In the past, I've camped in the nearby islands (courtesy of my friend Joe Lipani's boat Double Helix), hiked up Prospect Mountain, been to The Great Escape park, rode the Minne-Ha-Ha, and rafted the Upper Hudson in nearby North Creek. Oh yeah, and frequented many of its pubs, clubs and bars.
This time around it was mostly sedate, as I was with my wife and her two really good friends, Emily and Victoria Scholl, so the activities were mostly centered on the town's shops, mini-golf, and the lake itself (we rode on the Adirondac for a tour of the bay, instead of the aforementioned Minne-Ha-Ha). But there's one thing you can't escape when you're in Lake George: Music.
While I would never consider the resort town a music mecca (how many artists were actually discovered there?), you cannot go from point A to B without hearing someone playing guitar in a nearby bar, or having some radio on. All you have to do is walk from one end to the other, and pass many of its taverns to hear somebody showing off their craft. We had lunch the second day at Christie's on the Lake, where a guy set up and started playing right behind us. Walking by one corner was a guy playing the saxophone. And you absolutely cannot walk by the legendary Duffy's without hearing some kind of music coming out of it. Although I didn't enter that place this time around, you didn't have to. One guy was playing up on the deck, and of course on any given evening, on the upper floor, a band will be playing on its stage.
Most of these artists just play covers, and many of them aren't even indicated on the pub's marquees; it'll just say live music or entertainment. Since the village consists largely (in the summer, anyway...the town goes dead after labor day) of tourists, chances are not many actually care who is playing, just the thought of live music as a backdrop in an atmospheric restuarant or tavern, or on the deck overlooking the lake on a nice day will do just fine.
My advice, if you want to hear some good, live music on your vacation, with a beautiful backdrop of the lake or the Adirondacks, Lake George is the place for you. If you want to hear the 'next big thing', you're probably better off taking a four hour drive south on I-87.
SOUND-RAVES 100: Aside from hearing live music wafting from a nearby bar, the radios were going, enabling me to hear some broadcast music as well. A group who were barbecuing in the picnic area in front of our room had the local station The Point (100.3) on for a while. At the bowling alley, more new music was piped in as well. My favorite station, WEQX came in loud and clear on my car radio, but of course, as the others in my party aren't Alt-rock fans, my listening was reduced to a few minutes heading to the local Price Chopper for supplies for the weekend.
But based on much of what I heard, plus positive responses to my posting of its video last week, "Save Me San Francisco" by Train holds on for a second week. You know a song has arrived when my wife Barb starts humming along to it. It thus holds off Rachel Allyn (who, unfortunately doesn't have the radio play to have an effect on my rankings last week), who has to settle at #2. Leaping into the #3 spot is Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night", matching her peak of "Firework" early this year. A mainstream rock band, a fledging country singer and a pop diva own the top three positions....so much for my Alternative Rock slant....
Fitz & the Tantrums, whose "Money Grabber" I heard twice over the weekend and which is still on the chart for week 31, jump to #4 with the album cut "Dear Mr. President", which pushes Swedish sensation Lykke Li back to #5. The only "new" entry into the top 10 is, yes, "Rolling in the Deep" which inches back to the 10 spot in week 30. The song finally drops out of the #1 position on Billboard's Hot 100 after 8 weeks. And yes, we heard it a lot over the weekend as well.
Adele is one of three artists with two songs simultaneously in the top 20, the others are Lady Gaga, whose "The Edge of Glory" flies into the #18 spot, joining "Judas" which inches up a notch to 19; and Fleet Foxes, in which two of their tracks from Helplessness Blues. "Grown Ocean" and "Battery Kenzie" enter at #16 and #20 respectively. The title track finally drops off the 100 after 21 weeks. The band is currently touring Europe, but will make their way back to North America next week (Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis).
The big Mover of the Week is Plan B's "Love Goes Down" which jumps from #78 to #29. I mentioned this briefly last week, but after a few listens I was knocked over. Plan B, aka Ben Drew is another artist who pays homage to the soul of the 1960's. "Stay Too Long" was my #1 song back in February, the more recent "She Said" is heading down the chart after peaking at #30. Both of those songs combined the soul sensability with a hip-hop rap bridge; but the new song is one hundred percent pure soul. I advise you to give it a listen. All three songs are available on his latest album The Defamation of Strickland Banks. He'll be playing several festivals in Ireland, UK and other parts of Europe; after having participated in the multi-star-studded Wireless Festival in London last weekend.
With Adele out of the top spot nationally and 'Someone Like You" dropping out of my top 20, it was time for another cut from 21. "Set Fire to the Rain" leads the debuts at #63. In the UK, a remix of the song is available on iTunes from an EP of new mixes from the current album. Cee Lo Green has his third single on my charts, "Bright Lights, Bigger City" entering at #92. New bands to the list include Generationals, an indie-rock duo from New Orleans; and Young the Giant, a five-piece from Irvine, California. And, plastered all over the Internet, Facebook (and everywhere else, as its #2 eponymous debut on the album chart this week with its second album attests), Bon Iver comes in at #99 with "Calgary". They are a high touted indie-folk band led by Justin Vernon and are one to watch.
The SoundRaves 100 for Week of July 4, 2011:
This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
1 | 1 |  TRAIN "Save Me San Francisco" Album: Save Me San Francisco | 9 |
2 | 2 | Rachel Allyn - Say Hello To Goodbye | 6 |
3 | 8 | Katy Perry - Last Friday Night | 4 |
4 | 10 | Fitz and the Tantrums - Dear Mr. President | 4 |
5 | 4 | Lykke Li - Get Some | 8 |
6 | 6 | Florence + the Machine - You Got the Love | 8 |
7 | 3 | Adele - Rumour Has It | 11 |
8 | 7 | My Morning Jacket - Holdin' On to Black Metal | 7 |
9 | 5 | Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi-Two Against One | 13 |
10 | 11 | Adele - Rolling In the Deep | 30 |
11 | 9 | Death Cab for Cutie - You are A Tourist | 13 |
12 | 16 | The Strokes - Taken For A Fool | 8 |
13 | 12 | Cage the Elephant - Around My Head | 10 |
14 | 13 | The Wombats - Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) | 12 |
15 | 19 | Kate Voegele - Heart In Chains | 8 |
16 | 22 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  FLEET FOXES "Grown Ocean" Album: Helplessness Blues | 8 |
17 | 14 | Foster the People - Houdini | 10 |
18 | 32 | Lady Gaga - The Edge of Glory | 4 |
19 | 20 | Lady Gaga - Judas | 9 |
20 | 23 | Fleet Foxes - Battery Kinzie | 8 |
21 | 15 | Adele - Someone Like You | 11 |
22 | 24 | Ray Lamontagne & the Pariah Dogs - Repo Man | 7 |
23 | 48 | Avi Buffalo - How Come | 2 |
24 | 26 | The Raveonettes - Apparitions | 6 |
25 | 18 | Dom - Living In America | 13 |
26 | 33 | The Black Keys - Everlasting Light | 4 |
27 | 37 | Foo Fighters - Walk | 4 |
28 | 28 | Cold War Kids - Skip the Charades | 8 |
29 | 78 | MOVER OF THE WEEK:  PLAN B "Love Goes Down" Album: The Defamation of Strickland Banks | 2 |
30 | 29 | Neon Trees - Your Surrender | 11 |
31 | 17 | The Vaccines - Post Break-up Sex | 17 |
32 | 30 | Drive-By Truckers - Everybody Needs Love | 10 |
33 | 42 | Portugal the Man - Got It All | 4 |
34 | 25 | Rachel Allyn - Gettin' By | 25 |
35 | 27 | Peter Bjorn & John - Dig A Little Deeper | 8 |
36 | 45 | Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall | 5 |
37 | 21 | Florence + the Machine - Dog Days are Over | 18 |
38 | 31 | Sam Roberts Band - The Last Crusade | 7 |
39 | 53 | Best Coast - Something In The Way | 3 |
40 | 40 | Christina Perri - Arms | 7 |
41 | 43 | The Kills - Future Starts Slow | 6 |
42 | 46 | Paramore - Monster | 5 |
43 | 44 | Shontelle - Say Hello to Goodbye | 6 |
44 | 39 | Ke$ha - Blow | 7 |
45 | 41 | Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks | 24 |
46 | 49 | Gomez - Options | 6 |
47 | 47 | Arcade Fire - Month of May | 8 |
48 | 38 | Ben Harper - Rock n' Roll is Free | 13 |
49 | 56 | The Lonely Forest - We Sing In Time | 3 |
50 | 36 | Middle Brother - Me Me Me | 10 |
51 | 34 | Chk Chik Chick - Wannagain Wannagain | 15 |
52 | 52 | Flogging Molly - Revolution | 5 |
53 | 54 | Scotty McCreery - I Love You This Big | 6 |
54 | 58 | Zac Brown Band f Jimmy Buffet - Knee Deep | 9 |
55 | 57 | Kenny Chesney f. Grace Potter - You & Tequila | 5 |
56 | 67 | We Are Augustines - Chapel Song | 3 |
57 | 35 | The Raveonettes - Recharge and Revolt | 14 |
58 | 55 | Arctic Monkeys - Don't Sit Down "Cause I Moved Your Chair | 6 |
59 | 63 | Brett Dennon - Comeback Kid | 4 |
60 | 51 | Scars on 45 - Give Me Something | 20 |
61 | 66 | Rise Against - Make It Stop | 4 |
62 | 60 | Noah & the Whale - L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. | 7 |
63 | ---- | TOP DEBUT:  ADELE "Set Fire to the Rain" Album: 21 | 1 |
64 | 68 | Kings of Leon - Back Down South | 4 |
65 | 82 | Sleeper Agent - Get It Daddy | 2 |
66 | 86 | Wild Flag - Romance | 2 |
67 | 94 | KT Tunstall - Glamour Puss | 2 |
68 | 70 | Sublime with Rome - Panic | 6 |
69 | 50 | Brother - Darling Buds of May | 12 |
70 | 69 | Fitz and the Tantrums - Money Grabber | 31 |
71 | 75 | Givers - Up Up Up | 4 |
72 | 77 | Linkin Park - Iridescent | 3 |
73 | 74 | Los Lonely Boys - Fly Away | 11 |
74 | 81 | 311 - Sunset in July | 5 |
75 | 73 | Austra - Beat and the Pulse | 8 |
76 | 88 | The Naked and Famous - Punching In A Dream | 3 |
77 | 92 | Yacht - Dystopia | 2 |
78 | 59 | Mt. Desolation - Bitter Pill | 21 |
79 | 64 | The Raveonettes - Forget That You're Young | 8 |
80 | 85 | 10 Years - Fix Me | 5 |
81 | 72 | Boxer Rebellion - The Runner | 8 |
82 | 96 | The Head and the Heart - Lost In My Mind | 2 |
83 | 65 | Eddie Vedder - Longing to Belong | 10 |
84 | 71 | Leila - Hush Little Baby | 20 |
85 | 61 | Lucinda Williams - Buttercup | 20 |
86 | 93 | Taylor Swift - The Story of Us | 4 |
87 | 95 | Hot Chelle Rae - Tonight Tonight | 3 |
88 | ---- | Generationals - Ten Twenty Ten | 1 |
89 | ---- | Young the Giant - Cough Syrup | 1 |
90 | 91 | Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Paris(ooh lala) | 21 |
91 | ---- | The Band Perry - If I Die Young | 1 |
92 | ---- | Cee Lo Green - Bright Lights, Bigger City | 1 |
93 | 62 | The Drums - The New World | 11 |
94 | 97 | The Belle Brigade - Losers | 3 |
95 | 76 | Michael Franti & Spearhead - I'll Be Waiting | 15 |
96 | 90 | Cold War Kids - Louder Than Ever | 26 |
97 | 79 | Plan B - She Said | 9 |
98 | ---- | Mat Kearney - Hey Mama | 1 |
99 | ---- | Bon Iver - Calgary | 1 |
100 | 100 | Adelitas Way - Sick | 4 |
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