Albany Times Union, N.Y. Greg Haymes column

Feb 28, 2008 (Times Union - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- TLFE | news | PowerRating | PR Charts -- Snow may still be flying, but this year's crop of new Capital Region CDs are already blossoming. This week two CD release parties are on tap, showcasing some of our excellent homegrown acoustic and folk music.

Celebrating their fourth anniversary as the contemporary folk duo 2Late, Vicki Gayle and Mike Short are releasing their sophomore CD, "Just 2Late," with a party and performance at 6 tonight at O'Toole's Restaurant in Kohl's Plaza in Colonie. Recorded at the Tree of Life Studios in Guilderland, the dozen original tunes run the gamut from the country twang of "After All" to the adult contemporary ballad "Long Way Home" (featuring Gayle's daughter Emily Schlierer on flute).

Meanwhile, the Barefoot Boys played together as the duo of guitarist Rich Bala and multi-instrumentalist Tom White for a decade before they recruited bassist Rick Hill two years ago. The Boys will be celebrating the release of their first trio album, "Sweetwater Passage," with a performance and party at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs on Sunday evening. With these 16 songs, the Boys pay homage to those who have worked on the state waterways, from "Erie Canal (Low Bridge, Everybody Down)" to the a cappella whaling chantey "Rio Grande" to the lovely instrumental waltz "Midnight on the Water." This is traditional music -- sometimes jaunty, sometimes wistful -- that's simply timeless.

And a special round of congratulations go out to Caffe Lena, which was voted the best small venue in North America by the more than 2,000 members of the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance at their annual convention last week in Memphis. OK, Lena's actually tied for first place with Freight and Salvage in Berkley, Calif., but it's still quite an achievement for the intimate Saratoga Springs coffeehouse.

"This award is evidence that Caffe Lena offers more than nostalgia," explains Caffe manager Sarah Craig, noting that Lena's had been nominated for the award for the past three years. "We're continuing to provide a listening experience that appeals to today's music fans, while staying within our mission to promote acoustic music from America's roots.

"People come to hear world-class performers, but they also come because it's such an appealing atmosphere. The history is palpable, and so is the caring and warmth of the many people who pitch in to keep the spirit of the place alive."

MORE MERRITT: Tift Merritt's debut album "Bramble Rose" earned the soulful country singer a spot on the year-end Top 10 CDs list in both Time Magazine and the New Yorker. Her sophomore CD "Tambourine" garnered her a Grammy nomination for best country album.

On Tuesday, the North Carolina native released her third album "Another Country," and it just may be her best album yet, as you can hear for yourself when Merritt makes her Albany debut at the WAMC Performing Arts Studio at 8 p.m. Saturday.

BANDS 'N BEANS: The fusion of hot chili and even hotter music has been a Lake George Arts Project tradition for the past 16 years, and it's time for the LGAP fundraiser to blow into the Roaring Brook Ranch in Lake George once again from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Last year's Bands 'n Beans chili cook-off featured 50 different batches of chili made by area restaurants and individuals, and this year's event is expected to draw more than 1,000 attendees to taste test the food and groove on the performances by the Ernie Williams Band, the Audiostars, the Bluz House Rockers, Rick Rourke and Lost Wages, Rich Ortiz, Chris Ballini, Tim Wechgelaer and Friends, Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys and John Kribs and Friends. And if you're interested in adding your own famous chili recipe to the competition, you can register by phoning LGAP at 668-2616.

SHORT STUFF: There's a big jam-band doubleheader on Friday night. Keller Williams kicks off the evening at 8 p.m. with a concert at The Egg (Empire State Plaza, Albany), leading his all-star band the WMD's, featuring bassist Keith Moseley (of the String Cheese Incident, guitarist Gibb Droll (Marc Broussard) and drummer Jeff Sipe (Phil Lesh & Friends). Afterward, the action shifts across the river to Revolution Hall (425 River St., Troy), where Ryan Montbleau -- named best male vocalist at the Boston Music Awards last year -- and his band share the stage with Zach Deputy.

Led by vocalist Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, the new all-star combo Kingdom of Sorrow celebrates the release of their self-titled debut CD with a megawatt show at Valentine's (17 New Scotland Ave., Albany) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Al Kooper (of the Blues Project and Blood, Sweat and Tears) teams up with Dave Mason (of Traffic and Fleetwood Mac) for a classic rock doubleheader at The Egg (Empire State Plaza, Albany) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Jazz pianist-singer-songwriter (and Glens Falls native) Tony DeSare plays a special homecoming solo show at Panza's Restaurant (510 Route 9P, Saratoga Springs) at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $50, and all proceeds will the Wesley Foundation.

Greg Haymes may be reached at 454-5742 or by e-mail at Ghaymes@timesunion.com.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

2Late. 6 tonight. O'Toole's Restaurant, 1814 Central Ave., Colonie. 464-1200. Free.

The Barefoot Boys. 7 p.m. Sunday. Caffe Lena, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs. 583-0022. $15.

Tift Merritt. 8 p.m. Saturday. The WAMC Performing Arts Studio, 339 Central Ave., Albany. 465-5233, Ext. 4. $16.

Bands 'n Beans featuring the Ernie Williams Band, the Audiostars, Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys, more. 2-7 p.m. Sunday. The Roaring Brook Ranch, Luzerne Road, Lake George. 668-2616. $20.

OFFBEAT:

Katt's cash: Stand-up comic Katt Williams, who co-starred with Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan in the recent comic crime caper "First Sunday," sure knows how to pump up a crowd. Earlier this month, Williams had the audience in tears at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood, as he reached into a briefcase filled with cash and distributed $100 bills to everyone in the crowd. "You should have seen it," Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada told the Associated Press. "Some people were crying. They came to see the show, and they got $100." There's no word yet whether Williams is planning to re-create the stunt when he brings his "It's Pimpin' Pimpin' Tour" to Palace Theatre (19 Clinton Ave., Albany) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

DVDelight: "Desperate Man Blues: Discovering the Roots of American Music" (Dust-to-Digital, 2006) is director Edward Gillan's absolutely fascinating documentary about record collector Joe Bussard, but also the history of rural American music of the '20s and '30s. Bussard is likely America's foremost collector of 78 RPM records, and the hourlong film captures his collecting fanaticism and his genuine love and contagious enthusiasm for the music of folks like Jimmie Rodgers, Son House, Uncle Dave Macon and countless other nearly forgotten pioneers. Also included is an additional 30-minute documentary "Joe Bussard: King of the Record Collectors," and an audio-only bonus of one of Bussard's half-hour radio shows. This is a real gem for fans of Americana and roots music.

Sweet honey: Other than a single showing last month at Proctors in Schenectady, John Sayles' latest film, "Honeydripper," still hasn't arrived at area movie theaters. Fortunately, Time & Space Limited (434 Columbia St., Hudson) began showing the film last week, and there's one more screening slated there for 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The movie takes place in Alabama in 1950 at the crossroads of blues and rock 'n' roll.

If you can't make it down to Hudson, the best way to bide your time while waiting for the film to hit the movie theaters -- it's currently slated to open March 14 at the Spectrum 8 Theatres in Albany -- might be to grab a copy of the blues 'n' jump-soaked soundtrack, featuring some classic old tunes (Lil Green, Hank Williams), hot new songs (Keb' Mo', Mable John) and some surprisingly good nuggets by actor-musicians Danny Glover and Gary Clark Jr. The soundtrack wraps with the final recording by the great, sassy Ruth Brown, who died in 2006.

Also in heavy rotation: Continuing in the blues bag, Blues Anatomy's "Rediscovering Lonnie Johnson" (Range Records, 2007) conjures up the loose 'n' funky vintage sound with a special guest vocal by Geoff Muldaur ("He's a Jelly Roll Baker") and some great guitar-playing by Jef Lee Johnson.

Art alert: Niskayuna-born artist David Opdyke delivers a free lecture at 7 p.m. Monday at the University at Albany's University Art Museum (1400 Washington Ave., Albany), in conjunction with his soaring installation, "Mixed Messages," featuring more than 2,000 paper airplanes made from pages of a bilingual Arabic-English dictionary. "Mixed Messages," and other works by the multitalented Opdyke, are on exhibit at the museum through Sunday, April 6.

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