Anthony da Costa at the Postcrypt Folk Festival

For the second year in a row, Columbia University's Postcrypt Coffeehouse wrapped up its season with an outdoor folk festival this past Sunday. (Back in the day -- before my time -- the Postcrypt was affiliated with a Columbia event known as the Furnald Folk Festival. I'm not sure if the current Postcrypt festival organizers are aware that they are following in this tradition.)

Allan, Alison and I arrived for the final two sets of the festival -- and my friend Julia joined us, too. I'd like to say that we were paying close attention to Chuck E. Costa's set, but we simply weren't. We were sitting in the shade, a little ways back from the stage, and enjoying the folk festival atmosphere.

When Anthony da Costa took the stage, however, we moved in for a better view and a better listen.

Anthony opened with Dan Bern's terrific song "Jerusalem" with its stabbing opening and closing stanza:

When I tell you that I love you,
Don't test my love,
Accept my love.
Don't test my love
'Cause maybe I don't love you all that much.

Then he went into his own "Devil's Won Again" and "Okemah Sunrise" before offering up a new love song with the repeated lyric 'I'll be your river valley / If you'll be my mountain range.' "Upstate Living" followed next, much to Allan's delight.

Collaborator Abbie Gardner joined him for a cover song and then "Note" from their Bad Nights/Better Days disc.

Then Anthony played a song about turning 16 that he hopes to get into the soundtrack for the television show My Super Sweet 16. At the time, we were convinced that we would be singing the chorus for a few days. At the moment, I'm afraid I don't remember it.

As an unusual closer -- the Postcrypt staff were folding up tables around the plaza -- Emilyn Brodsky joined Anthony on stage for a duet version of Leonard Cohen's "Chelsea Hotel."