Live music, entertainment venues offer many options

Stissing Center in Pine Plains offered a screening of the film ‘Our Farms, Our Farmers.’
Provided
Stissing Center in Pine Plains offered a screening of the film ‘Our Farms, Our Farmers.’
Dutchess County offers a vibrant live music scene, with venues ranging from intimate bars to historic theaters. Whether you’re looking for a cozy night of jazz, folk, rock, or something more eclectic, these spots cater to every musical taste. From the homey Daryl’s House in Pawling to the lively Towne Crier Café in Beacon, you’ll find top-notch performances alongside great food and atmosphere. Whether you’re in the mood for a concert of classical music at The Chance Theater or a laid-back evening at a local pub, Dutchess County’s live music venues have something for everyone.
Daryl’s House
Located in Pawling, NY, Daryl’s House opened in 2014. Owned by Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates), the restaurant and music venue was inspired by Hall’s web series “Live from Daryl’s House.” Designed in an 18th-century barn style, it features award-winning American cuisine and an intimate music experience with a top-notch sound system.
The Chance Theater
Located in Poughkeepsie, this theater was built in 1912 for vaudeville. One of the area’s premier live music club, it hosts classic and contemporary rock bands, as well as international acts.
Towne Crier Café
This full-service restaurant in Beacon offers live folk, jazz, blues, Cajun, Zydeco, Celtic, world, bluegrass artists and even open-mic nights. A neighborhood staple, this place is always a great option for some live music and fun with friends.
Stissing Center for Arts and Culture
The restored 1915 brick building in the heart of Pine Plains is a performance space and cultural center with eclectic and diverse programming.
Tavern 23
This cool, comfy bistro in Poughkeepsie is a recently revamped college bar, which is now drawing in locals for gastropub eats and great craft brews. They offer several nights of live music for your entertainment.
Mahoney’s
This traditional Irish pub in Poughkeepsie will definitely keep you entertained! With two levels, and live music Thursday through Saturday, this hotspot is always packed with people out to have a good time.
Max’s on Main
This longtime Beacon bar is a crowd favorite. Their casual vibe and good bar food attract crowds all week long, although it’s the live music every Friday and Saturday that really bring this bar to life!
Eleven 11 Grille & Spirits
1111 Main Street in Fishkill, this restaurant has live music on Fridays.
Piano Piano Wine Bar
This relaxing space in Fishkill offers live music Saturday evenings, ranging from R & B to Latin jazz and even a crooner. Wines served from around the world, micro brews, cappuccino, espresso and light food items.
The Bardavon
The Bardavon 1869 Opera House, in the downtown district of Poughkeepsie, is the oldest continuously operating theater in New York State. The Bardavon offers affordable arts education, music, dance, theater, and film. They host renowned performers and free outdoor events.
Fisher Center at Bard
Designed by Frank Gehry, this premier performing arts venue located in Annandale-on-Hudson supports and presents a range of artistic disciplines. It serves as a hub for artistic development, education, and community engagement.
Quinn’s
Located in Beacon, Quinn’s is a Japanese ramen spot with great bands and DJs playing almost every night of the week.
On Saturday, Sept. 6, from 12 to 5 p.m., Rock Steady Farm in Millerton opens its fields once again for the third annual Farm Fall Block Party, a vibrant, heart-forward gathering of queer and BIPOC farmers, neighbors, families, artists, and allies from across the Hudson Valley and beyond.
Co-hosted with Catalyst Collaborative Farm, The Watershed Center, WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village, and Seasoned Delicious Foods, this year’s party promises its biggest celebration yet. Part harvest festival, part community reunion, the gathering is a reflection of the region’s rich agricultural and cultural ecosystem.
Rooted in justice and joy, the event will feature over 25 local vendors and organizations, live performances, healing workshops, family-friendly activities (yes, there’s a bouncy castle), and abundant local food. And while the festivities are certainly reason enough to show up, organizers remind us the purpose runs deeper.
“This isn’t just a party. It’s a place to build the kind of relationships that keep our food system alive,” said Maggie Cheney, Rock Steady’s co-founder and worker-owner. “We’re creating space where farmers, growers, families, and community organizers can connect, celebrate, and support one another.”
Proceeds from the event support Rock Steady’s POLLINATE program for queer and trans BIPOC beginning farmers, as well as Catalyst Collaborative Farm’s food justice initiatives. With sliding-scale tickets from $5 to $250, the organizers aim to make the event accessible to all, including free entry for children under 12 and volunteer options for those who want to pitch in.
For those who’ve attended before, it’s a welcome return. For newcomers, it may just feel like coming home.
More info and tickets: rocksteadyfarm.com/farm-block-party
Waterlily (8”x12”) made by Marilyn Hock
It takes a lot of courage to share your art for the first time and Marilyn Hock is taking that leap with her debut exhibition at Sharon Town Hall on Sept. 12. A realist painter with a deep love for wildlife, florals, and landscapes, Hock has spent the past few years immersed in watercolor, teaching herself, failing forward, and returning again and again to the page. This 18-piece collection is a testament to courage, practice and a genuine love for the craft.
“I always start with the eyes,” said Hock of her animal portraits. “That’s where the soul lives.” This attentiveness runs through her work, each piece rendered with care, clarity, and a respect for the subtle variations of color and light in the natural world.
After painting in oils earlier in life, Hock returned to art when she retired from working as a paralegal with a goal: to learn watercolor. It wasn’t easy.
“Oils and watercolor are opposites,” she explained. “With oils, you build your darks first. In watercolor, if you do that, you’re in trouble.” She studied online, finding instructors whose approach clicked, and adapted to the delicacy of the medium.
“When I’m working, everything else falls away,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in life. While I’m painting, time disappears.”
Her studio, formerly a home office, is now her sanctuary and the pieces in this exhibition are the result of three years of that devoted studio work. While this is her first full public show, Hock previously tested the waters at a small fundraiser at Noble Horizons, where one of her pieces sold. That experience — and the consistent encouragement from her family, especially her husband — pushed her to pursue a full exhibition. With gentle encouragement from her husband and family, Hock reached out to the Town Hall’s curator, Zelina Blagden. “My husband kept saying, ‘You’re as good as all those other people out there, why not show your work?’” And so, here it is.
All paintings in the show are for sale, though Hock admits a few are priced high — not because of their size or complexity — but because she’s not quite ready to let them go. “There are a couple I’ve priced high because I’m not sure I want to part with them. But we’ll see,” she laughed. “It would be nice to support the habit a little bit.”
As for aspiring artists or anyone hesitating to begin something creative, Hock’s advice is simple: “Go for it. If it fails, toss it in the basket and start over.”
The exhibit will be on view at Sharon Town Hall through Oct. 31 with an opening reception on Sept. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Carissa Unite, general manager of Oblong Books in Millerton.
Carissa Unite of Millerton, began working at Oblong Books 16 years ago as a high schooler. She recently celebrated her eight-year anniversary as the general manager.
Unite’s journey at Oblong began even before she applied for her first position.An avid reader from a young age, she was a frequent customer at the store. During those years, Unite bonded with a former employee who encouraged her to apply for a position after connecting over their shared love of reading.
As a teenager, Unite enjoyed reading Ellen Hopkins, John Green and Ann Brashares. With the busyness of adulthood, she now favors the convenience of audio books. In the past year, however, she has made it a point to read more physical books.
With a preference for contemporary fiction, she raved about “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The story, set in the 1980s, follows two women who become astronauts at a time when women were not widely accepted in the field. A beautiful love story emerges between the two characters. Unite described the writing as sensational and commended Reid’s ability to tackle complex themes without them being muddied.
Unite has developed a deep appreciated for classic literature. Her two favorites are “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. She was amazed by the philosophical nature of both words and the way their dialogue challenged her perspective.
In an effort to read beyond her preferred genre, she recommends the following:
“Some Desperate Glory,” by Emily Tesh, “Midnight Rooms,” by Donyae Coles and “Clear” by Carys Davies.
For Unite, the beauty of reading lies in its power to develop perspective, empathy, and compassion. Through books, readers learn that everyone is fighting different battles and no two stories are the same. She encourages people to choose kindness because you never know what someone else is facing.
Above all, reading brings Unite peace. If offers transcendence to another world, a pause from outside noise, and for Unite, it is where she feels most at home.
For anyone hesitant to being reading, Unite suggests: just do it! Read 10 pages a day and find the book that speaks to you. Any Oblong staff member would be happy to offer recommendations.
Oblong is located at 26 Main St., in Millerton and 6422 Montgomery St. in Rhinebeck.