Green Wood Coffee House Event Listings

Tickets $15

You haven’t heard “Pinball Wizard” or “People Are Strange” until you’ve heard it played on jugs and “various other sundries.” Jug band music is blues, ragtime, swing and jazz combined in a strange concoction spawned in Loiusville, home of the Juggernaut Jug Band. Jug bands flourished in towns along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in the 1920s and 1930s. Today, as then, a jug band is the ultimate party band. The Juggernauts have been featured on the Today Show and radio’s “Dr. Demento Show.” Their current CD isYou Mean We Get Paid For This

www.juggernautjugband.com/

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Tickets $12

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Reverend Robert Jones, Sr. is a singer, storyteller and self taught multi-instrumentalist. He uses folk, blues, spirituals and other American Roots music to champion the beauty and power of our shared culture.  A lifelong Detroiter, Rev. Jones has been performing professionally for nearly 30 years for festivals, schools, civil rights organizations and churches. He has been a performer, musician, storyteller, radio producer/host and music educator. He has opened for and played with some of the finest musicians in the world.  Still, Robert considers his greatest honor to be his call to the gospel of ministry.

Jones was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1956.  His father was from Mississippi and his mother hailed from Alabama;  consequently, Robert grew up in Detroit in a very Southern household.  Early on Robert Jones fell under the influence of his maternal grandmother’s record collection.  He grew up listening to and loving a wide variety of music, especially the blues.

By the age of 17 Robert had already amassed a record collection of early blues and begun to teach himself guitar and harmonica.  By his mid twenties Robert was hosting an award winning radio show on WDET-FM, Detroit called “Blues From The Lowlands”.  Concentrating primarily on traditional acoustic blues, Robert started performing at some of Detroit’s best music venues including the Soup Kitchen Saloon, The Ark and Sully’s.  Those early venues led to a touring career that included tours throughout Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Influenced by legendary bluesman Willie Dixon, Robert developed an educational program called, “Blues For Schools.”  This program has taken him into classrooms all over the country. www.revrobertjones.com

Tickets $12

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Shari and Dave first met in the summer of 1991, crossing paths as performing blues musicians: Shari was the partner of harmonica legend, Madcat Ruth, (Madcat & Kane), while Dave was leading the electric blues band, Big Dave and the Ultrasonics. A happy marriage, thousands of miles of touring, and twenty years later, they’ve recorded their first CD as a duo.

Friends, neighbors, fellow musicians and fans have asked over the years, “When are you two going to start playing together?” The truth is, they’ve been playing together since their first date. In many ways their playing has developed side by side, listening to and learning from great acoustic blues guitarists from the past – Reverend Gary Davis, Robert Johnson, Blind Blake, Robert Lockwood Jr. to name just a few. Whether stomping out a blues on the front porch, deciphering a rag in the basement, or swinging on a lazy day in the back yard, they’ve been finding ways to put guitar parts together for years.

As an acoustic blues duo, Shari and Dave throw a four handed guitar party of original and time-honored blues, gospel, swing and ragtime. Steeped in Dave’s smoky vocals, percussive rhythm and innovative lead lines, Shari’s crisp picking style, rootsy leads, and stinging slidework, their music has been described as “street swing and stomp blues,” – like a testament to sounds once heard on the streets of Harlem, the juke joints of Mississippi, or from the jug bands of Memphis.

Shari Kane started playing guitar at the age of five. By the early 1970′s she had become a devoted blues fan, and learned how to play fingerstyle blues on the acoustic guitar. When she was sixteen, she began teaching guitar. She continues to teach, offering workshops in many of the cities where she performs.

Shari’s many years spent studying the work of the Delta Blues masters can be heard nightly as she picks up her acoustic guitar. Throwing herself into a stinging Robert Johnson interpretation, a jumping Robert Junior Lockwood shuffle, or the intricate fingerstylings of Reverend Gary Davis and Mississippi John Hurt, Shari’s mastery of the acoustic tradition is apparent.

In 1990, she began touring with harmonica legend Peter Madcat Ruth. The two recorded four CDs and played in venues nationwide as well as Spain, Brazil, Poland, Canada and the Cayman Islands.

An accomplished slide player, she appears on Rory Block’s 1992 release, Ain’t I A Woman. As a guitarist with considerable versatility, Shari is emerging as one of the country’s finest Blueswomen.

Dave Steele first began performing as a barroom acoustic solo guitarist and singer while attending Allegheny College in Northwest Pennsylvania in the 1970’s. During the 80’s, Steele expanded his interest to electric blues, as a founding member of the Zipper City Blues Band. After seven years as a popular regional act, Steele moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan where he formed and led the popular blues band Big Dave and the Ultrasonics. The band featured his big-voiced singing and sly lead guitar work as they swung throughout the U.S. and Canada 150 nights a year, regularly lighting up blues clubs like Buddy Guy’s Legends and the Zoo Bar, while making main stage appearances at festivals like the Montreal Jazz Fest and repeat performances at Portland Waterfront Blues Festival. After four recordings, (the final one on the Burnside label,) the Ultrasonics disbanded.

Steele took a break from performing at the turn on the century, but continued to play at home with Shari. Steele brings a basket of guitar influences to the partnership- single note lines inspired by B. B. King and Charlie Christian, acoustic ragtime and blues fingerpicking, and rhythm guitar, ala Count Basie accompanist Freddie Green – that mesh seamlessly with his wife’s dynamic fingerstyle and slide playing.

http://sharianddaveblues.com/

Tickets $17--CANCELLED--DUE TO WEATHER (NO FLIGHTS OUT OF MINNEAPOLIS)

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Peter Mayer’s songs are fresh and unique, earthy and intimate. His welcoming voice and inventive guitar work provide the perfect vehicle for his down-home wisdom and a sweep of themes that includes Buddha, Jesus, Columbus, Isaac Newton and…Harley Davidson.

Peter began playing the guitar and writing songs when he was in high school. He studied theology and music in college, then spent two years in seminary. After deciding that the priesthood wasn’t for him, he took a part-time job as a church music director for 8 years, while performing at clubs and colleges and writing and recording his music. In 1995 he quit his job and started touring full-time. Since then, Peter has gradually gained a dedicated, word-of-mouth following, selling out shows from Minnesota to Texas, New England to California. He has 9 CDs to his credit and has sold over 50,000 of them independently.

Peter’s annual visits to Green Wood attract large audiences, often selling out. Get your tickets early!

“There are at least a dozen Peter Mayer songs that I would love to learn, myself, but I could never play them as well as he does.” — David Wilcox

“I’m a huge Peter Mayer fan, but only when I don’t feel like killing him for being so good. I love Peter’s work, though it irritates me that he plays so much better than I do.” — Janis Ian

http://www.petermayer.net/

Tickets $15

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Lee Murdock has uncovered a boundless body of music and stories in the Great Lakes. There is an amazing timelessness in this music. Great Lakes songs are made of hard work, hard living, ships that go down and ships that come in. The music is grounded in the work song tradition from the rugged days of lumberjacks and wooden sailing schooners. Murdock comes alongside with ballads of contemporary commerce and revelry in the grand folk style. Lee's fans have discovered a sweetwater treasure in his songs about the Great Lakes, finding drama and inspiration in the lives of sailors and fishermen, lighthouse keepers, ghosts, shipwrecks, outlaws and everyday heroes. With a deeper understanding of the folk process, Lee combines historical research and contemporary insights to make folk music for the modern era. His work is a documentary and also an anthem to the people who live, work, learn and play along the shores of the Great Lakes today.
Since 1980, Lee has released eighteen albums and three books with accompanying CDs. His latest CD release is Here We'll Stand.

www.LeeMurdock.com

Tickets $15

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John Flynn sings from the heart. His powerful songs of humanity and hope are deeply rooted in the traditions of Woody Guthrie and Phil Ochs. From barbed political verse to joyous fun-loving lyrics for kids, John paints vivid, lasting images with words and music, drawn from a palate of awareness, irony, humor and compassion. John began writing professionally in 1980 after graduating from Temple University with a degree in political science. A staff writing contract with Combine Music and a Billboard Magazine Top Forty country recording of his song "Rainbows and Butterflies" by Billy Swann ("I Can Help") established John in the heart of Nashville's Music Row. Flynn's songs eventually transcended the boundaries of country music. He moved back home to Philadelphia, where he continued writing with his own style. This proved successful and John's songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as Chris LeDoux, Ronny Redman, Full Frontal Folk and Ronny Cox. In the early 90's Flynn performed heavily in and around Philadelphia where his CDs received extensive airplay on AAA radio giant WXPN. His first main-stage appearance at the 1995 Philadelphia Folk Festival cemented John's reputation as a dynamic original contemporary folk artist. Songs that Flynn wrote for his own four children became the basis of two highly-acclaimed family CDs. John appears regularly on the Peabody Award-winning children's radio program, "Kid's Corner" and has been featured in New York City's Madison Square Kids' Series. Flynn's first national release was John Flynn. It hit Top 20 on the Americana charts. A live album, To The Point, followed. In the new millenium, John began to speak and write about social justice issues, and his newest CDs reflect that change. 2004's Dragon proudly features backing vocals by Kris Kristofferson. The track, "Angel Dawson" was included in the 2005 season finale of TV's Joan of Arcadia. John's songs, "Blink," "Put Your Freedom Where Your Mouth Is," and "There's No Them There" are featured in the 2008 Robert Corna documentary Tiny Tears. The film looks at the global epidemic of pediatric HIV/AIDS. Tiny Tears premiered at the United Nations and then screened at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2005, Arlo Guthrie invited John to join his post-Katrina "Train To New Orleans Tour." Arlo says of John, "More than just a good songwriter, performer or guitar player, John Flynn is a friend because he actually does the kinds of things to make the world a little better." Off the road John enjoys time home in Delaware with his family. He volunteers with a men's discussion group in a Delaware maximum security prison. He is a devoted supporter of Camp Dreamcatcher, an organization providing a safe haven for children living with HIV/AIDS. With only an old Martin D-28 and harmonica for accompaniment, John's compelling songs, strong voice and open heart are turning strangers into believers and believers into friends. John's latest recording is of End The Beginning. www.johnflynn.net

Tickets $12

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Harmony Bones is a quartet of long-time veterans of the Ann Arbor folk music scene. The band consists of Jeanne Mackey, Tom Voiles, Linda Teaman, and Laz Slomovits. The name Harmony Bones comes from an acupuncture point that harmonizes imbalances and promotes clear thinking, seeing, and hearing.

Jeanne, Tom, Linda and Laz have joined forces to explore a wide range of traditional, contemporary and original folk songs. Rich vocal harmonies and an array of instruments -- guitar, mandolin, flute, pennywhistle, fiddle, banjo, percussion, sitar -- combine to make Harmony Bones.

Singer/songwriter Jeanne Mackey offers a blend of emotional intensity, wry humor, and global consciousness. In addition to original tunes, her repertoire ranges from Dar Williams to Patsy Cline, from Pete Seeger to Irving Berlin. A seasoned guitarist, she draws on a variety of styles -- folk, classic swing, funky blues, and more -- with the occasional sprinkle of mandolin, accordion, or banjo. Mackey rocked the 1970s East Coast topical music circuit as a young musician advocating feminist values and social justice.  In 2010, Mackey created "Drop The Knife: A Memoir-in-Song," an evening of original songs and stories exploring the meaning of homeland, curses, death, and magic.

Linda Teaman and Tom Voiles do much of their singing and playing with Nutshell, an Ann Arbor-based Celtic roots band. Nutshell plays for contra-dances and performs at festivals across North America.

Linda is a singer who brings depth of understanding, warmth and sensitivity to the music. In 2005, her graduation recital for a degree in k-12 choral music had her singing in five languages, encompassing musical forms such as Irish sean nos singing and Italian and German arias by composers Purcell, Mozart and Brahms. She leads the Rudolf Steiner Community Singers, a small choir that sings uncommon Christmas and seasonal songs of celebration.  She hopes you'll forgive her classical background and that she is redeemed by her love of folk music.  In addition to vocals, she adds light percussion to the mix.

Tom consumes a well-rounded musical diet that ranges from Celtic to Indian to rock and roll. He enjoys mixing different styles while maintaining a respect for the traditions from which they spring. Tom has studied North Indian Classical music, Moroccan folk drumming and western classical flute. He has worked with performance artists, dancers, mimes and poets, including Hosain Mosavat, Gerry the Fool, Matthew Smith, ML Liebler and the Magic Poetry Band.

Laz Slomovits is one of the twin brothers in Ann Arbor’s nationally-known children’s music duo, Gemini. A fine singer and multi-instrumentalist, Laz is starting his 41st year playing music. His songs are featured in songbooks used by music teachers throughout the country, and Gemini's recordings have won numerous awards. In addition, Laz has had a notable solo career. In his solo work, Laz is best known for his powerful musical settings of the poetry of ancient Sufi mystics Rumi and Hafiz, as well as that of contemporary American poets. He is currently at work on new recordings for both children and adults, as well as a musical play that will be produced by Wild Swan Theater in its upcoming season.

FREE

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All About Eve (Katie Geddes, Deb Wood and David Vaughn, with Dan Reynolds on guitar) and Michael Krieger present the story of Good Friday, told through the music of Indigo Girls, Natalie Merchant and Andrew Lloyd Webber, along with scripture and prayer. 30 min service; repeats at 7:30pm and 8pm. Enter at any time.

(Worship service; no admission charge.)

Tickets $15

Nashville-based artist and Wrensong Publishing writer Sally Barris has managed to be successful in the mainstream world of country music without giving up her folk and Celtic roots. Her unique style, influenced by artists such as Tony Rice, Dougie Maclean and Richard Thompson, is what makes her stand out in a city known for “cookie cutter” talent. Her songwriting highlights include, “Let The Wind Chase You” (Trisha Yearwood), “Reluctant Daughter” (Martina McBride), “Some Things I Know” (Lee Ann Womack), “I’m On My Way” (Kellie Pickler), “The Innocent Years” (Kathy Mattea) and “Honeysuckle Sweet” (Jessi Alexander), which was featured in the Miramax film, “An Unfinished Life.”  The Minnesota native is currently on tour with her fourth CD, Wilder Girl.

“Sally Barris has a voice like sparkling crystal. You could have knocked me over with a feather the first time I heard her. Her writing is from a deep, yet innocent, place and her point of view is just a bit off center. I am excited for her; she is standing at the beginning of her journey in this town, with all of it ahead of her. It reminds me of the first time I heard Beth Nielson-Chapman or Nanci Griffith. It’s going to be fun to watch.” – Kathy Mattea    www.sallybarris.com

Tickets $17

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Back by popular demand! Don White combines heartfelt, serious lyrics with side-splitting laughs to provide an evening not to be forgotten. This Massachusetts comedian/singer/songwriter/author is best-known in these parts for his radio gems, “Rascal,” “Psycho Mom and Dad” and “I Know What Love Is.” In 2009 Don released Christine Lavin and Don White Live At The Ark — The Father’s Day Concert, two hours of hysterical songs and stories recorded in June of 2009 from these two veteran performers, with guest appearances by Matt Watroba and Katie Geddes. This recording is available only as an MP3 download here. Don’s latest release is Winning Streak. A Don White show promises to delight new audiences and devoted “repeat offender” fans, alike. www.donwhite.net

Tickets $20

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At Woodstock, as a New York kid barely known outside the coffeehouse circuit in Greenwich Village, she sang her song, "Beautiful People" and inspired the first panorama of candles and cigarette lighters ever raised at a concert event. That, in turn, moved the young singer to write "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain"), which sold more than one million copies in 1970 and prompted Billboard, Cashbox, Melody Maker, Record World, and Bravo to anoint her as female vocalist of the year. Her single, "Brand New Key," topped the charts in 1971.
With guitar in hand and a combination of amazing vocal talent, disarming humor, and a vibrant engagement with life, she was booked as the first solo pop/rock artist ever to appear at the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Metropolitan Opera House, and later opened the New Metropolitan Opera House in New York, the Sydney Opera House, and in the General Assembly of the United Nations, where she was invited to perform on many occasions as delegates greeted her performances with standing ovations.

The top television hosts of all time -- Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson, and Dick Cavett -- battled to book her.

UNICEF made her its spokesperson; Jimi Hendrix's father introduced her to the multitude assembled for the twentieth anniversary of Woodstock. Her records continued to sell -- more than eighty million to date. She's had her songs covered by singers as diverse as Cher, Dolly Parton, and Macy Gray. She's raised a family, won an Emmy, opened a restaurant, and written a musical about Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.

This is a rare opportunity to experience Melanie live and in person in an intimate venue. Don't miss it!

www.melaniesafka.com

Tickets $15

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Yes, THE Michael Johnson, singer of the smash hit singles, "Bluer Than Blue," "This Night Won't Last Forever," "That's That," and other landmark songs. Michael started playing at age 13; studied classical guitar in Barcelona; in 1968 joined the Chad Mitchell Trio with John Denver, touring for a year; and in 1969 toured for a year with the company of "Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris." In addition to his pop radio hits of the 1970's and '80's, he racked up top singles on the country charts with "Give Me Wings" and "The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder." Michael's recent recordings feature duet partners Nanci Griffith and Alison Krauss. His music shows a diversity, depth and heart that only come from years of dedication to a labor of love. His amazing guitar work, humor and showmanship will make for a very special evening. Bring a friend! Michael's latest CD is "Moonlight Deja Vu." 

http://www.mjblue.com/

Tickets $12

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Chuck Mitchell started singing in Detroit folk clubs in the 1960s. In Toronto, on his first out of town gig, he met Canadian songwriter Joni Anderson. They married, and as a duo Chuck and Joni Mitchell played the coffeehouse circuit, and gin rummy, until they divorced in 1968. Mitchell's credits include A Prairie Home Companion and repertory theatre in Texas and in England. He has played Harold Hill in The Music Man and Woody Guthrie in Woody Guthrie's American Song. Most recently, he wrote and produced Mr. Foster & Mr. Twain, in which Stephen Foster joins Mark Twain for an evening of story and song. A Chuck Mitchell's show combines his seasoned skills as an actor, singer and guitarist with a selection of delightful material. He sings cabaret songs by Brecht and Weil -- "Mack the Knife" and "The Bilbao Song" -- and whimsical songs by Flanders & Swann -- "The Gnu" and "Have Some Madeira, M'dear". He roves the room singing "Freeborn Man" by Ewan McColl, or "Necessity" from Finian's Rainbow. He weaves poetry by Robert Frost and T.S. Eliot into his shows. He has been called a renaissance man, and thinks he is old enough to be one.
www.mitchellsong.com

Tickets $12

Kat is one of the most accomplished guitarists and singer/songwriters in the folk, Celtic and traditional music genres. Elating, moving, and amusing audiences with her beautiful blend of sweet melodies, gentle honesty and searing humor, Kat's music reflects a wide range of life's experiences with unusual clarity and authority.

In a clear alto with flawless intonation, Kat Eggleston goes straight to the lyrical and emotional truth of every word and every note. Her musings on home, childhood, and her father's garden are gems of direct, unassuming plain spokenness. Her narratives push hard at our senses and demand we return again and again to pick up the pieces we dropped on first hearing, expanding our comprehension of difficult, personal and universal experience.

Kat has released five CDs to date, three of which are available from Waterbug Music, one from Redwing Music, and the most recent,Speak, as an independent release. Kat has also just released a duet CD, Lost and Found, with Kate MacLeod.

www.kateggleston.com

Tickets $12

A David Barrett concert rocks you with gentle humor, then rolls you with the rhythm of the sea.  A consummate performer, Barrett weaves the music together with stories of life on the road, of children and criminals, golf and baseball, and the things hound dogs would say if they could talk.

David's latest album, It’s a Long, Long Story, is a lot more than a compendium of ten new David Barrett songs. It's a crash course in sunsets, innocence, lost love, high comedy and the physics of life. It'll take you there and back, cradled safely in melody. The album is beautiful, understated and true.

www.davidbarrett.com

Tickets $17

Peter Mayer's songs are fresh and unique, earthy and intimate. His welcoming voice and inventive guitar work provide the perfect vehicle for his down-home wisdom and a sweep of themes that includes Buddha, Jesus, Columbus, Isaac Newton and...Harley Davidson.

Peter began playing the guitar and writing songs when he was in high school. He studied Theology and music in college, then spent two years in seminary. After deciding that the priesthood wasn't for him, he took a part-time job as a church music director for 8 years, while performing at clubs and colleges and writing and recording his music. In 1995 he quit his job and started touring full-time. Since then, Peter has gradually gained a dedicated, word-of-mouth following, selling out shows from Minnesota to Texas, New England to California. He has 8 CDs to his credit and has sold over 50,000 of them independently.

Peter's annual visits to Green Wood attract large audiences, often selling out. Get your tickets early!

“There are at least a dozen Peter Mayer songs that I would love to learn, myself, but I could never play them as well as he does.” — David Wilcox

“I’m a huge Peter Mayer fan, but only when I don’t feel like killing him for being so good. I love Peter’s work, though it irritates me that he plays so much better than I do.” — Janis Ian

http://www.petermayer.net/

Tickets $15

Small Potatoes is Jacquie Manning and Rich Prezioso. They describe their music as "Celtic to cowboy," and say it's taken them "years of careful indecision" to develop a mix of music ranging from country, blues and swing to Irish ballads. You'll hear two great voices, fine guitar playing and a touch of tin whistle, flute, mandolin and bodhran. Small Potatoes' award-winning songwriting, close harmony and warm rapport with the audience makes for a wonderful evening. Their latest album is Christmas In The Cabin.

www.smallpotatoesmusic.com

Tickets $15

Jeremy Horn grew up in Memphis -- "Home of the Blues" and "Birthplace of Rock and Roll" -- but his music sounds more like the Beatles than B.B. King or Elvis.  He writes songs for the church and songs for the radio, yet his songs are more complex than either has traditionally allowed.  He lives in a city that is known as much for its racial unrest and inner-city violence as it is for being the place Elvis called home, yet he leads worship at one of the largest multicultural churches in the South, where half the congregation is African-American. When you meet Jeremy, he looks and sounds just like the "guy next door" -- if the guy next door has a traditional southern drawl.  Making music has preoccupied  Jeremy Horn ever since he received his first guitar at age fifteen. Growing up on the sounds of James Taylor and the Beatles, Jeremy spent most of his early years emulating the sounds and songwriting styles of the popular culture. "I used to write songs about social injustices in the world," says Horn. After a few years and conversations with a wise, older friend, Jeremy realized he could also write songs that aspired to give people hope, and not just write what everybody else was writing. Says Horn, "That progressed into writing songs for Jesus, and that was the process that unexpectedly led me to become a worship leader." That progression started Jeremy Horn on the path of continued discovery --listening to artists both Christian and not -- to figure out how to express feelings and concepts that came from within, rather than from the evening news.  Jeremy's music is a fixture on Michigan's 17 Smile-FM Contemporary Christian music stations; his "I Will See Angels 'Round Your Throne" and "First Love" are two of his popular hits. Jeremy's new CD is Sound of the Broken. This is a rare opportunity to see Jeremy Horn in a small venue setting. Bring a friend!

www.jeremyhornmusic.com

Tickets $15

There is no better storyteller than Chuck Brodsky.  Ranging from poignant to hilarious, his songs are about the little things in the lives of everyday people.  Chuck's soulful and compassionate voice brings his characters to life, and is the perfect instrument for infusing his lyrics with heartfelt humanity or biting wit. His spoken introductions to his songs can be as spellbinding as his colorful lyrics, which he brings to life with a well-travelled voice and a delivery that's natural and conversational. His groove-oriented strumming and fingerpicking draw on influences from the mountains of western North Carolina where he now lives, and from lots of different good old traditional folk stuff of all kinds. Chuck is widely known for his many wonderful songs about the heroes -- and zeroes -- of baseball. His latest CD is The Baseball Ballads 2.

www.chuckbrodsky.com

Tickets $20

Warm as summer sunshine, real as the truth, intimate as a long overdue visit between old friends … such is a Jonathan Edwards concert. Four decades into a stellar career of uncompromising musical integrity, the man simply delivers, night after night – songs of passion, songs of insight, songs of humor, all rendered in that pure and powerful tenor which, like fine wine, has only grown sweeter with age.

This is one veteran performer who is neither grizzled nor nostalgic. These days Jonathan is likely to be found on the road. I've been...doing what I do best, which is playing live in front of people. I've been concentrating on that and loving it," he says.

An artist who measures his success by his ability to attract and take good care of an audience for four decades, Jonathan maintains that it is the feedback he receives after his shows that keeps him going. “It is really gratifying to hear [someone say], ‘Your stuff has meant a lot to me over the years.’”

The “stuff” he’s referring to is a highly respected repertoire that includes such classics as “Honky Tonk Stardust Cowboy,” “Sometimes,” “One Day Closer,” “Don’t Cry Blue,” “Emma,” “Everybody Knows Her,” “Athens County,” and everyone’s favorite ode to putting a good buzz on, “Shanty.” And then, of course, there’s the anthemic “Sunshine (Go Away Today),” that fierce proclamation of protest and independence that resonated with thousands and thousands of frustrated and angry young men and women when it was first released in 1971. Almost 40 years later, at show after show, the song continues to be embraced by faithful followers and new fans alike.

Since 1971, Jonathan has released 15 albums, including Blue Ridge, his standard-setting collaboration with bluegrass favorites the Seldom Scene, and Little Hands, his collection of children’s songs, which was honored with a National Library Association award.

www.jonathanedwards.net

Tickets $15

As the youngest of thirteen children born to Mexican immigrant parents, Hinojosa grew up listening to traditional Mexican songs as well as the pop and folk stations of the 60s on her parents’ radio. Inspired by these diverse influences, her career took her to New Mexico and then to Nashville. Performing with legendary country musician Michael Martin Murphy inspired her to begin writing her own songs in English and Spanish.

After her first independent release, 1987's Taos to Tennessee, she was signed by A&M Records. Since then, a continuous stream of recordings and numerous American and European tours have brought Hinojosa’s music to an ever-expanding audience. To date, she has released 16 albums.

Her releases explore a wide variety of styles, ranging from the perfect balance of country, folk, and Latino elements on Culture Swing and the collection of Mexican love ballads and border songs on the all-Spanish Frontejas, to the delicate mysticism of Dreaming From the Labyrinth and the joyful optimism on her bilingual children’s record, Cada Niño/Every Child. Sign of Truth added yet another facet to Hinojosa’s sound, revealing a more personal, intimate, and independent side.

Teaming up with artists like Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Dwight Yoakam, Nanci Griffith, Pete Seeger, Flaco Jimenez, and Los Lobos, Hinojosa’s sound has an undeniable and far-reaching appeal.

Her latest album is After the Fair.

www.mundotish.com

Tickets $15

Andrew Calhoun writes with a paradoxical combination of incandescent intellect and unstudied magic. He is both a lightning rod for

"the unconscious rightness of intuitive connection" and a perpetual student of songcraft with a deep respect for both tradition and innovation. In the thirty-odd years that he has been writing and performing he has created an impressive body of work. Onstage he is disarmingly unpretentious, spontaneous and darkly witty, weaving a tapestry that includes not only his own songs but Scottish ballads that he's translated from dialect and poems and songs by exceptional writers such as Dave Carter, Mary Oliver and Robert Frost. At age seven Andrew memorized W. B. Yeats' "Song of Wandering Aengus," thus earning a nickel from his mother. He got his first guitar at age ten and began writing songs at twelve. By the late seventies he was a fixture in the Chicago folk scene. He presents workshops on many topics: Creative Songwriting, Song Appreciation, Scottish Folk Ballads, and Music Theory for Guitarists.  In 1992 Calhoun founded Waterbug Records, an artists' cooperative folk label which has grown to 70 titles, bringing some of the brightest singer-songwriters and folk musicians to an international audience. Waterbug was the first to distribute music by Chuck Brodsky, Cosy Sheridan, Dar Williams, Lui Collins, Sons of the Never Wrong, Erin McKeown and many others.  His own recordings have been released on Hogeye, Flying Fish and Waterbug Records.

"Andrew Calhoun tells the truth. To my knowledge, there is no better songwriter alive."   - Dave Carter

www.waterbug.com

Tickets $15

Katie Geddes

Katie Geddes sings traditional and contemporary folk, country-folk, and folk-pop tunes. A deft interpreter of beloved songs, her captivating voice and velvety-smooth delivery bring new life to the compositions of writers such as John Prine, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Michael Nesmith and Lennon and McCartney. Katie’s latest CD release, We Are Each Other’s Angels, features an inspired roster of guest artists including Michael Johnson, Mary McCaslin, Don Henry and Small Potatoes, and has received extensive airplay across the country and around the world.When not doing her own gigs, Katie has been known to “moonlight” singing harmony for folk- rock legend Melanie and local favorite Matt Watroba.

 

 

 

 

Matt Watroba

Matt Watroba brings a very special set of talents to the stage whenever he appears as a folk musician. His excellent guitar playing, mellow voice, friendship with his audience, and knowledge of his presentations is impressive. Add to that Matt’s own special brand of humor and you are in for a most entertaining and enlightening set.You will feel his obvious love of folk music, both traditional and contemporary; its writers and performers; its heroes and villains. Matt sings songs of compassion, inner strength, humor, and everyday living. Matt’s latest CD, Shine Right Through The Dark, appeared on several folk DJs’“Best Of”lists for 2010.

 

 

Chuck Brodsky

There is no better storyteller than Chuck Brodsky. Ranging from poignant to hilarious, his songs are about the little things in the lives of everyday people. Chuck’s soulful and compassionate voice brings his characters to life, and is the perfect instrument for infusing his lyrics with heartfelt humanity or biting wit. His spoken introductions to his songs can be as spellbinding as his colorful lyrics, which he brings to life with a well-traveled voice and a delivery that’s natural and conversational. His groove- oriented strumming and fingerpicking draw on influences from the mountains of western North Carolina where he now lives, and from lots of different good old traditional folk stuff of all kinds. Chuck is widely known for his many wonderful songs about the heroes -- and zeroes -- of baseball. His latest CD is The Baseball Ballads 2.

 

Chuck Mitchell started singing in Detroit folk clubs in the 1960s. In Toronto, on his first out of town gig, he met Canadian songwriter Joni Anderson. They married, and as a duo Chuck and Joni Mitchell played the coffeehouse circuit, and gin rummy, until they divorced in 1968. Mitchell's credits include A Prairie Home Companion and repertory theatre in Texas and in England. He has played Harold Hill inThe Music Man and Woody Guthrie in Woody Guthrie's American Song. Most recently, he wrote and produced Mr. Foster & Mr. Twain, in which Stephen Foster joins Mark Twain for an evening of story and song. A Chuck Mitchell's show combines his seasoned skills as an actor, singer and guitarist with a selection of delightful material. He sings cabaret songs by Brecht and Weil -- "Mack the Knife" and "The Bilbao Song" -- and whimsical songs by Flanders & Swann -- "The Gnu" and "Have Some Madeira, M'dear". He roves the room singing "Freeborn Man" by Ewan McColl, or "Necessity" from Finian's Rainbow. He weaves poetry by Robert Frost and T.S. Eliot into his shows. He has been called a renaissance man, and thinks he is old enough to be one.

Vocal trio All About Eve (Katie Geddes, Deb Wood, David Vaughn) offers up a variety of close-harmony pop covers and traditional and contemporary folk and gospel songs, accompanied by Dan Reynolds on guitar.

Tickets $15

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