On Saturday, May 18th at 7:30pm, national touring singer-songwriter Anne Hills will return to the Linden Tree Coffeehouse. Regional favorite Gail Finnie Rundlett will open the show in the social hall of Wakefield’s Unitarian Universalist Church.
Anne Hills is one of the most beloved voices of the contemporary folk music scene receiving awards and recognition for her live performances, her unique solo and collaborative recording projects, and her overall artistry and benefit work. Her song “Follow That Road” was the title cut of the Martha’s Vineyard Songwriter Retreat and has been a certified folk classic since the late 1990s. Whether she is singing her own songs, the words of six-year-old Opal Whiteley, or her song settings of the Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley; accompanied with her guitar, banjo, or simply a Tibetan bell, she puts her whole heart and soul into the moment. You won’t want to miss a chance to hear her songs and stories in person. She tours extensively, winning over audiences with her warm, lively and humorous performances. The AllMusic Guide says, “A stunning soprano tone has made Anne Hills one of contemporary music’s premiere vocalists … Her knack for writing heartfelt songs [has] brought her to the upper echelon of her craft.” and Tom Paxton says, “Anne Hills is such an exquisite singer that it’s understandable that people might be swept up in the pure beauty of her voice and thereby overlook her writing. That would be a mistake. For me, Anne’s writing, in songs like ‘Follow That Road’ and many others, is as direct, melodic and deep as any work being done today. She is quite simply one of my absolute favorite songwriters.” With 23 recordings and new song projects in the works, an evening of Anne Hills will leave the audience smiling. For a preview listen on her website: www.annehills.com.
Gail Finnie Rundlett is a singer-songwriter, drawing some of her repertoire from American traditional music. A long-time Linden Tree audience pleaser, she plays guitar, ukulele and is considered to be one of the primary innovators of the Appalachian dulcimer in New England. Her career in the Boston folk scene spans thirty-five years, with four solo albums, and two with her former a cappella group Taproot. She’s a dynamic singer whose optimistic spirit is infectious, and her love for performing delights anyone who hears her.
Thanks to the Mass Cultural Council, Wakefield’s Art Council tickets are $25 with students under 18 just $10. Reservations are recommended by calling 781-246-2836. Linden Tree Coffeehouse is located in the social hall of the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 326 Main, Wakefield, MA 01880.
Linden Tree concerts’ thirty-ninth season continues with Kemp Harris and Alastair Moock on Saturday, April 6th at 7:30 pm. This show promises to lift up your spirit with these two master performers, a show for all ages.
We are welcoming to Linden Tree’s stage for the first time Kemp Harris, a singer-songwriter who defies categorization. He is a singer and songwriter, a master weaver of American musical styles. He’s an actor, activist, author, and storyteller, and an award-winning educator who has taught young public school students for more than 40 years.
“It’s all about communication,” Kemp says. “Everything I do.” “Nobody tries to pigeonhole me,” says a delighted Kemp, “My audience allows me to be myself and do it all.”
Born in segregated Edenton, North Carolina, and transplanted to Massachusetts, where he bounced between relatives’ homes, Kemp learned to adapt to whatever world he found himself in – a talent that has come to define him as a person and an artist. He began writing songs at 14 and recording them in college, using a pair of old cassette players to track parts, and has been delighting music lovers ever since with his earthy, soulful creations.
Kemp honed his powerful, intimate performance style in Cambridge’s coffeehouses, developing into a magnetic frontman who has shared stages with artists such as Koko Taylor, Livingston Taylor, Gil Scott-Heron, Kandace Springs and Taj Mahal. He has composed original music for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, established a songwriting residency at Boston’s Wang Theater, and recently delivered a series of master classes at Berklee College of Music on the subject of Artists as Activists, alongside Chad Stokes of the band Dispatch and members of the dance troupe Urban Bush Women.
Kemp’s most recent album, Edenton, featuring vocals from the legendary Holmes Brothers, is a modern blues journey that fuses the personal and the political, the sacred and the profane, to haunting effect. Edenton’s title track, a bittersweet valentine to his birthplace, explores a simpler time in a racially-divided town with the clear-eyed grace that is a hallmark of Kemp’s work. Everything he makes is built on a foundation of social awareness and the desire to reflect the world as he sees and experiences it. Whether he’s performing a rousing soul tune backed by a 14-piece orchestra in a grand concert hall or a hushed meditation alone at his piano, Kemp speaks truth the only way he knows how: by baring his soul. Linden Tree invites those who haven’t seen Kemp before to join fans who have discovered this seasoned Renaissance man. kempharrisbandbio
Award winning singer songwriter Alastair Moock has been a long time favorite of Linden Tree’s audience ever since he began performing the Boston coffeehouse circuit in 1995. He has gone onto tour the USA and Europe, performing at renowned events like the Newport Folk Festival and Norway’s Bergen Music Fest and opening for acts like sharing the stage with acts like Arlo Guthrie, Taj Mahal, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, and Greg Brown. Alastair Moock is an award-winning singer-songwriter having won songwriting contests at Falcon Ridge, Great Waters and Sisters Folk Festivals. He was nominated for a Boston Music Award for Outstanding Singer-Songwriter of the Year. The Boston Globe calls him “one of the town’s best and most adventurous songwriters” and The Washington Post says “every song is a gem.
When his twin daughters were born, he turned his focus for a time to family music. His five albums for children have garnered many of the top awards in American children’s music, including a 2013 Grammy Nomination, three Parents’ Choice Gold Medals, and ASCAP’s Joe Raposo Children’s Music Award. In recent years, Alastair has focused his career on the mission of uplifting historically marginalized voices. Alastair co-founded two antiracism organizations, Family Music Forward, and in Boston, The Opening Doors Project, an anti-racist music organization through which he collaborates regularly with the likes of Reggie Harris, Pamela Means, Vance Gilbert, and Kemp Harris. They use music to entertain and educate audiences of all ages around racial understanding and communication.
His most recent CD is a self-titled ALASTAIR MOOCK evokes a wide breadth of American musical textures: early Nashville, country blues, Western swing, and a tinge of gospel. But most of all, the album is infused with the kind of intimate storyteller’s approach at which Moock excels. The songs on ALASTAIR MOOCK touch on death and love, politics, marriage and family, big universal questions and minute everyday observations. It’s a hard album to pin down, but then Moock has always been a hard songwriter to pin down. “I don’t care who I’m singing to,” he says, “I just want to tell stories.”
Tickets for this show will be $25, for those under 18 are $10. WUMB members receive a $2 discount with their membership card. We accept cash or personal check at the door. Reservations are recommended for preferential seating by calling 781 246 2836. Masks recommended but not required. The Linden Tree Coffeehouse 39th season of acoustic music is located in the social hall of the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 326 Main St Wakefield, MA 01880 Linden Tree Fair Trade Music Local 1000.
The Linden Tree Concert’s thirty-ninth season continues with veteran singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey on Saturday, March 9th. Peter has recently launched a new solo CD, “More Notes From Elsewhere, ” which has already received great reviews. Mike Laureanno, our Winter Potpourri Winner, will perform an opening set.
Peter Mulvey has been a songwriter, road-dog, raconteur, and almost-poet since before he can remember. Raised working-class Catholic on the Northwest side of Milwaukee, he took a semester in Ireland, and immediately began cutting classes to busk on Grafton Street in Dublin and hitchhike through the country, finding whatever gigs he could. Back stateside, he spent a couple years gigging in the Midwest before lighting out for Boston, where he returned to busking (this time in the subway) and coffeehouses. Small shows led to larger shows, which eventually led to regional and then national and international touring. The wheels have not stopped since.
Peter has kept busy with nineteen records, an illustrated book, thousands of live performances, a TEDx talk, a decades-long association with the National Youth Science Camp, opening for luminaries such as Ani DiFranco, Emmylou Harris, and Chuck Prophet, appearances on NPR, and an annual autumn tour by bicycle supporting causes such as the Trustees of Reservations. Mulvey never stops. He has built his life’s work on collaboration and an instinct for the eclectic and the vital. Peter folds everything he encounters into his work: poetry, social justice, scientific literacy, & a deeply abiding humanism are all on plain display in his art. His music is inventive with roots in rock and roll, folk, jazz, spoken word, and Americana. petermulvey.com
Mike Laureanno was the audience favorite at December’s Winter Potpourri. He is a passionate performer, with songs that are visceral and evocative. He is proud of his routes and many of his songs deal with his gritty-blue collar hometown and the lives of his friends and family. An excellent songwriter proven by his winning the 2017 Wildflower, Texas songwriting contest. http://mikelaureanno.weebly.com/
Tickets for this show will be $25, and for those under 18 are $10. WUMB members receive a $2 discount with their membership card. We accept cash or personal check at the door. Reservations are recommended for preferential seating by calling 781 246 2836. Masks recommended but not required.
The Linden Tree Coffeehouse in its 39th season of acoustic music is located in the social hall of the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 326 Main St Wakefield, MA 01880 Linden Tree Fair Trade Music Local 1000
Linden Tree Concerts are excited to present three Songwriters in the Round on Saturday, February 3. This year’s trio are Rachel Sumner, Susan Levine, and Chris LaVancher. In the Round is a great format for performers to showcase their talents while interacting with each other on stage. Often planned set lists are abandoned as other songs they’ve written will complement songs the others have sung. Audiences will enjoy their song choices, musicianship, and overall an evening of live music.
Rachel Sumner has been praised for her powerful, lonesome voice and haunting songs.Shecarefully spins melodies that get caught in your head and delivers them “with an attitude and drive in her guitar playing…sure to strike a chord and dig deep into your heart.” (Red Line Roots) Rachel may be best known as the former guitarist and singer-songwriter from bluegrass string phenom Twisted Pine, but it is in her recent venture as a solo artist that she is beginning to be fully recognized as a writer and performer. Whether she’s fronting her new band of lush, low-voiced strings or appearing with only a guitar, audiences will be mesmerized by her elegantly intricate arrangements and captivated by the delivery of each and every word. Rachel is both a Willie Nelson and a Patsy Cline of indie-folk – writing the heartfelt but catchy songs and conveying their emotional complexity with candor and an achingly beautiful yodel. And it is her diverse love of pop, classical, country and everything in between that she draws upon to synthesize into her own unique sound. Rachel’s songs have been critically acclaimed, winning the Lennon Award in the folk category of the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest for her song “Radium Girls.” WBUR/NPR has chosen her three consecutive years as one of the top Massachusetts entries in the Tiny Desk Competition. rachelsumnermusic.com
Susan Levine is a writer of well crafted songs.You might not find a straight-out love song in Susan Levine’s music, but you will find honest songs about the complexity of modern-day relationships, including the challenges and joys of single motherhood, the ambivalence of finding new love after heartbreak, and the search for grace in the smallest moments. Susan explores the emotional terrain of love, loss and hope with a poetic blend of folk, Americana, pop and country, and a voice that has garnered comparisons to Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. Since the release of her solo cd, “Atlas” (2007) – described in the Boston Herald as “That rare album where a whole mind and heart are revealed” – Susan has not stopped writing or performing. Through a painful divorce, single motherhood of two young boys, her “day job” as a music therapist, and performing and recording as one half of Americana duo, The Lied To’s, with singer-songwriter, Doug Kwartler, music has remained her constant, her way of processing and experiences and stories. Susan over the past 20 years is frequently nominated for her songwriting. Susan’s song “Time” (on The Lied To’s new record, The Worst Kind of New) was chosen as a top 5 winner for Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting in the Great American Song Contest! susanjlevine.com
Chris LaVancher will host the evening as well as participate with his repertoire of great songs he has written from his three albums. Chris’s performance evokes a mini-movie festival in your head, complete with a full soundtrack. He writes cinematic, character-driven songs. His song Nostalgia from his second album, Big Fat Love, received an honorable mention in the 2018Woody Guthrie Folk Festival Songwriting Contest. In 2023 and 2014 Chris was selected as a Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist. He was also selected for the Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase at the North East Regional Folk Alliance. His third full-length album in November 2021 – “After The Flood” is a collection of songs full of heart from a seasoned and skilled craftsman mining life’s subject matter – family, work, love and love lost, childhood memories, and finding one’s place in the universe. Much of his inspiration comes from his growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania. chrislavanchermusic.com
Tickets for this show will be $25, for those under 18 are $10. WUMB members receive a $2 discount with their membership card. We accept cash or personal check at the door. Reservations are recommended by calling 781 246 2836. Masks recommended but not required.
The Linden Tree Coffeehouse in its 39th season of acoustic music is located in the social hall of the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 326 Main St Wakefield, MA 01880 We thank the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Wakefield Arts Council for supporting our concert series that has allowed us to bring quality programming to our community. Linden Tree also supports Fair Trade Music Local 1000. For more information see www.LindenTreeCoffeehouse.org and our page on Facebook
If folks have reservations they cannot use, please phone at 781-246-2836 (after 5pm – 781-521-3564) to let us know. We have a lot of reservations for this show, but we should be able to accommodate anyone who would still like to come.
With respiratory cases on rise, masks are not required, but recommended. If you are ill, please do not attend the show. Thank you.
Bluegrass with a touch of gospel is back at the Linden Tree with fan favorites: Southern Rail. Celebrating over forty years of performing, Southern Rail’s bluegrass is high-octane exuberant fun, with lush harmonies, irrepressible humor, and sparkling banjo, mandolin, and guitar.
“The vocal harmonies are exquisite and the musicianship is impeccable.” – Radio Star, Ireland. The group has released 11 recordings to wide acclaim. Their special Bluegrass Gospel compilation entitled “Glory Train” was nominated for the Best Gospel Recording of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association. The group just re-released their ever-popular CD, “Live at the Linden Tree”, a special recording made during their unforgettable 30th-anniversary concert at the Linden Tree Coffeehouse. The band’s two founding members, guitarist Jim Muller and bassist Sharon Horovitch, were recently inducted by the Rhode Island Bluegrass Alliance, into their Bluegrass Hall of Fame.
JIM MULLER, Guitar and Lead Vocals: Jim was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. Jim is the band’s principal lead singer and songwriter. Jim’s rich, distinctive lead vocals and offbeat humor have become one of the group’s trademarks. A guitarist for over 40 years, he is also known for his polished flat-picking and rock-solid rhythm. Jim was also a respected staff-writer for Bluegrass Now Magazine (Rolla, MO). His regular feature on sound reinforcement, titled “Plugged In”, received a great deal of international attention.
SHARON HOROVITCH, Acoustic Bass and Harmony Vocals: Aggressive, creative and irrepressible, Sharon is known for her limber bass work, infectious smile and her tireless energy on stage and off. She also sings tenor and high-baritone harmonies. Sharon started playing bass while a grad student at MIT, (which is where she met Jim) and she never looked back. Sharon and Jim are co-founders of Southern Rail.
RICHARD STILLMAN, Banjo and Harmony Vocals: Rich has been playing bluegrass banjo for over 30 years.. Rich was New Jersey banjo champion in 1983, as well as the 2002 and 2003 New England banjo champion. He is a six-time winner of the annual banjo contest held at Lowell, Massachusetts (1985-1995). Rich has been a regular on the faculty of Banjo Camp North, has taught bluegrass banjo classes for Boston Bluegrass Union, and is an adjunct faculty member of Tufts University.
JOHN TIBERT, Mandolin and Harmony Vocals: Hailing from Northboro, MA, John started playing guitar at age 14. But once he heard Dave Grisman on”Old and in the Way”, his life was never the same. He’s been addicted to bluegrass ever since. He’s a prolific songwriter and also has taught mandolin for over a decade. John’s mandolin playing is fluid, lyrical and from the heart, and his superb bass vocals are a powerful addition to the group’s signature quartet harmonies.
One of the most significant groups in contemporary bluegrass…on the cutting edge of creativity. – Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine. Tickets for this show will be $25, for those under 18 $10. WUMB members receive a $2 discount with their membership card. We accept cash or personal check at the door. Because this is a popular show, reservations are recommended by calling 781 246 2836. The Linden Tree Coffeehouse in its 39th season of acoustic music is located in the social hall of the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 326 Main St Wakefield, MA 01880. We thank the Massachusetts Cultural Council and Wakefield Arts Council for supporting our concert series which has allowed us to bring quality programming to our community. Linden Tree also supports Fair Trade Music Local 1000.
UPDATE: Linden Tree Coffeehouse was able to donate to the Wakefield Food Pantry after Saturday’s Winter Potpourri thanks to all who participated: volunteers, performers, and the wonderful Audience. THANKS. Happy New Year.
Pictured: Debra Jones of wakefield food pantry… and Liz Freeman, Linden Tree Coffeehouse.
This year’s winner Mike Laureanno will open for Peter Mulvey on Saturday, March 9th!
Special holiday tickets are $10 minimum donation to be shared with Wakefield’s food pantry.
Welcoming to Wakefield will be several new singer-songwriters in our Linden Tree’s Annual Winter Potpourri. Area folks who have never been to a Linden Tree show are encouraged to attend. They will get to meet over 10 acoustic music performers and help the volunteers with audience participation in discovering new talent. At the same time, audience will be supporting the local music venue in its 39th season and the Wakefield Food Pantry.
Hosting the show is Kirsten Manville, a Wakefield based singer-songwriter who engages audiences with melodic and lyric-focused Americana music, with a touch of blues and country. Her songs have singable lyrics and memorable melodies that capture stories about every day life , the ups and downs and in-betweens. Her latest CD is “Blossom in the Sun.” It was a Top 5 pick in the September 2022 issue of Metronome Magazine. www.kirstenmanville.com
The feature set will be performed by Last year’s winter potpourri winner Erin Ash Sullivan. She is a Massachusetts-based folk singer-songwriter who loves a good storytelling song. In 2021 she released her debut solo album, We Can Hear Each Other, which reached #10 on the FAI DJ Chart. In 2022, she has been a Grassy Hill Emerging Artist at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, the recipient of the Mark Erelli Judge’s Choice Award in the New England Songwriting Competition, and a Songwriter Serenade Semifinalist. Victor Infante of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette describes her music as “delicate and evocative” with songs full of “nuance and emotional resonance.” erinashsullivan.com
Erin Ash Sullivan
Participating in contest to win tonight’s audience favorite acts will be: Diane Battistello, Sam Bayer, Mark Belanger, Mike Laureanno, John Ferullo, Anne Sandstrom, Peter Vilbig, and Mark Zelermyer. Each of these performers will sing two songs each. The audience will be able to rate each. Two with top votes will be invited for a future Linden Tree concert.
A speechwriter by trade, Diane Battistello relies on those techniques and methods for both her songwriting and her political activism. Her short story writing turned into songwriting in the 1970s when she bought her first guitar. Influenced early by the music of Joni Mitchell, it was during the 1980’s when she found herself drawn to the lyrics of Greg Brown. She credits her finger-picking style to the guidance she’s received over the years from different guitar teaches, including the south coast’s Steve Allain and John Baptista. With one EP behind her, ‘Green Mountain Blue’, Battistello is just releasing a full CD, ‘Introvert’s Buffet (or What I Did on My COVID Vacation)’. www.dianebattistello.com
Boston musician Sam Bayer is your literate, exuberant guide to an imaginary world where housewives win the Nobel Prize in physics, poker-playing children gamble over their bedtimes, and metaphorical elephants pirouette in the den, four and a half minutes at a time. His latest studio CD, The Great Indoors, brings 11 gems from his universe to yours. https://sambayer.com
Mark Belanger has been writing and recording original songs and music for many years. He is currently doing solo performances of his original songs, along with curated offbeat cover songs ranging from Jellyroll Morton to Duke Ellington, to T-Rex to Steely Dan to the Motels, etc. His music ranges from Leo Kottke style fingerpicking to original funk/fusion music. He is a member of the EBASS and WASSA original music groups. His original music can be found on all the major streaming sites and videos of performances can be found on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc. He is currently working on a new album of original songs.
He is the bandleader of “The Rhythm Party” original music (funk, jazz, folk, rock, etc.) that has played throughout New England. They released 2 EP’s “Breakfast with Kafka” & “Lunch with Satre” which feature vocal and instrumental original music. He has taught and played guitar professionally in a number of cover, dance, reggae, top 40 and tribute bands (Blue Suede Shoes — Steve Connolly’s Elvis show band, playing Scotty Moore’s parts) previously. He has produced cable access shows (Persona) for WCCA in Worcester, focusing on local performances and has created performance and scripted videos which are available on YouTube and Facebook. https://therhythmparty.com/musiclinks.html
John Ferullo is a songwriter and open mike host from Massachusetts. He performs his own songs and other folk’s songs all around New England. His music has been described as “about important things with his stories about seemingly small things”. Stories about regular people. John runs the long running PCA Open mic. in Westford Ma. and is in the process of recording a new collection of songs. johnfreullo.com
Mike Laureanno hails from Fall River, MA an old mill-town infamous for its axe wielding resident Lizzie Borden and famous for its chow mein sandwiches and pork pies! A passionate performer, Mike’s songs are visceral and evocative. He is proud of his roots and many of his songs deal with his gritty blue-collar hometown and the lives of his family and friends. He is a winner of the 2017 Wildflower, TX songwriting contest, the 2016 Woody Guthrie songwriting contest and a 2016 Kerrville New Folk finalist. mikelaureanno.com
Anne Sandstrom is a singer-songwriter who draws inspiration from life (and near-death) experiences, history, social issues, and even books. She carefully crafts lyrics and sets them to intricate melodies, accompanied by guitar played in one of a number of open tunings. Although trained in music theory and composition as a high school student at Berklee, Anne relies on her innate musical sense to create her poetic songs. During COVID lockdown, Anne took the opportunity to virtually travel to the U.S. southwest, Scotland, England, and Israel, where enthusiastic audiences requested numerous repeat appearances. Her music was featured in a video produced by Nobel Peace Prize recipient International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. She has also performed at events to advocate for nuclear disarmament. https://annesandstrom.bandcamp.com/
Pete Vilbig, a fiction writer and former journalist, writes songs that combine strong narrative and evocative language, often about the American scene. Pete covered the contra war in Central America for the Boston Globe and crime and politics in Miami for the Miami Herald, but he’s also been a furniture mover, apartment painter, a group home counselor, and a New York City public high school teacher. Currently he teaches writing at Harvard College. In NYC Pete busked in the subway and Central Park, and joined the Jack Hardy Songwriters Exchange. In Providence, he performed at the Rhode Island Folk Festival and PVD Fest, and in recent months, he’s been part of the Folk Music Notebook’s Artist in Residence series, the Rhode Island Songwriters Association Songwriters in the Round, and as the feature performer at open mics at Strings Bar and Grill and the Sandywoods Center for the Arts. The best place to hear his music is on his YouTube page at Peter Vilbig Music.
Mark Zelermyer’s originals tell stories about everyday life. His songs are always thoughtful and engaging, ranging from touching to funny, heartfelt to uplifting. Backed by Bob Metzger on guitar and John Vandale on bass, Mark and the band perform around Greater Boston and livestream as far away as England. Their second full-length album will be released in the Spring. According to Metronome, “Mark Zelermyer delivers a collection of poignant songs on his debut release, Prior to Leaving.” www.markzelermyer.com
Admission to this special Linden Tree concert is a suggested $10 donation, cash or check at the door. Reservations for preferential seating are by calling 781-246-2836. There will be seats available at the door. Linden Tree Concerts are held in Wakefield UU Church 326 Main St. Wakefield, MA 01880
We thank the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Wakefield Chapter for supporting our concert series that has allowed us to bring quality programming to our community. Linden Tree also supports Fair Trade Music Local 1000. For more information see www.LindenTreeCoffeehouse.org and our Facebook page.
The Linden Tree 39th concert series continues with the often-amusing singer-songwriter Don White on Saturday, November 4 at 7:30 pm. Opening the night is Rob Siegel, audience favorite from last year’s Winter Potpourri.
There is no one-word description for what Don White does. He’s an award-winning singer/songwriter, a comedian, an author, and a storyteller. He’s been bringing audiences to laughter and tears for thirty years, released ten CDs, three live DVDs, and a book, Memoirs of a C Student. His latest album is Live at the Guthrie Center, available now. In 2011, he won the Jerry Christen Memorial Award, given out by Boston Area Coffeehouse Association, for his work with the community and that same year was given a key to the city in his hometown of Lynn, Massachusetts.
Don’s approach to music is a unique blend. If he just played folk music, it would be a handy label. But he has invented his own genre with a mix of humor and powerful songwriting. White’s arc as a writer and performer has taken him from his industrial hometown of Lynn, Massachusetts, through Boston’s comedy clubs and coffeehouses, and onto stages around the country. At every point, White has been the ultimate observer, infusing his work with his experiences as a husband, a father, grandfather, a seeker, and a joker.
White has opened for Arlo Guthrie, Ritchie Havens. Louden Wainwright III, and Taj Mahal, shared a bill with David Bromberg, Janis Ian, and Lyle Lovett. White has been featured in storytelling festivals around the country including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee and the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Utah. Since 2015, he has joined master storytellers Bil Lepp and Bill Harley in Father’s Daze, a hilarious three-man storytelling show about the triumphs and tribulations of fatherhood. He toured North America for nine years with folk songwriting legend Christine Lavin, with whom he still plays the occasional show most recently in September. https://www.donwhite.net/
Rob Siegel is well-known in Boston folk music circles who describes himself as an innovative songwriter who draws from his idyllic yet stressed-out middle-class suburban existence and produces memorable well-crafted songs. Rob has opened for Bill Staines, Vance Gilbert, Catie Curtis, Jack Hardy, Geoff Muldaur, and others. His 2000 debut CD Shaker Chair received airplay on the WUMB radio network, and his 2004 CD Voices from the Right Brain reached #52 on the FolkDJ ranking, which isn’t bad for a geophysicist who rarely traveled outside Massachusetts for a gig. Rob took his foot off the gigging pedal in the mid-2000s when he projected the college bills for his three kids, but now that they’re grown, he’s back. His first new CD in 14 years, A Landscape of Ghosts, was released in 2018 at a sold-out show at Club Passim and charted on FolkDJ.” Songs from his repertoire were our audience favorites naming him as Linden Tree’s Winter Potpourri Winner 2022. https://robsiegel.com
Tickets will be $25, cash or check at the door. Tickets for those under 13 are $10. Reservations for preferential seating are by calling 781-246-2836. Linden Tree Concerts are held in Wakefield UU Church 326 Main St. Wakefield, MA 01880 We thank the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Wakefield Chapter for supporting our concert series that has allowed us to bring quality programming to our community. Linden Tree also supports Fair Trade Music Local 1000.
The Linden Tree’s thirty-ninth concert series will continue on Saturday, October 21 at 7:30 pm in the social hall of the Unitarian-Universalist Church in Wakefield. Singer-songwriters Cliff Eberhardt and Louise Mosrie are back for an encore performance.
Cliff Eberhardt is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is a founding member of the Fast Folk Music Cooperative in New York City. Eberhardt joined Red House Records in 1997 and has recorded ten albums for the label. His 2009, 500 Miles: The Blue Rock Sessions, showcases powerful originals and unique covers and a reworking of his hit, The Long Road, a song more poignant after his two decades of touring and recording.
In 2019, Cliff reunited with old songwriting pals, John Gorka, Christine Lavin, Cheryl Wheeler and Patty Larkin to tour nationally again as On A Winter’s Night – five great writers in the round. The pandemic interrupted the tour, but began again in 2022.
In 2021, Cliff released a new album of original songs, “Knew Things”, to critical acclaim and wide-spread Folk and Public radio airplay. The single, “All the Things I Left Behind” and “Room in the City” are stand out tracks.
Cliff’s songs have been recorded by many folks including Richie Havens, Buffy Sainte Marie, and Shawn Colvin. The New York Post says, “Eberhardt sings with passion and with wit…what makes his brand so rare is the self-assurance and poise he brings to his nearly flawless show.” www.cliffeberhardt.net.
Growing up on a cattle farm, riding horses and writing poetry, Louise Mosrie began writing pop and folk songs after college. With a move to Nashville in 2004, she began co-writing with country, bluegrass, and folk artists which led to her 2008 album “Home” filled with stories and songs about southern life.
In 2014, Louise recorded ten songs of love, loss, and surrender in her album, “Lay It Down.” Collaborating with Cliff Eberhardt, the album was released to critical praise and made several top 10 lists in folk radio. Her latest album “Home” was released in 2022. “Louise Mosrie may well be the brightest young folk-oriented artist to emerge from Nashville in many a year.” – Rich Warren, WFMT-FM, The Midnight Special, Chicago.
Louise is an award-winning songwriter earning top awards at Kerrville Folk, Telluride Bluegrass, and Falcon Ridge Folk festivals. www.louisemosrie.com
Tickets will be $25, cash or check at the door. Tickets for those under 13 are $10. Reservations recommended by calling 781-246-2836 as in our area, shows featuring Louise and Cliff are popular. Linden Tree Concerts are held in Wakefield UU Church 326 Main St. Wakefield, MA 01880
We thank the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Wakefield Chapter for supporting our concert series that has allowed us to bring quality programming to our community. Linden Tree also supports Fair Trade Music Local 1000. For more information see www.LindenTreeCoffeehouse.org and our Facebook page.
Linden Tree Concerts in its thirty-ninth season presenting national, regional, and international performers, continues making music memorable on Saturday, September 30th with national singer-sonwriter Joe Jencks. Jane Fallon will also return for an opening set. Concerts are held in the social hall of Wakefield’s Unitarian-Universalist Church.
A Linden Tree favorite, Joe Jencks, is an international touring musician, award-winning songwriter, of musical beauty, social consciousness and spiritual exploration. For more than 25 years, Jencks has been a member of the international Folk circuit, In that time Jencks has released 15 CDs Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing, Joe delivers musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove and grit. Blending well-crafted instrumentals and vivid songwriting, Jencks serves it all up with a lyrical baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel. Joe’s a talented performer whose repertoire moves between the world of contemporary and traditional folk, combining them into a mix of memorable music. JoeJencks.com
“Joe Jencks is the type of musician that will cause you to drop that morning newspaper or pull your car to the side of the road when you hear his songs. He is the type of artist that will turn heads in his direction when he walks onto a stage. His voice will instantly draw you into his passionate songs. He is the type of musician whose music will become part of you. His craft and artistry will remind you of the best efforts of Phil Ochs, Stan Rogers, and Woody Guthrie. The troubadour tradition is alive and well in the 21st century with the music of Joe Jencks.” •Ron Olesko, WFDU “FM Teaneck, NJ, Folk Music Network.
Jane Fallon has been called the “quintessential folk storyteller performer” whose smooth, rich voice and well-written songs get noticed. Her vocals have been called “angelic” and “mesmerizing”, and her original songs “combine humor, intelligence, and deep musicality with an artfulness that is unusual.” She has 8 musical CD’s and three books to her credit and has won many songwriting awards including the Woody Guthrie Songwriting Competition, The American Songwriter Magazine Lyric Contest, and the South Florida Folk Festival. Her songwriting has led her to the Clancy Brothers Festival in Ireland, the Port Gamble Festival in Washington, and places in-between. Jane wrote a song about Wakefield’s Nan Freeman, who was Cesar Chavez’s first martyr in 72 and set the song to video for the 50th memorial at New College in Florida jin 2022. Most recently her songwriting talents have gained recognition from the Braver Angels and Talent is Timeless organizations. She has recently relocated from New Hampshire to Dunedin, Florida and is gratified to have been welcomed into the Florida Folk community, performing at state-wide festivals and featuring on local radio.
Tickets will be $25, cash or check at the door. Tickets for those under 13 are $10. We thank the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Wakefield Chapter for supporting our concert series that has allowed us to bring quality programming to our community. Linden Tree also supports Fair Trade Music Local 1000.
Reservations recommended by calling 781-246-2836 as in our area, shows featuring Joe Jencks are popular.
The Linden Tree Coffeehouse is presenting the final show of its 38th season with a special event on Saturday, May 6 at 7:30pm, at the Wakefield Unitarian-Universalist Church.
Long-time friends, singer-songwriters Sloan Wainwright and Tret Fure will bring the joy of music and artistry on stage in an upbeat, energetic, and moving evening. For Tret, this is an encore visit to our stage, for Sloan, it’s her first time to the Linden Tree and like her we are excited to have this opportunity.
Sloan Wainwright is a songwriter, singer, performer, teacher, mentor and collaborator. A unique hybrid of pop, folk, jazz and blues, Wainwright’s music is unified by her melodious tone and rich, powerful contralto. Over the course of a 30-year career in music, she has played the great concert halls, the most storied listening rooms and top music festivals while also teaching at the nation’s leading music retreats. She has inspired hundreds of students on their creative journeys and collaborated with dozens of musicians, writers, choreographers and performers.
Most of all, Wainwright is an artist. As a member of an acclaimed family of artists (brother Loudon Wainwright, sister-in-law Kate McGarrigle, nephew Rufus Wainwright and nieces Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche), Wainwright has charted an artistic path all her own, one based in close observation, joy, and spiritual connection.
It is said that Sloan’s warm and welcoming contralto voice could “fell a redwood,” Defying standard categorization, with 10 original CDs under her belt, Sloan has a command of a variety of American musical styles: pop, folk, jazz and blues. Her incredible gift is not only her unique songwriting ability but also her dramatically voiced rendition of original songs. She performs with power house guitarist Steve Murphy. They will be playing A beautiful new collection of never-released Sloan Wainwright songs connected by the spirit of collaboration:songs from the new CD Red Maple Tree.
A prolific artist in the contemporary singer-songwriter arena, Tret Fure has released 17 albums and CDs over the course of her 48 year career. Her most recent recording is “Stone by Stone, a collection of very personal and heartful songs. ”To engage with Tret Fure is to feel her warmth, her humanity and her fierce determination. Tret invites you to be part of her family, her stories are our stories at once current and timeless, her lyrics are always well crafted and her music supports and enhances but never overpowers her message. Every album from Tret is a treat and “Stone by Stone” is no exception. Ron Cooke, KTAL 101.5 FM – Las Cruces, NM
“Tret is an award-winning singer-songwriter who draws you into her personal world without self-indulgence because her themes are universal and the songs, well-written. Tret’s also a folk singer, touching on important issues like gender identity, and peace. Her lyrics are lovely, she can still do it with just a simple guitar and vocal. In one of her songs, she sings, “When you think you just can’t sing / You find a better song.” For this performance, Tret will be bringing new songs from her soon to be released CD, The Language of Love”
Fure also markets her own line of clothing named after her popular song “Tomboy Girl”. In addition, Tret teaches guitar and songwriting individually and in workshop settings. She paints pet portraits on commission and, an accomplished cook, Fure has also published a cookbook, “Tret’s Kitchen”, featuring her own recipes. Along with bridging the marketing, production, music and art worlds, Tret served for 6 years as President of Local 1000, The Traveling Musicians Association–a union geared toward helping traveling musicians find security and longevity. Tret is truly a Renaissance Woman!
Note tickets are $25 at the door or $20 for advanced reserved seats, cash or check at the door, Please reserve your seats by calling 781-246-2836. Wearing masks is optional. Beverages and wrapped snacks will be sold.
The Linden Tree Coffeehouse is located in the social hall of Wakefield’s Unitarian-Universalist Church at 326 Main St. Wakefield, 01880. The Linden Tree Coffeehouse operates, in part, with thanks to partial support from Wakefield’s Art Council of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. For more information: 781-246-2836.
Linden Tree Coffeehouse 