Newsletters
62nd Anniversary Weekend! Free Festival Sunday
Greetings – Happy 62nd birthday to Caffe Lena! Some of you may have just come for your first show. Others have memories of this room dating back decades. Every weekend brings wonderful new moments. Multiply that by more than 3,000 and you can see how many memories live in these precious old bricks. Sixty-two years of deep listening and courageous truth-telling, laughter and kindness, creativity and intelligence. Good job, folks . . . .
Need ideas for this weekend?
Greetings – Take care of your heart, your mind and your spirit by getting out for some live music! What a fabulous run of shows we have for you this week. Enjoy sampling the music of these diverse artists by clicking the photos below. Pick one (or more!) that suits your mood and tastes. A reminder that . . .
Ritter, Roche & Your Mom
Greetings – Sister harmony trio The Roches were one of the most popular bands playing Lena’s back in the late ’70s. Just once in the late ’90s Suzzy came back on her own, so this return with her celebrated singer-songwriter daughter Lucy Wainwright Roche has been a long time coming! They are smart, warm, funny, open-hearted women and it’s going to be a night to remember.
Looking for a special show?
Greetings – It’s hard to believe another week has flown by. We find ourselves arriving at the month of May, a special month at Caffe Lena because we’ll mark another anniversary. It was decades ago that Caffe Lena became the longest running folk music coffeehouse in the country, and that’s an honor we intend to hang onto! In order to keep the membership growing to support the growth in audience, programming and community service, we set a challenging goal each May . . .
News: Look who’s back at Caffe Lena!
Greetings – This past weekend with Janis Ian felt, dare I say, like the pre-pandemic Caffe Lena of 2019. Each night the house was full and the energy was jubilant. The only difference is that now we have another several dozen households joining in via CaffeLena.tv from across the country (and beyond!) because we’ve all learned how to do that. In case you missed last week’s message, CaffeLena.tv has gotten easier thanks to . . .
A Folk World Retirement & A Chance to Help
Greetings – Whether you’re a nurse, teacher, farmer, truck driver, soldier, police officer, activist, mother or banker, we hope this place fills your heart and soul as much as it has ours over the years. Please keep Caffe Lena strong by coming out for Wednesday’s benefit, listening to the one and only Janis Ian, signing up as a member, strapping on a volunteer apron, or bringing your song to open mic. Thanks for bringing YOU to this community . . .
What’s Happening at Lena’s this Week?
Greetings – This past weekend we welcomed Alash back our stage. We have a fifteen year relationship with this throat-singing band from Tuva, Russia. The hurdles they climbed over to get to us this year were jaw-dropping. Securing a travel visa was nearly impossible. It involved a two-week trip to Mongolia, which was almost entirely locked down because of Covid. Then they had to get to Croatia just to get a vaccination that would pass muster for entry in the USA. And then, just as they were leaving Russia, their country went to war . . .
We just got a little more famous
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 . . .
Sometimes Old-Fashioned Is What You Need
Greetings – This week we’re bringing you music that thrives outside of fads and commerce. It doesn’t need record labels or marketing campaigns. Honestly, it doesn’t even really need a sound system. It could be sung in a room filled with willing hearts anywhere, even with storms and battles raging outside. I can promise you that . . .
Totally authentic St. Pat’s show, but that’s not all!
Greetings – How do you describe a week of shows that ranges from exquisite polyphonic vocal music to a brilliant string band raised in the heart of rural Ireland; from the swing-your-glass and cry-in-your-beer ballads of Kevin McKrell, to an epic blues blast from San Francisco? And in the midst of all that is Niki Jacobs, the celebrated Yiddish . . .