Spring swaps and smooth sips

Hi Friends,

I have spent so much time agonizing over design this week. I hacked together the branding for this newsletter with Canva, coffee, and that poisionous entrepreneurial blend of “I’ll just do it myself” and “my idea doesn’t deserve real investment, so I’ll just do it myself. Poorly.”

Appearance matters, obviously. As I wrote in last week’s email, it's the responsibility of the host or community leader to set expectations for participants. People to want to know what they’re getting into! They need to see some signals that this place is for them.

So I invested a chunk of change in having a brand book developed by a designer I know and love. I started fixating on Instagram templates and event signage. I found a sponsor to create a dramatic floral installation on a 1930 Model A at the next Makers & Lovers event, plus a professional photographer to generate content.

And listen, the party is going to be sick. But in the midst of this I saw an essay from Fatou B Barry, titled “You Can’t Belong to Something You Chose for Its Aesthetic” that took me back. She says that designing a community around an aesthetic isn’t a community, it’s a positioning exercise. Like, SoHo House is not a community. It’s a TikTok backdrop. Sorry.

It’s a warning I needed. Makers & Lovers will not be engineered to drive engagement and attract sponsors. We’re here to welcome people in. Keep me honest, friends.

Riding & Driving Club is pretty literally a shrine to car culture. In a small converted church in Salt Point, NY you'll find a BMW bike on an altar and the smell of espresso, not incense, in the air. Owner Michael Lewis has created a coffee bar, design shop and clubhouse for classic car enthusiasts that's conveniently just 2 minutes off the Taconic - a classic Sunday drive route if there ever was.

As soon as I saw photos of the space I knew three things:
One, I had to see it for myself.
Two, had to introduce him to my friends at Speakeasy Motors Whiskey Co.
Three, we were going to throw one hell of a party together. They just didn’t know it yet.

Speakeasy Motors Whiskey Co and their sister brand Liquid Mercantile will be sampling their wares. We roped in The Catskill Cocktail Club to sling drinks at the open bar and Flowers & Fenders to serve the spring aesthetic.

Parking is extremely limited so we’re selling tickets by vehicle, not by guest. Claim your space and bring your friends!

THURSDAY

Rose Hill Wine Tasting & Talk w Sira Ulo and Shattered Wine in Red Hook invites you to a convo with head winemaker Sam Rogers and a family style dinner.

CUNTh at SaltBox in Kingston is doing a spring clothing swap and vegan doggos from Yeah Dawg. No kids’ clothes!

Friday

West Fest at Return Brewing in Hudson runs from Friday to Sunday with afternoons of free music, food, vendors and tattoos. (Will someone tell me who’s getting all these spontaneous tattoos??)

Field Walk and Workshop at Sky High Farm in Ancram will address how local farmers are restoring denuded (great word) fields followed by a barbecue cooked by Lauren of Fat Apple Farm.

Bouquets and Bordeaux at Le Jardin in Amenia will have a wine tasting led by friend of the newsletter Erika of Ten Mile Table and a floral arranging workshop led by Romaine Recalde.

Plant Swap and Queer Happy Hour at Camp Kingston. Kind of redundant, houseplants are super gay.

Saturday

Ulster County Fiber and Cider Tour starting in the Capital Region and ending at Twin Star Orchards at 4pm with a shepherds market and cochineal dance. If you go, please report back.

Sunday.

Queer Friends Mixer hosted at Pearl Moon in Woodstock brought to you by Julie’s Girls Club. You people said you wanted to make a friend!

Fermentation Nation: The craft, science and culture of fermented foods is happening at the Gardiner Theater in Pawling. Not Gardiner. We don’t have a theater.

Tuesday

Capital Vintage Spring ‘26 Clothing Swap is at Senate Garage in Kingston helping you with your spring purge. Also no kids’ clothes!

Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Mary Halvorson @ Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center

Confession time - I built an AI agent to help me with this column. I used to open Instagram and search every single local venue for listings but listen man I got a full time job and Amy doesn't pay me for this. (NB: Amy doesn’t pay Amy either.) So I trained an agent based on my musical taste, ticket purchasing history, preferences and priorities. It runs weekly to let me know what's coming up, what's been announced and what's on the radar. I still sort through all the listings and write the copy, but without the agent I never would have found this week's pick! Because who is looking at Vassar's listings??!!? Anyway if you want details just bother Amy ask my beautiful wife about it.

On Saturday night, Jamaaladeen Tacuma and MacArthur Genius Mary Halvorson are teaming up for a brain rewiring series of improvised guitar and bass compositions (ed: is it still composed if it's improvised?) It's Jazz but it's also indie rock and noise and funk and all the other things. This is one of those very special gigs that we're lucky to have in the HV. The agent also wants you to know that Tubby's is on an absolute tear this week with a Murderer's Row of good gigs. Holy Fuck and Daniel Villareal in the same week? Come on.

Cheers,
Amy