Why retire when you can keep playing great music into your 80s! And be careful about betting. You might just lose. This is episode 60 of Caffe Lena : 60 Years of Song . Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for the list of songs and artists for the feature. Doc Severinsen hasn’t been seen or heard on TV since Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show ended in 1992 . But he is one of the least retired 85 year olds. He met the members of San Miguel 5 in Mexico when he thought he was going to retire. He wound up

A wedding band turns into a touring band known for bluegrass Beatles covers, and a musical act from an island town of 900 with roots in Radiohead and Tom Waits. This is episode 59 of Caffe Lena : 60 Years of Song . Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for the list of songs and artists for the feature. Lonely Heartstring Band was born as a wedding band , hired for one wedding to play only Beatles repertoire on bluegrass instruments. They started exploring other sounds and original songs within the

A unique sound from two groups that sound like they are from opposing ends of the roots music spectrum. This is episode 58 of Caffe Lena : 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for the list of songs and artists for the feature. The Way Down Wanderers may sound like some long-forgotten bluegrass band from the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou”. There live shows are truly unique , communal experiences, with acoustic encores taking place out in the audience and drummer Merikoski’s famous

A husband and wife form a duo and hit the road touring, have a baby and get back out on tour again. And a songwriter creates an aspirational alternative national anthem. This is episode 57 of Caffe Lena : 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for the list of songs and artists for the feature. Birds of Chicago is an American folk band led by husband and wife duo JT Nero and Allison Russell. The married in 2013 and had a baby, touring through Russell’s pregnancy. They hit the road

Scrawling a name on the wall creates a new indie-folk band, and an artist discovers music in the midst of a meditation center. This is episode 56 of Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for the list of songs and artists for the feature. Over a decade ago, singer-songwriter Philip Price scrawled the name “Winterpills” on the wall of a music venue in Northampton, MA. Initially, it was going to be the name for a dreamt-of electronica project but somewhere along the line, it

One of our favorite bands is no more, and two guys drive nearly 1000 miles from Muscle Shoals, AL to NJ. This is episode 55 of Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for the list of songs and artists for the feature. Members of The Stray Birds have known each other since attending middle school in Lancaster, PA and started making music together in 2010. After eight years, five records and hundreds of performances, they became best known for songwriting and harmonies. In

First Night Burlington creates a bluegrass gospel project, and a seven piece group creates a TEDx showcasing their irresistible philosophy on jazz. This is episode 54 of Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song . Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for the list of songs and artists for the feature. Bluegrass Gospel Project is made up of members of top bluegrass bands from New England. They originally formed for a one-time First Night Concert in Burlington, VT in 2001. They continued to impress music fans with

A 60’s teenager goes on to start a performance venu, music school and music shop, and a musician makes music for yoga class events. This is episode 53 of Caffe Lena : 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for the list of songs and artists for the feature. Kate Power came of age during the epic 60’s NY folk scene. As a teenager, she opened for Townes Van Zant and Utah Phillips in coffee shops and on festival stages. After migrating to the west coast, she met her husband, fellow

An artist uses his music to narrate the American experience, and a 14 year old gets hooked on the Blues. This is episode 52 of Caffe Lena : 60 years of song. Thank you to Sarah for the list of songs and artists for the feature. Pokey LaFarge uses his music and songwriting to narrate the American experience. Minutes away from his front door in St. Louis, night after night the streets erupted in social unrest. In the face of a sociological tinderbox, he took to his studio and began writing and

Mike Gordon of Phish’s banjo teacher, and masters of Tuvan throat song with a modern twist. This is episode 51 of Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for the list of songs and artists for the feature. Gordon Stone was a world-renowned banjo and pedal steel guitar player. He I known for his early collaborations with Phish and gave bassist Mike Gordon banjo lessons. He passed away back in July, on the day his newest album was to be released and plans are being made to