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| Olin Boyle w/ Dylan mask, 1993 |
Rosalie Sorrels, 1989 |
Spider John Koerner, Mr. Bones, '92, |
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Calendar
March 2007
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Friday, March 2
& Saturday, March 3 |
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ACOUSTIC BLUES FESTIVAL
A two-day celebration of America's favorite roots music! |
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| Friday, March 2 • 8 PM |
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KEVIN MAUL & MARK TOLSTRUP |
| $12/10 |
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 Saratoga's own acoustic bluesmen Kevin Maul and Mark Tolstrup will kick off Caffe Lena's 2nd Annual Blues Fest on Friday, March 2 at 8 PM. A master of the dobro and lap slide guitar, Kevin Maul has played coast to coast and on national radio with folk and blues greats Robin & Linda Williams, the Burns Sisters, the Holmes Brothers, the Everly Brothers and many others. He is well known to local audiences as the frontman for No Outlet, a power blues trio.
 Mark Tolstrup specializes in the bottleneck Delta blues style and sings both classics and new blues songs with a powerful, soulful voice. He has sold out many concerts at Caffe Lena and now tours regularly along the east coast.
Caffe Lena's concert with Corey Harris and the 5X5 scheduled for Friday, March 2 has been cancelled. |
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| Saturday, March 3 |
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SATURDAY AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS |
| $25 each, or $40 for both |
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With Mark Tolstrup and Kevin Maul |
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Noon -
Bottleneck Delta Blues Slide Guitar
with Mark Tolstrup |
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2 PM -
Lap Slide Guitar
with Kevin Maul |
Learn to play in the style of Son House, Robert Johnson and Charlie Patton.
The Delta blues is defined by a rhythmic groove and a passionate delivery.
In this class you will learn turnarounds, fills, left hand damping, right hand damping, and accompaniment patterns. Breaking the style down into interchangeable pieces students will focus on rhythmic structure and "keeping the groove going."
www.marktolstrup.com |
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Kevin will focus primarily on techniques involved in lap-style slide playing but will also show it's elation to bottleneck-style.
History and development of various tunings and changes from six to seven and ten string guitars will be explained. The tricks of singing while playing slide will be explored. Technical issues of backing up other singers and instrumentalists, playing with other slide players, microphone, pickup and amplification will be explained. Kevin will also bring a bunch of cool guitars to look at and touch. |
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 Mississippi bluesman David "Honeyboy" Edwards is the only remaining disciple of the legendary Robert Johnson.
The New York Times writes, "Mr. Edwards is among the last authentic performers in the blues... everything he does is infused with the rocking drive and hypnotic modal flavor of depression-era blues at its most intense."
Despite his advanced age (ninety-two years!) he "can still attain an almost frightening intensity, delivering lyrics in a dark, throaty shout and ripping single-note phrases from his fretboard as if he were tearing them out of the Delta soil itself." (Chicago Reader).
After traveling the circuit since the age of fourteen, Honeyboy finally got his due in 2002 when he was named a National Heritage Fellow, the United States' highest honor in the Folk and Traditional Arts, establishing him in our nation's history as "a monumental figure... and living link with the birth of the blues." He will be accompanied by long-time friend and partner Michael Frank on harmonica.
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 Join the adoring crowds for a night of jazz featuring student musicians from Skidmore College's nationally renowned music department. You'll hear everything from standards to cutting edge pieces played on a huge variety of instruments: keys, drums, guitar, bass, reeds, vibes, flute, and always some fabulous, torchy singing.
This is a fun night out for performers and audience alike--give it a try! Arrive early to get a good seat.
Illustration: Corey Allen, "Satchmo's Jazz." |
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| Wednesday, March 7 • 7 PM |
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POETRY OPEN MIC |
| $3 |
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Featured Reader James Schlett |
| open-mic |
This month's featured reader, James Schlett, has been called "the last living romantic poet of Albany." His poems and prose have been published in Songs of Innocence, The Mid-Atlantic Almanac and AlbanyPoets.com.
Open mic sign-up begins at 6:30 and readers start at 7. Each poet reads one long poem or two short poems. The featured reader performs for 20 minutes.
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  Steeped in American roots music, NYC songwriter and lap-slide guitarist Pat Wictor draws on rural country, gospel, and blues traditions. With flowing red hair and zen-like calm, he brings a hush over an audience, weaving together several parts on his guitar and reaching into each listener's heart.
Songwriter, upside down & backwards guitar player, glorious singer Kate McDonnell is a veteran of the Newport Folk Fest, NPR's Mountain Stage, and premiere folk clubs across America and Europe. Her style mixes the important elements of folk music: mountain twang, a poet's deep sympathy, whacky humor, and unpretentious panache. She sparkles on stage and never fails to connect--heart to heart, smile to smile--with her listeners.
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 Called "a cross between the Dixie Chicks and 'O Brother, Where Art Thou' this hot NYC trio was born in the citronella-scented candlelight of Falcon Ridge Folk Festival 2004, 2 AM.
They blend their voices on irrisistible songs by Gillian Welch, Iris DeMent and Hank Williams, plus bluegrass standards, old-time southern gospel, and classic American tunes. You simply can't hear them without falling in love. They'll touch you, they'll make you boogie, they'll break your hearts.
Laurie MacAllister plays guitar and banjo, Abbie Gardner plays dobro, and Carolann Solebello plays bass and mandolin. Their first full-length album was released last summer to rave reviews.
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  Peter Mulvey injects a contemporary edginess into his writing, distilling funk, folk, rock and now old jazz and swing into songs that are lyrical and ethereal.
With a novel guitar style utilizing unique, bass-heavy tunings, a husky voice, and a good sense of lyricism, Peter stands out among contemporary folk songwriters.
His latest album, "Kitchen Radio," (Signature Sounds) is filled with images of travel and longing--a longing for meaning, for love, for home, for a peaceful world, for peace of mind.
His last show at Caffè Lena in 2006 has gone down as one of the most talked about in recent months.
Special Guest Natalia Zukerman, daughter of Pinchas and Eugenia, plays "bottleneck country jazz with smoky, come-hither vocals." According to one New Yorker critic, she can pick upward of thirty notes per measure and "switch from scat to swoon in the course of a glissando."
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 Tenor Nathan Granner of the Sony Classical recording trio The American Tenors has been winning accolades from Opera News, Opera Now, The New York Times, London Times, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.
His friend and compatriot, classical guitarist Beau Bledsoe, is regularly programmed on NPR's "All Songs Considered." Together they embody a fearless attitude toward classical music that has spawned the growing movement to liberate the tradition and place it back in the informal settings in which it was born.
They have delighted audiences throughout the world with new commissioned works, innovative transcriptions of classical and popular song, and genre-bending renditions of American Spirituals and traditional Flamenco.
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 Sorry, cancelled due to snowstorm
This husband and wife duo, who just happen to share the same last name in pronunciation if not spelling, have been a long time part of the Capital District music scene.
They are talented multi-instrumentalists (banjo, guitar, piano, mandolin, dulcimer, limberjack) who share a commitment to music as a way of life. Much of their repertoire draws from the Irish and Southern Old Time tradition, which they share with warmth and humor in coffeehouses, schools, libraries and festivals.
This concert is a wonderful St. Patrick's Day weekend choice for the whole family.
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| Saturday, March 17 • 8 PM |
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DAN NAVARRO & ROBBIE SCHAEFER |
| $15/12 |
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| www.lownav.com |
  Two of the top folk-pop artists of today break out from their usual formats and offer fans a chance to hear what they can do on their own. Dan Navarro, half of the ever-popular Lowen & Navarro, and Robbie Schaefer, lead singer for Eddie From Ohio, share a certain approach to life: one that is deeply in tune with sadness and loss, but unfailingly humorous and accepting.
It's something you only find in folk music. It's not exactly Irish stuff (yes, we know it's St. Patrick's Day) but we guarantee a tremendously enjoyable night with a couple of lovable guys who really know their way around a song.
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 When we heard these two musicians were hitting the road together, we didn't hesitate to book them. Mountain Stage said of Diana Jones, "Her music cuts straight to the soul with the economy of small batch bourbon." It's gritty, timeless Americana delivered with an unmistakable elegance reminiscent of Gillian Welch or Allison Kraus. 2006 was a banner year for Diana with a first place in the Kerrville New Folk Contest, and a #1 listing by both the Nashville Scene and Chicago Tribune.
North Carolina's Jonathan Byrd, the son of a country preacher, also writes in an authentically old-time southern style. His characters--lovers, sailors, slaves and slavers--express longing, love, tragedy and hope in ways that are so monumentally honest and believable that they are sure to find a permanent home inside you. Bicycle Benefits Show of the Month*
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  Vermont-based guitarist Scott Ainslie takes a uniquely soulful and scholarly approach to the blues, both speaking and playing with compelling passion and authority. For the better part of two decades he has immersed himself in the music of Robert Johnson, recording three solo CDs and writing the bestselling Robert Johnson/At the Crossroads transcriptions.
For this work he was granted a Living Heritage Award at the National Slide Guitar Festival. In addition to his mastery of blues classics, Ainslie is a compelling songwriter whose work addresses themes of social justice, love and redemption.
Special guest Jay Smar of Pennsylvania will share some old-time country, bluegrass and originals to get the evening off to a great start.
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 Albany's beloved punker gone acoustic singer/songwriter returns to Lena's stage to share an evening of song. Michael plays original roots-rock that traces the bloodline from Blind Lemon Jefferson to Hank Williams, and from Tim Hardin to Tom Waits.
"Even when sung in the first person, Eck's songs feel less confessional than novelistic. It's the musical equivalent of an Edward Hopper painting, with Eck the unseen eye peering in the windows of farmhouses, driver's-side windows and greasy spoons." -John Rodat, Metroland |
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| Sunday, March 25 • 7 PM |
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ALIEN FOLKLIFE |
| $12/10 |
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Sitting in: Susan Trump and Gary Moon |
| www.alienfolklife.com |
 Alien Folklife presents a quirky blend of offbeat humorous pieces and heart-rending story songs. On the funny side, this duo of Joan Kosby and Paul Mercer, joined for this special show by Susan Trump on mountain dulcimer and banjo, write about cats, dogs, soap operas, termites and telephones.
On the flip side, their repertoire includes moving stories of loss, love, hope and healing. A few "normal" songs help keep things in balance.
Wherever Alien Folklife is on the emotional spectrum, you'll find intelligent but accessible lyrics, creative arrangements, pitch-perfect vocal harmonies and heartfelt emotion. We find their shows are popular with music-lovers of all ages, so feel free to bring the whole family.
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| Sikora, Healy, Groves, Irwin and Laskowich |
Lake George opera at Saratoga will rattle the roof at Caffe Lena for one night with an evening of songs and arias from opera to Broadway. Singers include soprano Nicole Sikora from Houston, mezzo-soprano Eliza Healy from Florida, tenor Donald Groves from New York City, and baritone Thomas Irwin from Nashville. New York City pianist and coach Lisa Laskowich will accompany. Come see what all the noise is about!
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 We're so pleased to have one of Lena's favorites back on stage!
Though trying hard to stay retired, the Travelin' Lady has once again been lured from her log cabin in Idaho for a quick visit east. This totally hip and ageless chanteuse combines a folksinger's clarity and populist ideals with the worldliness of a hard-living blues singer.
She mixes traditional numbers, contemporary folk standards, wry observations on modern life and short autobiographical tales. With a political fighter's passion and the grace of a poet, her performances are always deeply felt, effortless, and altogether lovely.
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  These two pickers are calling this a Guitar Summit. They've long admired each other's work, and now they've decided to share it in person.
Paul is a personable, engaging steel string wonder from Chicago's South Side who makes his beautiful instrumental versions of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and "Stardust" seem right at home among unique arrangements of American roots classics.
Brooks, a Statesboro, GA native, is a self-taught guitarist who ranks with Kottke, Fahey, and other greats of the fingerstyle tradition. His fingers dance their way through original compositions that rock like the blues and swing like jazz. Just wait 'til you hear these guys trade licks! Advice to guitarists: request front row seats!
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  By the time Stevie Ray Vaughan pulled nineteen-year-old Siobhán Quinn up on stage to dance with him on 'Look at Little Sister,' she was already a music veteran. She had sung traditional Irish, English and American folk, art songs & medieval madrigals in five languages, as well as rock & roll for years.
She is, without doubt, a born singer who belts and soothes her way through explosive performances, cutting straight to the heart of a song in a way that is at much theater as music.
She is now teamed up with her husband, guitarist and songwriter Michael Bowers.
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Photo:
Olin Boyle, 1993
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Photo:
Rosalie Sorrels, 1989
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Photo:
Spider John Koerner, '92
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| © 1993, Joseph Deuel |
© 1989, Joseph Deuel |
© 1992, Joseph Deuel |
Copyright © 1998-2008, Caffe Lena, Inc.
All Rights Reserved |
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