So many great folk artists have hailed from Canada — Leonard Cohen, Stan Rogers, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young just to name a few. This show is a benefit that celebrates the amazing music that has been brought to us from our wonderful northern neighbors. Our performers this evening will be Rick Fitzgerald, Martin Levson, and Mark Peterson with Pam Kennedy.
Rick Fitzgerald is a familiar face at the Coffee House. He is an accomplished guitarist, singer/songwriter, recording artist, and is a Mountain Laurel autoharp contest champion. Rick has performed & taught at autoharp gatherings from coast to coast, and has recorded four CDs that feature a mix of his own original songs and those of his favorite artists.
Martin Levson grew up in San Jose, CA; the child of two hard-core early '60s folkies. His father was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His secular musical influences include Pete Seeger, 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, The Decemberists, and The Bobs. IRL, he serves as the Cantor and Sole/Soul Spiritual Leader of Congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha.
Pam Kennedy and Mark Peterson are members of Milwaukee's own Sequestered Puppiez and love playing all kinds of music! Fun is contagious. This is their second appearance playing at the Coffee House and they're looking forward to seeing everyone!
Proceeds after expenses for this show will go to Nourish MKE.
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.
Adela Skowronski is a cellist, pianist, and singer-songwriter from the Chicagoland area. She is free-spirited, diverse, and associated with many projects including an all girl blues/rock band, a metal group, and occasional compositions for string quartet. Her newest project is a folk group called "Adela's", which draws from folk, pop, classical and rock.
Steve Higgins is a singer/songwriter multi instrumentalist from Milwaukee who plays Indy/alternitive/punk with his band “Phasing”. He also plays some great finger style guitar. His music can be found at: https://stevehiggins.bandcamp.com
Ruth Williams and Andy Jehly have been performing at and supporting The Coffee House for ages, and now’s the time to celebrate their years with a double birthday concert. Sandy Stehling, Paul Smith, and several other musical cohorts will join in with old country blues, Americana, early swing, rock, inspired folk and more. Don’t miss the party!
Singer/songwriter John Stano’s sound is a distinctive blend of acoustic and slide guitar, harmonica, expressive vocals and insightful songwriting developed over many years of performance and study. He sometimes adds a little mandolin, cigar box guitar or banjo to the mix as well. His style can be described as a combination of folk, blues and Americana. Initially self-taught, John went on to study American fingerstyle guitar at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and harmonica with national blues legend, Jim Liban. John studied English and creative writing at U.W. Madison. A skillful use of language adds an original spark to his lyrics. ‘Green Man Review’ compared John’s music to early Bob Dylan while ‘Dirty Linen’ was reminded of Country Joe McDonald. John also performs his own arrangements of folk and country blues classics by artists such as Robert Johnson and Mississippi John Hurt and Bukka White and contemporary writers such as; Gillian Welch, Bob Dylan, Greg Brown, John Prine and Tom Waits. John is a flexible and engaging performer who works regularly at a variety of indoor and outdoor venues. John has released four recordings of original music.
“His vocal resemblance to John Prine may be a plus for some, but Stano’s songwriting voice is his own, apt for the folksinger’s task of chronicling the local while relating it to the universal.”
-The Shepherd Express
PK Harmony is Peter Lee and Karen Levy on vocals, autoharp and guitar. Together they make lovely harmonies and joyous renditions of jug-band, country blues, early jazz, and Americana. https://www.facebook.com/PKHarmony1/
