Peoples Voice Cafe 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 2022 Season ~




Saturday, September 10, 2022, at 8pm:




The Bev Grant Trio
"Bev Grant still looks like a kid, but she has been a constant source of inspiration to me for almost 40 years... a brilliant feminist pioneer with a true rock and roll heart! What's not to love?" - Anne Feeney. Winner of the 2017 ASCAP Jay Gorney songwriter award and the 2017 Joe Hill Award, Bev Grant grew up singing and playing in Portland, Oregon, where she began her performing career as a child in a band with her two sisters. After moving to New York City, she devoted herself to topical songwriting and social activism, notably in her band The Human Condition. Bev is featured on the Grammy-nominated Best of Broadside album. Her song "We Were There" has become an anthem of women in the labor movement, and many other of her award-winning songs can be found on her numerous recordings. Bev's newest CD is It's Personal. Tonight she will be performing with Carolann Solebello, bass & vocals; Katherine Etzel, drums & vocals, and special guest Steve Mayone, electric guitar & mandolin.
bevgrant.com




The Mario Giacalone Trio
Mario Giacalone has been a singer, songwriter, musician since the early seventies. He has recorded as a solo artist, and with Inner Gypsy, Regina Palin, and Bill Horowitz. He is a founding member of The Communications Workshop, and has been a member of the bands The Human Condition, Floating, Mario Brothers, Giacalone and Sard, and Mario & Amy. Mario's music has been featured in theater productions of Neighbors, Coming Attractions, and The Music in Me. His music has appeared in the videos, "Crack is the Wack," "5 out of 5," "The Ballad of Nikki Teen," and in the film 30 Nights of Sex to Save a Marriage. Tonight he'll be performing with Jack LaTona on bass and Alan Lebow on electric guitar.
mariogiacalone.com
https://www.facebook.com/mario.giacalone.5



Saturday, September 24, 2022, at 8pm:




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 to music. 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


"Seis Chorreao"




Judy Gorman
Said Pete Seeger: "Judy is a wonderful singer and musician. No two programs that she gives are the same. Judy is always thinking how to find the right phrase, the right song to hit the nail right on the head, to shoot the arrow straight to the heart of the matter." Judy has performed for the UN, festivals, universities, concert halls, and events for justice in 49 states and 13 countries. Judy has shared stages with Pete Seeger, Odetta, Richie Havens, Harry Belafonte, Whoopi Goldberg, Sweet Honey in The Rock, Suzanne Vega, the Indigo Girls, Meryl Streep, and James Earl Jones.
judygormanmusic.com
facebook.com/judy.gorman.37



Saturday, October 1, at 8pm:




Atiba Wilson
Atiba Kwabena Wilson is a musician, published poet, storyteller, and the founder/artistic director of both the Songhai Djeli Folkloric Ensemble and the Befo' Quotet Rhythm 'n' Dues Band. He has been a featured artist for several National Association of Black Storytellers festivals, the International African Arts Festival and at FESTAM International Music Festival, Inc. in Dakar, Senegal. Atiba also served as the artistic director of the Music Meets Poetry series at Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza from 1999 to 2009, and wrote a poetic narrative for, and performed in, Harlem School of the Arts' presentation of the Kwanzaa Nutcracker from 1996 to 2002. He can be contacted at befoquotet@hotmail.com




Goatroper: Abbey Janii & Mike Lee
Abbey Janii & Mike Lee are the creative force behind the new band Goatroper. Abbey was fronting the rock band Julie Fur, while Mike was bouncing around playing his weirdo folk songs for anyone who would listen. After releasing their solo efforts Prairie Roads and Pick Me Up Cafe, they began work on a new project playing each other's tunes. Their songs are influenced by a broad range of artists, and the result is twangy, folksy rock'n'roll outta the heartland.
mikeleelc43.bandcamp.com
abbeyjanii.bandcamp.com



Saturday, October 8, at 8pm:




Bob Malenky
Bob Malenky is steeped in the blues and country of the twenties through the fifties - what Dave Van Ronk used to call neo-ethnic music. As a teenager he met and learned from Lightnin' Hopkins, and later took a guitar lesson from Muddy Waters and sat in with his band. He also toured and recorded with Sonny Terry, and taught World Folk Music at CCNY for many years.


"Dallas Blues"




Dan Sofaer
Dan Sofaer is a songwriter, poet and classical scholar. A long time student of folk blues music traditions (his heroes include Mike Seeger, Mississippi John Hurt, Bukka White and the Carter Family), he plays in various jam sessions and song circles in the New York area, including the Sunnyside Singer's Club. He is now making his debut as a solo performer. Dan was also bassist in the San Francisco punk band Giant Haystacks.
facebook.com/daniel.sofaer



Tonight's show is co-sponsored by The Folk Music Society of New York.



Saturday, October 15, at 8pm:




Bernice Silver Night
Bernice Silver was the undisputed Queen of Potpourri (puppetry), and a long-time friend of Peoples' Voice Cafe, where she celebrated her 100th birthday (one of many celebrations!). She was also a long-time supporter of The Folk Music Society of New York, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, and the NYC Friends of Clearwater. Tonight, please join Joy Bennett, Chris Koldewey and friends for a night of folk music and puppetry to celebrate Bernice's life.

Chris Koldewey has been singing folk music since his early teens. He comes from a family rich in maritime traditions, and his lullabies as a child were traditional songs of the sea. He has performed all along the US eastern seaboard, the Maritime Provinces of Canada, and in the UK, playing guitar, concertina, banjo, and mandolin. He spent twenty years with the Chantey Department at Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut, one of the few places museum visitors could hear the songs and see the work for which they were used.

Joy Bennett has been singing most of her life. She developed a love of sea chanteys at South Street Seaport Museum in college and today is a highly respected singer as a founding member of the internationally acclaimed ensemble The Johnson Girls, an all-female a capella quartet. Joy has performed solo, with Chris, The Johnson Girls, Water Sign, and with other guest artists at many festivals and concert venues in the US, Canada, and Europe.

Joel Landy is known for his energetic stage performances, witty parodies and insightful lyrics. He is the host of Songs of Freedom Television, an award winning cable program celebrating the dignity of human struggle. A public school teacher during the day, Joel continues to get into good trouble organizing and appearing at rallies and demonstrations in addition to playing at coffeehouses and clubs. "He's a real live wire!" --Pete Seeger

Donations from a portion of the night's proceeds will be made to The Puppeteers of America's Bernice Silver Festival Grant, which provides support for senior puppeteers; Hudson River Sloop Clearwater; and the Folk Music Society of New York.



Saturday, October 22, at 8pm:

International Song Night!




Éléonore Weill
Raised in a musical family in southern France, Éléonore spent her youth surrounded by classical and traditional music. She holds diplomas in Recorder, Piano, Music Theory and Chamber Music from the Regional Conservatory of Toulouse and the National Conservatory of Paris, and also learned from the "Street Music School" playing Mediterranean traditional music on wooden flutes, hurdy gurdy, and accordion. She completed a masters degree in Ethnomusicology from Sorbonne and spent a year studying folk music in Romania. She performs early, classical and contemporary music, klezmer, Yiddish, Romanian, and Occitan folk music on flutes, piano, and vocals.
eleonoreweill.com


"Flutes Chant"



Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at 8pm:




Jaeger & Reid
Jaeger & Reid, a duo from Oakland, CA, combines Judi's Canadian background, striking vocals and intelligent songs with Bob's California upbringing and his own engaging original tunes. Their artful blending of guitars, ukulele and rich harmonies delivers an intimate evening of deeply meaningful music. Be prepared to be moved!
https://jaegerreidmusic.com/


"What a Trip"




Sally Campbell
Quaker singer/songwriter, Sally Campbell, returns with her autoharp and her playful, powerful and sometimes practical lyrics. For instance, if you have lost your keys or lost your way, she has songs for that: "Finding Lost Things" and "Slow Down". It is by slowing down, even lying down, that she finds songs when she "Lets the Love Flow". She has loved giving away a CD of some of her gift songs but now those and more are on YouTube. Come in person or tune in to hear even more of her heartwarming, heart-opening songs.
youtube.com/user/scampfriend



Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, at 8pm:




Magpie
Since 1973, Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner have brought their unique sound and remarkable versatility to audiences everywhere, featuring traditional and vintage Americana to contemporary and stirring original compositions. With two strong voices in harmony and superb instrumental arrangements, their sound is powerful and moving. Award-winning recording artists, singers, songwriters, musical historians, playwrights, actors and social activists, Terry and Greg dedicate their lives and music to leaving this world a better place.
magpiemusic.com


"White Wings"



Tonight's show is co-sponsored by The Folk Music Society of New York.



Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, at 8pm:




Judith Sloan & Friends
An evening of stories, songs, and monologues about migration, refuge, and finding home. Judith Sloan is an actress/audio artist/radio producer, human rights activist and educator whose work bridges the divide between expressive and documentary forms. Her award-winning performances and radio documentaries combine humor, pathos and a love of the absurd. Her multi-character performances explore love, loss and the search for belonging. She'll be performing excerpts from her plays about working with immigrant youth, including Yo Miss! and Crossing the BLVD. She is joined by Dominic Frigo on piano, and singer/actors Em Wexler and Jen Anaya, who will be performing songs from her play in progress, It CAN Happen Here. Sloan will also be joined by two authors. Longtime collaborator and life partner, author/artist/performer Warren Lehrer will present excerpts from his books, including Five Oceans in a Teaspoon, and a new work in progress, Trace: A Surveilled Novel. Author/playwright Alvin Eng will read from his memoir, Our Laundry, Our Town: My Chinese American Life from Flushing to the Downtown Stage and Beyond. This performance is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Books will be available to buy, and there will be a Q&A.
earsay.org


Poster



December 3, 2022, at 8pm:




Charlie King
Charlie King is a musical storyteller and political satirist. He sings and writes passionately about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. Pete Seeger hailed him as "One of the finest singers and songwriters of our time." Charlie has been at the heart of American folk music for more than half a century and has been writing songs for over 40 years. His honors include the 2017 Phil Ochs Award, an "Indie" award for one of the top three folk recordings of 1984; the War Resisters League's 1998 Peacemaker Award; the 1999 Sacco-Vanzetti Social Justice Award; and the 2014 Joe Hill Award. Charlie's songs have been recorded and sung by Pete Seeger, Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, John McCutcheon, Arlo Guthrie, Peggy Seeger, Chad Mitchell and Judy Small. Charlie has recorded over twenty solo albums since 1976, and three albums with Bright Morning Star.
charlieking.org




Rick Burkhardt
Rick Burkhardt is an Obie-award-winning songwriter, composer, playwright, and performer whose original music and theater pieces have been performed in over 40 US cities, as well as in Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Taiwan. As a songwriter and accordionist, he has shared stages with folk legends such as Utah Phillips, Holly Near, The Indigo Girls, Emma's Revolution, Moxy Früvous, and of course Charlie King. He is one-half of the satirical duo The Prince Myshkins, who have released two CDs of his original songs which have aired nationally on NPR's Morning Edition and Pacifica's Democracy Now! He also plays a 100-year-old robot accordionist in the Off-Broadway musical Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future.
rickburkhardt.com



Dec 10, 2022, at 8pm:




Bonnie & 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, 2009). His latest book is The Unstoppable Irish: Songs and Integration of the New York Irish (Notre Dame Press, 2019).
stjohns.digication.com/danmilner

Native New Englander Bonnie Milner has been singing all her life, most notably as a member of the highly acclaimed all-woman maritime group, The Johnson Girls, and with her husband, Dan Milner. Bonnie's specialty in maritime songs was sparked by hearing shanties sung at South Street Seaport and Mystic Seaport museums, and carried further by her acquaintance with the last working tall-ship shantyman, Stan Hugill, who exhorted her to "keep these ditties alive." She took him at his word by putting together presentations on maritime music for audiences of all ages throughout North America and Europe.
thejohnsongirls.com




Michael Howley
Michael Howley is a poet from the West of Ireland and has lived in New York since 1989. His work has been published in journals in Ireland, Britain and this country. His poetry collection Hit List was published by Three Mile Harbor Press, from whom his next collection is forthcoming. He has reconnected to his singing voice since joining the Sunnyside Singers, now the Sunnyside Folk Club. This will be his first appearance on the stage as a singer.



Tonight's concert is co-sponsored by The Folk Music Society of New York.



December 17, 2022, at 8pm:




The Diablos (Miguel Gamboa & Hector Saucedo)
Miguel and Hector are two amigos who share a passion for vintage Mexican boleros and South American criollo waltzes, played on guitar and requinto in a very traditional way, as classic as grandma's soup.
instagram.com/romancerosofqueens


"Me Voy Pal Pueblo"




Rubén González & Handmade
Argentine singer songwriter troubadour Rubén González & Handmade's music is a journey crossing borders between distant places and spaces: South and North America, politics and poetry, pain and humor. The lyrics reflect social observations and traditional tales, while the music echoes a vast set of influences from Latin American rhythms and genres, to jazz and rock. The music has a "hand-made" feeling that draws audiences into a communal music-making experience.
rubengonzalezmusic.com


"Desde Ahí"



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