The Peoples' Voice Cafe 239 Thompson St, New York, NY 10012 / 212-787-3903
PVC is an alternative coffeehouse offering live and live-stream entertainment in New York City,
presenting folk, blues, jazz, rap, poetry, spoken word, storytelling, theater and dance since 1979.
We shine a spotlight on social issues and artists from underrepresented cultures.
Alcohol-free ~ Fully Wheelchair Accessible
~ Spring 2024 Season ~
Saturday, January 13, at 8pm:
Martin Luther King Celebration
Featuring Chris "Oledude" Owens with The Peaceful River Band & Choir and special guests
Chris Owens was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to a music-teaching mother and a librarian-turned-politician father. Growing up in Brooklyn, Chris and
his two brothers could have been a folk or classical ensemble. Each brother played a stringed instrument, percussion and sang. But they also liked to
rock ... and pop ... and funk.
After college Chris started writing songs and performing solo and with his brother, Geoffrey.
In 1984 he released his first album, Anyone's Revolution, which voiced his frustration with the
Reagan years. Chris joined the People's Music Network and was encouraged to continue his songwriting by family friend
Pete Seeger, among others.
Over the years, Chris has performed solo, with his own bands, and with other singer-songwriters and choruses. He formed The Owens Brothers Band
in 2014, following the deaths within three months of his father, Congressman Major Owens (D-Brooklyn, NY), South African President and freedom fighter
Nelson Mandela, and Pete Seeger.
Having lost his wife of 28 years to cancer in 2019, Chris refocused on music. As Chris Oledude (having changed his name because of the abundance of Chris
Owenses on the internet), he started a new chapter with an old school blend of blues, gospel, R&B, rock, and Broadway. He has released three singles since
2020 -
"My Tower", "George Floyd" and "Orange Blues". An album is in the works.
Chris has performed at PVC several times since his 1985 debut. Tonight will feature mostly vocalists.
ovou.me/artivistus
SoGoBrook
Formed on the streams of the Lenape, under the branches of the willow living at the community garden at 6th Avenue and 15th Street in Brooklyn,
SoGoBrook evolves from Daniel Sofaer and Tracy Fitz. Guitar and flute meld in deep blues and baroque echoes, with voice and words of
hubeings' songs of change. Tracy has been playing classical flute for 64 years. She is a licensed acupuncturist, buildings efficiency and passive house specialist,
Argentine tango dancer, urban farmer, lesbian, video and film maker, and waterfall builder. Now she is allowing herself to focus on music.
Dan has studied the classics and written poetry but is now eager to return to his roots as a folk musician as part of SoGoBrook.
Dan and Tracy are both lovers of the outdoors, especially the wild outdoors of Brooklyn.
dansofaer.weebly.com
Vera Lata
Vera Lata is a music project that grew in upper Manhattan, from Denise Milstein and Andrew Maroko's friendship and collaboration. Their
roots are in Brazil,
Uruguay, Eastern Europe, and North America. They write new songs and reinterpret ones they love, pushing on the boundaries of Indie, Americana, Brazilian,
and Latin American sounds. They play guitar, pandeiro, lap steel, voice, and bass. Lyrical and rhythmically driven, their music creates space for new sonic
minglings.
Instagram Soundcloud
Jon Dell
Jon Dell is an American songwriter, guitarist, and music educator. Currently based in Brooklyn, his latest release, I Love You & Wish You The Best,
explores weighty topics such as terminal disease, lost love, second chances and most things in between. All this, while still maintaining his trademark
gallows humor. His songs tread the line between dolor and blissful jubilance, a testament to Dell's deftness as a storyteller and his uncommon sensibilities
as a songwriter. Having played in bands since his early teens, he has played hundreds of shows coast to coast, sharing the stage with artists such as
Charley Crockett, BJ Barham, Justin Wells, Wayne "The Train" Hancock, and many others. He completed a massive West Coast tour with his friend Aage Birch in
the fall and is preparing for another deluge of tour dates in 2024. Be sure to keep a weather eye open.
jondellmusic.com
Check out this interview with John Dell!
SamiRose & Her Alter Kakas Jenny & Talbot
Jenny Amanda Hurwitz, Talbot "Top" Katz & SamiRose Katz are political singer-songwriters and instrumentalists. They write and perform "Subversive Pop":
melodic songs with unusual chord changes and a socially progressive bent. They are long-time friends of the Peoples' Voice Cafe, having performed here
numerous times over the years. SamiRose is a Musical Theatre student at NYC's Talent Unlimited High School and has performed leading roles in a variety of
student musicals (PVC enjoyed her powerful voice on Ray Korona Song Night). Expect some Broadway-style belting from her tonight. Her dad Talbot is a
long-time activist with NYC Friends of Clearwater, and her mom Jenny is an activist for Middle East Peace&Justice/2-State solution; immigrant rights & other
issues. Joining the show tonight will be James A. Rushin on piano, and Marley Reyman on vocals.
facebook.com/jenny.a.hurwitz youtube.com/@jennyhurwitz
subvpop7@gmail.com
James A. Rushin Instagram: @not_dragging
Saturday, February 3, 2024, at 8pm:
Owusu Slater
Tyrone Owusu Slater hails from St. Vincent in the Caribbean, homeland of the Garifuna people, where he was first drawn to music by the Starlift Steel
Pan Movement of the 1970s. In 1980, he joined Naked Roots Cultural Drumming Group, touring the Caribbean and participating in World Expo 1986 in Canada.
Since moving to United States in 1991, Slater has worked with groups throughout the Tri-State area, touring and recording with the Rock of Ages Reggae Band,
the Zena Foster Jazzpel Band, and jazz legend Ornette Coleman. He was co-founder and program director of the Biko Transformation Center in Bushwick,
a cultural exchange dedicated to preserving Garifuna music and language. He has worked with The Rhythm Wizards, The Central
Brooklyn Jazz Consortium, and The Afrigarifuna Jazz Ensemble. He currently plays with the Weusi Ensemble and the jazz band Zanrah. Slater is also a
storyteller with the African Folk Heritage Circle and Pearls of Wisdom, as well as chairman of the Cultural Association of Vincentians.
Judy Gorman
Judy Gorman's singing and guitar work are infused with blues, folk, and jazz. She has performed for the UN, festivals, universities, clubs, and concert halls,
and at peace, environmental and human rights events around the world. Judy has shared stages with Pete Seeger, Odetta, Harry Belafonte, Whoopi Goldberg, Sweet
Honey in The Rock, Suzanne Vega, and Richie Havens. "Judy Gorman shoots the arrow straight to the heart." - Pete Seeger "Singing with a dark rich voice, Judy Gorman brought the idea of international solidarity within reach. No small feat." - Boston Globe
judygormanmusic.com
Val Kinzler
Aurally Records recording artist/songwriter/rock mommy/NYC alt-rocker/educator/animal lover/music community organizer/real world influencer, the inclusive
Val Kinzler is a music warrior who unites people.
Legendary boogie-woogie singer/keyboardist Dr. John gave her the heroic name of "Valkyrie," a mythical Scandinavian warrior woman. When she was a child,
the popular classmates would ask, "Why do you want to hang out with them?" (referring to the unpopular kids). Val's mission is "to rescue war-torn heroes and
working class zeroes from the injustices of our times, and reward them with poetic immortality in Valhalla." This resonates with her work in music,
educational programs, and with "NYC Women Who Rock." Val Kinzler has released five albums.
valkinzler.com
Jendog Lonewolf
Jendog Lonewolf is a Two Spirit Black Native Photographer, Hip Hop Lyricist, and Cultural Worker from Bushwick,
Brooklyn, who navigates a myriad of spaces, challenging stereotypes and issues at the intersections of class, race,
gender and sexuality. She's gracefully shared stages with Harry Belafonte, Nile Rodgers, Desmond Tutu, and Joan Baez,
worked with Grammy winner Dan Zanes on two Hip Hop/Folk songs, including a LeadBelly tribute for Smithsonian
Institute's Folkways Records, toured South Africa, Sri Lanka, UK, Toronto, US, and Cambodia with YaliniDream
as the duo Brooklyn Dreamwolf, and is a proud member of the People's Music Network for Songs of Freedom and
Struggle, their Steering Committee, as well as Great Labor Arts Exchange (GLAE) Next Generation Team.
ilovejendog.bandcamp.com instagram.com/ilovejendog facebook.com/ilovejendog
Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 8pm:
Lindsey Wilson
Lindsey Wilson is an NYC singer-songwriter with a flare for nostalgia with her memorable mix of 70's style urban folk rock and conscious lyrics.
Throughout her musical career, Lindsey Wilson has embraced issues of the heart and mind within her original music. Love songs, protest tunes and lyrics of
empowerment have all been a true representation of her style and sensibilities. Her songs "Stand for the People" and "The People Shall Rise" have caught the
attention of culturally diverse audiences throughout the country. Lindsey's influences stem from a myriad of musically conscious voices such as Odetta,
Richie Havens, Joni Mitchell, and Joan Armatrading. However, Lindsey's message is truly her own.
lindseywilsonmusicnow.com
Judy Gorman
Judy Gorman's singing and guitar work are infused with blues, folk, and jazz. She has performed for the UN, festivals, universities, clubs, and concert halls,
and at peace, environmental and human rights events around the world. Judy has shared stages with Pete Seeger, Odetta, Harry Belafonte, Whoopi Goldberg, Sweet
Honey in The Rock, Suzanne Vega, and Richie Havens. "Judy Gorman shoots the arrow straight to the heart." - Pete Seeger "Singing with a dark rich voice, Judy Gorman brought the idea of international solidarity within reach. No small feat." - Boston Globe
judygormanmusic.com
Saturday, February 17, 2024, at 8pm:
Rod MacDonald with Mark Dann
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. He recorded 21 songs for Fast Folk magazine
(now in the Smithsonian Folkways collection), including "American Jerusalem," "A Sailor's Prayer," "Every Living
Thing," and "White Buffalo," also recorded by numerous other artists. He has 13 solo CDs and three CDs with the
Palm Beach County band
Big Brass Bed, which New Times named "Best Folk Band" in 2016. Now living in south Florida, Rod has
been named to the "Ten Greatest South Florida Folksingers Of All Time" list by New Times, and 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, was published in 2021.
rodmacdonald.com facebook.com/rodmacdonaldmusic
Saturday, February 24, 2024, at 8pm:
Toby Fagenson Memorial Celebration
Come celebrate the life and music of Toby Fagenson, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 75. A long-time Peoples' Voice Cafe performer, Toby was also
active with Summer Songs, the Folk Music Society of New York, the New Jersey Folk Project, the Christopher Street Coffee House, and the People's Music
Network, and he often attended Pinewoods Camp in Massachusetts. A talented multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter, Toby was a master of the parody
and the pun. His musical tastes were eclectic, but he especially loved folk music and rock and roll. Toby's partner Jane Babits and members of Toby's group
Blind Boneless Chicken will lead the jam and sing some of Toby's original songs. Please feel free to bring memories and songs to share.
Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 8pm:
Young Voices Night
Brie Kelly
Brie Kelly is an enormously talented unaccompanied singer whose vast repertoire includes both traditional and contemporary folk songs. You might just find
her at the Exceedingly Good Song Night, the Sunnyside Folk Club, or one of the other singers' sessions in and around New York City.
Lindsey Smith
Lindsey Smith (she/they) is a reformed classically-trained singer who dropped into Ken Schatz's Exceedingly Good Song Night on a whim sometime in 2015 and
has been involved in the New York folk community since. A proud union member, they are especially interested in folk songs as the oral history of the
working class. Lindsey sings mostly unaccompanied songs about ghosts, love, capitalism, revenge, and Texas, where she grew up (nominally).
Lissa Michalak
Lissa Michalak loves songs that make her laugh, stick in her head, or send chills down her spine. She has performed solo and unaccompanied as well as
with friends and guitars since the mid-1980s. She uses her rich knowledge of human movement, expression, and anatomy to enhance both her vocal sound and physical performance.
Tonight's concert is co-sponsored by The Folk Music Society of New York
Saturday, March 9, 2024, at 8pm:
Barbara Rosica
Barbara Rosica was active in the 1960s Philadelphia folk music scene while still a child, performing at the Second Fret, the Gilded Cage, and the Main Point,
where she once opened for Phil Ochs. She also appeared regularly on Gene Shay's radio program. When she was a teen, her family
moved to Montreux, Switzerland and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands where Barbara performed locally. She then pursued careers in acting and higher education.
For the past few years she has been studying blues and roots music with Bob Malenky.
Eric Kilburn
In the 80s, Eric Kilburn played regularly at legendary Club Passim in Cambridge, MA, opening for Shawn Colvin, Tracy Chapman and Eric Andersen before
becoming a headliner. His songs were covered by Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Eric started a family in 1989 and changed focus from performing to building
Wellspring Sound, now one of the largest studios in New England. In 2019 he recorded My Own Mistakes, his first album in 30 years, a song cycle
starting with the reflections of an expectant father and concluding with a story of being the oldest man at the Thanksgiving table. These new songs earned
Eric a spot at Kerrville's New Folk Songwriting contest. During the pandemic he recorded Reckonings, featuring songs dealing with racial justice in
America, as well as several humorous and ironic songs about life and relationships in the 21st century.
Saturday, March 16, 2024, at 8pm:
Le Ombre di Rosso
The Venetian band Le Ombre di Rosso was born from the collaboration of composer Andrea Alzetta and singer-songwriter and music scholar Fabio Fantuzzi.
Their first album, Momenti di Lucidità (2016), was praised by the critics and led to multiple tours in Europe, Canada, and the US. In 2020, they
began a collaboration with Italian-American poet Luciano Cecchinel, putting to music his poems about the Italian diaspora. Mixing gyspy and Balkan flavors
into their elegantly retro, folky songs, we think you'll find Le Ombre di Rosso unique and enchanting.
rockit.it/leombredirosso Instagram Facebook
Guadalupe Peraza
Mexican mezzo-soprano, artistic director and arts promoter Guadalupe Peraza has performed internationally on both concert and opera stages. She has
participated in various productions at New York City Opera, and Bard Summerscape, and has sung at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and Lincoln Center.
She is the creator of Mexamorphosis, a cross-cultural music production that showcases connections between contemporary regional Mexican styles and
early European music, drawing out the not-so-latent influences from Iberia and West Africa.
Facebook Soundcloud
Women in Song and Struggle
Join folksingers Pat Lamanna, Lydia Adams Davis and Sharleen Leahey as we celebrate women's 72-year struggle for suffrage from the 1840s to the present.
As The Herstorians, the trio travelled the northeast performing songs and telling stories to reveal our long-buried herstory with drama, humor and passion.
In addition to historical songs, each artist, an accomplished songwriter and recording artist, will share original tunes which will send you home uplifted
and inspired.
Pat Lamanna is an award-winning folksinger-songwriter living in the Hudson River Valley. With a particular interest in historical songs and stories,
she has given musical presentations on women's suffrage, Catskill Mountain lore, civil rights, peace, and legendary folksingers such as Woody Guthrie,
Malvina Reynolds, and Pete Seeger. patlamanna.com Facebook
A relaxed and warm-voiced balladeer, Lydia Adams Davis brings an improvisational flair to her original and traditional songs. Lydia grew up in
New England and the Hudson Valley, where she was active with Pete Seeger and the Hudson River Sloop Singers. She also lived in Brooklyn for many years,
earning an MS degree in Deaf Education from Hunter College and raising her daughter, the jazz vocalist Romeyn Adams Nesbitt. Lydia has
performed in her unique Country/Folk style at the Bottom Line and the Gaslight Cafe. lydiaadamsdavis.com Facebook
Sharleen Leahey is a singer-songwriter, recording artist and peace activist. She has recorded three collections of original songs including her most
recent release, For the 99. Sharleen performs a unique blend of original and classic folksongs for diverse audiences which include peace and
environmental groups, festivals and community coffeehouses. sharleenleahey.com Facebook
Tonight's concert is co-sponsored by The Folk Music Society of New York.
Saturday, April 6, at 8pm:
Atiba Wilson & Kiyoko Yamaoka-Layne
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 has also recorded with Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber. Atiba can be contacted at
befoquotet@hotmail.com
Kiyoko Yamaoka-Layne is a classically trained pianist from Kyoto, Japan. She was a member of the well-known Japanese Gospel Choir the Naniwa Black
Peppers and later moved to the US to study Jazz and Gospel at the Berklee College of Music, where she earned a degree in Jazz Composition. Since moving to
Harlem in 2008, Kiyoko has performed in numerous jazz clubs, in the house band at the Jazz Foundation of America's Monday Night Jam, and at United Nations
Plaza, while also working as music librarian for the Duke Ellington Orchestra and teaching. Her first CD, Kiyoko in Harlem, came out in 2009.
Photo by Ronnie Mae Painter
DuPrée & Barry Kornhauser
DuPrée, perhaps best known as one of the lead vocalists of Casselberry DuPree, brings to her audience a rich legacy of musical genres. Drawing
on a background of gospel, folk, and country music, her songs encompass a downhome spirituality, coupled with a deep appreciation for the Gullah narrative,
a bridge to her African roots. Add some reggae and blues, mix with a generous helping of social commentary and you begin to understand the wealth of this
singer/songwriter. DuPrée's soaring contralto voice, powerful vibrato and melodious yodeling grip the listener with hope for humanity; her songs evoke
the haunting quality of a longing for truth and an inquiry into the different shades of justice.
Barry Kornhauser was born in the Midwest of the Bronx and presently lives in Brooklyn. He is a composer, arranger, teacher and multi-instrumentalist
(cello, guitar, bass guitar and mandola) in a wide variety of musical environments. He has performed on stages ranging from Merkin Hall and NJPAC to the
Bronx Zoo and Hippo Playground. From Saint John the Divine and Trinity Church to Sing Sing Prison and Creedmoor. He has collaborated with DuPrée as an
accompanist since the early 90s.
Saturday, April 13, at 8pm:
Thelma Thomas & Pearls of Wisdom
Thelma Ruffin Thomas is the artistic director of Pearls of Wisdom, a touring ensemble of elder storytellers. 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.
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Saturday, April 20, 2024, at 8pm:
Ben Bath
Ben is a musical polymath with backgrounds in classical music and ethnomusicology. In addition to his training on the piano, on the cello, in composition,
and in conducting, Ben is an independent research scholar of early American hymnody and continues to do work in the contemporary experimental music scene in
New York City. He studied vocal performance, composition, and choral conducting at Bard College. Ben connects his music with social
and political commitments. To this end, he has formed and led multiple movement-based choirs and
ensembles with the goal of uplifting working-class and left-wing musical traditions from around the world.
Dilson Hernandez
Dilson is a Dominican-American performing artist from the Bronx. His talents include creative writing, playing various instruments, spoken-word poetry,
singing, and digital production. Dilson is in the process of revising his one-man show, Bachatú, and will soon release his first music project,
The Bachatú EP. In 2019, Dilson was named the Resident Artist for the open mike series Inspired Word, and made his Off-Broadway debut at the
Triad Theatre, where he performed Bachatú. Dilson has composed for a variety of Off-Broadway productions such as Guadalís del Carmen's
Bees and Honey (MCC Theatre) and Julissa Calderon's Vámonos! (Intar Theatre).
Dilson wishes to change the world with his art and community work, striving for a more progressive and creative future. Toward that end he has taught
English in Haiti, built dorm spaces for underprivileged children in rural India, and led music workshops and advocated at courtrooms for incarcerated
youth in New York City, via Youth Justice Network.
dilsonmusic.com Instagram
VeraForLove
VeraForLove is a singer/songwriter passionate about empowering people within our community to create positive change through music and humility.
She is actively involved in the Peace Movement, collaborating with Nevada Desert Experience, an interfaith organization dedicated to abolishing the
production of modern weaponry and nuclear weapons. She serves on the board of Pace e Bene, an organization focused on bringing nonviolence education
to address social and environmental issues.
Jendog Lonewolf
Jendog Lonewolf is a Two Spirit Black Native Photographer, Hip Hop Lyricist, and Cultural Worker from Bushwick, Brooklyn, who navigates a myriad of spaces,
challenging stereotypes and issues at the intersections of class, race, gender and sexuality. She's gracefully shared stages with Harry Belafonte,
Nile Rodgers, Desmond Tutu, and Joan Baez, worked with Grammy winner Dan Zanes on two Hip Hop/Folk songs, including a LeadBelly tribute for Smithsonian
Institute's Folkways Records, toured South Africa, Sri Lanka, UK, Toronto, US, and Cambodia with YaliniDream as the duo Brooklyn Dreamwolf, and is a proud
member of the Peoples' Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle, their Steering Committee, as well as Great Labor Arts Exchange (GLAE) Next
Generation Team. Bandcamp Instagram Facebook
Saturday, April 27, 2024, at 8pm:
Val Kinzler
Aurally Records recording artist/songwriter/rock mommy/NYC alt-rocker/educator/animal lover/music community organizer/real world influencer, the inclusive
Val Kinzler is a music warrior who unites people.
Legendary boogie-woogie singer/keyboardist Dr. John gave her the heroic name of "Valkyrie," a mythical Scandinavian warrior woman. When she was a child,
the popular classmates would ask, "Why do you want to hang out with them?" (referring to the unpopular kids). Val's mission is "to rescue war-torn heroes and
working class zeroes from the injustices of our times, and reward them with poetic immortality in Valhalla." This resonates with her work in music,
educational programs, and with "NYC Women Who Rock." Val Kinzler has released five albums.
valkinzler.com
Special Surprise Preview: Violizzy Taub, Steve Suffett, and Joel Landy
Billygoat, originally scheduled for tonight, had to cancel, so these three trusty troubadours have stepped up to keep the music rolling!
Steve Suffett is an Old Fashioned Folksinger whose original songs often sound like classic folk standards. Joel Landy is a musical firebrand
specializing in political satire. Violizzy is a singer-songwriter-violinist who sings passionately about the environment and labor struggles.
Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 8pm:
Violizzy & Friends
Violizzy is a prolific violinist/fiddler/singer-songwriter focused on the environment, labor, and other social struggles. She has spent her career
combining politics with the healing power of music, simultaneously lifting the spirits of her audiences and helping to educate others. Violizzy is a
member of Bluestone 739, The Val Kinzler Band, the UNSCR Symphony Orchestra, the Queer Urban Orchestra, ARTivistUS, the People's Music Network, the NYC
Labor Chorus, and is the President on the Board of Directors of Performance Wellness Inc, a non-profit organization that trains and works with people
who want to learn the Dr. Louise Montello Method of Performance Wellness. This evening Violizzy will be joined by Stephen Hodorowski, Carol Daly,
Alice Dow, Trevor Hochman, Judy Gorman and Cara Schwarz. violizzy.com Facebook Instagram
Photo by Susan Wilson
Kim Wallach
Kim Wallach writes original songs that cover the gamut from book banning, refugees, and racial injustice, to the health benefits of pets, all graced with
some hard earned wisdom, and an out-of-left-field sense of humor. With considerable skills on guitar, banjo and piano, Kim is sure to surprise and delight
new listeners and old friends.
"Wallach's delightful contradictions - a deadpan demeanor interwoven with her coyly comical delivery... clear, pure soprano... an air of innocence
saturated in satirical glee." -- The Boston Globe
kimwallach.com
On a warm Sunday afternoon in 1964, two teenage folkies, each with a guitar in hand, found one another by the fountain in Washington Square Park.
They hung out together that summer, frequenting the movie houses of Greenwich Village, picnicking in Central Park, watching the July 4th fireworks from a
rooftop in Queens, and making lots of music. Then Genny Haley returned to sunny California (well, really to foggy San Francisco), leaving Steve Suffet
behind to fend for himself on the fetid streets of the Big Apple. Now they are about to meet again for the first time in 60 years. We don't know what is
going to happen, but we assure you it will be something wonderful.
Genny Haley
Genny Haley is a folk/roots music singer and songwriter. She is a founding member of the all-female Any Old Time String Band that recorded two albums,
and that played regularly in the SF Bay Area and at major US and Canadian folk and bluegrass festivals and venues in the 1970s. Genny then sang for 21
years with the Zenith Jazz Band, a traditional New Orleans style band that also played festivals and recorded an album. She once drove a '66 Chevy Carryall
across the country, camping in it, going to old-time and folk music festivals, and meeting her musical icons like Doc Watson and Alice Gerrard. Genny's
songs, like that old truck, will take you lots of miles and keep running strong. On her recent CD, Blue Highways of My Heart, she invites you to ride
shotgun, turn up the radio, open the window, and sing along while the wind blows your hair around. If you hear the ghosts of old Highway 99, don't be
surprised - you're hearing real, authentic folk music from a real, authentic California original. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
Soundcloud
Steve Suffet
Better known in the United Kingdom than back home in the USA, Steve Suffet is best described as an old fashioned folksinger in the People's Music tradition,
as well as a long-time Peoples' Voice Cafe performer. His repertoire is a mixture of railroad songs, trucker songs, coal miner songs, cowboy songs,
union songs, old time ballads, blues, ragtime, Gospel, bluegrass, topical-political songs, Woody Guthrie songs, Irish songs, and whatever else tickles his
fancy, including several songs he has written himself in traditional style. What all his songs have in common is that they are about working people, their
lives, their loves, their hopes, and their struggles.
stevesuffet.com
Tonight's concert is co-sponsored by The Folk Music Society of New York.
Saturday, May 18, 2024, at 8pm:
What's In A Name? Poetry & Music Extravaganza
This year's Season Finale brings together artists who combine the imagery and dynamism of spoken word with the rhythms and melodies of music.
When these artists join forces, they create SPARKS! Expect joyous collaboration and improvisation, including a renaming ceremony to celebrate Fred's
birthday and honor his mixed anti-racist heritage. The first time they played Peoples' Voice Cafe in 2016, they blew the roof off!
Fred Arcoleo
Pat Lamanna calls Fred "Don McLean meets Phil Ochs." His RALLY FOLK! MUSIC addresses the difficult truths of our times with courage, tenderness, optimism,
and determination. His three albums to date have charted on Folk Radio, reaching as high as #7. His newest song, the multi-genre "History Speaks,"
addresses the present global crisis.
Facebook ReverbNation Instagram
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.
Demetrius Daniel
Demetrius is renowned on the New York City poetry circuit and an instant hit anywhere he performs, pioneering a poetry-music hybrid called TROMBOETRY,
infusing his spoken word creations with a New Orleans-style trombone gumbo. Stark Reality's Viviana Grell says Demetrius keeps audiences "engaged,
entertained, and awake!"
tromboetry.com
Freida Grace Jones
Freida is a visual artist, poet, and playwright. She is the author of Music Masquerades as Honey in my Hands,
monologues and poems dramatizing our African American jazz legacy, and the play Lucky Strikes Legacy, inspired by the
fusion of dance, music and spoken word. Freidais work has appeared in anthologies such as Callaloo, Drum, African Voices,
and Soul Sister Review. She is a founding member of the Garden Collective, which grows new writing in the Bronx.
Amber Atiya
Born and raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Amber's fiercely original multidisciplinary poetry mesmerizes audiences with her emotional honesty and profound
insights into city life. A Poets House fellow, her chapbook The Fierce Bums of Doo-Wop is currently in its second printing.
poetryfoundation.org/poets/amber-atiya poetshouse.org/profile/amber-atiya
