REVIEW: TrueSongs – Lyrics of Life, presented by Caffé Lena
11/16/2024 at The Spa Little Theatre, Saratoga
All photos by Tom Miller
“TrueSongs is designed to be an event that you need to be at in order to understand and viscerally feel the depths of the strength, compassion, and resilience in the room.”
While I knew that TrueSongs would be a powerful event, nothing could have prepared me for the incredibly moving, emotional rollercoaster that was Saturday night. Featuring six local nonprofits (listed at the end of this article), each represented by a storyteller and singer-songwriter, the night was intended to share the “powerful but invisible stories that are playing out around us all the time,” explained Sarah Craig, the night’s emcee and Caffé Lena’s Executive Director.
The theme in each of these stories was, of course, resilience, but also a larger comment on the mythos of self-reliance. “We’ve all heard of ‘pulling yourself up by your bootstraps,’” began Craig, “but what is scarier–what takes more courage–is to take your hand off the bootstrap, reach out, and say ‘I cannot do this alone.’”
The night’s structure was to have a director from each nonprofit give a short summary of the work they do, then step back and allow their storyteller to share their experiences. Finally, a headlining Caffé Lena artist would play the song they had written about their storyteller. The pairing of story and song, while in keeping with the usual routine of shows at Lena, was a bit more intentional for TrueSongs. Craig shared with the audience that there was science behind the idea of music taking a story that generates compassion and transforming it into a song that generates empathy and connection.
What happened within the walls of Spa Little Theatre that night was truly remarkable. There were tears of joy, tears of immense sorrow, laughter, and cheers from the audience in support of choked-up storytellers. Each story told on that stage could have easily been turned into an Oscar-winning movie; they were so complex, emotional, incredible. However, rather than playing out on screen for millions, these individuals courageously told their stories to 350 people in Saratoga Springs—and it was by no means easy. You could visibly see each storyteller reliving their trauma in order to raise awareness for others going through the same experiences and the nonprofit that had, in many cases, saved their lives.
And that, that pain and bravery so honestly on display, is why I’m choosing not to share the details of anyone’s story here. None of those stories could ever be distilled into my small review, nor could the raw emotion be captured by any words but their own, nor would it be right of me to share a story that was not necessarily intended to be shared on the Internet. TrueSongs is designed to be an event that you need to be at in order to understand and viscerally feel the depths of the strength, compassion, and resilience in the room. Unfortunately, this event only happens once a year, so it’s best to be on the lookout for tickets next fall upon its return—this year’s crowd was three times the size of last year’s.
One aspect I can share with you, though, is that Craig was spot on about music elevating the emotions alongside a story. The Caffé Lena performers put their all into the creation of these songs, masterfully capturing the essence of a lifetime into three minutes and change. Writers like Hayley Reardon and Ellis Paul created gorgeous melodies with choruses that encapsulated the love, struggle, and courage of those individuals while also getting to the heart of the nonprofit’s work—no easy feat. Reardon’s actually felt so emotional, so real, that it had the potential to connect with not only caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients, but could reach anyone who became a caregiver through unconventional means—I know it hit home for myself.
It wasn’t just Reardon and Paul that achieved this, but all six writers. Judy Kass wrote her chorus in Spanish for her partnership with Capital District Latinos; Joe Jencks had his storyteller quietly singing along from her spot on the side of the stage; Mark Erelli penned some gut-wrenching lines about breaking the cycle of abuse for the next generation. Carolyn Shapiro even pulled together the full Caffé Lena staff band quartet to add strings and harmonies to her beautiful tribute.
At the end of the event, while each audience member was balling up their tissues and finally drying their eyes, Craig asked the directors of each nonprofit to return to the stage and share with the audience a few things that they could do to help them. Their responses are below our gallery, and I strongly urge you to read them closely and see where you can help. While it might be the holiday season now, these incredible services need your help all year round.
Ways to aid Saratoga/Warren/Washington County nonprofits featured at TrueSongs*
Rebuilding Together Saratoga County: Rebuilding Together provides critical home repair and accessibility modifications for income-qualified homeowners. Services are provided at no cost to homeowners and ensure families can remain in the homes and communities they love.
Bring smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to them for collection to aid in making healthy, safe, warm, and dry homes
Check in with your neighbors
WAIT House: Since 2003, WAIT House has provided stability to youth who present themselves as homeless. They accomplish this through the immediate provision of coordinated services, reunification of families where appropriate, the provision of supervised emergency and traditional housing with the goal of personal responsibility and self-sufficiency.
Lift up the adults and youth around you
Refer any family or youth who are struggling to the WAIT House
Alliance 180: Alliance 180 is a peer-to-peer, purpose-driven program that aims to prevent suicide for fellow Veterans, First Responders, and Frontline Healthcare Workers facing the effects of trauma through a transformative equine experience.
Refer any family member struggling with PTSD, regardless of location, to call Alliance 180 for help. In the words of their director, “We know what to do, we know how to do it, no red tape. Please, just call us.”
Tri-County Literacy Center: Our mission is to improve lives by fostering literacy skills among members of our community through practical, learner-centered education. We provide adults in Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties with necessary resources and skills to advance the achievement of literacy goals while also providing opportunities for independence and economic mobility.
Volunteer with them. If you are a person “willing to look for someone’s potential,” then you are the right fit. No prior teaching experience required. Positions available for tutors, members of the board, and volunteers to work at fundraisers.
Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern NY: Serving 17 counties in Northeastern New York, from the Capital Region to the North Country, AANENY helps families, caregivers, health care professionals and those living with the disease through free education programs, support groups, care consultations, local information and referrals, and safety services.
Educate yourself on the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia
Extend your friendship and support to caregivers and anyone affected by the disease
Volunteer your time with them
Capital District Latinos: Founded in 2010, CDL creates conditions for the success of the Latinx community in the Capital District by engaging with the public, private and community-based partners, as well as local elected officials, to explore avenues for collaboration and develop strategic initiatives.
“Time and treasure, whichever one you can afford.”
“Remember how good it feels to be creative. Don’t let that part of you go to sleep.”
*All mission statements come from TrueSongs program, except in the case of Tri-County Literacy Center which was pulled from their website.