Joziah Longo’s voice has been described as “soothing and bewitching as a snake oil tonic,” and if you have never heard the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, that phrase does more work than most band bios. The full band is a six-piece rooted in the Woodstock area, blending Americana with what they call “rootsy, rockin’ psychedelia” and drawing from Dylan, Syd Barrett, and The Waterboys. On Friday, September 18, Caffè Lena gets something rarer than the full circus: just three of them. Joziah, multi-instrumentalist Tink Lloyd, and guitarist Sharkey McEwen — the founding core — stripped down and unplugged.
About the Show
The Slambovian Circus of Dreams have been building their catalog since the late 1990s, from the debut A Good Thief Tips His Hat (1999) through 2022’s A Very Unusual Head, considered their finest studio work to date. Garth Hudson of The Band called Joziah Longo “an awesome songwriter.” AllMusic named the Circus “simply one of the finest American bands.” Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull offered a shorter verdict: “A breath of fresh air.” They have performed everywhere from CBGB’s to Carnegie Hall, and were among the first American acts invited to mainland China after Tiananmen Square.
The September 18 show arrives on the heels of a six-city UK tour (Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Sheffield, Milton Keynes, and more) that wrapped September 6, and a new live album, 13 – Live, released July 4, 2026, recorded the previous November at The Linda in Albany. A seventh studio album is expected before the year closes.
This night belongs to the founding trio: Joziah on vocals and guitar, Tink Lloyd on accordion, cello, mandolin, and flute (a collaboration with Longo that reaches back to the 1980s), and Sharkey McEwen on guitar. Pare the band to those three and the songwriting carries its full weight without the architecture of a larger ensemble underneath it. John Platt of WFUV called Longo “a god of the rock underworld.” At Caffè Lena on a September night, that judgment will have roughly 110 seats from which to agree.
Venue & Logistics
Caffè Lena, at 47 Phila Street in Saratoga Springs, is one of the capital region’s essential folk-club listening rooms, the kind of space where accordion and cello fill the air with nothing to hide behind. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are priced at $36.87 for members and $41.21 for general admission, both inclusive of fees; a child/student rate of $20.61 is also available. For those who cannot make it in person, Caffè Lena TV is offering a $5 livestream with all proceeds benefiting the artists. Buy tickets