The Peoples' Voice Cafe
An alternative coffeehouse offering live entertainment in New York City,
from folk music and protest songs to rap and jazz, and poetry, storytelling, and dance.
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~ Fall 2020/Spring 2021 Season ~
Livestream Concerts During the Covid-19 Pandemic
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Saturday, September 12, 2020, at 8pm:
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Black Lives Matter ~ Livestream Concert
Watch now: youtu.be/x6pcWvGPbtE
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Dilson Hernandez
Dilson is a genre-merging artist from the Bronx. His talents include creative writing, playing various
instruments, spoken-word poetry, singing, audio engineering, and beat making. Dilson wishes to change the world
with his art and community work, striving for a more progressive and creative future. His adventures towards
that end include music workshops in public schools, advocating in courtrooms for incarcerated
youth, teaching English in Haiti, and building dorms for children in rural India.
dilsonmusic.com
instagram.com/dilson.music/
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Suzanne Schmid with Your Reckless Mind
Jamaican-born singer-songwriter Suzanne Schmid was raised in Albany, NY, and educated in
Chapel Hill, NC. While Suzanne Vega, Natalie Merchant, Paul Simon, Ani Difranco and Tracy
Chapman formed the soundtrack of her youth, her songwriting is also
influenced by the North Carolina songscape, especially old-time, bluegrass, and country music.
Suzanne's solo release, The Field Hand (2016), is a foray into folk, old-time, roots, reggae, and
light rock. Together with Philadelphia indie-folk group Your Reckless Mind (Benjamin Le and Sam
Leibowitz), Suzanne performs original songs, songs by favorite artists, and traditional songs learned
along the way.
facebook.com/SuzanneSchmidMusic
soundcloud.com/suzanne-schmid
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Lindsey Wilson
Lindsey Wilson is a superb singer/songwriter who has her feet planted in several worlds; first with her jazz
group Lindsey Wilson & The Human Hearts, and widely in the folk world both solo and with Dian Killian, Lara
Herskovitch, Bev Grant and many others. Lately she has hooked up with Guinean singer Natu Camara to tour
throughout the US and Africa.
Lindsey Wilson, leader of the Human Hearts Trio, is a singer-songwriter with a flair for nostalgia and a
memorable mix of 70s-style urban folk rock and conscientious lyrics. She embraces issues of the heart and mind
through love songs, protest tunes and lyrics of empowerment. Her influences include Odetta, Richie Havens,
Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, and Carole King.
facebook.com/LindseyWilsonLive
lindseywilsonmusic.com
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Saturday, October 17, 2020, at 8pm:
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Rock the Rainbow Election Concert ~ Livestream Concert
Watch now: https://youtu.be/txrDPq8cw9s
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The Nields
The Nields have been lighting up the indie circuit since 1991. They have been lauded for their gorgeous sibling
harmonies, their wise folk/pop songs, their banter on stage, their warmth in performance, and engagement with
their fans. Their twentieth album, November--with a newsprint cover--is full of songs inspired by the
headlines. Though the songs tackle critical issues--the climate crisis ("The Kids Always Get It"), the situation
at the border ("Goodbye, Mexico," "Jesus Was a Refugee"), the fragility of our democracy ("America the Beautiful")
--the message of hope pulses through each track, a strong and steady heartbeat.
nields.com
facebook.com/TheNields/
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Sav-B
26-year-old writer Sav-B, a rapper with a foundation in poetry, is a force to be heard.
His lyrics take you on a trip into real life through his firsthand experience and storytelling ability. As a
poetry slam champion, Tedx speaker, and recording artist, Sav-B shares his truth to report love from the underground
and inspire people. His sound is truthful and powerful; it can't stop and won't be stopped. His voice brings
abundance and empowers his listeners to "Start1st". Before you overthink and doubt yourself just take the leap.
Formulate a plan and get to it. Control your mind, and you control your world.
savb1st.com/
facebook.com/savb1st
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Sol y Canto
Rosi and Brian Amador founded the Pan-Latin ensemble Sol y Canto in 1994, and before that were co-founders of
Flor de Caña. They perform songs from the Nueva Canción tradition, creative arrangements of
beloved Latin
classics, and Brian's originals, which are distinguished by poetic lyrics, diverse styles and surprising twists.
The Amadors can make you dance, laugh, cry and sigh all in one concert.
solycanto.com/
facebook.com/SolyCanto/
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Saturday, November 14, 2020, at 8pm:
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Hard Times and Rising Up ~ Livestream Concert
Watch now: youtu.be/xnlAeCup1gc
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Joshua Garcia
Joshua Garcia is a folk-singer-songwriter whose music and writing style draw from the influences of his
musical heroes Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash. He sings in a strong, confident baritone that harks
back to the more purposeful voices of earlier folk, and his guitar picking is fluent in several bluesy styles.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Joshua now resides in Astoria, Queens.
soundcloud.com/joshuagarciamusic
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Jendog Lonewolf
Jendog Lonewolf is a Two Spirit BlackNative Photographer, Hip Hop
Lyricist, and Cultural Worker from Bushwick, Brooklyn. She has gracefully
shared stages with Harry Belafonte, Nile Rodgers, Desmond Tutu, Joan Baez,
and Rah Digga; worked with Grammy winner Dan Zanes on two Hip
Hop/Folk songs including a Lead Belly tribute for Smithsonian Institute's
Folkways Records; toured South Africa, Sri Lanka, UK, Toronto, US, and
Cambodia with her Partner-in-Art & Love, YaliniDream, as the duo
Brooklyn Dreamwolf. Jendog is a proud member of The People's Music
Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle.
ilovejendog.bandcamp.com/album/eyesup-wiseup-riseup
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Ruth Pelham
Ruth Pelham is a nationally known singer, songwriter, and educator whose songs embody the spirit of community.
Filling the stage with humor, warmth and spontaneity, she gets audiences singing, clapping, tapping and feeling
like a room full of longtime friends and family. Pete Seeger called her "one of America's greatest songwriters,"
and audiences describe her as charismatic, mesmerizing, and inspiring. Ruth is also the founder and director of
Music Mobile, an educational arts organization which presents innovative programs that foster a love of music
and creative arts, promote cooperation, build self esteem, and revitalize neighborhoods and communities.
musicmobile.org/about/director.htm
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Saturday, December 19, 2020, at 8pm:
Flyer
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Peace Concert ~ Livestream
Watch now: youtu.be/zoFXajr3JRQ
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Pat Lamanna
Pat's songs have a strong folk influence, and cover issues such as peace, religion and the environment. Pat is a
2019 winner of the South Florida Folk Festival songwriting contest. She has three solo albums to her credit.
One of her songs, "Peace Pilgrim," is featured in part on Pete Seeger's last album, Pete Seeger: The Storm
King. Pat is thrilled to be back, virtually, at the People's Voice Cafe, one of her favorite venues.
patlamanna.com
facebook.com/Pat-Lamanna-Music-129013840571397
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Charlie King
Charlie has been at the heart of American folk music for half a century, and has been writing songs for over
40 years. Charlie's witty political satire and his uncanny ability to find endearing songs about struggle and
the human experience won him the 2017 Phil Ochs Award and numerous other honors. Tonight he will deliver humor, hope and
healing through love songs, inspiring anthems, and incendiary broadsides.
charlieking.org
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The Peace Poets
The Peace Poets are family born of Hip Hop, heart, and hope in New York City. Some have been friends since as
early as three years old and over time they have built an artist collective of poets, Hip Hop performers, and
educators founded on this friendship and their common love for community and creative expression. Grounded in
the power of personal narratives and community, The Peace Poets create and have shared Spoken Word poetry, rap,
and Movement Music that responds to social and political crisis in over 40 countries.
facebook.com/ThePeacePoets/
thepeacepoets.com
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Saturday, January 16, 2021, at 8pm:
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Immigrant Voices ~ Livestream Concert
Watch now: youtu.be/EtiV9mr16QI
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Dan Milner
Dan Milner, born into an Irish family, first heard traditional ballads sung by his father, William Milner of
Birmingham, England. At the age of 16, he was introduced to maritime songs by his elder brother, Liam Milner.
Dan lived in three countries--England, Ireland, and Canada--before moving to New York. He has sung at many major
festivals in Europe and America, and has made five CDs, including the Indie-nominated Irish Pirate Ballads
(Smithsonian Folkways). His latest book is The Unstoppable Irish: Songs and Integration of the New York
Irish (Notre Dame Press).
stjohns.digication.com/danmilner/Welcome
facebook.com/dan.milner.77
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Mario Cancel-Bigay
Mario Cancel-Bigay is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, poet and PhD candidate in ethnomusicology at Columbia
University. He is an expert on the Puerto Rican national guitar, the cuatro, which he has been playing for
25 years. His songs, composed in Spanish and English, are influenced by Latin American nueva canción,
Puerto Rican jíbaro (peasant) music, rock, jazz, blues, and American protest music. Often, Mario sings
poems that he sets music to. His lyrics address anticolonialism, social justice and global south solidarity,
in addition to questioning gender constructs and celebrating Afro-Caribbean legacies.
facebook.com/mario.cancel.54
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Pamela Jean Agaloos
Pamela Jean is an active musician in the Irish/Scottish trad scene in New York City. Born to Filipino parents
in a US Naval Base in Chicago, she has a background in musical theater in the Philippines, where she lived until
2011. She participates in folk sings like Exceedingly Good Song Night and the Sunnyside Singers Club, and is also a guest vocalist for
the band New York Brogue. Although a frequent figure in the Manhattan trad scene, Pamela makes Iona Bar in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn her session home, which has hosted and attracted top-notch talent from the city and
around the world.
https://redmaryjane.tumblr.com/
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Saturday, February 20, 2021, at 8pm:
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Justice and Civil Rights ~ Livestream Concert
Watch now: youtu.be/us09ZnhfAQ0
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Faith Nolan
Faith Nolan is a social activist, folk and jazz singer-songwriter and guitarist of mixed African, Mi'kmaq, and
Irish heritage. Born in Halifax and now living in Toronto, Faith has recorded sixteen CDs. She has also founded
and directed several women's prison choirs, and runs a musical therapy workshop.
Her politics are firmly rooted in being "working class, a woman, African Canadian and queer."
faithnolan.org
facebook.com/faith.nolan.5
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John Flynn
John Flynn is an American singer-songwriter and activist known for his powerful music and tireless efforts on
behalf of the lost and the lonely, the shackled and scarred. His career has embodied an authentic troubadour
odyssey following in the footsteps of Guthrie, Seeger, Kristofferson, and Si Kahn. His poetic lyrics also show the
influence of Thoreau, Emerson, and Dickinson. John Flynn has released eight CDs since 1995.
johnflynn.net
facebook.com/john.flynn.771/
NOTE:
Several of you who watched the show asked about John Flynn's prisoner and ex-prisoner support work. For information
on this, go to newbeginnings-nextstep.org/
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Crys Matthews
A prolific lyricist, Crys Matthews blends Americana, folk, jazz, blues, bluegrass and funk into a bold, complex
performance steeped in traditional melodies punctuated by honest, original lyrics. A native of North Carolina now
living in Washington, D.C., Matthews has been compared to everyone from Toshi Reagon to Tracy Chapman to
Ruthie Foster. She won two songwriting contests in 2017, the NewSong Music and Performance Competition, and the
People's Music Network's Social Justice Songs Contest.
crysmatthews.com
facebook.com/crysmatthewsmusic
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Saturday, March 20, 2021, at 8pm:
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Women's Voices ~ Livestream Concert
Watch now: https://youtu.be/YqtSByBSCFw
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Thelma Ruffin Thomas
Thelma Ruffin Thomas is artistic director of Pearls of Wisdom, a touring ensemble of elder storytellers. In
richly narrated presentations she tells stories that illuminate her own past and our collective histories.
She has brought her lively, spirited, authentic presentations to Tanzania, Brazil, Ghana, Costa Rica, The
Gambia, South Africa, Russia, Australia, Kenya, and Cameroon, continuing the tradition of elder folk art stories.
Thelma is a founding member of the African Folk Heritage Circle Inc., and a member of the National Association
of Black Storytellers, and the Harlem Arts Alliance.
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Cleo Carol Knopf
Cleo Carol Knopf is a poet, singer, dancer, performance artist. She presents work under the name of her
PoemDance Company, morphing from one medium of artistic expression to another, depending on what story needs to be
told. Her themes are humanitarian and social justice harkening back to when she learned to sing from her sister,
Ellen, who ran the Hey Brother Hey Sister Coffee House under the leadership of the late Rev. Frederick Douglass
Kirkpatrick. Cleo has an MFA from Tisch School of the Arts, and a BA in Creative Writing from Hunter College,
where she also studied and performed music.
youtube.com/user/CarolDancer
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Katie Naplatarski
Katie Naplatarski is a community activist, artist, and singer from the Greenpoint neighborhood of northern
Brooklyn. For the past several years she has been an active member of the highly regarded Sunnyside Singers Club,
where she originally sang in their weekly session in person, and currently joins the session online. Katie will
sing a selection of English, Scottish and Irish ballads, stories told in women's voices in songs which
illustrate the trials of women, pluck the strings of listeners' hearts, and perhaps, over time, help to change
women's lives for the better. She will be accompanied on guitar by renowned singer and musician Donie Carroll.
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Saturday, April 17, 2021, at 8pm:
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Climate Concert
Watch now: youtu.be/qRs3pMJZ4ws
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The Irthlingz Duo: Sharon Abreu & Michael Hurwicz
With a variety of woody, stringy instruments, rich vocal harmonies, and good humor, The Irthlingz Duo sings for
peace and environmental healing. Sharon and Michael have sung in concert with Pete Seeger, and provided music
for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa. Their musical, Penguins on Thin Ice, was
performed at the United Nations, and Sharon performed her show, The Climate Monologues, in the United
Solo and Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festivals. They have composed songs for Zero Waste Washington and Orcas Power
& Light Cooperative's "Switch It Up" energy efficiency campaign.
irthlingz.org
https://www.facebook.com/irthlingz.duo
"Wild, Wild River"
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Gary David Allard
Gary David Allard is a soulful contemporary singer-songwriter. He continues to build his unique sound by extracting inspiration from a plethora of genres, including folk-blues, gospel, R&B and Caribbean music. He composes his lyrics from his own personal and social experiences, striving to connect with his audience through tender yet powerful emotional singing.
facebook.com/gary.allard.92
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Tyler Darden Photography
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Carrie & Michael Kline
Michael and Carrie Kline present their music both as entertainment and social history, with engaging ease and
hard-hitting passion. They have spent years recording music and spoken narrative in Cherokee, North Carolina,
the Appalachian coalfields and mountainside farms, along with industrial cities from Cincinnati to New England.
The Klines' high mountain harmony vocals meld with their intertwining bass lines on two guitars, with Michael
Kline's melodic flat-picking guitar playing and Carrie's dynamic backup. As folklorist-musicians they weave
songs and stories, wrapped in a patchwork quilt of vivid imagery. Their oral history and musical podcast is
Talking Across the Lines.
folktalk.org
facebook.com/klinesacrossthelines
"Coal Tattoo"
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Saturday, May 15, 2021, at 8pm:
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WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
Music & Poetry Celebration with Fred Arcoleo, Shanika Anderson, Robert Gibbons, & Friends
Livestreamed from Word Up! Community Bookstore in Washington Heights
Help us salute the international working class as it combats everything from a global pandemic to racist police
terror, from homelessness and imperialist wars to environmental degradation. This inspiring trio will share
fresh new songs, poems, and stories about workers around the world standing up and fighting back. "Workers
always save the day!" Expect collaborations, improvisation, and surprises. And prepare to be inspired.
Watch now: youtu.be/sK1g99TCwKU
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Fred Arcoleo
Pat Lamanna calls Fred "Don McLean meets Phil Ochs." His RALLY FOLK! MUSIC addresses the difficult truths of
our times with tenderness, optimism, and determination, informed by his 34 years as an urban high school teacher
and a lifetime of political organizing. His latest CD TODAY AGAIN reached #7 on the National Folk charts.
His CDs are available by contacting the artist, and are also on all streaming outlets.
facebook.com/FredArcoleo.RallyFolkMusic/
"Lead the Way/Save the Day"
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Shanika Anderson
Shanika possesses a rare and magnificent voice. Growing up singing in the church, she started writing songs when
she was 12. In her mid-20s, she began devoting her attention to music that spoke out against police brutality,
systemic racism, and imperialist war, and promoted unity among working-class people of the world. Her song
"Too Many Names", which pays tribute to victims of racist police murders, was featured in Kathleen Foster's
award-winning documentary Profiled. She will leave you spellbound.
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Robert Gibbons
Robert channels Langston Hughes into a riveting amalgam of spoken word and music steeped in blues and gospel
traditions. Three Rooms Press published his first collection of poetry, Close to the Tree, which
Miriam Hipsh calls "deeply emotional truth-telling." Marc Primus remarks, "The poetry of Robert Gibbons flows
from him like a mighty river."
threeroomspress.com/authors/robert-gibbons/
Poetry Reading
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Saturday, June 12, 2021, at 8pm:
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Joe Jencks & Rod MacDonald - Livestream Concert
Watch now:
facebook.com/peoplesvoicecafe/videos/322652052671806
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Joe Jencks
Joe Jencks is a 22-year veteran of the international Folk circuit, an award-winning songwriter and a celebrated
vocalist based in the Chicago area. He is known for his performances of musical beauty, social consciousness and
spiritual exploration. Joe delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove, and grit.
Blending well-crafted instrumentals and vivid songwriting, Jencks serves it all up with a lyric baritone voice
that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel. Co-founder of the harmony trio Brother Sun, Jencks has
penned several #1 Folksongs including the ever-relevant "Lady of The Harbor." From Carnegie Hall to Lincoln
Center to Festivals across the US and Canada, Jencks has become a fan favorite throughout North America and
beyond. Joe is also a dual US-Irish citizen and has served as a Cultural Ambassador with the US State Department.
joejencks.com
"Martin"
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Rod MacDonald
Rod MacDonald was born in Connecticut and began singing professionally in New York City, where he became a
leading headliner in Greenwich Village clubs in the 1980s and recorded 21 songs for Fast Folk Magazine, now in
the Smithsonian Folkways collection. These songs include "American Jerusalem," "A Sailors Prayer," "Every Living
Thing," and "White Buffalo," and they have been recorded by numerous other artists. He has 13 solo CDs, with the
latest, Boulevard, at #11 on national folk music charts, and three CDs with Palm Beach County band Big Brass Bed,
which New Times named "Best Folk Band" in 2016. Now living in south Florida, he's been added to the
"Ten Greatest South Florida Folksingers Of All Time" list by New Times, and named one of "Ten Magnificent
Musicians of Palm Beach County" by The Palm Beach Post. He is also Music Americana instructor with Osher Lifelong Learning at Florida Atlantic University, and was named Distinguished Faculty Member in 2012. His second novel,
The American Guerillas, has just been published.
rodmacdonald.com
facebook.com/rodmacdonaldmusic
"I Am Bob Dylan"
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Saturday, June 26, 2021, 11am-5pm
at Governor's Island, NY
FREE!
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Peoples' Voice Cafe Stage at Porch Stomp 2021
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Porch Stomp is a free annual celebration of bluegrass, folk, old-time and roots music on Governors Island
on the porches of historic Nolan Park. The Peoples' Voice Cafe Stage will feature a star-studded lineup of
some of our most popular performers!
11:00am - 12:00 noon
Steve Suffet, MC
Open stage for any Peoples' Voice Cafe performers, past or present.
12:00 noon - 1:00pm
Pat Lamanna, MC
Judy Gorman
Sally Campbell
Steve Suffet
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Lindsey Wilson, MC
Gerry Segal
Katie Naplatarski
Chris Owens
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Joel Landy, MC
Bev Grant
Hudson Valley Sally
Joshua Garcia
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Gary David Allard, MC
Thelma Thomas
Mike Glick
Doreen D'Amico
4:00 - 5:00pm
Mike Glick, MC
Peoples' Voice Cafe jam and singalong (any Peoples' Voice Cafe performer welcome)
porchstomp.com
facebook.com/PorchStomp
Governors Island Visitor Information:
govisland.com/visit-the-island
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