Eric Andersen - Sept. 20, 2025
2025-09-20 19:30 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Rose Garden Coffeehouse, Mansfield MA, 17 West St, Mansfield, MA, 02048, United States
In addition to general admission, we’re offering a limited number of meet-and-greet tickets. Meet-and-greet guests are invited to arrive at 6:30 pm to chat with Eric before the show — and we’ll reserve premium front-row seating just for you!
ERIC ANDERSEN’S voice, songs, guitar and piano playing created a career that has spanned over 45 years. He has recorded 25 albums of original songs, and made numerous tours of North America, Europe, and Japan.
His songs have been recorded and performed by world renown artists such as Ricky Nelson, Judy Collins, Sandy Denny, Fairport Convention, The Kingston Trio, Peter Paul and Mary, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash, The Grateful Dead, Linda Thompson, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Francoise Hardy, plus many others in Europe, Australia, England, and Japan.

John Henry’s Hammer Coffeehouse – Open Mic Friday 9/26/2025
2025-09-26 18:30 - 21:30 | John Henry’s Hammer Coffeehouse, Worcester MA, 90 Main St, Worcester, MA, 01608, United States
Here are the usual IMPORTANT details for JHH Open Mic:
2nd and 4th Fridays (except when noted)
First Unitarian Church, 90 Main St, Worcester, MA
Doors open and performer sign-up at 6:30 p.m.
Performances begin @ 7 p.m.
10 minutes in the limelight- spoken word or music (usually two songs unless you choose to sing American Pie or some sea shanty with fifty verses). Duos or groups are considered one act and CANNOT sign up as single performers too. Wearing a fake moustache will NOT fool us. $3.00 admission for everybody. Performer or spectator. Payable to the lovely lady at the folding card table.
Refreshments & snacks (donation appreciated).
PLEASE enter State Street upper parking lot door. Handicap parking and accessibility at the other side of the church on Court Street by the Courthouse apartments. If you DO park on Court Street only park on the church side of the street or you could get towed. The parking meters on Main Street and State Street require money until 8:00 pm. The meter maids and dudes love to hand out tickets.

The North Reading Community Coffeehouse Performing Artist Series Presents Anderson-Gram
2025-09-27 19:30 - 22:00 | North Reading Community Coffeehouse, North Reading MA, 147 Park St, North Reading, MA, 01864, United States
The North Reading Community Coffeehouse is proud to present an evening with Anderson-Gram.
Gayle Anderson and Bob Gram love being together and that dynamic shines through in the music they create and perform!Their easy-going command of stage and polished performance style make them a perfect fit for the North Reading Community Coffeehouse. They both started out on different paths but destiny brought them together, one night in 1990, at an open mic.
“Singer/songwriters Gayle Anderson Gram and Bob Gram are a well-seasoned, artistically-polished folk duo. Their voices blend perfectly, and their sensitive guitar accompaniments are thoughtful, interesting, and balanced. Anderson-Gram achieves a style of communication with the audience that is completely natural, and their clever lyrics and wit add to a very satisfying entertainment experience.”Brad SlocumProgram DirectorMusic At NoonWestminster ChurchSacramento, CAThe doors open at 7 PM and the show starts at 7:30 PM. The show is free but there is a Suggested Donation of $10. A portion of the money raised will go to the Friends of the Flint Memorial Library to help support the many programs and activities offered by the Library. The show is sponsored by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.Please come and join us for what will surely be an entertaining evening of music.If you have any questions, please contact Art Grossman at NRCoffeehouse@gmail.com

John Henry's Hammer Coffeehouse- Open Mic
2025-10-10 18:30 - 21:30 | John Henry’s Hammer Coffeehouse, Worcester MA, 90 Main St, Worcester, MA, 01608, United States
2nd and 4th Fridays (except when noted)
First Unitarian Church, 90 Main St, Worcester, MA
Doors open and performer sign-up at 6:30 p.m.
Performances begin @ 7 p.m.
10 minutes in the limelight- spoken word or music (usually two songs unless you choose to sing American Pie or some sea shanty with fifty verses). Duos or groups are considered one act and CANNOT sign up as single performers too. Wearing a Richard Nixon mask will NOT fool us. $3.00 admission for everybody. Performer or spectator. Payable to the lovely lady at the folding card table (please bring $1 bills). Refreshments & snacks (donation appreciated).
PLEASE enter State Street upper parking lot door. Handicap parking and accessibility at the other side of the church on Court Street by the Courthouse apartments. If you DO park on Court Street only park on the church side of the street or you could get towed. The parking meters on Main Street and State Street require money until 8:00 pm. The meter maids and dudes love to hand out tickets.

Chris & Meredith Thompson/The Secret Sauce
2025-10-10 19:30 - 22:00 | Parish Center for the Arts, 10 Lincoln Street, Westford, MA, 01886, United States
$20 Members/ $22 non-members in advance ; $25 at the door (if available)
Cabaret seating. BYOB & Snacks. Doors open at 7:00PM
DOUBLE BILL! Chris & Meredith Thompson are twin sisters who perform acoustic music featuring guitar, percussion, flute, and sibling harmony. They are “powerful performers with a natural warmth for the live concert stage” writes Tom Lounges in the Beat. Best known for the unique blend of their nearly identical voices, the Thompsons weave vocals, flute, guitar and percussion together creating a sound that is genuine, beautiful, and moving. The duo has performed and many different venues and Festivals up and down the East Coast (& beyond).
Janet Feld, Esther Friedman and Jackie Damsky have joined forces as The Secret Sauce, performing tasty originals and choice covers, with lots of sweet 3-part harmony, plus guitar, mandolin, and violin. They came together over a love of each other’s songs, great friendship, and fun and that’s how the Secret Sauce rolls!
Cabaret seating. BYOB & Snacks.

Cosy Sheridan
2025-10-11 19:30 - 21:00 | Live from the Living Room, Melrose MA, 647 Main St, Melrose, MA, 02176, United States

David Dodson
2025-10-11 19:30 - 21:00 | New Revival Coffeehouse, Stow MA, 353 Great Rd, Stow, MA, 01775, United States
David Dodson writes great songs that run the gamut of American styles—folk, rock, blues, jazz and country. His songs cover a variety of topics and range from poignant to hilarious. He plays a mean guitar, tells a good story, sings like a bird, and he’s got rhythm. Who could ask for anything more?
“The Farthest Field,” a favorite among singing groups of all kinds, has been included in “Rise Again” (the second edition of “Rise Up Singing”) and other song books. David was inspired to write this song by a gathering of friends, singing, high up in a beautiful field in northern Vermont.
David, who lives in Camden ME, was also a New Folk winner at the Kerrville Folk Festival.
Learn more about David at daviddodsonmusic.com
“An eyes-twinkling, word-twisting, pretension-shattering wit that delighted and surprised the crowd all night.” ~ Boston Globe
“David Dodson is without a doubt one of the most entertaining performers on the folk scene today. A versatile songwriter, David’s songs range from witty and hilarious, to romantic and poignant. But what sets him apart is his uninhibited physicality. You will go home smiling.” ~ Paul Hoffman, The Rug Room Coffeehouse

Tickets are $20 in advance at Eventbrite.com, and $25 on the day of the show. Doors open at 7 PM and music begins at 7:30.
To buy tickets, visit Eventbrite.com

Open Mic Night at The Music Mansion
2025-10-16 18:00 - 21:30, 2025-11-13 18:00 - 21:30, 2025-12-18 18:00 - 21:30 | Stone Soup Coffeehouse, 88 Meeting Street, Providence, RI, 02906, United States
Over the last couple years we have tried a lot of things on our open mic stage. In Season 42, we held workshops for developing musicians. in Season 43, we invited hosts of other open mics around the state to feature on our stage. We trained new sound engineers only to forgo all the tech. It’s now musicians and audiences in a room together – a room designed for music to flow and flourish.
Ed Dean returns as our open mic host, opening the doors to The Music Mansion. It’s a welcoming environment for beginners, new artists, and veteran local musicians. The Open Mic Series is one of the ways we practice what we preach and Ed is an incredible minister for this community. Hope to see you there.

Michelle Saylors / Mike Laureanno ~ A split bill - Oct. 18, 2025
2025-10-18 19:30 - 22:00 | Rose Garden Coffeehouse, Mansfield MA, 17 West St, Mansfield, MA, 02048, United States
Mike Laureanno hails from Fall River, MA an old mill-town infamous for its axe wielding resident Lizzie Borden and famous for its chow mein sandwiches and pork pies.​A passionate performer, Mike’s songs are visceral and evocative. He is proud of his roots and many of his songs deal with his gritty blue collar hometown and the lives of his family and friends. He is a winner of the 2017 Wildflower, TX songwriting contest, the 2016 Woody Guthrie songwriting contest and a 2016 Kerrville New Folk, TX finalist.
Mike is also a skilled recording engineer, producer and veteran sideman. He produced and recorded all of his albums in his home studio and he served twelve years as the bass player for the legendary New York City FAST FOLK Musical Magazine founder, Jack Hardy.
​Mike has released four albums to date, Pushing Back Wintertime (2013), Road Signs (2015), Tightrope (2017) and I come from Fall River (2021)
Bristol-RI-based singer-songwriter Michelle Saylors was raised on a 30-acre farm in bible-belt Tennessee. Early musical inspirations include country, bluegrass-gospel, folk and Memphis blues. Michelle performed bluegrass music in the early 90s at festivals such as Lester Flat Bluegrass Festival and the Country Showdown. Michelle moved to New England in 1998 and landed in Rhode Island in 2009 where she became involved in the Rhode Island Songwriters Association. Michelle played at the Bluebird Café in Nashville at Songwriters open mics on several occasions. Michelle performed at the Providence Folk Festival in 2014 and the Rhode Island Folk Festival in 2022.
In July of 2024, Michelle released her solo debut album titled “Hit the Creek” which features 10 original songs written solely by Michelle. The album has been well-received by fans and continues to gain momentum on streaming platforms nationally and recently hit the UK. Her songwriting is rooted both physically and metaphorically by the space and distance between small town Tennessee and coastal New England. Michelle is currently working on her second album. She identifies her musical style as Nashville blues-country/bluegrass/folk.

John Henry's Hammer Coffeehouse - Open Mic
2025-10-24 18:30 - 21:30 | John Henry’s Hammer Coffeehouse, Worcester MA, 90 Main St, Worcester, MA, 01608, United States

The Lindsays - Coffeehouse with Mini Open Mic
2025-10-24 19:00 - 21:15 | South Shore Folk Music Club, Duxbury MA, 842 Tremont St, Duxbury, MA, 02332, United States
With influences from all across the board, The Lindsays have been described as an eclectic mix of music Irish, Folk and beyond! The band has had different line-ups with Stephen Lindsay being the constant on vocals and guitar, having grown up in Dublin with ballads and tunes, taking influences from Christy Moore, Wally Page, The Dubliners, The Furey Brothers, Wolfe Tones, Jim McCann, The Pogues, Bob Dylan, John Prine and others. Playing with a strong rhythm driving style, Stephen sings with emotion and heartfelt delivery. From Bristol RI, with a bluegrass background, Ted Mello plays upright bass and backing vocals, bringing much ambiance to the trio. Katy Boc Nickerson plays exquisite fiddle, adding her unique style to the songs and ballads while also paying attention to the Irish tradition with sets of jigs, reels, horn pipe and an occasional slow air. Together The Lindsays make up a powerful pulse of music that will move you, letting the lyrics linger a little longer or breaking out to dance a few steps!

Stash Wyslouch, Birds of Appetite Opens
2025-10-25 19:00 - 21:30 | Stone Soup Coffeehouse, 88 Meeting Street, Providence, RI, 02906, United States
Stone Soup Coffeehouse has always been eager to bring fresh, new talent to our stage so our audience has a chance to listen to what is out there in the folk music stratosphere. Stash Wyslouch qualifies as one of those artists who has never appeared at our venue, seriously making us ask the questions, “Well, why the heck not?” Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers) says of Stash Wyslouch, “You can learn a lot about a person by the music that they make. This record provides a fantastic opportunity to explore the brilliant and freethinking mind of Stash Wyslouch. You’ll be glad to get to know him.” The concert begins at 7 pm on Saturday, October 25, 2025. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in advance on our website.
Parking at The Music Mansion at 88 Meeting St, Providence, RI 02906 is limited and carpooling, ride-sharing, and mass transit are highly encouraged. There is also available parking on Benefit Street, a short set of stairs will lead you right up to the Music Mansion.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Polish-Colombian Stash Wyslouch is an avant-garde Bluegrass guitarist, singer and songwriter. His music delights in story-telling, improvisation and outer-space worthy composition. Despite his Heavy-Metal beginnings in middle and high school, Bluegrass music has been central to Wyslouch’s life for the past 15 years touring and recording with groups such as The Deadly Gentlemen, Bruce Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, The Jacob Jolliff Band, and Tony Trischka’s Early Roman Kings.
His 4th and most recent album “Plays and Sings Bluegrass Vol. II” was released April 30, 2021. Conceived as a gift back to the music that has framed his career, “Plays and Sings Bluegrass Vol. II” is a collection of zanily deconstructed Bluegrass classics. “Wyslouch tries to approach bluegrass from completely new angles — upside down, sideways, an interdimensional vortex only accessible from within his own mind.” – WBUR.org (March 2021, A. Mason)

Kossoy Sisters with Kate Seeger and Dean Spencer
2025-10-26 14:00 - 16:00 | W. Newton, MA, Given with reservation
Newton Corner, MA
$20 at the door ($5 for students)
Reservations required: HouseConcerts@fssgb.org
The Kossoy Sisters, Irene Saletan and Ellen Christenson, performed at the first Newport Folk Festival, sang in the original Production of Woody Guthrie’s Bound for Glory, and recorded their legendary Bowling Green for Tradition Records. They are known for their clear belllike harmonies, which have inspired and influenced other singers. Although they sing mostly southern mountain songs, they have also adopted other traditional and contemporary songs, as well as written some of their own.
Irene and Ellen began singing in harmony at the age of 8 or 9, singing mostly what they heard around the house: songs of the 20’s and music hall songs. In their early teenage years, they became immersed in traditional songs and became part of the music scene in Washington Square in Greenwich Village. By the age of 20, they had performed widely in New York. In addition to Newport, the Kossoy Sisters performed at many other festivals and coffee houses, including the Fox Hollow Festival, University of Chicago Folk Festival, and the Eisteddfod in eastern Massachusetts. In 1997, Bowling Green was reissued as a CD by Rykodisc. The Kossoys resumed performing for the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston, the Folklore Society of Greater Washington, the Pinewoods Folk Music Club of New York, and participated in the Truly Acoustic Folk Festival in Cambridge, MA and the Summer Solstice Festival in southern California, among others. In 2001, the Coen Brothers included the Kossoy Sisters’ version of “I’ll Fly Away” in their movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou. Their album Hop on Pretty Girls was released in the fall of 2002.

Ellis Paul
2025-11-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Stone Soup Coffeehouse, 88 Meeting Street, Providence, RI, 02906, United States
Way back in the early 2000s, we first hosted Ellis Paul at our venue at Slater Mill Historic Site. It was a night to remember, as he was becoming a known entity in the singer-songwriter world of folk, and we had never had the opportunity to bring him to Stone Soup Coffeehouse. In a quick conversation, after a great night of music, he told me he had been trying to get a gig at our coffeehouse for a few of years. I responded that I had only recently started booking, and thanks to the recommendation of his agent, I was so glad to be given the opportunity to bring him to Stone Soup. And that begins our history with Ellis Paul and the many years he has returned to play on a Stone Soup stage, whether at Slater Mill, St. Paul’s Church or now at the beautiful Music Mansion in Providence. The show begins at 7 pm on Saturday, November 8, 2025. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased in advance on our website. Please note, this show could sell out, so purchase your tickets early.
Parking at The Music Mansion at 88 Meeting St, Providence, RI 02906 is limited and carpooling, ride-sharing, and mass transit are highly encouraged. There is also available parking on Benefit Street, a short set of stairs will lead you right up to the Music Mansion.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Ellis Paul doesn’t just write songs; he’s a guitar-carrying reporter who covers the human condition and details the hopes, loves, losses of those he observes, turning their stories into luminous pieces of music that get under your skin and into your bloodstream. And much like the artists who have influenced him, everyone from Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon to the singer-songwriter who is undoubtedly his greatest inspiration, Woody Guthrie, Paul weaves deeply personal experiences with social issues and renders them as provocative works that are as timely as they are timeless.
Born and raised in Maine, Paul attended Boston College on a track scholarship and in the evenings became a fixture on the city’s open mic circuit. After winning a Boston Acoustic Underground songwriter competition, he caught the ear of folk luminary Bill Morrissey, who produced his indie album Say Something in 1993. This led to a seven-album contract with Rounder Records and the 1994 album, Stories. His songs have appeared
in several blockbuster films (Me, Myself, and Irene; Shallow Hal, Hall Pass) and have been covered by award winning country artists (Sugarland, Kristian Bush, Jack Ingram). Through a steady succession of albums of his own – a remarkable 23 releases so far – and a constant touring presence around the world, Paul’s audience has grown into a loyal legion of fans.
Along the way, he has picked up an impressive number of awards including the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Award, 15 Boston Music Awards, An Honorary Doctorate from the University of Maine, the 2019 International Acoustic Music Awards Artist of the Year and most recently his album, The Storyteller’s Suitcase, was named the 2019 NERFA Album of the Year.His new album “55” touches on the necessity of gratitude in a difficult era of the pandemic and divided political stances on his own imprint, Rosella Records www.ellispaul.com
Phil Hoffman described Ellis so: “The storyteller closes his suitcase, but the worlds within it keep changing, the traveler keeps moving on, and brand new vistas keep opening up with each twist and turn in the road. From Maine to Big Sur, Okemah to Homer, Alaska, from hardscrabble rustbelt towns to peachy Georgia, from the plains of Texas to the snows of Alberta, these lands are our lands. This land is his land.“Born in Okemah shoes, with the Dust Bowl blues, a friend of the working man,” was how Willis Alan Ramsey described Woody Guthrie, a description that doubles to perfectly situate Ellis Paul’s exploration of the fractured, kaleidoscopic landscape of America’s soul. Ellis Paul shares his land with us. And in sharing it with us, the truth he reveals is that it is also ours.”
We hope you will join us because Ellis has certainly become a national treasure over the past 30+ years that he has been performing, and he is truly one of those artists you do not want to miss.

John Henry's Hammer Open Mic
2025-11-14 18:30 - 21:30, 2025-11-28 18:30 - 21:30, 2025-12-12 18:30 - 21:30, 2026-01-09 18:30 - 21:30 | John Henry’s Hammer Coffeehouse, Worcester MA, 90 Main St, Worcester, MA, 01608, United States
Here are the usual IMPORTANT details for JHH Open Mic:
2nd and 4th Fridays (except when noted)
First Unitarian Church, 90 Main St, Worcester, MA
Doors open and performer sign-up at 6:30 p.m.
Performances begin @ 7 p.m.
10 minutes in the limelight- spoken word or music (usually two songs unless you choose to sing American Pie or some sea shanty with fifty verses). Duos or groups are considered one act and CANNOT sign up as single performers too. Stick on moustaches will NOT fool us. $3.00 admission for everybody. Performer or spectator. Payable to the lovely lady at the folding card table (please bring $1 bills). Refreshments & snacks (donation appreciated).
PLEASE enter State Street upper parking lot door. Handicap parking and accessibility at the other side of the church on Court Street by the Courthouse apartments. If you DO park on Court Street only park on the church side of the street or you could get towed. The parking meters on Main Street and State Street require money until 8:00 pm. The meter maids and dudes love to hand out tickets.
We are recording the performances. We intend on starting a NEW YouTube site in the future and would like to post selective performances. If you DO NOT want your video online please inform the JHH volunteer (Bob) recording with the smart phone at the center table.
Excellent alcohol-free venue for people from their teens and upward to perform in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.
Come to perform or just listen. The JHH crew is looking forward to seeing you! John Henry’s Hammer – It’s that traditional coffee house feel without the (cough!) cigarette smoke.

Louise Coombe
2025-11-14 19:30 - 22:00 | Parish Center for the Arts, 10 Lincoln Street, Westford, MA, 01886, United States
Cabaret seating. BYOB & snacks Door open at 7:00 pm
$20 Members/ $22 non-members in advance ; $25 at the door (if available)

Louise Coombe grew up on a farm in middle TN with English parents; is a late bloomer; writes lots of Americana-folk songs and tells the stories behind them. Compared to Nanci Griffith, Emmy Lou Harris and Alison Krauss, she’s opened shows for America, Joe Ely, Jonatha Brooke, Allison Moorer, Greg Trooper, Malcomb Holcombe, Mindy Smith and Cliff Eberhardt. Her shows are warm, intimate, funny and thought-provoking, as she weaves together narratives between songs peppered with humorous personal stories and historical anecdotes with her unique Southern point of view.
Cabaret seating. BYOB & snacks!

North Reading Community Coffeehouse November, 2025 Showcase
2025-11-15 18:30 - 21:30 | North Reading Community Coffeehouse, North Reading MA, 147 Park St, North Reading, MA, 01864, United States
The North Reading Community Coffeehouse is proud to present its November, 2025 Showcase. The performers are Dolores Bourque with Ric Page and Tom Sullivan, Jim Gould, John Loretz and Anne Sandstrom, and Angela Masciale. We have a group of very talented musicians this month with a nice variety of music which will make for a very entertaining show. Each performer will do about a 30 minute set.The event is free but donations will be gratefully accepted and we will be offering refreshments with all the proceeds going to the Friends of the Flint Memorial Library in North Reading with whom we will be doing these concerts in conjunction with, to help support the library.

The event will also be livestreamed on the North Reading Community Coffeehouse Facebook page and on the YouTube channel the following day!
We are located in the Activity Room of the Flint Memorial Library at 147 Park Street in North Reading. There is plenty of free parking. We start at 6:30. Please come, sit back, relax and listen to some terrific music! If you have any questions, please contact Art Grossman at NRCoffeehouse@gmail.com.

Naomi Westwater
2025-11-15 19:30 - 21:00 | Live from the Living Room, Melrose MA, 647 Main St, Melrose, MA, 02176, United States

House of Hamil - Upcyled Celtic Folk
2025-11-15 19:30 - 21:00 | New Revival Coffeehouse, Stow MA, 353 Great Rd, Stow, MA, 01775, United States
Pennsylvania-based House of Hamil is a fixture on festival stages across the US, and have shared their music and stories on the country’s premier folk stages. Their original song “Banks of the Brandywine” was a Grand Prize winner in the 2024 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and the video for their all-violin cover of “Sweet Child O’Mine” amassed over 16 million views on Facebook, where it was shared over 400,000 times.
The band’s newest release, “Wildfire” marks House of Hamil’s most compelling work to date. Featuring their strongest and most exciting songwriting, “Wildfire” is filled with lyrical depth, sophisticated vocal and instrumental arrangements, and hooks that are simply irresistible. This album captures the vibrant energy and creativity that have become the hallmarks of a House of Hamil live show.
Whether they’re ripping through a set of original jigs and reels, adding lush three-part harmonies into traditional folk ballads, or cracking up an audience with stories from the road, House of Hamil puts on a show that captivates audiences from the very first note.
“Great hooks, eclectic arrangements and tuneful melodies that will certainly reach listeners from all walks of life.” – Jeff Goble, Folk N Rock
“Their songs are always on the edge of tradition and innovation… their performances are electrifying.” – Sarah MacArthur— Highlander Radio

See houseofhamil.com for more information.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the concert. Doors open at 7:00 and the show begins at 7:30. Go to Eventbrite to purchase tickets.
Click to buy tickets now.

The Kennedys - Nov. 15, 2025
2025-11-15 19:30 - 22:00 | Rose Garden Coffeehouse, Mansfield MA, 17 West St, Mansfield, MA, 02048, United States
The Kennedys release their first CD of all newly minted original songs in five years!
“If you get a charge from a rich folk rock vibe, love a super sharp guitar lick, or appreciate a moving story song, you will find all of that on The Kennedy’s Headwinds. Pete Kennedy’s astonishing range on any guitar he touches deftly underpins every mood of Maura Kennedy’s warm, lyrical voice. You’ll get no resistance from these Headwinds, only pleasure.”
– Marilyn Rea Beyer, Host, WFMT’s The Midnight Special & Folkstage
Songwriting duo Pete and Maura Kennedy make a strong return to the studio and stage after three years of weekly live-streamed lockdown-era concerts. They took the opportunity to explore classic songwriting in depth, performing over a thousand songs during the pandemic. That vast overview strengthened and refined their own writing and laid the foundation for this new collection of original, socially-conscious songs.
“After such a deep dive into American roots music, we felt like we had a new set of writing tools. We were ready to create this body of work, and there’s just SO much to write about,” says Maura. “During our five-year hiatus from writing and recording, America changed in massive ways, divisive ways that have shaken our whole foundation. That has to be addressed by creative artists, those of us who have a voice to speak for others. Our love of the great things about this country, things that are under threat, is the reason we decided to make “Headwinds” the title track of the CD. Political and social headwinds are making it hard to get back “home’ to our greatness as a nation. We want to push back in a positive way against those winds.”
In addition to singing and writing, Pete and Maura are multi-instrumentalists. The thirteen songs are cast in a soundscape that draws from the classic canon of American roots, in keeping with the theme of getting back “home” as a nation. Acoustic and electric guitars, a vintage steel guitar, a gospel-inflected piano/organ mix, and even a slide ukulele all add colors to a songbag of sounds that have drawn us together during hard times. Pete and Maura believe that those sounds still have the power to pull us through again.
The Kennedys began their writing and touring life three decades ago as members of Nanci Griffith’s Blue Moon Orchestra, developing their own sound as a frequent support act on Nanci’s tours across America, Ireland, Scotland and England. Collaborations with Nanci continued, culminating in Pete and Maura producing her final album, “Intersections.” Along the way, they hosted a nationwide radio program, “The Dharma Cafe” on Sirius/XM, wrote and released sixteen CDs of original music, and have been core artists on folk radio, expanding their audience further with the inception of the AAA and Americana formats.

Susan Werner
2025-11-21 19:30 - 21:30 | Follen Folk Nights, Lexington MA, 755 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
Over the course of her twenty five year career, Susan Werner has earned a reputation as “one of the most innovative songwriters working today” (Chicago Tribune). With formidable chops on guitar (she began playing at age 5) and piano (she was a guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz), along with a graduate degree in voice performance, her shows are a one-woman master class in musicianship. Although best known as an acoustic songwriter that came up through coffeehouses and folk festivals, the Chicago-based artist has written songs in the style of Gershwin and Cole Porter, gospel music, traditional Cuban “son”, and New Orleans junk piano.
Lexi Ugelow will open

Cold Chocolate
2025-12-12 19:30 - 21:30 | Parish Center for the Arts, 10 Lincoln Street, Westford, MA, 01886, United States
$20 (members) in Advance; $22 (non-members) in Advance ;$25 at the door (if available )
Cabaret seating. BYOB & Snacks. Doors open at 7:00 PM
Cold Chocolate is a genre-bending Americana band that fuses folk, funk and bluegrass to create a unique sound all their own. Led by Ethan Robbins (vocals/guitar/mandolin) and Ariel Bernstein (vocals/percussion/banjo), the Boston-based duo released their fifth full-length album in the fall of 2023. Punctuated by tight harmonies and skillful musicianship, Cold Chocolate has quickly gained recognition for their original music and high-energy shows. The band has shared bills with Leftover Salmon, David Grisman, and Angelique Kidjo, and regularly performs at venues and music festivals across the country.
Cabaret seating. BYOB & Snacks.

Catie Curtis
2025-12-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Stone Soup Coffeehouse, 88 Meeting Street, Providence, RI, 02906, United States
About Catie
For over 25 years, Catie toured full-time as a singer/songwriter in the US and Europe, releasing 14 recordings and selling over 250,000 CDs (not to mention streaming and downloads). She has recorded her acoustic folk-rock tunes for major (EMI Guardian) and independent (Rykodisc, Vanguard and Compass) labels, collaborating with some of the finest musicians and producers in the country. Her songs have been featured in several films and multiple tv shows, and she performed several times at the White House during the Obama administration. Her audience knows she’s not afraid to speak up about political issues and to stand up for the LGBTQ community. She’s intensely grateful for those years on the road, and honored to know that her music has been an integral part of so many people’s lives.
In 2017, Catie explored a desire to work locally rather than spending so much time on the road. She got a master’s degree in counseling and is now a psychotherapist in Newburyport, MA. She seeks a balance between her work as a therapist and an artist. “I still need and want to create music. Writing is still how I make sense of my life and the world around me. I still love getting out to play shows and connect with people.” Fortunately, it’s important to her fans, too.

NO-John Henry's Hammer Open Mic
2025-12-26 18:30 - 21:30 | John Henry’s Hammer Coffeehouse, Worcester MA, 90 Main St, Worcester, MA, 01608, United States
Sorry, but JHH Open Mic is taking the day after Christmas off so we can stay home to play with our new toys that Santa brought. See you in the new year.

Cormac McCarthy
2026-01-09 19:30 - 21:30 | Parish Center for the Arts, 10 Lincoln Street, Westford, MA, 01886, United States
Cabaret Seating. BYOB & Snacks. Doors open at 7:00 PM
$20 Members/ $22 non-members in advance ; $25 at the door (if available)

Rooted in rural New England since the age of ten, McCarthy grew up in towns where the economies teetered on marginal subsistence from logging and paper and woolen mills. It wasn’t until his sister made a visit home from college, bringing an armful of recordings by Dylan, Baez, and Eric Anderson, that things clicked musically for McCarthy: he traded his clarinet for a Western Auto guitar, purchasing the Black Diamond strings across the street at the barber shop. Through his music Cormac has succeeded in bringing lyrical magic to some of these rougher edges of life.
Cormac has performed nationally on many stages including three times at the Newport Folk Festival, twice on NPR’s Mountain Stage Live Radio Show, Boston’s WUMB Folk Radio 10th anniversary celebration, headlined at the Night of Humor and Songwriters and American Troubadours with Eric Andersen and Townes Van Zandt at Boston’s Somerville Theater, Ben & Jerry’s One World, One Heart Festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and more.
Cabaret Seating. BYOB & Snacks.
