Real Good for Free: “Moonlight Jamboree” @ Bread & Jam Cafe, 4/24/10

Gonna be a meeting…

Well, OK, it’s actually the April installment of the Moonlight Jamboree. Tern Rounders host this monthly Americana session at the Bread and Jam Cafe in Cohoes. This month’s guest performers will be Cortland Francis (7:30pm) and In Defense of Autumn (8pm), formerly known as All the Leaves Are Brown. Led by the guitar-and-vocals tandem of Kim Noyes and Marc Clayton, Tern Rounders take the stage at 9pm.

In Defense of Autumn hails from Troy and boasts Jo Agopovich shaking the six-string alongside John Weiler, who pulls rootsy multi-instrumental duties on “all manner of guitar-like devices.” The pair – former members of the Happy Hollisters – are joined by drummer Jesse Pilger from the far-flung west of Syracuse. But In Defense of Autumn’s secret weapon is front-woman Heather Klein, and the young woman can flat out sing! The band describes their music as “an anachronistic blend of originals, traditionals and covers drawing from blues, gospel, folk and modern alternative music with semi-acoustic instrumentation and jazzy, hip-hop infused beats.” So this you gotta hear.

The host Tern Rounders are not without a few weapons of their own. Armed with an ever-expanding quiver of well-crafted tunes culled from both their brilliant 2009 debut CD (“A Different Land”) and the hotly anticipated follow-up – as well as a cover or two – the band claims the power to transcend space and sound “warping back to a time when Gram Parsons and the Burrito Bros. flew high over L.A. and the Buffalo Springfield still roamed.” Of course, it’s not unheard of for the band to pull a guest musician or two from the crowd to join in the fun. Tern Rounders are sure to make you feel right at home, and the cozy Cohoes venue – with its excellent array of refreshments – aids in the cause.

Moonlight Jamboree always starts with a solo acoustic act, and this time around it’s singer-songwriter Cortland Francis.

You’ll want to get there early because the line-up is sparkling, the seating is limited, and lately it’s been getting mighty crowded.

Story and photographs by Matt Mac Haffie