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!

This is also the rain date for the 6th Kirtan Festival. If it rains the 22nd Saturday then this event will be rescheduled for another time.

Rail Trail Cafe guests are invited to join David Budd (The Artful Drummer) and Honey Sweet Harmony for a participatory group practice, the Music Is Medicine Community Song Circle.  Come gather together to experience connection, joy, and harmony through singing!

Music Is Medicine song circles are a regenerative timespace for everyone who seeks to connect more deeply with their own innate creativity and their nature neighborhood. Our intention is to share the medicine of these songs with the land, the waters, and any beloved beings in need. 

ALL are welcome, whatever your level of confidence, whatever your past experiences with singing.

All present in the song circle support the collective equally - "all flourishing is mutual."*

All who long to be seen, to be heard, to belong, to contribute, and to feel valued are encouraged to attend!*  

Rather than professionals performing, in community song circles the songleaders transmit in oral-tradition style, offering simple songs that everyone can easily learn and sing together, often with harmonies or layered parts. Beloved songcatchers practicing this tradition include MaMuse, Ysaye Barnwell (of Sweet Honey in the Rock), Lyndsey Scott, Heather Houston, Melanie DeMore, Laurence Cole, and many more...

*from The Five Needs teachings as transmitted by Banakonda Kennedy-Kish Bell, an Anishaabe (Ojibwe) Elder

about the facilitators:

​~~ EXPLORE a sampler list of their programs HERE ​~~

Honey Sweet Harmony is an interspecies creativity-catalyzing mentorship constellation. Honey Sweet Harmony is committed to helping everyone remember our ancestral regenerative cultural patterns. Deep nature connection mentors and ancestral skills facilitators, kin** specialize in facilitating community gatherings for storytelling and storycatching, music, movement, eco-connective healing arts, nature’s cycle ceremonies, and grief / peace tending. Their training includes Littlebird Community Songleader Flight School, Cultural Emergence Effective Design by Applewood Permaculture, and The Work That Reconnects (Joanna Macy). For over 30 years kin have taught experiential enrichment programs in a diverse range of nature-based programs, arts programs, spiritual-based organizations, public and private schools, and community centers. Kin have facilitated for the Association for Nature Based Education (ANBE) webinars and in-person workshops, solar holidays and lunar phase celebrations, and many more forms of multigenerational community events inspired by nature’s rhythms. Kin also offer private mentoring and eco-healing sessions for individuals, families, and organizations.  honeysweetharmony@proton.me

David Budd (The Artful Drummer) is a visual artist, percussionist, and writer based in the Mid-Hudson Valley who loves sharing his passion for creativity in a way that fosters expression, growth and resiliency in those he mentors.  As a professional percussionist he blends traditions of the ancient Mediterranean world, Brazil, Turkey, West Africa, Latin music, American Jazz, Rock, Funk, Reggae, Polka, and Zydeco. He trained extensively with renowned frame drummer/historian Layne Redmond, and studied with drummer/composer/educator Harvey Sorgen. David now serves as a ritual drummer, drawing on his interest in shamanic practices, and celebrating his joy of life as a facilitator in earth-based spiritual communities. In recent years, he has begun exploring the world of expressive arts therapy, including trainings with Lucy Barbera in Kingston, NY, bringing together visual arts, music, and writing. David offers lessons and classes for individuals and small groups, plus public playshops and private fine arts commissions. theartfuldrummer@pm.me

* from Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a Potawatomi botanist, author, and former director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at State University of New York College of Environment Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF).  

*​*nature connective pronouns proposed by Robin Wall Kimmerer: ki (singular) and kin (plural) are inspired by many indigenous languages whose pronouns recognize kinship among many forms of being.

, 

Rain date August 23rd.

This is the 6th year of this wonderful festival gathering of local Hudson Valley chant leaders and musicians. We continue to gather under the cathedral of trees and sing our hearts out together.

The festival is a benefit for our beloved Rail Trail Cafe which has been bringing outstanding art and music along with heartfelt community events to us for more than a dozen years!

We have a beautiful group of leaders to bring us into the Bhakti of communal connection to the divine.

We start at 11:00 and go to 7.

Love and Blessings,

Ned, Lynn, Nina Rao, Ishwari, Radharani, Seth Lieberman, Arundhati, Seth Lieberman, Angela Hassan, Spirit Brothers, Steve Gorn, Avinash, Clarissa Pollack

Known to listeners as a singer and guitarist with local Hudson Valley ensembles Boreal,

Chimera, Levanta, and Lyraccord, Timothy Hill is an extraordinary songwriter whose deeply

searching lyrics, sensitive guitar work and soaring vocals combine to weave a powerful spell.

Rail Trail Cafe guests are invited to join David Budd (The Artful Drummer) and Honey Sweet Harmony for a participatory group practice of place-based vocal improvisation. Rooted in the teachings of Bobby McFerrin (Circle Singing), Rhiannon (Vocal River), Ysaye Barnwell (Sweet Honey in the Rock), and others, combined with percussion influenced by many world traditions, the facilitators will guide participants into creating a collaborative soundscape sourced through deep connection to the natural world.

The Mahicannituck (The River That Flows Two Ways, an estuary also known as the "Hudson") is an ever-present creator of sound and movement. An estuary is space where different ecosystems overlap, where freshwater from streams and rivers meet and mix with salt water from the sea. The resulting mix makes the estuary nutrient-rich, a highly generative natural habitat.

Estuary Sounding Circles are a regenerative timespace for everyone who seeks to connect more deeply with their own innate creativity and their nature neighborhood; all who long to be seen, to be heard, to belong, to contribute, and to feel valued are welcome!*

*from The Five Needs teachings as transmitted by Banakonda Kennedy-Kish Bell, an Anishaabe (Ojibwe) Elder

Honey Sweet Harmony is an interspecies creativity-catalyzing mentorship constellation. Honey Sweet Harmony is committed to helping everyone remember our ancestral regenerative cultural patterns. Deep nature connection mentors and ancestral skills facilitators, kin** specialize in facilitating community gatherings for storytelling and storycatching, music, movement, eco-connective healing arts, nature’s cycle ceremonies, and grief / peace tending. For over 30 years kin have taught experiential enrichment programs in a diverse range of nature-based programs, arts programs, spiritual-based organizations, public and private schools, and community centers. Kin have facilitated for the Association for Nature Based Education (ANBE) webinars and in-person workshops, Village Talk (a weekly phone conference for mentors committed to deep nature connection), solar and lunar phase celebrations, and many more forms of multigenerational community events inspired by nature’s rhythms. Kin also offer private mentoring and eco-healing sessions for individuals, families, and organizations.  honeysweetharmony@proton.me

David Budd (The Artful Drummer) is a visual artist, percussionist, and writer based in the Mid-Hudson Valley who loves sharing his passion for creativity in a way that fosters expression, growth and resiliency in those he mentors.  As a professional percussionist he blends traditions of the ancient Mediterranean world, Brazil, Turkey, West Africa, Latin music, American Jazz, Rock, Funk, Reggae, Polka, and Zydeco. He trained extensively with renowned frame drummer/historian Layne Redmond, and studied with drummer/composer/educator Harvey Sorgen. David now serves as a ritual drummer, drawing on his interest in shamanic practices, and celebrating his joy of life as a facilitator in earth-based spiritual communities. In recent years, he has begun exploring the world of expressive arts therapy, including trainings with Lucy Barbera in Kingston, NY, bringing together visual arts, music, and writing. David offers lessons and classes for individuals and small groups, plus public playshops. theartfuldrummer@pm.me

​~~~~ explore a sampler list of their programs HERE ​~~~~

​**nature connective pronouns proposed by Robin Wall Kimmerer: ki (singular) and kin (plural) are inspired by many indigenous languages whose pronouns recognize kinship among many forms of being.

Honey Sweet Harmony

"...this harmony is what we call the spirit-that-moves-through-all- things" ~ Black Bear

theartfuldrummer@pm.me

Annie Roland and Carrie Chapman are Barely Lace. Since the 80's we have woven our voices together in a style we call acoustic trance.
Focusing on Original Compositions, we also interpret traditional and seasonal European ballads as well as some Contemporary Covers. These days we are pleased to be joined by Rusty Boris on bass and guitar.

Please join Jenny Bates and share your thoughts. Shaping our futures through conversations that matter!

Sarah Urech, originally from Switzerland, has made the Mohicanituck Hudson River Valley her home  for more than thirty years. Her repertoire of jazz standards and songs from around the world celebrates love, freedom, and our shared humanity. She is delighted to be joined by Ann Belmont (guitar and vocals), Todd Anderson (saxophone and flute), and Fre Atlast (percussion), with a special guest appearance by Felicia Flanagan. 

Joakim Lartey and Richard Carr perform as Shokoloko, an electro-acoustic improvising duo with occasional guests. They tap into the diverse sounds and musical influences of America, Africa, Europe, Asia and beyond. Joakim Lartey plays drums, percussion and electronic percussion. Richard Carr plays violin and electric violin. Their music is about dance, trance, community and fun!

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.

Life-long disciple of the great folk traditions of the world, singer/songwriter Mario Rincon draws inspiration from Andalusia and Appalachia alike, crafting a bi-lingual blend of flamenco cante, Latin-American folklore, and classic Americana. He’s based in New York’s Hudson Valley where he teaches private lessons and workshops.

Mario Rincon (voice/percussion) is a Hudson Valley-based flamenco musician and folklorist who has studied extensively in Spain and toured the US with numerous flamenco dance companies.

mariorincon.com

Noé Dinnerstein - Sitar Voice, Khopong, and guitar.

Ami Fixler – Mridangam and guitar

Noé Dinnerstein is an ethnomusicologist with a background in the musics of India, Tibet, Ladakh, and Ireland.  He has been a professional sitar player for the past 50 years, as well as being proficient in voice, flute, guitar, and other odd ethnic instruments.  He is currently Adjunct Associate Professor of music at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY.  He is a disciple of the late sitar virtuoso Pandit Uma Shankar Mishra and was also a long-time voice student of the late Pandit Pran Nath.

Ami Fixler is a long-time Mrdungam player for Siddha Meditation chants at ashrams and centers worldwide.  He has and continues to perform locally on both guitar and percussion with kirtan and jazz based ensembles.

Join award-winning composer and pianist Pete Calandra for Stories In Sound, an evening of original music and inspired arrangements spanning ambient, jazz, pop, and cinematic styles. A Yamaha endorsed artist, Pete’s career has included Broadway, film and television scoring, recording, and teaching the next generation of musicians at the university level. Through expressive piano and keyboard performances, he weaves together lyrical melodies, rich textures, and improvisation into an intimate evening of musical storytelling

For more info: www.petecalandramusic.com

In this multi-faceted event native author/musician Evan Pritchard will

sing traditional and original songs, read poetry, tell stories, and talk about

our relationship with each other and the earth. He will also sign books and CDs

between sets.

A Groove Gathering unites all ages through the magic and power of music. We play new variations of timeless soul classics alongside contemporary R&B and original compositions. Join us, and feel the groove!

Tim Whalen (Drums, Percussion, Vocals)
Jason Sarubbi (Bass, Vocals)

Dor Heled (Keyboard, Melodica)

Mark Dziuba (Guitar)

Tien Viet Nguyen (Vocals, Guitar, Flute)

In this multi-faceted event native author/musician Evan Pritchard will

sing traditional and original songs, read poetry, tell stories, and talk about

our relationship with each other and the earth. He will also sign books and CDs

between sets.

Storyteller Jill Olesker will explore and share stories of many kinds-folktales, Nature experiences and Water memories that we can offer each other. There will be possible surprise guests.

Stories offer a way to be in community, to share truths and to connect to nature . 

Jill has been telling stories in Hudson Valley for many years now. She is currently co-creating a project she started called the Water Stories Project. It is exploring our relationship to Waters, letting the Waters speak and nurturing our reciprocity with Water.

Many of us know the Rail Trail Cafe as a beloved site that welcomes all, providing a meaningful context as we gather in community on its landscape. The Rail Trail itself is a beloved and well-travelled path from Gardiner to Kingston. It is truly a Way in this region. 

There is a language beyond words—spoken in symbols, shadows, and the silent presence of what came before us. In this immersive workshop, we enter that liminal space through the art of object placement and the healing field of Kaleidoscopic Constellations.

In this workshop, we will create a living, three-dimensional map on the Rail Trail, a timeline of signature events in our lives when our original essence felt most alive, guiding us to our purpose in life. We’ll source items from the local environment, as well as personal object/s (item/s of meaning) from home. 

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

In preparation for this workshop, remember a time when you were young and your spirit felt alive, when your essence became activated. As you survey your memories, discern if there is an object or objects that want to come with you to be placed on your ‘map.’ 

________________________

About the presenter:

Many of us know the Rail Trail Cafe as a beloved site that welcomes all, providing a meaningful context as we gather in community on its landscape. The Rail Trail itself is a beloved and well-travelled path from Gardiner to Kingston. It is truly a Way in this region. 

There is a language beyond words—spoken in symbols, shadows, and the silent presence of what came before us. In this immersive workshop, we enter that liminal space through the art of object placement and the healing field of Kaleidoscopic Constellations.

In this workshop, we will create a living, three-dimensional map on the Rail Trail, a timeline of signature events in our lives when our original essence felt most alive, guiding us to our purpose in life. We’ll source items from the local environment, as well as personal object/s (item/s of meaning) from home. 

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

In preparation for this workshop, remember a time when you were young and your spirit felt alive, when your essence became activated. As you survey your memories, discern if there is an object or objects that want to come with you to be placed on your ‘map.’ 

________________________

About the presenter:

Kathleen Mandeville is an Episcopal Priest, arts producer, Constellations facilitator, founder of The Outer Edge Coaching and spiritual leader of Gateway House, a multi-faith sacred arts community in Rosendale, NY, where she currently facilitates sacred ceremonies, individual and group counseling.

In her in-person monthly Kaleidoscopic Constellations group, members integrate and cross-pollinate a variety of healing and creative modalities, informed by the practices of the group's participants. Thus we may weave storytelling, writing, somatic experiencing, music and other disciplines together.

Kathleen Mandeville, M.Div

845.417.5430
kathleenmandeville@gmail.com
www.theouteredge.net

Sound from the ground. Improvised and composed music arising from the ground of stone mountain farm. Deep geologic time sounding and echoing to tomorrow. Join Brian Farmer and guests for an evening of  musical exploration and solace as we move from Spring to Summer. Be prepared to venture into never before heard sonic landscapes. Only once, here, together!… Brian Farmer, Mark Green, Mark Dzuiba, Joakim Lartey, Madeline Grace, Bill Ylitalo.

Lisa Davidson and Elizabeth Cornell are Odd Shaped Swimmers, an NYC-based singer-songwriter duo, with strong roots in the Poughkeepsie/New Paltz area, who play acoustic guitar, bass & ukulele, and sing about relationships, city living, and past lives. Our album, Bird Watcher, Popcorn Maker, features six original songs, and we've just finished recording a new single, "Bad Boyfriend." You can hear our alt-folk, indie-style music on most streaming services, and follow us on Instagram.