio will present The Bottomless at Empire Underground in Albany, NY. This will be the second film screening for the film. Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 on the day of the event. Tickets can be purchased on Empire Live’s website. The Bottomless stars Vinnie Velez, Lydia Manson, and Starr Lively. Read more about The Bottomless and how you can watch the film EXCLUSIVELY on Around Town With Amy Modesti. Become a subscriber to Around Town With Amy Modesti on SubStack to keep up on your creative news and support locally-owned news media to view unique content. Thank you so much to Sean Cranston & Lauren Baker of Sinema Lifestyle & Apparel LLC for reaching out to me to attend the first film screening at SLCA and write the first-EVER press preview for the upcoming film screening!! It is an excellent film and I’m thankful to support it and see where it gets shown next!! Support your local filmmakers and creatives in their craft and help make their dreams come alive!!

✒️: Preview Written by Amy L. Modesti of Around Town With Amy Modesti

🖼️: Poster Art and photos of Vinnie Velez and Lydia Manson provided by Sinema Lifestyle & Apparel and Lydia Manson

📸: Signage of The Bottomless Film Screening at SLCA taken by Amy L. Modesti Amy Modesti

10/15/2026

If you are an official subscriber to The The Greenwich Journal and Salem Press, you might have seen a new update on their Facebook and SubStack page today!!

A Journal & Press subscriber told my editor in a written note that the newspaper is “a real breath of fresh air.” as they re-subscribed to the paper.

What’s also included in today’s newsletter post on SubStack is the preview of Marty Wendell and Laura Leigh’s special show at Caffe Lena, happening this upcoming Friday!!

If you have not done so already, please become a subscriber to Journal & Press to keep up on the latest local news and support local news media.

And if you haven’t done so already, please read my preview of Marty and Laura’s upcoming show in Journal & Press (and Around Town with Amy Modesti)!!

Thank you so much for your support of local news, local music, & historic music venues!!

-Amy (10/14/26)

A Note From a Subscriber -- and Take Our Political Mailer Poll!

10/11/2026

https://aroundtownwithamymodesti.substack.com/p/bridging-together-yesterday-and-todays?r=2u0jzr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Two musicians from two opposite generations will soon bring their songs and Americana sounds to a historic stage.

Musicians, Marty Wendell and Laura Leigh will bring their songs and sounds to Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY Friday, Oct. 16, beginning at 8:00 p.m.

General admission tickets are $27.11, $23.36 for Caffe Lena members, and $13.56 for a child or student. For those who aren't able to attend the concert but want to watch the live streaming can do so on Cafe Lena TV, with the cost ranging from $5.00 - $8.00.

This will be Laura Leigh's first performance at Caffe Lena.

From first meeting at a concert at Hillview Farm and performing together at Hubbard Hall in Cambridge, the musicians will next perform together at Caffe Lena. For the upcoming show, each musician will perform their original songs and then, come together on stage to perform some additional songs.

More information about the show and how to obtain tickets can be found on Caffe Lena's website, as well as on Around Town With Amy Modesti via SubStack and Journal & Press.

Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to Around Town With Amy Modesti to further support a local and independently owned news site and keep updated on the latest news.

Thank you so much to Darren Johnson of Journal & Press for asking me to write the concert preview, and thank you to Marty, Laura, and the Caffe Lena staff for their insights and contributions. Go and see these talented musicians perform live this upcoming Friday!

✏️ - Article written by Amy Modesti of Around Town With Amy Modesti/ Journal & Press

📸 - Photos of Marty Wendell and his band at Caffe Lena, and the solo photo of Laura Leigh in Albany taken by Amy Modesti of ALM Fine Art & Photography . Event poster and photo contributed by Marty Wendell

Laura Leigh and Marty Wendell will bring their songs and sounds to the historic Caffe Lena stage Friday, Oct. 16.