Eric and Leigh Gibson were raised on a 650-acre dairy farm in Ellenburg Depot, a small town in northern New York set closer to the Canadian border than to any record store — and it shows in their music in ways that no Nashville trajectory could have manufactured. They grew up tuned to Canadian radio and the Grand Ole Opry, Eric taking up the banjo at twelve, Leigh the guitar; somewhere in that rural upstate childhood, they developed a harmony so particular that Del McCoury says he knows it from the first note.
About the Show
The Gibson Brothers bring that sound to Caffe Lena on Sunday, September 6, for a two-hour set beginning at 4:00 p.m. The occasion is their latest album, Darkest Hour, produced by Jerry Douglas and released in January 2023, which marks something of a return to fundamentals for a duo that has spent two decades shaping what contemporary bluegrass sounds like. The record leans toward the singer-songwriter end of their range: sparser than some of their earlier work, with a light touch on the instrumentation that lets the harmonies and guitar work carry the weight. Alison Krauss contributes harmony vocals to one track; the rest belongs to the brothers and the circle of musicians they have played with across a career spanning recordings on Sugar Hill and Rounder Records, collaborations with producers Dan Auerbach, David Ferguson, and Jerry Douglas, and songs recorded by Del McCoury himself. They were discovered by Ricky Skaggs at the Ryman Auditorium, an origin story that might have sent them south to Nashville — but they chose to stay in northern New York. Eleven International Bluegrass Music Association honors, including consecutive Entertainer of the Year awards in 2012 and 2013, suggest the rest of the roots music world caught up with where the Gibsons were all along.
Venue & Logistics
Caffe Lena, at 47 Phila Street in Saratoga Springs, is a 110-seat folk club and listening room, a fixture in the capital region‘s roots music calendar and the kind of space where the Gibson Brothers’ harmonies will arrive at full strength. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.; the show runs 4:00–6:00 p.m. For those who can’t make it in person, Caffe Lena TV offers a $5 livestream, with all proceeds going directly to the artists.
Tickets
Tickets are priced at $45.55 for Caffe Lena members, $49.89 general admission, and $24.94 for children and students, all inclusive of fees. The show is all ages. Caffe Lena does not offer refunds and prohibits resale above face value. Buy tickets