Compiled by Michael Kornfeld
Detailed listings for nearly 100 concerts, open mics and jam sessions slated for February 2009 in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties appear in this installment of AcousticMusicScene.com’s Long Island AcoustiCalendar.
Sunday, 2/1
Ponkiesburg Pickin’ Party, weekly traditional acoustic music jam features dashes of country, old-time, bluegrass, blues and folk at Kili, 81 Hoyt Street (between State & Atlantic), Brooklyn. 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Sunday Street Acoustic Series at the University Café features gifted guitarists Pete Kennedy and Pat Wictor, Stony Brook Union building, Stony Brook University. 2 p.m. (www.universitycafe.org). 631-632-1093. Tickets are $20 if purchased by 1/29; $25 at the door (if available).
Stephane Wrembel presents The Django Experiment, French virtuoso guitarists plays in Reinhardt’s style, Barbes, 376 9th Street (corner of 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. $10 suggested donation.
Monday, 2/2
Country Blues Jam at Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. No cover.
Long Island-based singer-songwriter Stuart Markus perform his own “The Ballad of Malverne Mel” during Nassau County’s Groundhog Day celebration at the Reese Park Gazebo (near the train station) on Church Street in Malverne, at 7 a.m.
Tuesday, 2/3
Buddy Merriam & Back Roads, LI bluegrass stalwarts, Checkmate Inn, North Country Road, Setauket. 9:30 p.m.
Open Mic, Napper Tandy’s Irish Pub, 275 Route 25A, Miller Place. 8 p.m. to midnight.
Tamevote Kapeleye, klezmer quartet, performs at Barbes, 376 9th Street (corner of 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn. 7 p.m. $10 suggested donation.
Wednesday, 2/4
Acoustic Long Island features singer-songwriter Patrick Thomas and duo Pete and J, Deepwells Mansion, Route 25A (just west of Moriches Road intersection), St. James. 8-10 p.m. (www.acousticlongisland.com). Free.
Folk Open Sing, sponsored by the Good Coffeehouse and the Pinewoods –Folk Music Society of New York, Ethical Cultural Society building (basement), 53 Prospect Park West (near 2nd Street), Brooklyn. For information, call Alison Kelley, 718-636-6341.
Open Mic, Cool Beanz, 556 North Country Road (Route 25A), St. James. 8-11 p.m.
Open Mic, Life Café, 983 Flushing Avenue, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. – Midnight.
Open Mic, Spike Hill, 186 Bedford Avenue (corner of 7th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 7 p.m.
Roots n’ Ruckus, a night of folk, old-time and blues music, at Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn. 9:30 p.m.
“WoodSongs at the Movies” features a 45-minute live performance by Larry Moser and Mary Nagin, followed by an hour-long screening of Michael Johnathon’s “WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour with featured artists Barra MacNeils and Homemade Jamz Blues Band. Clearview’s Babylon Cinemas, 34 Main Street (west of Deer Park Avenue), Babylon. 7:30 p.m. $12. Two- for-one tickets are available for Optimum Rewards members and Folk Music Society of Huntington members who show their card.
Thursday, 2/5
Buddy Merriam & Back Roads play bluegrass at the Checkmate Inn, North Country Road, Setauket. 9:30 p.m.
Hooklyn Holler, monthly singer-songwriter series, Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn. 718-375-3214. 9 p.m. $5 cover.
Old Time Jam with Zot’s Dream (jug music featuring banjos, washboard, washtub bass, tin-can drums, etc), Freddy’s Back Room, 485 Dean Street at Sixth Avenue, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. to midnight.
Strings n’ Things Open Mic Night, presented by the Smithtown Township Arts Council, at the, Mills Pond House, 660 Route 25A, Smithtown. (www.stacarts.org). 631-862-6575. 8-9:30 p.m. Sign-up begins at 7:15 p.m. Free.
Traditional Irish Session, Maguire’s Public House, 54-20 Roosevelt Avenue, Woodside, Queens. 9:30 p.m. 718-429-9426.
Friday 2/6
Beaucoup Blue, top-notch Philadelphia-based father and son acoustic blues and roots duo, play The Good Coffeehouse Music Parlor at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, 53 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn. 8 p.m. (www.gchmusic.org). 718-768-2972. $10; $6 for children.
Homegrown String Band (Inspired by the rural string bands of the early 20th century, Long Island’s Jackofsky family has been performing traditional and neo-traditional acoustic American roots music and lively originals together for more than a decade), at Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn. 718-375-3214. 9 p.m. $10 cover.
Island Songwriters Showcase (ISS) Open Mic at Border’s Café, Jericho Turnpike (Route 25), Syosset. 8 p.m. Those wishing to perform must sign-up with Vinny Crici at 7:30 p.m. (www.islandsongwriters.org).
Lucky 13, new LI-based trio blends the eclectic styles and voices of Marci Geller, Cathy Kreger and Susan DeVita at The Garden Stage, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Central Nassau, 223 Stewart Avenue (corner of Nassau Boulevard), Garden City. 8 p.m. $15 in advance; $17 at the door. For advance tickets and information, contact calendar@uuccn.org.
Open Mic Night at the Custer Institute, hosted by singer-songwriter Liza Coppola, 1115 Main Bayview Road, Southold (south of Route 25). (www.custerobservatory.org). 631-765-2626. 7-10 p.m.
Dock Oscar and The Ambassadors of Love play a mix of bluegrass, old-time tunes, gospel and more at Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn. 718-375-3214. 10:30 p.m. $10 cover.
PeaceSmiths Topical, A-Typical, Folk Music, Poetry and Whatever Coffeehouse, First United Methodist Church, 25 Broadway/Route 110 (southernmost end near Merrick Road/Montauk Highway), Amityville. 8 p.m. (www.peacesmiths.org). 631-798-0778. $7 suggested donation.
Rhythm Kings Acoustic Duo, Popei’s, 451 Middle Country Road, Coram. 9 p.m.-midnight.
Saturday, 2/7
Bill Carney’s Jug Addicts perform a lively, raucous blend of jug band, old-time, Tin Pan Alley, early jazz and blues music at Barbes, 376 9th Street (corner of 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn. 10 p.m. $10 suggested donation.
The McDades, Juno Award-winning Canadian roots ensemble — whose adventurous music is a blend of Canadiana, Celtic, world and other influences — makes a return appearance for the Folk Music Society of Huntington at the Congregational Church of Huntington, 30 Washington Drive (just off Route 25A) in Centerport. The 8:30 p.m. concert is preceded by an hour-long open mic at 7:30 p.m. (www.fmshny.org). 631-425-2925. $23 in advance; $25 at the door; $18 for FMSH members. Tickets available in advance via Brown Paper Tickets.
Saturday Night Jam, Sunny’s, 253 Conover Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn. 8 p.m.
Sunday, 2/8
The Five Deadly Venoms, a bluegrass instrumental group, plays Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn. 9:30 p.m. No cover. Preceded by Woody Pines at 8 p.m. $10 cover.
Free Grass Union, LI-based bluegrass-roots jamb and, Fadeley’s Deli Pub, 422 West Main Street, Patchogue. 4:30 p.m. No cover.
Ponkiesburg Pickin’ Party, weekly traditional acoustic music jam features dashes of country, old-time, bluegrass, blues and folk at Kili, 81 Hoyt Street (between State & Atlantic), Brooklyn. 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Stephane Wrembel presents The Django Experiment, French virtuoso guitarists plays in Reinhardt’s style, Barbes, 376 9th Street (corner of 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. $10 suggested donation.
Monday, 2/9
Country Blues Jam at Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. No cover.
Tuesday, 2/10
Stuart Markus, LI- based singer-songwriter and member of the folk-harmony trio Gathering Time, plays solo acoustic at Rachel’s Waterside Grill, 281 Woodcleft Avenue (on the Nautical Mile) in Freeport. 6-9:30 p.m. 516-546-0050.
Buddy Merriam and Back Roads present a free afternoon of bluegrass music at the Patchogue-Medford Public Library, 54 East Main Street, Patchogue. 2 p.m. 631-654-4700.
Open Mic, Napper Tandy’s Irish Pub, 275 Route 25A, Miller Place. 8 p.m. to midnight.
Wednesday, 2/11
Veteran bluesman John Hammond demonstrates his prowess at the guitar, while Phil Minissale, the finger-pickin’ good Piedmont-style LI blues guitarist and singer-songwriter opens for him, at The Brokerage, 2797 Merrick Road, Bellmore. 7:30 p.m. $28.
Open Mic, Cool Beanz, 556 North Country Road (Route 25A), St. James. 8-11 p.m.
Open Mic, Life Café, 983 Flushing Avenue, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. – Midnight.
Open Mic, presented by The Long Island Fingerstyle Guitar Club, at the Westbury Friends Meeting House, 550 Post Avenue, Westbury. 8-10 p.m. (www.lifgc.com). Contact Lisa Doll at 516-361-5122. $10 suggested donation; free for members.
Open Mic, Spike Hill, 186 Bedford Avenue (corner of 7th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 7 p.m.
Roots n’ Ruckus, a night of folk, old-time and blues music, at Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn. 9:30 p.m.
Thursday, 2/12
Canvas Open Mic Night, an evening of music and poetry hosted and featuring a performance by talented singer-songwriter and percussive fingerstyle guitarist Joe Iadanza, whose deeply personal and inspiring original music explores themes of love, stepping out into the world and learning to enjoy the ride, Footprints Gallery, 51 Gibson Avenue, Huntington. 7-9:30 p.m.; performer sign-up at 7 p.m. $5 admission includes healthy snacks.
Golem, a six-piece Eastern European folk-punk ensemble, offers up new takes on Jewish, Gypsy and Slavic folk songs at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 North 6th Street, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. $10 in advance.
Strings n’ Things Open Mic Night, presented by the Smithtown Township Arts Council, at the, Mills Pond House, 660 Route 25A, Smithtown. (www.stacarts.org). 631-862-6575. 8-9:30 p.m. Sign-up begins at 7:15 p.m. Free.
Traditional Irish Session, Maguire’s Public House, 54-20 Roosevelt Avenue, Woodside, Queens. 9:30 p.m. 718-429-9426.
Friday, 2/13
Stuart Markus, LI- based singer-songwriter and member of the folk-harmony trio Gathering Time, plays solo acoustic at The Clubhouse, 320 West Jericho Turnpike two blocks west of Route 110), Huntington. 8 p.m. – midnight. 31-423-1155.
Phil Minissale, the finger-pickin’ good Piedmont-style LI blues guitarist and singer-songwriter, makes his annual visit to the Grounds and Sounds Café at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stony Brook, 380 Nichols Road, Setauket. 8:45 concert, preceded by an open mic at 8 p.m. (www.groundsandsounds.uufsb.org). $15.
Steve Robinson and Jim Treutlein, two LI-based artists engage in an acoustic song swap at Irish Cottage, 1010 Park Boulevard, Massapequa Park. 8 p.m.
Two Man Gentlemen Band play a mix of jazz, old-time country, Tin Pan Alley and vaudevillian swing at Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn. 10:30 p.m. $10 cover.
Saturday, 2/14
Howard Fishman plays Barbes, 376 9th Street (at 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn. 10 p.m.
Long Island-based performers Bill Lauter and Lois Morton share a bill at The Eclectic Café, Unitarian Universalist Society of South Suffolk, 28 Brentwood Road, Bay Shore. (www.eclecticcafe.org). 631-661-1278. 8:30 p.m., preceded by an open mic at 7:30 p.m. $10; $8 for members.
Rhythm Kings Acoustic Duo, The Grey Horse Tavern, 291 Bayport Avenue, Bayport. 9 p.m.
Saturday Night Jam, Sunny’s, 253 Conover Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn. 8 p.m.
Sunday, 2/15
Folk Jam & Sing-Along sponsored by the Folk Music Society of Huntington, a monthly
gathering for mostly amateur musicians and those who love to sing, during which
everyone joins in on songs primarily from the book “Rise Up Singing,” Huntington
Public Library, 338 Main Street, Huntington. 1-4:30 p.m. Free.
Adam Levy and the Mint Imperials, fronted by Norah Jones’ guitarist, play Barbes, 376 9th Street (corner of 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn. 9:30 p.m. p.m. $10 suggested donation.
Graham Parker performs solo acoustic as part of the Sunday Street Acoustic Series at the University Café, Stony Brook Union building, Stony Brook University. 2 p.m. (www.universitycafe.org). 631-632-1093. Tickets are $30 in advance until Feb. 12 and $35 at the door (if available).
Ponkiesburg Pickin’ Party, weekly traditional acoustic music jam features dashes of country, old-time, bluegrass, blues and folk at Kili, 81 Hoyt Street (between State & Atlantic), Brooklyn. 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Stephane Wrembel presents The Django Experiment, French virtuoso guitarists plays in Reinhardt’s style, Barbes, 376 9th Street (corner of 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. $10 suggested donation.
Monday, 2/16
Brooklyn Songwriters Exchange features Rachel Loshak, Curtis Eller and Trevor Exter, at Union Hall, 702 Union Street at 5th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn. Free.
Country Blues Jam at Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. No cover.
Tuesday, 2/17
Open Mic, Napper Tandy’s Irish Pub, 275 Route 25A, Miller Place. 8 p.m. to midnight.
Wednesday, 2/18
Open Mic, Cool Beanz, 556 North Country Road (Route 25A), St. James. 8-11 p.m.
Open Mic, Life Café, 983 Flushing Avenue, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. – Midnight.
Open Mic, Spike Hill, 186 Bedford Avenue (corner of 7th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 7 p.m.
Roots n’ Ruckus, a night of folk, old-time and blues music, at Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn. 9:30 p.m.
Thursday, 2/19
Strings n’ Things Open Mic Night, presented by the Smithtown Township Arts Council, at the, Mills Pond House, 660 Route 25A, Smithtown. (www.stacarts.org). 631-862-6575. 8-9:30 p.m. Sign-up begins at 7:15 p.m. Free.
Traditional Irish Session, Maguire’s Public House, 54-20 Roosevelt Avenue, Woodside, Queens. 9:30 p.m. 718-429-9426.
Friday, 2/20
John Gorka and Christine Lavin, two of the most gifted singer-songwriters on the contemporary folk scene share a bill at the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, 37 West Main Street, Bay Shore. (www.boultoncenter.org). 631-969-1101. $32.50; $27.50 for members.
Harmonic Insurgence, an a cappella vocal ensemble, shares a bill with singer-songwriter Dayna Kurtz at The Good Coffeehouse Music Parlor at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, 53 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn. 8 p.m. (www.gchmusic.org). 718-768-2972. $10; $6 for children.
Return to the Dream (an alternative acoustic band comprised of Tom Griffith, Martha Trachtenberg, Diane Garisto and Andy Huenerberg) performs for the Our Times Coffeehouse at the Ethical Humanist Society building, 38 Old Country Road, Garden City. (www.ourtimescoffeehouse.org). 8 p.m. $15.
Saturday, 2/21
Folk Music Society of Huntington’s Hard Luck Café series features singer-songwriters Gretchen Witt and Denise Romas at the Congregational Church of Huntington, 30 Washington Drive (just off Route 25A) in Centerport. 7:30 p.m. (www.fmshny.org). 631-425-2925. $10; $7 for members.
Danny Kalb (of the Blues Project fame) plays acoustic guitar, backed by Bob Jones on Bass and guitar, at Barbes, 376 9th Street (corner of 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn. 8 p.m. $10.
Rhythm Kings Acoustic Duo, The Harbor Crab Company, 116 Division Street, Patchogue. 8 p.m.
Saturday Night Jam, Sunny’s, 253 Conover Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn. 8 p.m.
Sunday, 2/22
Bellport Songwriter Series features local performers, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bellport, 51 Browns Road, Bellport. 7:30 p.m. $5.
Ponkiesburg Pickin’ Party, weekly traditional acoustic music jam features dashes of country, old-time, bluegrass, blues and folk at Kili, 81 Hoyt Street (between State & Atlantic), Brooklyn. 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Stephane Wrembel presents The Django Experiment, French virtuoso guitarists plays in Reinhardt’s style, Barbes, 376 9th Street (corner of 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. $10 suggested donation.
Monday, 2/23
Country Blues Jam at Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. No cover.
Tuesday, 2/24
Open Mic, Napper Tandy’s Irish Pub, 275 Route 25A, Miller Place. 8 p.m. to midnight.
Wednesday, 2/25
Open Mic, Cool Beanz, 556 North Country Road (Route 25A), St. James. 8-11 p.m.
Open Mic, Life Café, 983 Flushing Avenue, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 9 p.m. – Midnight.
Open Mic, Spike Hill, 186 Bedford Avenue (corner of 7th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 7 p.m.
Roots n’ Ruckus, a night of folk, old-time and blues music, at Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn. 9:30 p.m.
Thursday, 2/26
Traditional Irish Session, Maguire’s Public House, 54-20 Roosevelt Avenue, Woodside, Queens. 9:30 p.m. 718-429-9426.
Friday, 2/27
Bennett Harris, acoustic blues duo, BBQ Inc., 12 South Park Avenue, Rockville Centre. 9 p.m. 516-255-9191.
Homegrown String Band (Inspired by the rural string bands of the early 20th century, Long Island’s Jackofsky family has been performing traditional and neo-traditional acoustic American roots music and lively originals together for more than a decade), plays The Grey Horse Tavern, 291 Bayport Avenue, Bayport. 631-477-1868.
Frank and Nancy Moccaldi & Friends present an evening of roots music, ranging from old timey to blues, at The Good Coffeehouse Music Parlor at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, 53 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn. 8 p.m. (www.gchmusic.org). 718-768-2972. $10; $6 for children.
Rhythm Kings Acoustic Duo, Once & For All, 8 East Main Street, Patchogue. 9:30 p.m.
Paul Sachs, urban acoustic folk singer-songwriter, The Roots Cafe, 639A Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn. No cover.
Saturday, 2/28
Mike Agranoff, a New Jersey-based singer-songwriter and song stylist, performs for the Last Licks Café at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington Browns Road, Huntington. (www.lastlickscafe.org). 8:30 p.m. concert is preceded by an open mic at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets available at brownpapertickets.com.
Rhythm Kings Acoustic Duo, The Grey Horse Tavern, 291 Bayport Avenue, Bayport. 9 p.m.
Saturday Night Jam, Sunny’s, 253 Conover Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn. 8 p.m.
Smokey’s Roundup presents an evening of western swing at Barbes, 376 9th Street (corner of 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn. 10 p.m.
Toby Walker, masterful fingerstyle blues guitarist, plays the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, 37 West Main Street, Bay Shore. (www.boultoncenter.org). 631-969-1101. $27.50; $22.50 for members.
The Song Box presents LI-based artists Bob Westcott and Judith Zweiman, performing in a basement studio in a private residence in Seaford. 7:30 p.m. For reservations and directions, call 516-579-5365 or send an e-mail to songbox@optonline.net. $10 donation for the performers plus food/drink for pot-luck between sets.
Like/Follow Us!