• The 518
  • Posts
  • 🎙️ Troy’s Song City is where songwriters go to be heard

🎙️ Troy’s Song City is where songwriters go to be heard

March 03, 2026

Happy Tuesday evening, everyone! Hope you’re enjoying what may be our last big snowstorm of the season—or is that wishful thinking?? Either way, we “spring forward” this Sunday, which means sunsets jump past 6 pm and get later and later as we approach summer 🥳 

Today, we’re introducing you to Song City, the very personal project of a guy named Scott Womer. Scott loves music and he loves sharing it with everyone. Song City is a highly curated listening experience on Franklin Alley in Troy.

Lucky for you, we have two tickets to their next show. Keep reading for details…

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

A Song City concert at the Waiting Room 📷️ Photo courtesy of Keira Mulder / NYSMusic.com

🎙️ Troy’s Song City is where songwriters go to be heard

Scott Womer grew up thirty minutes south of Albany in a house full of music. His father was a music teacher, then a church music director, always bringing home instruments. By the time Scott was a teenager, he was drumming in bands. By his mid-twenties, he'd packed up and moved to Nashville, chasing something more.

He found it—five years of session work, record label experience, and a crash course in what it means to take songwriting seriously. Then he came home. Found a partner, adopted kids, settled in Troy, and eventually asked himself the question that would lead to his personal project, Song City: Why isn't there a place here that treats local songwriters the way Nashville treats its best musicians?

"When I moved back to Troy, I started looking around and realized we had this incredible music scene here,” Scott says. “I remembered how much love and support folks got in Nashville for their music, and I started thinking we could do the same here, but expand on it with different genres.”

Song City was born. Four songwriters perform, in the round, every other month at Troy’s Waiting Room off Franklin Alley. In this intimate space, writers across various genres get equal space to perform and talk about their work. On any given night, you might hear hip hop next to folk next to jazz next to electronica. Over four seasons, more than 90 local artists have taken the floor. The shows regularly pack out.

Scott discovered the model for Song City in Nashville at a place called the Bluebird Cafe. The problem was the songwriters all started to sound the same. “I often got bored because it was always country or folk artists,” he says.

So for every Song City evening, Scott carefully curates the performances like a chef putting together a tasting menu. He’s looking for contrast, surprise, and the kind of cross-genre conversation that changes how an audience hears music. 

"Some of our best writers are hip hop artists, but you can’t always appreciate their songwriting because of the loud production. At Song City, we put a spotlight on the writing. I love seeing hip hop or electronic artists come to our show and try to figure out how to play for an audience in this smaller, intimate setting.”

Hence Song City’s tagline: Where songwriters go to be heard.

In conversation with Scott Womer at Troy’s Jacob Alejandro 📷️ Phat X. Chiem

Beyond the showcases, Scott runs the Open Floor, a monthly songwriter open mic, and the Ink Retreat, an annual four-day residency on Lake George where 10 local writers workshop songs and cut demos together. He funds it all through ticket sales, grants, and a day job at GlobalFoundries.

After paying the artists, the venue, the audio engineer, and the photographer, he’s essentially running Song City pro bono. Why does he keep doing it?

“In some ways, it’s not that much different than what my parents modeled for me, which was: How do we help people? How do we support artists? How do we bring good music into people's lives?”

The deets: Song City shows take place every other month, at the Waiting Room, Franklin Alley, between Broadway & River Street, Troy. Tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door. Doors open at 7 pm.

A month before each show, Scott does a reveal of the lineup. Follow Song City on Instagram for the latest.

🎟️ On Tuesday, March 10, Song City will host a special showcase of four talented female artists, timed for International Women’s Day.

We have a pair of tickets to this show to give to some lucky 518 subscribers! Just hit reply with the words, “I want to check out Song City!” We’ll enter you into a drawing and announce the winner in Thursday’s newsletter.

Do you need a real newsletter for your business or nonprofit?

Admit it: Your organization’s newsletter is probably pretty boring. At StoryCraft, we know how to tell an amazing brand story through compelling content. We empower organizations to create newsletters people actually want to read—like this one!

Get in touch to see how we can do the same for your business or nonprofit.

For a 14-day free trial of Beehiiv (the newsletter platform we use to publish The 518), plus 20% off your first 3 months, use this link!

🍣 The new Jade Asian Buffet is set to open Thursday in the the former Dragon Buffet space on Central Ave in Colonie. The new family‑owned pan‑Asian buffet aims to beat the competition from other nearby Asian buffets by offering more variety and healthier options. Lunch will cost $13.99 Monday to Thursday, $15.99 Friday and Saturday, $20.99 for dinner all six days. [Times Union]

🥯 Mr. Bumbles Café, a popular café on New Scotland Avenue in Albany, is opening a second location this spring in the downtown core, and a third in Troy later this year. The menu of breakfast sammies, wraps, soups and smoothies will mirror the original. The owners hope to reach downtown workers and nearby residents with made‑to‑order and grab‑and‑go options. [Albany Business Review]

🐑 Indian Ladder Farms opens its season this Thursday, which is one sure sign that spring is on its way. What does spring bring to the farm? Babies, of course! Beginning April 3, the farm will begin hosting its beloved Baby Animal Days. The 4th annual Maple Fest takes place March 14-15. Come check out the farm’s newest renovations and latest arrivals. [News10]

Bravo for the Realtor who included both winter and summer pics of this peaceful country home in Schoharie County, built on eight acres of irresistible rolling hills, minutes from I-88. With two generous living rooms, there’s plenty of space to bring loved ones together, or spread out with an expansive studio, workspace, or cozy reading room. A sturdy (and cute) wood stove anchors the main living area, while the custom second-floor shower features a handcrafted touch that helps lend an artistic feel to the home.

Outside, a chicken coop and large barn are ready to shelter your animals on a gentleman’s farm. Nature sets the pace out here. You’ll really be able to enjoy it with Summit Lake and the trails at Burnt-Rossman Hills State Forest right up the road. If you’re looking for privacy and acreage for a creative haven in the upper Hudson Valley, then this sprawling property is well worth a look. Just be sure to budget for refinishing the wonderful hardwood floors, it looks like they could use a little TLC!

The deets: 4 bd, 2 ba, 2552 sf. Asking: $299,900. Days on market: 5. See the full listing here.

Note: Our expansive weekend roundup publishes on Thursdays. Watch your inboxes!

TUESDAY

🍽️ You still have time to grab some meal deals with the Saratoga County Restaurant Week, going through Thursday.

🥘 Do you know about the Nighthawks Casserole Club? $20 for the casserole du jour, plus pickles and a green salad.

WEDNESDAY

🎸 Women Are Making Music returns to Lark Hall, this time featuring Eva Isabella and The McTague Twins.

🏃‍♀️ Routes & Roots Wednesdays is your chance to meet up with a group of fitness-minded mates for a community walk/run, starting and ending at Common Roots Albany Outpost.

FRIDAY

🖼️ 🎸 First Friday Albany, the city’s monthly showcase of art, music & culture, is back with cool events all around the city.

SATURDAY

🍀 St. Patrick’s Day festivities kick off this weekend with several annual shindigs: The Leprechaun Dash at Lionheart on the Green, and the Lepre-Con Troy Pub Crawl 2026.

👩‍🦱 With 150+ exhibitors across wellness, food, fashion, beauty, health, entertainment, and more, there’s a lot going on at the NY Women’s Expo. Tix are just $10.

🦎 Bring the youngins to the Hannaford Kidz Expo 2026 for face painting, bounce rides, arts and crafts, mini-golf, and even a reptile room—all free!

💃 Rillaxx Tavern celebrates its grand opening in the former Ama Cocina space off North Pearl in Albany with Funk Flex & Friends.

🏃‍♂️ The Electric City 10K kicks off the race season in the Capital Region.

🐦️ Who hasn’t thought about making a felt bird yurt? You can treat your backyard feathered friends to cool new digs at the Felt Bird Yurt Workshop, hosted by the Shaker Heritage Society.

📜 Historian Connor Williams, a Rex native, worked for Congress on the Naming Commission to end Confederate commemorations across the Department of Defense. Trump reversed all of their work. Come hear him speak about this experience at the wonderful Vischer Ferry General Store.

SUNDAY

🎸 Fan favorites TV Doctors jam with Bloody Marys and complimentary bagels at Second Act Spirits.

⏰ Be sure to spring forward when Daylight Savings Time commences at 2 am. Yes, we’ll lose an hour of sleep but we’ll gain more daylight hours 🥳 

ART ON VIEW

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

GET YOUR EVENT ON THE LIST 🎸

Our rolling deadline is the Saturday before your event!

 💌 GET IN TOUCH!

Got an awesome business, event or personality we should feature? Let us know! Contact: [email protected]

Reply

or to participate.