Preview: Joy Clark, then Buggy Jive on Friday; Andrea von Kampen Saturday

Singer-songwriters tag-team Friday at Caffe Lena in a rare two-artist, two-set format; Albany’s Buggy Jive opens, Louisiana’s Joy Clark closes.

They’re well-matched in expression as exploration, self-examination as bold reaches for the universal.

Home-schooled, the youngest of five in a devout family, Clark first sang and played guitar at church in tiny Harvey, Louisiana. Turning her music-making muse inward on leaving for college in New Orleans, she built her place in the world as a gay Black woman, a place onstage as background singer with Cyril Neville of the famous brothers and Allison Russell’s Rainbow Coalition that shared stages with Brandi Carlisle and the Indigo Girls. Carlisle describes Clark as “a brilliant artist, writer, and singer.” 

Takes one to hail one – and Russell plays here on March 28 in Caffe Lena’s Peak Jazz Series.

Joy Clark. Photo provided

On her debut album “Tell it to the Wind,” Clark worked with Grammy-nominated producer Margaret Becker, exploring and expressing a search for herself. She found, “There’s room for all of us and the world is only made more beautiful when we all shine as our unique selves.” The album, she explains, “is my story of how I learned to shine, and I hope that it might encourage others to stand out as their whole, true selves too.”

Her sound is cozily folkie and compact, her clear voice conveying sincerity and ease in her search and discovery. And the album also boasts former Prince and the Revolution keyboardist Lisa Coleman in a guest keyboard spot.

Buggy Jive. Photo provided

On Buggy Jive’s Eddies-nominated Music Video of the Year “What Do Y’all Know About Shakespeare?” four of him play and sing together through video magic, all costumed as if Shakespeare wore Chucks and an explosive ‘do.

The punchline of the video slyly suggests the song would work better solo – and that’s how Buggy Jive will play Friday. It’s also how he played opening slots for Macy Gray and Ben Folds, an Official Showcase slot at the recent Folk Alliance meet-up in New Orleans and an NPR Tiny Desk concert, winning Top Pick honors. For a guy who describes himself as reclusive, he gets around.

His “Shakespeare” video is just one of his four Eddies nominations, a record. “Shakespeare” is from “Icarus Rising,” an Album of the Year nominee. He’s released five albums, three EPs and three singles; several recorded live, underlining his onstage power as a funky mix of soul, rock and story-telling. He cites Led Zeppelin, Prince and Joni Mitchell as inspirations, and honors them all by himself.

Joy Clark and Buggy Jive perform Friday in Caffe Lena’s Momentum Series, sponsored by Joseph and Luann Conlon in honor of Thom O’Neil. 8 p.m., doors 7:30. $27.11 member, $30.37 general $15.18 children and students. Streaming at Caffe Lena TV. 518-583-0022 http://www.caffelena.org.

Another Caffe regular series, its Bright series for emerging talents, presents singer-songwriter Andrea von Kampen on Saturday with her trio. 

Andrea von Kampen. Photo provided

The time is right – troubled and terrifying – for her protest songs to hit with both musical and moral force. These days she sings protest songs of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, plus her own originals on her handful of albums and EPs including “Sister Moon” (2024) and more recent “Before I Buy a Gun.” 

The New York Times praised von Kampen as “a fine singer with guitar work reminiscent of the cult hero Nick Drake.”

The Nebraska-born von Kampen expresses often-tough truths in a lovely clear voice that also lets hope shine through. Like both Joy Clark and Buggy Jive Friday, von Kampen has impressive tour-opener credits: Punch Brothers, Wood Brothers, Tallest Man on Earth and Trampled by Turtles. Like Buggy Jive, she also played an NPR Tiny Desk concert. 8 p.m., doors 7:30. $21.69 members, $23.86 general, $11.93 children and students