NYS Music 202​2

Category: Saratoga Springs

  • Mihali, Freekbass, Kitchen Dwellers and Daniel Donato round out October at Putnam Place

    Putnam Place, Saratoga Springs premiere live music venue right in the heart of the Spa City, has a huge October of music on tap, including performances by Mihali, Freekbass and the Bump Assembly, Kitchen Dwellers and many more.

    loncon music festival mihali putnam place
    Mihali blessing the crowd at LonCon – photo by Zak Radick

    The Wheel – Friday, October 21

    Unlock the door, buckle up, put it in gear and enjoy the ride with the The Capital Region’s authentic Grateful Dead Tribute Band, “The Wheel”. Founded in 2010 by Andy Morse looking to play to his roots of years of chasing the Grateful Dead and current incarnations around he formed The Wheel. It’s been said the medicine wheel is a “peaceful interaction among all living beings on Mother Earth-it represents harmony, balance and connections.” 

    Ticket: $10 available at putnamplace.com Ages: 18+ 

    Mihali (of Twiddle) w/ Mike Powell, Luke Mitrani – October 22

    Mihali returns to Putnam Place for a full band performance, featuring Adrian Tramontano, Scott Hannay and Dave DiCristo.  For Mihali, music behaves much like a living being. It grows, matures, and changes with a sentient consciousness and whims of its own. The Vermont-based solo singer, songwriter, guitarist, artist, and Twiddle co-founder follows reggae’s evolutionary ebb and flow, existing in a perpetual state of inspiration and creation, and remaining committed to sonic evolution. Exuding a balanced mix of rich influence, Mihali’s music entwines reggae spirit, fluid soundscape architecture, and invigorating mantras meant to be chanted aloud in a packed venue.

    Ticket: $20 Advance / $25 Day of Show available at putnamplace.com Ages: 18+ 

    Opening the night are Cazenovia-based singer-songwriter Mike Powell, and Luke Mitriani’s electro pop-rock.

    Freekbass & The Bump Assembly (ft: Sammi Garett) – October 27

    Freekbass, to the core, is an accomplished bass player with a particular passion for Funk. “Freekbass & The Bump Assembly” tour relentlessly, expanding his circles and reaching cities, coast to coast. His high-energy live-shows led him to the festival scene, and he simultaneously did dates with the supergroup, Headtronics.

    The current touring line-up for Freekbass & The Bump Assembly is a 7-piece wonder-team which includes Freekbass on bass and vocals, drummer Rico Lewis (previously with George Clinton/P-Funk), Sky White on keys (Foxy Shazam), Sammi Garett (previouly Turkuaz) and Reilly Comisar on vocals, Nate Lewis on guitar and Greg Sanderson (previouly Turkuaz) on sax. The friendships and wealth of collaborative musicianship in this group is apparent on stage, where infectious grooves meet nonstop-energetic performances.

    Ticket: $15 Advance / $17 Day of Show available at putnamplace.com Ages: 18+ 

    Kitchen Dwellers + Daniel Donato – October 29

    Kitchen Dwellers twist bluegrass, folk, and rock through a kaleidoscope of homegrown stories, rich mythology, American west wanderlust, and psychedelic hues. The Montana quartet broke up 2020 with an EP of Pink Floyd covers entitled Reheated, Vol. 2. It was heralded by a two-night livestream concert, Live From The Cabin, beamed out to audiences from the Bridger Mountains. Additionally, they appeared at the Live From Out There virtual festival and even took over a drive-in movie theater for an in-person gig in between regular writing sessions together throughout the year. The group recently released Wise River to bring fans back to Big Sky Country on their third full-length album, working with Cory Wong of Vulfpeck as producer.

    Opening the night is cosmic country and Americana artist Daniel Donato, a walking tornado of creative energy. “They think there’s something that tips the scale in ways they don’t understand,” says Donato about his over-the-top, slightly manic vibe. “But what actual-ly tips the scale is the amount of thought and analysis I put into my work and art, all of which is taken from the lessons of my life.” Donato, a 27-year-old Nashville native, has distilled those life lessons into his debut album, A Young Man’s Country, his proper introduction to the general musical audience. Recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium in a mere two days and produced by guitar-ace Robben Ford, the record weaves outlaw country, Grateful Dead-style Americana, and first-rate songwriting into a singular form Donato calls “21st-century cosmic country.”

    Ticket: $20 Advance $25 Day of Show available at putnamplace.com Ages: 18+ 

    Weekly Events at Putnam Place

    Monday: Family Tree featuring Steve Candlen, Kenny Hohman, Lori Friday, Chris Carey and Chad Ploss perform every Monday at Putnam Place from 7pm – 10pm.  Each week they will be joined by various special guests form the regional music scene.

    Monday: Sly Fox’s Open Mic Jam – Every Monday from 10pm – Midnight. 

    Thursdays (thru October 20): Country Night featuring free beginner line dancing lessons by Kevin Richards (6:30pm – 8:30pm) followed by country DJ.

    Sundays: Latin Night (7:00pm – 12:00am) featuring Latin dance lessons by Tango Fusion Dance Company from 7:00pm – 8:00pm.

    Upcoming November Shows at Putnam Place

    11/3 – Bearly Dead

    11/4 – Dean Ford & The Beautiful Ones: A Tribute to Prince

    11/5 – Skeeter Creak

    11/10 – Consider the Source w/ Chestnut Grove

    11/18 – Katie Louise

    11/23 – Thanks!

    12/8 – Lespecial + SunSquabi

    12/10 – Deertick w/ Izzy Heltai

  • Iconic Folk Music Venue Caffe Lena to Host Free Healthcare Clinic for Musicians

    Most serious music fans know about Bob Dylan’s first show at Cafe Wha? in NYC. He was a 19-year-old college dropout, he had just hitched a ride with friends across the country, but even after his first gig, he hadn’t made it yet. Luckily, through the mutual friend of Dave Van Ronk, Dylan secured a second gig with Lena Spencer, Caffe Lena’s proprietor. He played his first out-of-town gig at the newly established folk music coffee house in Saratoga Springs, according to Andrew Nguyen for the Blackwing Music Foundation. Caffe Leena took on the unknown musician and invested in him, even though Dylan didn’t have much of anything to his name — no money, no fame, and — though we can’t know for sure — likely no health insurance. 

    caffe lena
    Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs

    According to Caffe Lena, 43% of professional musicians in the U.S. have no health insurance, and among full-time musicians, the numbers are even higher. To recognize and address this issue, and to increase accessibility for live performers unilaterally in accordance with their values that put Bob Dylan on over 50 years ago, Caffe Lena will host their first ever Musicians’ Health and Wellness Outreach pop-up clinic for uninsured musicians from the Capital District and Lower Adirondack region. The clinic will be on October 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

    The clinic is funded by Caffe Lena, its (over 1,000) members, and Saratoga Hospital Community Health Center and Hudson Headwaters Health Network are providing funding and staffing. Medical Professionals are volunteering to check in on their local musicians. The clinic will include custom-fitted earplugs for onstage hearing protection, blood pressure screening, HEP-C/HIV screening, insurance navigator consultation, Tai Chi and kits for those aged 45-64 to self-administer a colorectal screening. 

    “Taking care of this community is what we do—and we are proud of it,” said Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote, MD, medical director of Saratoga Community Health Center. “We are delighted to partner with Caffe Lena and Hudson Headwaters to serve local musicians and keep them in good health.”

    If any conditions are diagnosed at the screening that will require follow-up or medicine the Saratoga Community Health Center will provide it for free until the musician can be enrolled in affordable health insurance. 

    This is just the latest of the legendary Caffe Lena’s work to support independent musicianship. Caffe Lena is guided by Lena Spencer’s staunch belief in music appreciation in live, intimate settings, without regard for the fame or station of said musicians. In 2020, Caffe Lena launched their School of Music, for adults and children to study folk music in new and old contexts. The school has a donor-funded scholarship to ensure accessibility. Caffe Lena is a 501 (c) non-profit organization, with music almost every day, live and live-streamed. The former wood shop, turned cafe, turned iconic venue has just undergone renovations to make the space 100% handicap accessible. See the calendar of upcoming events and shows here.

  • The Blues Project arrives at Caffe Lena

    The Blues Project, formed in Greenwich Village in the mid-’60s, has postponed their October 30 show in Saratoga Springs at Caffe Lena.

    The band will announce a rescheduled date soon, when they will celebrate their first new album in 42 years, Evolution, which finds the band from a well of various musical styles and influences throughout the album’s 12 tracks.

    The Blues Project

    One of the first album-oriented, “underground” groups in the United States, the Blues Project offered an eclectic brew of rock, blues, folk, pop, and even some jazz, classical, and psychedelia during their heyday in the mid-’60s.

    The original group featured guitarist Danny Kalb (who had played sessions for various Elektra folk and folk-rock albums), Steve Katz (a guitarist with Elektra’s Even Dozen Jug Band), flutist/bassist Andy Kulberg, drummer Roy Blumenfeld, and singer Tommy Flanders. Al Kooper, in his early twenties a seasoned vet of rock sessions, joined after sitting in on the band’s Columbia Records audition, although they ended up signing to Verve, an MGM subsidiary.

    The current lineup for The Blues Project performing at Caffe Lena later this month features Katz and Blumenfeld leading a powerful new lineup that includes young and talented members Chris Morrison on lead guitar, Scott Petito on bass, and Ken Clark on keyboards and vocals.

    After the release of their debut live album, the band recorded their second album Projections in the fall of 1966, receiving rave reviews and containing an eclectic set of songs that ran the gamut from blues, R&B,  jazz, psychedelia, and folk-rock. The centerpieces of the album were an 11-and-a-half minute version of Muddy Waters’ blues standard “Two Trains Running” featuring Kalb on vocals and lead guitar, and Kooper’s instrumental “Flute Thing” featuring Kulberg on flute.

    Soon after Projections was released, Kooper and Katz left the band and in 1968 joined forces to form jazz-rock icons Blood, Sweat & Tears.  While Kooper led the band on its first album, Child Is Father to the Man, he did not take part in any subsequent releases. Soon after, Kooper, then a producer for Columbia Records, recorded with Bloomfield, Stephen Stills and Harvey Brooks for the album entitled Super Session, before doing several solo albums.  Katz, who was instrumental in the band’s phenomenal success, remained with B,S & T, into the 1970s.   Katz went on to produce Lou Reed’s best-selling and still-influential live LP Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal (as well as its follow-up Sally Can’t Dance, Reed’s only top-10 album).

    The Blues Project, with a modified line-up, reformed briefly in the early 1970s, releasing three further albums: 1971’s Lazarus, 1972’s Blues Project, and 1973’s The Original Blues Project Reunion in Central Park. After disbanding again, Blumenfeld formed Seatrain and in the 2000s performed with former Country Joe & the Fish member Barry Melton.

    The original Blues Project disbanded for good in the 90s (although Katz, Blumenfeld and Kalb performed a successful reunion tour in 2012) but realizing they still had a passionate fan base who cared about the band and its music, Katz and Blumenfeld decided to give it another try in 2021.

    Get tickets for The Blues Project here.

  • Dead & Company Reveal Dates For Final Tour

    Dead & Company are hitting the (golden) road once more with a final tour scheduled for Summer 2023. The dates have just been released and tickets are now on sale at the band’s website. The tour begins on Friday, May 19 in Los Angeles for what is being billed as the band’s last official tour since forming in 2015.

    Highlights for this final go-round include two shows at Wrigley Field in Chicago (Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10), performances at SPAC (Saturday, June 17 and Sunday, June 18) and Citi Field in NYC (Wednesday, June 21 and Thursday, June 22), and The Gorge in George, WA (Friday, July 7 and Saturday, July 8). The tour also features the band’s first ever three-night run at one of their favorite venues, Folsom Field in Boulder, CO. A full listing of the 2023 tour dates can be found below.

    Guests who prefer an enhanced experience for this memorable Dead & Company tour can purchase a variety of VIP and Travel Packages. Packages include seamless venue access, early GA entry, pre-show lounge with food and a cash bar, exclusive merchandise, or travel packages for multi-night runs in various cities. Packages from 100X Hospitality will go on sale October 12th at noon local venue time. For full details, click HERE.

    Dead & Company Summer Tour 2023

    05-19 Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
    05-20 Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
    05-23 Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
    05-26 Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
    05-28 Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre
    05-30 Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
    06-01 Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
    06-03 Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
    06-05 Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
    06-07 St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
    06-09 Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
    06-10 Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
    06-13 Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
    06-15 Philadelphia, PA – Citizen’s Bank Park
    06-17 Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
    06-18 Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
    06-21 Queens, NY – Citi Field
    06-22 Queens, NY – Citi Field
    06-25 Boston, MA – Fenway Park
    06-27 Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
    07-01 Boulder, CO – Folsom Field
    07-02 Boulder, CO – Folsom Field
    07-03 Boulder, CO – Folsom Field
    07-07 George, WA – The Gorge
    07-08 George, WA – The Gorge
    07-14 San Francisco, CA – Oracle Park
    07-15 San Fransisco, CA – Oracle Park

  • Billy Strings and Willie Nelson highlight Outlaw Music Festival at SPAC

    On an overcast and at times rainy Sunday, Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) was home to more than a concert, but instead the day long Outlaw Music Festival, with Particle Kid, Brittney Spencer, Larkin Poe, Billy Strings, The Avett Brothers and the legendary Willie Nelson.

    outlaw music festival SPAC

    The Outlaw Village, located towards the back of SPAC’s renovated concession area, featured a variety of vendors like you’d see at a festival or your nearest Shakedown Street. A packed crowd was lively and excited to see the new (Particle Kid, Brittney Spencer), the rising star (Billy Strings), Americana (Larkin Poe, Avett Brothers) and the old (Willie Nelson, closing in on 9 decades).

    Billy Strings simply stole the show, and it seemed that the crowd was mainly there for the rising Nashville star (via Michigan). In fact, it could easily be argued that Billy Strings should have played just prior to Willie Nelson, flipping slots with Avett Brothers. Granted, Avett Brothers have been around for over 20 years, but the energy and draw of Billy Strings far outweighs the Americana of the Avetts. Having Billy and his high power set precede Avetts left the latter’s set feeling like something was lacking, and the speed was lower tempo and inconsistent by comparison.

    When you factor in that the gracious Billy Strings thanked Willie, not just from the microphone, but in the setlist as well – spelling out THANK YOU WILLIE over the course of 14 songs in a 75Minute set. Highlights from the set included covers of Pearl Jam’s “In Hiding” and Bill Monroe’s “Uncle Pen.”

    outlaw music festival SPAC

    Billy Strings Setlist: Turmoil and Tinfoil, Hollow Heart, Away From the Mire, Nothing’s Working, Know It All, Y’all Come, Old Mexico, Uncle Pen, West Dakota Rose, If Your Hair’s Too Long (There’s Sin in Your Heart), Love and Regret, Libby Phillips Rag, In Hiding, Everything’s the Same

    The 89 year old Willie Nelson followed Avett Brothers with four band mates tore through a set that the audience waited patiently for, kicking things off with his classic “Whiskey River.” Bringing out grandson Micah Nelson (Particle Kid) for “Everything is Bullshit,” ” Halfway to Heaven” and “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” plus a few other tunes was an excellent touch; the set brought to mind Farm Aid in 2013 at SPAC, where Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real performed a short set and later joined his pater familias.

    To close out Outlaw Music Festival at SPAC, Willie invited all the days performers to the stage for “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” and a finale of Mac Davis’ “It’s Hard to Be Humble.”

    outlaw music festival SPAC
    outlaw music festival SPAC
    outlaw music festival SPAC

  • SPAC Announces Event With Karen Brooks Hopkins

    SPAC announces the return of its WAMC@SPAC series with “BAM! And Then It Hit Me with Karen Brooks Hopkins” on Sept. 26 at 6 P.M. in the Nancy DiCresce Room at The Pines@SPAC facility. 

    SPAC
    Photo credit: Bob Klein

    Karen Brooks Hopkins is the president emerita of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where she worked for 36 years, serving 16 of those as president. Hopkins was presented the National Medal of the Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts organizations by the U.S. government, on behalf of BAM by President Obama in 2014.

    We are so proud to be presenting Karen Hopkins at SPAC. She has been a powerhouse and an icon in the industry, someone who was instrumental in the evolution of the Brooklyn Academy of Music into one of the most important presenting and producing organizations in the world. BAM’s fierce commitment to contemporary artists and new work made Brooklyn a magnet for anyone who cared about the arts. I myself moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn precisely to be right there in BAM’s orbit, a mere walking distance from a great cauldron of creativity. Both lovers of the performing arts and the uninitiated will be compelled by Karen’s ‘behind-the-scenes’ storytelling from 36 years at the helm of the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

    Elizabeth Sobol, President & CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center

    “BAM! And Then It Hit Me” is a memoir of Hopkins’ life and her 36 years at America’s oldest performing arts center. It is an inspiring and constructive read for any not-for-profit organization or local arts center detailing key strategies for institutional success. Visual elements highlighting behind-the-scenes moments from BAM’s legendary performances over the years will also be shared with the public for the first time.

    The book event is a part of SPAC’s growing LiteraryArts@SPAC initiative, which includes WAMC@SPAC events and conversations with renowned authors and poets, like Presidential Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco, journalist Chris Cox, New York Times columnist Pamela Paul, and more.

    The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is known for its summer concerts, as well as for hosting residencies from the New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

    “BAM! And Then It Hit Me with Karen Brooks Hopkins” is free to attend, however, seating is limited. Go here to reserve seating, there will also be a book signing following the event.

  • Joe Jencks and Kray Van Kirk trade songs at Caffe Lena

    Joe Jencks and Kray Van Kirk traded songs at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs on Sep. 16. The night was divided into three sets: a solo set by Van Kirk followed by a solo set by Jencks, then both singers came on stage to trade songs back and forth for a story-filled hour plus from these two singer songwriters. Joe Jencks was last featured on NYS Music at the folk music Old Song Festival of Traditional Music and Dance.

    In the solo sets, Kray Van Kirk started the night off. A highlight from Van Kirk for this listener was when he introduced a song with this: “I am going to spend my time rejecting my heritage.” He then sang a song of solidarity with people of all kinds. Van Kirk said after the show that his “ancestors were slave owners in this country.” He finished his solo set with the title track from his most recent album Midnight Commander.

    Kray Van Kirk

    Joe Jencks took the stage for his solo set and began by saying that he was standing in solidarity with the workers of Amtrak. Jencks mentioned that his friend Van Kirk, who lives in California, was fortunate that he took a plane over to the Northeast, as a trip via train could have been tricky. The highlight for this listener was also a title track. This time it was Jencks singing the title track to his new album The Coming of the Years. Jencks mentioned how this song was an homage to “getting together” and how nice it was to get together with an audience considering the past couple years of the Covid pandemic.

    Joe Jencks

    During the combined set, Van Kirk told an incredible story/legend about Irish Selkies. These are the Irish people’s version of Mermaids. Jencks continued the theme of water-related storytelling. He sang a song of acceptance that centered on “The Lady of the Harbor” (Statue of Liberty). Both singers spun tales of politics and bravery. Concluding the night, the two singer songwriters invoked Pete Seeger telling the US Congress that he was not invoking his 5th Amendment rights; he was invoking his 1st Amendment rights. Then the crowd sang along to a swelling rendition of The Youngbloods’ Smile on Your Brother. 

    Photos by Derek Java Photography

    Joe Jencks
    Joe Jencks
    Joe Jencks
    Joe Jencks
    Joe Jencks
    Joe Jencks listening to Kray Van Kirk.
    Joe Jencks

  • Chestnut Grove Releases New Single, Announces NY Shows

    Chestnut Grove, a Pennsylvania-based rock band, is on the road in support of a new single, with some New York dates in the near future. “All For You” is now available on streaming platforms and the band plans to release an EP titled Can’t Stand The Music sometime early next year.

    Chestnut Grove

    Last month, Chestnut Grove performed a “revved-up” Free at Noon set at Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live for a lively audience who danced, sang along and got a preview of the new EP. Click here for pictures and an audio recording of the performance. This comes in advance of their scheduled gig this weekend in Camden, NJ for WXPN’s Xponential Music Festival on September 18.

    In late October and early November, Chestnut Grove will make their way throughout New York State. Shows in Syracuse and Saranac Lake are scheduled for October 28 and 29, respectively. And the band’s show on November 3 at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs will receive support from Consider the Source. Additional tour dates can be seen below.

    Chestnut Grove 2022 Fall Tour
     
    September 18th Xponential Music Festival, Wiggins Park – Camden, NJ
     
    September 24th Pro Re Nata Brewery – Crozet, VA
    w/ Disco Risque
     
    October 8th Pick Fest – Boyertown, PA
    w/ The Manatawny Creek Ramblers
     
    October 28th Funk N’ Waffles – Syracuse, NY
     
    October 29th Waterhole – Saranac Lake, NY
     
    November 3rd Putnam Place – Saratoga Springs, NY
    w/ Consider the Source
     
    November 17th Sellersville Theater – Sellersville, PA
    w/ Consider the Source
     
    November 23rd The Soundback – Phoenixville, PA
    w/ Hunter Root
     
    November 25th Jeremiah’s Banquet Hall – Williamsport, PA
     
    November 26th King’s Rock Club – Erie, PA
    w/ Medusa’s Disco

  • Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion to Perform at Skidmore College

    Skidmore College and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center have announced a concert with violinist Caroline Shaw and NYC quartet Sō Percussion at the school’s Tang Teaching Museum.

    Slated for Friday, September 23 at 7:30 pm, the free-to-the-public show will feature Shaw and the group performing their 2021 collaborative album, Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part. This record marks Shaw’s debut, a Pulitzer Prize winning instrumentalist, singer, and composer. The concert stamps a return to the Tang for the Grammy-winning Sō Percussion, who performed at the Museum in 2014.

    Caroline shaw
    Left to right: Eric Cha-Beach & Jason Treuting of Sō Percussion, Caroline Shaw, Josh Quillen & Adam Sliwinski of Sō Percussion.

    Shaw, along with winning the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Music, has won three Grammy awards in addition to receiving an honorary doctorate from Yale and a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. She’s worked with artists such as Rosalia, Yo-Yo Ma, and Kanye West and has contributed music to movies such as Bombshell and TV shows such as Beyonce’s Homecoming.

    Sō Percussion, having formed in 1999, has over 20 albums to their name in addition to collaboration with artists such as The Dirty Projectors along with score performance for works such as HBO’s The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, a 2015 documentary mini-series.

    Additional information regarding the event and more can be found on the Tang’s website.

  • Caffè Lena at SPAC Festival Returns in October

    In partnership with Caffè Lena, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) announced the return of the “Caffè Lena @ SPAC” Concert Series, a free two-day festival happening on Oct. 1 and 2 from noon to 4 P.M.

    Caffè Lena

    The two-day festival will feature six bands that explore global and American folk music. The festival started in 2017, and it highlights the unique, ongoing collaboration between the arts center and the folk music venue. Sarah Craig, executive director of Caffè Lena, spoke about the diverse lineup in a statement.

    This annual collaboration has found the sweet spot of area music fans. They love the setting and the line-up. They ask me about it all year, wanting to be sure they don’t miss it. Both SPAC and Caffè Lena have deep roots, and a taste for musical exploration. The festival line-up reflects that. We have Dreamers’ Circus from Denmark bridging the folk and classical worlds. We have Oshima Brothers bridging pop and folk. We have the righteous anthems of Crys Matthews and gorgeous harmonies of Hold On Honeys. There’s a brass band playing Eastern European tunes. It’s just a huge variety, like you might find on our stages year round.

    Sarah Craig, executive director of Caffè Lena

    Oct. 1 Lineup

    Resonant Rogues from noon-1 P.M.

    Resonant Rogues are from Asheville, North Carolina, and have been winning over audiences with their genre-hopping tunes since 2013. Their original songs by Sparrow and Keith Josiah Smith speak to the heart with poetic lyrics and appeal to the ears with amazing musicianship and arrangement.

    Resonant Rogues

    Cocek! Brass Band from 1:30-2:30 P.M.

    The Cocek! Brass Band has been led by led by Sam Dechenne since 2014 and is influenced by Eastern-European and New Orleans dance songs, Afrobeat, Klezmer, and elements of reggae and Western classical pieces.

    Cocek! Brass Band.

    Dreamers’ Circus from 3-4 P.M.

    Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, Ale Carr, and Nikolaj Busk came together to form Dreamers’ Circus in 2009 after an impromptu jam session in Copenhagen. The Scandinavian musicians have toured across Europe, Japan, Australia, and North America with their inventive reimaginings of Nordic folk and traditional tunes.

    Dreamers’ Circus.

    Oct. 2 Lineup

    Hold on Honeys from noon-1 P.M.

    Hold on Honeys is composed of Emily Curro, Raya Malcolm, and Shannon Rafferty, which offers tight-knit harmonies to nourish the soul and invigorate the senses. They began singing together during the pandemic and began public performances in June 2021.

    Hold on Honeys

    Crys Matthews from 1:30-2:30 P.M.

    Cry Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. She is a powerful lyricist whose songs reflect her lived experiences of what she calls “the poster-child for intersectionality.”

    Crys Matthews

    Oshima Brothers from 3-4 P.M.

    The Oshima Brothers (Sean and Jamie Oshima) were raised in a musical family in rural Maine. They are known for their harmony-rich blend of contemporary folk and acoustic pop. The brothers have released two albums, one rooted in acoustic folk and the other more retro and metro.

    Oshima Brothers.

    Guests are welcome to bring in food, drink, blankets, and lawn chairs for the concerts. Food concessions will also be available. The concerts will take place rain or shine. Visit here for more details.