Tristan Geary reports in the Times Union that The Local, a live music venue in Saugerties that opened in September, announced its second season with Palestinian musician Firas Zreik, Irish bluegrass band JigJam, and a partnership with the Brooklyn global music club Barbès. So far the new venue has shoscased West African funk, Spanish flamenco, and experimental electronics. In 2024 The Local hosts Veracruzian ensemble Caña Dulce y Caña Brava, Persian classical musician Kayhan Kalhor, and psychedelic fusion by Combo Daguerre. Isabel Soffer and Danny Melnick are owners and Melnick said, “There are so many fantastic spaces indoors and outdoors around this region … but they have a lane — ‘we’re a rock club, we’re a jazz club, we’re a classical space.... We’re everything. It’s a total experiment.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.