TrueSongs 2024: Lyrics of Life

Now in its fifth year, TrueSongs is Caffe Lena’s annual celebration of courage, resilience and caring. Seven local people who have faced a significant challenge have been paired with professional songwriters. Each team will take the stage together to share with us, through words and music, a story of overcoming adversity. It’s an emotional and uplifting evening of true stories, and the songs they’ve inspired.

Each of our storytellers is representing a local nonprofit that helped them successfully overcome their life challenge. This year we will hear from a mother who made the decision to come to America to support her family back in Brazil (TriCounty Literacy Volunteers); a woman who nursed her mother through Alzheimers disease (Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern NY); a couple that found a way to stay in the home they love after one became wheelchair bound (Rebuilding Together Saratoga County); a military veteran who recovered from life-threatening PTSD (Alliance 180); a teen mother who is now preparing to graduate from nursing school (WAIT House); and a refugee from violence in El Salvador who now runs a cultural empowerment program in Albany (Capital District Latinos).

Our exciting line-up of songwriters is Ellis Paul, Carolyn Shapiro, Hayley Reardon, Joe Jencks, Mark Erelli, and Judy Kass.

This annual performance has outgrown Caffe Lena and will take place this year at Spa Little Theater.

TrueSongs 2024 is made possible by the generous support of Business For Good, with additional support provided by Carlton & Terry DeBrule.

Carolyn Shapiro

Carolyn Shapiro is an old-time banjo player and songwriter from the Southern Adirondacks whose sound is rooted in the old songs of Appalachia. Blending her sultry flavor with a traditional style, Carolyn’s music feeds the soul like a good home-cooked meal. She writes songs inspired by the world around her with a unique voice that will stop you in your tracks.

Carolyn’s second album “Take It Easy” (2024) is a 6-song EP is about learning to take care of yourself and finding joy in a difficult world. Produced in collaboration with Jim Mastrianni, the album was recorded live with Connor Armbruster on fiddle, Oona Grady on bass, and James Gascoyne on guitar and captures the magic that can only be heard in a room of friends sharing music.

Ellis Paul

He doesn’t just write songs; he’s a guitar-carrying reporter who covers the human condition and details the hopes, loves, and losses of those he observes, turning their stories into luminous folk-pop music that will keep playing in your head long after the show ends. Much like the artists who influenced him–everyone from Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon to The Beatles–Paul weaves deeply personal experiences with social issues and turns them into provocative songs that are as timely as they are timeless.

His latest album, 55, is reflective, adult, and joyous. Written and produced during the pandemic shutdown, it addresses themes of romantic love, dreams of favorite faraway places, friendship, art, and bittersweet nostalgia.

His songs have appeared in several blockbuster films (Me, Myself, and Irene; Shallow Hal, Hall Pass) and have been covered by award winning country artists (Sugarland, Kristian Bush, Jack Ingram). He’s the winner of the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Award, 15 Boston Music Awards, An Honorary Doctorate from the University of Maine, and the 2019 International Acoustic Music Awards Artist of the Year.

Hayley Reardon

Hayley Reardon is a critically acclaimed folk-pop singer-songwriter and a storyteller in the truest sense of the word. Her music serves as a collection of postcards from an artist brave enough to take the road less traveled. Reardon’s journey into the world of music began at the age of 15, and since then, she has dedicated much of her life to writing, recording, and performing across the globe. With over 85 original songs released to date, her work has been featured on multiple Spotify and Apple Music editorial playlists, amassing over 7 million streams on Apple Music alone.

Throughout her career, Reardon has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Lori McKenna, Rodney Crowell, Dar Williams, and Anaïs Mitchell, among others. Her music carries a lyrical and melodic weight far beyond her years, described as “brilliantly moving folk/pop with a lyrical depth and soul” by Performer Magazine and hailed as “a melancholy little masterpiece” by American Songwriter Magazine. No Depression aptly calls her “a treasure,” reflecting the reverence her music inspires in listeners and critics alike.

Joe Jenks

Joe Jencks is a seasoned performer with 25 years on the international folk circuit. An award-winning songwriter and celebrated vocalist based in Chicago, Jencks merges his conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing to deliver songs filled with heart, soul, groove, and grit. His music, including several #1 folk songs like the ever-relevant “Lady of The Harbor,” resonates with a deep sense of social consciousness and spiritual exploration. As co-founder of the harmony trio Brother Sun, Jencks has performed at iconic venues such as Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and at festivals including Falcon Ridge, Kerrville, and Mariposa.

In August 2022, Jencks released his 17th recording, The Coming of the Years, an album that stands firmly in the modern Celtic tradition. Written over a 12-year period while touring Ireland, the album beautifully weaves themes of immigration and heritage. It has been lauded as a “gorgeous record” by Luka Bloom and praised by critics for its ability to transport listeners through generations of the immigrant experience.

Beyond his own performances, Jencks is also a sought-after vocal harmony arranger, with over 40 guest appearances on various studio recordings. Whether on stage, in the studio, or in lecture halls, he bridges contemporary and traditional genres with his rich, lyrical voice and masterful storytelling, inviting audiences to connect deeply with the human experience.

Mark Erelli

Mark Erelli turns adversity into finely embroidered rock songs that burn with urgency on his 2023 album Lay Your Darkness Down. Following full-bodied rock forebears Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Roy Orbison, Erelli’s songwriting explores the unknown glories of this planet and love’s transformational power. Over his two decade-long career, the singer-songwriter-sideman-producer-writer has proven himself equally at home in a multitude of roles: producing albums for artists like GRAMMY-winner Lori McKenna; serving as a sideman guitarist for artists like Paula Cole, Marc Cohn, and Josh Ritter; writing and producing his own material, like 2018’s “By Degrees,” for which he was nominated for Song of the Year at the Americana Honors and Awards; and most recently, becoming an advocate for low-vision artists and working with venues to make their spaces more accessible. Written in the wake of his diagnosis with a degenerative retinal disease, Erelli’s 2023 album Lay Your Darkness Down is the next step on Erelli’s journey, following up on 2020’s Blindsided, which garnered praise from Rolling Stone Country, the Associated Press, NPR, The Boston Globe, and more.

Judy Kass

Judy Kass, a New York-based musician, began her musical journey at a young age, transitioning from classical piano to writing her own songs on keyboard and guitar. Influenced by artists like Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, and Rachmaninoff, her music is a unique blend of diverse genres.

After spending her early years focused on music, Judy’s life took her in different directions, including founding MusicWorks in 2008. This community program provides private lessons and mentoring to talented students from low-income families, giving them the opportunity for serious music study and professional performances.

The tragic loss of nearly 300 colleagues in the 9/11 attacks brought Judy back to her acoustic roots, inspiring her debut album Better Things (2014) and her follow-up Beyond the Ash and Steel (2016), both of which received critical acclaim. Judy’s songwriting has earned her numerous accolades, including top honors in the Great American Song Contest. When not performing solo, she also collaborates in the harmony-driven trio “Us!” with Amy Soucy and Glen Roethel. Their song “No More Crying” recently won a Gold award in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest.