Friday, March 7, 2025: Gathering Time
7:30 p.m. Open Mic (7:00 signup), 8:30 p.m. show
Suggested Donation $20 (Cash or Check Only)

Photo credit: Keith Rossein

For over a decade and a half, Long Island-based folk-rock/Americana trio Gathering Time (Stuart Markus, Gerry McKeveny, and since 2022 Christine Sweeney) has toured both in the US and internationally, mixing new interpretations of both ’60s and ’70s classics and old traditional tunes with their strong original songs. Their sound reflects the voicings and arrangements of the genre’s pioneers: The Byrds, Peter, Paul & Mary, Joni Mitchell, and Crosby, Stills & Nash, brought into today with an acoustic-electric alchemy all their own.

No less an authority than WFUV’s John Platt has written that they are “among the finest performers in the New York metropolitan area, whatever the size of the venue, from a house concert to an outdoor festival,” with “harmonies that can charm the birds out of the trees, strong original songs, and a savvy repertoire of cover songs, ranging from traditional folk to classic rock. They appeal to audiences of all ages.”

The trio’s 2016 release Keepsake debuted at #1 on the Folk DJ Album Chart for March 2016, with their cover of Sandy Denny’s “Who Knows Where the Time Goes” the #1 song, five more songs in the Top 25, and the group as the #1 artist for the month. The album charted at #4 for the year. They repeated the success with their most recent release, Old Friends, which features GT-flavored interpretations of classic ’60s and ’70s songs by artists who influenced the trio: The Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, CSN, Joni Mitchell, Janis Ian, and many others. It too produced a #1 single, “Get Together” (Chet Baker) in July 2020, and took the #1 album and artist slots on the FAI Folk DJ Chart for September of that year.
Their two previous albums,  When One Door Closes…  and Red Apples and Gold, both were in the top 5 on the chart, as have over half a dozen singles.
This show will be a bit of everything: originals, select signature covers, traditional songs with their own twist, and perhaps one or two out of left field, just because they like them!

 

Our Times Coffeehouse takes place at the Long Island Ethical Humanist Society, located at 38 Old Country Rd., Garden City, a half mile west of the Mineola Railroad Station. Its phone number is (516) 741-7304.