Sing In The Streets

A free neighborhood festival to celebrate 62 years of Caffe Lena!

sunday, may 22nd | 12:00pm – 2:00pm

Enjoy an afternoon of live music at 6 stages located around the Caffe Lena neighborhood.

Girl Blue ● The Bluebillies ● Hot Club of Saratoga ● North and South Dakotas ● Jes Hudak ● The Lost Radio Rounders ● Carolyn Shapiro ● Reese Fulmer ● Russel the Leaf ● Cassandra Kubinski ● Karl Bertrand ● James Gascoyne, Oona Grady and Dan Berggren

SCHEDULE and stages:

1960s IMPRESSIONS: 12:00pm Girl Blue │1:00pm Russel the Leaf

1970s LIBRARY: 12:00pm Cassandra Kubinski │ 1:10pm Jes Hudak

1980s FROG GARDEN FAMILY STAGE: 12:00pm Dan, James and Oona│1:00pm Karl Bertrand

1990s BEN & JERRY’S: 12:00pm Hot Club of Saratoga │ 1:00pm The Bluebillies

2000-2020 COURTYARD: 12:00pm Carolyn Shapiro │ 1:00pm Reese Fulmer

NOW! CAFFE UPSTAIRS: 12:00pm North & South Dakotas │ 1:00pm Lost Radio Rounders

Sing in the streets is made possible by our generous sponsors

About the bands

Girl Blue

If you like Alanis Morissette, Brandi Carlisle, and crying in public, you’re going to love Girl Blue. Writing deeply emotional songs with strong singable hooks, singer/songwriter/producer Arielle O’Keefe is absolutely one to watch. She’s been featured on top Spotify playlists (New Music Friday) and charts (#2 on US Viral Charts), in national commercials, and on top blogs like the Huffington Post. It’s been said “she…has the kind of spark that makes stars” (The Alt), and most especially as a live performer she has an authenticity that regularly moves audience members to tears. She has based herself in Troy, NY, where she writes and records music with recording collective “Just Pretend”.

The Bluebillies

The Bluebillies don’t just sing Country songs; they embody them, performing their unique blend of country, bluegrass and folk music with traditional style, sound and spirit. Husband and wife team Mark and Melody Guarino have been singing together since 1984 when they first made it their mission to help revive and preserve the rich heritage of this great and uniquely American art form. With the addition of the Frank Orsini on fiddle and guitarist Greg Bucking, The Bluebillies were complete and perform together with all the joy and simpatico that only a “family” band can produce.

Carolyn Shapiro

Carolyn is an old-time banjo player whose sound is rooted in the old-songs of Appalachia. Trained in the clawhammer style of banjo by Trish Miller and John Kirk, Carolyn blends tradition with her own unique sultry flavor. Her songs feel both familiar yet entirely new, with honest lyrics that are inspired by the world around her. Carolyn released her debut album “Where I’m Supposed To Be,” on October 1st, 2021. Produced in collaboration with Jim Mastrianni featuring a number of talented 518 musicians, this compilation of songs come straight from the heart and showcase Carolyn’s songwriting and banjo prowess.

Reese Fulmer

If you ask Reese about himself, he’ll tell you he’s a brand new soul. But his songs tell a different story, with a clear eye, poetic touch, and unique imagination, of a conduit to something much older and deeper. Reese has quickly made a name for himself in the Capital Region, NY, as a precocious songwriter and engaging performer, with a sound reminiscent of Justin Townes Earle, Jeffrey Foucault, John Prine, and Iron & Wine.

Lost Radio Rounders

Revisit the early days of live radio with Lost Radio Rounders’ broad selection of favorites and re-discovered relics from classic shows such as Grand Ole Opry, the National Barn Dance and King Biscuit Time. In addition to a mixed bag of hillbilly ravers, gospel favorites, string band curios and classics from the folk tradition, expect nuggets from the likes of the Delmore Brothers, Cousin Emmy, and Hank Williams. Guitarist/vocalist Tom Lindsay and multi-instrumentalist Michael Eck make up the Lost Radio Rounders with Evan Conway on bass.

Jes Hudak

Jes Hudak is a singer, songwriter, and pianist from Saratoga Springs, NY. She got her start playing original songs at Caffe Lena Open Mic when she was 12 years old, and hasn’t stopped writing and performing since. Throughout her musical journey, Jes has sung backup for Enrique Iglesias, placed 2nd on Bravo’s songwriting reality competition Platinum Hit, and has a gold single in Australia with her performance of the song “Different Worlds.” She has numerous co-writes with artists of all styles, with millions of plays on Spotify, but you can still find Jes releasing her original, piano-based songs independently.

Cassandra Kubinski

Multi Billboard Heatseekers charting singer/songwriter Cassandra Kubinski has performed her signature piano-centric pop sound around the world, from living rooms to stadiums, cafes to Barclays Center, NYC to LA, Thailand to Jamaica, Germany to Australia, and beyond. Always celebrating whimsical, dramatic stories of ambition, connection, loss, and love, Cassandra’s piano and clarion voice invite us to own who we are, and discover who we can become. Her music encompasses the high vibes and catchy melodies of Sara Bareilles and the acoustic, nature-oriented style of Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz.

Karl Bertrand

Karl Bertrand is a songwriter, guitarist, and producer living in Glens Falls, NY. He’s performed on festival stages as a member of rock band Let’s Be Leonard, and has released a handful of records that are accessible on all streaming platforms. Karl is continuously recording and releasing new material and performing his original songs around the Upstate New York area.

Russel the Leaf

Russel the Leaf is the catch all for music that comes from Evan M. Marré. Raised in Scotia, NY, Evan makes recordings wherever he can set up, which for now is Troy, NY. Spontaneity and structure go hand in hand with this music. Every aspect is thoroughly thought out, but captured in a frantic excited way. Inspired by the sounds gleaned from obsessive record collecting, Russel the Leaf as a project is focused on creating completely realized records, something that comes easily to Marré. Having released 25 records since 2011, Russel the Leaf has a momentum that will not let up. His latest works ‘My Street’ and ‘You Blocked the Light For Me’ are released via his own Records from Russ homespun cassette tape label.

Dan, James and Oona Perform Folk Club Kids

Dan Berggren, James Gascoyne and Oona Grady are three accomplished performers and songwriters who have joined forces to create Folk Club Kids, a children’s folk program of songs and stories that educate, entertain and pass on musical traditions to our little ones. Folk Club Kids began as a live streamed program at Caffe Lena and has now grown into an in-person event. The trio has also recently released an album of their material.

North and South Dakotas

Formed in early 2011 by original members Zack Hay (Guitar & Vocals), Colin Hunt (Bass), and Mark Retajczyk (Guitar & Vocals), The North & South Dakotas set out crafting a sound that paid homage to the spirit of old time american music, mountain folk, and singer-songwriter traditions. Though the band spent many years as a five-piece with drummer Mike Graves, and the past two years as a more traditional bluegrass quartet with utility man Nayt Patenaude (Dobro, Banjo, Mandolin), the Dakotas continue on as an ever-rotating cast of string players from the Upstate NY region. In this more intimate setting, the band continues to write original, genre-sweeping music that makes use of their trademark vocal harmonies and the musical sensibilities of each band member’s different background.

Hot Club of Saratoga

Hot Club of Saratoga, upstate New York’s premier gypsy swing collective, plays a repertoire that reflects the spirit and style originated by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in The Quintet of the Hot Club of France most prominent in the 1930’s and kept alive through a long line of gypsy jazz artists since that time. The instrumentation of the full quintet of the Hot Club of Saratoga, solo and rhythm guitars, string bass, violin, and clarinet/sax, allows us to explore this style throughout the range of its roots. Since forming in early 2013, Hot Club of Saratoga has brought the hot swing sound to coffee houses, restaurants, bars, clubs, swing dances, festivals, weddings, and numerous private parties. If you’re looking for gypsy swing true to its origins while subtly expanding the genre, music that just makes you smile and move, give us a listen.