| |
|
|
|
| Top |
 Be ready for lots of laughs, great songs and entertaining stories with Little Toby Walker, an exceptionaly gifted fingerstyle guitarist who plays traditional and contemporary blues, western swing and ragtime on an authentic 1930 National Steel Guitar.
Little Toby is the proud winner of the prestigious Memphis International Blues Challenge Award and performs and teaches across the US and Europe.
|
 |
| Top |
 Ryko recording artist Jess Klein captivates listeners with her intimate, sexy, soulful approach to new folk music. Her latest album, Garden City, is geared "to release and to heal." With her passionate voice up front, and lyrics that alternate between searing and heartbreakingly tender, the record is reminiscent of early blues albums.
She is a Telluride Troubador Songwriting Contest winner and has received several Boston Music Award nominations.
NYC-based songwriter Stephen Clair will open with a set of original songs that mix rootsy melodies with contemporary themes.
www.stephenclair.com |
|
| Top |
 Singer-songwriter, poet, and troubadour Ellis Paul is the recipient of thirteen Boston Music Awards. He's known for blending striking poetic imagery and philosophical introspection with hook-laden melodies.
His influences range from classic folk to more progressive, pop sounds. His latest Rounder/Philo release, Essentials, contains a mix of new and old songs done both live and in the studio.
|
|
| Top |
| Wed., Dec. 6 • 7 PM |
|
POETRY OPEN MIC |
| $3 |
|
With Featured Reader Jim Eve |
Poetry Open Mic takes place at Caffè Lena on the first Wednesday of the month. Each poet reads two short poems or one long poem. This month's featured reader, Jim Eve, is the host of the Calling All Poets series in Beacon, NY. His work has been published in several poetry journals and he has read at countless poetry events in the Hudson Valley and NYC. |
|
| Top |
| Friday, Dec. 8 • 8 PM |
|
GEORGE WARD |
| $12/10 |
|
With Special Guests:
Mississippi Moonshine Project |
| www.mulesong.com |
|
|
 With his new and old songs of the Erie Canal, the Adirondacks, and the human wit & heart, George Ward is a regional folklorist and songwriter who has been honored as "our living legend." (PSG Lena Spencer Award) Accompanied by his son Nathaniel on guitar, George will entertain with concertina, mandolin and accordion, passing on the older tradition and its stories even as he extends it with his own songs and tales.
A good choice for all ages and for those who enjoy the simple pleasures of an old-fashioned sing-along. |
|
| Top |
Saturday, Dec. 9 • 8 PM
$12/10 |
|
FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS HOLIDAY SHOW |
 Featuring Addie & Olin, Trish Miller & John Kirk, Linda Schrade & David Kiphuth. This annual holiday show is a favorite around these parts.
Three husband-and-wife teams offer sacred and secular songs of the season, alongwith plenty of jolly high spirits and seasonal decoration. Trish & David play banjo, Olin & Linda play guitar, Addie joins in on sax, piccolo and accordion, and someone is bound to haul out a concertina. And everyone, including the audience, sings like an angel. |
|
| Top |
| Sunday, Dec. 10 • 7 PM |
|
JOAN CRANE & MATT MOORE |
| $12/10 |
|
|
 Our own Adirondack fingerstyle blues master Joan Crane has fulfilled a lifelong musical dream by teaming with piano player Matt Moore. Together they create a wonderfully authentic 20s and 30s blues and ragtime sound in the tradition of Scrapper Blackwell and Leroy Carr. In addition to his stellar keyboard work, Matt is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter.
Nicknamed "Memphis Minnie Bago," Joan has lived the life of an intinerant blueswoman with a long and award-winning history of gigs throughout the Northeast. |
|
| Top |
| Monday, Dec. 11 • 7 PM |
|
STORYTELLING OPEN MIC |
| $3 |
|
|
|
|
| Top |
| Wed., Dec. 13 • 7 PM |
|
THE BOBS CHRISTMAS SHOW |
| Price |
|
With Special Guests Paul & Storm |
| www.bobs.com |
|
|
 This madcap a capella foursome celebrates the season with witty, tuneful, original material, and outrageous covers of classic songs. Their shows are part theater, part comedy, part performance art. Their "band without instruments" uses voices and body percussion to fill a room with an orchestra of harmonious sounds so wonderous they've earned four Grammy nominations, legions of adoring fans, and just about every a cappella award there is to win.
Special guests Paul and Storm of DaVinci's Notebook will open with their own riotous originals. |
|
| Top |
 CD Release Celebration for "Crooked Songs: Live at Caffè Lena"
The Ramblin Jug Stompers are back to release a CD that captures the magic of their last sold-out night on our stage. With a nod to the great tradition of American string bands, and a wink to the classic 60s jug bands, this funky ensemble provides high-spirited good times on banjo, washboard, guitar, mandolin, dobro, kazoo and jug.
Those of you hip to the regional music scene may recognize Bowtie, Cousin Clyde, Mr. Eck, and Wild Bill from current and former starring roles with Blotto, The Star Spangled Washboard Band, Rumdummies, Stomplistics, Johnny Rabb's Rockhouse, The Plague, and the list goes on... |
|
| Top |
 Each December this eight-member klezmer ensemble from Massachusetts squeezes onto the Caffe Lena stage to help Saratoga celebrate Hannukah with an emotionally uplifting performance of Yiddish music, comedy and lessons.
They perform their swinging, danceable music in English and Ashkenazic Hebrew, making everything accessible to a mixed audience with translations, explanations, and that universal language that makes your toes tap. |
|
| Top |
 Often thought of as a blues artist, Chris Smither is a singer-songwriter who draws deeply from the Mississippi Delta to create songs that are weathered, unhurried, and genuinely passionate.
This concert will feature material from his brand new album, Leave the Light On, including several brand-new songs, a few choice covers (including a remarkable arrangement of Dylan's "Visions of Johanna") some topical material that hearkens back to his '60s folk roots, as well as his always stunning arrangements of traditional songs. |
|
| Top |
 With a concert harp at the forefront, as well as twin-like looks, Saratoga natives Jessa and Beth Callen grab the eye as well as the ear. The rich, ethereal, often hypnotic sounds of the harp are balanced by rootsy guitar.
Their expressive original songs speak with the raw honesty of two young women tackling the tumultuous path life has dealt them. Compared to such artists as Tori Amos and Fiona Apple, their music possesses a sultry flare with hints of pop, rock and folk. |
|
| Top |
| Saturday, Dec. 23 • 8 PM |
|
3RD ANNUAL POETRY SLAM |
| $3 |
|
|
This hot approach to poetry performance is actually a live competition judged by members of the audience. This slam, hosted by the gracious and personable Dan Stalter, is open to anyone who wishes to sign up.
The atmosphere tends to be on the rowdy side with the entire audience weighing in on the judge's scores, and poets focusing on material that is performance-oriented and often, but not always, edgy and political. |
|
| Top |
| Sunday, Dec. 24 |
|
CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS |
|
|
| Top |
 From her stunning debut with the now classic folk album The Water Lily, through all her varied recordings for adults and children, Priscilla Herdman has established herself as an insightful songfinder and singer of uncommon range, depth and clarity.
She commands the stage with a strength and ease honed by 25 years of experience. While traversing a wide range of human experience she chooses songs of humanistic vision and caring, leaving her audience enriched. |
|
| Top |
 For more than 25 years these local favorites have performed the music of America with humor and style. From Hank Williams and the Carter Family to Muddy Waters, Fats Waller and Elvis Presley, the band covers all the bases.
The line-up features John Kribs (Johnny & the Triumphs/McKrells) on guitar, banjo and mandolin, award-winning guitarist Danny Gotham on mandolin, electric slide and acoustic guitar, and Michael Hadfield (Johnny & the Triumphs) on bass and guitar. |
|
| Top |
| Sunday, Dec. 31 • 6 to 11:30 PM |
|
FIRST NIGHT CELEBRATION |
| First Night Badge Required |
|
|
Featuring Professor Louie & the Crowmatix and The Barefoot Boys
Pick up a First Night badge at any Stewart's Shop or at the Saratoga YMCA and join in this community-wide celebration of the new year! Caffè Lena joins the festivities with roots rock band Professor Louie & the Crowmatix alternating sets with Hudson Valley folk trio the Barefoot Boys. |
|
| Top |
|
