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 2026 Season ~
Saturday, January 3, 2026, at 8pm
Lucas Maehara Rotman
Brooklyn based singer-songwriter Lucas Maehara Rotman is a storyteller of the human experience. His lyric-driven Mosaic Americana blends the whimsical and the profound, creating a sound as diverse as the influences that have shaped his journey. Word craft and poetic imagery run through Lucas' lyrical universe, with an arc that bends towards social justice, lending weight and depth to his storytelling. Lucas' music connects hearts and souls through the expressive artistry of his poetic imagination, storytelling prowess, and the intensity and playfulness of his live performances. Award winning songwriter, Lucas Maehara Rotman is excited to introduce new music from his upcoming album Lost and Found. lucasmaehararotman.com/home
The Ranzo Boys
The Ranzo Boys - Lafayette Matthews (he/him), Jules Peiperl (they/them), and Lindsey Smith (they/she)
- are traditional folk singers putting the queerness back into maritime and folk music. Formed in NYC in 2020, they have performed at the Connecticut Sea Music Festival, the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival, NEFFA, and the South Street Seaport Museum, and recorded eight songs for public radio later broadcast as a national NPR special. Listen for buzzy English harmonies, Appalachian ballads, sea chanteys, droney instrumental backing, and any song that can be remotely construed as queer.
theranzoboys.com
Tonight's concert is supported by the Folk Music Society of New York.
Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 8pm
Martin Luther King Celebration!
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.
Thelma Ruffin Thomas
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.
Freedom is a Constant Struggle
Spoken Word: Elijah Dixon Owens is a 2019 graduate of Earlham College, who has taught in Japan and the US. He loves music, debate, politics, and public speaking. He served as a volunteer for the Central Brooklyn Martin Luther King Commission.
Reading: Bracha Lieberman, a social worker and career counselor, is President of the Peoples' Voice Cafe Board of Directors and has also served on the Steering Committee of the People's Music Network. She sings with the Walkabout Clearwater Chorus, does some songwriting, studied acting at Circle in the Square and HB Studios, played a variety of roles in community theater productions. She believes that community counts. She is dedicated to taking action to make the world a better place. Her personal motto is "Start your day off with an act of kindness!"
Song: 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.
judygormanmusic.com
Freedom Song Sing-Along
Gary David Allard is a soulful contemporary singer-songwriter who builds his unique sound by extracting inspiration from a plethora of genres, including pop, folk, gospel, R&B, and Caribbean music. Since childhood he has had the opportunity to sing in Catholic choirs, Classical choirs, Folk choirs, Jazz choirs and Gospel choirs. A Brooklybn native, Gary composes his lyrics from his own personal and social experiences, connecting with his audience through tender, powerful, emotional singing.
Lindsey Wilson is an NYC singer-songwriter with a flair for nostalgia with her memorable mix of 70's style urban folk rock and conscious lyrics. Her repertoire includes love songs, protest tunes and lyrics of empowerment. Her songs "Stand for the People" and "The People Shall Rise" have caught the attention of culturally diverse audiences throughout the country.
lindseywilsonmusicnow.com
January 23-25, 2026
People's Music Network Winter Convergence
Peoples' Voice Cafe will be closed this Saturday but we urge all of you to attend the 2026 Winter Convergence of our sister organization, the Peoples' Music Network! The live gathering will be in New York City at the Central Park East II School.
(The main entrance is located at the intersection of First Avenue & E. 101st Street in Manhattan.)
Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 8pm
lisa roma & Electrik Goddess Orquestra
Songstress lisa roma (vocalist-guitarist) created Electrik Goddess Orquestra as a vehicle to express her eclectic song poems. lisa is blessed to perform with her amazing award-winning world class musician friends, Suki Rae (singer-songwriter, flutist+), Violizzy (singer-songwriter, violinist, percussionist+), Barry Kornhauser (composer, cellist/guitarist+), and Roger Blanc (composer, guitarist+). Lisa was influenced by classical, jazz, British & American pop, folk & rock, blues and soul music. She has had various musical experiences with Catherine Russell, Judy Livingston, Peter Pasco, Bob Lepre, Rob Darnell (Poetic Notion Chorus), AB Walker, Paul Decoster, Aaron Comins, Philip Golub, Kevin Nathaniel, Su Polo, Leigh Harrison; and performed at the C-Note, Puppets Jazz Bar, University of the Streets, PorchStomp, PVC, Mary O’s, Church of the Village). Published artist, poet, writer, memoirist, photographer, interfaith minister, lisa’s songs embody the human, earthly and divine. Gratitude Judson/PVC. Flyer creativewomensnetwork.com soundcloud.com/electrikgoddess sukiatry.com violizzy.com facebook.com/rogerblanc
Sunday, February 1, 2026,
Erin Ash Sullivan
Sunday, February 1, Folkus-NYC will be presenting Peoples' Voice Cafe artist Erin Ash Sullivan in concert. In 2021, Erin released her debut solo album, We Can Hear Each Other, which reached #10 on the FAI Folk DJ Chart, and in 2023, she was a "Most Wanted" selection at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. She has won numerous songwriting awards, including the Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Competition, the Mark Erelli Judge's Choice Award in the New England Songwriting Competition, the Great American Song Contest (finalist) and the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (finalist). Her second album, Signposts and Marks, came out in July 2024, and it reached #4 on the FAI Folk DJ Chart for that month. In 2025, she was the winner of the Al Johnson Songwriter Contest at the Wildflower Arts & Music Festival (TX), and she received an Honorable Mention at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase. Erin’s music focuses on the power of stories to build connection and calls back to the style and spirit of her music idols, which include Joni Mitchell, Patty Griffin, John Prine, and Ellis Paul. Her shows are warm, intimate, heartfelt, and funny, with tales that are authentic and drawn from her lived experience, shining a light on the ties that bind us together.
Folkus-NYC takes place at the Brooklyn Art Haus at 24 Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211. The show begins at 3:00 PM. For more information call 917-975-9762.
Friday, February 6, 2026,
"First Fridays" with The People's Music Network - NYC Chapter
Jendog Lonewolf
Jendog Lonewolf is a touring, Two Spirit BlackNative Photographer, Hip Hop Lyricist, and Cultural Worker from Bushwick, Brooklyn who has performed internationally, shared stages with legends like Harry Belafonte and Archbishop Desmond Tutu; performed at numerous colleges, universities, and conferences, as well as private living room events, and taught Hip Hop Lyricism to middle schoolers. Jendog is a proud member of the People's Music Network and the Arts & Culture Team for New York State Poor People's Campaign.
ilovejendog.bandcamp.com
Lindsey Wilson
Lindsey Wilson is an NYC singer-songwriter with a flair 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
Saturday, February 14, 2026, at 8pm
Photo by Christy Gallois
Vincent Cross
Vincent Cross is a rustic folk troubadour rooted in Ireland and Australia, now based in New York City. Inspired by 60s icons like Seeger and Dylan, he blends poetic songwriting with folk tradition. His album Old Songs For Modern Folk reached #2 on the Folk DJ Chart, while The Life & Times of James "The Rooster" Corcoran drew critical praise. His essay "Writing the Songs of our Ancestors" appeared in Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore. His fifth album, A Place Where Songs Come to Live arrived in June and features an International Acoustic Music Awards finalist
"In the Eyes of My Father."
vincentcross.org
Mike Lee
Mike Lee grew up in the northern prairie of South Dakota and now calls Queens home. He sings the blues with a grin, exploring why we laugh through hard times and why life's highlights can bring a tear to our eyes. After releasing his debut solo effort, Pick Me Up Café, Mike founded the roots-rock band Goatroper with his partner Abbey Janii - "words you can dance to." You can find the two of them cutting a rug in a Brooklyn honky-tonk just as soon as singing a sweet tune around a fire in the north woods.
linktr.ee/thirdeye_grind
Tonight's concert is supported by the Folk Music Society of New York.
Saturday, February 21, 2026, 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 14 solo CDs, mostly recently Rants and Romance.
The last four have made the top ten nationally on folk radio charts. Rod has also recorded 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 third novel, Election Night, has just been published.
rodmacdonald.com
Lisa Klotz
Lisa is a singer/songwriter whose style is a combination of folk, blues and gospel held together by a powerful and resonant voice. Both her original and cover songs touch upon themes of environmental and social justice, family, conflict resolution and spirituality. Lisa's first CD, Morning Sun, was released last year and reached #32 on folk radio charts. She will be joined tonight by Annie Loney and Mark Dann.
lisaklotz.com
PVC Recommends:
Sunday, March 1, 2026, at 3:00pm
at Brooklyn Art Haus
24 Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Barry Oreck & Friends
Sunday, March 1, 2026, Folkus-NYC will be presenting Peoples' Voice Cafe artist Barry Oreck & Friends, and Rick Fink, in a show celebrating Brooklyn. Barry Oreck is a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter known for evocative storytelling, rhythmic and stylistic variety, and songs that move and motivate. He explores a range of topics from the personal to the political, touching on societal and ecological issues as well as the perils of aging and long-forgotten love. His affecting voice and soulful guitar-playing bring listeners along on a musical ride of intriguing ideas, disarming humor, and deep feeling. His seasoned musical collaborators reflect a wide range of musical influences from jazz, rock, classical, and world music. Their interlocking instrumental arrangements and three-part harmonies offer a satisfying and original take on songs by Oreck as well as by other contemporary songwriters. The group also presents traditional songs in new arrangements that invite audience members to sing together.
barryoreckmusic.com
Rick Fink
Rick Fink was a founding member and the primary singer/songwriter for the Gas House Gorillas. After 15 years the group disbanded and Rick began traveling the country as a solo acoustic act. A prolific writer whose songs contain catchy lyrics inspired by deeply rooted life experiences, Rick's music combines the elements of traditional Americana and Folk with a Beatlesque melodic sense and a bit of Punk attitude. He is a compelling storyteller with a distinctive voice and wicked sense of humor.
rickfink4real.com
Folkus-NYC takes place at the Brooklyn Art Haus at 24 Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211. The show begins at 3:00 PM. For more information call 917-975-9762.
Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 8pm
International Women's Day Celebration!
The Bev Grant Band
PVC favorite Bev Grant, singer/songwriter/guitarist, will be performing with Carolann Solebello on electric bass and vocals and Steve Mayone on electric guitar, mandolin and vocals. Each is a soloist and songwriter in their own right, but come together tonight as The Bev Grant Band, bringing soul-stirring music to help us all stay connected in our humanity and hope for the future.
bevgrant.com carolannsolebello.com mayonemusic.com
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.
Saturday, March 14, 2026, at 8pm
Filthy Rotten System
Filthy Rotten System is a folk/rock/protest band that sprang out of the New York City Catholic Worker movement. They are usually found in the streets supporting demonstrations, marches, picket lines, and vigils for peace and justice, but they always enjoy themselves and keep their sense of humor. This is a rare opportunity to hear them indoors in a concert setting. The band just celebrated their 15th anniversary, so they must be doing something right.
Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 8pm
Tom Kastle Presents: Joe Hill: Alive As You And Me
This musical play, written by David Simmons of Fermat's Last Theater Company, tells the story of Joe Hill, the legendary organizer and songwriter, his life, death, and martyrdom. The play uses Joe's life as a lens to examine the war between capital and labor from the 1890s to the 1920s and the rise of the Industrial Workers of the World, the Wobblies.
Tom Kastle is an actor, singer, and founding member of the Solidarity Sing Along, the longest running protest Sing in the US.
tomkastle.com
Singing for Justice, a documentary on Faith Petric
Singing for Justice tells the story of Faith Petric (1915-2013), a political radical, musician, mother, worker and grandmother who united folk music and activism through almost a century of American social movements. Over her long and purposeful life, Faith inspired all to take responsibility for social change, urged women and elders to defy stereotypes, and inspired everyone she met to sing along.
Singing for Justice was awarded Best Editor by LA Independent Women Film Awards and Runner Up Best Documentary by
B!tchFest Film Festival & Screenplay Contest. After the screening there will be a Q&A with the director Christie Herring, and a singalong led by Joel Landy.
singingforjustice.com
Reggie Harris & Pat Wictor
Reggie Harris is an accomplished songwriter/singer whose intuitive creativity has made him one of the leaders of the folk tradition. As Musical Education Director of the Living Legacy Project, he works to increase knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement. Reggie's 2024 memoir Searching for Solid Ground is an honest and deeply rich journey into the career of a musician who has survived systems of racism and societal trauma to become a worldwide inspiration.
reggieharrismusic.com
Harmony Grove
Named after an 1850s anti-slavery enclave in their hometown, Harmony Grove features Willie Sordillo on alto saxophone and vocals, Zoë Krohne on vocals, Mark Shilansky on piano, and Doug Rich on bass. They offer a diverse repertoire of original compositions and interpretations of songs from folk, jazz, Latin and pop origins. Their mission is to entertain while presenting a vision which offers hope, joy and possibility in a troubled world. In addition to club dates, they have performed at fundraisers and rallies supporting immigrant communities, environmental concerns, peace initiatives and more. Willie has toured widely, solo and with the group Flor de Caña, and has recorded on the Folkways and Flying Fish labels.
williesordillo.com/Harmony%20Grove.htm
DuPrée & Barry Kornhauser Remembering Singer/Songwriters Whose Shoulders We Stand On
Join us in a celebration of songs created in pursuit of a better possible world by activist musicians gone too soon: Jon Fromer, Jolie Rickman, Ray Korona, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Odetta, Nina Simone and Richie Havens.
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.
"I am DuPrée, a visual and performing artist. Art and music are my tools of resistance. And so, I collaborate with multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-generational coalition builders, and with these allies I seek ways forward for peace and social justice. Together with longtime accompanist Barry Kornhauser on guitar, we look forward to sharing our interpretations of this meaningful body of work that continues to inspire us."
Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 8pm
Benefit Concert for People's Music Network
Activist musicians Joel Landy, Pat Lamanna, and Steve Suffet have agreed to donate their respective shares of the admission and live streaming receipts to People's Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle. Also known as PMN, it is a diverse community of performing artists, activists, and allies who use music, poetry, and other art forms as catalysts for a just and peaceful world. Joanie, Pat, and Steve are all longtime members.
Joel Landy
Known for his energetic stage performances, witty parodies and insightful lyrics, Joel Landy is the host of Songs of Freedom Television, an award winning cable program celebrating the dignity of human struggle. Joel is also a Peoples' Voice Cafe volunteer producer and a fan favorite. A retired high school teacher who is active in the local NYC chapter of People's Music Network, 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
singfreedom.org
Pat Lamanna
Singer-songwriter Pat Lamanna's songs have a strong folk influence, and cover social justice issues as well as philosophical, spiritual and personal topics. She is a 2019 winner of the South Florida Folk Festival songwriting contest, and was named "Interfaith Music Maker of 2025" by the Dutchess County Interfaith Council. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her partner, Richard Mattocks.
patlamanna.com
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. 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
Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 8pm
Carolyn Hester & Daughters
Folk legend Carolyn Hester, a pioneering figure in the Greenwich Village Folk Scene, came to New York in 1955 and recorded her first album for Coral Records in 1957. Known as a fiercely independent artist, she continues the work of a lifetime using her unique empathy to translate meaningful messages for her audience in the ongoing effort to create a better world. Her honeyed voice has raised up other artists to this calling, from Bob Dylan to Nancy Griffith. Tonight she will be joined by her daughters, Karla and Amy Blume, who continue the tradition of American Folk Singer-Songwriters. "Her sensual honey-husk voice has been a model for wave after wave of female singers. It somehow always sounds both sweet and strong-hearted, alluringly feminine and fiercely independent." --Scott Alarik, Boston Globe.
Tonight's concert is supported by the Folk Music Society of New York.
Tom Kastle Presents:
Singing for Justice, a documentary on Faith Petric
