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/

Facebook event page 

Tickets $15

SONiA (Rutstein, aka disappear fear) writes and performs captivating love songs and confronts the hypocrisies and biases of our culture with a positive message of openness and optimism.  Having performed in Israel/Palestine and in many parts of the world, SONiA's Judaic roots live in the colors of her songs and paintings.  SONiA has performed in 16 countries and has just as many award winning albums to her credit. She has received the GLAMA Award for Female Artist of the Year, Out Music Award for OUTstanding World Music CD, and was a finalist in the Telluride Song Competition. Her talent as a guitar player led the Santa Cruz Guitar Company to create a SONiA Model which has been sold in the US, Germany and Australia. Singing in Hebrew, Spanish, Arabic and English, her powerful honesty touches people of varied social and ethnic backgrounds. SONiA's independent record label, disappear records, donates 18% of every download to the United Nations World Food  Programme. www.soniadisappearfear.com

Tickets $12

In his own words: I've been playing music since I was 12. The first album I bought myself was Neil Young's Harvest. I still think it is the greatest single album ever produced. I learned to play blues by listening to Lightnin' Hopkins and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee. I learned to write lyrics by reading Jack London, William Carlos Williams and Frank Herbert. By the time I was 25 I had worked as many jobs as a gypsy laborer. I never paid attention in school. I went to college for a year and made a real mess of it. During the 80's I played acoustic music all over the country and in Canada with my partner, Susan Shore. We had a wonderful band, dubbed the Honky Tonk Dogs. We put out two albums, one on Flying Fish records and one on an independent label call ROM Records. I come by this naturally, by blood. My father writes poems about everything and takes the Marxist approach to art: that if you aren't saying something about something then you are saying nothing about everything. He might disagree, but I know this is true. He writes love poems that look like something else. I, too, can only write about love by surprise or accident. I've been writing songs again. I record them in one day, play all the parts, mix them and move on. Like my first influence, Neil Young, I'm always working on something new. I'm musically restless. I love the work. I look angry but I'm deeply happy. I'm grateful. www.nathanbellmusic.com

Tickets $15

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 evening. 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 is Shine Right Through The Dark.  www.mattwatroba.com

Tickets $15

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; 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.   www.mjblue.com

Tickets $12

Mouths of Babes is Ty Greenstein (of Girlyman) and Ingrid Elizabeth (of Coyote Grace).
This tender tomboy and rough-and-tumble lady come together to melt hearts and shake souls with undeniable chemistry and a truly unexpected heralding of wisdom. Mouths of Babes' sound is equal parts celebration and blues, folk and soul, salve and anthem — an invitation to love this life, to sing your sob story and end it with a smile. Their debut CD is Faith & Fumes.  www.mouthsofbabesmusic.com

Tickets $12

This Grammy Award winning artist has appeared at the White House three times and has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Asia. Barbara grew up in Detroit, Michigan and launched her career in music while attending Michigan State University. Singer/songwriter friend, Michael Johnson, describes her style as "art songs". Her lyric-driven, often humorous, alternative folk music speaks to issues of tolerance and human rights, as well as personal relationships and funny circumstances.

www.bbhsings.com

Tickets $15

Don Campbell is a contemporary/country crossover and folk-rock singer/songwriter whose clear and well-delivered presentation of music supports the story in the song and welcomes the audience on board for the ride. Often compared to the sounds of Dan Fogelberg, Vince Gill, and Chris Isaak, Don and his ensembles are based out of New England. Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dan Fogelberg was a multi-platinum selling artist, with hits such as "Leader of the Band", "Longer", "Same Old Lang Syne," and a large and diverse catalog of over 20 albums. He passed away in 2007 after a three year battle with cancer. Fogelberg remains a huge influence and musical hero of Don's. In 2012, Don released a double CD, Kites To Fly: Celebrating the Music of Dan Fogelberg, and in 2013 began presenting live performances of this music around his own busy schedule of Don Campbell shows.

www.doncampbellmusic.com

Tickets $15

John Flynn's 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. John's songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as Chris LeDoux, Ronny Redman, Full Frontal Folk and Ronny Cox. 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. 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," a film about the global epidemic of pediatric HIV/AIDS. 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 at home 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.

www.johnflynn.net

Tickets $17

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."  A Don White show promises to delight new audiences and devoted "repeat offender" fans, alike.

www.donwhite.net

Tickets $12

Although a Detroit native, Bill's musical roots are in the South. His parents migrated from Black Oak, Arkansas to work in Detroit's steel industry in the 1940s, bringing with them their love for bluegrass and country music. Bill grew up listening to artists such as Johnny Cash and Buck Owens on Detroit's country radio station, "The Big D."
Detroit rock inspired Bill's early musical career. But in 1999, Bill turned on the radio and heard, "Yours Forever Blue" by Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band. From that moment on he found himself with a nonstop desire to hear and play that kind of song. Soon he was writing them, too. Bill is a first-prize winner in the Metro Detroit Songwriting Showcase, with his song‚ "Lovin' You."  Bill lives for the joy of entertaining his audience. A true showman! Bill's band includes Chuck Anderson on bass, John Lang on steel guitar and Mary Seelhorst on fiddle. Sure to be a fun night!

www.billbynum.com

Tickets $15

Lou and Peter Berryman were both raised in Appleton, WI, and began playing music together in high school during the sixties. During the following nomadic decade, Lou studied classical voice and music theory in college while Peter continued an unfocused fascination with surrealist art, beatnik poetry, and jug band music. Early influences of American and British musical comedy and folk music fed a growing repertoire of original songs. A brief marriage in the early seventies resolved into a lifelong friendship, and by the late seventies and early eighties the two were honing their skills playing regular weekly concerts in Madison, becoming full-time musicians and songwriters in 1979. During those early years they wrote new songs every week, many about the history, cheese, beer and strange politics of their home state. By the mid '80s they were traveling all across the country, still writing and singing, but now with a broader perspective, finding that the quirks of their home state were not so much Midwestern as human. In twenty-five years of performing together, Lou and Peter have released twenty albums and four songbooks worth of hilarious, quirky, yet oddly profound songs, rich with word play and interesting images. Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton and Tom Lehrer count themselves among their fans. Their work has appeared in numerous compilations such as the popular "Rise Up Singing" songbook, in periodicals like "SING OUT! Magazine", and in many audio compilations. Berryman songs are being sung around the world by a legion of professional musicians including Peter, Paul and Mary, Garrison Keillor and Peggy Seeger. They have appeared numerous times on such national programs as NPR's "A Prairie Home Companion" and "Weekend Edition."

www.louandpeter.com

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 $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

Michigan native Claudia Schmidt has covered a lot of musical ground, beginning with a stirring rendition of "Tammy," at age 4, around a neighborhood bonfire. Claudia's 3-decade career touring North America and Europe includes regular stints on "A Prairie Home Companion;" participating in the delightful Les Blank movie, "Gap-Toothed Women," contributing a song as well as an interview; and performing a lead role in The Gales of November," a musical retelling of the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy from the point of view of three wives of the doomed crew of the Great Lakes ore-carrier. Claudia has recorded fourteen albums mostly of original songs, exploring folk, blues, and jazz idioms featuring 12-string guitar and mountain dulcimer. I Thought About You is her second effort leading her own swinging sextet, Claudia Schmidt & The JumpBoys. In 2003 she released a spoken-word CD, Roads, which includes poems and essays from her rich performance repertoire. In 2006 Claudia released her first self-produced folk/acoustic CD, Spinning, with a studio full of Michigan s finest musicians. Claudia describes herself as a "creative noisemaker." You may expect anything at a Schmidt concert: hymn, poem, bawdy verse, torch song, satire. She can weave the elements of music and stage into a program so full of life that one critic has described a Claudia Schmidt concert as "...a lot like falling in love. You never know what's going to happen next; chances are it's going to be wonderful; every moment is burned into your memory; and you know you'll never be the same again." www.claudiaschmidt.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 $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

There are songs that transport you to good times remembered. Songs like, “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight,” “Nights Are Forever Without You,” and, “Love Is The Answer” have that effect on many of us. These songs and numerous others have made John Ford Coley a singing legend.

John is most revered as half of the duo England Dan and John Ford Coley. The classically-trained pianist and talented guitarist continues performing the gold and platinum record hits for audiences around the world. Some of Coley’s other hits are, “Gone Too Far,” “We’ll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again,” and, “Sad To Belong."

John’s experiences comprise a broad background. Although he performed throughout high school and college as a classical and rock pianist, he chose to major in English Literature in college, and is an avid student of history. In the mid-1980’s, John began acting in television and in feature films. He recently penned a book, "Backstage Pass," about his years in the music industry.

www.johnfordcoley.com

Tickets $15

Tickets $15

In this holiday concert, Lee Murdock and his band celebrate the Christmas holidays steeped in Great Lakes heritage. The story of the Rouse Simmons is a holiday remembrance of loss and renewal, love, and the resilience of the human spirit. The ship's captain, Herman Schuenemann, was well-known and loved on the Chicago River docks where he sold (and sometimes gave away) the trees brought down from Manistique. The ship was lost in Lake Michigan in November 1912, but the captain's wife and family kept up this tradition for 22 years more, well beyond the days of the tall ships on the Great Lakes. There were many Christmas tree ships on the Great Lakes, but the Rouse Simmons is famed for her family. Numerous books, children's stories, and museum exhibits have kept this story alive. Lee wrote and recorded his song about her in 1989, and has presented an annual concert ever since to remember this story and many other songs and stories about family ties, and the holiday season, against a backdrop of mariners and Michigan history.

View the Facebook event page

www.LeeMurdock.com

Tickets $15

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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.

www.katiegeddes.com

Matt Watroba brings a special set of talents to the stage. His 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 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.

David Barrett writes songs about children. And criminals. He writes music about golf. And Norman Vincent Peale. He struggled for years, scrapping for gigs (and, in his words, "driving for checks") only to become the proverbial "overnight sensation" in a field he'd never dreamed of storming. Barrett recalls, "In 1985, I was visiting a friend in New York City who was a writer for Sports Illustrated. We were watching the NBA Finals, talking about sports and life, and I remembered that I had written this song about sports and achievement, so when I got home I sent it to him. He took it over to CBS, and they called me up out of the blue.” The song, of course was “One Shining Moment,” the paean to endeavor that now crowns the NCAA Basketball Finals. A version sung by Luther Vandross pushes the song’s power to a new height. David Barrett: a handsome guy singing provocative, hauntingly beautiful songs in which he tackles lost love, high comedy and the physics of life.

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, David Stearns on bass, and Lori Fithian on percussion.