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| Patty Larkin, 1992 |
Paul Geremia, 1976 |
Hammel on Trial, 1992 |
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Calendar
May 2007
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| Wednesday, May 2 • 7 PM |
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POETRY OPEN MIC |
| $3 |
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With Featured Reader Bernadette Mayer |
 Bernadette Mayer's poetry has been praised by John Ashbery as "magnificent." Michael Lally called her, "One of the most original writers of her generation."
Throughout the 1980s she was the Director of the Poetry Project in New York City and she has taught there and at the New School. She is the author of numerous books including, The Bernadette Mayer Reader, New Directions Books.
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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 Mixing gospel and blues piano with a wild flair for the comedic, this man isn't your typical Sunday preacher. Imagine the boogie rock abilities of Jerry Lee Lewis combined with lyrics based on "the kind of folks you run into at the Waffle House outside of Lumberton, Georgia, at three AM, in an ice storm."
The result is a wild ride down the backroads of America, with Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, the 6'5", heavily tattooed, extremely left-of-center, boogie woogie playin', mayonnaise hatin', former Special Education teacher, at the wheel. Reverend Billy has released seven albums on the Hightone label and has a devoted following coast to coast, and true legendary status across the south.
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 This fun quartet's repertoire of acoustic folk, blues, jazz standards, bluegrass, gospel, labor ballads and early jazz sparkles with an "uncommon joy-de-vivre" (Don Wilcock).
The torchy, jazzy, spine-tingling vocals of Annie Rosen take center stage, with three and four part harmonies provided by husband Jonny Rosen (guitar), Steve Fry (mandolin, guitar & trumpet), Betsy Fry (electric bass) and Peter Davis.
Bottomline: they LOVE all music and LOVE to share it with their fans! You'll love it, too! Photo: Bill Spence |
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 Righteous Babe recording artist Ed Hammel is a one-man punk band punk by which we mean (mostly) loud, fast music informed by politics, passion, energy and intelligence, played by a guy with a sharp tongue and a wicked sense of humor.
His fifth record, Songs For Parents Who Enjoy Drugs, is slightly less of a one-man show; it wouldn't exist without the contributions of another, more diminutive man. Hamell's three-year-old son, Detroit, is all over the album, as a character in his dad's lyrics and as a guest vocalist.
The album is an exploration of family values that's based in reality, spiked with the hysterically bitter perspective of an undeniably talented daddy wondering how to raise a child in today's crazy world.
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| Ellis, Red Molly & Pat Wictor |
Get a sneak preview of the 2007 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival with an evening of music by the three "MOST WANTED BACK" artists from the Festival's 2006 New Performer Showcase. For the last ten years the Falcon Ridge organizers have drummed up business from DC to northern Vermont by putting their finest newcomers on the road for a couple weeks in May. This will be an especially good round, with two artists on the bill who are already established headliners at Caffè Lena. You can't beat the mid-week ticket price!
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 Seamus Kennedy from Belfast is a seasoned pub-style entertainer with a ready wit and a vast store of songs. He encourages the crowd to sing along to silly lyrics and daft ditties or act out the choruses.
When he plays a lively Irish jig or a reel, Seamus will often coax someone to jump up and dance to the music of his guitar or bodhrán - to the delight - and often amazement - of their friends.
With an absurd mix of songs for children, drinking and crying, Seamus has managed to make himself a family tradition during his more than 30 years of touring around North America.
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| Saturday, May 12 • 8 PM |
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DON & VICTORIA ARMSTRONG |
| $15/12 |
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 These Caffè favorites perform sweet, joyful, original songs flavored by the sounds and images of their home in the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico.
Victoria has one of the richest, loveliest voices imaginable and supports the band on keyboards and guitar. Husband Don joins in with vocal harmonies and leads with driving Latin guitar.
Old friends Tony Markellis on bass and Ed Lowman on fiddle round out the sound. In addition to a busy touring schedule, the Armstrongs are highly aclaimed songwriters whose work has been recorded by Judy Collins, John Denver, Bill Staines and many others.
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 Masters of the tricky art of innovating within a musical tradition while remaining true to its essence, Old Blind Dogs have stood on the cutting edge of Scotland's roots revival since forming in 1990.
With a repertoire that features high-octane instrumentals and traditional songs (including a trulygreat rendition of Robert Burns' "A Man's a Man for A' That"), it's a joy to hear the Dogs' dynamic fusion of delicately phrased melodies from Scottish tradition with world music, jazz, and rock undercurrents.
The band features the great Jonny Hardie on fiddle and mandolin, Rory Campbell on small pipes, Aaron Jones on bass and bouzouki, and Fraser Stone on drums.
Opening the show will be Boston's Matt & Shannon Heaton with traditional and modern Irish music, combining sweet and sparkling singing, and upbeat instrumentals on Irish flute, guitar and bouzouki.
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  Folksinger Cindy Kallet and Irish flutist Grey Larsen, each well-known and loved for their decades of music making, have joined musical forces.
The duo's repertoire includes originals, traditional Irish music, Scandinavian fiddle duets, old-time fiddle and guitar tunes from southern Indiana, and new music that Cindy and Grey are inventing together. Included are vocal duets, guitar, Irish flute, Irish alto flute, tin whistle, concertina, harmonium, and duet fiddling, and plenty of stories that put the music into a personal context.
Canadian folksinger eve goldberg will open the show. |
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 The Boston Globe wrote, "someday they will call Dylan the Ferron of the '60s." In addition to being one of Canada's most famous folk musicians, Ferron is one of the most important writers and performers of women's music, having influenced later musicians such as Ani DiFranco and the Indigo Girls.
Her poetic songs sung in an inimitable, rough-hewn voice are interspersed with often very funny stories of a long and fascinating life in the music business.
Through the course of her career she has won many favorable comparisons with artists such as Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. But here's our favorite: "The Johnny Cash of Lesbian Folksinging." (Bett Williams, 2000).
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 This trio from Vermont has been a highly sought after New England dance band since its inception in 1993.
Throughout the years they have stretched the boundaries of their craft, incorporating subtle references to modern music, yet always retaining the driving pulse of a dance band.
Their repertoire draws from Ireland, France, Scandinavia, Newfoundland and Quebec. The band's line up is Jeremiah McLane on accordion and piano, Keith Murphy singing and playing guitar, mandolin, and doing foot percussion, and Becky Tracy on fiddle.
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 Singing in an absolutely beautiful, rich contralto, Sloan Wainwright reaches out to each listener with caring, understanding and guidance.
She delves fearlessly into topics of love, loss and self-discovery, tearing down and rebuilding old beliefs, and finding strength from within. These big subjects are couched in grooving melodies that mix rock, jazz, blues and folk.
Sloan is strictly a singer who will be supported on percussion and harmony singing by the talented Cadence Carroll, and on electric and acoustic guitars by Stephen Murphy.
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| Saturday, May 26 • 8 PM |
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AN EVENING OF STAND-UP COMEDY |
| $10/8 |
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| John McCarthy, Sharon Dyer, Russ Davignon, Marcy Hausman and Steve Smoller |
During the past year, budding comedians from around the Capital District have studied the art and science of stand-up comedy at Caffè Lena under the direction of Kathryn Mora.
This show will feature our favorites from the private showcases that have taken place throughout the year. We promise a riotous evening of entertainment that is free of naughty words, reasonably clean, and packed with smart, bust-a-gut humor.
Five new comics will have you falling down for their stand-up: Steve Smoller, Russ Davignon, Sharon Dyer, John McCarthy and Marcy Hausman.
Please read their Biographies. |
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| Sunday, May 27 • 7 PM |
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3RD ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY OPEN STAGE |
| FREE |
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Co-sponsored by Saratoga Peace Alliance and Adirondack Veterans for Peace |
 This event has become one of our favorite traditions at Caffè Lena, each
year bringing together poets, songwriters, storytellers, and speech makers for a respectful and deep-hearted sharing of views about our nation's
soldiers and their mission.
This year we're featuring a guest set by veteran political satirist Dave Lippman. For more than 35 years Dave has inspired allies and dismayed foes with his endlessly clever, sharp-witted songs for peace, global justice,
living wages, fair trade, and environmental sanity.
All styles and points of view are welcome, but please be aware that Caffè Lena requires that material be suitable for an audience of all ages. No advance reservations will be accepted. Performer sign-up goes from 7 to 7:30. Performances will get underway at 7:30. Time limits will be determined by the number of participants. |
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Photo:
Patty Larkin, 1992
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Photo:
Paul Geremia, 1976
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Photo:
Hammel on Trial, 1992
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| © 1992, Joseph Deuel |
© 1976, Joseph Deuel |
© 1992, Joseph Deuel |
Copyright © 1998-2008, Caffe Lena, Inc.
All Rights Reserved |
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