Rain or Shine!

Join Matoaka Little Eagle and Julia Howl Haines and all of us in celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day:The Thanksgiving Address, songs, poems and dance. Learn about current issues facing Native Americans and all of us.

More info on the way..

Gabriel Dresdale is a genre-blending, spiritually conscious Musician and Singer-Songwriter.

Deeply inspired by the music of Cat Stevens and George Harrison, his dream is to be a presence of peace on the planet, sharing stories of love and self-discovery through his songs.

Gabriel’s music explores the ways in which we as human beings (and he as a human being) are trying to find peace and comprehension of what this great cosmic mystery we call life really is.

From harmony in voice to harmony for humanity, NY husband and wife duo, The Levins, (LeVINNS) have created a hopeful, resonant sound that feels like both a refuge and a call to action. Their song-craft bridges mystical roots and contemporary Indie folk, with seamlessly blended interlaced vocals and a soundscape of acoustic warmth. 

With a history of meaningful recognition—from top Folk and Roots chart placements and festival showcases, to presenting at the Parliament of World Religions and transforming the Sufi poet, Hafiz’s compassionate verses into theatrical musical storytelling—Ira and Julia’s music has never faltered from their original, personal, and artistic intention that they set many years ago; to bridge communities, invite connection, and inspire healing, understanding and uplift. 

Ira and Julia will be joined by Mark Dann on bass! (Mark Dann Recording Studios, located in Woodstock.) 

Catskill Mountain Gamelan has been performing since 2012 at locations

throughout the Hudson Valley, performing traditional Indonesian music,

original songs and arrangements.  We return this season with new

members featuring, Ashley Enright, Sue Kiel, Alex Letourneau, Amy

Recchia, Alvaro Romao, Annmarie Tedeschi, and Julien Valenstein, led

by Dorcinda Knauth.

They’ll be playing on The Rose Blossom Gamelan, a red and gold West

Javanese gamelan built in 2012 by master builder Asep Ahum.  It is

tuned to the pentatonic (Five-tone) scale called degung.  Gamelan

would typically be used in Indonesia for playing ceremonial music,

accompanying elaborate all-night long puppet shows that double as

providing social or political commentary, or accompanying important

life cycle events like weddings. Hope you can come!

Peter Wetzler is returning to the Rail Trail Cafe to play music to the trees and insects and wind and all the magical sounds and people that inhabit the wonderful escape from the world that is The Rail Trail Cafe.  Using solo accordion with subtle (and not so subtle) electronic enhancement Peter will continue his explorations of harmony and melody and capturing the moment in improvisation.”  

Conservatory (Salzburg).  20 years of classical/jazz piano study most recently with Kirk Nurock and Robert Helps.  Gamelon study at Brown University and UC Santa Cruz. Landmark Education: entire curriculum including leadership and communication programs.   Teaching appointments at Princeton, NYU, Connecticut College, Juilliard, School for Visual Arts and The Center for Creative Imaging.  

Sorry to miss you.

We’ll be back October 9th!

Roger and Mark have been playing Cajun/Creole music together for over 15 years in Bunkhouse Boys. When they play as a duo it gives them the opportunity to explore Mark’s vast repertoire of country blues and old country chestnuts.

Shokoloko is an electro-acoustic improvising trio that taps into the diverse sounds and influences of America, Africa, Europe, Asia and beyond.

The band is: Joakim Lartey on drums, percussion and voice; Richard Carr on violin and electric violin.

Shokoloko is about dance, trance and community fun!

The Moon Turtle Medicine Wheel Project will be a 60 by 80 foot sculpture made of stone commemorating and reliving the wisdom and beauty of Native American Culture. Located on Seed Song Farm it’s use will be educational and ceremonial and open to the schools and the general public for study.

We’ve recieved a grant and need finishing funds for phase 1. Hope you can come! We’ll have drumming at 430 and talk after!

Lyraccord is Timothy Hill and Sasha Bogdanowitsch and creates an entry into a unique sonic world.Informed by traditional musics from around the globe, they utilize tunings based on the natural overtone series, giving the music a crystalline clarity. Employing voices, harp, zithers, lyres, n'goni, and guitar, the resulting effect sounds both hauntingly familiar and refreshingly new.

www.lyraccord.com

Peter Einhorn and Peter Wetzler with special guest Brian Charles (Oboe)

"In their first public outing the duo Peter Peter will share their explorations in sound blending guitar and accordion with keyboards and breath controlled sampled and synthesized sounds journeying in and out of tonality.  While the ensemble merges jazz and classical and world music backgrounds their musical storytelling abilities from a life in scoring dance, theater, film and tv yields a unique experience reaching far beyond the boundaries of genre".

Improvising duo of Peter Einhorn and Peter Wetzler blending acoustic and electronic music seamlessly moving in and out of tonality and genre.

Visit our Duo's home at:  https://peter-peter.bandcamp.com

What you hear is totally improvised and 99% unretouched.

"musical conversation... between two masters."
"A beautiful array of textures and timbres "
-DooBeeDoo
BeeDoo NY Magazine

For over 30 years Amadou Diallo studied the rhythms of Senegal, Mali and Guinea. People thought he was crazy, everyday singing and playing the Sufi drum (Hrim) on the streets of Dakar, Senegal.

But that was where he wrote so many of M’Bollo’s songs, and he knew one day he would bring his music to a wider audience.

Then in 2001 a miracle happened, and he got a contract to come to the U.S. playing djembe with the African Ballet Bugerabou.

Amadou settled in Rosendale, NY and in 2010 formed M’Bollo with local musicians The Schikowitz brothers.

Mbollo means “be together” and the music brings together the rich tapestry of African rhythms with western instruments and styles.

Together they reunite the western instruments with their African roots. The bass singing the “dun dun” (African bass drum ) and the banjo singing like “Ekonting”( ancient African banjo)

Aaron Jaquez is an international singer and songwriter who embraces his multi-cultural roots to connect and inspire audiences globally.

His live shows create a high frequency experience with sounds that fuse together a magnetic and mystical journey leading to a harmonious place of love. Aaron, integrates multiple musical influences infused with the practice of shamanic healing to manifest a high voltage stage presence. Attending one of Aaron's electrifying shows penetrates the senses, balances the soul and shares enjoyment, and energy as a whole.

Demo link 

https://youtube.com/shorts/AJ2qgkB-UD0?is=uLANFwhuxhEgwoF-

Music on Spotify 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/59ZKDEDDdPLs9veDwYyVfw?si=MEzqy3lLSzCRbBcOFYLPXw&utm_source=copy-link

Music videos 

https://youtu.be/mMlVDE-kAc0?is=9eGYJSwWdGYYEluEre info on the way…

The avant folk solo project of Sasha Bogdanowitsch, blending world music, folk, ambient and electronica. A selection of works featuring voice, lyre, kamelengoni harp, handpan, mountain dulcimer, fuyara and ney flutes, banjo, electronics and more.

“…winning authenticity …” New York Times

www.timbretree.com

This is going to be a surprise for all of us!

Levanta brings together a quartet of extraordinary musicians and unique instrumentation, featuring original and classic tunes performed with ancient instruments… Ev Mann, Thomas Workman, Gabriel Dresdale, Timothy Hill

Gamelan Kingston is a group of composers and performers exploring the musical possibilities of gamelan (a multi-timbral melodic percussion orchestra from Indonesia) in contemporary and traditional styles. Their diverse backgrounds combine to create new music and well as new collaborative possibilities with both artists and audiences. Members include: Jody Diamond & Sasha Bogdanowitsch, co-directors, Shawn Feeney, Dean Jones, Mike Jones, Henry Lowengard and Peter Wetzler

A folk inspired singer songwriter from Woodstock, Malerie Day weaves heartfelt lyrics with tender yet powerful emotionality.  Her velvet vocals take center stage atop skillful finger picking guitar and bittersweet sentiments.  Inspiration by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Karen Carpenter and Adrianne Lenker are heard in her first full length record titled “Heaven Knows” now available on all platforms. 

Julia Howl Haines and Matoaka Little Eagle will bring delight and beauty to you with their cross cultural adventures, interweaving music, voice, and stories. Their unique collaboration is magical, serendipitous. Really! So beautiful! 

Soar with your spirits as you hear original compositions and stories from Julia on the lever harp. Matoaka complements Julia's music with her Native songs, vocals, and stories. Join the fun in the Fox Song and story. Travel with your minds in the "Circle of the Sky". Remember "The times" of love and romance in their "49'ers" medley of love songs. 

From 6:30 to 7:00, Julia will do a solo concert featuring more of her original compositions, in the lovely setting in the woods of the Rail Trail Cafe. 

Julia Haines has a unique approach to the lever harp. Called a “harper among harpists” and a ‘hip harper” by the Irish press, she won First Prize for harp and voice at the O’Carolan Festival, Keadue, Ireland. Her radiant music fuses world, folk, rock, classical & improvisational influences.

Matoaka Little Eagle (Tewa, Apache, Chickahominy) is a culture bearer and educator. She celebrates diverse Native American cultures through song, dance, and story, promoting respect and tolerance. She has collaborated with David Amram, Pete Seeger, John Sebastian, John Cage, The Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, The Vanaver Caravan and many others, bringing great joy and inspiration to her audiences, here and abroad. Matoaka is proud to play Grandma Jingle Dress in the award winning contemporary pop “Distant Thunder”.

Kate Prascher is a singer and multi-instrumentalist best known for her evocative songwriting. She was thrilled to be named a 2021 IBMA Songwriting Showcase finalist. Inspired by her Tennessee roots and influenced by master song crafters like Hazel Dickens and Gillian Welch, Kate is a versatile and engaging performer. Her songs are outspoken and sometimes tender, by turns playful and heart-piercing. Ink 19 described Kate’s "delicate and expressive singing" and “intangible vintage feel". 

Drumsong Orchestra is a women’s drum and percussion ensemble founded and directed by Ubaka Hill. 

The Drumsong orchestra of the Hudson Valley performs world rhythms and songs rooted in women’s folkloric and contemporary music genres. Drumsong orchestra is a whole vibe for everyone to enjoy. 

Ami Fixler and Marty Reisinger: with acoustic Guitar and silver flute we serve up a sweet and eclectic mix of familiar and obscure tunes sure to satisfy your musical palate.

We are Pulso de Barro, Pulse of Clay. The pulse is the life force – the heart beating, our breathing. The clay is where life begins and ends. Pulso de Barro is an inclusive platform where it is possible to explore music, dance, and the native traditions of the lineage that we share. Pulso de Barro is the result of syncretism between the different territories that unite us. Through creative work we seek to give space to our many identities. With a focus on traditional Son Jarocho music from Mexico, and exploration of various other genres from the Caribbean and Latin America, Pulso de Barro supports and encourages the recognition of dance, poetry and music as a vital part of the articulation of communities. We believe that the countless stories of our territories are embodied in the creative flow, and that by exploring it, we will find a place to learn and re-imagine our future.

Years of experience building in community, learning from mixed heritages and collaboration with musicians from different histories seen translated into performance...

Led by Mateo Cano

Pulsodebarro.org

The 5 piece band is ready to make any crowd dance to the rhythms of afro-indigenous, amerindian, hip hop and latin influences all together

Can’t wait! Nick Collins is a local accordionist who has been delighting audiences in and around the Hudson Valley for over 10 years.   Playing a wide variety of traditional and popular music in many styles, Nick is thrilled to return to the Rail Trail Café!

Kalina has been songwriting for as long as she’s been singing. Music has surrounded her from the very beginning—growing up in her father’s recording studio and later studying classical piano and musical theater.

In recent years, songwriting has evolved from a practice into a devotion—an alchemical journey of the soul. Her mystical folk sound weaves together the essences of Nature, the Elements, and the unseen realms, inviting listeners into a space of imagination, wonder, and the untamed joy of the inner child.

Kalina is currently writing and recording her debut album.Connect at ancientsoulmelodies@gmail.com or follow @ancientsoulmelodies on YouTube and Instagram for original music, sound healing journeys, and upcoming shows.

Lisa Klotz is a singer, songwriter, teacher, activist and performer with songs that touch upon themes that include social justice, environmental awareness, women’s rights, empowerment, family, conflict resolution and spirituality. Lisa has passion for songs that speak to humanity, kindness, what we have in common, and a strong belief in the power of music – to bring people together, raise spirit and energy, to heal, and create peace.

In college, Lisa was introduced to the music of Holly Near and the women’s and peace movements. She helped organize song circles at the Seneca Women's Encampment, Take Back the Night marches in Ithaca, NY, and at her home. In 1986, she joined the Great Peace March from New York to Washington, DC and hosted Dennis Banks (founder of the American Indian Movement) when he was in NYC on a speaking tour. In the early 1990’s she helped to start a monthly pasta songwriting and sharing circle for the NYC Friends of Clearwater.

After a long period of teaching, education advocacy, and raising two daughters, she returned to singing and songwriting with the help of vocal teacher and mentors Sloan Wainwright, David Roth, and the SummerSongs community. She regularly performs at NERFA, Folk Alliance International, and SERFA and recently released her first CD "Morning Sun,” which made #32 for the most played on international folk radio stations in February, 2024. 

She is thrilled to have the opportunity to play here, with partner Mark Dann, and dear friends, Amy Soucy, Ben Silver, David Budd, Vito Pettrocito and Annie Roland and Carrie Chapman, in this nurturing cafe and venue Tara and Brian have lovingly created for our community. 

Bill Ylitalo leads this homemade Gamelan with Mark Bernard, Brian Farmer and more!