It’s actually somewhat impressive that Zack Hay and I made it as long as we did without meeting. Our lives have run in parallel for the last 20-some years: He went to high school with my sister, I went to high school with his sister, his mom works at an elementary school with my high school best friend, we lived in the same Washington Street apartment building for three years, and, being Saratogians, we inevitably have many mutual friends. When our paths finally did cross, it was over a beer.

You may know Zack as the lead singer of The North & South Dakotas, a five-piece folk and bluegrass band that plays gigs all over Saratoga and beyond. Or maybe you know him from Pint Sized, where he’s been working behind the bar for eight years, having recently helped navigate the move from the watering hole’s original Broadway location to a much larger (Quart Sized, perhaps?) spot on the corner of Phila and Putnam streets. It was at the OG Pint Sized location on a strangely quiet Friday afternoon last summer that I had my first real introduction to Zack, and though I don’t remember all the particulars of our conversation (save for the bit about his taxidermized mouse on a stripper pole), I remember feeling like I’d known him forever.

Maybe there was something in the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School water, or maybe Zack is just a down-to-earth, laid-back guy with a knack for making whoever bellies up to his bar feel comfortable. When I caught up with him at the new Pint Sized this past December, one of our mutual friends was there and confirmed my suspicion: It’s the latter.

Where’d the name North & South Dakotas come from?

I have no good story. It’s the longest, worst band name of all time. We’re competing with two of the 50 states in America for internet traffic.

What’s the best part about bartending at Pint Sized?

The community of people that I get to hang out with every day.

What’s something in Saratoga that doesn’t get enough credit?

The North Woods trails at Skidmore. I walk those trails with my dog most mornings.

Is there anything you’ve carried with you since your Burnt Hills days?

A love of the outdoors, probably too much beer-drinking, and good friendships. Burnt Hills was a really nice place to grow up. I felt like our school was a little kinder than other places.

You’re from this area, left, and came back. Why?

Boredom brought me to Asheville, NC, and what brought me back 15 years ago was music. I started a band with a buddy of mine from high school, and I’m still in that same band.