Local Waves: Play Time — live event on Dec 9, 2026

Local Waves: Play Time

Local Waves live at The Local Center for Arts and Culture, Saugerties on Wed, Dec 9, 7:30 PM. Free entry. Lineup, start time and tickets on Ckord.

A free series at The Local curated by Mike Amari/Chosen Family in partnership with Wave Farm’s WGXC featuring Hudson Valley artists performing original music. The trio consists of percussionist Booker Stardrum (SML, Photay, Lisel, Wendy Eisenberg, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma), saxophonist Will Epstein (Nicolás Jaar, Photay, DARKSIDE, Dave Harrington), and synth player Ben Vida (Marina Rosenfeld, YarnWire, Lea Bertucci, Tyondai Braxton). The sound of Magic Object—a polymetric blend of improv and pulse minimalism for saxophone, drums, and Moog—doesn’t really sound anything like any of their many other ensembles or respective solo projects. It was only while making Magic Object that Play Time realized they were a band at all. The roots of the trio date to 2020, when Will and then Booker moved to the Hudson Valley where Ben was already living. The three got into the habit of playing together and soon realized that their sessions felt fundamentally different from making music in Brooklyn. Where those experiences were rushed and cramped, a new sense of time and space now suggested itself. They were improvising, but it wasn’t just a free-for-all; they found themselves listening to each other in new ways. “We all have our painterly solo projects,” Will says—where, Booker adds, “we do a lot of studio arranging and thinking and composition that takes shape over a period of time.” Play Time, on the other hand, is all about being in the moment. That spontaneity was key to the process of recording the album. They booked two days in their friend’s studio, a converted wooden barn. They jammed for seven or eight hours each day. They then edited down the portions they liked best, and added very judicious overdubs designed to enhance the original recordings without fundamentally altering them, staying true to the spirit of the sessions. The result is something like a snapshot and a mission statement all rolled into one. “You’re hearing us discover the voice of the band in real time,” Ben says. “We finished those sessions and we were like, ‘Oh, that’s what our band sounds like now.’” Now, with Magic Object, the rest of us get to find out too. https://balmat.bandcamp.com/album/magic-object https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lABsWsSyHag **About Local Waves:** "*We need to think small. We need to think local. When all the music ever created is a swipe away on your phone, it's easy to miss the incredible original artists who are making and releasing music right here in the Hudson Valley. This series will serve as an expansion of the Local Waves radio show I co-created with WGXC (which plays all new, local music every Friday 8pm) to further highlight these acts with a free, monthly concert in a fantastic venue at The Local. I hope that folks will use this series as a way of discovering new artists, and getting to know their neighbors in the process.*" - Mike Amari **This series is free, but you can support with a donation at the door. Bar and pierogi available.** RSVP recommended

Starts: Wed, Dec 9, 7:30 PM

Ends: Wed, Dec 9, 11:30 PM

Where: 16 John Street, Saugerties, New York 12477, United States

Price: Free

Lineup

Venue: The Local Center for Arts and Culture

More shows at The Local Center for Arts and Culture

View Local Waves: Play Time on Ckord