The Peoples' Voice Cafe

The Peoples' Voice Cafe is an alternative coffeehouse
offering quality entertainment.

About Us
Booking
Join or Volunteer
Past Performers
Spring 2010 Season
Photos

PVC in the media:
The Indypendent
Columbia Spectator
Video interview with Ray Korona

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NOTE NEW LOCATION!
The Community Church of New York Unitarian Universalist, 40 East 35th St. (between Madison & Park). Take the #6 train to 33rd St.; or the B, D, F, N, Q or R train to 34th Street. Click here for directions or call 212-787-3903.

TIMES:
All shows start at 8 PM, Saturdays; doors open at 7:30. We do not accept reservations in advance, so come early to be assured of a seat.

ADMISSION:
$15 contribution--more if you choose, less if you can't; no one turned away. If you are a member of Peoples' Voice Cafe, then the suggested contribution is $10. We also accept TDF vouchers for full admission.

ACCESSIBILITY:
Wheelchair accessible (including bathrooms). For info call 212-787-3903.


  September 25, 2010:

Sharon Katz & Peace Train
South Africa’s pulsating rhythms, rich harmonies, guitar-driven maskanda and mbaqanga melodies, and spine-tingling Zulu dance fuse with funky basslines, intricate drum patterns, Afro-jazz horns, and compelling lyrics to take you from ancient traditions to today's unstoppable beat. Nominated for the Grammy’s “Best World Music Album” for their first US release, the exhilarating, multicultural, South African band of Sharon Katz & The Peace Train helped Nelson Mandela usher in the ending of apartheid. They take audiences on a joyride from the traditions of Mother Africa to the electrifying jazz-folk-rock fusions of today. Their driving beat will bring you to your feet cheering for more.
sharonkatz.com

Walkabout Clearwater Chorus
The Walkabout Clearwater Chorus, founded by Pete Seeger in 1984 as a musical arm of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, has been going strong ever since, performing at venues as diverse as environmental festivals, peace rallies, the NYC subways, prisons and halfway houses, and a festival in Germany every two years. Our CD “We Have A Song!” features many songs written by our members and friends, and we are featured in two songs on Pete Seeger's Grammy-winning "Pete Seeger at 89" CD. Walkabout is a true “people’s chorus” made up of folks who love to sing and work hard at keeping alive the legacy of activist music. We run a monthly Coffeehouse in White Plains, whose performers include Pete Seeger, Magpie, Kim and Reggie Harris, Toms Paxton and Chapin, of course Sharon Katz, and many more. Come join us at PVC to listen and sing-along! Check out our website at www.walkaboutclearwater.org to find out more and get involved!
walkaboutclearwater.org


  October 2, 2010:

Mahina Movement
Mahina Movement is a three-women trio who combine poetry and song to create passionate music tied to flesh and bone. They tell stories of the personal and political wrapped in courage, strength and awareness of human struggle. Three voices and one guitar blend into a powerful mix of folk, rock and rhymes in English, Spanish, and Tongan, simmered with indigenous culture. Having deep roots from all over the world--Mexico/Tejas/Aztlán, Ireland, Tonga and Africa--Mahina Movement consists of a musician from Hollis, Queens; a dancer from Texas and a painter from Utah. Together they have crafted a world of artistic possibilities that cross borders and limits.
mahinamovement.com
Annie Dinerman
Annie Dinerman's music is funny, frank and definitely female. She's an award-winning singer-songwriter whose lyrical style comes from two wildly different childhood fascinations: timeless, anonymous folksongs and her father's huge collection of Sinatra records. Her crossover blend of contemporary folk and storytelling pop has been played on over 35 Folk stations around the world and has earned her the 2006 Abe Olman Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Annie Dinerman walks in the footsteps of storytellers like Paul Simon and Wendy Waldman as she writes about unemployment, loss of friends to AIDS and 9/11, and the environment. Her singing may remind you of a young Carole King, but her warm, witty and womanly voice is distinctly Dinerman.
anniedinerman.com


  October 9, 2010:

Jim Page
Jim Page has served as a model for many of today’s songwriters. "He cuts right to the heart," says longtime admirer Bonnie Raitt. He crusades for native Americans, native species, and civil rights, even for musicians. Because of him, says Seattle Metro magazine, musicians have the right to play on Seattle’s sidewalks. He has just released his 19th album, Ghost Bikes.
jimpage.net

Dave Lippman
Audiences of all ages have thrilled to the post-corporate comic stylings of satirical songster Dave Lippman. The social justice troubadour afflicts the complacent, takes the air out of the windbags of the week, de-distorts history, and updates worn-out songs with parody and thrust. He is not your grandfather’s folksinger.
davelippman.com

  October 16, 2010:
  CLOSED FOR CHURCH EVENT

  October 23, 2010:

Jack Hardy
Jack Hardy has been a central figure in folk music since his arrival in Greenwich Village in the 70s, where he was instrumental in founding the Songwriter's Exchange, the SpeakEasy Musician's Co-op, and Fast Folk Music Magazine. Mixing uncompromising politics with Celtic-inspired lyrics and mythic imagery, his brilliant songwriting has made him one of the most influential bards of contemporary folk music. Lucina Williams said, "Jack Hardy has written some of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard."
jackhardy.com

Emma Graves
Miss Marie-Emma Graves, known as Emma by her friends and fans, only looks like a fresh face on the scene. She has been actively participating in folk music scenes from Upstate New York to the Jersey Shore since the early 90s and has performed in such unique locations as the Nobel Institute (Oslo, Norway) The Institute for Social Equality (San Francisco, CA) and Jalopy Theatre (Brooklyn, NY). Emma is known for her witty and somewhat pedantic musical tales. She is pleased to be returning to the People’s Voice Café and sharing the evening with Jack Hardy--a personal folk-hero of hers.
folksongsingalong.com


  October 30, 2010:

Joel Landy
Pete Seeger calls him "A real live wire!" and audiences say he reminds them of Phil Ochs. He has sung in coffeehouses and at demonstrations around the country, and his songs are heard on Pacifica Radio. Joel Landy is a familiar friend and spirit at the PVC, known for his topical songwriting, clever parodies, and energetic stage performances. He is perhaps best known as the producer and host of Songs of Freedom (www.singfreedom.org), an award winning cable television program celebrating the dignity of human struggle, seen in New York City and on the internet since 1996. Joel says, "My shows are about creating a safe and fun place for people to express themselves." It’s what he does best.
singfreedom.org

Tom Neilson
Born and raised on an upstate dairy farm, Tom left the US during the Vietnam War and spent over a decade working around the world, mostly in Africa and South America, culminating in a doctoral dissertation examining US political hegemony in the Horn of Africa. He is also a writer, actor and director of stage and street theater. All these experiences are reflected in his music as he tells the stories of people’s struggles against greed and violence. Tom's lyrics are celebrated for their sophistication, political astuteness and wit. Combining art with activism, he has appeared with Cynthia McKinney, Amy Goodman, Cindy Sheehan, César Chávez, Noam Chomsky, Ralph Nader, Ray McGovern, and Howard Zinn.
tomneilsonmusic.com


 
November 6, 2010:
Roy Zimmerman

Harmonic Insurgence


 
November 13, 2010:
Judy Gorman

David Laibman
David Laibman brings together an exciting variety of people's music. His program contains songs from many places and times, songs of struggle, singalongs to lift spirits, and colorful commentary, all integrated with creative instrumental guitar styles. He is a founder of the fingerpicking ragtime guitar movement, with CDs from Folkways-Smithsonian (The New Ragtime Guitar), Rounder (Classical Ragtime Guitar), and Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop (Adventures in Ragtime). His recent DVD, The Guitar Artistry of David Laibman, was also produced by SGGW. Inspiration for this evening's set comes from Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Scott Joplin, British ballads, American blues, bluegrass, old-timey, and the radical song movement. He will play some new ragtime compositions, and may even flirt with fingerstyle (not classical!) renditions of Chopin and Wagner! David recently retired from teaching economics at CUNY; he serves as Editor of Science & Society.


 
November 20, 2010:
Anne Price
New York City native Anne Price has often been compared to Joan Baez. Anne began performing when she was a student at Hunter College in the Bronx in the 1960s, and since then she has appeared at venues as close as the Peoples' Voice Cafe and as far away as the 593-year old Black Swan in York, England. Her repertoire includes socially conscious traditional folk songs, as well as many songs from politically progressive folk based songwriters such as Jean Ritchie, Peggy Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and Si Kahn.
anneprice.com

Steve Suffet
Well known to Peoples' Voice Cafe audiences, Steve Suffet is best described as an old fashioned folksinger in the People's Music tradition. Steve's repertoire is a mixture of railroad and trucker songs, miner songs, cowboy songs, union songs, Woody Guthrie songs, old time country music, outlaw ballads, blues, ragtime, Gospel, bluegrass, topical-political songs, and whatever else tickles his fancy, including a few songs he has written himself in traditional style. His new Live Performances CD, recorded over the past five years in the USA, Israel, and the UK, will be released the night of the concert.
stevesuffet.com

Hillel Arnold
Special guest artist Hillel Arnold was born and raised in an Anabaptist community in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, where he grew up on English folk dances, the children’'s songs of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, South African protest songs, and the Psalms. He is currently a member of the indie-rock band The Mermaids. Hillel’'s day job is at NYU, where he can be found archiving the photo morgue of the Daily Worker.
hillelarnold.com


  November 27, 2010:
  CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

 
December 4, 2010:
Charlie King & Karen Brandow
charlieking.org

Rick Burkhardt
Rick Burkhardt is an Obie-award-winning playwright, performer, composer, and songwriter whose original chamber music, theater, and text pieces have been performed in over forty U.S. cities, as well as in Europe, Mexico, Canada, Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand. He is a founding member of the Nonsense Company, a touring experimental music / theater trio, and songwriter / accordionist for the Prince Myshkins, a political cabaret / folk duo.
rickburkhardt.com
princemyshkins.com


 
December 11, 2010:
Songs of the Season:
A Winter Solstice Celebration



  CLOSED FOR HOLIDAYS

 
January 8, 2011:
Reggie Harris

Jon Fromer


 
January 15, 2011:
Tony Bird


 
January 22, 2011:
John Roberts

Sarah Underhill
Sarah Underhill is a resident of Kerhonkson, a small town in Ulster County, New York. She is known throughout the region as "Banshanachie", Gaelic for "Woman Bard", because of her vast repertoire of traditional songs from Scotland, Ireland, and Northern England. Sarah augments these with songs from the Hudson Valley and elsewhere in North America, as well as with contemporary songs composed in traditional style by writers such as Sandy Denny and Archie Fisher. Don't be surprised if she even performs a song or two she has written herself. Long active with the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Sarah has appeared many times at the Clearwater's annual Hudson River Revival Festival.
sarahunderhill.pbworks.com/


  January 29, 2011:
  CLOSED

 
February 5, 2011:
Pamela Drake & Mercy Van Vlack




 
February 12, 2011:
Rod MacDonald
A Rod MacDonald concert is an intimate, authentic, and uplifting experience. From the moment Rod begins to sing, he grabs his audiences and doesn’t let go. By turns wry and sentimental, then tart and silly, his music is infectious and inspiring, often humorous, sometimes reckless, usually thought provoking – and – always compelling, leaving his audiences wanting more. His sly humor and sharp ear make their way into many of his songs, exhibiting the talent for observation that led to a job as a reporter for a national newsweekly after he finished Columbia Law school.

His most recent CD is After The War. When not touring, Rod is an instructor with Florida Atlantic University through their Lifelong Learning Program, presenting an on-going and well-attended 8 week lecture/performance series on music history, most recently "The Great American Songbook."
rodmacdonald.net


 
February 19, 2011:
Church Ladies for Choice
Since 1992, the Church Ladies for Choice have been the USO of clinic defense. In polyester flower-print frocks, sensible shoes, and earrings that pinch (that's what keeps them so angry), Sister Mary Cunnilingus, Bessie Mae Mucho, and rest of the Ladies lead abortion rights, queer, and AIDS activists in rousing choruses of "This Womb is My Womb" (sung to the tune of "This Land is My Land"), Amazing Grace ("I once was lost, now I'm pro-choice") and "God is a Lesbian" (to the tune of "God Save the Queen"), among many other hymns—er—herrs.
myspace.com/churchladies4choice

Rick & Andy
Rick Libert and Andy Buck began singing together in Rick's basement after discovering an old Weavers album. Since 1995, they have performed as Rick & Andy at the People's Voice Cafe, Dixon Place, the Baggot Inn, Back Fence, Sun Music Company, Rose's Turn, and other venues. They have been featured on Oscar Brand's long-running WNYC radio program Folk Song Festival and, for Manhattan cable television, Joel Landy's Songs of Freedom and Andy Humm and Ann Northrop's Gay USA. Onstage, they have been guests in Jeff Weiss's Obie-winning serial musical Hot Keys.


 
February 26, 2011:
Hawaiian Music & Dance Night


 
March 5, 2011:
Robin Bady

Deni Bonet

The Brooklyn Community Storytellers
Brooklyn Community Storytellers is an eclectic group of educators, performing artists, musicians, healers who tell stories that celebrate the connected-ness of all creatures and the shared history of the human family. Since 1997, we have told our stories in Brooklyn and beyond, spinning tales for neighbors, friends, and families on stone stoops, in parks, churches, libraries, and schools. Our repertoire weaves together folklore from many traditions, myth, history, and song.


 
March 12, 2011:
Brooklyn Women's Chorus


 
March 19, 2011:
Dan Schatz

Alan Friend


 
March 26, 2011:
Adele Rolider

The Raging Grannies


 
April 2, 2011:
Johnson Girls

Dan Milner


 
April 9, 2011:
Joanne Shenandoah


 
April 16, 2011:
The Ray Korona Band


 
April 30, 2011:
Magpie

Marie Mularczyk O'Connell


 
May 7, 2011:
Sally Campbell

Bruce Markow


 
May 14, 2011:
Raise Your Banners!
Songs of Struggle Throughout the Ages



  May 21, 2011:
  TO BE ANNOUNCED