On Oct. 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Caffé Lena announced the return of its free healthcare clinic for creatives, including artists, musicians, designers, photographers, filmmakers, writers, and all others who work in a creative capacity.
According to Caffé Lena, 43% of professional musicians in the U.S. have no health insurance; among full-time musicians, the numbers are even higher. This service aims to enable individuals in the creative community who are uninsured or underinsured to access healthcare in a trusted environment so they can enjoy the best possible quality of life.
The Caffé Lena Healthcare clinic is brought to the community through a collaboration of Jill Burnham RN-BCEN of “Mark and Jill Sing the Blues,” Saratoga Hospital, Sight & Sound Vision Care for the Music Industry, Hudson Headwaters, 1of1 Custom earplugs, and Caffè Lena.
Services include Vision Care Clinic Including Exams and Eyewear, Custom Molded Earplugs, Blood Pressure Screening, Dietician Consultation, HEPC/HIV Screening, Insurance Navigation, and Cancer Screening Services.
In partnership with Caffè Lena, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center announced that the popular Caffè Lena @ SPAC Festival will return for a free 1-day concert on Saturday, October 7 from 12-5:30pm. Taking place at SPAC’s Charles R. Wood stage, the festival will feature five bands, exploring genres including rock, bluegrass, jazz, reggae and more.
The featured performers will include Upstate, Los Sugar Kings, Soggy Po’ Boys, Amythyst Kiah, and The Clements Brothers. The Caffè Lena @ SPAC Festival highlights an ongoing collaboration between the arts center and the folk music venue in Saratoga Springs.
Upstate will close out the night with their signature blend of folk, bluegrass, jazz, and soul. The Woodstock-based collective is known throughout the state for their passionate songwriting, vulnerability, and stellar instrumentation.
This event combines the intimacy and style of Caffè Lena with the expansive outdoor setting of SPAC. Our organizations have had a great time collaborating on this project and the crowd has gotten bigger every year. This year’s line-up is really exciting featuring five inspiring artists, including our first GRAMMY nominee.
Sarah Craig, executive director of Caffè Lena.
The collaboration between SPAC and Caffè Lena first launched in 2017, resulting in jointly curated programs at both venues. Guests are welcome to bring food, drink, blankets, and lawn chairs for the concerts. Food concessions will be available. The concert will take place rain or shine.
The Blues Project, a band first formed in the mid 60s, will be performing in Saratoga Springs on Oct 8 at Caffe Lena. With the eclectic experiences of each band member, all with different backgrounds and history, it’s sure to be an experience audience members won’t forget.
The Blues Project was formed in the mid-’60s in Greenwich Village by guitarists Danny Kalb and Steve Katz, flutist/bassist Andy Kulberg, drummer Roy Blumenfeld, and singer Tommy Flanders. Al Kooper joined later in his early twenties after sitting in on the band’s Columbia Records audition (though they ended up signing to Verve).
The eclectic résumés of the musicians– folk, jazz, blues, and rock backgrounds– reflected their choice of material. While they did sing covers, they also sang the group’s own originals. These original songs were typically penned by Kooper, who had already built songwriting credentials as the co-writer of Gary Lewis’ huge smash hit “The Diamond Ring,” as well as his contributions to Bob Dylan‘s mid-’60s records.
After the release of their debut live album, they recorded their second album Projections in the fall of 1966. Projections is a good reflection of their eclectic group, as the album combines blues, R&B, jazz, psychedelia, and folk-rock.
…we’re not reviving the blues, we’re looking to interpret what’s happening today.
Danny Kalb (guitarist), 1966
Soon after Projections‘ release, Kooper and Katz left the band, and in 1968 they joined forces to form their own: Blood, Sweat & Tears. Kooper led the band on its first album Child Is Father to the Man, but he did not take part in any releases after that. Later, Kooper– then a producer for Columbia Records– recorded with Blumenfield, Stephen Stills, and Harvey Brooks for the album entitled Super Session. Katz remained with Blood, Sweat & Tears until the 1970s, and went on to produce Lou Reed’s best-selling and still-influential live LP Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal.
The Blues Project reformed briefly in the early ’70s with a modified lineup, releasing three further albums: Lazarus, Blues Project, The Original Blues Project Reunion in Central Park. Once they were again disbanded, Blumenfeld formed Seatrain and in the 2000s performed with former Country Joe & the FIsh member, Barry Melton.
The original Blues Project disbanded one final time in the 90s, 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 go in 2021.
Fast forward to 2023, and The Blues Project is alive and well, with Blumenfeld leading a powerful new lineup including three new talented members: Chris Morrison (lead guitar), Scott Petito (bass), and Ken Clark (keyboards/vocals).
Catch them at Caffè Lena on October 8, from 7-9PM. Doors open promptly at 6:30pm.
For more information on The Blues Project, visit their website and follow their FaceBook.
During the fall of 2023, the historic Caffè Lena of Saratoga Springs will be hosting a benefit celebrating the legacy of the legendary folk singer and artist, Joni Mitchell. The event, “Both Sides Now: Songs of Joni Mitchell,” will take place on Nov. 4 at 8:00 PM, just days before the singer’s 80th birthday.
Caffè Lena first opened in May of 1960 making it America’s longest-running coffeehouse. Being closely tied to the music industry and its history it is no surprise that the venue has chosen to honor such an icon. Although Mitchell has never performed at the venue, both are connected through their strong foundation in folk tradition, fierce independence, and relentless musical vision.
The event will be produced and hosted by Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards Hall of Fame inductee Michael Eck and will feature stellar performances from incredible artists. Throughout the night the lineup of performers including Hall of Famer Sara Ayers; multiple Eddie Award-winner Buggy Jive; Eddie nominee Kate McDonnell; the dynamic Kate McKrell; reclusive regional favorite Rosanne Raneri; and rising star Angelina Valente will take turns singing through Mitchell’s classics.
The tribute will take on all stages of the artist’s career, highlighting her success and affirming her immense impact on the music world.
“Joni has re-emerged to stir idealism and hope, which is exactly the spirit Caffè Lena wants to foster,” says Executive Director Sarah Craig. “This slate of top-tier regional talent, including some rarely seen artists, proves how much pull Joni has on both musicians and fans these days.”
The late Col. Bruce Hampton once referred to The Quebe Sisters as “un-bee-leivable” with a Texas swing sound, that he remarked was a bright light in music, where he saw “the music of today as horrifying.” With that simple recommendation in 2016, I discovered the sound of The Quebe Sisters, who will make their Caffe Lena return on June 22 in Saratoga Springs.
This trailblazing trio offer a modern day take on country and Western Swing, doing so steadfastly and free of frivolous fanfare. Siblings Grace, Sophia, and Hulda are hardly newcomers, but rather harnass sensibilities coalesced as seasoned performers. The Dallas-based trio have spent the last 17 years merging three-part harmony and triple fiddles to put a youthful, jubilant spin on Bob Wills’ classic genre.
The sisters’ four studio albums – 2003’s Texas Fiddlers, 2007’s Timeless, 2014’s Every Which-A-Way, and 2019’s The Quebe Sisters – serve as sonic proof that these ladies are fearless interpreters and innovators. There’s certainly no boxing the Quebe Sisters. Grace, Sophia, and Hulda Quebe see western swing as an ocean of possibilities.
Bob Wills was all about experimentation – melding just about every style he heard. He hired the best musicians playing regionally traditional instruments, as well as players interested in experimenting on what were the cutting-edge instruments of the day. This spirit formed what we today call western swing, and it needs to be an ingredient in current iterations of western swing to keep the style fresh and vibrant for the present and future. So, for us it’s authentic to the style to introduce our own originals.
Grace Quebe
For these trailblazing women, performing before enthusiastic crowds means the deep, connected roots of country and western swing will be in full display. The Quebe siblings grew up in Texas surrounded by fiddles, bows, microphones, stages, and western swing tunes. Texas is the very reason Grace, Sophia, and Hulda Quebe ended up playing triple fiddle, Grace says. But in true trailblazing fashion, Texas couldn’t contain such immense talent and dedication. The Quebe Sisters took their sound beyond the boundaries of the Lone Star state into North America, Europe, and even Russia.
I think our central ambition in playing music is to touch people’s hearts and souls—to make them feel beauty, to make them hear colors, to make them forget worries and have fun, to make them think about God. There is no time in history or culture that doesn’t need music in this way!
Hulda Quebe
Grace sees nothing odd about their progressive brand of western swing connecting with foreign audiences. “Nostalgia and curiosity play some role,” she says, “but particularly the syncopation and dance elements of the music we love and play make it timeless and universal. Everyone resonates with music that has a good feel. If it uplifts you and makes you want to dance, then we are doing our job right.”
The trio’s current tour, dubbed “Bye, For Now,” wraps up at the end of 2023. After that? Well, as Sophia says, it is, “much-needed R&R and time off the road. For now, we are taking an undetermined hiatus. This isn’t retirement for us, just a nice break.”
It is certainly a well-earned respite. The Dallas-based Quebe Sisters have steadfastly, completely free of frivolous fanfare, elevated the country and western swing genres for more than two decades. The Quebe Sisters stretched the boundaries of an old-timey style and made it newly relevant for fans of all generations.
There is still plenty of time to bask in those Quebe originals onstage. Grace, Sophia, and Hulda have dates in the books through October 2023. More dates will be announced soon. For a detailed list of concert performances, check out their website. Do these ladies wish fans would come out in droves to catch them onstage before they take a little downtime?
“Yes! We hope our fans will have a chance to come out and see us as we wrap up our touring through the end of 2023.”
Hulda Quebe
Modern, creative, and talented women that stretch the boundaries of country and western swing music become beacons. They light the path taking audiences on a trip to the past while keeping them firmly in the present and giving them a glimpse into the future.
Doors will open at 6:30pm for a 7pm show on Thursday, June 22. Tickets cost $5-$28 for this all ages shows. Tickets can be purchased here.
The Quebe Sisters “Bye, For Now” Tour
6/15: Murfreesboro, TN @ Hop Springs 6/17: Floyd, VA @ Floyd Country Store 6/20: New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2) 6/22: Saratoga Springs, NY @ Caffe Lena 6/23: Portsmouth, NH @ The Music Hall Lounge 6/24: Brownfield, ME @ Stone Mountain Arts Center 6/25: Shirley, MA @ Bull Run Restaurant 7/22: Denton, TX @ Dan’s Silverleaf 7/23: Dallas, TX @ Cafe Momentum 7/24: Tomball, TX @ Main Street Crossing 8/22: Berwyn, IL @ Fitzgerald’s 8/23: Milwaukee, WI @ The Back Room at Colectivo 8/24 & 8/25: Minneapolis, MN @ Minnesota State Fair 8/27: Berthoud, CO @ Newell Farm Concert 9/9: Decatur, GA @ Eddie’s Attic 9/10: Bristol, TN @ Bristol Rhythm & Roots 9/11: Nashville, TN @ City Winery 9/12: St. Louis, MO @ City Winery 10/21: Greenville, TN @ Greenville Municipal Auditorium 10/28: Mountain City, TN @ Heritage Hall Theatre
Saratoga’s famous Caffè Lena has announced “Sing In The Streets”, a six stage music festival celebrating the 63rd anniversary of Caffè Lena’s opening on Sunday, May 21st.
Caffè Lena presents extraordinary music in an intimate setting steeped in history. It is widely recognized as the longest continuously operating folk music venue in the United States. The Library of Congress calls Caffè Lena “An American treasure,” and the Caffe has been recognized by The GRAMMY Foundation for their important contributions to the development of American music.
In staying true to Lena’s founding vision of simplicity, kindness to strangers, and art above profit, “Sing In The Streets” will take place for free at six stages around Caffè Lena’s neighborhood, making this festival a community event. Two artists will share each stage, with performances at Impressions of Saratoga, Library Terrace, Frog Garden, Caffè Lena’s Courtyard, Caffè Lena Upstairs, and Ben & Jerrys.
“SING IN THE STREETS’ LOCATIONS AND PERFORMERS:
IMPRESSIONS OF SARATOGA Steve Candlen is an Albany based drummer who has been performing both nationally and locally since the late 80’s and was the winner of the 2005 “Music For Miracles” Songwriting Contest.
Travis Gray – A virtuosic musician and songwriter, with masterful guitar work. In his 20+ years writing, recording and performing around the world, Gray’s work has ranged from contemplative singer-songwriter to fronting powerhouse 6 piece bands and back again
LIBRARY TERRACE Rick Bolton– From playing in garage bands on northern Lake George, to touring out west, only to return home and help launch a thriving music scene in Saratoga, Singer/Songwriter Rick Bolton is no stranger to the Caffe Lena neighborhood.
Rees Shad & the Conversations – Rees Shad & The Conversations refer to their sound as ‘Swinging Americana Done Right.” Those who know Shad’s catalog have come to refer to him as a wordsmith and a songwriter’s songwriter.
FROG GARDEN Bill & Finnegan Ackerbauer – Father and Son Folk duo Bill & Finnegan will bring their lighthearted family and children songs Bill and Finnegan made famous with virtual concerts through the Johnstown Public Library in a series called Singin’ in the Kitchen.
Novus Cantus– With a flair for storytelling and theatricality, these brothers have created a show for kids that draws on their love of world music, rock and classical. Parents will recognize nods to Jethro Tull, Rusted Root, Gypsy Kings and Metallica
CAFFÈ LENA COURTYARD Jimi W. – Jimi W. is a singer songwriter based out of the capital region of Upstate NY. His sound combines influences from songwriting legends such as James Taylor and Tom Waits with a modern eclectic indie-folk twist.
Keanen Stark & Orion Kribs – The Adirondack duo have brought their blend of modern yet classically old-timey sounds, blues, bluegrass, and classic americana tunes, and dabble at entertaining endless other influences and flights of fancy.
CAFFÈ LENA UPSTAIRS Angelina Valente – Valente’s singer/songwriter style strips music down to its bare bones with a folk/pop sound. Her soft piano and strong voice, along with honest lyrics, create an exceptional, emotional experience – a travelogue through folk, bluegrass and indie pop-rock.
Reese Fulmer & The Carriage House Band – Reese has quickly made a name for himself in the Capital Region music scene with his precocious songwriting and charming stage presence, while The Carriage House Band includes some of the finest and most versatile musicians in the Capital Region
BEN & JERRY’S Margo Macero Duo – Known to deliver unforgettable performances with passionate powerhouse vocals and impressive guitar solo and the ability to impact a wide audience, Macero is not only a genuine artist, but an inspiring and relatable person.
Blue Ranger – Here to remind us that there are small moments of magic in the everyday, Albany’s Blue Ranger create subtle, melodious folk stories that ruminate on universal introspection.
For More information on “Sing In The Streets”, please visit Caffè Lena’s website.
Wabanaki bassist, composer, and songwriter Mali Obomsawin has announced three shows across New York State, celebrating their newest album, Sweet Tooth.
On March 26th Mali Obomsawin will be playing Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, followed by a performance at National Jazz Museum in Harlem, as part of the Jazz and Social Justice Event on March 28th, ending with a performance at Public Records on March 29th.
Sweet Tooth, the debut album from Obomsawin, highlights centuries of clever adaptation and resistance that have fueled the art and culture of Wabanaki people. Written as a compositional suite, the album blends Wabanaki stories and songs passed down in Obomsawin’s own family with tunes addressing contemporary Indigenous life, colonization, continuity, love and rage. It’s at once intimately personal, featuring field recordings of relatives at Odanak First Nation, but also conveys a larger story of the Wabanaki people, stretching across the domain of their confederacy from Eastern Canada to Southern New England.
Obomsawin’s show at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem will be followed by an in-depth conversation with series host Larry Blumenfeld, NJMH Executive Director and Co-chief Marten Band/Ramapo Munsee Lenape Nation Tracy Hyter-Suffern, and other panelists about connections between jazz and Indigenous cultures, and the issues surrounding Indigenous resistance movements.
In three movements, Obomsawin’s powerful compositions honor the Indigenous ability to shape great art from the harshest fires of colonialism. The compositions reveal threads that bind together blues, jazz, hymns, folk songs, and Native cultures, and foreground the breadth and continuity of Indigenous contributions to these genres. “Telling Indigenous stories through the language of jazz is not a new phenomenon,” Obomsawin explains. “My people have had to innovate endlessly to get our stories heard – learning to express ourselves in French, English, Abenaki… but sometimes words fail us, and we must use sound”.
Alligator Records artists Tinsley Ellis and Marcia Ball will bring their “Acoustic Songs and Stories Tour” to Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs on Sunday, April 2, 2023. Each artist will play a solo set, then they will share some songs together. The concert will start at 7pm.
Tinsley Ellis and Marcia Ball
For the concert, Ellis plans to perform his most popular songs, plus Delta blues covers and classics by artists like Bob Dylan and Leo Kottke on his guitars. Ball will play the piano accompanying her singing. She will present her original songs full of the characters and places that shaped her. They will weave the music together with their stories on stage and on the road.
Georgia troubadour Tinsley Ellis has been immersed in music his entire life. He acquired his first guitar at age seven, then he developed and sharpened his skills as he grew up. During his career, Ellis has toured the world non-stop for 35 years, which was interwove in his music. He recently released his 20th album Devil May Care in 2022 which received Blues Music Award nominations for Blues Rock Album Of The Year (for Devil May Care).
Blues artist Marcia Ball released her lastest album, Shine Bright, produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos in 2018. This album contains twelve songs (including nine originals), and gathered the most musically substantial, hopeful and uplifting set of songs of her five-decade career. Now, with Shine Bright, Ball’s aggressively hopeful songs are energized by Steve Berlin’s inventive and exciting production, creating electrifying music that is daring, inspired, poignant and timely.
Ticket price ranges from $35.94 to $70.88. For complete performance information please check Caffe Lena’s website.
Brooklyn-based bluegrass trio Damn Tall Buildings will bring their fresh bluegrass sound to Caffè Lena on January 20 at 8PM with unmatched energy and enthusiasm that creates a captivating, high-energy sound.
Damn Tall Buildings
Consisting of fiddler/vocalist Avery Ballotta from Bozeman, guitarist/lead vocalist Max Capistran from Bedford, and bassist/lead vocalist Sasha Dubky from Philadelphia, Damn Tall Buildings is a tight, harmonizing, swinging trio that specializes in bluegrass but also expertly ventures through jazz, ragtime, country swing, and contemporary singer-songwriter styles. They have been called “The Carter Family for the millennial generation” by the Boston Globe.
Damn Tall Buildings is a damn fine trio, mixing bluegrass, swing, and foot-stomping old-time music you wouldn’t think possible from a band from Brooklyn.
No Depression, Chris Griffy
Continuing the busk energy in their early days, Damn Tall Buildings still radiates the energy of a ragtag crew of music students playing bluegrass on the street. But anchoring that energy is their instrumental chops, their strong songwriting, and their varied influences that stretch beyond bluegrass. Their latest release was their thrid full length album called Sleeping Dogs including 11 tracks in the summer of 2022.
Holding the mission that “To provide music, connection and learning from a legendary venue”, Caffè Lena presents extraordinary music in Saratoga Springs. It is renowned for its long history on continuously operating folk music venue in the United States. It has been recognized as “An American treasure” by The Library of Congress. The GRAMMY Foundation also recognized for its important contributions to the development of American music. In 2020 they launched a School of Music for the purpose of carrying on the folk tradition of music as a social pastime.
The performance of Damn Tall Buildings will start at 8PM and doors at 7:30PM (EST). Livestream is also available. Tickets for student or child are $10, while $18 for members and $20 for general admissions. For ticket and more information, please visit this link.
