Songs seem to feel a little more alive when sung beside a waterfall.

Under the trees and rushing water of Woodstock Way, the third annual Waterfall Sessions invited listeners into something intimate by design: A shared space where music, place, and community meet in real time.

Presented by Keep Good Company Records in partnership with a network of local Hudson Valley-based organizations and companies, Waterfall Sessions is a summer concert series held at Woodstock Way Hotel, set beside the property’s waterfall in a naturally beautiful setting. Now in its third year, the series has grown into a celebration of independent music, Hudson Valley creativity, and the community that gathers around both – pairing live performance with a special printed zine created for the night.

With this online edition, we’re revisiting the 2026 event after the fact, sharing the conversations and features that helped frame an evening built around songs, friendship, and shared presence.

Ginger Winn and Lost Leaders at Waterfall Sessions III © Brooklyn Zeh

This year’s featured artists, Ginger Winn and Lost Leaders, arrived at Woodstock Way with their own histories.

After two years of the series serving as Winn’s album release celebration, this year’s show became a shared bill, bringing her back together with Byron Isaacs and Peter Cole’s folk rock band for an evening shaped by collaboration, connection, and the energy that can only happen when artists and audience gather close.

Waterfall Sessions III unfolded as exactly that kind of immersive, communal gathering: Ginger Winn kicked things off with a solo set, her songs carrying grief, growth, and gratitude into the open air. Lost Leaders and co. joined her halfway through, bringing an electric energy and rousing harmonies into the mix. Winn then departed the stage as Isaacs and Cole continued to serenade the crowd with their folk rock warmth and wry charm. The concert then concluded with everyone back onstage for a special, spellbinding finale – one that made the waterfall feel less like a backdrop than a living part of the performance.

By the time the last notes faded into the trees, Waterfall Sessions III had made its purpose plain. The series works because it gives songs room to breathe in a place that asks people to listen differently – closer to the artists, closer to the land, and closer to one another.

Before the music began, we asked both acts to reflect on the songs, settings, and creative communities that carried them here. Presented first in print for those gathered at Woodstock Way, the conversation now returns online as both a record of the night and an invitation to revisit the spirit behind it.

Catch up with Ginger Winn and Lost Leaders’ Byron Isaacs and Peter Cole in our interview below, and keep your ears open for Waterfall Sessions IV. The third time really was the charm, but we have a feeling the music will keep flowing.

Ginger Winn, Lost Leaders, and their bandmates © Brooklyn Zeh

A CONVERSATION WITH GINGER WINN & LOST LEADERS

Atwood Magazine: For those just discovering (or rediscovering) you today, what do you want them to know about you and your music?

Ginger Winn: The deepest songs I’ve ever written come from real experiences of loss, lies, and change. “Pants on Fire” and “Train” come from a breakup: from my life in Cape Town, South Africa. I ended up feeling like a liar after telling myself it was forever. Hence, “Pants on Fire.” “To Dad” was written about the unexpected loss of my father in November 2024, which still feels completely unreal and confuses me every day. In both scenarios, music was the only way I could get my feelings out and start to heal.

Byron Isaacs: A fellow at one of the venues we played recently said we sounded like all the music he liked listening to, mixed together in a new way.

Peter Cole: Like alternative and classic rock.

Byron Isaacs: And Brit Pop and stone-cold country and Americana and all of it. Long ago, when we were starting our project that became Lost Leaders, we said we wanted to make the album no one had made that we always wanted to listen to.

For folks who want to go a little deeper, can you recommend a personal highlight from your catalog – and tell us why that song feels especially meaningful to you?

Peter Cole: I would point them to the Jealous Sun EP because I feel like that’s a particularly good synthesis of all the things we do best.

Byron Isaacs: I’m a basic bitch when it comes to Lost Leaders, and I have three favorites: I’m Gonna Win, Long Way Down, and Take Heart.

Waterfall Sessions is built around music, place, and community. What do you look for in a creative community, and what makes a gathering like this feel special to you?

Ginger Winn: Moving to Kingston at the end of 2024, I saw a community that was unlike anything I’d experienced before. I truly felt the word “community.” The artistic community in Kingston and the Hudson Valley became the best place for me to heal and grow. People here genuinely support each other. From sustainable fashion shows to communal collage nights, and everything in between, including my favorite, ConnectHV, there’s a way to connect with everyone.

Byron Isaacs: Personally I look for creative people from many different disciplines, media, genres who are all actively checking out each other’s work and collaborating.

Peter Cole: I look for support and mutual inspiration.

Byron Isaacs at Waterfall Sessions III © Brooklyn Zeh

Peter Cole at Waterfall Sessions III © Brooklyn Zeh

What can people expect from your set at this year’s Waterfall Sessions – whether in sound, spirit, energy, or feeling?

Ginger Winn: This year I’m focusing on the color green. For me, green means growth and healing. Last year, the loss of my dad was so fresh that the Waterfall Sessions felt unreal. This year, I can start seeing the little leaves growing from the ash. I want this year to reflect the growth I’ve experienced from the community I’ve gained in the Hudson Valley. I can truly say that everyone here has individually helped me through what will hopefully be the most difficult time of my life, and I want to say thank you by giving them an incredible show. This year, we’re bringing back my personal favorite part of the show, Chris Pasin on trumpet, and Will Bryant on keys. Both have played both shows and we’ve recorded together as well.

And of course most importantly, getting to play with Lost Leaders for the third time. We had so much fun together at The Falcon and Park Theater. Our sounds and energy just blend and I know the audience will love it. This will be an energetic, deep, emotional show that you don’t want to miss.

Peter Cole: Volume.

Byron Isaacs: Profanity and nudity. But seriously, we’re excited to be collaborating with Ginger Winn again, which is always fun. And undoubtedly the picturesque setting will inform the music in ways both subtle and visceral.

This event brings artists and listeners together in a more intentional, intimate setting. How does performing in that kind of environment change the way you connect with your songs and with the audience?

Ginger Winn: Being with everyone under the trees and beside the rushing waterfall at Woodstock Way creates a sense of grounding. So much so that you can even sit on the grass and touch the earth while listening. I can’t really describe what makes the night so special, but it’s something you can only experience when you’re there in the moment.

Peter Cole: In an intimate, smaller space you get more immediate feedback from the audience and that makes you dig in more.

Since this zine is also celebrating the music that has shaped the year: What is your favorite song or album from 2026 so far?

Ginger Winn: I’ve really enjoyed The Great Divide: The Last of the Bugs by Noah Kahan. His album Stick Season was something I listened to on repeat when I first moved back to the US feeling very unsettled. His voice alone is very comforting to me.

Peter Cole: I am still listening to Lily Allen’s West End Girl, but that’s 2025.

Byron Isaacs: I’m going to shamelessly plug Atalanta, the soundtrack to the movie Run, since we produced it. It’s coming out soon!

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