fbpx
Select Page
View this email in your browser
Blackwing made a video about the coffeehouse tradition, alive & well at Caffe Lena!
EVENTS  |  SCHOOL OF MUSIC  |  FAQ  |  SUPPORT  |  MENU  |  LIVESTREAMS
Greetings – Late last week Blackwing Pencils launched a new pencil celebrating the coffeehouse tradition. They picked us to be the poster child for their worldwide roll-out! The video above is part of the launch. Another part–and this is where you come in–is the benefit concert they’re presenting for us on Wednesday, April 13 at 7 PM. The line-up features Johnny Irion and The Hold On Honeys. 100% of your ticket ($20) will support Caffe Lena’s music and educational mission. We can raise $2,000 on a Wednesday night! Please help by buying a ticket. It will be fun and very beneficial.

Click here to learn a little more about Blackwing’s commitment to music, and here to get a box of the beautiful pencils.

And what is happening at the world-famous Caffe Lena this week, you ask? April’s Bright Series show, featuring Henhouse Prowlers from Chicago. Some downhome bluegrass with the Bob Stump Band. The delicious sounds of Alash from Tuva. The sugary retro-pop of Russel the Leaf. And free events such as a jazz show, a Playwright’s Jam, our weekly pre-school live music & story time, open mic, and a bluegrass jam with Red Spruce (all you need is three chords and you’re part of the band!).

Music. Connection. Learning.

See you at the show,
Sarah

=MID-WEEK SHOWS=

Monday, March 28 / 7 PM – Donation Jar
OPEN MIC NIGHT

Tuesday, March 29 / 8 PM
“Live From Caffe Lena” Radio Show: KYSHONA

Listen on WEXT 97.7 or 106.1 FM

Wednesday, March 30 / 7 PM / $5
BLUEGRASS JAM WITH RED SPRUCE

Wednesday, March 30, 7 PM & 12 AM, Sunday, April 3, 1 PM
“Live From Caffe Lena” Radio Show: CAROLYN SHAPIRO
Listen on Folk Music Notebook Internet Folk Radio

Tuesday, March 29 / 10:30 AM / Free Admission
Bouncing, dancing, clapping & singing welcome!
In-person & Streamed
Tuesday, March 29 / 7 PM
Free Admission – Donations Welcome
Skidmore Jazz Community Concert
In-Person / Caffe Lena TV

Enjoy an evening of diverse jazz styles and inspiring talent as the jazz music students of Skidmore College take the stage with their guitars, brass, reeds, keyboards, drums and vocals. They put on a truly engaging show of jazz standards and contemporary compositions. This free community concert gives locals a chance to enjoy the work going on in Skidmore’s celebrated music department.

Add event to calendar

Apple Google Office 365 Outlook Outlook.com Yahoo

[CLICK PHOTO FOR SAMPLE SONG]
Thursday, March 31 / 7 PM / $20
Bob Stump Band
In-person tickets
Watch on Caffe Lena TV

“It’s like Roy Rogers meets Bill Monroe in a wildfire!” – Happy listener
This Hudson Valley “Tree-Oh” is fronted by fretboard artiste and raconteur Bob Stump, backed by Cowboy Ernie Sites (he’s the real deal!) and masterful bassist Roy Coates. This is a very fun, entertaining band with top notch skills. In fact, they are the 2021 winners of the instrumental category of the New England Music Awards.

Read a preview of the show in Nippertown Magazine

Add event to calendar

Apple Google Office 365 Outlook Outlook.com Yahoo

[CLICK PHOTO FOR SAMPLE SONG]
Friday, April 1 / 8 PM / $22
Bright Series: Henhouse Prowlers
In-person tickets
Watch on Caffe Lena TV

It’s the Bright Series, so you know it’s going to be great! These guys hail from Chicago. Through the State Department’s American Music Abroad Program, they have repped the bluegrass traditions of the USA in more than 25 countries around the world. Not only do they sound great, they really know how to make friends with a roomful of strangers. They’ve never played Saratoga, so let’s show them some style!

Add event to calendar

Apple Google Office 365 Outlook Outlook.com Yahoo

[CLICK PHOTO FOR SAMPLE SONG]
Saturday, April 2 / 8 PM / $25
Alash
In-person tickets
Watch on Caffe Lena TV

With galloping drums, melodic strings and growling, whistling throat singing, these master Tuvan musicians provide pure enchantment. They won a GRAMMY for their work with Béla Fleck & the Flecktones. Western audiences appreciate their complex harmonies and contemporary song forms, but their overall sound and spirit remain decidedly Tuvan.

Add event to calendar

Apple Google Office 365 Outlook Outlook.com Yahoo

Bring a short scene you wrote (7 – 10 minutes). Cast your actors from the audience, including your fellow playwrights. Give them brief directions and then put them on stage to read your script. We’ll go around the room after the reading and let everyone give a “popcorn” reaction (one word!). This event will be co-hosted by Michael Wells-Oakes and Vivian Nesbitt. Bring enough copies of your script for each character plus a director.
[CLICK PHOTO FOR SAMPLE SONG]
Sunday, April 3 / 7 PM / $18
Russel the Leaf
In-person tickets
Watch on Caffe Lena TV

Russel the Leaf is Troy artist Evan M. Marré. His immediately appealing songs are redolent of pop radio hits from decades past. He uses a tight structure laced with sweet passion and joyful spontaneity. Inspired by the sounds gleaned from obsessive record collecting, Russel the Leaf has released 25 records since 2011. His latest works, ‘My Street’ and ‘You Blocked the Light For Me,’ are released via his own Records from Russ homespun cassette tape label. Definitely click his photo for an intro to this truly impressive local musician! Marré has produced regional bands such as Blue Ranger, Free Cake For Every Creature, Remember Sports Hour, Let’s Be Leonard, Another Michael and Friendship.

Add event to calendar

Apple Google Office 365 Outlook Outlook.com Yahoo

MEMBERS’ CORNER
The lightbox murals on the east wall of Lena’s listening room tell our story in three parts: our deep roots in the earliest days of America, our venue’s emergence in the midst of the movements for black and women’s rights, and the flourishing musical tradition tying our community together today. Your membership donations are the reason our branches keep growing–with music lessons, pre-school activities, a steady stream of new artists, and a national reach via livestreaming. Thank you.

To see Andrew Benincasa creating and installing our murals, click here.

Caffe Lena has nearly 1,000 active members. These folks are planting songs and growing community with their annual donations. They also get the best seats in the house, early access to special shows and some neat swag. Learn More

PLAYLIST OF UPCOMING SHOWS: MARCH |  APRIL