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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
October 2009
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Members receive 20% discount on most shows. Tickets sold at door cost additional $2.
Doors open 30 min. before showtime. Please, no earlybirds! |
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 CD Release
Get your mojo back with the swamp blues of Mark Tolstrup and Dale Haskell! With a solid beat of finger-picking, foot stomping, ringing slide-guitar, rock solid percussion and a powerful vocal attack, Mark and Dale  will bring you authentic sounds of the American landscape, from New Orleans to Tin Pan Alley to modern blues.
This duo performs regularly at Caffè Lena and in many blues, jazz and acoustic music clubs and festivals across the Northeast. Their newest CD is Street Corner Holler.
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  Take a trip in back in time to Washington Square Park, early '60s, a Sunday afternoon just after the summer. All around you are the sounds of folk songs and country blues brought to the burgeoning Greenwich Village scene by earnest folk revivalists. Tom, Neil and the Kossoy Sisters were all there.
Tom and Neil have spent decades honing their craft while staying true to their roots. Enjoy their fun and masterful old-time string band tunes, roadhouse tearjerkers, country blues, ragtime, original songs and back-porch humor.
The Kossoy Sister's recording of "I'll Fly Away" was included in the film Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou? After releasing an album in 1959 at the age of 17 (they're identical twins) they went on to the Newport Folk Festival, Fox Hollow Festival, and then a long break before resuming touring in the late '90s, playing for younger listeners hungry for their timeless harmonies and mountain music. It is such a delight to hear their Real Deal singing!
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 Marcos Vinicius, a leading figure in the international classical guitar circuit, started his concert career at the age of fourteen and is now often seen on the most prestigious Brazilian and European stages. He is the President of the Classical Guitar Academy in Milan.
Vinicius has dedicated one of his original pieces, "Serrado," to Albany classical guitarist William Simcoe.
In this special afternoon concert, Vinicius will perform solo and in duet with Simcoe. Simcoe will also perform with his long-time musical partner flutist Elizabeth Williams, known together as Spiral Duo.
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 “The man's voice was heaven. So cool, so decisively hip…Mose was my man. I felt him to be the epitome of restrained screaming power.” —Pete Townshend
The music of Mose Allison, the slick hipster from the Mississippi delta, never fails to get a wry, knowing smile from listeners—if not outright laughter. His rollicking, jazzy piano songs have been covered by such unlikely bands as The Clash and The Who. Van Morrison recorded a whole album of Mose songs.
It's Mose's brilliant, wry social insights that have made him a legend ("Your mind is on vacation, and your mouth is working overtime"). He has released thirty-eight albums between 1957 and 2002. This will be his second appearance at Caffè Lena and we're hugely honored to have him back! He'll be joined by bassist Rich Syracuse.
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| Monday, Oct. 5 • 7 PM |
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Storytelling Open Mic |
| $3 at door |
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With Featured Storyteller Mary Ann Fitzgerald:
"A Story from Saratoga Springs' West Side" |
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 The Story Circle of the Capital District presents a storytelling open mic featuring a special performance by Saratoga Springs City Historian and co-founder of the West Side Oral Narrative Project, Mary Ann Fitzgerald. An open mic will follow the performance. |
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| Wednesday, Oct. 7 • 7 PM |
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Poetry Open Mic |
| $3 at door |
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With Featured Reader Stuart Bartow |
| Poetry Open Mic |
 Stuart Bartow is the author of Whelk and several chapbooks including White Ravens, The Stars Belong to No One, and As Armless Messengers Wake. He teaches at Adirondack Community College and lives in trout-fishing heaven, Salem, New York.
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 Virtuoso acoustic guitarist, composer, singer, teacher and all-around entertainer Peppino D'Agostino gorgeous guitar music marked by dynamic rhythms, unconventional tunings, and evocative melodies. Selected in 2007 by readers of Guitar Player Magazine as Best Acoustic Guitarist, he offers Italian folk and pop tunes, classical works, and original compositions embracing Irish, Brazilian, folk and classical music, as well as the progressive rock sounds of Genesis, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Gentle Giant and Mike Oldfield.
 His distinctive method of playing involves manipulating the fret board with his left hand while simultaneously creating percussive effects with the right, resulting in a complex mini-symphony of sound. Peppino, who now resides in the Bay Area, has released nine critically acclaimed albums, most recently Every Step of the Way.
Opener Dan LaVoie is one of the few musicians in the world actively composing and performing on the rare and beautiful instrument known as the harpguitar. Reminiscent of Michael Hedges, Dan's music is sophisticated and compelling.
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| Saturday, Oct. 10 • 11 am to Noon |
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Learn About Harp Guitar with Dan LaVoie |
$10 |
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| www.danlavoie.com |
 Enjoy an hour of in-depth conversation and demonstration of the special techniques used to play harpguitar. Learn about the history of the instrument, which the major players are, and take a turn playing harpguitar!
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 This Woodstock quintet offers the most impressive credentials, the deepest hearts, and a genuine love of performing live. Enjoy a night of their rompin', stompin' roots rock, sweet ballads, and roadhouse blues led by Professor Louie on keyboards and accordion, joined by Miss Marie on vocals and percussion, Gary Burke (Bob Dylan, Joe Jackson, Graham Parker) on drums, Frank Campbell (Levon Helm, Asleep At The Wheel) on bass, and Josh Colow (Jesse Winchester, Livingston Taylor) on guitar.
Get your tickets early because this will sell out.
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 Lena has been gone for twenty years, but her life's work continues to bring us joy each and every time we climb the stairs of her Caffè.
Tonight, on the 20th anniversary of her passing, we celebrate the dedication, vision, skill, wit, idiosyncrasy, sense of fun, courage and compassion that set the stage for the unprecedented success of her venue.
What better way to thank Lena for all she has given us than to help pay off some bills and reload the coffers before heading into winter? Your support will be richly rewarded with a delightful night of food, fun, and entertainment featuring some of Lena's personal favorites.
Hosting the evening will be that effervescent duo Addie & Olin--Unleashed! giving us everything cool from hipster jazz to Klezmer.
Joining them will be:
Singer-songwriter Camille West, whose "comedic wit is right up there with the biggies of mirth."
Terri Huxtable & Liz Hood, of the famed Huxtable, Christensen & Hood, who sing in exquisite harmony on centuries-old ballads to Tin Pan Alley tunes.
Top-flight fiddler Frank Orsini & stellar guitarist-clarinetist Peter Davis, on beautiful traditional instrumental airs to jumpin¹ Western Swing.
Superb singer Linda Schrade & elegant banjo player David Kiphuth, on hauntingly beautiful folk songs.
Wonderfully strong and powerful a cappella singer and mesmerizing storyteller Greg Clarke who spans British Isles music & English Music Hall songs.
And George Ward, on endearing traditional songs backed by expert English concertina and guitar. |
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| Wednesday, Oct. 14 • 7 PM |
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Emerging Artist Breakout Series |
| $8 |
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Local Emerging Singer Showcase |
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Sam Whitehouse Music and Rosie Spring present: Local Emerging Singer Showcase.
Come support local singers as they make their way onto the scene with musical styles ranging from indie rock to pop to musical theatre. |
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Tonight we welcome two of the Green Mountain State's finest folk acts. Bread and Bones from Ripton is an acoustic trio with a strong traditional-roots foundation. They enjoy mixing originals with traditional numbers from America and the British Isles, songs by other songwriters and even a few jazz standards.
Their sound is marked by multi-part harmonies over solid guitar and bass, ukulele, mandolin, and banjo, and many have commented on their warm and delightful humor.
Hungrytown is husband and wife Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson of Brattleboro.
Traditionalists take note: Rebecca Hall is a truly remarkable balladeer. Conjuring the ancient, haunting songs of Appalachia and the British Isles, Rebecca has been hailed as "a true rarity: a new folk classicist" by the Boston Herald. Combined with Ken's rootsy musical arrangements and '60s-era pop harmonies, the result is an altogether new, yet curiously familiar style they call "retro folk."
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| This Concert is Funded in Part by the New York State Council on the Arts |
Tonight is the kick-off of a special program of concerts showcasing excellent and seasoned performers who are fresh faces in the local music scene. We are delighted to introduce these two remarkable bands for a night to be remembered. The ticket price is underwritten by a grant, enabling us to offer you an amazing bargain for an intimate night of music worthy of the finest stages anywhere.
The Bernstein Bard Trio hails from the Hudson Valley. They offer one great piece after another, without regard to boundaries of style or period. They can swing, rock, bop and stop on a dime. Whether it's a standard by Duke Ellington, jazz by Django, a Tango by Jobim, or the music of John Lennon, David Grisman, or an original composition…the Bernstein Bard Trio interprets it all with superb sophistication.
They make a perfect match with Madison, Wisconsin quartet Harmonious Wail. Smoldering vocals laced between jazzy mandolin and guitar; an infectious blend of continental jazz, swing, and gypsy music. The Wail bursts through the normal boundaries of the genre with intoxicating vocals, enticing arrangements and the sheer joy they bring to every performance.
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| Sunday, Oct. 18 • 2 PM |
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Z'Puppets Rosenschnoz Present |
$10 adults / $5 kids 13 and under
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"The Amazing Gnip-Gnop Circus" |
| www.littlerednose.com |
 A Family Show Recommended for Ages 3 and Up
Step right up and be astounded by a magnificent glow-in-the-dark Ping Pong ball circus! Yes, in one breathtaking half hour The Amazing Gnip-Gnop Circus will delight you with thrills, grace and marvels of nature. You will never look at table tennis the same way again!
This is a truly modern entertainment, rich in old-time tradition. You'll thrill to acrobats, tightrope walkers, clowns, wild animals and more. All 100% Ping Pong balls guaranteed to glow in the dark!
Z'Puppets Rosenschnoz is Minneapolis duo Shari Aronson and Christopher Griffith. They have delighted family audiences in theaters, museums, libraries, festivals and special events throughout the Midwest and across the country.
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 We heard about this Albany band playing our kind of music in venues throughout the Capital District and we invited them to come on up and try it out a stage tailor made for their craft. The Red Haired Strangers have spent the last fifteen years forging original music marked by driving melodies and evocative images of trains and wandering, sin and lost love.
They've got guitar and harmonica, fiddle, drums, dobro and pedal steel guitar; all rooted in old-time country and Delta blues. Welcome aboard!
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| Wednesday, Oct. 21 • 7 PM |
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Emerging Artist Breakout Series |
| $5 |
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Jason Domnarski Trio |
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 “Your music is wonderful!”
—Pete Seeger
“A tour de force! Wonderful songs!”
—Tom Paxton
“Nice harmonies.”
—Arlo Guthrie
“Exquisite.”
—Eric Andersen
Kate and Steve emerge from the Pacific Northwest with fresh songs of romance and hope and a mission to "harmonize community" in towns across the nation. Lifetime musicians and award-winning songwriters, Kate Power & Steve Einhorn play guitars, banjo and the mighty little ukulele, and sing with a feel for the story behind the song.
 If you believe music should inspire feelings of beautiful possibilities, or help us to examine and mend where we are broken, or simply provide an absorbing distraction from daily life, then you will find deep satisfaction listening to this duo. Kate and Steve are entertainers of intelligence, compassion and wit, skilled at bringing songs to life with their elegant voices and masterful musicianship.
Opener Danny Schmidt hails from Austin, Texas and recently released a new album on Red House Records. He is an unassuming artist whose songs get under your skin and stay there. Danny was featured in a recent issue of Sing Out! magazine.
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 Singer-songwriter Bob Warren has a special genius for assembling crowd-pleasing bands and keeping them busy with a steady supply osf immediately appealing, '60s  influenced original songs. His melodic, uplifting soft rock and soul music has made him a perennial favorite in the Capital District. During the past few years he has started touring outside the area and has penned the scores for two popular area musicals.
We always enjoy the deluxe version of Bob's road show when he comes to Caffè Lena, with a full complement of bass (Tony Markellis), guitar (Don Warren), drums, cello and keyboard.
Rachel Van Slyke is a smoky voiced acoustic alt-rocker originally from Saratoga and now based in Venice Beach, CA. |
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 Long a leader on today's contemporary folk circuit, Alabama songwriter Pierce Pettis continues to hone and sharpen his craft with each passing year. He interweaves the personal, political, and spiritual elements of life in songs that range from delicate folk to more hard-driving blues. His songs and stories are always thoughtful, creative and meaningful and the care he takes with his craft is evident in the excellence of his live performances.
In addition to his national touring schedule Pierce has been a commercial songwriter for Muscle Shoals, Polygram and Universal in Nashville. He received a Country Music Award from ASCAP in the late '90s for writing the #1 hit "You Move Me," recorded by Garth Brooks. Pierce's latest album, "That Kind of Love," is being met with critical acclaim.
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| Wednesday, Oct. 28 • 7 PM |
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Emerging Artist Breakout Series |
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Gregory Douglass |
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 Bridging the gap between the three tenors and the three stooges…it's Modern Man! A zany and brilliant cross between Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Marx Brothers, David Buskin, Rob Carlson and George Wurzbach are three celebrated singers and songwriters who have written for Judy Collins, Pat Benatar, Johnny Cash and many other top artists.
Together they delight audiences with comical lyrics worthy of Cole Porter touching on themes ranging from God to Godzilla, from manliness to cluelessness, from ESPN to the FBI, with a vocal blend that has not been heard since Ella and F. Scott Fitzgerald went their separate ways.
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 Last time Dry Bones played the Caffè Lena we told you it would be their last show. But it seems they've risen from the musical grave just in time for Halloween! Enjoy a night of old time string band music; fiddle tunes, and country blues with this beloved Saratoga trio featuring "Banjo Dan" Hubbs on two-finger banjo, Mare Hill on vocals and Matt Gomm on mandolin and guitar. They recall the sounds of the Carter Family and Uncle Dave Macon, cover Lucinda Williams and the Rolling Stones, and play originals steeped in Americana.
A Special Holiday Offer from Caffè Lena: Anyone in costume will have the chance to win a Songwriter Membership to Caffè Lena, good for a full year and valued at $125!
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