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| Tristan Allen, 2009 |
Tony Furtado, 2009 |
David Wilcox, 2009 |
Cliff Eberhardt, 2009 |
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PDF Downloads:
Full Calendar
(2.6 MB) Dec-Feb |
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Fridge Calendar
(156 KB) Dec-Feb |
All ticket sales are handled by our box office service, Brown Paper Tickets.
Tickets are available online, or through a 24/7 call-in box office.
See our Ticket Info page. |
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Calendar
August 2009
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| Listed ticket prices are: Non-Member / Member. Tickets sold at door cost additional $2. |
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 An original and influential voice in rock and roll, Graham Parker with The Rumour was one of the most successful singer-songwriters to emerge from England's pub rock scene in the early 1970's. Graham now resides in America and has become a pithy and increasingly refined singer-songwriter, in concert and on albums such as Don't Tell Columbus (2007).
While his acerbic side is still evident and the feisty rocker is never too deep below the surface, a kinder, gentler Graham tends to dominate, with richly detailed slice-of-life stories, tales of relationships, and autobiographical songs. What impresses most is his consistency—after all these years he's still writing first-rate songs and putting them on record with heart, soul and conviction.
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 Spanning three generations, The Flipsydz sing "the golden oldies" of the doo-wop era. Along with their fun-loving and beautifully performed songs, they lead the audience down memory lane with recollections of the '50s and '60s street corner doo-wop ensembles of Philly and Brooklyn.
Caffè Lena has seen a lot of sing-alongs down through the years, but nothing matches the full-throated chorus of "Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl!" inspired by a Flypsydz show!
The line-up is baritone Roy O'Dell, Bass/Baritone Tom Torebka, Tenor/Baritone Pete Avilles, and Tenor/Falsetto Stan Simkins.
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| Wednesday, Au. 5 • 7 PM |
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Poetry Open Mic |
| $3 |
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With Featured Reader Will Nixon |
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 Will Nixon grew up in the Connecticut suburbs, lived in Hoboken and Manhattan, moved to a Catskills log cabin, and now lives in Woodstock. As a journalist, he was a contributing editor to The Amicus Journal, published by the Natural Resources Defense Council, and a correspondent for the Adirondack Explorer.
His poetry chapbooks are When I Had It Made (Pudding House) and The Fish Are Laughing (Pavement Saw). His poems have appeared in such journals as The Ledge, Rattle, Slipstream, Wisconsin Review, and many others. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and listed in The Best American Essays of 2004.
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 For fans of British Isles and American traditional music, three-part harmony and wholesome fun, the Jamcrackers will be just what you're looking for. Named for the river-drivers who broke up log jams and "got things rolling again," the band features the extraordinary voice and soulful ballads of Peggy Lynn, the rich baritone and original songs of Dan Berggren, and national champion hammered dulcimer player Dan Duggan.
This will be a night of sweet, old-fashioned sounding new folk songs that celebrate the people and culture of the Adirondacks.
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 Richard Shindell is a meticulous craftsman and one of the top artists among today's singer-songwriters. Innovative, original and occasionally spiritual, Shindell sings contemporary folk songs that champion the downtrodden, exalt the disaffected and wax empathetic to those lost to society's fringes. His repertoire ranges from lighthearted tales and love songs, to skillful skewers of politics, prejudice, war and religion.
His new album, Not Far Now, is his first in five years and was released in April, 2009. The album's nine new compositions (complimented by a pair of outside songs) are haunting vignettes that give the listener a window into lives that continue long after the window is shut.
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 Since the 1970s audiences have enjoyed Chris and Lorin Rowan's trademark vocal harmonies, exuberant interaction, and exciting mix of bluegrass-flavored folk and Everly Brothers style rock and country. Over the years, Rowan songs have received steady play from artists ranging from Jefferson Starship to the title track on long-time fan Ricky Skaggs' Grammy Award winning CD, "Soldier of the Cross."
The Rowans slide seamlessly between genres and generations with tight harmonies and haunting melodies underscored by crisp guitar, mandolin and steel guitar picking.
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| Wednesday, Aug. 12 • 7 PM |
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Emerging Artist Breakout Series |
| $5 |
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Brittany Shoup with Hannah Imbesi |
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 Bill Staines' insightful, inspirational songs and funny stories have become a family tradition for many, passing from parent to child and on down the line. They've also become a tradition in the music world, having been recorded by Nanci Griffith, Jerry Jeff Walker, Grandpa Jones, and others.
Now into his fifth decade of playing the Caffè Lena stage twice a year, Bill Staines' brand of entertainment continues to be a delightful discovery for new fans every time he comes.
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 Boston singer-songwriter Laura Vecchione has a deep, rich voice full of emotion. Her catchy lyrics and beautiful melodies exude pop appeal.
Girl in the Band is Vecchione's triumphant sequel to her impressive debut album, Deeper Waters. It was recorded in Nashville and Boston with an all-star cast of seasoned session players including George Marinelli (Bonnie Raitt) on electric guitar. Mixed primarily by multi-Grammy-Award winner Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Wilco, The Dixie Chicks) the album shines with Vecchione's unique balance of pop-appeal and gravitas. |
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 With a dozen albums under his belt, Chris Smither qualifies as a veteran of the music industry. His elegant lyrics are arranged simply, with mostly just his own masterful finger-picking and foot-tapping to accompany him. His music qualifies as folk, but the blues influences are undeniable.
His first album, I'm A Stranger Too!, was released in 1970. His songs have been covered by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt and Diana Krall.
His latest album, Leave The Light On, includes songs by Peter Case, Bob Dylan and Mississippi John Hurt, alongside original, topical material that hearkens back to Smither's '60s folk roots, as well as his stunning arrangements of traditional songs.
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| Wednesday, Aug. 19 • 7 PM |
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Emerging Artist Breakout Series |
| $5 |
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Ben and Erin |
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 Discover a Capital District musical treasure and an August tradition at Caffè Lena! The charming husband and wife duo of Sonny Daye and Perley Rousseau achieves a rare musical symbiosis. They offer a unique blend of Jazz, American Songbook Standards, and International Cabaret from Brazil, Fance and Italy, as well as more contemporary folk and pop.
We promise that this is the one night of of the year where you'll hear songs by Ani DiFranco, Leonard Cohen, Jobim and Gershwin all in the same program!
Sonny and Perley will be accompanied by their daughter Rain on vocals and guitar. |
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| Saturday, Aug. 22 • 8 PM |
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Mop and Bucket Company |
$15/12 |
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| www.mopco.org |
 Join us for a night of completely improvised and typically riotous scenes, stories and songs all based on your suggestions. That's right! Your wish is our command. And you know what they say, "If wishes were horses...." Fine, horses, too!
Known for its eclectic mix of short and longform improv, MopCo performs both tried-and-true formats like Theatresports™ (improv as a competitive sport) and Spontaneous Broadway (full-length improvised musicals), and original formats like Tapestry (free-form theatrical Jazz) and Our Town Today (community-based improv that explores current events and issues).
MopCo's performers, in addition to being professional actors and improvisers, are reknowned teachers, consultants, directors and playwrights.
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| Sunday, Aug. 23 • 3 PM |
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Songs of Paul Strausman for Children |
| $10 adults / $5 children under 13 |
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& their Caregivers |
cdbaby.com/cd/gentlewind9 |
Benefit for Paul Strausman Family
Come join Terri Roben, Andy Morse, and other musical friends of the late Paul Strausman for a concert of joyful, sing-along, award-winning children's songs.
The proceeds of this event will go into a college fund for Paul's children.
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 Al Stewart is a timeless folk and pop legend from both sides of the Atlantic. As he nears the 20-album mark, he remains a distinctively literate and vivid storyteller, time-traveling and teleporting himself and his listeners from World War I battlefields to Sixties bedrooms, from ships to airplanes to ice floes, from the specific to the mysterious.
His melodies encompass electric folk-rock and acoustic ballads, colorful dabs of classical and Eastern music, and even a touch of Little Richard-style piano pounding.
In the spellbinding tradition of his signature songs "Year of the Cat," "Time Passages," "On the Border," and "Nostradamus," Al's latest musical short stories are both lyrically meaningful and catchy.
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| Wednesday, Aug. 26 • 7 PM |
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Emerging Artist Breakout Series |
| $5 |
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Tom Wadsworth with Stephen Orsini |
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 This "not quite twin" sister duo distinguishes their sound with adventurous harp playing, fingerstyle guitar, and electrifying vocal harmonies influenced by Tori Amos, Crosby Stills & Nash and a dash of Fiona Apple.
Saratoga natives Jessa and Beth Callen write expressive original songs that possess a sultry flare, with hints of pop, rock and folk. Their lyrics speak with raw honesty of the tumultuous path life has dealt them.
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 Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman have spent a lifetime making music together. Their first four albums, full of sweet singing and timely lyrics, were staples of progressive FM and college radio and helped to bring the music of the 1960s into the '70s.
Today they continue to impress audiences with intelligent songwriting, dazzling acoustic lead guitar, and inspiring "James Taylor meets Simon & Garfunkel" harmonies.
Their latest work reflects their musical growth with touches of blues and country added to their familiar pop sound.
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 Since they first got together in the Spring of 2007, this Asheville, NC band has steadily gained momentum, audience, and band members. Spencer Taylor (Mandolin), Ian Harrod (bass), and Mike Lott (drums) have been added to the core duo of songwriter/Skidmore College grad Amanda Platt and lead guitarist Peter James.
Amanda's soulful tunes have been fleshed out into great dance numbers that range in style from country ballads to honky-a-billy and blues.
Andy Friedman has published gag cartoons in  The New Yorker, but the songs written by the "hard scrabble singer-songwriter" (Time Out New York) and "erudite redneck" (Boston Globe) were not written for laughs. The New Yorker hails his songs as "hard-tack country originals that bear the mark of a true artist." NoDepression.com adds, "Andy Friedman is writing some unforgettable songs." |
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Photo:
Tristan Allen
© 2009, Joseph Deuel
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Photo:
Tony Furtado
© 2009, Joseph Deuel
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Photo:
David Wilcox
© 2009, Joseph Deuel
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Photo:
Cliff Eberhardt
© 2009, Joseph Deuel |
Copyright © 1998-2010, Caffè Lena, Inc.
All Rights Reserved |
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