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things to do in Saratoga
Rochmon Record Club Listening Party – The Beatles – “Let It Be”
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesOctober is Beatles month at the Rochmon Record Club. “Let It Be”, was released on May 8, 1970, a month after the announcement of the band’s breakup. Originally titled “Get Back” the album was conceived as a return to the band’s songwriting and arranging from their earlier days. Renamed “Let It Be” the album includes the title song, “Across The Universe”, “The Long And Winding Road”, “Get Back”, George Harrison’s, “I Me Mine” and 7 more.
Tom Paxton & The Don Juans
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesTom Paxton & The DonJuans
Ari Hest with opener Jacob Shipley
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesAri Hest with opener Jacob Shipley
A Free Pop-up Health Clinic for the Creative Community who are Uninsured and Under-Insured
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesA Free Pop-up Health Clinic for the Creative Community who are Uninsured and Under-Insured
Sara Milonovich & Daisycutter
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesSara Milonovich & Daisycutter
Howl Story Slam
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesOnce again, we team up with Adirondack Center for Writing and North Country Public Radio to present the Howl Story Slam. This spirited storytelling competition is open to all participants. Storytellers take the stage to tell a true story in under 5 minutes. Judges (2-3 audience members) score the stories, and at the end of the night, a winner is announced. All winners are invited to ACW's annual Grand Slam at the end of the year.
Want to take a turn on stage? Here are some tips:
Practice, practice, practice.
Your story must be true and told without notes. This includes scribbles on the back of your hand.
Your audience is brilliant and easily distracted. Jump right into the action of your story.
Practice your story as much as possible, in the bathroom, during your morning commute, in line for coffee. By the time you arrive at The Howl Story Slam, you’ll be cool as a cucumber.
Leave the rants and stand-up routines at home. Humor is welcome, but keep in mind that having a story with a beginning, middle, and end is more important than having a few good punchlines.
Show up and put your name on the storyteller list. When your name is called, you’ve got five minutes to tell your tale.
Storytellers will be judged on relevance to the theme "Close Call," a story with a conflict and resolution, and staying in the time limit.
Again, stories must be:
True
Under 5 minutes
Adhere to the night’s theme
Told with no notes
Admission is a $10 suggested donation, which will be split between ACW, NCPR and Caffe Lena.
Howl Story SLAM
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesOnce again, we team up with Adirondack Center for Writing and North Country Public Radio to present the Howl Story Slam. This spirited storytelling competition is open to all participants. Storytellers take the stage to tell a true story in under 5 minutes. Judges (2-3 audience members) score the stories, and at the end of the night, a winner is announced. All winners are invited to ACW's annual Grand Slam at the end of the year.
Want to take a turn on stage? Here are some tips:
Practice, practice, practice.
Your story must be true and told without notes. This includes scribbles on the back of your hand.
Your audience is brilliant and easily distracted. Jump right into the action of your story.
Practice your story as much as possible, in the bathroom, during your morning commute, in line for coffee. By the time you arrive at The Howl Story Slam, you’ll be cool as a cucumber.
Leave the rants and stand-up routines at home. Humor is welcome, but keep in mind that having a story with a beginning, middle, and end is more important than having a few good punchlines.
Show up and put your name on the storyteller list. When your name is called, you’ve got five minutes to tell your tale.
Storytellers will be judged on relevance to the theme "Close Call," a story with a conflict and resolution, and staying in the time limit.
Again, stories must be:
True
Under 5 minutes
Adhere to the night’s theme
Told with no notes
Admission is a $10 suggested donation, which will be split between ACW, NCPR and Caffe Lena.
Bright Series: John Smith
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesBright Series: John Smith
Reese Fulmer & The Carriage House Band Album Release
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesReese Fulmer & The Carriage House Band
Professor Louie & The Crowmatix
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesProfessor Louie & The Crowmatix
The Lovestruck Balladeers
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesThe Lovestruck Balladeers
Anatomy of Exile
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesSaratoga Immigration Coalition presents Joshua Craze's performance-lecture overview of the refugee experience today.
All stories of exile begin with an ending.
A flight under the cover of darkness or a march to the border under a hot sun.
Some exiles shore up fragments of home against their ruin. Others flee themselves as a means of survival.
'The Anatomy of Exile' is a performance-lecture that traces the many lives of refugees in the 21st century. The performer, Joshua Craze, is a writer who has spent over a decade in the refugee camps of Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, and elsewhere. In 2020, he conducted research in the archive of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, while a writing fellow at the Embassy of Foreign Artists.
This performance draws together archival materials, refugees voices, and poetic fragments, to create a panoramic overview of the refugee experience today.
Free / Donations Welcome
Lena Go Round – Songwriter Showcase with Erin Harkes
Musician/comedian Erin Harkes continues her songwriters' series at Caffè Lena in October. This monthly showcase, curated and hosted by Harkes, spotlights rising talent, who take turns playing their songs and telling stories “in the round,” for an audience and for each other. Lena Go Round is inspired by the original music that has been the cornerstone of Caffè Lena’s 63 years in operation, and is quickly becoming a must-see event in the Capital District.
Bright Series: Maya de Vitry
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesBright Series: Maya de Vitry
Little Folks Series: Jenna Nicholls
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesWhether she’s belting out a New Orleans-style number on her ukulele, singing an original cowboy tune or lush ballad at the piano, this multi-instrumentalist gives vintage sounds a new life. Your kids will love Jenna's fun show!
Misty Blues: I’m Too Old For Games – Album Release & Live Tribute To Odetta
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesMisty Blues
Christopher Paul Stelling
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesChristopher Paul Stelling
Storytelling Open Mic Featuring Dave Anietakeron Fadden
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United States
Poetry Open Mic featuring Joseph Bruchac
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesJoseph Bruchac
Jim Gaudet and The Railroad Boys
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United StatesJim Gaudet and The Railroad Boys
Still Rockin’ In the Free World: A Tribute to Neil Young
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United Statesanadian rock legend Neil Young has had an outsized influence on contemporary music, with his brilliant songwriting, sprawling electric and acoustic alter egos, and restless attitude towards experimentation. He has equally influenced generations of sensitive singer-songwriters, guitar-wielding Americana acts, and grunge/noise acts like Nirvana and Sonic Youth. Young turns 79 in November, so tonight Caffè Lena celebrates his indelible mark on music with “Still Rockin' In the Free World: A Tribute to Neil Young.”
The performance joins six Capital Region acts: Rick Bolton, Coal Palace Kings, The Croaks,
Nick Ferrandino, Mike McMann and the UnderDawgs and Super 400. This eclectic line-up will interpret selections from across Young’s varied career.
This event isn't just about celebrating Young's iconic catalog; it's a fundraiser to support Caffe Lena's free and donation-optional open mics for songwriters, storytellers, musicians and poets. Caffe Lena offers the community nearly a dozen opportunities each month to share creative work in our historic listening room, supported by professional sound production and superb equipment. Open mics are where up-and-coming artists cut their teeth and develop their craft, continuing the work that Young inspires. Our open stage programs and jams are open to all ages and are all about craft and community.
Expect fresh takes on Young's classics, such as "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man," to his electrifying work with Crazy Horse on tracks like "Cinnamon Girl" and "Rockin' in the Free World." It’s a showcase of local talent, blending reverence for the past with an eye on the future of music.
JAZZ at Caffe Lena with the Chuck Lamb Trio Featuring Stanley Jordan
caffe lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, United States"A standing ovation immediately followed from an audience which collectively understood and appreciated the complexity and beauty of the art which had just been conjured by one of the world’s true music innovators . . . one who had just delivered a musical performance which will be hard to ever forget.” -AUSTRALIAN MUSICIAN (2022 Live Performance Review)
World-renowned, internationally acclaimed, 4x-GRAMMY® Award Nominated Guitarist STANLEY JORDAN will be Chuck Lamb's extraordinary special guest for the November edition of JAZZ at Caffe Lena. The Los Angeles Times aptly stated, "Genius is a word often tossed around in musical circles, but it has been rightfully applied to Stanley Jordan." In a career that took flight in 1985 with commercial and critical acclaim, guitar virtuoso Jordan has consistently displayed a musical persona of openness, imagination, versatility and maverick daring. Be it bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits, to blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works, solo or with a group, Jordan can always be counted on to take listeners on breathless journeys into the unexpected.
The JAZZ at Caffe Lena series is hosted by resident composer, pianist, and jazz master Chuck Lamb, with support from music producer Joel Moss. Each month, Lamb invites a top-flight jazz artist to join his trio on stage. Lamb, a member of the Brubeck Brothers Quartet since 2002, is not only an exciting and emotive pianist but also a prolific composer of jazz, fusion, classical, and world music. Through these collaborations, the artists stretch their creative boundaries, exploring new musical landscapes and creating spontaneous, exhilarating performances.
JAZZ at Caffe Lena is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.