Caffè Lena Turns 52 and Smiles For the Camera
I t was a busy anniversary weekend May 19-21, 2012 at Caffè Lena, filled with the spirit of legendary folksinger Woody Guthrie, memorialized by an Emmy Award-nominated filmmaker, highlighted by one dog on stage, and supported by volunteers from the Best Buy corporation. Where else but at Caffè Lena would you find that combination? The performance schedule included longtime Caffè Lena friend Michael Cooney, Butch Hancock and bands from the Capital Region, and Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion. On board for the weekend’s activities, Jessica Wolfson of Lost Footage Films (producer of the incredible documentary Radio Unnameable which features many Caffè Lena performers- check it out) along with her local film team Alex Becker and George Black documented...
Read MoreA Tribute to Jaye Alper
J aye Alper, a dear friend of the Caffè Lena community, passed away last month after a valiant fight with illness. Many will remember Jaye from Caffè Lena’s 45th Anniversary celebration when she attended and supported our History Project exhibition on site at the venue; Jaye kindly donated the image of Bob Dylan made by her father Joe Alper that now hangs above the staircase at Caffè Lena. But long before that, Jaye herself appeared in her father’s photographs. Between 2008-2010 the Joe Alper Photo Collection LLC together with the Caffè Lena History Project uncovered and identified over 6,000 images Joe made at Caffè Lena between 1960-1968 that had been stored in their original negative state and relatively unseen for over five decades....
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