The Cocek! Brass Band brings its eclectic, edgy mix of horn-based ethnic music, drawing from New Orleans, the Balkans, Afrobeat, klezmer, reggae and Western classical music, to the Lion's Den at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Mass., tonight at 7. (Fri, Sept 30)
There is perhaps no more iconic new-folk singer-songwriter than Shawn Colvin, who won her first of many Grammy Awards for her debut album, Steady On, in 1989. Colvin brings her innovative folk-pop to Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, N.Y., on Saturday at 8. It’s an appropriate venue for Colvin, who early on recorded an obscure song by The Band called “Twilight.” (Sat, Oct 1)
Speaking of Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriters, Rufus Wainwright brings his ethereal tenor and his unique batch of songs, influenced by Schubert as much as by his folksinger parents, Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III, to the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Saturday at 8pm. Be sure to get there on time because you will not want to miss Carsie Blanton, whose work is inspired by artists including Nina Simone and Randy Newman and whose songs encompass a wide range of genres, from sultry, jazzy pop to punk-tinged Americana. (Sat, Oct 1)
Accordion and violin duo Wolftones, featuring violinist Ben Russell and accordionist Matt Schreiber, bring their intimate, evocative brand of chamber-folk with hints of Eastern and Central Europe blended with Western classical and American roots music to the Stissing Center in Pine Plains, N.Y., on Saturday at 7. (Sat, Oct 1)
Downtown jazz saxophonist and poet Roy Nathanson brings his “World of Fire” program to the Falcon in Marlboro, N.Y., on Sunday at 7. Roy’s band includes trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, his cofounder of the Jazz Passengers. Roy also performs in Matt Darriau’s quartet called the Paradox Trio and was once a member of John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards. (Sun, Oct 2)
It’s hard to say just what kind of music singer-songwriter Ali McGuirk plays. One moment she sounds like a pre-rock pop singer, and the next she’s delivering deep funk and bluesy rock. Mostly though, Ali’s territory is jazz-influenced folk and soul, and she brings her unique style and her impressive voice to WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio the Linda, on Saturday at 8pm. (Sat, Oct 1)
Louisiana slide guitar wizard Sonny Landreth and Austin’s sweetheart of the steel guitar Cindy Cashdollar bring their virtuosic blend of traditional blues and roots music to the Egg in Albany on Sunday at 7:30pm. Between the two of them, their resumes include stints with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, John Hiatt, Mark Knopfler, and Eric Clapton. Cindy Cashdollar’s steel guitar and dobro can be heard on recordings by Grammy Award-winning western swing group Asleep at the Wheel, earning her the honor of being the first woman to be inducted into the Texas Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. (Sun, Oct 2)
The Ōrchestra Now, under the baton of Leon Botstein, will perform works by four Czech composers, including Dvořák’s powerful Seventh Symphony and Janáček’s patriotic, brass-filled Sinfonietta, at the Fisher Center at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., on Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 2. (Sat, Oct 1 and Sun, Oct 2)
Hudson, N.Y., author Jonathan Lerner reads from his new novel, Lily Narcissus, at Hudson Hall tonight at 6pm. The book has been described as “at once [an] intimate family portrait and panoramic world history that tracks the disastrous consequences of America’s involvement in Asia in the second half of the 20th century.” (Fri, Sep 30)
Seth Rogovoy is editor of the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.com.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.