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| Jonathan Edwards, 2010 |
Livingston Taylor, 2010 |
Angel Band, 2010 |
Elana Arian, 2010 |
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PDF Downloads:
Full Calendar
(2.36 MB) Sep-Nov
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Fridge Calendar
(140 KB) Sep-Nov
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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
August 2010
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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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| Sunday, Aug. 1 • 7 PM |
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Ladies Improv Players Saratoga |
$15 advance / $17 door
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A Benefit for Caffè Lena |
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 Ladies Improv Players Saratoga is a group of women who bring diverse talents to their improvisation workshops. Actors, artists, astrologers, real estate agents, sales persons, security guards, puppeteers, videographers, and more, they range in age from 25 to 75, give or take.
The women of Ladies Improv Players Saratoga play theater games every week to laugh while enhancing their work and social lives through "improv." On Aug. 1, they bring these games along with some surprises to Caffe Lena's stage. Join them to benefit Caffe Lena, and find out "What the heck IS Improv anyway?"
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| Wednesday, Aug. 4 • 7 PM |
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Poetry Open Mic |
| $3 at door |
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With Featured Reader Richard Levine |
Richard Levine, a retired New York City school teacher, is the author of Snapshots from a Battle (Headwaters Press), A Language Full of Wars and Songs (Pollack Press), and the forthcoming That Country's Soul, from Finishing Line Press. His poems have appeared in many journals and anthologies including, BigCityLit.com; Blueline, Comstock Review; Cutthroat, Lucid Stone; Many Mountains Moving; Medicinal Purposes Literary Review; Modern Poetry, North American Review; Rattapallax; Rattle; SOLO; The Same, Thema, Washington Square, 32 Poems |
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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 logjams and "got things rolling again," the band features the extraordinary voice and soulful songs 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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 This fun-loving, musically superb roots music ensemble from Boston has swept up their hometown's top awards and taken their show on the road.
Comprised of six guys who play with some of the folk world's top acts (Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, Treat Her Right), they gather tightly around a small cafe table and throw themselves into a repertoire of classic country music played on an old-time suitcase drum kit, a vintage electric bass, a range of acoustic instruments, and a WWII-era field organ.
They draw their audience in with great tunes, theatricality, warmth, joy and camaraderie.
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| Sunday, Aug. 8 • 7 PM |
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Broken String Band |
$14 advance / $16 door
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  Enjoy a night of traditional Celtic music with the Broken String Band, the area's oldest Irish music band. This big, lively ensemble features Ray Wall on low whistle and hammer dulcimer; George Ward on concertinas, accordion, and guitar; Kara Doyle playing uilleann pipes and whistle; Hilary Schrauf and Peter Jones on fiddle; and Eric Everson on Irish bouzouki.
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 Troy singer-songwriter Rob Jonas is a spirited presence in the Capital District music scene, playing open mics and small clubs and winning new friends and fans wherever he goes.
Rob's original songs cover the Americana landscape, from roots rock to blues to country and folk. He plays a muscular, rock solid rhythm guitar and sings his way right to the heart of the song.
He'll be accompanied by lead guitar, bass and drums. |
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 A great deal is made in the popular press of the Chandler Travis Philharmonette's zany stage antics and wild sound. Indeed, the band shares certain personnel and many fans with NRBQ, and Chandler is perhaps best known as George Carlin's opening act, a post he filled for ten years. His blazing, zany, Dixieland Philharmonic has accrued a die-hard underground following, with three official albums on the market and another twenty un-official.
But what is less often noted are the stunningly sensitive, tight arrangements; the poignancy of the odd snapshots of life, and the strange but real beauty of…well, men in viking helmets and irridescent cloaks, bunny ears and pajamas, playing with passion and emotional depth. It's hard to explain, but rarely does a listener leave without craving more, and soon.
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 Rob Carlson, best known to Caffè Lena audiences as one third of the comedy music trio Modern Man, has spent a lifetime making people laugh. He has written commerical jingles we all know by heart, written topical songs for American Comedy Network, and played in a variety of bands.
With a funny bone that just won't stop zinging, Rob will bring us another wonderful evening of songs and comedy, accompanied by long-time friends and collaborators Vincent Pasternak and Paul Payton. Pasternak plays mandolin, violin and guitar and is accomplished in a variety of world-music styles. Keyboard player Payton is a Julliard grad with an encyclopedic knowledge of rock and pop, and a lifelong love of doo-wop. |
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| Sunday, Aug. 15 • 2 PM |
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Free Poetry Reading |
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Cancelled |
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 Pesky J. Nixon, not an individual but rather a trio, offers a melodic combination of guitar, accordion, djembe and seamless vocal harmonies. Their folk-rock songs have a contemporary, urban edge delivered in classic southern gospel harmony.
Fun-loving and sociable guys with a weakness for stage banter that borders on brotherly  bickering, they can be found bouncing around New England at coffeehouses, festivals, Unitarian Church basements, and the streets of Boston, New York, and Portland, gathering new fans and friends where ever they go.
Vermont pop-folkster Phil Henry opens the show with a set of his miniature movies in song
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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 past his fortieth anniversary 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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| Saturday, Aug. 21 • 7 & 9:30 PM |
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Aztec Two-Step |
$27 advance / $29 door
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Second show added! 9:30 PM. |
| www.aztectwostep.com |
 Taking their name from a Lawrence Ferlinghetti poem, Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman have spent three and a half decades writing and performing songs that helped make their generation's musical memories, all the while inspiring a generation of young singer songwriters. 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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 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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 Holly and Evan ARE the blues. This duo, trio, and sometimes quartet will send you back to the days of the barrelhouse, with their own original sound that cuts a deep line between the rich heritage of the Delta blues and the soulful swing of jazz.
Showcasing a blend of original and classic blues songs, played all acoustically, Holly and Evan will be sure to lay a groove so deep you'll fall in!
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 Tonight the Capital District's favorite jazz duo Sonny and Perley celebrate Caffe Lena's 50th Anniversary with songs circa 1960 that will be etched into our hearts forever.
They'll be exploring songs that have become Standards, including pieces from popular plays and movies such as My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and foreign films such as A Man and a Woman, Black Orpheus, as well as some favorites from the Beatles. |
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| Saturday, Aug. 28 • 7 & 9:30 PM |
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Gandalf Murphy and the |
$25 advance / $27 door
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Slambovian Circus of Dreams |
| www.slambovia.com |
 The music of this Hudson Valley band has been variously described as "hillbilly-Floyd," "folk-pop," "alt-country, roots-rock," and "surreal Americana;" a clear indicator of its singularly indescribable uniqueness. Dancing freely between all existing religious and philosophical mythologies, the music is uplifting, empowering, and a lot of fun. Instrumentally, they're undoubtedly an all-out rock band (with the unusual addition of accordion), but vibe-wise they're rootsy, warm, adventurously playful, and definitely psychedelic.
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| Sunday, Aug. 29 • 7 PM |
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Jeanne O'Connor & the New Standard |
$16 advance / $18 door
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| jeanneoconnor.net |
 Enjoy an evening of "New Standards" from the great songwriters of the '60s and '70s, plus newer originals by popular area songwriter Bob Warren. Jazz singer Jeanne O'Connor is a master of her craft with a clear, confident, expressive alto voice and stellar band. She has performed as a soloist with jazz combos and big bands throughout the New York City region and beyond.
She has sung at the Blue Note, the Rainbow Room, the Cat Club, and many other top jazz clubs. Jeanne will be joined tonight by a number of musical friends, including Bob Warren on guitar, Peg Delaney on keyboards, Sam Zucchini on percussion, Tony Markellis on bass, and vocalist Mallory O'Donnell.
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Photo:
Jonathan Edwards
© 2010, Joseph Deuel
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Photo:
Livingston Taylor
© 2010, Joseph Deuel
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Photo:
Angel Band
© 2010, Joseph Deuel
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Photo:
Elana Arian
© 2010, Joseph Deuel |
Copyright © 1998-2010, Caffè Lena, Inc.
All Rights Reserved |
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