Tonight’s show is a Coffee House benefit featuring three acts performing songs with the theme “Naughty or Nice”: songs about good people and not-so-good people, and, well, some really rotten people. The show will benefit the genuinely good people at Nourish MKE (formerly Friedens Food Pantry).

The not-so-rotten people performing at this show will be Martin Levson, John Jansen, and Pam Kennedy with Mark Peterson,

Pam Kennedy is a former kindergarten teacher, former member of the Redundants, now turned dangerous ukulele diva. Mark Peterson is a long time ukulele-cult member, autoharp player, and social gadfly. 

Martin Levson grew up in San Jose, CA; the child of two hard-core early '60s folkies.  His secular musical influences include Theo Bikel, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Suzanne Vega, but he also has a great fondness for Jefferson Airplane, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, and The Decemberists.  IRL, he serves as the Cantor and Sole/Soul Spiritual Leader of Congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha.

John Jansen is a lifelong guitarist and vocalist whose catalogue includes hundreds of covers from the world of rock, folk and Irish music along with an expanding number of original songs. Located in Cedarburg, he has performed at its many annual festivals and in area nightclubs. When not performing as a solo artist, he plays in a popular duo called “Cream City Folk” (www.CreamCityFolk.com), which won the silver medal at this year’s “Best of Blueburg” competition at Gathering on the Green. He can be reached at jfjansen26@gmail.com.

Steve Smith is a Milwaukee born and raised singer/songwriter who has performed a variety of musical styles ranging from folk/rock to choral music to jazz and pop standards. His smooth and resonant vocal style is ideal for performing classic jazz tunes made popular by great singers, such as Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Joe Williams. As a guitarist, Steve has lately been working on perfecting his technique as a swing rhythm guitarist to accompany his vocals. He is particularly interested in learning and performing the music of gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt.

Linda Binder performs actively in Milwaukee and Chicago on both violin and mandolin. After working as a violinist with the Omaha Symphony, and continuing to pursue orchestral and chamber music work and study in NYC, she took a left turn into the world of improvisation. These days she's enjoying playing jazz, free improvisation, and other contemporary styles as well as indulging her interest in Brazilian Choro music.

Opener Don Pardee is a singer-songwriter, guitarist and long-time friend of and performer at The Coffee House. Don’s own songs are a joy, as are his fine renditions of James Taylor, Richard Shindell, Cheryl Wheeler and other great folk artists. Brother Jack Pardee will be adding vocals, and backup on bodhrán and other instruments.

Some Like It Folk is the trio of vocalists Chris and Lorraine Straw backed up with Jon Pagenkopf’s marvelous guitar work.

Chris Straw has been singing as long as she can remember, and writing songs since she was a teenager. She has performed with bluegrass, folk, traditional/standards, and choral groups over the years, most notably with The Moxie Chicks. She has performed on several CDs, the most recent featuring her own compositions, “Echoes of Home” (2019). Chris has played uke, guitar, and upright bass, but focuses primarily on vocals.

Jon Pagenkopf has played a variety of guitars since he was a teen, in a variety of styles, including rock, bluegrass, folk, classical, and a bit of jazz. He often plays lead guitar in groups, and sometimes plays his home made slide guitar. His guitar idols include Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler. He has performed solo, in duets, and with a number of groups, most recently the rock group City Boy. He was the lead guitarist in The Moxie Chicks. Jon was featured on the recent CD, “Echoes of Home.”

Lorraine Straw has been singing since she was a child, in family harmony sessions, campfire songfests, and in high school, college, church and concert choirs. She loves all types of music, folk to orchestral, and has played guitar and French horn. Lorraine has sung for decades with sister Chris, and was featured singing harmony and lead in Chris’s CD release concert last November.

Opener Lisa Medina is a contemporary folk singer-songwriter with a flavorful hint of Latin rhythm and spice. Lisa’s performance history includes: church choir, theater kid, solo singer-songwriter, vocals and guitar in various duos and bands, and as a vocalist with a Grammy-nominated Latin jazz big band. Over the years Lisa sang on renowned stages, most notably at the Petrillo Bandshell for the Chicago Jazz Festival, Park West, the Old Town School Folk & Roots Festival, the Adler Planetarium, and at Wrigley Field singing the National Anthem for Cubs games. More recently, her children's innocent laughter and musical curiosity became her muse, who inspire stories and dreams into powerful songs that form the heart and the backbone of her latest project, her first studio album, "Wishes" released in May 2024.

Early in the new year The Coffee House celebrates the poets and musicians that have passed away in the past year. Some familiar Coffee House faces will be among the performers. (More details coming.)