Festival Fever: Banjo Summit @ Caffe Lena, 5/4-5/12

Bring on the banjos…

Five-string phenom Tony Trischka and his band Territory pull into Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs at 8pm on Friday (May 4) to kick off the two-day Banjo Summit in mind-boggling fashion.

The last time that banjo master Trischka and the full line-up of his band (including vocalist-guitarist Michael Daves) were in town, they handily stole the show from headliners Peter Rowan and Tony Rice at The Egg.

Since then Trischka has returned for a show at The Linda (with the Lonesome River Band’s Brandon Rickman taking over the lead vocal chores for the absent Daves). And a month ago, Daves also gave his own concert at The Linda. He also delivered a fabulous duo show with mandolin master Chris Thile at Club Helsinki, back in January. With Trischka and Daves together again, be prepared to be wowed. Tix are $24 in advance; $26 at the door.

On Saturday, the Caffe Lena Banjo Summit continues with a batch of day-time workshops – Julie Duggan’s Clawhammer Banjo Magic for Starters at 11am; Bob Altschuler’s Essential Bluegrass Banjo Techniques at 1pm; and Dave Kiphuth’s In Depth Examination of Round Peak at 3pm. The workshops are $25 each, or all three for $60.

Then on Saturday night, it’s the Banjo Masters In-the-Round concert featuring Duggan, Altschuler and Kiphuth along with Chris Leske and Dan Hubbs. Showtime is 8pm, and tix are $18 in advance; $20 at the door.

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING FESTIVALS FOR 2012:

Downtown Albany Blues Music Competition @ various locations, Albany, 5/4/12 FREE
Behemoth Music Festival II @ Putnam Den, Saratoga Springs, 5/4/12
J.B. Scott’s Reunion @ Michael’s Banquet House, Cohoes, 5/5/12
WILDWOODstock @ the Parting Glass, Saratoga Springs, 5/6/12
Albany Tulip Festival @ Washington Park, Albany, 5/12-13/12, FREE
Mountain Jam @ Hunter Mountain, Hunter, 5/31-6/1/12
The Old Songs Festival @ Altamont Fairgrounds, Altamont, 6/22-24/12
Friehofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, 6/30-7/1/12
CountryFest @ the Times Union Center, Albany, 7/7/12
Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, 7/31/12
SAWFest Music Festival @ Salem Art Works, Salem, 8/18/12
FreshGrass Bluegrass Festival @ MASS MoCA, North Adams, 9/21-23/12