Jeff Slate inhabits a peculiar position in the rock world: he writes about it as fluently as he performs it. The man who contributed liner notes to Beatles and Rolling Stones reissues, who has covered Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison for the Wall Street Journal and Esquire, also fronted the Mindless Thinkers at CBGB during the post-punk years and now makes solo records that Mojo describes as “classy, Greenwich Village scented folk and soul.” On September 12, Slate brings his annual John Lennon Birthday Bash to The Falcon in Marlboro — a 150-capacity room in the Hudson Valley that rewards exactly the kind of artist who actually knows what he’s talking about.
About the Show
The John Lennon Birthday Bash is an established annual event for Slate. A prior edition, billed around Lennon’s 85th birthday, took place at Cafe Wha? in New York City in October 2025, organized around “deep cuts, fan favorites, and surprises.” The Falcon show on September 12 serves as an early installment of the 2026 cycle, followed by a September 16 performance at Cafe Wha? listed as a John Lennon (Early) Birthday Celebration. For Slate, who has contributed liner notes to major Lennon-adjacent projects and has worked alongside artists including Pete Townshend and Roger McGuinn, these shows carry more weight than a standard tribute evening.
His most recent solo work provides useful context. The Last Day of Summer, his fourth album, was released in May 2024 on Schnitzel Records after nearly three years of pandemic-era writing. He describes it as “a manifesto of sorts; as though everything I’ve ever wanted to say in a batch of songs is there.” The collaborator list makes the point: Dave Stewart, Duff McKagan, Earl Slick, Gene Parsons of the Byrds, members of Paul Weller’s band, and musicians who worked on Leonard Cohen’s final recordings. Maximum Volume Music gave the album 8.5 out of 10, citing “a gift for melody, almost pop,” with guitar work called “unobtrusive yet superb.” Mojo came to the same conclusion: classy, Greenwich Village-scented folk and soul.
Venue & Logistics
The Falcon sits on Route 9W in Marlboro, a Hudson Valley jazz and blues club with a track record for intimate, musically serious bookings. Doors and dining open at 5:30 p.m.; music begins at 7:30 p.m. No reservations are required.
Tickets
No ticket price was available from sources at the time of publication. Buy tickets