PREVIEW: 2026 Season Announcement at Velvet Earth Farm
Photo by Elissa Ebersold
“This year I was able to secure some musicians who I’ve been trying to get for years now.”
With summer approaching (it has to be, right?), the excitement for all of the fun summertime activities and concert series is growing. Case and point: today’s announcement.
Nestled away between the Catskills and Helderberg Mountains sits the DIY-style listening room, Velvet Earth Farm in Medusa, NY. Hosting an annual series of concerts from May to September, the venue announced their 2026 lineup today. In anticipation of the announcement, I spoke with the owner, Dmitriy Bolotony, to chat about what to expect for this season’s programming.
Bolotny and his Velvet Earth Farm are fast becoming staples of the Southern Albany County music scene and beyond. Offering a level of nationally touring acts that you wouldn’t expect to be making stops in a rural area like Medusa, Bolotny provides safe harbor for these musicians who are on tour elsewhere and an opportunity for people to see music that they normally wouldn’t have the chance to. This year he has some really exciting acts coming through the barn.
“I’ve been talking to some musicians who are down, but sometimes it's just about timing of getting them here,” he tells me. “This year I was able to secure some musicians who I’ve been trying to get for years now.”
One of those acts is Brooklyn-based, alt-country band twain, led by musician Mat Davidson, who has collaborated with Big Thief and adjacent solo projects of theirs. They will be playing on Friday, July 10, along with two New Orleans-based acts — Americana band The Desolondes, and string-band Coralai, the latter of which will be performing the annual field concert.
“We always do one field set on the stage I built, usually an acoustic-based act that I think will feel special out there. They’re a string quartet and maybe some of the best musicians I've ever heard.”
Photo by Elissa Ebersold
While Bolotny does like to bring in new bands and musicians who haven’t played the farm, he is always open to bringing back acts, which he’ll be doing this year: New Orleans-based Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars for Bolotny’s birthday show on June 19, who will also be joined by Nashville-based vocalist, Sweet Meg and the incredibly talented local songwriter, John Rice of Rensselaerville. Speaking about the headliners, Bolotny glowed.
“Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars just had a NPR Tiny Desk Concert this year (January 2026) and there’s a lot of buzz around them right now in New Orleans and beyond, so I'm really excited to have them back.”
While there is a heavy pull from New Orleans, the first show of the season will feature international acts from Canada for the first show of the season on Saturday, May 9. Halifax-based duo, Mama’s Broke, brings their brand of folk to the farm. Quebec-based, by way of Nashville and New Orleans, Bosko Baker is also on the bill. His self-described style is “street swing” or “bozo blues.” There will also be Fayetteville-based harpist Jude Brothers and Hudson Valley based The Champagne Poneys will be closing out the night.
“We’ll have a local band that I really like closing out the night. The other acts are duos and more acoustic driven, so we’ll have the full band closing things out.”
Also returning this season will be the award-winning, Schoharie-based Wayward Lane Brewing providing beverage services at Velvet Earth Farm. The award-winning brewery has been partnering with Bolotny regularly since last year. While Bolotny doesn’t drink himself, he does understand that people enjoy it and with Wayward running that aspect it's a win-win.
“They’re down for the cause. No matter how busy they are, they make sure they send someone down here,” he says. “I know people are going to want to drink, so it’s something I don’t have to worry about which is ideal.”
The family-friendly space carries a lot of magic and wonderment — with lineups you won’t see in most other places in a one-of-one setting, the 2026 season is surely going to be hard to top.
For tickets and more information, go to Velvet Earth Farm’s website here or follow @velvetearthfarm on instagram.
