Since this is my first Arts Blog I thought I'd start close to home. So, on this frigid January Sunday in the Adirondacks, I headed for The Recovery Lounge (aka Upper Jay Arts Center) on Route 9N in Upper Jay...it's a mere 4 miles down the road but once inside the doors I am transported over 200 miles and a couple of decades away to lazy Greenwich Village Sundays in New York City.

Weekdays, the Recovery Lounge houses Upper Jay Upholstery where you might walk in and find Scott or Byron Renderer hovering over the bottom of a broken chair leg or fussing with a seat cushion. But on weekends and evenings when you walk through the door of this old structure you're never quite sure what to expect—a play, poetry reading, belly dancing...

Today is one of the January Jams, or as it says on the poster "January hams". I get there around 2:30 and although it is advertised to start at 2, no "ham" has, as yet, taken the stage. But there are about 20 people, more or less, milling about--chatting, reading the newspaper, tuning guitars and creating a generally friendly atmosphere. It's all very casual and inviting.

Byron Renderer is hovering over a sound board and his brother Scott is the master of ceremonies, checking in with folks as they walk in to see if they want a performance slot or are there merely to kick back and enjoy. And there's certainly lots to enjoy here.

This particular Sunday draws more than 50 people including several enthusiastic toddlers to one of the hippest music scenes in the North Country.

As the afternoon unfolds we're told that each act is allowed 3 numbers (although there is some overlap). There's a nice mix of acoustic, folk, blues, Beatles, instrumental, and vocalists. Guitars, fiddles, upright bass, harmonica, drums, mandolin are among the performance instruments that heat things up on this chilly Sunday. Performers range from college students to senior citizens and there is no shortage of talent.

Some highlights are guitarist/singer, Joan Crane and upright bassist Steve Feinbloom who had the "Chauffeur Blues". Then, they added mandolinist Max Van Wie to surprise us with a bluegrass/folk arrangement of "Mickey Mouse". It's also a hoot to see plumbers and contractors pick up a guitar and sing and find that they are just as skilled up there as they are at their trade.

I spent about 2 hours in this atmosphere where musicianship and friendship were equal partners and then had to pull myself back to reality and my own responsibilities outside in the cold real-world. When I drove by the Recovery Lounge a little over an hour later, I could tell by the number of parked cars that the Jam was still in full swing.

They happen every Sunday in January at 2 PM. You can find out what else is going on at The Recovery Lounge. In the words of the Renderers, "Guests can expect low lighting, comfortable old funky furniture, great acoustics..."

-Kathleen Recchia