The new year gets off to a good start on Long Island, musically speaking, with a number of talented local and touring artists slated to perform at venues in Nassau, Suffolk, Brooklyn and Queens.  Visiting artists include Wisconsin-based singer-songwriter johnsmith (Jan. 4 in Garden City),  Maine’s Jud Caswell and Massachusetts’ Chris O’Brien on an "emerging artists" double-bill (Jan. 5 in Centerport), husband & wife duo The Kennedys and singer-songwriter Ellis Paul  (Jan 6 and 20, respectively, in Stony Brook), eclectic indie singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco (Jan. 17 in Huntington), New England’s well-traveled troubadour Bill Staines (Jan.18 in Garden City).  The iconic  Richie Havens and Jorma Kaukonen (Jan. 18 and 24, respectively, in Bay Shore), and rootsy female Americana trio Red Molly sharing a bill with gifted Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Pat Wictor (Jan. 26 in Port Washington). 

Also on tap are the first official LI appearance (outside of a restaurant or private party) by  the harmonic trio Gathering Time (Jan. 12, on a co-bill with NYC singer-songwriter Gretchen Witt, in Bay Shore) and a CD release concert for local singer-songwriter Denise Romas (Jan. 26 in Lindenhurst).

The following calendar includes more than 50 gigs during January plus several during the first weekend in February.

Wednesday, 1/2 

Open Mic, Spike Hill, 186 Bedford Avenue (corner of 7th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  8 p.m. (performer sign-up at 7:45 p.m.).

Traditional Irish music & dancing night at Ceol, 191 Smith Street in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill neighborhood.  7-10 p.m.

Thursday, 1/3

Phil Minissale, finger-pickin’ good "Long Island Blues Boy," Toast Coffeehouse, 242 East Main Street, Port Jefferson.  7 p.m.

Old-Time Jam, Freddy’s, Dean Street & Sixth Avenue, Brooklyn.  9 p.m. – midnight.

Open Mic, featuring singer-songwriters and spoken word, The Perch Cafe, 365 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn.  7:30 p.m.  $5 suggested donation.

Friday, 1/4

Island SongwritersShowcase, featured artist followed by an open mic, Border’s, Jericho Turnpike, Syosset.  8 p.m.  Those wishing to perform must sign up at 7:30 p.m.  Free.

Johnsmith, a unique and incredibly talented singer-songwriter from Wisconsin makes his first LI concert appearance, Garden Stage at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Central Nassau, 223 Stewart Avenue, Garden City.  8 p.m.  (www.uuccn.org).  $15.

PeaceSmiths Topical, A-Typical, Folk Music, Poetry & Whatever Coffeehouse features alternating sets by  NYC-based singer-songwriter Heather Lev and poet Steve Schmidt + open time at the end of the evening, First United Methodist Church, 25 Broadway (Route 110), near Montauk Highway, Amityville.  8 p.m.  631-798-0778.  $7 suggested donation.

Saturday, 1/5

Howard Fishman, Barbe’s, 376 Ninth Street (corner of 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn.  10 p.m.  $10 suggested donation.

Folk Music Society of Huntington’s second annual Emerging Artists Showcase, featuring Jud Caswell and Chris O’Brien, two talented singer-songwriters from New England, at the Congregational Church of Huntington, 30 Washington Drive, Centerport (just off Route 25A).  8:30 p.m. concert is preceded by an hour-long open mic at 7:30, for which prospective performers sign up before 7:15 p.m.  (www.fmshny.org).  631-425-2925.  $20; $15 for members.

Free Grass Union, LI-based bluegrass band, Fiddlers Cove, 367 Three Mile Harbor Road, East Hampton.  9 p.m.  Free.

Jeffrey Gaines, souful singer-songwriter, Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, 37 West Main Street, Bay Shore.  8 p.m.  (www.boultoncenter.org).  631-969-1101.  $20.

Sunday, 1/6

Brooklyn Songwriters Exchange, Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn.  7 p.m.  $10.

Gemma Connell (acoustic folk singer-songwriter) and Mark Yodice (acoustic guitarist) each perform hour-long sets at Spike Hill, 186 Bedford Avenue (corner of 7th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  8 p.m.

The Kennedys, popular husband & wife jangly folk-pop duo and one of the most enjyable acts on the contemporary folk scene,  make a return visit to the Sunday Street Acoustic Series at The University Cafe, Stony Brook Union Building at Stony Brook University.  2 p.m.  (www.universitycafe.org).  For reservations and additional information, send an e-mail to SundayStreet WUSB@aol.com or call 631-632-1093.  $19 in advance; $22 at the door.

Ponkiesburg Pickin’ Party, weekly traditional acoustic music jam, Kili, 81 Hoyt Street (between State & Atlantic), Brooklyn.  4:30-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, 1/9

Acoustic Long Island weekly series of coffeehouse podcasts features an hour-long open mic followed by a 45-minute set by featured performer Jesse Ruben, a 20-something Boston-based singer-songwriter, Deepwells Mansion, Route 25A (just west of the Moriches Road intersection), St. James.  8-10 p.m.  (www.acousticlongisland.com).

Open Mic, Spike Hill, 186 Bedford Avenue (corner of 7th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  8 p.m. (performer sign-up at 7:45 p.m.).

Thursday, 1/10

Evolution of the Music Industry, a free panel discussion, explores that ever-changing technology has on the industry.   Port Washington resident and retired music industry lawyer Michael Pollack moderates the discussion, while panelists include Susan Butler (senior correspondent-legal & music affairs for Billboard Music Group), Neil J. Gillis (president-SI Songs America), Ed Gold ((Gold Business Management & formerly with Atlantic Records), Avery Lipman (senior vice president-Universal Republic Records), Paul Robinson (senior vice president & general counsel-Warner Music Group) and Ari Sass (co-founder of Insound.com, an online indie rock shop).  The Jeanne Rimsky Theater at The Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main Street, Port Washington.  7:30 p.m.  ( www.landmarkonmainstreet.org).  516-767-6444.

Glen Roethel, LI singer-songwriter and song stylist with a penchant for positive music and a new CD in the works + the new trio Gathering Time (Glen Roethel, Stuart Markus & Hillary Foxsong), three singer-songwriters, two guitarists and three voices in harmony, Fiddleheads American Fish House & Grille, 62 South Street, Oyster Bay.  7:30-11:30 p.m.  No cover.

Friday, 1/11

Gathering Time (Glen Roethel, Stuart Markus & Hillary Foxsong), three singer-songwriters, two guitarists and three voices in harmony, The Inn at New Hyde Park, 214 Jericho Turnpike, New Hyde Park.  9 p.m. – midnight.

James O’Malley, a gifted and gentle-voiced LI-based singer-songwriter and two-time finalist in the Plowshares Songwriting Contest, is the featured act at the Grounds and Sounds Cafe, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stony Brook, Nichols Road, just north of Route 347.  (www.groundsandsounds.uufsb.org).  Show begins with an open mic at 8 p.m.; O’Malley performs at 8:45 p.m.  $10.

Saturday, 1/12

Gretchen Witt (NY singer-songwriter) and Gathering Time (LI’s own Glen Roethel, Stuart Markus & Hillary Foxsong), three singer-songwriters, two guitarists and three voices in harmony, The Eclectic Cafe, Unitarian Universalist Society of South Suffolk, 28 Brentwood Road, Bay Shore.  8:30 p.m. show, preceded by an hour-long open mic at 7:30 p.m.  (www.eclecticcafe.org).  631-661-1278.

Sunday, 1/13

Brooklyn Songwriters Exchange, Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn.  7 p.m.  $5.

Ponkiesburg Pickin’ Party, weekly traditional acoustic music jam, Kili, 81 Hoyt Street (between State & Atlantic), Brooklyn.  4:30-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, 1/16

Acoustic Long Island weekly series of coffeehouse podcasts features an hour-long open mic follwed by a  45-minute set by featured performer Earl Pickens, Deepwells Mansion, Route 25A (just west of the Moriches Road intersection), St. James.  8-10 p.m.  (www.acousticlongisland.com).

Open Mic, Spike Hill, 186 Bedford Avenue (corner of 7th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  8 p.m. (performer sign-up at 7:45 p.m.).

Thursday, 1/17

Ani DiFranco, unique and righteous babe brings her Canon of funky, folky, poetic and often politically charged songs to the Inter-Media Art Center (IMAC), 370 New York Avenue (Route 110), Huntington.  8 p.m.  Carol Ann Dorsey opens.  8 p.m.  (www.imactheater.org).  631-549-9666.  $49.50; $37.50 for members.

Kings County Opry, Freddy’s, Dean Street & Sixth Avenue, Brooklyn.  9 p.m.

Friday, 1/18

Bill Carney’s Jug Addicts play jug band, old time, tin pan alley, early jazz and blues music, Barbe’s, 376 Ninth Street (corner of 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn.  10 p.m.  $10 suggested donation.

Richie Havens, a living legend, Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, 37 West Main Street, Bay Shore.  8 p.m.  (www.boultoncenter.org).  631-969-1101.  $45, $40 for members.

HPL Cafe features Miller’s Crossing, Long Island bluegrass band, Huntington Public Library, 338 Main Street, Huntington.  631-427-5165.  7:30 p.m.  Free.

Glen Roethel, NY singer-songwriter and song stylist with a penchant for postive music, Marino’s Remedies Cafe, 95 East Hoffman Avenue, Lindenhurst.  9 p.m.

Bill Staines, traveling troubadour and much-covered writer of such calssics as "A Place In The Choir," "Bridges," "Crossing The Water" and "River," makes his annual visit to the Our Times Coffeehouse at the Ethical Humanist Society building, 38 Old Country Road, Garden City.  8 p.m.   Be prepared to sing along.  Staines’ lyrics are memorable and his melodies are infectious. (www.ourtimescoffeehouse.org).  $15.

Saturday, 1/19 

Folk Music Society of Huntington’s Hard Luck Cafe presents its annual Open Mike Night, Congregational Church of Huntington, 30 Washington Drive, Centerport.  (www.fmshny.org).  631-661-1278.  8 p.m.   $7.

Sunday, 1/20

Brooklyn Songwriters Exchange, Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn.  7 p.m.  $5.

Ellis Paul, gifted singer-songwriter, makes a return visit to the Sunday Street Acoustic Series at The University Cafe, Stony Brook Union Building at Stony Brook University.  2 p.m.  (www.universitycafe.org).  For reservations and additional information, send an e-mail to SundayStreet WUSB@aol.com or call 631-632-1093. 

Ponkiesburg Pickin’ Party, weekly traditional acoustic music jam, Kili, 81 Hoyt Street (between State & Atlantic), Brooklyn.  4:30-7:30 p.m.

Song Crew Open Mic, Munch Cafe & Grill, 71-60 Yellowstone Boulevard (corner of Dartmouth Street), Forest Hills, Queens.  3-5 p.m.

Wednesday, 1/23

Acoustic Long Island weekly series of coffeehouse podcasts features an hour-long open mic follwed by a  45-minute set by featured performer John Wills, Deepwells Mansion, Route 25A (just west of the Moriches Road intersection), St. James.  8-10 p.m.  (www.acousticlongisland.com).

Open Mic, Spike Hill, 186 Bedford Avenue (corner of 7th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  8 p.m. (performer sign-up at 7:45 p.m.).

Thursday, 1/24

Phil Minissale, finger-pickin’ good "Long Island Blues Boy," Bobbique, 70 West Main Street, Patchogue.  7:30 p.m.

Glen Roethel, LI singer-songwriter and song stylist with a penchant for positive music and a new CD in the works, Fiddleheads American Fish House & Grille, 62 South Street, Oyster Bay.  7:30-11:30 p.m.  No cover.

Friday, 1/25

Jorma Kaukonen, whether solo or as part of Hot Tuna, is a highly respected interpreter of roots, blues and Americana.  He performs two solo shows at Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, 37 West Main Street, Bay Shore.  8 p.m.  and 10:30 p.m.  (www.boultoncenter.org).  631-969-1101. $50; $45 for members. Note: Both shows are sold out.

Saturday, 1/26

Fabulous Folk Series features Red Molly and Pat Wictor, The Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark On Main Street, 232 Main Street, Port Washington.  8 p.m.  (www.landmarkonmainstreet.org).  Red Molly is a NY-based rootsy Americana trio whose incredibly tight and beuautiful three-part harmonies, solid musicianship and warm stage presence have drawn a devoted following here over the past year for its mix of traditional songs with old gospel, bluegrass, covers of old-timey style numbers by contemporary artists and a few originals penned by the trio’s own Abbie Gardner.  Pat Wictor is a gifted, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and lap-slide guitarist who draws inspiration from rural blues, gospel and rootsy country music and also is adept at performing traditional numbers in his own distinctive style.  These talented artists previously shared the stage during last summer’s Falcon Ridge Folk Festival as the audience’s choices for "Most Wanted to Return" emerging artists.  516-767-6444.  $25-$35.

Li bluesman Bennett Harris & his acoustic trio (guitar, bass & fiddle), South Huntington Public Library, 145 Pidgeon Hill Road, Huntington Station.  Free.  631-549-4411.

The Song Box presents an evening with LI’s own singer-songwriter Cathy Kreger and multi-instrumentalist Dee Harris in a recording studio at a private residence in Seaford.  A potluck buffet is served during the break between performers.  8 p.m.  $10 suggested donation for the performers.  Advance reservations required.  For reservations, send an e-mail to songbox@optonline.net or call 516-579-5365.  You will receive a confirmation and directions via e-mail.

NYC’s Luminescent Orchestri presents a rousing and rollicking evening of Balkan & gypsy dance tunes, with a dash of Klezmer added to the mix, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Browns Road, Huntington.  (www.lastlickscafe.com).  8:30 p.m., preceded by open mic at 7:30 p.m. (sign-up at 7 p.m.).  $15.

CD Release Party for Denise Romas’ Inspired, a collection of songs by a LI-based singer and songwriter whose beautiful voice and guitar accompaniment bring a special sound to well-known songs and her own well-written and often poignant originals, at Body Awarness Studio, 50 W. Montauk Highway, Lindenhurst (one block west of Wellwood Avenue).  Open mic from 8-9 p.m.; Denise and friends at 9:15 p.m.  $10.  Complimentary refreshments will be provided.

Sunday, 1/27

Brooklyn Songwriters Exchange, Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn.    7 p.m.  $5.

Ponkiesburg Pickin’ Party, weekly traditional acoustic music jam, Kili, 81 Hoyt Street (between State & Atlantic), Brooklyn.  4:30-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, 1/30

Acoustic Long Island weekly series of coffeehouse podcasts features an hour-long open mic follwed by a a 45-minute set by LI-based singer-songwriter Tom Griffith,  Deepwells Mansion, Route 25A (just west of the Moriches Road intersection), St. James.  8-10 p.m.  (www.acousticlongisland.com).

 Open Mic, Spike Hill, 186 Bedford Avenue (corner of 7th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  8 p.m. (performer sign-up at 7:45 p.m.).

… and Coming in February…

Friday, 2/1

Folk duo Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen, The Good Coffeehouse Music Parlor at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, 53 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn.  8 p.m.  (www.bsec.org).  718-768-2972.  $15.

Greg Greenway, New England-based singer-songwriter with a powerful woice, Garden Stage at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Central Nassau, 223 Stewart Avenue, Garden City.  8 p.m.  (www.uuccn.org).  $15.

Island SongwritersShowcase, featured artist followed by an open mic, Border’s, Jericho Turnpike, Syosset.  8 p.m.  Those wishing to perform must sign up at 7:30 p.m.  Free.

PeaceSmiths Topical, A-Typical, Folk Music, Poetry & Whatever Coffeehouse, First United Methodist Church, 25 Broadway (Route 110), near Montauk Highway, Amityville.  8 p.m.  631-798-0778.  $7 suggested donation.

Saturday, 2/2

Folk Music Society of Huntington’s Annual Members Concert at the Congregational Church of Huntington, 30 Washington Drive, Centerport (just off Route 25A).  8:30 p.m. concert is not preceded by an open mic this month.   (www.fmshny.org).  631-425-2925.  $20; $15 for members.

Sunday, 2/3

Brooklyn Songwriters Exchange, Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn.  7 p.m.  $10

Ponkiesburg Pickin’ Party, weekly traditional acoustic music jam, Kili, 81 Hoyt Street (between State & Atlantic), Brooklyn.  4:30-7:30 p.m.