The Eighth Step Coffee House was founded in Albany New York in 1967 by FOCUS CHURCHES, a coalition of local historic churches dedicated to street ministry without proselytizing, and for its first 30 years "The Step" had its office and coffeehouse in the basement of historic First Presbyterian Church [1] at the corner of State and Willett Streets along Washington Park. [2]
Located near Lark Street, a Center Square area popular with students from the University at Albany, College of Saint Rose and other colleges nearby, The Step attracted crowds of students and young adults from its opening night in 1967, and quickly evolved into an autonomous 501c3 nonprofit. Open seven days a week, it was run by a small staff and volunteer crew. Funding came from gate receipts (70% went to the night's performer), memberships and until 2000, FOCUS funding. At its peak in the 1970s, it boasted 2,000-3,000 members.
By 1985, smaller concerts (100 people) and the weekly Open Mike - the regions largest - were held in the basement coffeehouse. Larger (400+) concerts were presented upstairs on the church Assembly Hall's wooden stage, a space dubbed by The Step "8th Step Upstairs" and featuring two Tiffany Windows, one a commemorative window for Joseph Henry. [3]
The Eighth Step also introduced contradancing to the Capital Region, the brainchild of traditional musician Bill Spenceh while working with The Step. This traditional form of New England line dancing exploded in popularity around the region, with several organizations coordinating their own monthly series to provide packed weekly dances with live music on every weekend. The annual 3-day Old Songs Festival, directed by Andy Spence (married to Bill), featured a high-energy dance area that ran into the wee hours of every festival night.
Meanwhile, The Eighth Step presented the finest musicians of national, international, regional, local, and sometimes no repute. It found its niche in presenting contemporary singer-songwriters, but also Celtic, jazz, bluegrass, folk rock, comedy, folk dance performance and classes, and theatre including popular improv sessions. The Step provided space for North River Friends of Clearwater, the Irish music sessions Comheoltis, Pick'n & Sing'n Gathering'.
"The Step" eventually outgrew its original home, and in 2000 took over historic Cohoes Music Hall at the invitation of the new Cohoes mayor. In 2003, after three successful seasons, it left Cohoes and became what one regional arts writer dubbed "a traveling feast," presenting concerts on many regional stages: RPI, Proctors, Steamer 10, Schenectady Civic Theatre, University at Albany's Page and Chancellors Halls, and more. In 2007 it accepted a residency at Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady, New York, where it remains.
Since 1987 The Step has been run by Margie Rosenkranz, Executive Artistic Director. Writer, editor, organizer and publicist, her experience includes Director of Marketing (the first) for The Egg; Senior Writer for Skidmore College; Publicist then Artistic Director - at Toshi Seeger's request - for Clearwater Revival; and publicist for Clearwater's annual Pumpkin Sail. Sloop Clearwater is a working, life-sized reproduction of 18th century transport vessels that carried Upstate cargo and passengers to New York City. Pete & Toshi Seeger were the driving forces behind the construction of the sloop, which is still dedicated to public awareness, education and celebration of the beautiful Hudson River.
The Eighth Step has introduced scores of singer-songwriters to the region, including John Gorka, Patty Larkin, Greg Brown, Phil Ochs Song Night, Cheryl Wheeler, The Wailin' Jennies, Dougie MacLean, Susan Werner, Bucky & John Pizzarelli, Kim & Reggie Harris, Magpie, Lost in the Trees, Pat Humphries, Dar Williams, The Grand Slambovians, Joe Jencks, Canadian blues/Celtic guitar virtuoso JP Cormier, Kate Campbell, and many, many more.
Since 1967, known and unknown artists with whom The Step has worked have included Pete Seeger, Richie Havens, Tom Paxton, U Utah Phillips, Ronnie Gilbert, Greg Brown, Scotland's Dougie MacLean, Holly Near, Sheila Jordan, Buffy Sainte-Marie, queen of scat Sheila Jordan, Richie Havens, Peter Ostroushko, Guy Davis, Arlo Guthrie, Bucky & John Pizzarelli, Alison Krauss, Lunasa, The Del McCoury Band, John McCutcheon, Gangstagrass, Odetta, independent rock phenomenon Ani DiFranco. Unknown, DiFranco first performed to 40 people in the coffeehouse; the following year she drew 400 at 8th Step Upstairs. The following year Rosenkranz and The Step presented her at Albany's Palace Theatre to over 2,600 people.
At Proctors, The Step now most often uses Proctors GE Theatre (430 seats), or The Addy (90 seats). The largest of Pete Seeger's final concerts, with his sister Peggy, sold out the Mainstage at 2600 seats. Step seasons currently run from September - May, with ticketing through 8thStep.org, or through Proctors Box Office. As always, we serve the finest gourmet desserts and - a nod to our coffeehouse roots - the music and coffee are always hot, and a cup of joe still costs a dollar.
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New York, near the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers. It is in the same metropolitan area as the state capital, Albany, which is about 15 miles (24 km) southeast.
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Peter Seeger was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably their recording of Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene", which topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. Members of the Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, Seeger re-emerged on the public scene as a prominent singer of protest music in support of international disarmament, civil rights, counterculture, workers' rights, and environmental causes.
The Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is the metropolitan area surrounding Albany, the capital of the U.S. state of New York. The Capital District was first settled by the Dutch in the early 17th century and came under English control in 1664. Albany has been the permanent capital of the state of New York since 1797. The Capital District is notable for many historical events that predate the independence of the United States, including the Albany Plan of Union and the Battles of Saratoga.
The Peekskill riots took place at Cortlandt Manor, Westchester County, New York, in 1949. The catalyst for the rioting was an announced concert by black singer Paul Robeson, who was well known for his strong pro-trade union stance, civil rights activism, communist affiliations, and anti-colonialism. The concert, organized as a benefit for the Civil Rights Congress, was scheduled to take place on August 27 in Lakeland Acres, just north of Peekskill.
Flying Fish Records was a record label founded in Chicago in 1974 that specialized in folk, blues, and country music. In the 1990s the label was sold to Rounder Records.
Frederick Freeman Proctor, aka F. F. Proctor, was a vaudeville impresario who pioneered the method of continuous vaudeville. He opened the Twenty-third Street Theatre in New York City.
The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Beacon, New York that seeks to protect the Hudson River and surrounding wetlands and waterways through advocacy and public education. Founded by folk singer Pete Seeger with his wife Toshi Seeger in 1966, the organization is known for its sailing vessel, the sloop Clearwater, and for its annual music and environmental festival, the Great Hudson River Revival.
The Clearwater Festival is a music and environmental summer festival and America's oldest and largest annual festival of its kind. This unique event has hosted over 15,000 people on a weekend in June for more than three decades. All proceeds benefit Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization.
Proctor's Theatre is a theatre and former vaudeville house located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Many famous artists have performed there, notably Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Hal Holbrook, Ted Wiles, and George Burns, as well as many others. It has one of the largest movie screens in the Northeast.
John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli was an American jazz guitarist.
Thomasina Winslow is an American blues musician from the Albany, New York area, and the daughter of folk musician Tom Winslow. As a toddler, she sang back-up on her father's folk music classic Hey Looka Yonder ; also singing a solo version of One-Two-Three, another version of which she produced on her own 30 years later. In addition to her solo career, Winslow has been a member of four bands, including a duo with Nick Katzman. Furthermore, she has been a teacher in that genre of music, and has significantly influenced other aspiring musicians. Winslow primarily performs covers of Blues standards and has written a number of blues and gospel tunes in her own right. She is also one of a handful of African-American women producers in the "indy" music industry today.
Thomas Griffin Winslow was a prominent American folk singer and writer, best known as a "disciple" of Reverend Gary Davis and a former member of Pete Seeger's band. He performed with his family as The Winslows and recorded with Al Polito. His career as a performing artist lasted over forty years. He was most notable as the composer of "Hey Looka Yonder ", a folk song that has been the anthem of the Sloop Clearwater.
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Toshi Seeger was an American filmmaker, producer and environmental activist. A filmmaker who specialized in the subject of folk music, Toshi's credits include the 1966 film Afro-American Work Songs in a Texas Prison and the Emmy Award-winning documentary Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, released through PBS in 2007. In 1966, Seeger and her husband, folk-singer Pete Seeger, co-founded the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, which seeks to protect the Hudson River and surrounding wetlands. Additionally, they co-founded the Clearwater Festival, a major music festival held annually at Croton Point Park in Westchester County, New York.
Thomas Rosenkranz is a contemporary American pianist, noted for performances of modern and international music.
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