Carolyn Wonderland w/ special guest Cindy Cashdollar at Levon Helm Studios (Woodstock, NY)
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Carolyn Wonderland
with special guest Cindy Cashdollar
Friday, October 2, 2026
Levon Helm Studios | Woodstock, NY
Carolyn Wonderland
carolynwonderland.com
Carolyn Wonderland, with her dynamic guitar playing, formidable songwriting, and pure Texas vocals, has more than earned her reputation as a fiercely independent artist. Wonderland plays original, bluesified, cosmic soul music, mixed with heavy doses of Tex-Mex and riff-fueled rock ‘n’ roll. She has been performing professionally since the age of 15 and has led a colorful and adventurous life. On the road her entire career, she’s played with icons from Townes Van Zandt to Levon Helm, from Buddy Guy to Hubert Sumlin, from Bob Dylan to John Mayall, all while writing her own story.
On her new Alligator Records album, Truth Is, Wonderland, with her vividly detailed, instantly memorable songs, reflects on the world with honesty and righteous conviction. Wonderland’s bold and insightful songs tell common-sense truths that, in her words, “need to be told.” They are driven by her sometimes savage and other times gently melodic guitar fingerpicking, along with her full-throated yet still vulnerable vocals. As for the album’s brutally honest subject matter, Wonderland says, “There’s always hope and we’re still here for each other, but at some point, you have to sing about the elephant in the room.”
Truth Is is a timeless album for these times. Over the course of the album’s 12 songs—including 10 Wonderland originals and co-writes—Wonderland and her band create lasting musical magic. From the blistering, ear-opening “Sooner Or Later” to the riff-heavy battle cry “I Ain’t Going Back” to the emotional gut-punch of the title track, this is music that commands attention. The poignant, profound and heartbreaking “Let’s Play A Game”, to the swaggeringly bluesy “Whistlin’ Past The Graveyard Again” (“that’s a day in the life of me and my friends,” says Wonderland), to the cathartic closer, “Blues For Gene” (a tribute to her late friend, piano giant Gene Taylor, with Carolyn and album producer Dave Alvin shedding tears as they were recording the track), the songs tell real and relatable stories while running the full gamut of emotions.
On “Wishful Thinking”, Wonderland elegantly sings her Texas heart out, wringing every bit of emotion from her friend Greg Wood’s potent and reflective lyrics. Her version of The Band’s “Orange Juice Blues” shares the same ramshackle, going-for-broke carnival vibe of the “Basement Tapes” original, with Wonderland and her crew turning it all up a notch. Like every song she touches, she makes it her very own. Industry maven Bill Bentley, writing in Americana Highways, said, “Wonderland’s an astounding songwriter…and her ability to totally pull other songs into her own world is the mark of an all-timer. There are no limits to what she can do [with her] powerful vocals and whip-ass guitar playing. It’s clear she isn’t fooling around.”
Truth Is was produced by legendary guitarist and songwriter Dave Alvin (producer of Wonderland’s Alligator debut, Tempting Fate), who also co-wrote four songs, three of which he plays on. Wonderland says of Alvin, “I’ve never had my ass handed to me so thoughtfully in the studio. I came in with songs and Dave took the arrangements I wasn’t married to and put on his “Mad Rearranger” hat to get to the heart of the songs, always looking for and finding something that tells the story better. Dave is amazing. He has an incredible literary mind and is one of the best guitar bashers I’ve ever met.”
Along with bassist Naj Conklin and drummer Giovanni “Nooch” Carnuccio, Wonderland is joined on Truth Is by guests including Alligator labelmate Marcia Ball and friends Shelley King, Ruthie Foster, Cindy Cashdollar (“the Girl Gang,” says Wonderland), Red Young, Bukka Allen, Kevin Lance, Henri Herbert and Stuart Sullivan. The album was recorded and mixed by Sullivan at Wire Recording in Austin, Texas.
With Truth Is, Carolyn Wonderland stakes her claim among the most influential roots music voices today, delivering the blues’ honest truth to all who will listen. Her courageously empowering music packs an emotional wallop, with every track on the album performed with a rare intensity that is welcoming and ultimately uplifting. “She’s something else,” Bob Dylan once said to Ray Benson. “She should be nationwide.”
Cindy Cashdollar
cindycashdollar.com
Cindy Cashdollar grew up in Woodstock, New York. Cashdollar is an old local family name. Her great-uncle Albert Cashdollar was the Town Supervisor and the family ran Locust Grove Dairy. The whole musical community watched as Cindy’s talent swiftly grew on the Dobro and then lap steel as she played with everyone in town during the late 1970s and ‘80s, The demand for her musical touch led her to touring and performing regionally with local Woodstock luminaries Levon Helm, Rick Danko, bluegrass singer John Herald, blues legend Paul Butterfield, and folk heroes Happy & Artie Traum. However, in 1992 her restless musical quest took her to Nashville where she met and landed a job with America’s premiere Western Swing group Asleep At The Wheel, leading her to Austin. Expanding her instrumental prowess to the steel guitar, Cindy’s taste and style added to the band’s sound as she toured and recorded with them for nine years. During her time with the band she had the chance to collaborate with legends such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton and Lyle Lovett, among others, and won five Grammys. Upon leaving AATW to once again engage in a wider variety of music, the names of those who sought her out and hired her to add fire and sweetness to their music are lifted out of the record books: Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan (on his Grammy winning Time Out of Mind album), Van Morrison, Dave Alvin, John Sebastian, Rod Stewart, Albert Lee, Sonny Landreth, Marcia Ball, Rory Block, Jorma Kaukonen, Leon Redbone, Peter Rowan …and on and on. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Texas Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame, also inducted into the Texas Music Hall Of Fame, and has been a nominee for Instrumentalist Of The Year by the Americana Music Association. In 2022 the revered Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum added Cindy to their “Nashville Cats” roster, which honors side musicians for their contributions to recordings and live performances. (biography by Brian Hollander)
with special guest Cindy Cashdollar
Friday, October 2, 2026
Levon Helm Studios | Woodstock, NY
Carolyn Wonderland
carolynwonderland.com
Carolyn Wonderland, with her dynamic guitar playing, formidable songwriting, and pure Texas vocals, has more than earned her reputation as a fiercely independent artist. Wonderland plays original, bluesified, cosmic soul music, mixed with heavy doses of Tex-Mex and riff-fueled rock ‘n’ roll. She has been performing professionally since the age of 15 and has led a colorful and adventurous life. On the road her entire career, she’s played with icons from Townes Van Zandt to Levon Helm, from Buddy Guy to Hubert Sumlin, from Bob Dylan to John Mayall, all while writing her own story.
On her new Alligator Records album, Truth Is, Wonderland, with her vividly detailed, instantly memorable songs, reflects on the world with honesty and righteous conviction. Wonderland’s bold and insightful songs tell common-sense truths that, in her words, “need to be told.” They are driven by her sometimes savage and other times gently melodic guitar fingerpicking, along with her full-throated yet still vulnerable vocals. As for the album’s brutally honest subject matter, Wonderland says, “There’s always hope and we’re still here for each other, but at some point, you have to sing about the elephant in the room.”
Truth Is is a timeless album for these times. Over the course of the album’s 12 songs—including 10 Wonderland originals and co-writes—Wonderland and her band create lasting musical magic. From the blistering, ear-opening “Sooner Or Later” to the riff-heavy battle cry “I Ain’t Going Back” to the emotional gut-punch of the title track, this is music that commands attention. The poignant, profound and heartbreaking “Let’s Play A Game”, to the swaggeringly bluesy “Whistlin’ Past The Graveyard Again” (“that’s a day in the life of me and my friends,” says Wonderland), to the cathartic closer, “Blues For Gene” (a tribute to her late friend, piano giant Gene Taylor, with Carolyn and album producer Dave Alvin shedding tears as they were recording the track), the songs tell real and relatable stories while running the full gamut of emotions.
On “Wishful Thinking”, Wonderland elegantly sings her Texas heart out, wringing every bit of emotion from her friend Greg Wood’s potent and reflective lyrics. Her version of The Band’s “Orange Juice Blues” shares the same ramshackle, going-for-broke carnival vibe of the “Basement Tapes” original, with Wonderland and her crew turning it all up a notch. Like every song she touches, she makes it her very own. Industry maven Bill Bentley, writing in Americana Highways, said, “Wonderland’s an astounding songwriter…and her ability to totally pull other songs into her own world is the mark of an all-timer. There are no limits to what she can do [with her] powerful vocals and whip-ass guitar playing. It’s clear she isn’t fooling around.”
Truth Is was produced by legendary guitarist and songwriter Dave Alvin (producer of Wonderland’s Alligator debut, Tempting Fate), who also co-wrote four songs, three of which he plays on. Wonderland says of Alvin, “I’ve never had my ass handed to me so thoughtfully in the studio. I came in with songs and Dave took the arrangements I wasn’t married to and put on his “Mad Rearranger” hat to get to the heart of the songs, always looking for and finding something that tells the story better. Dave is amazing. He has an incredible literary mind and is one of the best guitar bashers I’ve ever met.”
Along with bassist Naj Conklin and drummer Giovanni “Nooch” Carnuccio, Wonderland is joined on Truth Is by guests including Alligator labelmate Marcia Ball and friends Shelley King, Ruthie Foster, Cindy Cashdollar (“the Girl Gang,” says Wonderland), Red Young, Bukka Allen, Kevin Lance, Henri Herbert and Stuart Sullivan. The album was recorded and mixed by Sullivan at Wire Recording in Austin, Texas.
With Truth Is, Carolyn Wonderland stakes her claim among the most influential roots music voices today, delivering the blues’ honest truth to all who will listen. Her courageously empowering music packs an emotional wallop, with every track on the album performed with a rare intensity that is welcoming and ultimately uplifting. “She’s something else,” Bob Dylan once said to Ray Benson. “She should be nationwide.”
Cindy Cashdollar
cindycashdollar.com
Cindy Cashdollar grew up in Woodstock, New York. Cashdollar is an old local family name. Her great-uncle Albert Cashdollar was the Town Supervisor and the family ran Locust Grove Dairy. The whole musical community watched as Cindy’s talent swiftly grew on the Dobro and then lap steel as she played with everyone in town during the late 1970s and ‘80s, The demand for her musical touch led her to touring and performing regionally with local Woodstock luminaries Levon Helm, Rick Danko, bluegrass singer John Herald, blues legend Paul Butterfield, and folk heroes Happy & Artie Traum. However, in 1992 her restless musical quest took her to Nashville where she met and landed a job with America’s premiere Western Swing group Asleep At The Wheel, leading her to Austin. Expanding her instrumental prowess to the steel guitar, Cindy’s taste and style added to the band’s sound as she toured and recorded with them for nine years. During her time with the band she had the chance to collaborate with legends such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton and Lyle Lovett, among others, and won five Grammys. Upon leaving AATW to once again engage in a wider variety of music, the names of those who sought her out and hired her to add fire and sweetness to their music are lifted out of the record books: Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan (on his Grammy winning Time Out of Mind album), Van Morrison, Dave Alvin, John Sebastian, Rod Stewart, Albert Lee, Sonny Landreth, Marcia Ball, Rory Block, Jorma Kaukonen, Leon Redbone, Peter Rowan …and on and on. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Texas Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame, also inducted into the Texas Music Hall Of Fame, and has been a nominee for Instrumentalist Of The Year by the Americana Music Association. In 2022 the revered Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum added Cindy to their “Nashville Cats” roster, which honors side musicians for their contributions to recordings and live performances. (biography by Brian Hollander)
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Where is it happening?
160 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock, NY, United States, New York 12498
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherLevon Helm Studios
