Caffè Lena

Open Mic
2026-11-30 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Caffè Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY, 12866, United States
Singer Songwriter

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OPEN MIC NIGHT DOORS 6:00PM // SIGN UP 6:30PM // SHOW STARTS 7:00PM Play your song on the Caffe’s famous stage! During the past three decades, Lena’s open mic has been recognized with “Best Of” awards from Metroland Magazine, The Alt Weekly, The Saratogian Reader’s Poll and Saratoga’s Fab Five. Just like at our weekend shows, all attention is focused on the stage. OUR HOSTS First Monday – Rick Bolton Second Monday – Carolyn Shapiro Third Monday – Ray Pashoukos Fourth Monday – Kate Blain HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT: Every Monday. All ages, all styles. Originals encouraged but not required. Please leave a $3-$5 donation for our non-profit organization if you’re able to. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Sign-up is 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM / Show at 7:00 / 2 songs or 10 minutes / Sign up is first come first serve You are welcome to use our Yamaha studio upright acoustic piano or acoustic Martin guitar. We can play your MP3 backing track through our sound system. You are welcome to bring amps and drums BUT set up and break down is part of your 10 minutes. Coffee & Cookies are available for purchase in the Lobby. No alcohol! We like to keep our Monday nights family friendly. Play Nice! We foster a diverse community that has a great time making art and helping one another get better. Excessive profanity, explicit sexual themes, and “humor” that unkindly targets a specific group undermines this goal. It is up to the discretion of the host to enforce the house standards. CONTACT US If you have any questions you can give us a call at 518-583-0022 or email our Monday House Manager: artur@caffelena.org ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 7:30 pm

Price

Member
$32.53

General
$36.87

Child or Student
$18.44

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

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After School Folk Ensemble with Oona Grady and James Gascoyne
2026-12-02 14:30 - 17:30, 2026-12-16 14:30 - 17:30
Singer Songwriter

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After School Folk Ensemble with Oona Grady and James Gascoyne 11 weeks starting September 30th Use these links to sign up: 2:45, 3:40, 4:35 Music is a gift best shared with friends! Here is an exciting opportunity for youth 7-14 to learn music by playing together. Weekly 45 minute classes will be focused on making music, including singing, exploring various string instruments, music theory basics, rhythm exercises, how to learn songs/tunes from scratch, confidence in performance practice, and more. Youth Folk Ensemble is– Mixed ages and abilities: Open to any level of experience with music; Learn through listening and participation. Focus on repertoire: Learn classic tunes and songs from the American folk tradition as well as some favorite contemporary songs. Explore string instruments and singing, learning basic skills: Opportunities to focus on guitar, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, bass, and violin/fiddle*; (*for students interested in violin/fiddle it is recommended that they also be enrolled in private or school lessons). Learn music fundamentals: Develop strong and steady sense of rhythm; Learn how to listen and hear musically; Explore singing finding one's own unique voice. Learning valuable life skills: Working in a group setting; Creative contribution and compromise; Being part of a team and playing your part; Building friendships. Need help with tuition or an instrument? Let us know how we can help by filling out this application for the Matt McCabe Scholarship Fund or email: musicschool@caffelena.org After School Youth Folk Ensemble classes meet on Wednesdays at Caffe Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. The three time slots are 2:45-3:30 pm; 3:40-4:25 pm; & 4:35-5:20 pm. Sign up for one or all! Students are encouraged to sign up for all three sessions – the more time we spend learning and practicing music together, the tighter our ensemble will be! Discounts of 10% when purchasing more than 1 class at a time. Meet the instructors: James Gascoyne is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and teacher based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Originally from Louisville, KY, James has been an active participant in the NYS Capital Region arts community since 2004. He has toured nationally with a variety of groups, at times performing on bass, guitar, drums, and vocals, all the while maintaining an active local performing and recording schedule as well as teaching privately when time allows. James regularly performs with Oona Grady as their duo, Drank The Gold, specializing in traditional Irish and American fiddle tunes and folk songs, as well as original compositions and arrangements, plus newly formed bluegrass quintet The Millstone Rounders. With a passion for sharing his musical experience with others, he’s led various workshops at times on guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and bass for the Caffe Lena School of Music, Dance Flurry Festival, GrassRoots Culture Camp, and Winter Village Music Camp. Oona Grady is a musician and educator living in Saratoga Springs, New York. She performs with the duo Drank The Gold, a band specializing in creative arrangements of traditional Irish and American fiddle music, folk songs, and original compositions, as well as with other projects including The Grady Girls, Folk Club Kids, Carolyn Shapiro, and newest project The Millstone Rounders. Oona grew up in Ithaca, NY, nurtured by a family and community with a deep love of music. After receiving a grounding in Suzuki violin and Irish fiddle, she began performing with her family band as a teenager, and moved to Ireland at age eighteen to continue her music studies at University College Cork, graduating with a B.Mus. in 2008. Oona works as a recording artist (credits include strings on What a Night'll Do, Dr. Dog), manages a private music teaching studio, and is a founding teacher at the Caffe Lena School of Music. She also works as a guest instructor for weekend workshops and summer programs, including GrassRoots Culture Camp, the Flurry Festival, Winter Village Music Camp, and the Ithaca Suzuki Institute. #youthclass ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 7:30 pm

Price

Member
$29.28

General
$32.53

Child or Student
$16.27

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

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School of Music Slow Jam
2026-12-03 13:00 - 15:00, 2026-12-17 13:00 - 15:00
Singer Songwriter Workshop

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All are Welcome!WE LOVE TO MEET NEW PICKERS,AND WE LOVE PUTTING ON A GOOD SHOW FOR LISTENERS!This weekly program is made possible by the generous support of PHLY Foundation! THERE ARE NO PRE-SHOW RESERVATIONS FOR THE JAMS! SUGGESTED DONATION AT THE DOOR. $5.00 per person Our jams are all about sharing songs, making new friends, and enjoying a relaxing and casual evening of irresistible string band music. ALL are welcome to join the circle for an afternoon or evening playing and listening to classic grass, new grass and folk favorites. We sometimes refer to our genre as eclectic acoustic. Red Spruce and Adirondack Song Dogs will kick off each session with a few tunes then open the floor for musicians to lead their favorite bluegrass tunes and folk music, backed up by the other pickers in the gathering. Simple tunes are always popular! So sharpen up your axe, come prepared with your song, and let us hear some good old fast, high and lonesome, some slow and low, or a good old favorite. All are welcome! What is a Slow Jam? It is a group of string instrument players and singers who get together to have fun making music. The “slow” modifier indicates that it is targeted to the following musicians: people who have been playing solo and want to get used to playing in a group setting: people who have just learned how to play and want to play with others; people who have instruments that have been gathering dust for a “few” years; experienced players who are trying out playing instruments other than their primary instrument; people who are comfortable playing their instrument but want to become more comfortable singing/leading a song.. The tunes are played at 80 to 110 BPM and usually in basic keys such a G, A, D, C major, but it always sounds great to play in some minor keys such as “a”, “e”, and “g”. We will try to avoid “jam busters.” It is our hope that after this experience you will feel more comfortable playing at the many open jams and open mics that can be found in our area. ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 9:30 am

Price

Member
$10.85

General
$10.85

Child or Student
$10.85

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

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Special Consensus
2026-12-03 19:00 - 21:00
Singer Songwriter

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“One of the longest-running and best-respected outfits in bluegrass history.” — Chicago Reader For 50 years, Special Consensus has been one of bluegrass music's most enduring and beloved bands. Founded by banjo master Greg Cahill in 1975, the Chicago-based group has spent five decades honoring the traditions of bluegrass while continuing to find fresh inspiration in contemporary songwriting. Their rich harmonies, impeccable musicianship, and infectious energy have earned them two Grammy nominations, eight International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards, and the admiration of audiences around the world. Their latest release, Been All Around This World, celebrates the band's remarkable Golden Anniversary, while continuing the sound that has made Special Consensus a bluegrass institution. Whether performing hard-driving instrumentals, classic bluegrass standards, or thoughtful contemporary songs, Cahill and his outstanding band deliver performances that are polished, joyful, and deeply rooted in the traditions they love. If you joined us for their unforgettable visit last year, you already know what to expect. If you didn't, here's your chance to experience one of bluegrass's finest live bands in the intimate setting of Caffè Lena. SAMPLE SONG Stream this show live at Caffè Lena TV. Livestream available for $5 – 100% of live stream tickets on CaffeLenaTV benefit the artists. Subscribe for unlimited live streaming, two week access to recent shows, and Caffe Lena's video archive. Note: Caffe Lena does not permit ticket reselling above face value. Tickets purchased for the purpose of resale may be canceled without notice, and refunds for such purchases will not be granted. ﻿ ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 7:30 pm

Price

Member
$29.28

General
$32.53

Child or Student
$16.27

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

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Aug 8 • 10 AM

Playwright's Jam
2026-12-06 13:30 - 16:00
Singer Songwriter Workshop

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Looking for an opportunity to connect with local writers, actors, and directors? Want to share a theater piece you’re writing? Join us for the 1st Sunday monthly Playwright’s Jams! A monthly meetup hosted by Caffe Lena for local writers, actors & directors The First Sunday of the Month 1:30pm- 4:00pm Doors open at 1:00; Casting begins at 1:15pm and Readings start at 1:30pm! Bring your great ideas, your new scripts, your edits and your friends for an inspiring afternoon fo theater in the making. Playwrights should bring a highlighted script for each of their actors and one extra for stage directionsBring a short scene (7-8 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!).Each meeting will include 6 or 7 scenes selected at random from those submitted. After the readings we’ll have time to hang out and get acquainted. This event will be co-hosted by Michael Wells-Oakes and Vivian NesbittPlaywright Nice! We foster a diverse community that has a great time making art and helping one another get better. Excessive profanity, explicit sexual themes and “humor” that unkindly targets a specific group undermines this goal. It is up to the discretion of the host to enforce the house standards.

Doors Open
Doors Open: 9:30 am

Price

Member
$10.85

General
$10.85

Child or Student
$10.85

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

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Open Mic
2026-12-07 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-12-21 19:00 - 21:00, 2027-01-04 19:00 - 21:00, 2027-01-18 19:00 - 21:00, 2027-02-01 19:00 - 21:00
Singer Songwriter

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OPEN MIC NIGHT DOORS 6:00PM // SIGN UP 6:30PM // SHOW STARTS 7:00PM Play your song on the Caffe’s famous stage! During the past three decades, Lena’s open mic has been recognized with “Best Of” awards from Metroland Magazine, The Alt Weekly, The Saratogian Reader’s Poll and Saratoga’s Fab Five. Just like at our weekend shows, all attention is focused on the stage. OUR HOSTS First Monday – Rick Bolton Second Monday – Carolyn Shapiro Third Monday – Ray Pashoukos Fourth Monday – Kate Blain HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT: Every Monday. All ages, all styles. Originals encouraged but not required. Please leave a $3-$5 donation for our non-profit organization if you’re able to. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Sign-up is 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM / Show at 7:00 / 2 songs or 10 minutes / Sign up is first come first serve You are welcome to use our Yamaha studio upright acoustic piano or acoustic Martin guitar. We can play your MP3 backing track through our sound system. You are welcome to bring amps and drums BUT set up and break down is part of your 10 minutes. Coffee & Cookies are available for purchase in the Lobby. No alcohol! We like to keep our Monday nights family friendly. Play Nice! We foster a diverse community that has a great time making art and helping one another get better. Excessive profanity, explicit sexual themes, and “humor” that unkindly targets a specific group undermines this goal. It is up to the discretion of the host to enforce the house standards. CONTACT US If you have any questions you can give us a call at 518-583-0022 or email our Monday House Manager: artur@caffelena.org ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 7:30 pm

Price

Member
$29.28

General
$32.53

Child or Student
$16.27

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

Streaming

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After School Folk Ensemble with Oona Grady and James Gascoyne
2026-12-09 14:30 - 17:30
Singer Songwriter Workshop

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After School Folk Ensemble with Oona Grady and James Gascoyne 11 weeks starting September 30th Use these links to sign up: 2:45, 3:40, 4:35 Music is a gift best shared with friends! Here is an exciting opportunity for youth 7-14 to learn music by playing together. Weekly 45 minute classes will be focused on making music, including singing, exploring various string instruments, music theory basics, rhythm exercises, how to learn songs/tunes from scratch, confidence in performance practice, and more. Youth Folk Ensemble is– Mixed ages and abilities: Open to any level of experience with music; Learn through listening and participation. Focus on repertoire: Learn classic tunes and songs from the American folk tradition as well as some favorite contemporary songs. Explore string instruments and singing, learning basic skills: Opportunities to focus on guitar, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, bass, and violin/fiddle*; (*for students interested in violin/fiddle it is recommended that they also be enrolled in private or school lessons). Learn music fundamentals: Develop strong and steady sense of rhythm; Learn how to listen and hear musically; Explore singing finding one's own unique voice. Learning valuable life skills: Working in a group setting; Creative contribution and compromise; Being part of a team and playing your part; Building friendships. Need help with tuition or an instrument? Let us know how we can help by filling out this application for the Matt McCabe Scholarship Fund or email: musicschool@caffelena.org After School Youth Folk Ensemble classes meet on Wednesdays at Caffe Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. The three time slots are 2:45-3:30 pm; 3:40-4:25 pm; & 4:35-5:20 pm. Sign up for one or all! Students are encouraged to sign up for all three sessions – the more time we spend learning and practicing music together, the tighter our ensemble will be! Discounts of 10% when purchasing more than 1 class at a time. Meet the instructors: James Gascoyne is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and teacher based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Originally from Louisville, KY, James has been an active participant in the NYS Capital Region arts community since 2004. He has toured nationally with a variety of groups, at times performing on bass, guitar, drums, and vocals, all the while maintaining an active local performing and recording schedule as well as teaching privately when time allows. James regularly performs with Oona Grady as their duo, Drank The Gold, specializing in traditional Irish and American fiddle tunes and folk songs, as well as original compositions and arrangements, plus newly formed bluegrass quintet The Millstone Rounders. With a passion for sharing his musical experience with others, he’s led various workshops at times on guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and bass for the Caffe Lena School of Music, Dance Flurry Festival, GrassRoots Culture Camp, and Winter Village Music Camp. Oona Grady is a musician and educator living in Saratoga Springs, New York. She performs with the duo Drank The Gold, a band specializing in creative arrangements of traditional Irish and American fiddle music, folk songs, and original compositions, as well as with other projects including The Grady Girls, Folk Club Kids, Carolyn Shapiro, and newest project The Millstone Rounders. Oona grew up in Ithaca, NY, nurtured by a family and community with a deep love of music. After receiving a grounding in Suzuki violin and Irish fiddle, she began performing with her family band as a teenager, and moved to Ireland at age eighteen to continue her music studies at University College Cork, graduating with a B.Mus. in 2008. Oona works as a recording artist (credits include strings on What a Night'll Do, Dr. Dog), manages a private music teaching studio, and is a founding teacher at the Caffe Lena School of Music. She also works as a guest instructor for weekend workshops and summer programs, including GrassRoots Culture Camp, the Flurry Festival, Winter Village Music Camp, and the Ithaca Suzuki Institute. #youthclass ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 9:30 am

Price

Member
$10.85

General
$10.85

Child or Student
$10.85

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

Similar Events

View All

Caffè Lena

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School of Music Slow Jam
2026-12-10 13:00 - 15:00
Singer Songwriter

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All are Welcome!WE LOVE TO MEET NEW PICKERS,AND WE LOVE PUTTING ON A GOOD SHOW FOR LISTENERS!This weekly program is made possible by the generous support of PHLY Foundation! THERE ARE NO PRE-SHOW RESERVATIONS FOR THE JAMS! SUGGESTED DONATION AT THE DOOR. $5.00 per person Our jams are all about sharing songs, making new friends, and enjoying a relaxing and casual evening of irresistible string band music. ALL are welcome to join the circle for an afternoon or evening playing and listening to classic grass, new grass and folk favorites. We sometimes refer to our genre as eclectic acoustic. Red Spruce and Adirondack Song Dogs will kick off each session with a few tunes then open the floor for musicians to lead their favorite bluegrass tunes and folk music, backed up by the other pickers in the gathering. Simple tunes are always popular! So sharpen up your axe, come prepared with your song, and let us hear some good old fast, high and lonesome, some slow and low, or a good old favorite. All are welcome! What is a Slow Jam? It is a group of string instrument players and singers who get together to have fun making music. The “slow” modifier indicates that it is targeted to the following musicians: people who have been playing solo and want to get used to playing in a group setting: people who have just learned how to play and want to play with others; people who have instruments that have been gathering dust for a “few” years; experienced players who are trying out playing instruments other than their primary instrument; people who are comfortable playing their instrument but want to become more comfortable singing/leading a song.. The tunes are played at 80 to 110 BPM and usually in basic keys such a G, A, D, C major, but it always sounds great to play in some minor keys such as “a”, “e”, and “g”. We will try to avoid “jam busters.” It is our hope that after this experience you will feel more comfortable playing at the many open jams and open mics that can be found in our area. ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 7:30 pm

Price

Member
$29.28

General
$32.53

Child or Student
$16.27

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

Streaming

Similar Events

View All

Caffè Lena

Shannon Tehya Album Release

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Aug 8 • 10 AM

Lucy Kaplansky
2026-12-11 20:00 - 22:00
Singer Songwriter Workshop

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"Utterly beautiful and affecting, Lucy sings songs from her life that have resonance in ours." – Scott Simon, NPR Lucy Kaplansky is an acclaimed singer-songwriter of rare talent, “a truly gifted performer with a bag full of enchanting songs” (The New Yorker) and “the troubadour laureate of modern city folk” (The Boston Globe). She has released nine critically acclaimed albums, two of which were awarded Best Pop Album of the year by the Association for Independent Music. But where she shines brightest is on the live stage. Maybe it's her background as a clinical psychologist, because there's nobody who helps us unwind, let our guard down, and open our hearts like Lucy Kaplansky. She makes every audience feel like a circle of old friends catching up and reconnecting. Kaplansky is also part of folk supergroup Cry Cry Cry with Dar Williams and Richard Shindell. Her recording of Roxy Music’s “More Than This” has over 12 million streams on Spotify, and she has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and Morning Edition as well as BBC Radio, and CBS Sunday Morning, and has sung harmony on albums by Suzanne Vega, Bryan Ferry, Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin. Her latest release, The Lucy Story (2025), is a retrospective of unreleased tracks, demos, and live recordings spanning her remarkable journey—from teenage bedroom tapes to international tours and studio collaborations with some of folk music’s finest. NPR’s Scott Simon has called her music “utterly beautiful and affecting,” a fitting tribute to an artist whose songs capture the human experience with honesty, warmth, and grace. SAMPLE SONG Stream this show live at Caffè Lena TV. Livestream available for $5 – 100% of live stream tickets on CaffeLenaTV benefit the artists. Subscribe for unlimited live streaming, two week access to recent shows, and Caffe Lena's video archive. Note: Caffe Lena does not permit ticket reselling above face value. Tickets purchased for the purpose of resale may be canceled without notice, and refunds for such purchases will not be granted.

Doors Open
Doors Open: 9:30 am

Price

Member
$10.85

General
$10.85

Child or Student
$10.85

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

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Songwriting Club
2026-12-12 10:00 - 12:00
Singer Songwriter

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I'm happy to announce that Songwriting Club is back at Caffè Lena with a more structured time slot. "Second Saturday Songwriting Club" will meet (you guessed it) every second Saturday! Starting January 10th 10am – 12pm. Hosted by Reese Fulmer and Girl Blue! The club will meet monthly with special guests being a more "special" event. Bring your pens, pencils, instruments, thinking caps, favorite songs. January 10th 10am – 12pm $5 donation cookies and coffee by donation

Doors Open
Doors Open: 7:30 pm

Price

Member
$29.28

General
$32.53

Child or Student
$16.27

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

Streaming

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The Empty Pockets Holiday Tour
2026-12-12 20:00 - 22:00
Singer Songwriter Workshop

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The Empty Pockets Holiday Tour brings the Chicago band’s harmony-driven roots rock sound to the season with a festive mix of fan favorites, stories from the road, and holiday songs. They craft a soulful mix of rootsy blues, classic rock, and Midwestern folk, anchored by powerful vocals and sharp, heartfelt songwriting. Their skills have been honed on the road backing legends like Al Stewart, Gary Wright, Simon Kirke, and Kenny Loggins, and their own albums have earned two #1 spots on the Billboard Blues Albums chart. Affectionately known as the “baseball band,” The Empty Pockets are just as at home on a festival stage as they are singing the national anthem or leading a 7th inning stretch at Major and Minor League Baseball stadiums across the country, and winning over fans one city at a time. This holiday season, they bring their Holiday Tour to Caffè Lena. You’ll hear festive favorites like “Let It Snow” and “Run Run Rudolph” reimagined with blues-rock grit, alongside the band’s own joyful originals including “Snow Day” and “Party at the North Pole.” Blending holiday cheer with songs from their chart-topping blues albums, The Empty Pockets deliver a warm, soulful, high-energy holiday concert built around real instruments, rich harmonies, and joyful connection. SAMPLE SONG Stream this show live at Caffè Lena TV. Livestream available for $5 – 100% of live stream tickets on CaffeLenaTV benefit the artists. Subscribe for unlimited live streaming, two week access to recent shows, and Caffe Lena's video archive. Note: Caffe Lena does not permit ticket reselling above face value. Tickets purchased for the purpose of resale may be canceled without notice, and refunds for such purchases will not be granted. ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 9:30 am

Price

Member
$10.85

General
$10.85

Child or Student
$10.85

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

Similar Events

View All

Caffè Lena

Shannon Tehya Album Release

Folk Singer Songwriter

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Sold Out

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The Nields

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Aug 7 • 8 PM

Willie Watson
2026-12-13 19:00 - 21:00
Singer Songwriter

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​Please note: This show was rescheduled from its original 9/11/26 date due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict. Before he turned 18, Willie Watson had a moment that would quietly change everything. In an apple orchard in upstate New York, singing old songs with a fellow traveler, Ruby Love, he felt something open. Music was more than music, it was a way of making sense of heartbreak, confusion, and the shape of a life just beginning. He’s called it, in his own way, a duet with the divine. That moment set him on a path that would soon lead to the formation of Old Crow Medicine Show, and years spent carrying forward the deep well of American folk tradition. But the role he stepped into, the keeper of old songs, the “nice singer in the cowboy hat”, would eventually begin to feel limiting. Life moved forward in complicated ways: marriage and fatherhood, years on the road, and the quiet disorientation of trying to hold onto yourself while the world keeps shifting around you. There were harder chapters, too, periods of excess and disconnection that nearly broke him. What followed was slower, more difficult work. Sobriety, yes, but also something deeper: a willingness to look back, to face the parts of his story that shaped him, and to begin again with intention. In that space, songwriting became not just an outlet, but a necessity. Watson began writing songs that didn’t hide behind tradition, but stood inside his own experience, songs that wrestle with memory, regret, tenderness, and the fragile hope that comes with change. His self-titled album is the result of that reckoning. Created in close collaboration with songwriter Morgan Nagler and brought to life with a small, intuitive band, the songs feel like moments of discovery unfolding in real time, shaped as much by silence and reflection as by melody. They look backward in order to move forward, tracing the emotional terrain of a life lived fully, and not always easily. There are still echoes of the old songs he’s long carried, those timeless melodies, familiar shapes, but now they sit alongside something new. Watson has stepped fully into the role of songwriter, adding his own stories to the tradition he once interpreted. The result is music that feels both rooted and deeply personal, shaped by experience and delivered with a voice that has nothing left to prove. SAMPLE SONG Join us for an evening with an artist who has spent a lifetime listening, and is now, finally, telling his own story. Stream this show live at Caffè Lena TV. Livestream available for $5 – 100% of live stream tickets on CaffeLenaTV benefit the artists. Subscribe for unlimited live streaming, two week access to recent shows, and Caffe Lena's video archive. ﻿Note: Caffe Lena does not permit ticket reselling above face value. Tickets purchased for the purpose of resale may be canceled without notice, and refunds for such purchases will not be granted. ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 7:30 pm

Price

Member
$29.28

General
$32.53

Child or Student
$16.27

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

Streaming

Similar Events

View All

Caffè Lena

Shannon Tehya Album Release

Folk Singer Songwriter

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Sold Out

Jul 30 • 7 PM

Caffè Lena

The Nields

Singer Songwriter

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Aug 6 • 7 PM

Caffè Lena

Songwriting Club

Singer Songwriter Workshop

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Aug 8 • 10 AM

Open Mic
2026-12-14 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-12-28 19:00 - 21:00, 2027-01-11 19:00 - 21:00, 2027-01-25 19:00 - 21:00
Singer Songwriter Workshop

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OPEN MIC NIGHT DOORS 6:00PM // SIGN UP 6:30PM // SHOW STARTS 7:00PM Play your song on the Caffe’s famous stage! During the past three decades, Lena’s open mic has been recognized with “Best Of” awards from Metroland Magazine, The Alt Weekly, The Saratogian Reader’s Poll and Saratoga’s Fab Five. Just like at our weekend shows, all attention is focused on the stage. OUR HOSTS First Monday – Rick Bolton Second Monday – Carolyn Shapiro Third Monday – Ray Pashoukos Fourth Monday – Kate Blain HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT: Every Monday. All ages, all styles. Originals encouraged but not required. Please leave a $3-$5 donation for our non-profit organization if you’re able to. Doors open at 6:00 PM. Sign-up is 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM / Show at 7:00 / 2 songs or 10 minutes / Sign up is first come first serve You are welcome to use our Yamaha studio upright acoustic piano or acoustic Martin guitar. We can play your MP3 backing track through our sound system. You are welcome to bring amps and drums BUT set up and break down is part of your 10 minutes. Coffee & Cookies are available for purchase in the Lobby. No alcohol! We like to keep our Monday nights family friendly. Play Nice! We foster a diverse community that has a great time making art and helping one another get better. Excessive profanity, explicit sexual themes, and “humor” that unkindly targets a specific group undermines this goal. It is up to the discretion of the host to enforce the house standards. CONTACT US If you have any questions you can give us a call at 518-583-0022 or email our Monday House Manager: artur@caffelena.org ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 9:30 am

Price

Member
$10.85

General
$10.85

Child or Student
$10.85

inclusive of fees

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The Black Feathers
2027-03-18 19:00 - 21:00
Singer Songwriter Workshop

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With roots in British and American folk, The Black Feathers’ magical harmonies intertwine with gorgeous ballads and side-splitting humor. English husband-wife duo Ray Hughes and Sian Chandler weave the spirit of traditional UK folk with acoustic indie rock, reminding listeners of the era of Steeleye Span. Hughes’ guitar work and the duos' emotive harmony vocals are pure magic. Their music moves easily between styles like folk, Americana, and acoustic indie without ever losing its focus on strong songwriting and clear, expressive performances. It’s a sound that has carried them from the UK to festivals across the U.S., including Philadelphia Folk Festival, Kate Wolf Music Festival, and AmericanaFest, as well as official showcases at multiple Folk Alliance conferences. SAMPLE SONG “…stunning harmonies that were so good it reminded me of seeing Gillian Welch and David Rawlings” –No Depression “The Black Feathers are acoustic, but with enough power and force to drive a sledgehammer.” –Roots Magazine “Sheer poetic beauty both lyrically and musically.” –Cryptic Rock Interspersed with their sparkling ballads they share a ripping sense of humor that never fails to leave the audience in stitches. Stream this show live at Caffè Lena TV. Livestream available for $5 – 100% of live stream tickets on CaffeLenaTV benefit the artists. Subscribe for unlimited live streaming, two week access to recent shows, and Caffe Lena's video archive. Note: Caffe Lena does not permit ticket reselling above face value. Tickets purchased for the purpose of resale may be canceled without notice, and refunds for such purchases will not be granted. ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 9:30 am

Price

Member
$10.85

General
$10.85

Child or Student
$10.85

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

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TEST 031026
2028-12-01 19:00 - 21:00
Singer Songwriter

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BIO: What is Lorem Ipsum? Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum. Why do we use it? It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for 'lorem ipsum' will uncover many web sites still in their infancy. Various versions have evolved over the years, sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose (injected humour and the like). ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 7:30 pm

Price

Member
$29.28

General
$32.53

Child or Student
$16.27

inclusive of fees

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Streaming

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TEST 031027
2028-12-02 19:00 - 21:00
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BIO: What is Lorem Ipsum? Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum. Why do we use it? It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for 'lorem ipsum' will uncover many web sites still in their infancy. Various versions have evolved over the years, sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose (injected humour and the like). ﻿

Doors Open
Doors Open: 9:30 am

Price

Member
$10.85

General
$10.85

Child or Student
$10.85

inclusive of fees

Get Tickets

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