For the Sake of the Song: A Celebration of Townes Van Zandt

For the Sake of the Song: A Celebration of Townes Van Zandt & the Texas Bunch | Live at Cafe Wha? | Mon, Dec 29th | 5PM Doors, 6PM Show

Café Wha? – December 29
Doors: 5:00 PM |Show: 6:00 PM

Café Wha? pays tribute to one of America’s most poetic and enduring songwriters — Townes Van Zandt — and to the remarkable circle of Texas troubadours who helped shape a generation of music and storytelling.

Join Mark Ettinger, David Massengill, Bert Lee, Fabio Fantuzzi, and Mia Vongsavang, along with special guests, for an intimate evening of songs and stories. In the heart of Greenwich Village, where so many of Townes’s friends and followers found their voice, we’ll revisit the aching beauty of Tecumseh Valley, the raw poetry of Pancho and Lefty, and the bittersweet grace of To Live Is to Fly — keeping alive the spirit of the man who wrote them, and the community he inspired.

Guests:

David Massengill – American folk singer-songwriter and Appalachian dulcimer virtuoso. His songs have been recorded by Joan Baez, The Roches, and Jack Hardy. A protégé of Dave Van Ronk — who said Massengill was among the few who could “take the dull out of dulcimer” — David carries forward the storytelling spirit that connects Greenwich Village to Texas’s songwriter tradition.

Mark Ettinger – Composer, conductor, teacher, and multi-instrumentalist. Mark has played piano with Bo Diddley, sung with The Bobs, conducted the Cincinnati Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, taught at the Mannes College of Music, and toured for over fifteen years with the Flying Karamazov Brothers. A true musical polymath, his performances blend humor, depth, and virtuosic grace.

Bert Lee – A cornerstone of the New York songwriting scene, Bert has performed both solo and as part of Richard, Cam and Bert and The Central Park Sheiks. His intricate guitar style and expressive vocals have made him a fixture among Village songwriters. As composer Andrea Clearfield writes: “Bert has a unique gift for writing songs that embody the poignancy and beauty of our human experience.”

Mia Vongsavang – One of the rising voices of New York’s new folk revival, Mia is known for her powerful vocals and for building a vibrant community around the legendary Music Inn, where she collaborates with many of the Village’s contemporary artists and storytellers.

Fabio Fantuzzi – Scholar, songwriter, and curator, Fabio is the author of Bob Dylan and the Arts and Norman Raeben (1901–1978): The Wandering Painting. His work bridges research and performance, weaving together stories and songs rooted in the Village’s creative legacy. His collaborations include Bert Lee, Christine Lavin, Elijah Wald, Erik Frandsen, and others who keep the folk spirit alive across generations.

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