Origins of concert series dates back to formation of the original Rockin’ On The River concert series.
TROY – Returning for its sophomore run in the Collar City is Wake-Up Wednesday. The free six-week concert series will kick off outside the rear deck of Ryan’s Wake starting May 15 with the Celtic party band, Hair of The Dog, and conclude with The Accents, with special guest Virgil Cain on June 19.
Other acts include The Troy Music Review, featuring Family Tree and other special guests (May 22), Eastbound Jesus (May 29), The Beadle Brothers (June 5), and Yacht Masters NY (June 12). The musical genres range from rock ‘n roll, bluegrass, Americana, modern country, to yacht rock.
All shows start at 5 p.m. and in case of inclement weather, the bands will be moved inside to the “Flynn Side” of Ryan’s Wake. Additional info about the series can be found on the Ryan’s Wake Facebook and Instagram pages.
Jared Kingsley, general manager of Ryan’s Wake said that this particular series is not like Alive at 5 or Rockin’ On The River, but it’s the eateries’ own “little fun spring event.”
Due to the success of the event’s debut, Kingsley and owner of Ryan’s Wake Chris Ryan wanted to bring Wake Up Wednesday back for a second year.
Ryan came up with the name of the music series as a play on the name of his establishment. Music fans will all be “Wake(d) Up by Wednesday afternoon for a fun concert,” Kingsley said. Their mission to hold the events is to also capitalize on spring fever and cabin fever in Upstate New York.\
“People have been in their homes all winter long and especially when the winter drags out and it’s been rainy.” Kingsley said. “So it wasn’t important to be in front of Rockin’ On The River, it’s important for us to capitalize on that spring desire and when you do something like this in the spring in our experiences, we’re not conflicted or competing against all other things, meaning Rockin’ On The River, Alive at 5, and SPAC.”
By having their own community-based event, patrons who are looking for something fun to do in the spring can head to Ryan’s Wake to have a great time before attending a pool party or going on a summer vacation.
In addition to the live entertainment, guests can also take advantage of the food kiosk with food from Ryan’s Wake, Brown’s Brewing Company, and Oh Corn! Arepas, as well as a beverage truck serving beer and seltzer and a full-service bar inside Ryan’s Wake.
Customers, friends, guests, and City of Troy residents remain nostalgic about the Ryan’s Wake concerts for many years, since the original inception of Rockin’ On The River in June 2008 that Chris Ryan founded himself, with the support of partners, DeCrescente Distributing Co., Brown’s Brewing Co., and the Troy Downtown Collaborative, an organization of retailers and developers which later became the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District.
The concert series helped showcase the Hudson River and brought people together for a midweek kind of break from the regular week to relax and hear live music. It also served as a benefit event for the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District as a means of further establishing the entity and also raising funds to pay for the event staging, sound equipment, the municipality, and the bands.
Kingsley, who at the time was the talent buyer and General Manager of Revolution Hall, and booked entertainment for Dinosaur BBQ, booked 86 Rockin’ On The River concerts in Downtown Troy throughout the concert series’ earlier years until Rockin’ On The River changed hands completely to the Downtown Troy BID.
With Rockin’ On The River moved to the Waterfront at Riverfront Park, Kingsley and Ryan had an overwhelming ask from their customers, friends and guests, and City of Troy Residents about bringing the concerts back to Ryan’s Wake, the place where the concerts began.
“We wanted to bring it back, so that was the catalyst to get it going.. They’re asking for it, let’s do it,”Kingsley said.
The Wake Up Wednesday series helped rekindle Kingsley’s love of booking live music after being dormant in it for several years. He is excited to be back in the game and finds booking entertainment for the series to be cool.
Since the music returned to Ryan’s Wake, Kingsley has booked the entertainment himself. He is pleased that the concert series has been a success for his customers and the entire region.
Both Kingsley and Ryan liked the look, taste, and feel of the concert series and wanted to do it again. Kingsley remains hopeful for the events’ future.
“I think in years to come, you could see some acts that are not just your local and regional high quality talent, but things that might have a little more draw from the larger area.” Kingsley concluded.
