Cait Leary and Jeff Rolfzen to begin residency at Acadia

​The West Bank's Acadia Café is an often overlooked gem of a venue, and most neighborhood ramblers know it well for its extensive beer list and cover-free gigs featuring mainly local talent. A couple very talented local musicians, Cait Leary and Jeff Rolfzen, will be taking over the Acadia on the third Thursday of every month. They're suggestively calling it Naked Third Thursdays, and they have quite a showcase all lined up.

Leary is a singer-songwriter, new to the scene and with a fresh take on folk. She released her debut album, Let Me Have Tonight, this past December. The 10-track ensemble sails along smoothly under the radar, gently guided by Leary's light vocals. It's all easy folk songs, catchy enough to slide into the pop genre, but without the overbearing presence of diva balladry. The title track, "Let Me Have Tonight", is sweetly contradictory--much like the album itself. These are the sort of songs that feel like they were constructed on the edge of a bonfire, late at night, while everyone else was sleeping; they are secretive songs, light and delicate but rough enough around the edges.

Jeff Rolfzen is a multi-instrumentalist who has the sort of old time bluegrass sound that appears so effortlessly constructed that one would think he was classically trained. His first EP, Out To Lunch, was a limited edition collection of self-taught guitar, banjo, and harmonica tracks. He's an easy complement for Leary's poppier folk style, and together, the two artists make for a very convincing throwback duo. As a collaborative team, Leary and Rolfzen are using their creative forces to put together monthly showcases featuring "the best music that they can get their hands on".

"This event is all about encouraging a more creative musical community," said Leary. "We know that it's easy to book shows with the same few bands over and over again, but it's also boring."

"Naked means breaking people out of their comfort zone," offered Rolfzen. "Not to make them uncomfortable, but to make them aware of the kind of support that they can receive simply for sharing their talent."

Join Leary and Rolfzen for their first Naked Third Thursday this January 19th at Acadia Café. Music features the Bosben Brothers (of the band Chester Bay), Seth Gamble, the Silver City Millers, Grat Stilberg, and, of course, sets from Rolfzen and Leary. Music starts at 8 p.m. and it is always free.