Back before newgrass was new, Tony Trischka was mastering the banjo and experimenting with ways to expand its bluegrass and old-timey boundaries. If it weren’t for the lessons that he took on the side with Trischka whilst attending the High School of Music and Art, spacegrass pioneer Béla Fleck might still be playing the French horn.
Known as an innovator, an educator and a champion of double-banjo pairings, Trischka has influenced many, collaborated with the cream of the bluegrass crop and otherwise compiled an impressive track record since joining his first band, the Down City Ramblers, in 1965. He cut his first record with Country Cooking in 1971, attained wider notice in Breakfast Special and headlined Skyline throughout the 1980s. He went on to find a special niche as creative consultant and bandleader for stage shows with bluegrass scores, including The Robber Bridegroom, Foxfire, Driving Miss Daisy and most recently, the 2012 New York Shakespeare Festival production of As You Like It.
You can hear the guy whom The New York Times has dubbed the “godfather” of new acoustic music in an intimate local venue on Saturday evening, August 23, when Tony Trischka and his current band perform at the Rosendale Café. The show will focus on music from their recent Rounder release Great Big World, an eclectic, adventurous collection that’s heavy on Trischka originals.
The show begins at 8 p.m., but to ensure that you get a seat, plan on coming early to enjoy some of the Café’s mostly vegetarian cuisine, since the place doesn’t take reservations. The price of admission is $20. The Rosendale Café is located at 434 Main Street (Route 213) in downtown Rosendale. For more information call (845) 658-9048 or visit www.rosendalecafe.com.
Join the family! 
