The folk, acoustic-pop siblings from Maine, Oshima Brothers, dropped their new single “Lost at Sea,” Friday, November 22. Inspired by the vastness of the ocean, the song plays like rolling waves, rocking you into a peaceful state with their beautiful harmonies and gentle guitar playing. It’s a lovely song to unwind to, to listen to the verses as they tell a story of love and loneliness.
In a recent show at Caffè Lena, the two brothers spoke of how their music is greatly influenced by the natural world around them, and they marvel at the fact that we are all connected underneath the same night sky, the same constellations linking us to one another.
Oldest brother, Sean, effortlessly tackles opposing roles of the band’s songwriter, publicist, business manager, stylist and chef, while his younger counterpart, Jamie, handles all producing, engineering and filmmaking. Sean sings, plays harmonica, rhythm guitar and cajón, while Jamie plays electric guitar, bass, drums, keys, mandolin, banjo, and fiddle, all while harmonizing vocals. This makes the pair a true statement of DIY music – making what they love on their own terms.
Wallis Bird‘s upcoming album, Woman, is both a rebellious act of self-advocacy and a call to action. Wallis Bird is an accomplished musician from Ireland with a unique sound. When she was young, Wallis was involved in an accident where she lost all of the fingers on her left hand. Fortunately, all but one were able to be reattached. This has impacted the way she plays her guitar. She performs with it flipped, lending to her distinct musical quality.
Womancomes twelve years after her first album, and it is a reflection on the things Wallis has learned, both about herself and humanity. It serves as a way to impart what she has discovered and to rouse her audience into wanting change. To change the world around them; to be a kinder place.
In “Life Is Long,” Wallis reminds us that while a lifetime may seem like a long period, time itself is very brief. Each moment needs to be savored, which is something that is easy to forget in a world of instant gratification and constant distractions.
In “Salve,” a previously released track from the album, Wallis sings, “I’m practicing what I’m preaching, no else is going to save me,” a lyric which shows she has learned responsibility for her own self-growth. It’s easy to be sold on a version of yourself when you’re constantly fed images via social media. The desire to model yourself after someone else, who appears to be living an ideal lifestyle is tempting, but Wallis seems to ask you to step back from all of that, to evaluate yourself based on your own standards and decide what it is that you truly value. Create your own rubric to measure yourself by and define your own happiness.
Wallis invites introspection in her track “Brutal Honesty,” where she is, as the title suggest, with herself and shows awareness about how her own words impact others. She invites the listener to step inside her thoughts, where an act of intimacy becomes a shared experience with many. In “Repeal” she advocates for the right to decide what is best. In the current political climate, as a woman, others in power feel that it is up to them to make decisions for you. Wallis Bird speaks out against this, fighting to take ownership of her own choices in life.
Wallis Bird presents you with singable tunes that are joyous in sound yet carry deep messages that comes from introspection and reflecting on the changing world at large. It is a blend of soul roots and her love of the various genres that have influenced her. It stands as a testament to who she is and who she has built herself to be.
“Woman” will be released on September 27th. To catch her on tour, you can find her upcoming shows here.
Key Tracks: Salve, Brutal Honesty, As the River Flows.
Hailing from Vinton, Louisiana, Marcia Ball will be bringing her unique sound to Caffè Lena on Friday, August 30. USA Today described her music as being a combination of “Texas Stomp Rock” and “Louisiana blues-swamp,” an intriguing combination. Each performance of Marcia Ball’s becomes a musical party of joyful music and triumphant vocals, and every note comes with a twist that is all her own.
Marcia Ball has won many accolades over her career, including a recent induction into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2002, she won the Blues Music Award for “Blues Album Of The Year” for Presumed Innocent. In 2004, her album So Many Rivers was nominated for a Grammy Award and won the 2004 Blues Music Award for Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year, as well as the award for Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year . She has been awarded a total of ten Blues Music Awards, ten Living Blues Awards and has been nominated for a Grammy five times.
Clearly, Marcia Ball is an incredibly talented musician who has cultivated a sound and style that can only be described as her’s. She will be performing two shows at Caffè Lena, an early show at 6:00, and a late show at 8:30. To get tickets to the early show, go here. To get tickets to the later performance, go here.
The love David and Sophie Buskin have for one another was apparent on the stage at Caffe Lena Thursday night. The father-daughter duo performed together as part of Caffè Lena‘s monthly pride series.
The dichotomy between the two generations was visually present in Sophie’s use of electric guitar and David’s acoustic. David Buskin made jokes about their age. They were obviously dad joke’s, such as “Sophie’s friends call us DNA and DNR. Not sure how I feel about that.”
The two began with a song that thrilled the heart, Sophie’s powerful soaring voice was complimented by David’s gentler tones. They sang about chasing after life, and who can’t relate to the rush of seeking adventure, of wanting to experience more? There was also a desire to escape from trouble, to find the excitement while dodging the “demons at your back.”
The theme of adventure carried on with David’s comedic song he usually performs with Modern Man, “Jews Don’t Camp.” In it, he joked about the perks of living an indoorsy lifestyle. Sophie’s rejoinder was the song “Mountains.” It was written about a month-long camping and hiking trip that she took. As she told this story, she gave her father a wry look which brought out laughter from the audience. Her dad accompanied her on the piano while she played guitar and sang.
She followed this with another song of hers, “Sweet Creature.” On her recent album, this is featured as a live track that she performs with her father. In this performance, however, David played a different role. Sophie’s performance was incredibly touching, but nobody was more touched than David. From his seat on the piano bench, he watched his daughter with awe and admiration. He was just as spellbound by her beautiful voice as the rest of the audience. After the applause, there was a moment of silence, broken when David said, “You know, I stand up there saying to myself, ‘You played that wrong. You botched that chord.’ And then, I watch my kid do that.” All of his pride in his daughter was neatly summed up in those words and in the way he looked at her.
In honor of the Pride Series, David chose to play a song from a musical that he is working on with Jake Holmes. The musical takes place in the summer of 1968. The song is from a scene where two men have slept together, and one is trying to convince the other to come out so he doesn’t have to go to Vietnam. It was a song about struggling for both social and self-acceptance. It is something that people struggle with across the board.
The duo ended with a song which David used to sing to Sophie as a lullaby – James Taylor’s “You Can Close Your Eyes”. The Buskin & Buskin performance had given us an intimate snapshot into their life together, from Sophie’s childhood into the brilliant artist that she is today.
The next performance in the Pride Series at Caffè Lena will take place on September 5th at 7:00 pm and will feature the Capital Region Pride Singers. Tickets for that performance can be found here.
When Doc Severinsen plays, each note holds a bit of American nostalgia. Well known as the leader of the big band who played on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson for over thirty years, Doc has become a familiar face on television screens nationwide. Since Carson’s retirement in 1992, Doc has continued to hone his craft. He has played on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show with The Roots and has been touring across the country.
Doc is well known for playing a game with the audience called “Stump the Band” in which the crowd would attempt to think up a song the band couldn’t play. His sense of humor also included nonsense country songs, often thrown into the mix after he would cry out “Key of E!”
If you’d like to conjure up memories of those late-night television antics, you can see Doc Severinsen perform in one of three shows at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs. He will be appearing on Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24 at 8 pm, as well as Sunday, August 25 at 7 pm. He will be joined by his band, the San Miguel 5, with Gil Gutierrez on guitar, Charlie Bisharat on violin, Kevin Thomas on bass, and Tiki Pasillas on drums.
On Aug. 11, Mipso will be performing two shows at Caffè Lena. Hailing from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the quartet is known for its blend of folk and modern-alt sounds. Rolling Stone recently named them an “Artist You Need to Know,” which is fitting given their ability to create songs that are fragile in narrative but robust in sound. With gentle vocals, Mipso sings about life’s truths, softening the blows of a sometimes harsh reality.
Their most recent album, Edges Run, was released on April 6 and includes notable tracks such as “People Change” and “Moonlight.” Originally pigeon-holed as a bluegrass band, this album marks a break-away from the bluegrass sound with a wide array of styles ranging from ballads to more upbeat pop songs utilizing instruments that aren’t typically associated with a bluegrass band such as the electric guitar.
Mipso will be performing at both 6:00 and at 8:30 pm. For tickets to either show, please go the Caffè Lena website.
Perhaps musical talent can be inherited. At least, that seems to be the case with David and Sophie Buskin, who will be performing as part of Caffè Lena’s Pride Series on Thursday, August 1, as Buskin & Buskin. David, known for his background in folk-rock, is part of the duo Buskin & Batteau, and the band Modern Man, which he refers to as a “geezer trio.” He is a talented songwriter and has written for artists such as Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie and Roberta Flack.
Sophie is a bit more rock and roll. Her stylings influenced by alt-rock, albeit she has been a part of the NYC folk scene for many years now. While attending college at Berklee, she was part of their Gospel Choir. Her first album, Sweet Creature, was released last year. She has been slowly evolving as a musician in her journey of self-discovery, and has performed with Jewel, Alana Davis, Mason Jennings and Judy Collins.
This multi-generational act brings a certain playfulness to the stage that comes along with knowing one another for such a long period of time. David’s pride in his daughter and her maturation into the musical performer she is today is apparent in their interactions, and is a pleasure to witness.
The opener that evening will be local Schenectady County Community College barbershop quartet, Out of Time. Tickets can be purchased here.
“So, I have a new EP out,” Jonatha Brooke said to the crowd gathered at Caffè Lena on Thursday night. The news was received with warm applause. “And I’m naked on the cover.” At this point she posed, arms stretched outwards and upwards, ready to take on whatever the audience sent her way.
Jonatha is the second performance of Caffè Lena’s pride series, which has a way of making performers feel safe enough to be completely honest. Jonatha’s vulnerability is only accentuated by her presence on the stage, a lone woman with a mic and a guitar.
The performance was incredibly satisfying. Perhaps it was the way her voice eased through the room, settling in comfortably with the crowd. Or it could be the fact that she is a self-proclaimed “terrible liar” and her brand of off-beat candor was refreshing.
Jonatha spoke openly about her relationship with her mother, doing impressions of her throughout the night. She has written and performed in a musical based on living with her mother while she dealt with Alzheimer’s. The musical is called My Mother Has 4 Noses and is based off a quote made by her mother, who said, “After all, how many people do YOU know who can say they have FOUR noses?”
After “mothering her mother” as she so put it, Jonatha spoke about how it had helped her better understand herself on a new level, one in which she experienced what she described as a, “I would take a bullet for you feeling.” This led into a performance of a song that she played as a member of The Story – “So Much Mine.” This song describes the perspective of a mother watching over her child and the worries that spring to mind when one thinks about them.
Many of Jonatha’s songs revealed different aspects of her inner workings, such as her song “Imposter,” off of her new EP of the same name. The song is played on mandolin, and in it, she calls herself the imposter. She said that the song was about her own feelings of self-doubt that sometimes haunt her, a relatable feeling to be sure. “Liar, loser, phony. No one ever says so, but I know it’s true. Poser, lightweight, cheapskate. I wanna be, but woe is me. Someone better muster up the truth,” she sang, her voice clear in the small space. She calls herself her “own best saboteur,” harkening on the very realistic feeling many have of having to fake their way through the day, to bend themselves to appear less weak or to hide their flaws from others.
And yet, there was no denying that Jonatha Brooke wasn’t as uncertain of herself as “Imposter” may have led the audience to believe. Before performing her song “Fire,” Jonatha strolled casually across the stage and proclaimed, “I am kind of liking getting older sometimes because I don’t give a shit anymore.” Amen to that.
She chose to end with “Linger,” her big hit from 2001. It was comforting to hear that someone as successful as she is could still harbor doubts. In this, Pride Night at Caffè Lena has once again provided Saratoga with a space of security where doubts were eased.
Frightened Rabbit’s Tiny Changes released on July 12 pays tribute to the former frontman, Scott Hutchison. The album is a collection of covers off their 2008 album, Midnight Organ Fight, which marked the band’s breakthrough into the music scene. Originally, Tiny Changes was meant to be a celebration of the ten year anniversary of Midnight Organ Fight, to be released in 2018. The project was Scott’s, and upon his passing it was shelved until this year. It has now taken on a new meaning for the band.
The title for the album comes from a lyric in the song “Heads Roll Off” in which Hutchison sang, “While I’m alive, I’ll make tiny changes to Earth.” It’s a fitting title for a work made to remember a man who did exactly that.
Whether Scott was aware of his reach, his songs impacted many. Hutchison’s lyrics were always honest and raw, not hiding from the rough emotions stirred up by depression and his own thoughts on suicide. His voice was unmistakable, unique in its rolling Scottish tones and humble sound. Scott had a way of always singing from deep within himself as if he were imploring you for forgiveness for the flaws that come with being human. Even in his final tweets under the moniker of his solo project, Owl John, Scott asked people to “Be so good to everyone you love. It’s not a given. I’m so annoyed that it’s not. I don’t live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones.”
Tiny Changes is also the name of the charity started by Scott’s family, created with a goal to raise awareness about mental health issues amongst young people. To donate to the charity please go here.
Listening to the album Tiny Changes is incredibly cathartic. Each song is a loving memorial to a man who was cherished. The artists took it on themselves to produce a work that carried a tenderness to compliment the sincerity of Scott’s original vocals.
It’s hard to escape the echoes of Scott’s voice while listening to the album. Even while hearing the covers, his voice still lingers at the edges, vulnerable and raw.
The album begins with Biffy Clyro’s cover of “The Modern Leper.” Biffy Clyro is a fellow Scottish band who Frightened Rabbit originally toured with in 2008, around the release of Midnight Organ Fight. In the album liner, Grant Hutchinson, Scott’s brother, says that Biffy Clyro “gave us inspiration and motivation to be as true to ourselves as we could but still aspire to be as big as we hoped we could be.”
The song, originally performed with gentle honesty, takes on a harder edge. There are moments of softness when Simon Neil’s vocals are just a quietly spoken plea, but these moments are broken by the jagged rhythms of the guitars. When talking about the song itself, Biffy Clyro comment that “There are very few songs I wish I’d written: ‘The Modern Leper’ is most definitely one of them.” It’s easy to understand why. The lyrics are brutally sincere, speaking to all the times a person has felt too inadequate for the person they love, too crippled by their own faults and unable to believe that someone would still find value in them. Despite the disbelief throughout the song, there is an ending note of hope, a promise to start over, beginning with a simple conversation about their day.
Another particular track that stands out is Benjamin Gibbard’s cover of “Keep Yourself Warm.” In the original version, the song builds, progressing in momentum until the music stills, and you are left with Scott’s voice. It’s as if he’s teaching a lesson. As Scott sings, “It takes more than fucking someone to keep yourself warm” it is almost as if he has come to the realization himself. The naked reality of the lyrics contrasts against the music which comes across as almost upbeat and hopeful.
Gibbard approaches the song through a haunting distance as if he is transmitting from afar. His words are slightly obscured, only bringing about clarity at the same point in Scott’s version where the music stills. Once more the song crescendos and crashes into you with a wave of emotion. Gibbard found this song particularly striking because he, “…had never heard anyone write about the ugly side of sex with such brutal honesty…”
This album is meant to be played on long winding car rides into the night with someone you care about.
When Frightened Rabbit released their album Midnight Organ Fight, they were unaware of the presence it would have on the indie music scene. There was something about the juxtaposition of the hopeful upbeat progressions of the music and the seriousness of the lyrics that struck the heartstrings of listeners. Tiny Changes speaks more to the nature of the lyrics, the singers’ are voices softer, and the songs take on an entirely different tone than they had before. Scott’s raw nature, his willingness to be vulnerable with the world left a mark with his fans. Tiny Changes serves as a loving memorial and a bittersweet reminder of what has been lost.
Key Tracks: The Modern Leper, Old Old Fashioned, Bright Pink Bookmark
Caffè Lena will continue their Pride Series with a performance by Jonatha Brooke on July 18th at 7:00 pm. Jonatha has an extensive music resume. She has released eight albums under her own label, Bad Dog Records. Her songs have appeared in Disney films and in popular television shows, most notably the theme song for the television show “Dollhouse”. Currently, she has been writing songs with Katy Perry and The Courtyard Hounds.
Jonatha Brooke also wrote and performed in “My Mother Has 4 Noses” which was based upon living with her mother while she went through the later stages of Alzheimer’s. While living with her, she would write down the entertaining bits and pieces of their day to day life. She would encourage Jonatha and was a part of the process, noting when something she had said was particularly good. The title of the play itself comes from her mother, who said, “After all, how many people do YOU know who can say they have FOUR noses?”
Many have been touched by the play, and Jonatha has included a section on the website for “My Mother Has 4 Noses” where people can submit images of their loved ones and write something to honor them.
Jonatha has performed at functions in the past to support the LGBTQ community such as the LCCP (Lesbian Community Cancer Project) and is an ally to the LGBTQ community.
