Celtic Bluegrass pioneers We Banjo 3 will commence their 2020 Rise & Shine tour in New York State. Night one takes place January 11 at The Stanley in Utica. The following day they’ll be at the Landmark Theater in Port Washington. They circle back to New York later in the month to play Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs on January 23. Ticket information is available on We Banjo 3’s website.
We Banjo 3 is comprised of two sets of brothers – Enda & Fergal Scahill and Martin & David Howley – two of which still reside in Galaway, Ireland, and two of which have relocated to Nashville, Tennessee. Their sixth release, Roots to Rise Live, debuted at the beginning of August at number one on Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums Chart spending four weeks in the peak position. Their 2018 album Haven re-entered the charts at the number five position in August as well, making them the first Irish band to hold two top-five chart positions simultaneously.
We Banjo 3 Tour Dates
Sat, 1/11–Utica, NY–The Stanley Theatre Sun, 1/12–Port Washington, NY–Landmark on Mainstreet Tues, 1/14–Sellersville, PA–Sellersville Theater Wed, 1/15–Erie, PA–Walker Recital Hall Fri, 1/17–Cincinnati, OH–Memorial Hall Sat, 1/18–Columbus, OH–Newport Music Hall Sun, 1/19–Grand Rapids, MI–Listening Room Wed, 1/22–Old Saybrook, CT–Katharine Hepburn Cult Art Ctr Thurs, 1/23–Saratoga Springs, NY–Café Lena Fri, 1/24–Portland, ME–Aura Sat, 1/25–Somerville, MA–Somerville Theatre Fri, 2/21–Bellevue, WA—Wintergrass Sat, 2/22–Bellevue, WA–Wintergrass Sun, 2/23–Portland, OR–Aladdin Theater Tues, 2/25–Loveland, CO–Rialto Theater Thurs, 2/27–South Orange, NJ–South Orange PAC Fri, 2/28–State College, PA–The State Theatre Sat, 2/29–Frederick, MD–Weinberg Center for the Arts Sun, 3/1–Richmond, VA–Tin Pan Listening Room Wed, 3/4–Kent, OH–Kent Stage Thurs, 3/5–Ann Arbor, MI–The Ark Fri, 3/6–Ann Arbor, MI–The Ark Sat, 3/7–Lafayette, IN–Long Center for the Performing Arts Sun, 3/8–Chicago, IL–City Winery Wed, 3/11–Mineral Point, WI–The Mineral Point Opera House Thurs, 3/12–Viroqua, WI–Historic Temple Theatre Fri, 3/13–Green Bay, WI–Meyer Theatre Sat, 3/14–Milwaukee, WI–Pabst Theatre Sun, 3/15–Minneapolis, MN–The Cedar Cultural Center Tues, 3/17–Hailey, ID–Liberty Theatre Wed, 3/18–Hailey, ID–Liberty Theatre Fri, 3/20–Kansas City, MO–The Truman Sat, 3/21–St Louis, MO–Delmar Hall
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.
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.
Erin McKeown had confidence that seemed unshakable on the stage at Caffè Lena Thursday night, June 20. Erin began her set speaking about how she has to do a lot of self-work and self-building to get where she is. She spoke of how she had been outed at a young age, and her parents weren’t accepting of her lifestyle. It was a relief to hear that someone who was so strong could have moments of self-doubt.
“Sometimes,” she explained, “It is hard to look in the mirror and like what you see. Mirrors can break you back.” This led into her first song of the evening, “Mirrors Break Back,” off her album of the same name released in 2017. She changed her performance by treating the song as a poem, a spoken word piece. When she was finished, she was met with loud applause from the audience.
Erin performing a spoken word version of “Mirrors Break Back” at Caffè Lena on June 20.
The room was filled with joy, a crowd who could appreciate who Erin was and understand her background. Caffè Lena had given the LGBTQ community a safe space to listen to an out and proud lesbian performer and activist. Erin spoke openly about her life. She talked about the struggles she has had, and how she has overcome it.
Witty and charming, Erin stated that she felt like she should play songs for the Pride event that were gay, but then commented that all of her songs were. She did include an “especially gay set” for the crowd. These included songs like “Sugar in a Pie” and “Jenny.”
She also chose a song, “28,” which was about a particular time in her life – when she was 28. Erin relates it to the orbit of Saturn, which takes 28 years, and when it rolls around there is a time of upheaval and huge changes take place. “It’s not especially gay, but I am,” she said with a playful shrug as she began.
Erin switched to the piano to continue her set with the song “The Lions” which contains the lyrics, “There’s a risk, there’s a twist, to anything worth doing.” This seems to be a philosophy that Erin has carried with her through life. She has successfully produced the musical Miss You Like Hell which has won five Drama Desk awards and was named the “Best Musical of 2018” by Wall Street Journal. At the age of 40, Erin published a song book, Some of My Better Songs (But Not All of Them). She is currently working on another musical and perhaps a singer/songwriter record. Erin is someone who is constantly busy, and she seems to thrive when she has many creative endeavors going on at once.
Erin does nothing by halves. In geographic areas where there has been tension about gay rights, Erin has chosen to not avoid them as some artists have, but has made it a point to play there. She wanted to see how things were on the ground level and encourage the people fighting the good fight. For them, she wrote the song “Queer Gospel” to encourage them to persist despite the difficulties they faced.
The audience gave Erin a standing ovation, and when she returned for her encore she chose to play a song that required audience participation. Together Erin and the audience sang “Where Did I Go” with the audience filling in the chorus and Erin singing the solo verses. The Caffè was filled with voices brought together to rejoice in who they were, in whom they had bravely chosen to be despite adversities. Hands clapped in unison. On a night when it was important to come together, Erin ended with the right song.
Caffe Lena will continue the pride series next month with a performance by Jonatha Brooke on July 17th at 7 p.m. For tickets go here.
Erin McKeown will be the first show that starts a new tradition at Caffè Lena this month. Caffè Lena has been proud to promote an inclusive environment and present a diverse range of performers on the stage.
On June 20, Erin’s performance will mark the first of a new monthly pride series where LGBTQ performers will be featured. It will be a safe space for people to hear the stories of members of the LGBTQ community. Sarah Craig, Executive Director of Caffè Lena, is excited to expand Saratoga’s musical horizons by giving these performers a stage. Through her years of collaborating with Saratoga Pride, Sarah has been “blown away by both the turn out and the quality of performances” that have been presented during the Pride Open Mics. The talent and creativity are there, and Caffè Lena wants to give these LGBTQ performers a chance to display it.
Erin McKeown was an excellent pick to start the new series. An out and proud lesbian, Erin has garnered a solid reputation as a performer and activist. Throughout her career, she has released ten albums, the most recent being Mirrors Break Back in 2017. Miss You Like Hell, her first musical, has garnered multiple awards including five Drama Desk Awards. The Wall Street Journal named it the “Best Musical of 2018.”
Future shows in the Pride Series include Jonatha Brooke in July, David and Sophie Buskin in August, and a mystery performer in September that Sarah Craig is particularly excited about. Tickets for this show and all future events in the Pride Series can be purchased at the Caffè Lena website.
Grenadian-Canadian banjo singer and vocalist, Kaia Kater, returned to Caffe Lena on Thursday, June 6 to promote her folk album, Grenades. The 2018 album highlights Kater’s lush, tenor voice to tell the story of her father’s immigration from Grenada after the US invasion in 1983. The talented Kater, whose velvety voice and traditional use of folk tells a story of social injustice, inspired a small group of fans to leave their home sofas. They sat on Lena’s comfy couches for the night to hear songs laced with themes exposing racism and ethnocentrism, told with raw honesty and soothing sound.
Accompanied by Dan Riccione on electric guitar and vocals, and Andrew Ryan on upright bass and vocals, Kater informally took the stage at the historic Caffe Lena with a brief “hi” before launching into her song “St. Elizabeth.” The small crowd of approximately 40 audience members quieted quickly as she plucked her banjo, creating a soul soothing sound. And just like that, Kater had the house’s full attention.
The 25-year-old Kater demonstrated wit and dry humor when speaking of herself as “much older and wiser now,” when contrasted to her tour approximately three years ago that brought her to Saratoga. Her current tour was intended to showcase the new album Grenada, an album she envisioned would help her move forward “by looking at the past.” But first, she revisited “The Heavenly Track,” an earlier piece that used vocal harmonies to raise the audience’s spirit and sense of hope
Kater played newsreels and interviews with her father sporadically in between the songs inspired by his immigration story, starting with the excitement of her father Dino’s memory of the peaceful revolution that brought Maurice Bishop to power in 1979. Her responsive songs captured the hopeful energy of a time with major chords and somewhat naïve lyrics representing a time in Grenadian history, that shifted despair to hope for many. “Meridian Ground” and “Canyon Land” both paired faster moving sections of the songs with slower, drawn out choruses, emphasizing both the uncertainty and the hope of the era.
Kater returned to a previous favorite next with “Nine Pin,” juxtaposing satisfying harmonies once again with desperate lyrics about loss of self. Shortly after, as if reading the audience’s emotional state, Kater returned to the Grenada theme, playing a news reel about how the National Women’s Organization in the early 1980s were providing education and social service support to the young. The trio, accompanied only by the bass, sang a folk-esque song in French, sounding like children’s voices. Kater smiled, admitting she liked singing that song. The audience had too, resting back a bit more, and breathing easier.
“Starry Day” and “New Colossus” finished the first set. Kater, just like those in folk before her, had a reason to tell her stories and was pleased to share them with the focused audience. She shared that “New Colossus” was inspired by the famed Emma Lazarus poem printed on the Statue of Liberty. “I always loved the Statue of Liberty. Here’s this huge woman, holding a torch, taking up space.” She suggested the statue was a reminder of how “bad-ass” women can be, and her song: a reminder to women to take up the life long work to be bigger and take up space. The inclusion of the statue, often a sign of hope for immigrants, brought the audience back to the reminder that the overarching story of the night belonged truly to immigration.
After a longer break of thirty minutes, the trio returned for a second set. “Everything is free” was her opener, a song by Gillian Welch and David Rollings. Featuring both guitar and bass solos, the group’s energy seemed to crescendo into the second song, “Little Sorrow,” written by Kater’s aunt, Julia Kater. The bass’ long and slow bow strokes, combined with Kater’s authentically sorrowful voice, translated the meaning of the song sung in French, even for non-French speakers.
And from there, the group transitioned back to Grenada with perhaps one of the most powerful pieces of the night: “Grenade.” Ronald Reagan sent a war to Grenada in 1983 with over 18,000 troops landing on the small island. Punished for their successful use of African culture and social-economic successes based in community efforts, supporters of Maurice Bishop on the island found themselves with nowhere to hide. The Reagan recording expressed Grenada’s successes were a threat somehow to Americans; he demanded its citizens to “act like the hemisphere” in which they live rather than embrace African cultures or face invasion. And with that, the US brought war to Grenada.
The song’s minor key shadowed the sadness felt in all that was lost, including Dino’s dreams of serving his community as a lawyer. The song described the dogs of war marching into the small island and the sense of powerlessness felt by the citizens there: “You can shout at the mountain / but they’ve already crowned him.”
It reflected that there was little resistance to the US’s government of choice for Grenada. “We always seem to get played” was a heart -breaking reminder of how America’s ethnocentric policies were more than rhetoric; implemented in developing countries around the world to enforce American values. These policies stole the very hopes and dreams of entire countries, and led us to our current crisis within the world as well.
Kater didn’t let the audience stay with this heartbreak, though. She told a light -hearted story about a Swedish vampire movie that inspired the next song, “The Right One.” Watching the bass player look at Kater, it wasn’t hard to imagine that he believed she is absolutely his right one. Gazing at her in a trance, the musician’s admiration for his colleague was tremendously moving and joyful. Riccione and Ryan playfully made ‘scary movie’ music as she tried to playfully explain her song, and even Kater started to laugh at their antics.
The ensemble’s friendship is a part of its charm. From there, they ran through a number of other songs, bouncing between moods, like a rapidly cycling manic-depressive. “Everly” reflected on falling apart, while “Little Pink” was a traditional song from West Virginia ,demonstrating Kater’s vocal range.
Kater humbly thanked the audience repeatedly, and expressed enjoyment in playing at the historic Lena. She finished the night with her father’s story of resiliency. He was able to escape Grenada through a student program chosen to tour Quebec to raise empathy and awareness of the plight of those in developing countries. Encouraged by his grandmother, Kater’s father let go of his dream to work in the public sector in Grenada and pursue his new life in Canada. “Poets be buried” was a moving testimony to his struggles and courage.
Kater generously returned for an encore performance of “Trouble in Mind,” a bluesy folk song with a heavy bass line and smooth guitar. She let go of her banjo and crooned about the ups and downs of life. “Sometimes I feel like living, sometimes I feel like dying,” she sang.
Kater began the night by sharing her belief that she had to look at her past in order to move forward, and her album Grenade looks at Grenada’s past with honesty that is painful at times. It is also inspiring, hopeful, and at the end of the concert, mindful, that being human includes sorrow alongside joy. Kater certainly appears ready now to move forward, fully aware of her family’s past and using the tradition of folk’s raw honesty to remind listeners that ugliness juxtaposed with great beauty offers hope.
This May marks a centennial – 100 years since the birth of Pete Seeger. Although the world lost this preeminent folk singer and activist five years ago, his work lives on. The Egg will host a Pete Seeger Centennial concert on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m. Earlier in the month, the Egg will sponsor a “New York Living Legacy” series featuring multimedia performances celebrating the life and works of Seeger.
The Pete Seeger Centennial concert will be an evening of music, dance and poetry. Arlo Guthrie, one of Seeger’s closest friends, will be joined on stage by Amythyst Kiah, Cary Morin, Dan Zanes & Claudia Eliaza, Dar Williams, David Gonzalez, Guy Davis, Richie Stearns & Rosie Newton, Taina Asili, Tony Trischka, Toshi Reagon and Bill & Livia Vanaver. Tickets are on sale now through The Egg’s website, with net proceeds going to support Clearwater, Caffe Lena and WAMC Public Radio.
On May 3, 4, and 5, The Egg will present the program “Wasn’t That a Time.” The multimedia presentation features music writer Jesse Jarnow, author of the 2018 book Wasn’t That a Time: The Weavers, the Blacklist, and the Battle for the American Soul. This volume details the trials of the four singers, led by Pete Seeger. who rose to incredible popularity but whose socialist connections and anti-authoritarian ideologies got them professionally blacklisted at the height of their fame. Live music will be performed by banjoist Richie Stearns and folk fiddler Rosie Newton. Photos of Seeger will be incorporated into the program, as well as recorded music by Pete Seeger and the Weavers. These events are free and open to the public.
