First published in The Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clark Moore helped shape modern conceptions of Santa Claus and many of our familiar holiday traditions. For our latest episode we invited Kathy Sheehan, Executive Director of the Hart Cluett Museum and the city of Troy and Rensselaer County historian, to explain the story behind this iconic piece of American holiday lore, the more recent debate over authorship, and the poem's two-century connection to the Collar City.

Happy Holidays from Troy Story! See you in 2025!

Episode Notes:

• Hart Cluett Museum
• How 'The Night Before Christmas' got its start in Troy (Times Union, Dec. 2020)
• 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' (Wikipedia)

Additional Credits:

• "07 Twas The Night Before Christmas Story" by Grantyny is licensed under CC BY 3.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/?ref=openverse.
• Episode artwork: https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14563542937/ available via Public Domain (CC0 1.0 Universal).

Credits:

Produced, edited, and hosted by John Salka
Theme music by Steven J. Goldman, Four Legs Records

Visit troystorypod.com for upcoming episodes, guests, and bonus content.

Connect with Troy Story on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter)

In our latest episode, we revisit Metallica’s concert at the RPI Field House on March 15, 1989. The heavy metal icons were rampaging across America on their Damaged Justice tour in support of their latest studio album “…and Justice for All".

The episode features special guest Jason Bittner—lifelong Capital Region resident, world renowned drummer for Shadows Fall and Category 7, and alumni of other legendary metal acts—who shares his memories of attending the RPI show.

During the episode, Jason recalls:

• Attending the Troy show during a break from studying at Berkley School of Music in Boston
• His choice of “…and Justice for All” as Metallica’s best album
• Thoughts on the audio production for “… and Justice for All”
• Speculation on how someone managed to bring a camcorder into the Field House to record the Metallica and Queensryche sets
• Performing with some of his favorite bands touring the world, including Overkill and Anthrax.
• Reunion of Shadows Fall, his new band Category 7, and work with local Capital Region hardcore band Stigmata
• Discovering Metallica as a teenager growing up in Schenectady and Niskayuna, and his first impressions of their music.
• Hearing Metallica’s Master of Puppets album for the first time, and how the band was a gateway to heavier bands like Slayer and Anthrax.
• Attending Metallica’s 1986 show at the Glens Falls Civic Center with Cliff Burton on bass guitar, and meeting drummer Lars Ulrich for the first time.
• Seeing other legendary metal bands like Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, and Metal Church at various Capital Region venues.
• his own 30-year career as a professional musician performing around the world, and
• his respect for Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.

Live bootleg audio from Metallica and opening act Queensrÿche at the RPI Field House is featured throughout the episode to immerse the listener in the story.

Episode Notes:

• Setlist - Metallica at RPI Field House in Troy, NY (Metallica.com)
• Video: Metallica - Live in Troy, March 15, 1989
• Video: Queensrÿche - Live in Troy, March 15, 1989
• Video: Megadeth - Live in Albany (Colonie Coliseum), May 28, 1987
• Shadows Fall - In the Grey
• Category 7 - In Stiches

Credits:

Produced, edited, and hosted by John Salka
Theme music by Steven J. Goldman, Four Legs Records

Visit troystorypod.com for upcoming episodes, guests, and bonus content.

Connect with Troy Story on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter)

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band delivered a sold-out show at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Houston Field House on Nov. 12, 1978, part of the band’s Darkness on the Edge of Town tour which criss-crossed the United States and Canada between May 1978 and January 1979. In the audience that night was 16-year-old Joyce Bassett—now an award-winning sports columnist with the Times Union—who saw Bruce in concert for the very first time at the RPI Field House in Troy, New York, just a mile away from her house in the city’s Frear Park neighborhood. It started with seats in the back rows but by the night’s end Joyce was on her friend Patty’s shoulders in front of the stage, reaching out to The Boss.

During the episode, Joyce reflects on her memories of the setlist, meeting Bruce in 2016, her favorite Springsteen show of the 40 she’s attended during the last 46 years, and how the RPI show sparked a lifelong love of Springsteen.

The episode also features audio from the Troy concert, available via a bootleg recording called “Prove It All Night: Bruce Springsteen Live in Troy,” courtesy of JEMS.

Episode Notes:

• Bruce Springsteen: A New York Serenade
• AUDIO: Prove It All Night: Bruce Springsteen Live in Troy
• Bruce Springsteen’s Concerts: 1975-2012 A Journey of Shooting the Boss
• Video: Bruce Springsteen, Buffalo, NY - 1980
• Times Union: Joyce Bassett

Credits:

Produced, edited, and hosted by John Salka
Theme music by Steven J. Goldman, Four Legs Records

Visit troystorypod.com for upcoming episodes, guests, and bonus content.

Connect with Troy Story on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter)