Hey everyone, here is info about our March concert (Cindy Kallet & Grey Larsen on March 1st), but first, a reminder of two upcoming events this weekend, also in the Common House!

then, the very next day...

Sunday, February 17 2019 – 3:00 pm

Gordon Kramer

with Devin Griffiths and Rob Peck

Cindy Kallet & Grey Larsen

Happy Holidays everyone! Start it out right with a new concert by Claudia Schmidt at Coho!

CD Release! Claudia is back with a new CD, “Concinnity”. Claudia opened this series 6 years ago, and we’re glad to have her back again!

More than 4 decades as a 
touring professional have found 
Michigan native Claudia Schmidt 
traversing North America as well as 
Europe in venues ranging from intimate 
clubs to 4,000 seat theaters, and festival 
stages in front of 25,000 rapt listeners. 
She has recorded nineteen albums of 
mostly original songs, exploring folk, 
blues, and jazz idioms featuring 
her acclaimed 12-string 
guitar and mountain 
dulcimer playing.

Claudia Schmidt has been perfecting her craft of performing for almost four decades. It is a quirky and wonderful hodge-podge (her word!) of music, poetry, story, laughter. drama, and celebrating the moment. Work in clubs, theaters, festivals, TV, radio has added depth and dimension, and since she has always included her original work along with very personal versions of the work of others, what you get is a unique look at the world from someone who says what she sees with clarity, humor, and wonder. 

The San Francisco Bay Guardian said: Schmidt’s shows are a lot like falling in love. You never know what’s going to happen next, chances are it’s going to be wonderful, every moment is burned into your memory and you know you’ll never be the same again.” More succinctly, Garrison Keillor said “when Claudia sings a song, it stays sung”

Here’s the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/318076475700593/ – let us know you’re coming!

Bill Staines in the house Friday, Dec 7th!

(with opening act – our own illuminating Kit Johnson and Swing Set!)

Anyone not familiar with the music of Bill Staines is in for a special treat. For more than forty years, Bill has traveled back and forth across North America, singing his songs and delighting audiences at festivals, folksong societies, colleges, concerts, clubs, and coffeehouses. A New England native, Bill became involved with the Boston-Cambridge folk scene in the early 1960’s and for a time, emceed the Sunday Hootenanny at the legendary Club 47 in Cambridge. Bill quickly became a popular performer in the Boston area. From the time in 1971 when a reviewer from the Boston Phoenix stated that he was “simply Boston’s best performer”, Bill has continually appeared on folk music radio listener polls as one of the top all time favorite folk artists. Now, well into his fifth decade as a folk performer, he has gained an international reputation as a gifted songwriter and performer. Singing mostly his own songs, he has become one of the most popular and durable singers on the folk music scene today, performing nearly 200 concerts a year and driving over 65,000 miles annually. He weaves a blend of gentle wit and humor into his performances and one reviewer wrote, “He has a sense of timing to match the best standup comic.” Bill’s music is a slice of Americana, reflecting with the same ease his feelings about the prairie people of the Midwest or the adventurers of the Yukon, the on-the-road truckers, or the everyday workers that make up this land. Many of Bill’s songs have appeared in grade school music books, church hymnals, and scouting campfire songbooks; he is one of only a few songwriters to have eight songs published in the classic song collection, Rise up Singing. Composer David Amram recently described Bill as “a modern day Stephen Foster…his songs will be around 100 years from now.” Over the decades, you have heard Bill singing on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, HBO’s award winning series Deadwood, and Public Radio’s Mountain Stage. Additionally, his music has been used in a number of films including Off and Running, with Cyndi Lauper, and The Return of the Secaucus Seven, John Sayles’ debut as a writer- director. In 1975, Bill won National Yodeling Championship in Kerrville Texas. Another important recognition was given to him in 2007. Presented by the Boston Area Coffeehouse Association, The Jerry Christen Award recognized Bill’s contribution to New England folk music. Currently, Bill has recorded 26 albums; The Happy Wanderer and One More River were winners of the prestigiousParents’ Choice Award, taking a gold medal and silver medal respectively. His songs have been recorded by many artists including Peter, Paul, and Mary, Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, The Highwaymen, Mason Williams, Grandpa Jones, Jerry Jeff Walker, Nanci Griffith, Glen Yarborough and others. As well as recordings, over 100 of Bill’s songs have been published in three songbooks: If I Were a Word, Then I’d Be a Song, Movin’ It Down the Line, and Music to Me, the latter published by Hal Leonard Corporation. His song, All God’s Critters, has been recently released as a Simon and Schuster children’s book with illustrations by Caldecott honor-winning artist, Kadir Nelson. “Folk music is rich in the human spirit and experience. I’ve always wanted to bring something of value to people through my songs.” With these thoughts, Bill continues to drive the highways and back roads of the country year after year, bringing his music to listeners, young and old. In the fall of 2015 Yankee Magazine, New England’s premiere magazine, published it’s “80th Anniversary Issue.”In the issue, along with the likes of Stephen King and Katherine Hepburn, Bill was chosen as “One of the 80 gifts New England has given to America.” A true honor.

What Other People Are Saying About Bill

Alice Howe

Colleen is a favorite here, and if you haven’t been to one of her concerts here, we encourage you to come check her out. She’s a friend of both Rob and Jay through the Peoples’ Music Network, so she’s going to make wonderful music and hit the issues hard at the same time.

Opening Act: John O’Connor, another very talented songwriter and activist)
https://johnpauloconnor.com/

Here’s more…

http://www.colleenkattau.com

“Ever since childhood Kattau has been imbued with a voice that haunts with its clarity and range”– Syracuse New Times.

“Pitch-perfect vocals, superb sound quality”, Professor Louie (musician and former producer of The Band)

Colleen Kattau is a  bilingual vocalist, song-crafter and dynamic performer of Latin-influenced indy eclectic folk. Colleen toured with Holly Near, and performed on Democracy Now and with Pete Seeger who said “she’s a great singer and organizer at the same time”. Colleen performs solo and with her group Dos XX,  that performs “gringa-grooves from the heart”.  She won the 2016 String-buster songwriting contest at the 2016 Great Labor Arts Exchange, is a selected showcase artist at NERFA, and of course, a long time member of PMN.

She is a musician deeply rooted in her community who performs throughout Central New York and in the Northeast, singing for the Onondaga Nation, the Syracuse Community Choir, and for Renewable energy campaigns in CNY. She often performs in Phil Ochs Night concerts throughout the Northeast.

Colleen will be joined by bandmates, Jane Zell on lead guitar and vocals and virtuoso bassist, Mike “train and catman” Brandt.

Here are some videos:

“Your place of freedom” documenting the 2016 Border Mobilization Nogales, AZ/ Sonora, Mexico: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3EZJ-CFVZk

Live performances: Mni Wiconi March in solidarity with Standing Rock, Syracuse NY 2016:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvIP_XcNMRU

This Hen’s Gonna Crow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYdfiC9MJoU

If I do nothing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8-iMdmExso

Opening act: Swing Set. Cohousing’s own Kit Johnson leads this awesome local vocal jazz group!

From Jay: Marc is one of my songwriting and guitar heroes. I hope you’ll come and be with us for this intimate concert. He really must be heard.

Marc Black plays a finger style blues in the traditions of Mississippi Hurt and the great Tim Hardin. A proud road warrior, he was inducted into the New York Chapter of the Blues Hall of Fame in June of 2014. He’s performed and recorded with Art Garfunkel, Taj Mahal, Richie Havens, Rick Danko and Pete Seeger to name a few. He was recently named Folk Artist of the Year on ABC Radio, and a winner at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Noted for his “timeless songs, deep grooves and excellent playing”, Marc was inducted into the New York Chapter of the Blues Hall of Fame in June of 2014.

He’s performed and recorded with many luminaries including Art Garfunkel, Rick Danko, Richie Havens, Taj Mahal and Pete Seeger. He was chosen by Levon Helm to play one of the Midnight Rambles and was recently named Folk Artist of the Year on ABC Radio.

Marc is currently working on a multi-media campaign to help folks who have been gagged by corporate bullying, called Sing for the Silenced. But his song subjects range from his love for the New York Mets, to good coffee and just about everything in between. His fingerstyle blues is reminiscent of Mississippi John Hurt and Lightnin’ Hopkins.

Marc spends most of his time on the road— playing festivals, clubs, arts centers, libraries and house concerts. He was a finalist in the prestigious Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition. Sometime a Spark, his song about Mohamed Bouazizi and the Arab Spring, caused an international stir that led to an interview on Tunisian State Radio.

While still in high school, his band, the Blades of Grass, reached the top forty and performed along side the biggest acts of the day including the Doors, Van Morrison and Neil Diamond. He has since recorded more than a dozen CDs including one ‘pick hit’ in Billboard Magazine and another that was recognized as a ‘minor masterpiece’ by famed music producer John Hammond Sr.

Marc’s song, No Fracking Way – recorded with John Sebastian and Eric Weissberg (of “Dueling Banjos” fame), and some 100 Woodstock, NY citizens — has been sung at rallies as far away as South Africa, Ireland and Australia, and has become a worldwide anthem for the anti-fracking movement.

Click to hear more of Mark’s songs

Mark your calendars for this one, folks – Sean and Jack do a delightful and compelling “approximation” of the Everly Brothers. This is a first for us here at Coho, and we hope to see you there. Note from Jay: Sean was at my Bar Mitzvah in 1973, but that’s not why he’s a great performer.

Facebook Event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1891405294237107/

The Everly Set stars acclaimed NYC singer-songwriters Sean Altman (Rockapella founder, Carmen Sandeigo theme song composer) & Jack Skuller (winner of the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame’s Holly Prize in songwriting) in a tribute to The Everly Brothers.

You’ll hear the sparkling hits- Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Suzie, Cathy’s Clown, All I Have To Do Is Dream, When Will I Be Loved, Crying In The Rain, Love Hurts, Bird Dog, Claudette, Walk Right Back, and Let it Be Me – as well as rarities and Everly-influenced classics, all sung with the supercharged Everly harmonies that influenced The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beach Boys, The Hollies, and the Bee Gees.

Wheelchair accessible. Refreshments served. Suggested $10-$20 donation. Doors open at 7.