Old Songs, Inc. is a not-for-profit, educational, 501(c)3 corporation
Virtual Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 11 am–4 pm.
PO Box 466 • 37 S Main • Voorheesville, NY 12186-0466
(518) 765-2815 • info@oldsongs.org
Past Events
Events List Navigation
April 2021
$40
Spring into Uke on a Cloud
That’s right strummers and pickers… Spring into Uke at Old Songs goes virtual this year and it’s real, on April 17!
Featuring Lil Rev and Ron Gordon teaching great new tunes, tips, and songs in an interactive virtual space with Zoom.
Our workshops will be longer than was standard to allow time for lots of learning and interaction. What used to be “handouts” will all be available online ahead of time along with sound files to be ready for, and to enrich your experience. New ways to learn will be a round robin seminar, with demo to acquaint ukers with new musical concepts, techniques, and answers to your questions about our beloved 4 strings. An example — why a low versus a high G string? Do I need both? (Hint: that means you get to have two ukes!). Also, we’ll change the thinking on what’s a concert — you can play along with some songs, since you’ll have the song sheets ahead of time. Limited number of participants so get a spot early! Hope to see you there, and stay healthy!
Register:
All Workshops will take place over Zoom. No Refunds.
$10
Sharon Katz & The Peace Train — “We Can Be The Change”
Performing “Music with Roots” going back to the oldest of times in Africa and the Spanish landings in Cuba and Mexico, Sharon Katz & The Peace Train’s repertoire for this live streaming concert will take us on a journey across continents and styles and inspire us with hope for what’s possible as musical activists. From her years of anti-Apartheid activism in her home country of South Africa, to her barrier-busting work in Cuba and on the Mexican border, Sharon draws on traditional songs and rhythms to promote social justice.
Currently based in Tijuana where Sharon is working with youth in migrant shelters and those rescued from trafficking, The Peace Train’s Afro-Cuban-Mex band features Abraham Morales on bass, Ramon Cortes on drums, Alberto Corrales on flute, Daria Abreu Feraud on vocals, and Sharon on guitar and vocals. Put on your dancing shoes for this concert celebrating the release of their new album, “We Can Be The Change! sharonkatz.com
Buy Tickets:
The concert will be streamed on Zoom and simulcast on YouTube (with a slight delay). Login info to the concert and a reminder will be emailed to registered attendees a day before the concert. No Refunds.
Old Songs: From the Vault
Every Third Sunday of the month at 6 pm ET
with Encore broadcasts at 11 pm ET and the following Wednesday at noon ET
Old Songs, in collaboration with Ron Olesko’s Folk Music Notebook, is pleased to present Old Songs: From the Vault, an internet radio program hosted by Chris Koldewey on Folk Music Notebook. This program brings you music from Old Songs CDs and recordings made at the Dutch Barn and the Main Stage of the Old Songs Festival at the Altamont fairgrounds over the past 39 years.
Listen at folkmusicnotebook.com
May 2021
$10
An Afternoon with Martin Carthy
An afternoon with Martin Carthy, live-streamed from the Falcon studio in Whitby, UK. Old Songs partnered with the Folk Music Society of NY, the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston, the Folklore Society of Washington, the Branford Folk Music Society, and Janie Meneely & Rob Van Sante to bring you this rare and wonderful event.
To call Martin Carthy a master musician doesn’t do him justice. To put it simply, he personifies the British folk revival of the 1960s-70s and continues to dominate a genre rife with ancient ballads and bursting with contemporary songs reflective of these ever-so changing times. His musical repertoire aside, Carthy’s unique guitar style remains the envy of guitar players the world over.
If you liked Simon and Garfunkel’s version of “Scarborough Fair,” you need to know that it came from Martin Carthy. You probably did know that, but I repeat it here to underscore the fact that Carthy’s music underpins so many of the folk classics we have come to know and love in the last 50 years. He has influenced writers and performers from Bob Dylan to Richard Thompson as well as the most recent generation of folkies (we just haven’t heard of them yet). Whether as a solo artist, a member of the fabled Watersons family band (he married Norma Waterson in 1972), or part of the trailblazing Steeleye Span, Carthy has left his mark on plenty of stages and consistently wowed audiences with his spot-on interpretation of traditional song.
Martin Carthy turns 80 in a couple of weeks. The latest lockdown in England and the subsequent end of public music has left him chafing at the bit and nearly ready to burst with songs unsung. The lockdown has had a tremendous negative impact on musicians, Carthy included. And not just the economic loss (which has been substantial all around) but the simple unabashed ability to perform, to sing, to stoke the inner fire that keeps folk music alive.
Please join us for what will be a very special and intimate afternoon. The blessing of a YouTube concert, of course, is that the show will be available on screen for 48 hours after the initial viewing. Tune in when you can and then tune in again.
Buy Tickets:
The concert will be streamed on YouTube. A link to the concert and a reminder will be emailed to registered attendees a day before the concert. No Refunds.
$10
An Afternoon with Tom Lewis
A chance to spend an afternoon with Tom Lewis (virtually). Five folk organizations (Old Songs, Inc, the Folk Music Society of New York, Inc, Folk Song Society of Greater Boston, Folklore Society of Greater Washington, and Branford Folk Song Society) have teamed up with Janie Meneely & Rob Van Sante (Falcon Audio Visual Arts Studio) to bring you this live-streamed event from Whitby, UK.
Many of you have had the opportunity over the years to see and hear Tom at the Old Songs Festival or in concert at the Old Songs Community Arts Center in Voorheesville, NY. Until touring is safe for everyone again, we are happy to bring Tom to you virtually.
Tom Lewis loves to sing. And he loves it when people sing along. His powerful voice easily reaches to the rafters and just seems to pull other voices up aloft with it. Known throughout the maritime music world for penning classics like A Sailor Ain’t a Sailor (The Last Shanty), Marching Inland, Sailor’s Prayer (the one where the dove has wings as sharp as razors), Tom is just as likely to belt out a traditional sea chantey pulled straight from Davy Jones locker. He’ll even tell you a story, and it might even be true!
Tom got hooked on sea music when he heard the likes of Louis Killen, Archie Fisher and Ewan McColl in his early folk club days. During his 23 years as a submariner in Her Majesty’s Navy, Tom never missed the chance to visit folk clubs, concerts and festivals, building a reputation that has spread across three continents. Add to his credit ten albums and a hefty songbook.
Buy Tickets:
The concert will be streamed on YouTube. A link to the concert and a reminder will be emailed to registered attendees a day before the concert. The Concert will remain available for viewing for at least a week after the live premiere. No Refunds.
Black Creek Fiddlers’ Reunion — Virtual Festival
Black Creek will be Virtual again this year.
Workshops, jamming, meeting old friends and new and more fun!
See the Schedule and Register at: blackcreek.oldsongs.org
The workshops will be streamed on Zoom. A zoom link and a reminder will be emailed to registered attendees the week of the event. No Refunds.
June 2021
$10
John Conolly, the Man from Fiddlers’ Green
A chance to spend an afternoon with John Conolly (virtually). Old Songs, Inc, the Folk Music Society of New York, Inc, Folk Song Society of Greater Boston, and Branford Folk Song Society) have teamed up with Janie Meneely & Rob Van Sante (Falcon Audio Visual Arts Studio) to bring you this live-streamed event.
John Conolly honed his songwriting around the fish docks of Grimsby, a once bustling fishing port perched at the mouth of England’s Humber River. As he watched the fishing fleet limp into oblivion with the demise of a once-thriving industry, he began to chronicle the stories of the men who worked on the boats and along the docks. Fiddlers’ Green, which he wrote in 1964, has become firmly entrenched in the canon of maritime music, along with a number of his other songs: Punch and Judy Man, Trawling Trade, Men of the Sea (with Bill Meek), The Widowmaker — the list is long. Conolly performs with warmth, good humor and lilting accompaniment on guitar and melodeon.
Can’t be there at 2:30? The concert will be recorded and available through the weekend to view at your leisure.
Buy Tickets:
The concert will be streamed on YouTube. A link to the concert and a reminder will be emailed to registered attendees a day before the concert. The Concert will remain available for viewing for at least a week after the live premiere. No Refunds.
September 2021
$24
Rushad Eggelston at Caffè Lena
Presented in collaboration with Caffè Lena.
Rushad Eggleston, a.k.a. Rushadicus, is a mystical realm-hopping jester of infinite glee, whose unprecedented extremely fast bouncy cello style blows minds of all kinds. A charming entertainer with unbridled passion, his joy is so contagious that many showgoers complain of sore facial muscles afterwards (the name Rushad means “joyful soul”).
A whimsically adventurous sense of melody shines through in all shades & styles on any of the many instruments Rushad bejicks “to keep it fresh”. Sometimes he reads mystical poetry in his own language, speaks in tongues, channels aliens, throat-sings, beat-boxes, or does skits as different characters such as Negative Ralph, Country Bob, The Goblin, or Guru Fafa which he has a right to embody because of his half-indian heritage.
Somewhat of an acrobat, Rushad can spin on one leg, hang upside down, do splits, play in plough pose, and catch flying fruits in his mouth while playing fast intricate cello rhythms. A distinguished flatpicker, his innovation and skill are admired by many guitar luminaries. Although some of his music is avant garde and experimental (he has an amazing deathmetal cat-voice), he is an expert at making personal anthems to those for which he is playing.
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In order to ensure everyone’s safety, Caffè Lena is now requiring proof of vaccination for all attendees. View the Full Caffè Lena Safety Policy
The concert will be held in-person at Caffè Lena and streamed on: CaffeLena.tv
October 2021
$25
Jay Ungar & Molly Mason
Jay Ungar & Molly Mason are an American roots music duo and are best known for their work on the soundtrack of Ken Burns’s PBS documentary series, The Civil War. Jay’s composition “Ashokan Farewell” became the musical centerpiece of the Grammy-winning soundtrack. Jay’s fiddling is known for playfulness, drama, soul and technical verve, as he explores many musical styles and idioms that he has internalized and made his own. Molly’s inventiveness on piano and guitar supports the tunes and follows the flow of the melody with her rich and expressive vocals rounding out the experience. Ungar & Mason have recorded numerous albums of traditional and original fiddle music along with vintage country and jazz. jayandmolly.com
Buy Tickets:
In-Person Concert — COVID-19 Safety Policy: PROOF of VACCINATION and MASKS REQUIRED. Limited Capacity. Read more…
The concert will be held in-person at the Old Songs building and streamed on the Old Songs YouTube Channel. No Refunds.
$145
Piano Accordion & Band Class
with Peggy Hart
Basic beginning technique, theory and note reading.
If you have any questions regarding your instrument or ability, contact Peggy at 518-439-1060.
Class Dates: Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26, Nov. 2, 9
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