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COURTESY PHOTO
Annie & the Hedonists will perform at 8 tonight at Caffe Lena.

Lena hosts Annie and gang tonight

PREVIEW

Published on 11/26/2005

By MIKE CURTIN
Special to The Post-Star

IF YOU GO

Annie & the Hedonists will perform at 8 tonight at Caffe Lena, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs.Tickets are $14 ($12 for members). Reservations are recommended. For more information, call 583-0022 or log on to http://www.caffelena.org/.



Tonight, Caffe Lena presents Annie & the Hedonists, showcasing the release of its latest recording, "Moonglow on the Midway."

The group is composed of two couples, Annie and Jonny Rosen (lead vocals and guitar respectively) and Betsy and Steven Fry (bass and guitar, mandolin, keyboards and trumpet). From Guilderland and Averill Park, the group's mix of traditional and modern music has made it a favorite act on the area's folk circuit, with past performances at the Kingsbury Coffeehouse, the Troy Victorian Stroll, the Old Songs Festival in Altamont, and the Albany, Johnstown and Saratoga Springs First Night celebrations.

Its sophomore effort, "Midnight on the Midway," is a wildly eclectic affair graced with stellar interpretations of "Me, Myself and I" (made famous by Billie Holiday), "Moonglow" (a staple of the the Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington bands), and "Dream a Little Dream" (immortalized by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong).

Songs from more contemporary tunesmiths are likewise lovingly rendered, among them Gretchen Peters' "If Wishes Were Horses," Lucinda Williams' "Sweet Old World," and Gillian Welch's "Stillhouse."

The quartet also shines on two Joni Mitchell compositions, her haunting "River" and "That Song About the Midway."

Joining the quartet on its latest disc are many of the Capital Region's finest instrumentalists, including dobro king Kevin Maul (of Robin and Linda Williams' Fine Band), fiddlers John Kirk and Frank Orsini, and clarinetist Peter Davis.

"Moonglow on the Midway" is available through their website.