Uncategorized

Bill Staines

Friday, January 18 at 8 PM

Our Times Coffeehouse is pleased to present folk troubadour Bill Staines, one of the most popular singers on the folk music circuit today. His annual January visit — year number 28! — is a Coffeehouse tradition. Join Bill and the friends of the Our Times Coffeehouse welcoming in the New Year.

After touring and playing concerts for over 41 years, you would think that musician and songwriter Bill Staines might think about slowing down, but that’s just not the case. Bill continues to perform more than 175 shows a year and drives close to 70,000 miles getting to them. He is one of the most durable and beloved singers on the folk music scene today.

Staines has 26 recordings to his credit and has written over 300 songs, many of which have been recorded by the likes of Peter, Paul, and Mary, Makem and Clancy, Nanci Griffith, Glen Yarborough, and Jerry Jeff Walker. His music is sung at campfires and folk music gatherings, in homes and churches, all around the country. Songs like “All God’s Critters,” “The Roseville Fair,” “Child of Mine,” and “River,” have become folk music classics.

On stage, Staines is an intimate, compelling performer, out of the folk scene of the 1960s, encouraging his audience to sing with him on his chorus songs. He will mix in traditional tunes with his own contemporary folk ballads. His humorous tales of life on the road and observations of everyday people provide an entertaining blend of story and song.

“I have always wanted to bring something of value to people with my songs. I think that is important, to try to write beyond myself, to write to the great things that we all experience in our lives.” For Bill, that is what folk music is all about–a music rich in the human experience and spirit.

Our Times Coffeehouse, staffed entirely with volunteers, has been presenting live music for 30 years. OTC is dedicated to supporting affordable folk music on Long Island, and over the years has hosted hundreds of outstanding performers in a warm, intimate setting. The Our Times Coffeehouse is a joint project of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island (EHS) and the Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC), with the assistance of the Research and Education Project of Long Island (REP-LI).

The Black Feathers
Friday, November 16 at 8 PM

The Black Feathers, made up of Ray Hughes and Sian Chandler, join us for our November concert. “The Black Feathers are acoustic, but with enough power and force to drive a sledgehammer,” declared fRoots Magazine.  Americana, Folk, and Acoustic Indie Rock sensibilities coexist comfortably in their musical world, with Hughes’ guitar work buoying the kind of harmonies often only heard in family bands.In October, they were #18 on the CMC Country Music Channel’s video playlist, broadcasting to 2.4 million households on TV stations throughout northern California.

It’s been an incredible couple of years for the The Black Feathers. Their debut album was met with critical acclaim and broke into the Top 10 in the iTunes Country chart and the Official UK Americana Chart. Tours in the UK, as well as an Irish tour supporting Eddi Reader, have kept Sian and Ray busy.

Doors open at 7:15 PM that evening for ticket sales. The suggested donations are $20 adults and $15 students with ID; sorry, no pre-sales are available. Our Times Coffeehouse is in the Ethical Humanist Society building, 38 Old Country Road, two miles west of Meadowbrook Parkway next to the blue water tower. For more information, please call 516-741-7304.

Our Times Coffeehouse, staffed entirely with volunteers, has been presenting live music for 28 years. OTC is dedicated to supporting affordable folk music on Long Island, and over the years has hosted hundreds of outstanding performers in a warm, intimate setting. The Our Times Coffeehouse is a joint project of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island (EHS) and the Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC), with the assistance of the Research and Education Project of Long Island (REP-LI).

The End of America
Friday, October 19 at 8 PM

The End of America is a band of friends, singers and travelers who blend three-part harmony with rock and Americana. The Philadelphia-based outfit harnesses a style that resonates with fans of Ryan Adams, CSNY and Dawes. They were voted “Favorite Newcomer” of the 2016 Philadelphia Folk Festival and the “Most Wanted” band of 2017 at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. David Crosby tweeted, “They sound great and they seem to be loving doing it.”

All frontmen of previous bands, Brendon Thomas, James Downes and Trevor Leonard met on tour in 2005. They went on to form a trio that highlights their vocal chemistry and captures the raw honesty of their performances. TEOA recently released their debut LP (self-titled), a follow-up to their previous EPs, Shakey and Steep Bay. Anyone who has seen TEOA can attest to their powerful harmonies and stage presence.

The End of America has performed at SXSW, Savannah Stopover and the Philadelphia Folk Fest. They have shared the stage with Graham Nash, Old Crow Medicine Show, Larry Campbell, David Bromberg, Gary Louris (The Jayhawks), Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers) and joined Beck in Los Angeles to perform for his Song Reader sheet music release show. The trio’s appearance at the show aired live on KCRW and received praise from Spin, Filter and The Hollywood Reporter.

Doors open at 7:15 PM that evening for ticket sales. The suggested donations are $20 adults and $15 students with ID; sorry, no pre-sales are available. Our Times Coffeehouse is in the Ethical Humanist Society building, 38 Old Country Road, two miles west of Meadowbrook Parkway next to the blue water tower. For more information, please call 516-741-7304.

Our Times Coffeehouse, staffed entirely with volunteers, has been presenting live music for 28 years. OTC is dedicated to supporting affordable folk music on Long Island, and over the years has hosted hundreds of outstanding performers in a warm, intimate setting. The Our Times Coffeehouse is a joint project of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island (EHS) and the Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC), with the assistance of the Research and Education Project of Long Island (REP-LI).

Reggie Harris
&
Greg Greenway
“Deeper Than the Skin”
Friday, September 21 at 8 PM

Reggie Harris and Greg Greenway open the fall season at Our Times Coffeehouse, performing as “Deeper Than The Skin.” This special evening, called “Building Bridges with Music,” is one of sharing and reflection, a journey with two friends through their experiences with race and its impact on their lives. Thea Hagepanos of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Wilmington, NC, states, “To be invited into their lives to share their deepest concerns and memories is a rare privilege. . .This is two hearts asking us to gather and share our histories, our reflections on where we’ve been and where we want and need to go.”

Greg and Reggie, using the power of music and storytelling, take audiences on a journey following their divergent backgrounds. Along the way, audience members have the opportunity for self-reflection, are united through musical participation, and have the chance to dialogue with the musicians and each other about their own experiences. Reggie and Greg are incredibly talented performers who provide an entertaining evening of music filled with messages of justice and hope.

Reggie is the Music Education Director of the Living Legacy Project of the UUA, co-leading tours through the Civil Rights ground of the South. He is a Woodrow Wilson Scholar. Solo, and in the duo Kim and Reggie Harris, he has led hundreds of programs on race and social justice. Greg Greenway, one third of Brother Sun, was a part of the planning committee (at Reggie’s request) of Marching in the Arc of Justice, the Unitarian Universalist conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Selma Voting Rights Action. Together and individually, Reggie and Greg have brought the issue of race before audiences all across North America.

Doors open at 7:15 PM that evening for ticket sales. The suggested donations are $20 adults and $15 students with ID; sorry, no pre-sales are available. Our Times Coffeehouse is in the Ethical Humanist Society building, 38 Old Country Road, two miles west of Meadowbrook Parkway next to the blue water tower. For more information, please call 516-741-7304.

Our Times Coffeehouse, staffed entirely with volunteers, has been presenting live music for 28 years. OTC is dedicated to supporting affordable folk music on Long Island, and over the years has hosted hundreds of outstanding performers in a warm, intimate setting. The Our Times Coffeehouse is a joint project of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island (EHS) and the Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC), with the assistance of the Research and Education Project of Long Island (REP-LI).

Kirsten Maxwell & Kypin Martin
Performing separately & together
Friday, June 15 at 8 PM

Kirsten Maxwell is a Long Island based singer/songwriter. She started writing songs in high school and performed regularly at open mics and small gigs in college. Since then, Kirsten has committed to a life of music full-time. Without the help of label, agent, or manager, she has toured extensively in the U.S., released one album and recorded an EP, won a number of songwriting competitions and performed at festivals on the East Coast and in Texas. Her grassroots following doubled in the past year and the expected release of her new self-titled EP has her fans on the edge of their seats. In December, Kirsten opened for rock icon Melissa Etheridge. She has also shared stages with Bill Staines, Michael Johnson, Slaid Cleaves, Vance Gilbert, and Nicole Atkins. Click here to catch her performing “I Wonder.”

Kipyn Martin is an emerging Indie folk artist whose roots sink deep into the banks of the Shenandoah River. She plays festivals, concert halls, coffeehouses, and house concerts from New England to Texas. Accolades for Kipyn include multiple Gold Awards in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (most recently for “God Is Love” from her 2017 album release Dance Across the Sky), as well as the honor of Washington Area Music Association’s WAMMIE Award for New Artist of the Year. In 2017, she toured to promote Dance Across the Sky and traveled to perform Joan & Joni: A Tribute to the Music of Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell with duo partner Allison Shapira. Click here to see Kipyn performing “Dance Across the Sky” at the 2014 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest Awards Gala.

SPECIAL RAFFLE!!!

At this performance: win a pair of tickets to the 30th Annual Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, August 3-5. Tickets include camping, with a value of $390 for the pair. Tickets are $5 each, good luck!

Doors open at 7:15 PM that evening for ticket sales. The suggested donations are $20 adults and $15 students with ID; sorry, no pre-sales are available. Our Times Coffeehouse is in the Ethical Humanist Society building, 38 Old Country Road, two miles west of Meadowbrook Parkway next to the blue water tower. For more information, please call 516-741-7304.

Our Times Coffeehouse, staffed entirely with volunteers, has been presenting live music for 28 years. OTC is dedicated to supporting affordable folk music on Long Island, and over the years has hosted hundreds of outstanding performers in a warm, intimate setting. The Our Times Coffeehouse is a joint project of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island (EHS) and the Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC), with the assistance of the Research and Education Project of Long Island (REP-LI).

Joe Jencks
Friday, May 18 at 8 PM

Joe Jencks is an 18-year veteran of the international folk circuit, an award-winning songwriter, and celebrated vocalist based in Chicago. Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing, Joe delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove and grit. Having penned several #1 folksongs, including the ever-relevant Lady of The Harbor, Jencks is also co-founder of the harmony trio Brother Sun. From festivals like Falcon Ridge, Kerrville, Mariposa, and Old Songs, to venues like Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, Jencks has enthralled diverse audiences with his approachable style. Joe is noted for his unique merging of musical beauty, social consciousness, and spiritual exploration. Blending well-crafted instrumentals and vivid songwriting, Jencks serves it all up with a lyric baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel.

His Garden City performance is part of a tour featuring his new CD “The Forgotten: Recovered Treasures From The Pen of Si Kahn,” featuring some of the very best unreleased songs by American Folk master Si Kahn chronicling the lives of extraordinary people.

In addition to his performance work, Jencks’ skills as a vocal harmony arranger are in demand. With over 30 appearances as a guest vocalist and arranger on various studio recordings, he brings a unique rich sound to the work of other artists.

Doors open at 7:15 PM that evening for ticket sales. The suggested donations are $20 adults and $15 students with ID; sorry, no pre-sales are available. Our Times Coffeehouse is in the Ethical Humanist Society building, 38 Old Country Road, two miles west of Meadowbrook Parkway next to the blue water tower. For more information, please call 516-741-7304.

Our Times Coffeehouse, staffed entirely with volunteers, has been presenting live music for 28 years. OTC is dedicated to supporting affordable folk music on Long Island, and over the years has hosted hundreds of outstanding performers in a warm, intimate setting. The Our Times Coffeehouse is a joint project of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island (EHS) and the Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC), with the assistance of the Research and Education Project of Long Island (REP-LI).

Open Book
Friday, April 20 at 8 PM

Rick and Michele Gedney, known as the duo Open Book, have been writing, recording, and performing together since 2000. Their original music features melody invention and vocal harmonies supported by a tapestry of interweaving guitars. They have released three albums which have received national airplay and critical acclaim. Open Book is the winner of the 2017 Connecticut Folk Festival Songwriting Competition. Michele and Rick work as facilitators at Dar Williams’ “Writing a Song That Matters” retreat, which is going into its sixth season a The Garrison Institute in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Sam Tallerico, WVKR Radio, wrote: “Blown away by the HARMONIES! People, they’re exquisite. . . Live, their vocals are really front and center. Michele’s pristine tone, at times reminiscent of Shawn Colvin’s, just soars and Rick’s voice complements hers beautifully.”

Doors open at 7:15 PM that evening for ticket sales. The suggested donations are $20 adults and $15 students with ID; sorry, no pre-sales are available. Our Times Coffeehouse is in the Ethical Humanist Society building, 38 Old Country Road, two miles west of Meadowbrook Parkway next to the blue water tower. For more information, please call 516-741-7304.

Our Times Coffeehouse, staffed entirely with volunteers, has been presenting live music for 28 years. OTC is dedicated to supporting affordable folk music on Long Island, and over the years has hosted hundreds of outstanding performers in a warm, intimate setting. The Our Times Coffeehouse is a joint project of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island (EHS) and the Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC), with the assistance of the Research and Education Project of Long Island (REP-LI).

The Folk Goddesses
Hillary Foxsong, Martha Trachtenberg, & Judith Zweiman
Friday, March 16 at 8 PM

Next up at OTC: three snarky, middle-aged women on a mission! Three of Long Island’s favorite singer-songwriters got together at a house concert in 2010. Since then, they have performed throughout the New York, Long Island, and New Jersey metropolitan areas, and spread their goddess-like wings into New England as well. They can often be found rehearsing in Huntington, and are coming to Garden City March 16.

Martha Trachtenberg  is a prolific singer-songwriter-guitarist. She was a founding member of The Buffalo Gals, the first all-woman bluegrass band, followed by a career as a jingle singer in NYC, and has had her songs recorded by such artists as Tony Trishka and Skyline, Missy Raines, Jim Hurst, Kathy Chiavola and Dede Wyland. She performs solo as well as with her husband, musician and producer Tom Griffith, and enjoys being a Goddess.

Judith Zweiman is a singer-songwriter-guitarist who also plays bass and hand percussion. Over the years, she has performed and recorded as a solo artist as well as with numerous other singer-songwriters throughout NYC and LI. She was part of the Greenwich Village NYC folk music revival of the 1980s and those recording are available on Fast Folk Musical Magazine (now part of Smithsonian-Folkways). She was a founding member of Ell’s Kitchen Original Jazz, where she was a recipient of a Meet the Composer grant, and  has been a member of numerous acoustic music groups such as Deb Kayman and Ethnic Routes, Late For Dinner, Folkano, Judith Zweiman & the Answers! and the sea chanty duo Strike the Bell to name but a few.  She was both a student and faculty member at the now-legendary Guitar Workshop of Roslyn, where she studied classical guitar and traditional folk music of the British Isles and the United States.  She currently works as a music and multi-media specialist in therapeutic recreation, and has been affiliated as a performer with the NYC non-profit organization, HAI  (Healing Arts Initiative, formerly Hospital Audiences, Inc.) since 1984.

Hillary Foxsong is a singer-songwriter-guitarist and percussionist who opted, in lieu of having a mid-life crisis, to embark on a second career as a musician. In addition to The Folk Goddesses, she is one-third of the trio Gathering Time, and her songs have been recorded by both groups. She has a background in graphic design and art and is a gifted photographer. She is married to recording engineer Ted Stoforos.

Doors open at 7:15 PM that evening for ticket sales. The suggested donations are $20 adults and $15 students with ID; sorry, no pre-sales are available. Our Times Coffeehouse is in the Ethical Humanist Society building, 38 Old Country Road, two miles west of Meadowbrook Parkway next to the blue water tower. For more information, please call 516-741-7304.

Our Times Coffeehouse, staffed entirely with volunteers, has been presenting live music for 28 years. OTC is dedicated to supporting affordable folk music on Long Island, and over the years has hosted hundreds of outstanding performers in a warm, intimate setting. The Our Times Coffeehouse is a joint project of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island (EHS) and the Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC), with the assistance of the Research and Education Project of Long Island (REP-LI).

Little Toby Walker
Friday, February 16 at 8 PM

We are proud to present internationally and nationally acclaimed Toby Walker at our next concert. Walker has been hailed as an award-winning, roots music fingerstyle guitar virtuoso and songwriter who has toured the US, the United Kingdom, and all through Europe. Blending the styles of blues, ragtime, country, bluegrass, old-time jazz and rock, Walker has a style of his own and as such received numerous awards, including First Place recipient of the International Blues Challenge Award in Memphis and the NY Music Award for best instrumental CD. Walker has also been inducted into the NY Blues Hall Of Fame.

Click here to listen to him sing  “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.”

Walker has recently released eight instructional guitar DVD’s for the world famous company Homespun Tapes which have been getting rave reviews. His latest CD release, “Mileage,” has been getting all kinds of wonderful reviews in the traditional roots music world. Carnegie Hall acknowledged his rare talents and  hired him to augment and teach in their “American Roots” program aimed at honor level middle school students.

Toby’s passion for blues, rags, folk, and other traditional American music drove him to leave an apartment crammed full of recordings, books and instruments for the Mississippi Delta, Virginia and the Carolinas, where he tracked down some of the more obscure, but immensely talented, music makers of an earlier era. He learned directly from Eugene Powell, James “Son” Thomas, Etta Baker and R.L Burnside, among others.

Doors open at 7:15 PM that evening for ticket sales. The suggested donations are $20 adults and $15 students with ID; sorry, no pre-sales are available. Our Times Coffeehouse is in the Ethical Humanist Society building, 38 Old Country Road, two miles west of Meadowbrook Parkway next to the blue water tower. For more information, please call 516-741-7304.

Our Times Coffeehouse, staffed entirely with volunteers, has been presenting live music for 28 years. OTC is dedicated to supporting affordable folk music on Long Island, and over the years has hosted hundreds of outstanding performers in a warm, intimate setting. The Our Times Coffeehouse is a joint project of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island (EHS) and the Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC), with the assistance of the Research and Education Project of Long Island (REP-LI).

Bill Staines

Friday, January 19 at 8 PM

Our Times Coffeehouse is pleased to present folk troubadour Bill Staines, who performs on Friday, January 19, 2018 at 8 PM. His annual January visit — year number 27! — is a Coffeehouse tradition. Join Bill and the friends of the Our Times Coffeehouse welcoming in the New Year.

After touring and playing concerts for over 41 years, you would think that musician and songwriter Bill Staines might think about slowing down, but that’s just not the case. Bill continues to perform more than 175 shows a year and drives close to 70,000 miles getting to them. He is one of the most durable and beloved singers on the folk music scene today.

Staines has 26 recordings to his credit and has written over 300 songs, many of which have been recorded by the likes of Peter, Paul, and Mary, Makem and Clancy, Nanci Griffith, Glen Yarborough, and Jerry Jeff Walker. His music is sung at campfires and folk music gatherings, in homes and churches, all around the country. Songs like “All God’s Critters,” “The Roseville Fair,” “Child of Mine,” and “River,” have become folk music classics.

On stage, Staines is an intimate, compelling performer, out of the folk scene of the 1960s, encouraging his audience to sing with him on his chorus songs. He will mix in traditional tunes with his own contemporary folk ballads. His humorous tales of life on the road and observations of everyday people provide an entertaining blend of story and song.

“I have always wanted to bring something of value to people with my songs. I think that is important, to try to write beyond myself, to write to the great things that we all experience in our lives.” For Bill, that is what folk music is all about–a music rich in the human experience and spirit.

Our Times Coffeehouse, staffed entirely with volunteers, has been presenting live music for 28 years. OTC is dedicated to supporting affordable folk music on Long Island, and over the years has hosted hundreds of outstanding performers in a warm, intimate setting. The Our Times Coffeehouse is a joint project of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island (EHS) and the Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC), with the assistance of the Research and Education Project of Long Island (REP-LI).