Boccherini’s Coffee & Tea offers music, open-mike night and even Battleship

By Heather Crabtree
The Entertainer

ALBANY — Walking into Boccherini’s Coffee & Tea House on First Avenue is like stepping into another world. The aroma of coffee beans and spices whirl through the air, and you can picture yourself standing in the homeland of those beans and herbs.

Then you return to reality and grab your favorite latte, mocha or tea, and perhaps some food before settling in at one of the many green tables in the homey establishment. One word comes to mind when you finally find the perfect niche in the small interior: Peace.

What’s cool about Boccherini’s is that your niche never seems to get disrupted even when live bands perform from 8 to 10 every Friday and Saturday night.

Take bigger clubs, for example, that are equipped with stages and a large area for the crowd to stomp. The sheer magnitude of the music makes it difficult to do anything but pay attention to the band and pray your hearing is still intact.

Boccherini’s small size opens it up to let the patron enjoy the atmosphere. You can just as easily surf the Wi-Fi network in the coffee and tea house and bob your head to the music, as you can carry on a conversation with your best friend — and better yet, the band.

“I think it’s more intimate for listeners (because it’s small),” said Wendy Kirbey, who owns Boccherini’s with her husband, Gordon. “Some of the artists don’t like it because we are smaller, but the artists keep coming back.”

Since Boccherini’s opened 13 years ago, the Kirbeys have offered live entertainment, displayed art from mid-valley artists, and gradually added the “little” things to make people smile.

The little things have included everything from crayons and coloring supplies, and games such as Yatzee and Battleship, to five daily papers.

“When we were cleaning out the cupboards, Gordon said, ‘Let’s take them down,’ ” Wendy said. “They get used every day. People come and play chess. When we brought the games down, it really took off. So now, when pieces go missing, we replace them.”

The Kirbeys have a something-for-everyone attitude, and keeping with that tradition they started an open mike night from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays with Chris Arellano and Lisa Landucci, who also play the venue the last Saturday of every month.

“It’s a great opportunity for little kids or people who want to sing just one or two songs,” Wendy said. “We really like the idea of having a place where young kids can come and perform, and old people, young and in between.”

The Kirbeys also have an art coordinator and a music coordinator to keep artists’ work up on their walls, and musicians performing on weekends.

“We like to provide something for the community that’s just a little different than you can find elsewhere,” she said.

Bocc’s to the future

Friday, Jan. 27: Tom Houser — Blues, swing & rags; harmonica/ guitar/ vocals.

Saturday, Jan. 28: Chris Arellano & Lisa Landucci — Traditional American; guitar/ vocals.

Friday, Feb. 3: Glenn Falkenberg — Period music, harp and hammered dulcimer.

Saturday, Feb. 4: Aric Riley — Traditional finger-style acoustic blues.

Friday, Feb. 10: The Kindreds — Country folk trio, guitars/ mandolin/ vocals.

Saturday, Feb. 11: Fred Towne, Rita Brown — Sharing show, blues/ folk/ originals, vocals/ guitars.

Friday, Feb. 17: Chris Estes — Acoustic blues, guitar/ harmonica/vocals.

Saturday, Feb. 18: Luke Medina — acoustic Rock, guitar/ vocals.

Friday, Feb. 24: Bob Dylan’s Grandmother — Dylan covers, folk/ rock, originals; guitar/ bass/ vocals.

Saturday, Feb. 25: Chris Arellano & Lisa Landucci — Traditional American, guitar/ vocals.