October Music Highlights

Sa 10/20: “The Freewheeling” Yo la Tengo, aT The Colony Cafe, WOODSTOCK- Much beloved and well-seasoned, Yo La Tengo has always been one of those bands that seems like they’re just goofing around, but it always works. On the “freewheeling” tour, the band has selected more intimate environments, using mostly acoustic instruments, telling stories about the band, and encouraging audience participation. Still touring their latest I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass, and armed with a killer back catalog, this is a don’t-misser. Colony Café, 22 Rock City Rd., www.colonycafe.com, 845.679.5342, shows at 8 & 11 PM.

Su 11/4: Agnostic Front aT The Chance Theater, Poughkeepsie- It takes a lot of balls, perseverance, and stamina to survive as a hardcore band for any significant length of time. Try doing it for 25 years. New York’s Agnostic Front haven’t sold out, made millions, and started screwing junkie models. . . they’re just as hard, spicy, and pissed off as ever, and have been since 1982. Catch them at the Chance’s almost perfect moshpit with Death Before Dishonor, Seventh Star, and All Out War. 6 Crannell St., Poughkeepsie, www.thechancetheater.com, 845.471.1966, call for times.

Fr 10/26: Blue lOu Marini aT Jack& Luna’S Café, Stone Ridge- With a career that spans everything from playing and recording with Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, Dr. John, and Frank Zappa, to writing for film and television, to long-term stints with the Saturday Night Live Band and the Blues Brothers, saxophonist Blue Lou Marini brings his considerable bag of tricks to Jack and Luna’s, a Stone Ridge favorite that is steadily becoming a reliable source for combo jazz in the Hudson Valley. With the high-quality house band [pianist Mike Kull, bassist Charlie Knicely, and drummer Chris Bowman], this promises to be a hot one. 3928 Main St. [Rte. 209], Stone Ridge, 845.687.9794, 7:30 and 9 PM.

Sa 10/13: Ralph Stanley at Club Helsinki, Great Barrington, Ma- Though most true bluegrass aficionados are intimately familiar with the much-revered Ralph Stanley [of the seminal Stanley Brothers], most folks these days know him as the voice behind the performance of “O Death” in the Coen Bros’ movie O, Brother, Where Art Thou? A Library of Congress Living Legend, as well as inductee into the Grand Old Opry, Stanley brings his regal demeanor and legendary voice to Club Helsinki, ably backed by the Clinch Mountain Boys for a rare club appearance. 284 Main St., Great Barrington MA, www.clubhelsinki.com, 413.528.3394, 413.528.8418, 9 PM.

Fr & Sa 10/26-27: Elgar and His World [weekend iii] wiTh The American Symphony Orchestra, Fisher Center [Sosnof Theatre], Bard COllege- The third and final weekend of the 18th Annual Bard Music Festival [subtitled “Nostalgia, Patriotism, and Aesthetic Ideals”], this year focusing on Edward Elgar [1857-1934], starts with “Absolute and Program Music: English Music at the Turn of the Century.” Students might be momentarily confused at the start, when the American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein, kicks in with Elgar’s graduation classic Pomp and Circumstance Op. 39, No.1, in D Major, followed by his The Sanguine Fan, Op.81, and Symphony No.1 in A-flat Major, and Charles Villiers Stanford’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.74, featuring Shawn Moore on violin. 7 PM [preconcert talk], 8 PM performance. Saturday features Bard faculty and students, with Elgar: Piano Quintet in A Minor, Op. 84, John Ireland: Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Frank Bridge: String Quartet No.1 in E Minor,”Bologna”, and Ralph Vaughan Williams: On Wenlock Edge, for tenor, string quartet, and piano. 2:30 PM [pre-concert talk], 3 PM performance. www.fishercenter.bard.edu, 845.758.7950, B.O. 845.758.7900.

Fr & Sa 10/12,13: Revision, Mechanical Bull [Fr], The Felice Brothers [Sa], COlOnY CaFé, WoodStock- Hailing from Ithaca NY, Revision is a road-honed jam trio that’s starting to break nationally. Woodstock-based Mechanical Bull bring cowboy hats to the party, with a Bakerfield meets Mt. Tremper sound. Local faves the Felice Brothers have been getting some attention lately with their old-timey dustbowl appeal. Presented by WACBIZ and the Woodstock Film Festival. The Colony Café, Rock City Rd,. Woodstock, www.wacbiz.com, 845.626.2237.