Upstate Beat: Vinyl record fans and beer lovers converge at Clifton Park’s SingleCut North

A brewery might not be the first place you think of as a music destination, but SingleCut North and Side Stage Tap Room has gained a reputation as the best spot in Clifton Park for music lovers who also enjoy a good pint of craft beer.

Diehard local music fan Craig McAvoy has been to the Tap Room for live music events featuring local artists such as Caity Gallagher, ShortWave RadioBand and E.R.I.E. He also listens to humor-filled conversations between SingleCut North staff and DJ Jeff Morad aired on 102.7 WEQX and streamed live on Facebook. 

But it’s also the music playing from the Tap Room turntable that appeals to McAvoy, who is featured on the SingleCut North webpage as a regular.

“They’re always playing what I consider good music. Not just Top 40 pandering stuff, but classic indie rock and post punk. You can walk in there and hear the Clash spinning and the like,” McAvoy said.

Another demonstration of SingleCut’s dedication to music is SlipMat Sunday, a regular event that brings local vinyl record sellers to the brewery. This Sunday, SingleCut North hosts a holiday version of the vinyl market in the Tap Room from 1 to 5 p.m. with four different record sellers, local artist vendors and barbeque from Smith’s Smokeshack & Kitchen. 

SingleCut North manager Teresa Campbell started SlipMat Sunday in 2021 after talking with brewery regular Bill Cormier, a Malta resident and local musician who plays in the bands Halfstep, and Castro and the Fidelities. Cormier is a collector of vinyl records who sells rock, jazz, folk and soul albums at local record shows such as the Albany Record Riot, a record-selling convention held quarterly at the Polish Community Center. 

Cormier and a group of friends started meeting regularly at SingleCut North on Sundays several years ago.

“The beer was good, the room was comfortable, the staff were super friendly and best of all there was a vinyl-themed ambience, which included music delivered old-school via albums played on a turntable,” said Cormier. “It was a perfect setting for a vinyl and beer lover.” 

During one of his Sunday visits to the brewery, Cormier talked to staff about creating an event that would appeal to fellow music fans.

“I mentioned that I regularly attended, and had started selling at, local record shows,” he said. “I filled them in on how the shows worked, logistics on what record vendors would need and what customers would want.”

Thus SlipMat Sunday was born. The record-selling events typically take place roughly four times a year with a larger show featuring four to seven different vendors. In addition, about once a month a single “featured dealer” is given their own rent-free pop-up for the day. 

“The beauty of this show is the relaxed format with not too many or too few vendors,” Cormier said. “There is something to suit any music lover’s taste. The vendors are all local, so it is a wonderful chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones. The best part is interacting with folks who stop by for a beer but end up sticking around, some even deciding that they would like to start – or get back into – collecting vinyl.” 

Clifton Park resident Ross Marvin, a teacher by day and a regular contributor to Nippertown, is another record seller at SlipMat Sunday through his business, Roundabout Records. He emphasizes the value of having a place for music fans to congregate in Clifton Park, where many of the gathering spots are big-box stores and chain restaurants. 

“They spin records behind the bar [at SingleCut] and have a great collection,” said Marvin. “I’ve heard everything from the Replacements to Dinosaur Jr. to Pavement to the Stooges playing in there. They have a big piece of artwork from the Beatles’ Abbey Road on the wall.”

Marvin operates Roundabout Records in part to pay for his own record-buying habit. The SlipMat Sunday events have helped him generate leads from people looking to sell large record collections, which fuel his business. But most importantly, the events offer a sense of community for music fans.

“Yes, Clifton Park is a cul-de-sac suburb … but in, like, every fifth house there’s someone with a cool stereo and good music taste. It’s all kind of right there under the surface,” he said. “Clifton Park doesn’t have a bookstore anymore. It doesn’t have a record store. But every quarter when we do a pop-up at SingleCut we have the kind of place I wish we had.

“SingleCut’s live shows and SlipMat Sunday events are a place to gather and talk about music with other like-minded people,” he added. “My religion just happens to be music, and putting records in the hands of music lovers while talking to them has become the best thing for me.”

Marvin is helping Campbell develop plans for expanding SlipMat Sunday in 2024 to partner with local record stores such as Sweet Side Records in Glens Falls and Sound House in Troy. They are also hoping to feature a slate of live, all-vinyl DJs in early 2024. 

For Campbell, who launched SlipMat Sunday while developing the brewery’s live music program, it’s been gratifying to see how the record events have generated a synergy among beer lovers, music sellers and brewery staff.

“SingleCut Beersmiths was born as a place for hops and vinyl to shine side by side, so having a pop-up vinyl marketplace in the Tap Room seemed like a perfect fit. It’s been so satisfying seeing folks browse offerings from local sellers with a pint in hand,” she said. “My favorite part is when one of our front-of-house team members plays vinyl that was purchased at a SlipMat event. All our collections have grown as a result.

“Like some of my colleagues, it is due to working at SingleCut that I have a collection in the first place,” Campbell added. “Since we spin vinyl when there’s no live music, it’s gratifying to be able to play your own offerings. My favorite albums come from the incredible 518 local music scene: Bad Mothers, Saints & Liars and the Brule County Bad Boys, to name a few.” 

The Week Ahead

Led by singer-songwriter Walter Salas-Humara, the Silos return to the Hangar on the Hudson in Troy on Friday promising Americana rock that breathes punk prairie fire. Barbie Barker of Candy Ambulance opens. 8 p.m.  

The McKrells’ annual Christmas show comes to The Egg in Albany on Saturday with Celtic-infused bluegrass and an evening of holiday cheer. 8 p.m. 

Acclaimed Hudson Valley fiddler and singer-songwriter Sara Milonovich gets into the holiday spirit on Sunday for two 30th-anniversary holiday folk shows with John Kirk, Trish Miller, David Kiphuth and Addie & Olin. 3 and 7 p.m.

Guitarist Rick Maguire from Boston indie-rock band Pile performs at No Fun in Troy on Tuesday with openers Galene, Keta Ester and Landfill Band. 8 p.m.

Contact Kirsten Ferguson at theupstatebeat@gmail.com.